Amorous Lois or A Late Night at the Planet After Two Days Without…

By Allison Forbes <blue_eyes2143@hotmail.com>

Rated PG13

Submitted April 2001

Summary: After more than two days of building sexual tension between our favorite couple, Lois takes matters into her own hands, in an elevator no less, with some very interesting consequences.

Feedback welcome at blue_eyes2143@hotmail.com, or ImanFoLC@aol.com.

This was originally posted on the nfic boards from Oct.?,00 to Feb.01, but I received so much feedback for it, I wanted to share it with everyone. It's just my version of what might happen when the near-constant sexual tension gets to Lois late one night. I hope you all enjoy it<g>.

***

They got into the elevator, pointedly not looking at one another. Clark knew that if he even as so much as looked at her, he wouldn't be able to control himself. Lois also knew that if their eyes met, it was over. They were both struggling with it, the untamable need that overwhelmed them even now. It had been six months since the honeymoon, yet the passion that simmered between them twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week had not cooled. In fact, if anything, it had gotten hotter. Clark surreptitiously snuck a sideways glance at his wife. How long had it been? At least two days. Actually, it had been twenty-nine hours, forty-seven minutes and thirteen seconds. How had they held out that long? How had he held out? Just thinking about it made his body temperature rise.

So he forced the thoughts away, at least for the time being. God he wanted to get home!

Lois closed her eyes against the torrent of emotions flooding her. She knew he was looking at her; she could feel the heat of his gaze burning her as easily as if he'd used his 'special' vision. She suppressed a grin as she wondered if he was… would he? Here? Now? The thought that he actually might sent a shiver of excitement through her. She shuddered.

He noticed. "Lois?" he asked, concerned.

The sound of his deep, husky voice saying her name only made it worse. She shuddered again. If only the elevator would hurry! Then she could put to use all the fantasies running through her mind.

He was getting concerned. She was visibly trembling; ok, it was only visible to him, but it worried him. She kept shaking, and she didn't answer when he said her name. "Lois? Honey, are you ok?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Uhm-hmm. I'm fine," she finally said, quietly. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. 'Stop it, girl', she chided herself. 'He's going to think you're ill, or something.' She felt like she was ill, though. She was burning up inside. It was so close in the elevator car, and he was so close; she could smell his cologne, she could feel his nearness, she could still feel him covertly watching her. God, she wanted to get home!

'She is so beautiful,' he thought to himself, watching her out of the corner of his eye. She was wearing one of his favorite outfits; the light blue one with the matching skirt and jacket. The white silk blouse had a V-neck that dipped down just low enough to show how nicely endowed she was. The skirt emphasized how slender she really was, and just barely went down to her knees. How many times today had he looked at her, sitting at her desk, her long shapely legs crossed, and just wanted to lift her from her chair, lay her on her desk, and then… 'Stop it, Clark!' he remonstrated himself. 'You keep thinking like that, you're never gonna get home!' He took a deep breath to calm himself, then smiled ruefully. Hadn't Lois just sighed like that? He suppressed a chuckle when he realized that his beautiful new bride was probably having the same wild thoughts as he; it would certainly explain her overly rapid heartbeat, and the way she was trying to control her breathing.

Not to mention the fact that her face was flushed and turning bright scarlet! Oh, how he loved this woman! The way she made him feel like he really belonged, the rampant desires she awakened in him. He knew she felt the same. If he'd ever had any doubts about her love for him, all he had to do was think back six months ago, to their honeymoon. They had never made it to Hawaii; more to the point, they had never made it in Hawaii! He smiled at the double entendre. She had been so unbelievably responsive to him, gasping every time he touched her, moaning delightfully with every kiss, every caress, and when they finally took that last step…

He'd never forget the indescribable joy he'd experienced as their bodies joined for the first time; it was like nothing he'd ever known.

Clark snapped back to the present when he realized that the woman he loved was looking at him. He turned his head, and what he saw startled him. She was breathing heavily, her chest moving quickly up and down, and there was a wild look in her eyes, a feral intensity brewing in the chocolate depths. He knew that look. He'd seen it in the mirror a dozen times in the last week before their wedding. He'd managed to suppress it, at least until he got to work. And then he'd see her working at her desk, or getting coffee, or whatever, and she'd look into his eyes, and he'd know the look was there again.

Now, seeing it in the dark twin pools boring into him, he knew something was about to snap.

"Lois?" he began carefully, but it was too late. Before his mind could register what was happening, she launched herself at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his mouth with hers. Even considering who he was, the surprise of her attack knocked him back against the wall of the lift. Realizing what she'd done, she eased off just a fraction. He regained his bearings, but allowed his body to remain where it was. His arms wrapped around her slender waist, holding her warm body to him. He began to lose himself in her kiss, then he remembered where they were. He reluctantly moved his arms from her waist to gently grasp her upper arms in his hands.

"Lois…honey," he murmured against her soft lips. "Sweetheart…" He finally managed to push her away so he could look in her eyes, darkened with unrestrained desire. "Honey, I'm as frustrated as you are. I can't believe it's been two days since we've…" He stopped, not wanting to say the actual words, as it might break his resolve. "But," he grinned lopsidedly, "don't, ummph…" he grunted as she began to kiss him again, "you…think…mm-mmm…we should at least wait till we, I don't know," he looked into her eyes, "get to the car?" he finished jokingly. He thought his bad humor, along with his famous lopsided grin, would bring her back to her senses, and she'd pull away. Instead, he watched her coffee colored eyes darken till they were almost black, and twin flames of desire flared to life, until her eyes were a blazing inferno.

"Screw waiting!" she practically growled, then reached up to pull the emergency lever on the wall panel, effectively halting the lift. "I want you NOW!" She then grabbed the knot of his tie, and, sinking to the elevator floor, she pulled him down on top of her.

Clark's eyes nearly popped out when she growled, then pulled him down onto the elevator floor. He was so surprised he dropped his jacket, which cushioned their fall. They landed hard, with his knee already wedged between hers. He tried to support himself on his elbows so as not to hurt her. But she seemed oblivious as she worked the knot out of his tie and quickly slid the strip of material from around his neck. She then began to work on his shirt, or to be more precise, on removing it.

He had to admit, he was in no hurry to end what she'd started. The sexual tension in there was just about to kill him, and if she hadn't done something, he might have. So he had no problem with reciprocating her forcefulness. He slanted his mouth over hers as if to swallow her whole, hungrily nibbling her lower lip, running his tongue along the inner surface. She moaned and in answer to his unspoken question, parted her lips beneath his, allowing his tongue to plunder her mouth.

'God, she tastes wonderful' he thought through the fog in his brain. She tasted like a delightful mixture of coffee, cinnamon donuts, with a hint of toothpaste. He thrust his tongue into her mouth again and again, unable to get enough. She already had three buttons of his shirt undone and was sliding her hand beneath to press her palm to his chest. He groaned into her mouth; the feel of her soft delicate hand on his skin was almost too much. He desperately wanted to get her jacket off, but he was having trouble getting it down her arms. As if reading his mind, she rolled them over so she was on top, and quickly divested herself of the offending jacket.

The feel of her soft curves pressing down on him made his head spin. Now he could feel, even through her blouse, the weight of her breasts pressing into him. His hands immediately moved between their bodies to caress her. She lifted her head from his to let out a soft moan. Clasping her around the waist, he rolled them back over again, her jacket now lying with his beneath them. Her head stayed tilted back, so he dipped his head to press his lips to the creamy skin of her throat. Her sharp intake of breath told him he'd hit the right spot, so he continued. All the while his hands worked at removing her blouse. When he'd undone all the buttons, he reached a hand beneath her to lift her up slightly, just so she could slip her arms out of the sleeves.

