Well, DH's golf game for Friday got canceled so doing this when I can.
Thanks - as always - to Alisha, Beth, Nancy and Queenie.
Last time:
She nodded and looked at the engraving on the inside. "'I'll love you till the end'," she read softly. She looked up at him. "How much?" she asked digging into her pocket for the cash she'd put there.
He sighed. "You know what? Take it. If the world ends in a few days, it won't matter anyway. And if it doesn't, come back someday and see me."
"Are you serious?"
Louie nodded. "Yeah. Take it." He put the other rings back in the counter. "Just don't tell anyone, would ya? It'll ruin my reputation with the guys."
He wrote out a receipt to make it legal and handed it to her, following her to the door.
On impulse, she reached up and gave him a big hug. "Thanks, Louie. I'll pay you back someday, I promise."
"No problem, kid," he said gruffly as she released him.
She wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Thank you."
"Go get married. Be happy for a couple days and if this thing misses us, I'll see you around, okay?"
She nodded and left the store.
She slipped the ring in her pocket.
It was time to go marry Clark.
Chapter 8Lois rejoined Clark in the line.
"Everything okay?" he asked, concerned. "Have you been crying?"
She hesitated slightly, before nodding. "Yeah, but I'm fine. I just talked to someone for a minute. It's nothing, I promise." She smiled up at him. "How much longer before this place opens?"
"About fifteen minutes."
Lois looked behind them and counted. "Fifteen more couples," she said quietly. "I'm glad we got here when we did."
The door opened and a lady slipped out. "Can I have your attention please?"
The quiet conversations stopped.
"Things are going to work a little differently today than normal, given the volume of weddings we expect to perform. I'm going to go down the line and give you the paperwork that you need to complete. On the top of the form is a number. Please have the paperwork completed and in about fifteen minutes, we'll start calling numbers. You don't need to stay in line, but you need to stay here in this immediate vicinity. If you aren't here when we call your number, we'll have to move on and you'll go to the back of the line when you return. Most nonessential court cases have been postponed until after Nightfall is resolved so we have four judges who will be performing ceremonies today. Each ceremony lasts about ten minutes. Thank you all for your cooperation."
She started down the line, handing each couple a packet of forms to fill out. She handed a packet to Lois as Clark dug a pen out of his backpack.
"Number nine," Lois said. "That's not too bad."
"We'll be in the third set of weddings," Clark said taking the packet from her and looking around. The other couples were dispersing to benches and other spots nearby. "Come on." He led her to a deserted area around the corner and looked around to make sure no one was watching. Two minutes later, he handed the forms back to her. "We don't sign them until we get inside," he said.
Lois' mouth was hanging open. "Wow."
"The only thing I didn't know was your Social Security number so you need to fill that in."
She put her arms around him. "You're fast."
He grinned. "See? I can be handy to have around."
"Well, it's a good thing I'm planning on keeping you then." She kissed him before letting him go so she could fill in one blank in the paperwork.
They went back around the building so they were within sight of the door.
Ten minutes later, the first four couples were called.
"Here we go," she whispered. "Twenty minutes or so until it's our turn."
Clark stood behind her with his arms around her waist. "And then, off to the Lexor."
She rested the back of her head against his shoulder. "I don't want you to think I'm thinking about backing out, because I'm not, but have we thought this through? What about when you get back and everything's okay? Are we going to tell everyone? Move in together? What?"
He sighed. "I don't know. Remember on your birthday when we were talking about how we dreamed about sleeping in each other's arms?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"You said you dreamed about being in our bed but you weren't really sure where it was or whatever and I changed the subject and gave you the promise ring. I meant to come back to it, really, I did, but then we started kissing and..."
"Right."
"Well, when I dreamed of us, in our bed, it was in Gramps and Granny's house."
She looked up at him, quizzically. "We're not moving into a retirement community, Clark!"
"No. The one at the farm. Where they lived *before* they moved to town a few years ago."
"Oh, right. I don't think I've ever been in there."
"Well, since I realized that's where it was, whenever Mom and Dad aren't home, I've been working on getting it fixed up. I mean, it wasn't in *bad* shape, but I refinished the hard wood floors and used Mom's carpet cleaner and painted – that kind of thing. It's nearly done. We could always live there – if my folks'll let us of course."
