By LNCTNAOS@aol.com
Rated: G Submitted October 16, 1997
Summary: In the next chapter in this continuing story, Clark and Wells search for Lois in the future and are surprised at what they find there.
***
Clark and Wells start walking back toward the Planet building:
Clark looks as though someone has hit him with a ton of bricks — he just can't believe this happened to him *again* — After loosing Lois to amnesia, Lex Luthor, Agent Daniel (Call me Dan) Scardino, Dr. Maxwell (Call me Max) Deter, his own inability to tell Lois the truth, and him having to go to another planet and possibly die… It just wasn't fair! Maybe the gods didn't want Lois and him to marry after all.
**No,** he says to himself. **We *will* be married! Even if it takes a hundred years! Even if I have to track down Tempus 'til Doomsday!** He follows Wells into an alley behind the Planet. "How?" Clark asks Wells as they turn the corner.
"What?" Wells asked as the sound of Clark's voice jogged him out of his reverie.
"How will we get Lois back?" Clark asks patiently.
"Oh," Wells turns to him. "Quite easy," he says in his English accent. "I can assure you."
**Oh, yeah. Quite easy. He can *assure* me. Right!**
"We will save Lois…" Wells walks a few more feet and motions for Clark to follow, "…with this." It was another time machine.
"I don't see how—" Clark starts to say. **All I see in front of me is a carriage with a bunch of lights and switches attached to it. How will *this* help in getting Lois back?**
"This, my boy, is a time machine. You've used one before. Of course you wouldn't remember." He gets in and Clark follows. "We will simply follow Tempus back — or forward— in time and rescue Ms. Lane."
"Oh, yeah. Simple," Clark mutters to himself. "Wait a minute, will you?"
He puts his hands to his head in concentration. **Zara? Lady Zara it is Cla — ah — Kal-El. I request your assistance.** He hated being so formal, but it *was* the Kryptonian way.
He waits a few minutes, when: **We understand Ka — Clark. We've been monitoring your position. We will watch over things while you're gone.**
Clark smiles. She never called him Clark before, maybe she *did* learn something from her days on Earth. He turns back to Wells. "Ready," he says and gets in.
"All right." Wells pushes a few buttons. "Next stop, the future."
"Hold on," Clark puts an arm out and stops Wells in mid-punch. "Why do you say the future? Couldn't Tempus have gone *anywhere*?"
"Yes," Wells says to him, "but, he's already tried the past. It's only logical — after his failed attempt at killing you as an infant — that he'd try the future."
"Failed attempt at *what?!*" Clark asks, astonishment written all over his face.
"Yes, well…" Wells fumbles, "you wouldn't remember that either, because I brought you back before it happened."
"The future it is then," Clark nods still a bit confused but willing to let it rest — for now, "but when?"
"We shall narrow it down." Wells pushes the last button in the sequence, and they disappear. The last thought of Clark's in that time was: **That'll take years!
***
2026:
"Come on Lois, we wouldn't want to miss the death of a hero, now, would we?" Tempus smirks as they continue trudging up the hill toward the Mansion. He starts to drag Lois along.
"Hold on, will you?!" she screams. "I'll come." She dusts herself off, tosses her head at Tempus and marches off in front of him.
"That's better," Tempus smiles behind her. He pulls out a gun — for insurance.
"Where are we going?" Lois asks turning around. She shrinks away as she notices the gun.
"Up the hill," Tempus grunts and motions with the gun. She turns back to the hill. Up the hill they continue.
***
Back in the time machine with Wells and Clark, they now appear in the future. "Here we are," Wells says as they land.
"Where's here?" Clark asks.
"The future," Wells states.
**Well, duh!** "When?"
Wells looks at a few dials. "Well," he looks at the monitor, "we are in 2025," he says.
"How do we know what time they're in?"
"Guess."
"Great!" Clearly, this upsets Clark very much.
"Come on." Wells beckons for Clark to follow.
"Where?"
"The Mansion."
"The *what!?*"
"Where Zara and Ching live since you asked them to come back."
"Oh."
He follows Wells up a hill.
A few minutes later, Wells feels as though his feet aren't touching the ground. "What…?"
"I thought this might be faster," Clark grins.
"Oh," was all Wells could say as he and Clark flew up to the Mansion on the hill.