He felt her hands roaming his body, and his self-control slipped even further. "Oh god, Lois…" he groaned, and playfully nipped at her. Turnabout was fair play, however, so he stopped kissing her to find one of her most sensitive areas.

"Ohhh! Clark…" she pulled her hand back up and threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him to her, encouraging him. She cried out in anguished pleasure.

"AHHHH! Don't stop…" she panted. "Please… don't stop…" Her hands left his hair to slide the shirt over his muscular shoulders and down his arms. Once she had the shirt off, she reached down again.

"Lois…" he whispered painfully. He couldn't take it anymore. Remembering the fantasy he'd had in the newsroom that afternoon, he reached down, and grabbed the hem of her skirt…

***

"Hhmmm," she sighed happily, her dark eyes glowing with sated satisfaction. "I'm sorry I attacked you like that," she said after a moment. "I just couldn't…"

"Shhhhh," he silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Don't ever, ever apologize for that," he murmured softly. He moved his finger from her lips to trace her features.

"I'm not apologizing for what we did, lunkhead," she muttered.

"Good," he responded dryly as he began to layer her face with soft butterfly kisses.

"I'm, ahhh," she sighed happily, "saying I should have listened to you."

He raised his head to look her in the eyes, his eyebrows lifted in shock. "Is this Lois Lane I'm talking to? The Lois Lane I know, that I just made love to, would never say that!" he chuckled.

She reached between them to put a restraining hand on his chest. "And just what 'other' Lois Lane have you been making love to, Mr. Kent?!" she demanded mock seriously.

"Hhmmm, there's…only…one…I…can…think…of, Mrs. Kent," he replied softly, punctuating each word with a soft kiss. She sighed languorously, lost in a bubble of pleasure as his lips discovered all the sensitive areas of her skin. "And she never listens," he muttered, grinning against her ear.

The bubble burst. "Why you!" She playfully whacked him on the arm, which left a slight ache in her hand. "Ow!"

"Honey," he sighed, continuing to nibble her, "you know better than to try to hurt Superman."

"It's not fair," she pouted. "I didn't even hit you that hard. It's not fair that Kryptonite is your only weakness."

He looked into her eyes again, disbelieving. "Are you serious? Sweetheart," he chuckled, "have you noticed that I haven't moved yet? Do you know why?" He briefly closed his eyes as he felt their incredible bond. He opened his eyes again, gazing wondrously at her. I haven't moved yet, Lois, because, well, I can't."

"You can't?" she repeated.

"Hhm-mmm." He threaded his fingers through her hair almost reverently, and bent his head until their lips were nearly touching. She could feel his breath on her lips. "Too exhausted. Kryptonite's got nothin' on you," he finished solemnly, and kissed her.

"Clark," she breathed as his lips descended on hers.

They lay in silence for a few moments, neither willing to leave the wondrous haze of their afterglow. She shifted, and moved to lie next to him with her head on his chest, directly over his heart. After a few moments, she grinned. He felt her smile against his chest.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"Nothing. It's just," she trailed off, tracing a random pattern over his chest.

"Lois, what is it? Is something wrong?" he prodded.

"I was just thinking about how much I've changed since I met you. Before I met you, I was this serious, hard-nosed, I don't know. But over the last four years, something has happened." She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "You know people called me 'Mad Dog' Lane. I had a one-track mind; get the story, get the story, get the story."

"I do remember you stepping over one or two people to grab an exclusive," he replied, grinning.

"And I remember a certain newbie from Kansas who quickly put me in my place!" she said mock angrily, poking him in the shoulder.

"Well, somebody had to!"

"And you certainly did, farmboy," she murmured.

"What else?"

"Well, remember when I said I didn't like being surprised?"

"Unless you knew about it in advance?"

"Exactly. Well, that's changed, too. I used to have a definite plan for my life. Become the best reporter in Metropolis…"

"Which you are," he said, his pride for her evident in his voice.

"Hhmm, I think it's a tie," she remarked. He kissed the top of her head as she continued. "I wanted to be a top reporter, win a Pulitzer, and prove to everyone what I was capable of."

"I think you've accomplished all that," Clark remarked.

"I don't have a Pulitzer," she reminded him.

"Nooo, but you do have three Kerths, and the respect of every other journalist in the city, including," he tightened his arms around her, "a Kansas newbie."

She smiled at his words, a warm glow spreading through her. She lifted up so that her arms were resting on his chest. "What I'm getting at is that I think I've loosened up, become more spontaneous. I mean, would the Lois Lane of say, three years ago, have," she blushed, "attacked someone in an elevator at midnight at work?"

He pondered her words, remembering how she was when they first met. She didn't have time for anything except for her work or for anyone, especially him.

"No," he conceded. "The Lois of three years ago wouldn't have done something like this," he looked around the elevator. "But I wouldn't change anything about you. Not the way you used to be, and especially not who you are now."

"I am who I am now because of you," she said softly, gazing into his dark chocolate eyes. "You taught me how to be more patient, more caring, more understanding. You taught me how to love."

"Lois," he replied, his voice becoming husky with emotion again. "I didn't teach you how to love." He reached up to cup her cheek in his palm. "I just showed you that you didn't have to be afraid to love."

A lone tear escaped her eye, and slowly rolled down her cheek. He gently wiped it away with his thumb. They became lost in each other's eyes for a moment, then Clark blinked.

"We'd better get out of here, before someone calls the elevator!"

Lois also snapped out of her reverie. "Oh my goodness! You're right! How long have we been in here?" She sat up and began to redress herself, looking around for her panties.

Clark picked up his watch and glanced at it. "About twenty minutes, give or take." He refastened his pants and put his shirt back on, buttoning the sleeves.

"Twenty minutes! That's it? It feels like it's been a lot longer than that!" She found her blouse under his jacket, handing the jacket to him. "Here," she said. "Sorry, it's a bit wrinkled," she giggled.

"I may never iron this again," he sighed happily. "And yes, I do seem to lose any sense of time when I'm with you. You want some help with that?" he lightly fingered her blouse.

She swatted his hand away. "I need to put this on, Kent, not tear it off again." He cast his eyes downward, like a hurt puppy dog. She smiled, unable to resist when he looked so lost. "Not that I didn't enjoy when you did that, mind you."

"Hhmm," he leaned over to softly kiss her, "anytime, sweetheart. Anytime."

"Anywhere," she muttered as she finished buttoning up her blouse and smoothing down her skirt. They both stood up, and remembering how they got started, Lois released the lever, starting the elevator again. She pulled a small mirror out of her purse, making sure her makeup and hair were back in place. He flung his jacket over his shoulder on one finger, and draped the other arm around his wife's shoulder. They stood in comfortable silence as the lift went down. She tucked her head beneath his chin, and felt him rest his chin on her. It reminded her of the Christmas when they stood looking out the window at the carolers, just enjoying watching the snow falling softly outside.

The doors dinged open, and they casually walked across the lobby.

"You think anyone's going to know what we did in there?" she asked as they walked towards the Jeep.

"I hope not. But just in case I think we might wanna take the stairs for a couple of days," he responded.

"That might be a good idea. I love you, Clark, but I don't want there to be any evidence that we made love in an elevator."

Clark absorbed her words, then grinned as the reality of what they'd done set in. Lois fastened her seatbelt, and turned the key in the ignition. She was about to put the jeep into gear when she froze, her hand still on the key, and stared blankly ahead. Clark was still grinning when he noticed Lois' dazed expression.

"Lois?"

She didn't answer, but he could hear her heartbeat begin to accelerate. His grin faded, to be replaced with an anxious frown.

"Lois?" he tried again, lightly grasping her wrist. Finally, she blinked several times, pulling herself out of her trance.

"Oh my god, Clark!" She looked wide-eyed at him and softly cried, her voice barely above a whisper, "We just made love in an elevator!"

"I know," he responded softly. He gently grasped her hand, which was still holding the ignition key, and held it in his.

