By Nirvana (trihaven@squirrel.com.au)
Summary: A story written as a sequel to the episode "Seconds," assuming Lois got her memory back after that second blow to the head. Someone who is assumed dead makes a return appearance.
Author's note: This is supposed to be a sequel to the episode "Seconds" assuming that Lois got her memory back after that second blow to the head. Let's just say that I felt sorry for the clone. Let me know what you think.
***
"Well I must say, Lois, the past several weeks have been unusual." Clark said as he dried the remainder of the dishes with his heat vision.
Lois grinned. She could think of a thousand words to describe the past three weeks but strangely enough "unusual" wasn't really high on the list. "I have absolutely no idea what you find unusual about your 'wife' eating frogs…"
"…Then discovering that an enemy that you thought was dead had come back to life, broken out of prison and decided to break up you wedding by replacing you fiancee with a clone…" Clark continued "…Who later got it in her head to kill your fiancee because she liked being 'Mrs Superman' … but not before running up $500 on new clothing…" Clark added "…Then when finally finding your fiancee, you discover that she has hit her head on a water hydrant… and thinks she's the character out of her novel…" Clark flopped down on the couch beside Lois.
"…And that you're her enemy and that her enemy is her lover." Lois concluded "Nope nothing unusual about that."
Clark laughed "Maybe 'horrible' is a better word."
"Definitely." said Lois as she rested her head on Clark's strong shoulder "You know I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually thankful that that rock hit me on the head. I think it may have knocked some sense into me."
Clark gently ran his fingers through Lois's hair. He was glad that the doctor had let Lois go home early. She seemed so much happier being around people she knew. "You know it's a shame."
"What's a shame?"
"That your clone had to die." Clark said looking deep into Lois' eyes.
"Why? Does frog breath turn you on or something?" Lois asked sarcastically, the sides of her mouth curling into a smile. She was obviously proud of her joke.
"No!" Clark said swatting at Lois with a pillow "It was just that the more that I got to know her, the more I saw that something that I loved in you."
"Ahhhh," Lois said blushing. She looked up, "Are you saying that I have strange eating habits?"
"I'm saying that you're wonderful." Clark replied pulling her down for gentle kiss.
***
The young blond woman sat on the dimly lit street corner alone. Her only companion was the distant barking of a dog and the soft hum of the street lights. Her mind came back to the events of the past three weeks. She shuddered as the sad memories, her only memories, danced through her head.
All of a sudden she became aware of footsteps behind her. She spun around to see a middle aged man rushing towards her, in his hand the street light reflected against the gleaming metal of a knife.
Without thinking she began to run towards the uncertainty of the only safety she knew, the apartment of Clark Kent.
***
"I'll get it!" Lois yelled as she bounded up the steps towards the ringing doorbell.
"Oh my gosh, who are you?" Lois asked the battered figure that stood before her. She was a young girl who looked to be in her early twenties. Her long blond hair was matted and hung limply by her face and her large blue eyes seemed dull and frightened.
The girl looked as though she had been in some kind of accident. Her legs and arms were scattered with cuts and bruises that looked as though they had been there for a few days and her light clothing was inappropriate for the cold for this time of year.
"You don't really know me, but I know you…" her voice trailed off as she looked past Lois into the warmth and security of Clark's apartment.
Lois followed her gaze, "Would you like to come in?" Lois asked gesturing down the stairs. Lois didn't care who this person was, all she knew was that she needed help.
After a shower, some new clothes, and a hot dinner the young girl was looking much brighter.
"I'm sure I know you from somewhere but I just can't seem to put my finger on it." Lois peeked out from behind the large brick wall in the kitchen, "But I'm sure that it would really help if I knew your name."
She swallowed the last of her soup, "I already told you, I don't have one." She seemed frustrated.
"Well people must have called you something for the last twenty or so years." Clark said desperately searching for more information on this mysterious visitor.
The girl gave a bitter laugh, "Try two and a half weeks."
"What?" Lois and Clark asked in unison.
"Nothing." she replied, realizing her slip.
Lois looked at Clark. She was obviously planning something. "Well, Clark and I don't exactly want to entertain visitors at the moment so, bye!" Lois said opening the door and gesturing into the darkness.
"There's no way you'll believe me." She looked hopefully at Lois and Clark.
"Try us." Clark said, pleased that they were getting somewhere.