***
2026:
"He's not gonna be here," Lois sing-songed as they got half-way up the hill.
"And why *not?*" Tempus spat.
"He's out looking for me."
"No he's not — look." Tempus shows Lois a big mansion on the hill.
On the hill, there was a beautiful, huge mansion. As Lois looked up, she could see the Superman 'S' on the door. All her hopes sunk until she saw Superman's statue out front. **Now why would Clark put a statue of *himself* on the lawn? He's not vain.** Then she thought, **Zara and Ching!!!!!** She started to grin.
Tempus knocks on the door. Footsteps can be heard from the inside. "Just a minute!" hollers a male voice.
Tempus turns to Lois and grins. "See, Lois? *Clark* is coming to the door, DUH!"
**Now* who's galactically stupid? I can't tell by a pair of glasses, but *he* can't tell by the *voice?!** she thinks but doesn't say anything — she just looks at Tempus. **I can't *wait* to see his face when Ching opens the door!**
A slightly older Ching comes to the door. "May I help you?"
"Oh!" Tempus looks surprised. "I must have the wrong house. I'm looking for a Mr. Clark Kent. I," he grins wickedly at Lois, "have something of his."
"Oh," Zara comes up behind her husband. "You must be Tempus. Clark said that we might see you."
"GUARDS!!!!!" Ching shouts and guards come and grab Tempus.
"What is this outrage?!" shouts an outraged Tempus as he is being taken away.
"Clark told us who you were Tempus," Zara said. "He told us to lock you away." With that, the guards take him away. Ching and Zara turn to Lois. "Come dear," Zara said while leading the stunned Lois inside. "Clark is expecting you." They all walk into the Mansion…
***
"You don't know how relieved I am to see both of you," Lois said as they walk into a big parlor room.
"About as happy as I am to see you?" a new — but familiar — voice enters. Clark and Wells walk in.
Clark waits for Lois to recognize him while Wells goes off to the side with Zara and Ching. "CLARK!!!!!" Lois and Clark run to one another and collapse into each others' arms.
"I wasn't sure if I'd ever—"
"I searched—"
"—See you again."
"—All over for you."
"But now we found each other."
"And I'll never let you go again."
**Clark,** Zara's voice spoke up, **would you and Lois like something to eat?**
"Lois?" Clark breaks away from the kiss. "I'm sure I'd love to do this all day, but we do have to get back to our own time."
"I'm hungry, Clark," Lois says. "Time travel takes a lot out of you," she grins.
Clark looks over at Zara. "Come this way." Zara leads them down a hall…
***
…And into a beautiful spacious dining area. "This is *gorgeous!*" Lois exclaimed.
And, indeed it was gorgeous. The room was painted a milky white with pictures of New Krypton portrayed on the walls. The floor was carpeted in a beautiful gray-silver rug. The table was a beautiful white marble table with the 'S' emblem in the center and all around. There were 5 places set, and each one had its own crystal plates and goblets. Overlooking the room, in the center of the table, there was a beautiful crystal chandelier.
Lois looks around in wonder at the extravagant place settings. "How long did this house take to build?"
"Only a few days," Ching said matter-of-factly.
"Oh," Lois looks playfully disgusted, "I forgot," **It's just not fair!** "—superpowers." She playfully punches Clark in the side.
"Oww." Clark smiles down at Lois. "Would you rather we didn't have superpowers, Lois?"
She thinks about this for a few minutes. "Umm… no," remembering a few *million* times that he got her out of trouble with those superpowers. "They *do* come in handy some times." After a bit of playful needling, Clark, Lois, Wells, Zara and Ching sit down to a wonderful meal.
***
A couple hours later, Clark, Lois and Wells get ready to leave. "What will happen to you when we leave?" Lois asks Zara as they pack their things.
"It will be as if we never came to Earth 30 years ago. Clark will just have come back to you from New Krypton, you will be making wedding plans, and Ching and I will be," she seeks a peek at Ching and smiles, "on our honeymoon."
"You two get married after all this?" Lois looks stunned. "Congratulations!"
"Thank y—"
"Lady Zara! Lord Ching! Come quick!" someone shouts from outside the Mansion. They all run out of the Mansion.
"What's the matter Gar-De?"
"The man — Tempus — he's escaped!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
THE END
(backfut2.txt)