"At the Planet!" she continued as if she hadn't heard him. "That other people use! Everyday! Clark!?" Her breathing became heavier, almost labored, and her eyes darted back and forth from him, to the steering wheel, then back to him again as panic settled in and she began to babble. "Do you know how many people use those lifts? Someone is bound to realize something happened. They'll see something on the floor or, or they'll SMELL something, or maybe I left an earring on the floor, or you lost a button when I tore your shirt…"

"Lois, honey!" He squeezed her hand to get her attention. "Sweetheart…"

"… what if someone saw us!" she continued, oblivious to her husband's attempt to calm her. "I mean I know it was late, but there's always a night watchman or the night shift! What if Perry finds out?! We could lose our jobs…"

Clark knew there was only one way to stop Lois' ranting when it got this bad. He tightened his grip on her hand, pulling their clasped hands against his chest, then slipped his other hand around her neck, pulling her to him. So caught up was she in her panicked babble fest that the feel of Clark's lips pressed firmly against hers shocked her silent, and she melted into him, leaning against his chest. After a few, long seconds he pulled away and looked into her eyes, which were now slightly unfocused.

"Are you ok now?"

She smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Uh-huh. Thanks. I guess I needed that." He sat back in his seat, still lightly clasping her hand in his. "We're not gonna lose our jobs, Lois," he murmured reassuringly, then grinned boyishly. "All of my buttons are still intact, and you're not wearing any earrings." She laughed lightly, shaking her head. "And if Perry finds out, well, it's like he said: he was young and in love once, too. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Oh, Clark," she sighed, gently removing her hand from his to stroke his jaw. "You're right. I'm just borrowing trouble. I'm sorry." He immediately reclaimed her hand, pressing it against his face, then turned to kiss her palm. She smiled at the small, yet profoundly meaningful gesture, and sighed happily. He simply stared at her, amazed at how she could undo him without even trying.

"I love you, Lois."

She heard his simple statement, and felt her throat constrict when she thought about how much went into it. When Clark Kent said he loved her, she knew that it was more that just that. Over the last four years, he had put his trust in her, shared his whole self with her, and even when she had treated him like yesterday's news, he still told her that he had loved her from the beginning. Even now that they were married, she still felt humbled when she looked at the man who had chosen her.

"Let's go home, Clark."

***

Lois awoke the next morning to the soft pattering of rain against the window, and the warm feel of her husband's arms wrapped around her. It brought back to mind the feel of his arms around her last night — his arms around her; his body pressing down on hers; his lips attacking her mouth, her body. Her breath caught in her throat at the vivid memory, and she felt her senses become heightened just thinking about it. She looked at Clark and realized with a small gasp that he was staring right back at her. And apparently he had been thinking about the same thing.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she said softly.

"You're beautiful first thing in the morning," he said simply. He leaned up on one elbow, and gazed down at the incredible woman in bed beside him.

"Thanks," she giggled. "You're not so bad yourself, Mr. Kent," she replied, reaching up to glide her fingers down his jaw, throat, and finally running one finger down the center of his chest. Before she could go any further, he reached down, and lightly clasped her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. Closing his eyes, he kissed her hand, almost reverently, then opened his eyes to look into hers. He didn't say anything.

"Clark, is something…" she began, concerned when he fell silent.

"Shhhh, don't talk," he whispered. Confused, but trusting him to speak when he wanted, she simply lay there, waiting. After a moment, she realized what he was doing, and her heart nearly melted, and she felt tears behind her eyes.

He never said a word. Instead he just looked at her, his eyes slowly roaming her entire face, his hand still clutching hers. He brought the other hand up to gently run a finger through her hair, pushing it back off her face. He moved his fingers up to her forehead, brushing a finger over her brow, then lightly over each eye, smoothing the pads over her long black lashes. He brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek, then moved down to gently trace her jaw line. He reached out a thumb to smooth over her lips, as softly as a whisper. She was barely breathing when he finally threaded his fingers through the silk of her hair, and lovingly cupped her cheek in his palm. A single tear escaped her eye. Though no words were spoken, no passionate kisses exchanged, she had never felt as loved, as cherished, as she did in that one moment, while he memorized her, worshipping her with his eyes.

Finally, he spoke.

"Sorry, honey. I just needed to do that," he chuckled self-consciously.

"Hey, don't ever apologize for that," she said softly, echoing his remark from the previous evening.

"It's just that once in a while, I need to remind myself that I'm not dreaming. That we really are married. That you love me."

"You needed reminding? After last night?" She paused for a moment. "Perhaps I wasn't clear enough…"

"Oh, Lois, believe me! You were clear. Perfectly clear. Amazingly clear," he smiled.

"So, what's the problem, Clark?"

"Can I help it if I just want to gaze at my beautiful, intelligent, arousing wife first thing in the morning?" He looked at her, that sweet, little boy smile of his making him look absolutely adorable.

"Hhmmm," she smiled back. "No, I guess you can't help it." She looked past him to the bedside clock. "But as much as I'm enjoying being gazed at, adored, worshipped," she put the back of her hand to her forehead for dramatic flair, "I'm afraid we're gonna be late for work." She gently pushed him away from her and got out of bed and headed for the shower. He turned and watched her walk into the bathroom, a lascivious grin on his face. "Clark, as much as I'd like you to join me, I really need to take a shower to get ready for work." She walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. A minute later she poked her head out the door and gave him her best come-hither look. "If you want, we can take a long lunch today. I'm sure Perry wouldn't mind." Like a child at Christmas, his face lit up.

"I'll get breakfast started!" he said, and was out the door and down the stairs in a blur. When he got to the kitchen, he began to make coffee and toast for two, muttering to himself, "the sooner we get to work, the sooner it'll be lunch!"

They arrived at the Daily Planet around 8:30, and, after Clark picked up that day's edition, they made their way to the lobby elevator, holding hands, Lois occasionally playfully bumping Clark's hip with hers. Clark looked down at his wife, and was unable to suppress a grin when she looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye. He pressed the up button to take them to the newsroom floor. Suddenly Clark felt Lois' hand begin to perspire. He looked at her and noticed her face was flushed. He could also hear her heartbeat speed up.

"Lois?" he asked quietly. He knew what she was worried about. She was afraid that when the lift door's opened, there would be some telltale evidence of their lovemaking to be seen by all and sundry.

"It's ok, Clark. I'm alright," she whispered back. But she couldn't control the rapid beat of her heart in her chest. She knew, she just knew that the doors would open and she'd see her hose still lying crumpled on the floor or one of his buttons… that's right, he checked for that… or there would be the lingering smell of their passionate coupling. Her worst nightmare was that there would be a huge neon sign hanging from the ceiling screaming 'Lois and Clark Made it in Here!!' That last one filled her with such dread that she blew out a shaky breath. As if reading her nightmarish thoughts, Clark's hand squeezed hers reassuringly, then his arm came up behind her to rest on her shoulder. Just that one move seemed to put her at ease, and she felt herself relax next to him. 4…3…2…1…

DING! The elevator doors slid open. Lois caught her breath when she saw two people standing in the car. They smiled politely, then stepped out, allowing Lois and Clark to step in. Lois couldn't contain her relief that they were the only two passengers. She let out a deep sigh, and leaned heavily against her husband.

"Thank God!" she muttered happily as the doors closed. Clark punched the floor for the newsroom, then gently took his wife's hand in his again.

"You see, honey? I told you!"

"I know, Clark, but I couldn't help it!" She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I had the most horrible images running through my mind! I imagined we'd walk into the lobby and everyone would turn and point and start laughing, or they wouldn't actually look at us, but as we walked by they'd start snickering and you'd hear them whispering to each other stuff like, 'Did you hear how Lane nailed Kent in the elevator?' or 'Lois really knows how to get a rise out of Clark!' Uggghhhh!" she shuddered. Finally the doors dinged again, depositing them at the newsroom. Clark walked next to Lois, still holding her hand, and looked down at her, a slightly dubious look on his face.