"OK." She took a deep breath, "But you gotta try to keep an open mind about this."
***
"So basically what you're saying," Lois was pacing around the room, "is that you are the clone who, in the past two and a half weeks has, replaced me at my wedding, tormented my fiance and tried to kill me, only," Lois held up her hand for added emphasis, "you look completely different. Now why would I have any trouble believing that?"
The girl looked down, she knew this wasn't going to be easy.
"Miss," Clark said trying not to show his confusion. "Maybe you can go over exactly what happened."
"OK, after I helped Clark get the money out of the bank to lure Lex and Lex lured Clark someplace else, he told me that Dr. Momba had made two types of clones, type A and type B. He said that type A was meant to live like a hundred years or something and type B died in two weeks. I was type B." She squirmed in her seat.
"Go on." Lois said.
"Anyway he told me that it was possible to make me live longer but he wouldn't so I told him about Clark being Superman…"
Lois raised her eyebrow at Clark.
"…hoping that he could remake me or something. Which he didn't. Then I felt really bad. Anyway, a split second before I was going to die I noticed that there where two bodies inside glass tank thingys on the other side of the room and for that second I wished really hard that I was one of them so that I could have a real life like you two, and poof! I was."
"What do you mean "bodies"?" Clark asked.
"Lex had convinced me to change bodies into these clone fetus' so that we wouldn't be found by you." Lois replied.
"I'm still a clone!?" The girl wailed
"We were planning to change bodies by really projecting ourselves at these figures and, theoretically we would become them…" Lois continued.
"So if what you say is true, then all this could be possible?"
"No. Well, I guess. Maybe, yeah. No! It couldn't be because the room caved in! Rocks were falling!" Lois rubbed the egg on her head.
"That's true. About four seconds after I changed bodies I heard a crash and I turned to see the tank beside me and all the glass was smashed."
"Why weren't you hurt?" Clark asked
"I managed to tip the "tank" that I was in on its side and hide under the partition."
Lois grabbed Clark's arm. "Can I just talk to Clark for a minute?" She asked as she dragged him out of the room.
"Well?"
"Well what? I don't know!"
"It's not possible."
"But she knows I'm Superman."
"True. Unless Lex told her."
"Maybe. But what if she actually is who she says she is? She might not have anywhere else to go."
"Do you think it's possible?"
"Lois, I think anything is possible."
***
When Lois and Clark came back the young lady was in the kitchen fixing tea. She turned to look at Lois and Clark and smiled. "I remembered where you put the cups."
Clark smiled, this was her all right.
"Assuming that you are who you say you are," Lois sat down at the dining table before she continued, "what do you want us to do about it?"
The girl placed the pot of tea she'd been holding on one of the stove burners and shuffled over to the table. "I was hoping that you guys could maybe find me a place to stay until I find an apartment, and get a job."
Lois sighed. This woman had tried to kill her and yet she felt so close to her. Maybe it was because in some distant way, this woman was a part of her. "Well you gotta have a name." Lois said, finally breaking the silence.
The girl's blue eyes sparkled, "I was thinking about Teri."
"Now where do I know that name from?" Lois mumbled quietly.
"Sounds good to me." Clark grinned. "'Teri, you can take the couch and Lois can come with me."
"Under one condition." Lois cut in, "No trying to kill me, all right?!" The kitchen came alive with the laughter of friends.
***
The next morning the Planet was, as usual, bustling with activity.
"I don't know why you guys brought me in here in the first place," Teri whinged as Lois and Clark pushed her down the ramp ahead of them "I really have to start looking for a job."
"Clark! Lois! Where in the Sam Hill have you two been?" Perry hollered as the two reporters approached his office.
"Sorry Perry, we've had a friend staying with us." Clark responded.
Teri seemed to shrink with every step they took towards Perry's office. She had borrowed some of Lois' clothes with the complaint that "They're not modern enough." Nevertheless she looked stunning in Lois' blue suit with her blond hair pulled back into a neat braid.
"And who may I ask is this?" Perry queried as he approached the young woman.
"Um.."
"This is Teri," Lois butted in. "She just moved here from San Francisco and she's been staying with Clark and me. Isn't that right, Teri?"
"Um, yeah sure, I've, um, known Lois for a while now so, um I've been staying with her and Clark while I find an apartment." Teri gave Lois a baffled look. Lois responded with a look that clearly said "trust me".
