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Part 14

Lois slowly woke to a sound, a steady beat against her ear, but mostly to a feeling of belonging, a feeling that she was home. She breathed in a masculine aroma, smelling of spice mixed with his own scent, Clark's essence. Her hand was draped across his chest, and her head was nestled snugly on his chest.

The previous night's conversation came flooding back to her. She and Clark were getting married! A moment of panic seized her heart, but she forced herself to let it pass. As scared as she was of the 'L' word, this had nothing to do with love - at least that kind of love. People got married for all kinds of reasons: money, lust, babies, insanity. You could hardly think that friendship was the worst possible one.

Clark's hand was tangled in her hair, cradling her head protectively against his chest. She could feel his love for her in the way he was holding her, the way her body seemed to fit so perfectly against his.

Of course it was way too dangerous for them to sleep together every night. He had said that they could get separate bedrooms. It would be safer that way... for Clark, of course. There was no way she was going to let that society-produced emotion ruin her relationship with the best thing that had ever happened to her. Brotherly love was a totally different ballgame. She could handle that, and as long as Clark knew her position on this marriage then there wouldn't be a problem.

Married to Clark. This decision was so much easier to arrive at than Lex's extravagant proposal. She didn't need the Daily Planet as a bribe, nor two billion dollars towards her favorite charity for her to decide; Clark's companionship was all she needed.

Thank goodness they had both come to their senses and decided to talk. Although Clark's marriage proposal had taken her by surprise, she had quickly gotten used to the idea and embraced it whole-heartedly. Sort of the way she was embracing Clark now.

No. They hugged all the time. Touching each other came naturally to them early on in their friendship. It was probably due to Clark's upbringing. Martha was constantly pulling you in for a hug, or touching your shoulder. You even felt like you were being hugged when she looked at you, probably a by-product of living in the country.

Now Clark had sucked her into all this touchy-feely stuff. It showed in his writing, and now, she had fallen victim to his country habits.

Rubbing her cheek lightly against his flannel shirt, she drew in a breath, then sighed, closing her eyes once again. Maybe she'd humor Clark for just a bit longer. Besides, he made a rather nice pillow.

******

The door to the apartment opened slowly, and two figures crept inside. They paused on the landing, looking around the room for any signs of activity. Martha shrugged her shoulders and stepped down the stairs into the living room.

Jonathan balked, mouthing to her, "Maybe we should have called first."

Martha stopped at the foot of the steps and pointed to the two figures sleeping on the sofa. "Maybe you're right."

"Looks like they made up."

"Either that, or they've knocked each other out."

"Or both." Jonathan tugged at his wife's hand. "Let's go and leave them be."

But Martha stood her ground and grinned. "When you raise kids there is always a 'first'. Do you realize this is the first time we've caught our son on the sofa with a girl?"

Jonathan chuckled back. "Martha, they're only sleeping."

"Sort of like we were sleeping after we... " She nudged him in the ribs "...I mean all tangled up like that."

Movement from the sofa was followed by sleepy voice. "Mom, I can still hear you... and don't you guys ever...?"

Clark's voice rumbling beneath her ear woke Lois up quickly. "Who's here?" she asked, pushing herself away from Clark's chest.

"Mom and Dad. Do we tell them?" he mouthed.

"Tell them what?" she whispered back.

Clark pointed to the ring finger on his left hand and grinned sheepishly.

Her lips formed a big 'O' as her heart soared. It was true. It hadn't been a strange wonderful dream; they really were getting married!

Still hanging onto Lois, Clark rolled to the side, sat up and announced, "Mom... Dad! We're getting married."

Jonathan's eyes grew as big as saucers as Martha stepped backwards, bumping into her husband and nearly knocking them both into the steps at the foot of Clark's living room. Lois and Clark rose from the sofa and prepared for the many questions that were sure to come.

It didn't take very long for Martha to recover before winking at Clark and asking, "Honey, are you serious?"

First looking at Clark to get his approval, Lois spoke up. "Yep, we're getting married tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

Clark stared at Lois in disbelief and repeated, "Tomorrow? I thought we were doing this in two days?"

"We are. Do the math. This is day one, and tomorrow is day two."

A big grin split Clark's face as he gave her a quick hug. "Guess you're right."

"Of course, I'm right. Who's the senior partner here?"

"That is if Mom and Dad don't mind sharing their wedding anniversary with us..."

"Of course we don't mind!" Overcome by a bit of emotion, Martha rushed forward and hugged them both. "Shouldn't you try dating first?"

Lois stuttered confusedly at Martha's playful question, realizing that Clark's mother had gotten the wrong idea about their impending marriage. Luckily, Clark was quick to come to the rescue.

"Mom, all this stuff that has happened the past few weeks has caused us to realize that we need to have each other in our lives. We both need that, and although this won't be a traditional marriage, it's what we both want."