He dipped his head to whisper in her ear, "'Nailed'?"

She turned to look at him. "Oh, Clark, you know I didn't mean…"

"Lois! Clark!" Perry White came out of his office and stormed across the newsroom toward the couple walking down the ramp. "'Bout time y'all came in. I've got a story I need you two to cover this morning."

"Sure, Chief. What is it?" Lois asked.

"Did you two hear abut what happened last night?" Perry looked them both in the eyes.

"Wha.. what do you mean?" Lois asked, trying desperately to keep her voice from failing. She could feel Clark's arm tighten around her shoulder.

"No, Chief, what happened?" Clark asked, his voice remarkably calm.

"Well, apparently, some wacko Middle Eastern terrorist group took it upon themselves to declare war on the Western world. Now, from what I hear, they don't even have nearly enough manpower to take over New Jersey, but they did somehow manage to shake up a few high profile people in Washington, you know, rattle their cages a bit. Now I want you two to get your keesters down to City Hall and see how big this really is. If it's nothing, well, then great, but if there's something to this, I want the Daily Planet to be the first to know, understood?"

"Understood," Lois said softly.

"Got it," Clark said at the same time. They turned and headed back towards the ramp, but stopped when they heard Perry from behind.

"By the by, why're y'all so late today? You two usually never show up later that eight."

Lois suddenly found herself unable to speak, so Clark turned and replied nonchalantly, "We just overslept a little, Chief. We were up late last night, uh, working." He hoped to High Heaven Perry didn't see the blush that crept up his neck and spread to his ears.

Perry regarded him for a moment, the corner of his mouth curling slightly, and said simply, "Uh-huh," and headed back into his office.

Lois and Clark exchanged a look, then hurried up the ramp and into the waiting elevator. Instead of leaning against him as she previously had, Lois stood stock still next to her husband, who seemed quite at ease. She gripped her satchel in one hand, and made a tight fist with the other.

"He knows," she said simply.

"Lois," Clark tried.

"He knows, Clark," she repeated. "Why else would he have asked that? He doesn't ask what we do on our own time!" She shook her head in defeat. "This is it! I know this is it!"

Turning, Clark took her left hand in his right, and held it firmly to try and ward off what he immediately recognized as the beginning of a babbling jag.

"I'm surprised the whole newsroom isn't buzzing about us. Maybe they are, maybe they're just buzzing to themselves. God! I'm so glad Cat doesn't work here anymore. We really don't need a nymphomaniac gossip columnist hovering over us all the time, asking questions about…" Her ramblings were cut off by Clark's strong grip around her shoulder.

"Lois, listen to me!" he said with slightly more force than usual. It was more his 'Superman' voice than Clark's, and caught Lois' attention. "No one is buzzing about us. There is not going to be any office gossip about what happened between us last night. And even if by some remote chance there was, I know for a fact that Perry would put a stop to it." His tone softened slightly with his last statement, and the arm around her shoulder came up, and he gently cupped the side of her dark head, pressing his lips to her temple.

Despite her husband's attempts to soothe her, Lois still felt like every time someone looked at her, they would see her tearing Clark's clothes off in an elevator that everyone used.

"But the way he looked at us, and the way he said, 'Uh- huh'…" she argued.

"OK," Clark conceded. "Maybe there's an eensy-weensy, teeny-tiny chance that he might suspect something." Lois looked at him, panic written on her beautiful face, and he continued. "If that's true, do you honestly thing he'd tell the whole newsroom?" He smiled, and she realized he was right.

"I guess. Ok, maybe you're right," she sighed.

"Wow! Twice in less than twelve hours!" he exclaimed. She playfully slapped him in the chest.

"And if that's the case, I suppose it wouldn't help matters if I went around with a guilty expression on my face, acting suspicious of every off-hand comment, would it?"

She thought for a moment about what she'd said, and realized that's exactly how she'd been behaving. "I have been feeling guilty about something I should never feel ashamed about. Making wild, incredible, ravenous love to my gorgeous," she leaned closer, and whispered, "super husband," she finished, giggling slightly.

"Hhmmm," he chuckled softly. "Don't forget, absolutely insatiable. At least when it comes to my gorgeous, brilliant, extremely desirable wife." He looked into her eyes, and saw the same look he'd seen last night when she'd, uh, attacked him. She gazed into his dark pools and saw the same thing. Blinking, she immediately pulled away slightly, her breath heavy in her own ears.

"We'd better focus on why we're in here: we're on our way to a story. Or else we might have a repeat performance of last night, and then we will have something to feel guilty about."

He nodded, and let his hands drop to his sides. After a moment, a thought occurred to him, and made the corners of his mouth twitch.

"Speaking of performances, how would you rate mine, er, ours, last night?"

She expelled a deep, frustrated breath, then turned to look into her husband's dark eyes, her own gaze smoldering his. "Let's just say," she began slowly, "I'm looking forward to our next curtain call."

"Well," he said, his voice growing husky, "you did promise me a long lunch."

The elevator finally reached the lobby. Just before the doors slid open, Lois turned and quickly reached up, pressed a quick, deep kiss to her husband, and murmured, "Encore, encore," before pulling away again and walking briskly across the lobby, her husband in tow.

They went to the press conference, expecting to hear about some new threat to world peace. So they were very surprised to find out the 'threat' from the Middle Eastern terrorist group was nothing more than a couple of teenage hackers pulling a prank.

"Boy, when Perry hears this, he'll probably be kinda amused," Clark remarked as they headed back to the Planet.

"The State Dept. won't be, though. They take threats like that extremely seriously."

They got back to the Planet, and briefed Perry on the conference. As Clark predicted, he was slightly amused, as well as a little ticked off.

"Ah, Judas Priest! Are you tellin' me that some computer nerd was able to make half the State Dept. believe that!? Aw, what's next, some other nut job telling the whole world that Elvis was a spy for the NIA?" He fumed for a few seconds, then regained his composure. "All right, all right. That one didn't pan out." He looked over at his Elvis clock with the swiveling hips. "Ok, we've already lost enough time on this. I want you two to devote the rest of your time on whatever else you've got." He turned back to his desk, picked up his red editor's pencil, and waved his hand dismissively. "Get outta here."

The rest of the morning was uneventful; Lois and Clark spent it putting the finishing touches on some stories they'd been working on. Finally around 12:30, Clark turned off his computer, stood and walked over to Lois' desk. She was slightly engrossed in a story, so she didn't immediately hear him.

"Well, now that the threat to world peace is over, for now, I wonder what Perry has for us this afternoon? Hostage crisis? Bank robbery? Some new psycho-criminal loose on the streets?" Clark glanced at his watch. "Geez, it's only a quarter of…"

"Well, I know what will be the biggest news of the day, but it won't be on the front page of the paper," Lois said softly.

"Yeah, what's that, honey?"

"'Daily Planet Reporter Ravishes Husband for Second Time in Twenty-Four Hours," she whispered conspiratorially. Clark's eyebrows shot up into his hairline at his wife's brash statement.

She placed her hands gently on his chest, and winked. "Let's go home, Clark. I'm starved."