"I see, so, if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing here?" Perry asked, not liking where this was heading.
"Teri is looking for a job, Chief, and she was kind of wondering if you could help her out."
"I am?" Teri looked at them. Clark met her gaze with a pained expression. "I am."
"So, Teri, what are you trained in?" Perry queried.
Again Clark answered for her, "Teri hasn't really had a chance to do much in a while, Perry, but she's had some experience at typing and receptionist work." Clark looked at his boss hopefully.
"Do you have any resumes or anything?" Perry asked.
"Well, um, I left them back at Clark's apartment but I do have some." Teri was beginning to find her voice.
"Don't worry about it, love, this time I'll take your word for it. You start tomorrow."
Teri's jaw dropped, was she really hearing this? "What did you say?" She asked.
"I said you start tomorrow, that is if you want the job."
"Job?"
"Yeah job. I thought you wanted a job."
"Oh I do!"
"I guess we'll see you tomorrow then." Perry grinned.
***
Teri stared uncertainly at the computer disk lying on the table before her. "Typing For Dummies?" She asked in a slightly insulted tone.
Lois loaded one more hot nacho into her mouth before answering "Ignore the title." Lois laughed "Just think; tomorrow at work you have to be able to type and right now you barely know how to turn on a computer. With this you'll know how to type in three hours."
"Why Typing For Dummies?"
"It was the easiest one there. Now, step one, turn on the computer."
Teri reached over and pressed the ON button triumphantly.
"OK, now insert the disk."
Again Teri did this easily.
Lois looked a bit surprised then continued to read out the painfully clear directions. "Right, now install the disk."
Before Lois had finished speaking Teri was already half way through the installation process.
"How do you know what you're doing?"
"What?" Teri looked up from the small laptop and into Lois' slightly baffled face.
"How do you know what you're doing, you've been alive for two weeks."
"Lois, for the most part of those two weeks I was you. Well I wasn't actually 'you' but everyone thought I was. I had to know something." She smiled, glad that she was finally able to impress someone with something.
"Oh, I forgot, it's just that you look so different now." Lois paused "I still can't believe everyone thought you were me."
Teri laughed. "Well maybe it helped that I looked exactly like you."
"Nobody noticed that we were different, I mean besides Clark?"
Teri bit her lip.
"Did they?" Lois prodded.
"Maybe Jimmy did." She shifted uncomfortably.
"Why? What did you do?" Lois narrowed her eyes.
"I told him that I found him very attractive and that I wanted to take him to lunch for frogs legs." She blurted out.
Lois laughed, for a minute there she thought that she might have done something really bad. "I bet he was really tempted by the frogs legs." She gave a lopsided smile.
"Lois?"
"Yeah?"
"Does Jimmy have a girlfriend?" She looked up grinning.
"No." Lois looked at Teri who was smiling shyly "But he hasn't met the Planet's newest employee yet, has he?" Lois replied with a laugh.
***
DING DONG
"I'll get it!" Teri said leaping from her chair. She took a moment standing up trying to get the circulation in her legs to return to normal. She shuffled over to the door to find Clark waiting there with a huge bunch of red roses. She smiled for Lois; she was lucky to have a great guy like him. They were going out to dinner that night, they had invited her along too but she thought that they needed some well earned time to be alone.
"Lois is in the shower; come in." Teri said before Clark even had a chance to open his mouth.
"Thanks." He wandered over to the other side of the room to the table which supported the small desktop computer. "Typing For Dummies?" Clark asked with a grin.
"She's your girlfriend, not mine!" Teri replied throwing her hands up in the air "She said it was the easiest one there and with it I would be able to type in three hours."
"But?"
"But what she conveniently forgot to tell me was that she was intending to get me to type out the entire works of William Shakespeare for practice."
Clark gave a broad grin "That's my Lois."
"Teri, which dress looks better the blue or the green?" Lois walked out of the bathroom with a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth and her hair in a towel. She was so deep in thought that she obviously hadn't noticed that Clark was also there.
"The blue definitely." Clark responded as if the question was directed at him.
"Teri!" Lois wailed running for cover.
Teri tried not to laugh but couldn't help but let a small snigger escape. "Oh, Lois, Clark's here." Teri said as if he'd just arrived.
"Thanks for letting me know!" Lois shouted sarcastically from the bathroom.
"So where are you two going for dinner?" Teri asked as she placed the flowers into a tall vase.