"Not a traditional marriage, Clark? Then what is it?" Jonathan asked, finally recovering enough from the shock of their announcement to speak.

"Let's just say that we don't want to go through life without each other, Dad. We want some permanency to our relationship, that's what we know for sure. Romance is not an option, at least for now."

Jonathan looked at his son, his jaw set concernedly. "Are you sure, Clark?"

"Never been more sure about anything in my life, Dad."

"And you, Lois?" Martha asked tentatively.

Looping her arm through Clark, she gently bumped him with her shoulder. "I'm marrying my best friend, Martha." Lois looked calmly into Martha's eyes, hoping she would remember their conversation from yesterday. "It worked for you."

Martha smiled knowingly, reaching for her husband's hand. "Welcome to the family, sweetie. Now, I think we have a wedding to plan."

*****

"May I speak to Doctor Klein?" Clark asked into the payphone at the corner drugstore.

"Yeah, sure. Who's calling? The doctor is conducting some very important research and doesn't want to be bothered unless it's urgent."

Clark thought for a second. He had not worked out a code name with Doc Klein yet. Who knew how long the doctor would take before he was free. Telling the telephone operator that he was Superman was out of the question. Superman was supposed to be long gone by now. Wearing the suit was risking that someone would spot him again.

Taking a chance that the doctor's head wasn't completely in the clouds, Clark crossed his fingers and answered, "Kal. Kal Esman."

"Hold please."

Clark tapped his fingers and waited anxiously. Getting a blood test was required in order for them to get married and there was no way around this particular technicality. He was lucky that Lois had a whole list of things to do before the ceremony. All she had assigned him to do was to pick out a new suit, and buy the rings. He already had the perfect ring in mind for her, having picked it out weeks ago before the day in the park when he said he was in love with her. Just in case she returned his feelings then...

Now in a way she did. In actuality, she loved him enough to spend the rest of her life with him. Wow! He was about to promise the rest of his life to the woman he loved – no matter the circumstances that had gotten them together. He still felt her soft cheek burrowed into his shoulder when they had woken up this morning. Purely innocent, yet with a hint of the future. Their future, together... both of them desperate not to let another day slip by without having some part of their lives tangled up together.

A silly grin crept over his face and he closed his eyes for a moment remembering the way she had felt in his arms that morning. Lois loved him as a best friend, and that was what he was going to be for her until she changed her mind. He planned on being the best best friend/husband there ever was in the history of the world, or two worlds, if you counted Krypton.

The line clicked and the operator returned, saying, "I'm sorry, but Doc Klein will get back to you later. Can I get your phone number, Mr. Esman?"

Clark sighed, disappointed that Doc Klein hadn't recognized his code name. He guessed he would have to try again later and use a different name to try to get his attention. "Um... I'll call back later."

He was just about to hang up when he heard the woman's voice say, "Wait a minute! Doc Klein just phoned and said he'll take your call."

A wave of relief washed over him, and he answered quickly into the phone before the woman hung up. "Oh, great! Thank you."

Another click of the line and Doc Klein's questioning voice came through. "Kal? Is this Mr. Esman?"

"Bernie?" Clark decided to use the more informal name now that the doctor had decided to take the call. "It's me, Esman."

"Oh, oh, it took me a couple of moments before your name registered in my brain. I'm conducting the most fascinating research. Do you know the human brain... um, pardon me. Did you have something you need to talk about? Any changes?"

"No, nothing in that area, and that's one of the reasons I need to come see you. Are you available sometime today?"

"Anytime. Um, shall we say around one o'clock? And will you be coming through the back door again?"

"How about I come to your lab instead? This is something else I need to discuss with you. I won't be wearing my work suit..."

"Oh! That's fine, Kal. I'll tell the front desk I'm expecting a visitor at one. Just come on up."

"Thanks, Bernie." Clark hung up the phone and smiled. There was just enough time to buy a suit and a pair of wedding rings before meeting with the doctor.

*****

Lois tore through the racks at Neiman's. Just what exactly did one wear when they were marrying their best friend? White was out of the question, or at least she hadn't given it much consideration. White was for those blushing brides who had something to prove to everyone. After all, getting a dress was only a means to an end, right?

Should she try to knock his socks off, or should understatement be more appropriate? Yanking out a pale blue suit, she took one look at it, then threw it over the top of the rack in disgust.

"Are you sure there isn't something I can help you with," a saleslady asked, exasperated. This lady was throwing things around her department like the Tasmanian devil, and it was rather disturbing watching all of her designer clothing ending up rumpled in a heap. "Is this for a special occasion?"

"Okay! Miss Salesperson. A wedding. I'm getting married tomorrow and I don't have a clue about what to wear."

The other woman blinked. "Our wedding department is in the next section over. We have a great selection of very lovely wedding gowns."

"No, you don't get it. I'm marrying my best friend. White is out of the question."

"We all hope to marry our best friend. Is this a formal or informal occasion?"