"My parents are going to be mad when I don't come home tonight. I told them I was spending the day with you but..."
"Well, I left my parents a note saying that we'd be back early in the morning but that we still weren't having sex until after we got married. I didn't tell them we were going to get married, though."
"Are we going to tell them in the morning?"
He shrugged. "Maybe we should wait until after I get back safely. They'll be too relieved to be mad. Maybe?"
She nodded. "Maybe that's a good idea. I think my parents will be more upset than yours. Unless we're telling them *everything*, of course, and I don't see us doing that."
Clark cringed. "I hadn't planned on telling them an alien was doing their daughter," he whispered.
"Clark!" she smacked his arm. "You don't have to put it like that."
"What? It's true."
"Still..." She turned in his arms to look at him. "You're the most human person I know."
He started to say something, but just then the lady came out the door. "Numbers nine through thirteen, please."
"That's us," Clark said, kissing her lightly. "Let's go get married."
They both picked up their backpacks and headed towards the door. Once inside, they handed their paperwork over to one of the clerks who looked it over their identification and made copies. A minute later, they both signed the paperwork.
The lady smiled at them. "Okay, you need to go to office 125. It's right down the hall. Judge Wilson will be with you in a few minutes."
Clark took Lois' hand and they walked down the wide hall, before sitting on the bench outside the door. He put his arm around her. "Are you sure?"
"If you ask me that one more time, I'm going to walk out," she threatened with a smile. "Yes, I'm sure. Are you? Are you really sure you want to do this now?"
"Yes, I'm sure." He kissed her softly. "I want you to be my wife."
"Good, because I want to be your wife."
The door opened and another couple walked out.
The judge stood there in his black robes. He turned towards them. "Ready?"
They walked into his chambers and handed him their paperwork. They both set their backpacks on the floor near the door.
The judge asked them a series of questions – were they there willingly, did they understand what they were getting into, were they sure this was what they wanted to do.
He nodded after they answered. "Okay then. Stand right there and take each other's hands."
They turned to face each other.
The judge looked at the paperwork. "Alright, Mr. Kent, please repeat after me. I, Clark, take thee, Lois..."
Clark smiled at her. "I, Clark, take thee, Lois... to be my lawfully wedded wife... to have and hold from this day forward... for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish... I promise to keep myself only unto you for as long as we both shall live."
"Ms. Lane, repeat after me. I Lois, take thee Clark..."
Tears shone in Lois' eyes. "I, Lois, take thee, Clark... to be my lawfully wedded husband... to have and hold from this day forward... for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish... I promise to keep myself only unto you for as long as we both shall live."
"Do you have rings?"
Clark nodded. "I do."
"I do, too," Lois told him, pulling the ring out of her pocket.
"What?" Clark looked surprised. "When did you get that?"
"Earlier," she whispered. "Shhh... We're in the middle of a wedding."
The judge smiled at them. "Okay then, Mr. Kent. Please put the ring on Lois' finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."
Clark slid it onto her finger. "With this ring, I thee wed," he said quietly.
"Ms. Lane, please put the ring on Clark's finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."
Lois took a deep breath. "I hope this fits," she muttered and both men laughed lightly. She slipped the ring onto his finger breathing a sigh of relief when it did. "With this ring, I thee wed."
"Then by the power vested in me..."
"Wait," Lois said suddenly. "Aren't we supposed to say 'I do' at some point?"
The judge laughed. "Okay. Clark, do you take Lois to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
Clark smiled tenderly at Lois. "I do."
"Lois, do you take Clark to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
She smiled back. "I do."
"Then *now*, by the power vested in me by the state of New Troy, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He turned to Clark. "You may kiss your bride."
Clark cupped her face in his hand and kissed her gently, once, twice, three times, before moving back.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kent, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your special day. You can either leave these forms here with me and an official copy of your marriage certificate will be sent to the address you designated or you can take them out to the clerk. It takes about thirty minutes, but you can have your certificate now."
"I think we probably ought to do it now," Clark said.
Lois nodded her agreement. "I think that's the best plan." They didn't want to get home and have their parents question the validity of the marriage.