Without a word, he took her by the hand and led her to the stairwell, up to the roof. Once there, he spun into the Suit, silently scooped her into his arms and flew home. A few minutes later, he set her on her feet and followed her as she calmly walked into the kitchen. Not willing to lose contact with her for even a few seconds, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

She reached into the refrigerator and took out a handful of grapes. First she ate one, then another, then another. Turning in his arms, she began seductively feeding him. Finally she held one in front of his face, and when he opened his mouth, popped one in. She fed him a couple more, then placed one between her teeth, and bit slightly. The juice oozed out of the grape, and slid slowly over her lip, hypnotizing him. She finally sucked the grape into her mouth, chewed slowly, then swallowed. Clark's eye's dilated as her throat rippled with the movement of the grape moving downward. He bent his head to her throat to follow the path the grape had taken. A few minutes later, she took another one, and placed it between her lips, just inside her mouth. Reading her unspoken clue, he bent his head to her lips in a gentle kiss, then thrust his tongue into her mouth, then pulled back, taking the grape with him. She watched this throat as he swallowed, pressing her lips to his throat just as he had done. Hearing his groan of pleasure, she looked up into his eyes, and gasped when she saw a passion and need that matched hers.

Finally he'd had enough, of the grapes at least. He swung her into his arms, holding her tightly against his body. She let out a little yelp at his show of assertiveness, which she actually found highly arousing. She found the way he kissed her even more arousing. He lightly ran his tongue against her lips, removing the grape juice that managed to cling to the corner of her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her soft curves into his hard frame, leaning heavily into him as he supported her weight. His lips descended on hers, blocking out all coherent thought and making her slightly dizzy. She realized he was leaving the kitchen, and felt a slight breeze against her skin as he carried her up the stairs. One moment later, she was lying on her back on their bed, Clark's lean body stretched out next to her. He leaned over her, and she let her head fall back, exposing her throat to the delicious feel of his lips, moving over her. With his hands he began a new exploration, starting at her throat, quickly moving down to her shoulders. He glided his hands down her sides, running his thumbs against the sides of her breasts, down to her stomach. Pretty soon, the world ceased to exist, and there was nothing except the firm mattress beneath her, and Clark's hard, muscular frame on top of her.

The feel of Lois' soft, firm body pressed beneath his was exhilarating. He loved the little sounds she made as he touched her; from her sighs of pleasure, to the occasional gasp, to her tortured moans of ecstasy, that told him more than words ever could how he made her feel. That, and her hands on his back, urging him towards her were quickly robbing him of any control he might have had

His desire for her, to feel her quiver beneath him, to hear her voice calling his name was so intense he was slightly surprised to actually hear her.

"Clark…" she panted.

"I know, Lois, I know," he whispered back in a harsh whisper, then felt Lois' hands push against his chest.

"Clark!" she said again, more loudly. That got his attention, and he soon regained enough of his senses to realize that the phone was ringing. The answering machine picked up, and soon the heavily breathing couple on the bed heard the very familiar voice of…

"'Hey guys! It's Jimmy!'" the young man's voice announced.

"I swear, I'm going to kill him someday," Lois groaned. Clark smiled and gently shushed her.

"'Look, I don't mean to interrupt whatever it is you guys are doing…'"

"Is he serious?" Lois demanded.

"Lo-is…"

"'But the Chief's on a real tear right now, and just threatened to fire me if I didn't get a hold of you and get you back here…'" Clark quickly pushed himself off a fuming Lois and picked up the phone.

"Hey, Jimmy!" Clark said with forced enthusiasm. "What's up? He did, huh? He wants us to cover what? When? OK, we'll be there in a few minutes, bye." He hung up and turned to his wife, who was straightening her clothes.

"Big story, honey. Perry threatened to fire both of us if we didn't get back to the Planet soon."

"Well," she said, fixing her makeup in the mirror, "I guess we can pick this up again some other time. Right now, Lane and Kent are needed."

***

One month later

It was nine a.m. at the Daily Planet and the newsroom was alive with the usual activity. People were scurrying about, looking up information, answering ringing phones, trying to get the copy machine to work, rushing in and out, making the Planet what it was: the world's greatest newspaper. Perry White was holed up in his office, editing a piece to fit into the afternoon edition. Outside, in the bullpen, Lois and Clark were each at their desks, busily tying away at their computers, putting the finishing touches on their respective stories. It had been a month since their encounter, and no one had said anything about it. Lois had finally relaxed after a few days, and no longer came to work every morning dreading what she'd find. Now, after so many weeks, she'd all but forgotten it.

"Hey, CK, I've got that research you wanted," Jimmy announced as he walked up to Clark's desk. Jimmy, despite Lois' frustrated vow, was still alive. Neither had said anything to him when he called them back to the Planet, and he'd had the good sense to keep his own mouth shut.

"Thanks, Jimmy," Clark said, and began rifling through the files the younger man set down.

Just then Lois' phone rang. "Lois Lane," she answered. "Yes? Really? When? How many were involved? Can you confirm that? Why not? Where'd the information come from? It did. Ok, yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes. Thanks." She hung up and called over to her husband. "That was my source over at the police precinct. He said he had information about Intergang, but he wasn't sure how accurate it was. I'm gonna head over there and see what's going on."

"OK, I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"No, Clark, that's alright. I have a feeling it won't be that big, but I just want to check it out. I won't be long." She stood up, and was reaching for her bag when the room began to spin slightly. She leaned on her desk and closed her eyes until the sensation passed.

"Lois, are you OK?" Clark asked in concern when he saw her. After a few seconds she straightened, and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah," she giggled, slightly embarrassed. "I guess I just stood up too fast." She picked up her bag and headed up the ramp to the elevator. Clark watched her in concern. But she turned in the lift and smiled at him, so he dismissed it and went back to work.

Her informant, as it turned out, didn't have much useful information. Lois had a difficult enough time listening to him anyway, with the way her stomach was acting. All the time she was listening, her stomach was doing slow somersaults, and she was beginning to feel queasy. Finally she left the station with no new information. She hailed a cab back to the Planet, and the queasiness got worse. It seemed like the cab changed lanes every three seconds, and all of the stopping and starting wasn't helping. When the cab finally came to a stop in front of the Planet, she tossed a few bills at the driver, and unsteadily made her way through the revolving doors. She walked slowly over to the small snack stand, and sat down. But the smell of coffee and donuts, which usually was her favorite smell, suddenly made her nauseous. As quickly as possible, she hurried to the elevators, and got inside. She was grateful she was the only one in there. Leaning against the wall, she lifted a hand to her forehead, and realized she was perspiring heavily. When the doors finally opened, she walked shakily down the ramp towards her husband's desk.

Clark was on the phone when he saw his wife coming towards him. He politely, but quickly hung up, and stood to greet her.

"Hi, honey. How'd it… hey! Whoa!…" he exclaimed as Lois nearly collapsed against him. He immediately took her in his arms and held her close. "Lois? What's wrong?"

"Oh, Clark," she moaned. "I feel awful. It just hit me all of a sudden. I was at the station, and my stomach started feeling weird. It got worse in the cab, and by the time I got back here, I was so dizzy I could hardly stand."

Clark put his hand up to her forehead. "Lois, honey, you're burning up! Here, sit down," he led her over to his chair, which she gratefully sank into. "I'm gonna tell Perry you're going home."

Suddenly, the idea of admitting defeat and going home on account of a bug riled Lois. She put on an expression of false bravado and sat up. "No, Clark, I don't need…" The words died on her lips, though, as another wave of dizziness hit.

"Lo-is…" Clark said warningly.

"Ok, ok," she conceded, feeling too ill to protest.

A few minutes later, Clark emerged from Perry's office to take Lois home. He was very concerned about her. He kept his arm wrapped supportively around her waist while she leaned heavily against him as they walked to the elevator, and he couldn't help notice how terribly pale she was. They took the Jeep home, with Clark driving, and Lois dozing quietly in the passenger's side. He pulled up next to 348 Hyperion Ave. and gently helped Lois up the steps to the door. When he got inside, Lois' head was resting against his shoulder. He looked down, and a wave of tenderness washed over him when he realized she was already asleep.

