~1993~
Lois arrived at the Lexor and found Clark grinning with a stack of board games in his hands.
"Ready for some fun?" he asked.
She couldn't help but smile in return. She remembered playing those games with Clark. She had beat him at every one of them, too! And she would gladly and just as easily beat him again.
"Sure," she said, setting down her purse and making herself comfortable on the floor.
As they began to play Monopoly, a gentle banter of teasing between them, Lois chided her former self. How had she missed how wonderful Clark was, even back then? Had she really been that blind?
It took all of her will not to stop the games and tell him what was going on. But fear of what that could do to the ever elusive time continuum kept her quiet. She prayed that somewhere in the future Clark was working on setting things right, because she was afraid any move that hinted of what was going on in this time could do some untold damage somewhere else. She had to play along and hope that maybe she would see HG Wells. He had come to her before when Tempus had messed with things, some do-hickey invention indicating to him that there was a problem. Maybe he would come to her again... or at least go to her Clark.
One thing she knew, she could always count on Clark. He would fix things, somehow. She just had to be--oh, how she hated the word!--patient.
They played a few more games, and Lois' natural competitive nature took over. She beat him as well as she had three years ago--even though she may have cheated just a little--but with no remorse!
"Lois, why are you *so* competitive?" he chided.
Just then, they heard the tape click, signaling that they needed to put a new one in.
"I've got it," Clark said, getting up to switch out tapes.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming towards their room. Clark acted fast, throwing the tripod on the bed and grabbing Lois in one swift motion. He laid her gently over the equipment, leaned over her and kissed her soundly, just as the maid came in with some towels.
<<Oh, Clark,>> she thought, trying not to give in to his tender kiss too much. <<How could I have ignored you for so long?>> He kissed her with as much passion as ever, proving in her mind that he had always loved her, if she had had any doubt about it.
She gave in to him just a little, needing to feel his reassuring touch, even if it was just for a moment.
When he sat up, she still felt dizzy from his kiss and longed desperately to return to her own future, where she would be safe to act on the desires he had just inspired in her.
"Doesn't anybody knock around here?" she said, recalling the comment she had made back then. Back then, she had been startled and shocked by her response to him, but she hadn't let her mind dwell on it. She had chalked it up to pure chemistry and left it there.
Clark couldn't help smiling a little at her reaction, though he tried to hide it.
"Sorry, about that," he said quickly, not looking her in the eye. "I--just, uh, well, it was all I could think of."
She tried not to be too accommodating, but man, was he cute when he was flustered. "It's fine, Clark. I mean... well, you did what you had to do, is all."
"Sure," he said, gesturing for her to come to the window. "Harrington and Roarke are back," he said, back to the safer territory of their investigation.
She pretended interest as she took the binoculars from him, smirking to herself as she realized how often Clark had been Superman around her, way before she knew his secret. He was obviously using superhearing and supervision to know what was going on across the way. How had she missed that?!
They listened for a moment, and then the shades came down across the way.
"Lead-lined," Clark muttered.
Lois shook her head at yet another clue to his identity she had missed. <<How dense was I?>>
Clark fiddled with the camera, setting it to run in case anything interesting happened across the way in the next few hours.
Lois set the binoculars down on the window ledge and felt an odd discomposure. The lack of activity in this stakeout was giving her mind plenty of time to wander. And it kept wandering back to Clark Kent, who she wanted to shout all her secrets to then and there. That kiss had felt so real... she admonished herself on how completely blind she had been back then! She longed to tell him that she was his future wife, and that it was okay if he wanted to kiss her like that again... <<Stop it, Lois!>> she screamed internally. She sighed heavily, feeling utterly frustrated and alone, wishing she could tell him the truth. Is that how he had felt at times, wanting to tell her about Superman? <<Don't flatter yourself, Lois. You wouldn't have understood him now. You needed the time to really get to know him, to get to know yourself.>>
"Clark, I'm going to take a shower and turn in," she said, suddenly needing to get away from him, this man who was her husband, but not.
"Sure. I'll keep an eye on things out here."
"I know you will," she said with more affection than she meant to let slip out.
Clark watched her walk away and sighed. She seemed different somehow, though he couldn't put a finger on how exactly. She seemed calmer, more mature, but there was something else that just didn't feel right and he didn't understand it. Something felt out of place. And that kiss had been something. He had expected Lois to lash out at him or at least reprimand him for taking such advantage. But instead she seemed like she had wanted to give into it, give into him and was doing what she could to restrain herself. He tried to subdue the hopeful flutter in his heart. Could she be hiding feelings for him?
Clark sighed and looked back at the lead-lined windows. It wasn't likely they were to see any more action tonight across the way. He looked over to where Lois had disappeared into the shower a little while ago. Maybe he should get ready for bed as well. He walked over to the closed bathroom door, hearing that she had just shut the shower off. He swallowed, trying not to picture her naked as he could hear the towel being pulled from the rack and being wrapped around her body. He waited a moment and then knocked.
Lois opened the door, her hair dripping wet and a deep burgundy towel wrapped around her petite body. Steam from the shower wafted around her and Clark tried to look anywhere but her towel. Lois was surprisingly composed, though she couldn't help the smirk that crept to her lips. She had grown accustomed to seeing Clark in *his* towel, but no doubt this was a first for this Clark.
Clark cleared his throat, thankful that it was becoming more difficult to see her since his glasses had begun to steam up, "Uh... I needed to..."
Lois laughed,"No problem. I'll just be a sec."