The judge signed the paperwork and handed it them. "Good luck."
"Thank you," they said in unison.
They headed back down the hall and handed the paperwork to the same clerk they'd worked with before. She entered the information into the computer and about fifteen minutes later, handed them a sheet of paper.
"Here you go. All legal. Have a great day."
They looked at the certificate. "Thank you," Clark said. "You have a great day as well."
His hand rested on the small of Lois' back, under her backpack as they left the office. They reached the street and looked around.
"Which way to the Lexor?" Lois asked.
Clark turned completely around, pointing to the building towering over the others around it. "That way," he said. "Do you want to get a cab or..." He leaned closer to her and whispered. "...fly?"
She shook her head. "It's not that far. Let's walk." She took his hand and they started down the street.
*****
"Clark and Lois Kent," Clark said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket as they stood at the counter of the hotel.
"I like the sound of that," Lois said, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I do, too." He turned enough to kiss the top of her head. "I like it a lot, Mrs. Kent."
The lady in front of them tried to hide her smile. "Check out is at eleven tomorrow morning and you can check out from your room. Use the keyboard in the drawer under the television and follow the on screen instructions."
"Thank you," Clark said. "We have an early flight in the morning so..."
Lois tried to hide her smirk. Early flight indeed.
She slid a couple of cards through the reader, coding them to open the door to their room. "Here you go, sir, ma'am. Two keys to the Honeymoon Suite."
Lois gasped and looked up at him. "The Honeymoon Suite? Clark, do you have that kind of money?"
"For this I do," he said softly. "It may be our only day together and I wasn't going to be cheap."
"Do you need help with your luggage?" the lady behind the counter asked.
"No, we got it," Clark said. "Is that all?" he asked as he signed the form.
"Enjoy your stay." She smiled at them. "And congratulations."
"Thank you," Lois said as they turned towards the elevator.
Butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach as they waited.
They entered and Clark took her in his arms as the elevator made its way towards the top floor. "Hey, it's just me."
She smiled at him. "I know. I'm still a little nervous though. I want this; I've wanted this for a long time, but..."
He kissed her softly. "I know. I'm nervous, too, but we have all the time in the world. We'll take it as slow as we need to. We love each other so we'll figure it out, okay?"
She rested her head on his shoulder until the doors opened. He took her hand and led her towards the door. He slid his key in and pushed both doors open before turning and scooping her in his arms.
She squealed and clutched his shirt. "Clark!"
"I'm carrying my bride across the threshold," he told her with a grin before turning and blowing the doors shut.
"Cool," she whispered. "You're going to have to tell me more about all this stuff you can do."
He set her down in front of him and set their backpacks on the floor. "Later," he whispered, before he kissed her.
"That reminds me," she said a minute later. "All those stories..."
He nodded. "Yeah. Those were about me growing up. My folks and I talked for a long time about whether it was the right time for me to tell you. I finally decided that I'd give you the stories and if you picked up on the truth, that was fine. If you didn't, I'd go with the original plan which was to tell you not long after we got engaged. My parents thought it was a good plan. They love you and know you can be trusted not to turn me in. Of course, the asteroid changed everything."
She nodded. "Yeah, it did." She looked at her wedding rings, taking them off and resituating them so they fit together properly. She went to put them back on, but was stopped by Clark's hand on hers.
"Let me." He slid them on, kissing her fingers when it was in place. "Where'd you get a ring for me?"
"I convinced a guy at a pawn shop to open up this morning while you were in line."
"Did you have this kind of money with you?" he asked surprised.
"I have some, but he gave it to me. He said if the world was about to end it wouldn't matter and if it didn't, come back some day and see him."
"Wow. That was nice."
She nodded. "It's engraved. It says 'I'll love you till the end'."
He gently caressed her face with one hand. "That fits because I've loved you since the beginning."
"And I'll love you till the end," she whispered as he lowered his face towards hers.
They held each other, kissing softly, for long minutes before Lois finally pulled back. She looked at the top button on his shirt rather than at him. "I, um, brought something with me to change into. I mean, if you want me to."
"What?"