Carefully, he lifted her into his arms and carried her upstairs, laying her gently on the bed. Doing his best not to wake her, he removed her shoes, then holding her up with one arm, slid her jacket off. He went to the closet and found an old quilt his mother had made years ago, and lovingly covered his wife's sleeping form. She stirred slightly, snuggling under the blanket into the bed, and fell more deeply asleep. Tucking her in, he gazed at her sleeping face, lightly brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. She was still slightly warm, but his quick check told him her heartbeat was normal. Figuring she probably had a bug, he quietly closed the door and went downstairs to tell Perry that Lois was ill and that she'd be taking the rest of the day off.

"You take care of that girl, Kent, ya hear?" Perry demanded gruffly, but Clark could hear the concerned note in the older man's voice.

"I will, Perry," Clark assured him, then hung up, did a quick sweep of the upstairs with his super-vision, and went into the kitchen to make Lois some soup and weak tea. He reentered the bedroom quietly to find Lois no longer on the bed. He set down the tray with the soup, tea, and single red rose on the bed just as a pale, slightly trembling Lois emerged from the bathroom. Leaning against the doorframe, she lifted the back of her hand to her mouth and closed her eyes.

Clark was by her side immediately, wrapping his arm around her and helping her back to the bed.

"Clark," she moaned. "I feel so sick. And it's not just my stomach," she explained as he helped her back under the covers. Lying back against the pillows, she let out a tired sigh before continuing. "I feel dizzy too. And strange. I feel so strange."

"What do you mean, strange?" he asked, his concern for her mounting steadily. She really was pale, he thought. Too pale. Was it more than just a bug? Could something really be wrong with her? He tried to force down his own growing panic that something could take her from him after so short a time. He'd managed to forget about it, but suddenly H.G. Wells' prophecy of a deadly curse striking Lois down… It was too horrible to contemplate. Besides, they'd already consummated their marriage, several times in fact, and nothing had happened. No, Clark reassured himself, the 'curse' had been lifted.

"I can't explain it. It's just…" she trailed off.

"Just what, honey?" he gently prodded, reaching up to hold her jaw in his palm, like he had so many times before.

When she spoke, her voice sounded far away, and her dark brown eyes stared, unfocused, into his. It was as if she were no longer looking at him. "Something's… happened. Something… inside me… has… changed…" Her eyes closing, she trailed off, and her head lolled over into the pillow.

"Lois? Honey?" He reached down to feel the pulse at her throat, terrified that she'd lost consciousness. But her pulse throbbed sure and steady beneath his fingers, and her breathing was deep and rhythmical. Clark blew out a deep breath as his enhanced senses assured him that she was merely deeply asleep. He tucked her back in, then smoothed his fingers over her cheek. As relaxed as she was, he figured she'd probably sleep the rest of the day. It was only a little after two p.m., and Clark still had a story he needed to finish. Making sure Lois was still asleep, he quietly went downstairs to get his laptop from the living room. Making a light lunch, he sat down, at he kitchen table to start working. He would have worked in the bedroom, but he didn't want to risk waking her up. Pulling his glasses down and glancing up, he soon discovered there was no reason to worry about that. She was completely out. Satisfied that she was alright, he got back to work.

Halfway through his sandwich, his thoughts went back to that afternoon when Lois got back from her interview. He could still see the look on her face when she staggered over to him, and then nearly collapsed in his arms. It was probably just a bug. There was a nasty one making its way through the newsroom. But he didn't want to take any chances, not with the way it had hit Lois. She was rarely sick, so a virus could easily do some damage if not dealt with. He knew all too well how Lois felt about conceding to a cold, and even more how she felt about doctors. Hated having one, and being around the other. But, this was the woman he loved, and he, they, had gone through far too much to be together. He wanted her to be healthy. So, knowing she'd throw a tornado-sized tantrum, he picked up the phone and called Dr. Klein at Star Labs.

***

She was having the strangest dream. It had actually started out pretty good. She was back in the elevator a month ago, and she and Clark were in the middle of their 'mid-night rendezvous'. He was kissing her frantically, pressing his lips to every exposed inch of skin, which was pretty much everywhere, since she was nearly naked beneath him. He was lying on top of her, his heavy body pinning her down. He lavished her with hot, wet kisses, using his teeth and tongue in ways he knew gave her great pleasure. She moaned in pleasure. It was as if she were being transported to a level beyond the physical, and she reached out, clinging to him desperately. She heard her own name on his lips as he buried his face in her neck.

"Clark…" Lois whispered happily. She rolled over in bed, grasped Clark's pillow, pulling it against her body, and buried her face in it. "Hhhmmm, Clark…" she murmured happily again. Then it was over; they were lying panting in each other's arms, unable to believe what had just happened. Each was basking in the afterglow of their passionate encounter, when suddenly the scene changed. The image of her and Clark vanished in a swirl of fog.

Suddenly she was somewhere that was, well, actually she wasn't sure where she was… She knew she was in a room of some kind, but there were no discernable walls or doors. She wasn't floating; she could feel a firm surface beneath her feet, but she couldn't see the floor. Looking around, all she could see was mist, swirling around her, surrounding her, making visibility very limited, and a bright, yet comforting light seem to come from everywhere. After a few moments, something emerged from the blanketing mist. A shadowy figure of some kind was walking towards her.

"Clark!" she called out instinctively.

The shadow grew closer until she could see that it wasn't an adult. It wasn't Clark. Strangely enough, she wasn't at all afraid. The bright light was very soothing, and where she might have felt apprehension or fear, she felt only curiosity. Suddenly the figure emerged out of the mist, and Lois saw that it was actually a little girl. She was about six or seven years old, with bouncy, dark-brown hair curled into ringlets. Her eyes were also brown and had a slight twinkle that seemed oddly familiar to Lois. She was wearing a white cotton dress with a dark blue belt and white dress shoes.

"Hello," the little girl greeted Lois warmly.

"Hello," Lois responded with a smile. There was something about the child that endeared her to Lois. "What's going on? Who are you?" To her surprise, the girl giggled. "You're dreaming, silly!" she answered as if the answer was obvious.

Lois looked around the mist filled space and shrugged good-naturedly. "Naturally." The girl giggled again." So, if I'm dreaming, why are you here? Who are you?" she asked again.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she replied evasively.

"'Thank me'? For what?"

"For bringing me here."

"Here? To my dream?"

The child rolled her eyes. "No, for bringing me to Earth."

"'To Earth,'" Lois repeated dully. Now she was totally confused. This was one very strange dream.

"Yes," the girl continued. "They told me I'd be coming to Earth soon. So I wanted to thank you." She stepped closer to Lois. "Thank you for bringing me here. I know we haven't really met yet, but I just know…" she said cryptically, then giggled again excitedly. She reached for Lois' hand, pulling the older woman down so she was face to face with her. "I can't wait for all three of us to meet!" she said, then placed a small kiss on Lois' cheek. "I already love you," she whispered, then released Lois, and turned and began to walk back into the mist.

Lois stood, and called out, "Wait! What's your name?"

The little girl turned, looked at Lois, and shrugged. "I don't have a name yet. But I will, when we meet again." She giggled again, a small, almost musical sound, and turned and disappeared into the mist. Suddenly, the mist enveloped Lois until she couldn't see anything. For an instant, panic seized her. She reached out, fighting the darkness until she was able to push herself out.

She awoke in her own bed, in her bedroom. The room was dark, and she saw that she was still mostly dressed. She lay back against the pillows, trying to remember her bizarre dream. But nothing came to her. It had been so vivid, and yet she couldn't remember. However, one thing had come out of it; she had a wonderful sense of well-being, like something incredible was about to happen. Not seeing Clark in the room, she got up and went downstairs.

Clark was still working at his laptop when the door to the kitchen opened and Lois walked in. She was wearing her bathrobe and running her fingers through her hair.

"Hi," he said, getting up. "Feeling any better, honey?"

"Uhmm-mm," she murmured, getting some juice from the fridge. "How long was I asleep?"