Lois closed the door again and stifled some more laughter. The look on his face was almost worth the price of admission.
Meanwhile, Clark leaned against the wall and took off his glasses to clean off the steam.
"I'm coming out!" Lois warned as she opened the door again a moment later.
She walked past him into the bedroom as Clark went past her as quick as he could at normal speed into the bathroom.
Lois started dressing in her pajamas and towel dried her hair. <<Oh, crap! I have to go back in the bathroom!>>
She went back over and knocked on the door.
"What?" he asked from the shower.
Lois opened the door and went over to the vanity.
"Sorry. But I have my eyes closed, Clark. I forgot my talcum powder."
She didn't really have her eyes closed, but she knew saying so would make Clark feel better.
When he heard the door shut, Clark finished his shower and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist.
Then, Lois opened the door again. "Sorry, I need my toothbrush," she said apologetically.
Lois squeezed behind Clark to grab it.
She was suddenly close to him, too close to him. Okay, so maybe she hadn't seen him in a towel enough for it not to affect her. She felt her heart race, wishing she was with her husband Clark and not this tempting version of him that was completely off limits. She glanced up at him, her toothbrush clasped in her hand like a pathetic sword that could protect her from the onslaught of emotions. Clark seemed to read something in her face that made him step back from her as she seemed to need some space from him, "That's okay. I'm done."
Clark walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Lois sighed, feeling like she was in a sick mind game. She started to brush her teeth, shaking her head all the while at how she always ended up in these bizarre circumstances.
Suddenly, Clark knocked again and opened the door, reaching in front of her across the counter, "Sorry, forgot *my* toothbrush."
The door shut again and Lois tried to breathe normally.
*-*-*-*
~1996~
"Married? You and I actually get *married*?" asked Lois, looking like a child on Christmas. "I marry *you*?" she said, trying to take it in.
He nodded realizing he had made a mistake in telling her. Would he ever get this revelation thing right? Well, the cat was out of the bag now... "Yeah, it's... well, it's complicated. But yes, you and I get married. Now, what we need to do is figure out how to get you back to your time and my Lois back to hers," he said, trying to bring her attention back to focusing on how to solve their problem.
But this was too juicy a nugget for Lois to let go of right away. "This is so unreal. I get *married* to Superman! When? I mean, wow!"she said, staring at him in awe.
As she started going over the implications--like that the suit apparently *does* come off!-- she had a hard time breathing.
"Wow! I mean... this is amazing!" she turned to him, her eyes shining with glee, but then she noticed he didn't seem quite so thrilled.
"Lois, please, stay with me here. I had to tell you so you would understand why Tempus is behind this, but I need--" he was about to say 'my partner,' but checked himself just in time--"you to focus. We have to figure out how to set things to rights."
She nodded, trying to calm the excited flutter in her heart that she would eventually have her heart's desire. She managed to start focusing on the situation itself. "But how is any of this even possible? I mean, I'm her, I'm Lois Lane! And somehow I'm in my future... so do you think--- erm, *your* Lois is... in my past?"
"That's what I think, yes," he said. "I can't think of another reason why you would be here instead. If Tempus had sent you--her--this is so confusing--but, my wife anywhere else, why send you forward?"
Clark remembered when Tempus had tried to kill him as a baby. He had existed at two different ages in the same time frame. So it was possible that there could be essentially two different Loises and instead of keeping the 'extra' Lois in the same time, he had sent her forward to him. He couldn't tell this Lois that bit of information, because it precluded having to tell her he was Clark, and one revelation seemed to be enough for both of them for now.
"But why would he do that to us in the first place? What possible benefit could there be for him?"
"I am not sure, except to drive me crazy. Er, us crazy," he smiled crookedly. Then he sobered into a sigh, "I just want my wife back."
She felt sympathy for him, even if she didn't really understand all of the implications. She reached to touch him on the arm. "Look, Superman. I may not be your wife yet--" she paused, feeling a delightful shiver those words evoked. "But we are best friends. In your past, my present, and apparently both of our futures. And that must be what makes and will make our relationship work. I'll help however I can. So how do we fix this?"
Clark felt mixed by her wanting to help. It was typical Lois, but the utter blind admiration in her eyes made him cringe just a bit. A little, small part of him wanted to tell her then and there that he was Clark, just to wipe that smug look off her face. She thought she was married to her hero! And she *was*, but she was still way back in that adoration of Superman stage and she couldn't appreciate the significance of anything but being married to him. <<I've created a monster,>> he thought bleakly, feeling her cling to his arm proprietorially all the sudden.
"Look, Lois, this is way more complicated than you are prepared to deal with right now. I don't want to get into the details of why and how we get married. But please, for my own sanity, just--" he was about to say 'back off,' but he could never be that harsh with her. He saw the confused look in her eyes and felt miserable for telling her anything. He just wanted things back the way they were!
"Just what?" she asked slowly.
He gently disentangled her arm from his. "This is all very confusing for both of us and we need to be clear headed and think of a solution. So, I just need a little personal space, okay?" he asked, as kindly as he could.
She was hurt anyway, he could see. "I don't understand, Superman. One moment you tell me we're married and the next--"
"Lois," he said, raising his hands defensively, "But we're not married *yet,* in your present. Just treat me as you always have. Forget I said anything. It's just... more complicated than that."
"You keep saying that," she muttered in frustration.
"Now," he sighed heavily, ready to get down to the business of setting things right. "Any chance that Tempus is still in the area?"
