Fast Forward

By Miriam Amos Nihart (mnihart@networx.com)

Summary: It's Lois and Clark's wedding day -- the second time around. All parties involved hope it goes off without a hitch this time.

Put in the usual disclaimers here. I didn't think I would write another story but this one just came up. Thanks to Linda Deneroff for the editing again.

Scenario: New Year's Day 1997. It is the morning of Lois and Clark's wedding.

***

Clark stood in front of the mirror daydreaming. It was finally going to happen. It no longer mattered that Lois had never recovered all of her memory. He and Lois were going to be married today, January 1st, 1997. What a way to begin the new year. All his hopes and dreams were going to come true.

His mind wandered over the last nine months. Lois never remembered any more of her past. They had renewed their relationship slowly but steadily. They had dated, and he had waited. Christmas had been very special.

Lois still got stressed out over Christmas. Only now she couldn't remember exactly why. Clark had decided that like the previous Christmas he was going to make it special. They were going to spend Christmas Eve alone in Lois's apartment and Christmas Day would be with his parents via the Superman Express. He had to admit to himself that telling Lois he was Superman at the beginning of their renewed relationship had made things much easier. This time he hadn't had to come up with "Cheese of the Month Club" excuses and thus Lois did not experienced the sense of desertion and lack of commitment on his part that she had the first go around.

Lois had taken the day off to prepare the Christmas Eve meal. Not remembering that she couldn't cook had really improved her skills in the kitchen. Some how her self-confidence at being able to do anything had extended itself beyond the job to other aspects of her life. She had de-boned and cooked a turkey with a walnut raisin stuffing, caramelized yams, homemade cranberry relish, corn, and Parker dinner rolls. She topped off the meal with a chocolate fudge pecan pie. Clark was glad to be Superman after that meal. Any other human being would have gained a ton of weight after such a meal.

After dinner they had sat in front of a romantic fire. The fireplace in the Lois's new apartment had provided the perfect ambiance for many a date and was the perfect touch to a perfect evening. It was then that Clark had proposed to Lois. He had gotten down on one knee, both of her hands in his, and had proposed. Her answer was soft and sweet and immediate. He had slipped the ring onto her hand and they had sealed the event with a kiss.

***

Clark came back to reality. He glanced at his watch and calculated the time left till the wedding. This time they had decided to keep it simple. They also had wanted to keep the engagement short, so simple was all they could do.

Well, he thought, I better get ready. Wouldn't want to miss my own wedding and nothing was going to go wrong. Right?

***

Lois believed her life was back on track. Today she was going to marry the love of her life. She had finally stopped wishing to remember the first time around with Clark and concentrated on this time around. She thought it odd that it was the romantic aspects of her past that continued to elude her.

She stood in front of the mirror and admired her reflection. She had chosen to get a new dress, not wanting to reenact any part of the first wedding. She had this nagging thought that something would go wrong. Her mother had warned her that something always goes wrong at a wedding but that the trick was to learn to roll with the problem. Lois had not liked this advice. She knew that her mother had meant that the flowers would be wrong or that the Maid of Honor wouldn't show, but she still worried. Of course last time had had the biggest thing of all go wrong: she hadn't made it to her own wedding.

So far nothing had gone wrong. The dress she picked out had been available and fit her perfectly. Clark was able to get tuxedos for everyone, and they too fit. This time Lucy had had no trouble getting to Metropolis, so there were no problems with the Maid of Honor. The church and the restaurant that they wanted were available. Lois worried that things were going too smoothly. They had had only one week to pull it all together, and it had come together just as they had wanted it to.

But still she worried.

***

Finally she thought. Martha Kent had waited twice now for this day. This time nothing would go wrong. Clark had been so patient. He had romanced Lois all over again. He admitted that this time his confidence that he and Lois would get to this day again had been a major help to him.

This time Lex Luthor was dead. This time it would happen. Since there had only been a bit over a week between the proposal and the ceremony and they had chosen to keep it low key, no super villain even knew about the wedding, so no one would be able to spoil it. At least she hoped not.

Martha thought about how the romance between Clark and Lois had been much smoother this go around. Clark had learned something from all his other mistakes. Yes. Today was finally going to join Clark and Lois together as they should be, as man and wife. Now why was it man and wife and not woman and husband she pondered as Jonathan walked out of the hotel bathroom and fiddled with his tie.

"Jonathan, let me get that. I suppose you just don't get enough practice with a bow tie back at home."

"Well, you know, dear, we really should dress up more often for Bessy and the girls. It might just bring up the milk production." he joked.

Martha tapped him on the chest, "Really. You think?" They both knew that they were trying to use humor to cover up their own anxieties. It was going to happen they both thought in unison.

***

Perry had watched Lois and Clark come back together these last months. Working together had helped to bring back their old sparks. He couldn't image a better team than Lane and Kent, on or off the job.

He cleared his throat for the fourth time in a minute. He thought this time he would hitch the REAL Lois and Clark and they would stay hitched. The first time was only a dry run. What was the saying? Third time's a charm. Damn. That better be wrong. How about the second time's a charm.

***

The wedding march started and Lois looking around nervously. So would it come out from the right or the left? What would it be? An old boyfriend? Would someone jump up at the "forever hold your peace" part? Would the police break through the doors? What!? Her father tugged gently on her arm breaking her out of her train of thought.

Lois looked down the aisle and saw Clark and Bobby Big Mouth waiting for her. She and Clark had asked Bobby to be the best man as he had been the one to bring them back together. Of course this meant that the head count for the reception had to be padded to account for all that Bobby could eat, but they felt it was only right to have him there.

***

Clark stood holding his breath as he waited for Lois to walk down the aisle. Lois looked nervous as she moved forwarded. Her eyes were darting to the left and right as if she expected the Boogeyman to leap out at her. Finally she was beside him. Her father kissed her on the cheek and placed her hand in his.

Clark and Lois turned to look up at Perry. At that point Clark did not hear a word Perry said until he prompted him to repeat after him. He and Lois repeated their vows at the appropriate points, but each seemed to be looking over their shoulders for something. When Perry instructed him to kiss the bride Clark broke out in a huge smile. He leaned over and kissed Lois deeply. He only broke the kiss when Lois started to gasp for air.

***

Martha's heart beamed with joy. They had done it. They were man and wife or is that woman and husband. Whatever. Lois and Clark were married! Their worse fear had not occurred, no ABC executive had showed up to delay or stop their wedding. It was finis.

THE END

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