"China." Clark responded, waiting for the reaction he knew he'd receive. Teri's eyes grew wide and her blond locks fell forward framing her face. Suddenly she smiled. "Cool! Can you two bring me back a kimono?"
Clark smiled "Sure."
Just then Lois walked out in the blue dress with her still damp hair pulled back into a French twist.
Clark melted.
"Are we ready?" She asked softly.
"We sure are." Clark walked over to Lois and slid his arms around her waist.
Lois smiled and allowed herself to relax into the arms of her true love. She pulled Clark close and greeted him with a soft kiss that seemed last for an eternity.
Clark responded to the kiss with as much, if not more passion as Lois. Their awareness was brought back to their surroundings by Teri clearing her throat. Lois and Clark drew away from each other and turned towards Teri who was blushing, Lois grinned, she'd be used to it after working at the Planet for a few weeks.
"I think we should go." Clark broke the awkward silence.
"We should." Lois allowed herself to be scooped into Clarks arms. Clark walked over to the window ledge and disappeared into the moonlit night.
Teri smiled. She was so lucky to have friends like them.
***
When the loving couple returned to Lois' apartment that night they found Teri fast asleep on the couch. Lois covered her with a spare blanket and Clark placed the blue kimono on the table beside her. In her hand was a typed wad of paper that had obviously been the night's work. At the end of the final sheet were the words "Did I do good?"
Clark smiled at the all too familiar question. So much had happened in the past weeks. When Clark had first found out that the clone that he had hated so much was alive he wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad but now he knew that Lois and he hadn't lost a thing but, in finding a new friend, they had gained so much.
Clark became aware of the soft beating of rain on Lois' widow. Lois yawned and leant back to rest her head on Clark's strong chest. "Come on, Clark, let's get some sleep." Lois muttered as she took his hand and began to lead him towards her bedroom.
"Here?" Clark asked confused.
Lois turned to face Clark "Well if you go out there your gonna get soaked." She gestured out the window at the beating the rain.
Clark let out a small yawn.
"See?!" she replied pushing him down and covering him with a blanket.
Clark smiled. "I'm convinced."
"Good." Lois smiled in satisfaction and rested her head on Clark's chest. Lois and Clark lay peacefully in each other's arms just enjoying being together until the morning sun appeared to greet a beautiful new day.
***
When Lois and Clark finally woke up they became aware of the sound of typing from the lounge room.
"Don't tell me she's still at it." Clark rolled out of bed with a yawn.
"What time is it?" Lois asked, her head still buried in the pillow.
Clark didn't seem to hear her. "I don't know what she's typing but whatever it is she's typing it very fast." Clark turned to face Lois who was now standing beside him, her hair was now messy and her mascara had run under her eyes. Clark laughed.
"What?" Lois looked at him with her 'I dare you to tell me before I've had my coffee' look.
"Nothing; it's just that, well you might want to look in the mirror." Clark replied cautiously.
Lois raised an eyebrow and headed for the bathroom. A moment later a small scream echoed from the bathroom.
Teri looked up from her computer screen at Clark who was laughing. "Good morning. What was that?" She asked.
"Mascara the next day." Clark chuckled. "What are you typing?"
"What Lois told me to." She replied.
Clark looked at the computer screen "Shakespeare?"
"You took me seriously?" Lois asked in a surprised tone as she emerged from the bathroom with a towel in her hand.
"You weren't serious?" Teri seemed surprised.
Clark looked at Lois waiting for her response.
"Of course I wasn't serious! Do you really think that I was going to make you type out the Entire Works of William Shakespeare? What kind of person do you think I am?!"
Teri bit her lip trying to suppress a giggle and Clark let out a small laugh.
"On second thought, don't answer that." Lois pushed past Clark to get to the coffeemaker.
"I made breakfast." Teri followed Lois into the kitchen and lifted the lid on a large saucepan that was resting on the stove, to expose a large amount of burnt pancakes.
"You did inherit one thing from me…" Lois peered over Teri's shoulder at the unattractive pieces of charcoal "…my cooking expertise."
Teri replaced the lid on the saucepan and shrugged, "Could be worse."
***
"So this is your desk." Perry gestured towards one of the medium sized wooden desks in the center of the busy newsroom.
"And this…" he dropped a large heap of handwritten notes on Teri's desk "…Is your first job."