"About two and a half hours." He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed the top of her head. "I thought you'd still be asleep. You were in really bad shape when I brought you home."

She put the juice on the counter and turned in Clark's arms. "Well, I'm fine now. I think I could go back to work."

Clark shook his head adamantly. "Uh-uh. I told Perry we were both taking the rest of the day off. In fact," he said, bending to drop a light kiss on her lips, "he told both of us to take the day off, and ordered me to take care of you. So I'm afraid you're stuck with me for the rest of the evening."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled herself closer to him. Feigning disappointment, she cast her head down and sighed. "Well, I guess I'll just have to accept being forced to stay home with a strong, overly protective, not to mention really gorgeous guy, who utterly adores me," she finished while looking up at him flirtatiously from beneath her lashes. "I guess there are worse things that could happen to a girl when she's sick."

"Well, this overly protective guy…" he began.

"Don't forget unbelievably gorgeous," she interrupted.

Clark blushed. "…does utterly adore you, and he's going to make sure his intelligent, headstrong, not to mention mind-bogglingly beautiful, wife gets her rest." He chose his next words carefully, knowing how Lois felt about doctors and admitting defeat. "Honey, I know how much you dislike asking for help, and even more seeing doctors," he paused, waiting for her to go into one of her famous Lane tantrums.

"Yes?" she prompted patiently.

His eyebrows rose in surprise, but he kept going. "I really think, I mean, it would make me feel a lot better, if you made an appointment… with Dr. Klein to see what's wrong," he finished hurriedly, stringing his words together. "I mean, I know how you hate doctors and all, and I know you can take care of yourself, and there's no reason to think anything's really wrong with you the way you take care of yourself and…"

"Clark!" she shouted, startling him. "Honey, you're babbling. That's my job, remember? Besides, I think you're right."

Clark blinked. "What? You agree with me? You want to see the doctor?"

"Yes," she said matter-of-factly, then shook her head. "Well, I don't WANT, want to see a doctor. But maybe I should, just to be safe, make sure there's nothing wrong. We should cover all our bases." Clark just continued to stare at her, dumbfounded. She laughed. "Don't look so surprised, farmboy."

He chuckled slightly. "I'm just amazed that you agreed with me so readily, that's all. Usually getting you to see a doctor requires a court order."

"Well, I guess being married to you has knocked a little common sense into me. Or maybe it was all the head trauma I experienced last year," she said lightheartedly. Clark grimaced at the mention of Lois' kidnapping by Lex Luthor and the subsequent concussions that resulted from her ordeal. Lois saw this and immediately felt guilty about bringing up a subject that obviously caused Clark a great deal of pain. "Oh! Honey, I'm sorry," she murmured, moving into Clark's arms again. "I didn't mean to upset you. I shouldn't have said that. I may be able to make light of it now, but it still obviously hurts you to think about it." She laid her head against his chest, and felt his arms wrap tightly around her, and his cheek on top of her head.

"No, it's ok, Lois. I'm glad you can think about that time now and not feel bitter or angry. But it does still sting a little for me. When I thought I'd lost you forever to Luthor, I felt like someone had torn my heart out. And when I finally got you back, I vowed never to let you go again."

She nodded in understanding. "I felt the same way when Zara and Ching took you away." She felt his arms tighten around her waist. "We'd gotten through so much, and here was something taking you from me, and I had no idea if you'd ever come back."

"But I did come back, Lois," he reminded her huskily. She lifted her head to look at him. His eyes were dark, and gazing at her so intensely it took her breath away.

"And I came back to you, Clark," she echoed softly. He bent his head, capturing her lips in a sweet, tender kiss. She responded, reaching up her hands to smooth over his back. His hands moved in slow, easy circles, dropping to caress the small of her back. He tilted his head, slanting his lips over hers, running his tongue over her bottom lip. She parted her lips, moaning slightly as his tongue slid into her mouth to tangle with hers. He nibbled her lower lip, wanting to taste as much of her as possible.

With tongues tangling and hands caressing, the kiss intensified, with both of them struggling to get closer. He slid one hand from her back to grasp the back of her neck, holding her in place. She could feel his heart beating hard against her breasts, and her own pounding against her ribs. Her breathing began coming in hard gasps, and the earth felt like it was falling away from her. Her body felt like it had turned to water, and she reached out to try to grab hold of something, anything to anchor herself. But the world began to spin away and she felt herself falling.

Her thundering heartbeat and heavy breathing echoed in his ears, and memories of that night in the elevator came rushing back with full force. She was quite simply the most incredible, most beautiful woman he'd ever met, and he still sometimes couldn't believe that she was really his wife! He didn't like to question his fortune, but he sometimes wondered if his whole life, and Lois, was just a dream. If it was, he never wanted to wake up.

He was about to deepen the kiss even further when he felt Lois slide against him, then exhale tiredly. He was pulling away slightly to look at her when she collapsed against him.

"Hey," he murmured worriedly. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up. She was breathing heavily, and couldn't seem to stand on her own. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, then giggled, embarrassed. "I'm just a little dizzy, that's all."

"I'd better get you back upstairs," he said, bending to lift her into his arms.

"Oh, I don't know, I think we were doing fine right here," she laughed half-heartedly.

He gave her a look. "Honey, that's not what I meant. I think you need to rest some more. You just almost passed out on me again." He cradled her against his chest as he carried her across the living room and up the stairs to their room.

"I just got a little dizzy, Clark," she protested. "It happens all the time."

Alarmed, he looked sharply at her as he set her down on the bed, and took both her hands in his. "What! Lois, why haven't you ever told me?" Calmly, she looked at his hands holding hers. "It happens all the time, Clark; I get dizzy and light-headed whenever you kiss me. I guess it's a natural reaction to having my breath taken away." She looked up at him through her lashes, and saw him suck in his own breath, and his expression softened.

"Well, if that's all it is, then I guess…" he trailed off, playing with her fingers. He rubbed his thumb over her wedding rings, for a moment lost in his own thoughts. She waited for him to speak, happy to just be able to gaze at him while he gathered his thoughts. She would wait forever for him, if it meant she could watch him and be near him. She still had to pinch herself every now and then to realize that her life, and Clark, was not merely a dream. Even before they got married, before she knew the Big Secret, she realized she was getting over her Superman fantasy. She had come to learn that it was selfish to try to love Superman, and to wish he'd love her. She knew he cared about her, and was even attracted to her, but to want him to choose her, and give himself exclusively to her, well, she knew that Superman could never do that. He belonged to the world.

It was around that time that she realized, with a bit of a shock, that she was falling in love with Clark. It was very confusing for her; she couldn't understand how she could love two men at the same time like that! But while she was putting her feelings for Superman on the backburner, her love for Clark was growing stronger each day. When she finally knew she wanted Clark in her life, all that horrible business with Mazik and St. John happened, and she almost lost Clark, and her own life, entirely. It wasn't until that one pivotal moment in her apartment, when he touched her face that it all came together. She saw them both standing there; her longtime fantasy, the man who had occupied so many of her daydreams, and the simple, quiet, non-assuming man whose friendship had carried her through so many nightmares. Superman had saved her life countless times, bringing her back from the brink of disaster again and again, but it was Clark who she ran to when someone threatened her life, or her sanity. And it was always Clark who waited patiently for her when she lost her temper.

Finally, she had realized, it was Clark, and not Superman, with whom she was going to spend her life. She still laughed at herself when she realized she now had both!

She heard Clark take a deep breath, and looked up into his eyes.

"It happens to me too, Lois," he murmured, his voice just barely above a whisper. "Being with you does something to me. I said once that being with you was stronger than me alone, and that's true. But something else happens. I lose all sense of time, all sense of direction. When I'm with you, I don't have to have superpowers to be able to fly," he finished softly. He could see that she was drifting off. "I'm gonna call Dr. Klein and make an appointment for tomorrow morning, ok?" She nodded, and as her eyes slowly drifted shut, he bent to kiss her, just barely brushing her lips with his.