Lois glared at her, but replied, "Informal. He's wearing a suit and tie."

"Neiman's has a selection of the finest informal gowns also. Not everyone wants all the bells and whistles. Just the birdseed at the end." She giggled at her attempt to inject some humor into the conversation.

"Birdseed?

"Birdseed. Don't you know that it's birdseed now? Rice blows up in bird's stomachs. We don't want to be responsible for the deaths of innocent birds, now do we?"

"What happened to tradition? I don't recall seeing exploded birds all over churches' front lawns? Do you have an official count of detonated birds over playgrounds? What about all the birds in China? They have birds there, don't they? Why haven't they exploded into a million feathers into the rice paddies?" Lois ripped through the rack again and tugged desperately at a bright red dress. "How about red? Does this look good with birdseed?"

She whirled to confront the saleslady again and found that she was alone. The woman, and her politically-correct wedding etiquette, had split.

Lois shoved the red dress back into the rack and stomped away. She didn't know why she was in such a snit about picking out a dress. Granted, this was an important occasion, but picking out a dress should be the least of her worries. There were so many more things that she should be doing, like packing some things from her apartment, calling Perry and Jimmy, packing for their weekend getaway... and most dreaded, telling her mother she was marrying Clark instead of Lex.

No, she wasn't going to think about that piece of scum now. She wasn't about to let it ruin her day, or her mood. Telling her mother was going to ruin her day though, but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

Lois stopped in the aisle, realizing that she had gravitated towards the bridal department. A beautiful wedding dress graced the mannequin on display. It was a simple design, but was absolutely beautiful. Made of silk that clung to the mannequin's cold, plastic body, she knew that it would be even more beautiful on a living, breathing human. Modestly low-cut with a rounded scoop neck, it was void of sequins or beads, allowing the beauty of the fabric to stand on its own. There was barely any train; the silk would float like a cloud around one's feet. It would show every curve, every imperfection of one's body.

She was proud of her body and proud of the fact that she worked hard at keeping it that way. Unable to resist, she touched the fabric and almost allowed her heart to dream. But this was supposed to be a simple wedding. And this dress represented that kind of wedding, the fairytale wedding of her childhood.

Lois fingered the price tag and nearly fell off her feet at the cost of the garment. Dropping the tag in shock, she turned on her heels and made a beeline for the door.

******

Once outside, she slowed her frantic pace and tried to get a grip on why she was feeling so touchy about choosing a simple dress. Maybe that was it? She wasn't going to have an off-the-rack marriage, so she didn't want an off-the-rack dress. Maybe deep down inside she still wanted the fairy tale, the fantasy, and that was why the dress seemed so perfect.

But was it too much? Not just the cost of the dress, but would Clark get the wrong idea if she were to decide to play dress-up at their wedding? This was supposed to be a simple affair, but if she settled for a different dress would she always feel like her dream had slipped by?

Reaching into her purse, Lois pulled out her cell phone and called Clark's apartment on the chance that he might be finished with his errands. She hung up immediately and came to the conclusion that there was no way he could have wrapped up all of his errands that fast, then called his beeper. A couple of minutes later, her cell phone rang.

"Lois?"

"Hey, Clark." This was going to be harder than she thought.

"How are things on your end? I'm almost at Neiman's..."

"You are? Meet me at the door on the corner of Fifth and Washington." Lois fretted with the zipper on her purse nervously.

"You mean here?" Clark said softly in one ear, while tapping the opposite shoulder lightly with one finger.

Lois jumped, shrieking in surprise. "That was fast! You're lucky I didn't deck you."

Taking one look at the frown on her face, Clark let his arm settle protectively on her shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, not much. Pre-wedding jitters, or pre-wedding something, I suppose."

Clark felt his chest tighten as he asked, "Are you having second thou..."

"No! It's not that. It's more like 'I know what I want, but can't have it' sort of thing. I realized we planned for a simple, 'let's just do it and get it over with' kind of ceremony... and really, I'm fine with that, but then I realized I'm not. I guess the point I'm trying to get to is this - would you mind wearing a tux?"

"A tux? Um... sure. I think I can get a tux."

"Great! But not here. Go to another department store or a rental place, I'm going in here." Her spirits lifting, she reached up on her tiptoes and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Clark! See you later."

Clark felt like he had just been through a revolving door and spun out the other side as he watched Lois charge through the doors of the department store on some secret mission. Whatever had gotten into her seemed to have been resolved, and she was happy again. That was all that mattered: making Lois happy.

Checking his watch, Clark realized that he'd have to hurry if he was going to find a tux, buy rings, and make it to Star Labs on time. But he couldn't resist watching Lois through the windows as she pushed her way through the crowd and up the escalator.

A big grin split his face as he headed down the street to tend to his tasks. Lois was on a tear, and somehow, he knew he needed to be afraid... very afraid.

******

tbc