Teri smiled. She was so happy. At last she was wanted for who she was, not for being someone else. She gathered the notes into a heap and sat down at her computer. "Consider it done."
Perry walked away smiling. He had no idea who this girl was but for some strange reason he trusted Lois and Clark on this one.
"Do you think we did the right thing?" Lois turned to face Clark who was still busy listening to what Teri was saying with his super-hearing.
"What?"
"Do you think we did the right thing getting her a job here?"
Clark took a seat on Lois' desk. "I really don't know, but if her paycheck comes through she won't have to borrow your clothes anymore." Clark tried to lighten the mood.
Lois was actually looking worried. "Clark I'm serious. I mean, she tried to kill me!"
"That was weeks ago." Clark reached down to touch Lois' face.
She pulled away. "She knows your secret Clark." She whispered, her voice now sounded emotional.
Clark embraced Lois. He hadn't realized how much this was upsetting her.
Lois began to cry softly.
"Lois, I'm sorry. I didn't know how much this was upsetting you." Clark was genuinely concerned. He hadn't seen Lois this upset for a long time. Even in the midst of the previous week's situation she seemed to be her usual cheery self.
Lois wiped the now dried tears away "It's not that, Clark. I think that last week's confusion has finally caught up with me that's all." Lois' voice dropped to just above a whisper "I am glad that we got her this job but I can't help but feel worried that she knows, I mean what if she tells someone?"
Clark sighed. Lois was right Teri could tell someone for the second time. She had felt so terrible the first time he felt reasonably secure about her knowing but fear can make a person do strange things. All of a sudden Clark became aware of a distant cry for help. "Lois…" He began not sure how she'd respond to him, once again running off in the middle of a conversation.
"Go." She replied before he could finish. She'd gotten to know that look well. She began to loosen his tie for him. "I love you, Clark."
Clark smiled then quickly disappeared to attend to the disaster.
***
"Lois?" came a voice from behind her.
Lois jumped. Whoever it was had caught her off guard. She turned to see Star holding a neatly wrapped parcel and a card. "These are for you." Star placed the two items on her desk and smiled "Sorry they're late."
"Thanks, what are these for?" Lois queried reaching for the parcel.
Star pointed to the parcel in Lois' hand "That's a get well present. I hear you had a close encounter with a rock."
Lois peeled away the last of the paper to expose a large box of chocolates. Lois grinned "Want one?"
Star pulled out a small chocolate and placed it in her mouth.
In the midst of chewing Lois noticed Teri walk past. "Teri! Come over here. I want you to meet someone." Lois mumbled in between mouthfuls.
Teri wandered over to Lois' desk and pinched a chocolate out of the large box.
Lois continued "Teri, this is Star, my neighbor . Star, this is Teri."
"Hi." Teri smiled.
Star was silent. She stood there gazing between Teri and Lois with a knowing look.
Lois raised an eyebrow. Teri however didn't seem to notice. She was still busy enjoying the chocolate.
Star's eyes began to grow wide "It's incredible." she said slowly approaching Lois' desk.
"What is?" Teri stopped chewing momentarily.
"Your energy is from the same force." Stars eye's where brightening as if she was tuning into something.
Lois' mind started racing. Could Star actually know something? She hadn't told Star about her clone nor had she told her that her clone was now in a different body. Was it possible that she had tuned into it by herself ? "What are you talking about?" Lois finally asked.
"I'm sensing a strong connection here, it's as if you're from the same person."
Now Teri was looking scared. She and Lois exchanged glances. "I have to go." Teri tried to walk away but Lois grabbed her arm to stop her.
"What are you saying?" Lois didn't want to give away anything more than she had to.
Star pointed to Teri, "You…" she turned to Lois "…are part of you." She started to look unsure, "Is that right?"
"Oh my God." Lois buried her head in her hands. Teri appeared to still be in shock, she just stood there, staring.
"Is it?" Star leaned closer.
Lois sighed, "She's a clone." She said softly, "She changed bodies somehow and here she is."
Star's face lit up, this was right up her alley. "I knew it! I knew it!" She got to her feet and headed for the door.
"Keep it to yourself!" Lois shouted after her.
Star turned to face her "My lips are sealed; my mind is open." She wandered out the door.
"Strange." Teri commented.
"What do you mean?"
Teri dropped her voice "Well she knows that but she hasn't worked out that Clark is Superman."
Lois smiled. How true.