"I bought it on a dare from Abby after you gave me a promise ring for my birthday. We were at the mall in Independence and..." She was sure she was turning bright red. "Anyway, I brought it with me."
"You did?" Clark whispered, his voice deeper than she'd ever heard it before.
She looked up at him and was surprised by what she saw there. She knew he wanted to be with her and had for a long time – she'd wanted to be with him – but the raw desire suddenly on his face and in his eyes... That was new.
She nodded, biting her lower lip. "Yeah. I mean, I don't know if you want me to or what..."
He brought one hand up to cradle her face. "Whatever makes you most comfortable. I know I said all bets were off once we got married, but if you're not ready for this..."
She shook her head. "I want this as much as you do. I'm just nervous and all that."
"Are you hungry?"
"Kind of, but my stomach is kind of tied in knots, too." She moved out of his embrace and looked around the room.
"I could go get us something to eat," he offered. "A light snack or something." He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back to him.
Lois nodded. "I think that might help." She leaned her head back to rest it against him. "I'm sorry, Clark. I never thought I'd be attacked by nerves on our wedding... morning."
"This isn't how we'd planned this," he offered. "Seventeen and eighteen. Still in high school. Engaged for twelve hours because there's a meteor heading directly for us and I'm going to try to destroy it. I'm nervous, too. I guess I'm just better at hiding it. And I have advantages that you don't. I can hear your heartbeat speed up. I can smell the change in the scent you put off when you're tired or scared or nervous. You can't do those things."
"You can really hear my heartbeat?"
He nodded against her head. "Yep. It's going a mile a minute right now."
"I bet. Would you mind to go get something? I don't even know what, but some kind of snack?"
He kissed the side of her head. "Sure. I'll be back in a few minutes."
She turned in his arms and kissed him lightly. "Thank you."
"I love you, Lois. And I meant it. If you're not ready for this..."
"I know." She smiled. "I'll be here when you get back. I promise."
Clark breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. "That's good to hear." He kissed her again and headed out the door.
Lois took her backpack and went to the bathroom. She looked at the large shower and tried to decide if she wanted to take one. She shook her head. There would be enough time for showers later.
She opened her bag and pulled out the clothes she'd brought to wear the next day. Underneath, wrapped in tissue paper, was the nightgown she'd bought. She held it up by the straps and took a deep breath.
She quickly undressed and slipped it on over her head, wrapping the filmy robe around her in a vain attempt to feel slightly less... She wasn't sure what she felt. Exposed, maybe?
She heard the door to the suite open. "Lois?"
She took a deep breath and left the bathroom.
*****
Clark set the bag and drink holder down on the small table. "Lois?"
He heard the bathroom door open and looked that direction.
His breath caught in his throat.
She stood nervously in the doorway between the living area and the bedroom. The white gown hung from slim straps on her shoulders and fell to pool on the floor around her feet. The filmy white robe did little to hide the neckline that revealed more than any shirt – or even swimsuit – he'd ever seen her wear. He could clearly see the small mole on the swell of her breast – the one he'd gotten glimpses of from time to time.
His eyes traveled down her body and back up again to see that she was nervously biting her lip – something he'd always found endearing.
"You look..." He shook his head slightly. "You look amazing."
She wrapped her arms around herself. "Really?"
He nodded. "Give me one second."
Clark was sure he turned into a blur and a couple seconds later he was standing in front of her. His black shirt hung open and he wore only that and a pair of black silk boxers. He'd thought, dreamed, about this moment for years and he'd made another stop the night before that he hadn't mentioned to Lois. He'd thought about getting something for her, but he wasn't sure that was appropriate; how she'd take it. Sure they were getting married, but...
"Wow," Lois whispered. "I hope you don't do everything that fast."
He wrapped his arms around her and she slipped her hands under his shirt and around his waist, her fingers trailing over his skin. "There's only one way to find out." He leaned to the side and scooped her into his arms.
He carried her into the bedroom and laid her carefully in the middle of the bed before he crawled on next to her.
"I love you, Lois Lane Kent," he told her quietly before kissing her.
"I love you, Clark Kent," she said kissing him back.
And then... the only sounds in the suite were those of two young lovers becoming one.
*****
TBC