***
"How can I get them together without seeming to obvious?" Lois thought out loud as she gazed between Jimmy and Teri. For some reason Teri wasn't as extroverted in her new form.
Teri was desperate for an excuse to talk to Jimmy who hadn't appeared to even have noticed she was there but she seemed too shy to just walk up and start talking.
All of a sudden Lois noticed a pile of notes Teri had accidentally left on her desk that morning. "Perfect!" she thought, "Jimmy!"
A moment later Jimmy came bounding towards her desk "Yeah?"
Lois picked up the pile of paper and handed them to Jimmy "Can you take these to Teri for me?" Lois pointed the direction of Teri's desk.
Jimmy gave her a funny look, "Lois, it's five desks away." He stated in a questioning tone.
"My leg's are tired." Lois said. It was a dumb excuse but it worked for Clark.
"Right." Jimmy muttered as he turned toward Teri's desk.
Lois smiled. If this worked or not at least she'd tried.
Moments later Clark walked through the door looking exhausted.
"What happened to you?" Lois asked as she greeted her fiance with a hug.
"One disaster after another."
"Sounds like a job for Superman." She joked.
"Look." Clark pointed to the other side of the newsroom. Lois followed his gaze to Teri's desk. Jimmy and Teri where talking and laughing happily. Lois grinned; it worked!
***
"Which dress?" Teri emerged from the bathroom carrying two dresses. Her blond hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail but she still looked gorgeous.
Lois smiled, "Those are my clothes."
"I know," Teri grinned mischievously. "That's why I'm asking you."
It was four months since Teri and Jimmy had started going out. They both seemed so perfect for each other; they where both immature. Jimmy had never had a girlfriend for a whole four months before but he seemed to be really serious for Teri. Teri now rented an apartment in the same building as Lois but she still continued to borrow most of Lois' clothes and raid her refrigerator. For some reason Teri didn't seem to want to spend so much on clothes when she was the one paying the bills.
Lois and Clark got married last month, they decided to break tradition by having two maids of honour, Lucy and Teri. Teri had settled into her job really well. For the first month she kept complaining that it was hard work but before long she'd settled in great. Teri was going out with Jimmy tonight. Lois had no idea what was going on but Jimmy seemed really nervous about something. Clark seemed to know something; he'd been smiling happily for three days now but he wouldn't tell anyone, even Lois which, of course, made her really annoyed but nothing worked, his lips where sealed.
"That one." Lois pointed to one of the dresses and proceeded to flop back onto the couch.
Clark said that he'd come home after Teri had left, saying that he'd sworn not to give anything away.
Teri scampered into Lois's bedroom and returned twenty minutes later fully dressed and ready.
"That was quick." Lois said surprised.
Teri just smiled. She loved Jimmy so much.
***
Superman flew high over Metropolis with a crooked grin. He kept trying to keep his mind focused on looking for crime be he couldn't. His mind was somewhere else, somewhere happy. He had decided that he had to go for a fly, it was the only way he would stop himself from telling Lois. Just a few more hours. He told himself for the hundredth time.
***
"See you later!" Lois yelled after Teri as she disappeared out the door for her date.
A moment later Superman flew through the window smiling.
"Tell me." Lois smiled back, desperate for the secret.
"Wait." Clark pleaded
"Clark!"
"Only two more hours. Trust me, Lois."
Lois took a deep breath "OK."
"How about a pizza?" Clark tried desperately to change the subject.
"Okay." Lois was willing to try anything to make the next few hours go faster.
After Lois and Clark finished eating, they just lay together on the couch talking and laughing, just enjoying being husband and wife, and much to Lois's surprise the next few hours went quicker that she'd thought.
It was probably about eleven thirty when Teri knocked on the door. "Lois! Clark!" She screeched happily.
Lois jumped up to open the door for her. Teri ran into the lounge room and sat down trying to catch her breath.
"What happened?!" Lois asked excitedly.
Teri smiled broadly and held out her hand to Lois. On her finger sat a beautiful diamond ring. "He proposed." She whispered, tears of joy streaming down her face.
Lois's mouth dropped open. She'd expected lots of things but she never thought of this. It wasn't long before Lois found her self crying too.
Clark just sat there smiling as Lois and Teri laughed joyously as only friends do. He sighed. It looked like this story was going to have a happy ending after all.
THE END :^) :^)
(3rds.txt)