"Thanks, Clark," she smiled, them murmured, "I love you," and was asleep. He watched her for a few minutes, brushed a strand of hair from her face, and tucked her in. A quick check, just to be sure, told him her heart rate and breathing were normal, so he quietly picked up the phone and dialed the number to Star Labs.

"Hi, Dr. Klein?" he spoke softly, so as not to awaken Lois. "I need to make an appointment for tomorrow morning. No, no, it's not for me, or Superman. It's for Lois. She's been ill, and she nearly fainted this afternoon, and again this evening, so I… yes, uh-huh. You can? Great. Tomorrow at 10:30? Perfect. Yes, I'll be coming with her. Ok, thanks doctor. Ok, bye." He hung up, gently kissed Lois again, then went downstairs to make himself a light supper.

He looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly eight! Where had the day gone? He quickly ate, then, checking to make sure Lois was still sleeping, he changed into the Suit and went out to do a quick patrol of the city, keeping his hearing tuned into Lois' heartbeat in case there was a problem. His quick patrol, however kept him out a couple of hours. There was a pileup on the freeway that took a while to clear up, and then there was a minor earthquake on the west coast. It was a little after ten p.m. when he finally returned home. He checked on Lois, to find her still beautifully sound sleep. Dropping the suit into the washer, he put on a pair of shorts, and quietly slid into bed. Gathering his wife's sleeping body into his arms, he was asleep himself within minutes.

***

Clark awoke the next morning to find Lois' side of the bed empty. He heard the shower and was amazed that she'd been able to get out of bed without him hearing her. He was usually aware of every sound and movement she made.

'I must have been more tired than I thought, last night!' he thought. The door opened, and Lois emerged wearing her bathrobe and drying her hair with a towel.

"It's about time you woke up, sleepyhead!" she teased, reaching down to kiss him. "I usually can't get out of bed without you trying to pull me back in."

"Hey, can you blame me?" he replied, smiling.

She looked up for a moment, seeming to weigh the question in her mind. Then she looked back down at him, his hair tousled, that one lock always falling in his face, and smiled lovingly.

"No," she answered simply. "Shower's all yours."

"Thanks, honey." He got out of bed and went into the bathroom.

"Did you call Dr. Klein?" she called to him, even though she knew he could hear her even if she whispered.

"Yeah," he called back.

"So, what time's my appointment?"

"Ten thirty this morning."

Lois glanced at the bedside clock. "Good. Are you going in this morning?"

"Should I?" he asked, emerging from the bathroom, freshly shaved and hair combed, wearing his robe. She recognized the way he phrased his question. He wanted to know if she needed him to stay with her.

"Yes, you should go in. I'll be fine."

"Ok, but I'm coming home so we can go to your appointment together," he said as he buttoned the cuffs of his sleeves.

"Clark, you don't have to do that," she said, turning to look at him.

"I want to, Lois. Whatever affects you, affects me, remember?"

She just smiled. "I know." She looked at the clock. "Oh, goodness! It's already nine thirty! Perry's gonna kill us!"

"No, he's not. He knows you were sick, so he'll understand that we'll be in a little late."

"Really?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Remember last year when we walked in late, and he had the whole newsroom applauding us for showing up?"

"Lois, he was just being Perry. And anyway, he was acting a little strange back then anyway, when he and Alice were separating."

"I remember him threatening to fire us if we didn't get a story in ASAP," she mused.

"And we did get the story, didn't we?"

"Well, yes," she conceded. "But only after those Nazis rendered you radioactive, and threatened to turn the Daily Planet into the Fourth Reich," she reminded him, then shuddered. "God, I hated what they did to you." She looked away, unwilling to let him see her eyes, which were tearing up.

He saw her face, and immediately walked over to her and took her in his arms, tucking her head under his. "It's ok, Lois. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. We beat all those guys, remember?" He lifted her face to look him in the eyes. "I'm here, I love you, and nothin's gonna change that. Got it?"

She smiled through the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. "Gotten."

He kissed her tenderly, then pulled away. "I should probably get going." He lifted his jacket from the bed. "I'll come by to pick you up, ok?"

"Oh, Clark, you don't have to do that. I'll just take a cab to Star Labs."

He looked at her uncertainly for a moment. "Are you sure?"

She made a face at him. "I'm sure. Now get going. We don't want Perry to really fire us do we? I'll meet you there at ten twenty five," she said with finality.

Knowing better than to argue with her, he nodded. "Ok, honey. But take it easy until then. If you are sick, I don't want you getting sicker. So stay!"

"Go!"

He kissed her one last time, then was out the door. "Love you," she told an empty room, knowing that Clark could hear her. She stood there for a moment, then realized she was starving. She went downstairs to the kitchen and began to make a huge breakfast. She thought it was odd that the previous afternoon the smell of coffee and donuts made her so nauseous, and yet at that moment, she was ready to eat everything in the kitchen! "This is one weird bug," she muttered to herself. She sat down at the table, and proceeded to devour a plate of scrambled eggs, buttered toast, a bagel, a glass of orange juice, and a cup of steaming hot coffee. Halfway through her mini-smorgasbord, she looked at her watch. It was 9:45.

***

Clark walked down the ramp into the bullpen and immediately headed for Perry White's office. He poked his head into the Editor-in-Chief's office to find Perry sitting at his desk, head bent over a copy, red pencil in one hand. Clark knocked gently to get Perry's attention.

"Hey, Chief."

"Ah, Clark come on in. I'm glad to see ya," Perry waved his other favorite reporter in. "Sit down, tell me what's going on. Is Lois ok? That girl was in pretty bad shape when you took her home yesterday."

Clark smiled at his editor's concern. "Yeah, well, she needed the rest, and she was still slightly dizzy last night." He didn't think he needed to go into specific detail on what caused Lois' dizzy spell last night. "But, she's got an appointment with Dr. Klein this morning," he glanced down at his watch, "in about half an hour, so we'll get to the bottom of it. Don't worry, Chief, I'm taking good care of her."

Perry waved him off. "Aw, Clark, I know you're lookin' out for that girl. Next to myself, I've never met anyone so protective of her." Clark smiled.

"So, how's the Riderman case goin'?" Perry asked, getting back to business. "I understand you two have got some good leads on it?"

"Yeah, our research has gone pretty well, we just need to gather a little more, and I think we'll be able to finish up by tomorrow morning," Clark replied.

"Good, good, glad to hear it," Perry said.

They talked some more about work and unfinished stories.

"Well, sounds to me like ya'll've got your work cut out for ya," Perry commented. "So why don't you go on and get outta here, and get back to work."

Clark nodded and stood up.

"And, Clark?"

"Yeah, Chief?"

"You keep me informed, son. I wanna know what's goin' on with Lois, ok?"

Clark nodded. "Absolutely." Clark closed the door behind him, and made his way back to his desk. He glanced down at his watch again. 10:15. He had just enough time to finish some research, type up his notes, and get to Star Labs in time to meet Lois. He sat down at his desk and booted up his computer and began to type, when it happened. His superhearing picked up an urgent cry for help.

"No, not now!" he muttered to himself. He listened for emergency sirens to tell him the authorities had responded, and within seconds he heard the distinctive wail. But then he heard the cries again, and they sounded even more desperate. He looked around to make sure no one was looking in his direction, stood up, and headed toward the stairwell near the back of the newsroom. Yanking at his tie, he selfishly hoped that this emergency wouldn't keep him from being with his wife.

***

Lois was finishing putting away the breakfast things when she looked at her watch. Ten-twenty. Time to go. She went into the living room, grabbed her satchel and keys, and headed out the door. She hailed a cab, gave the driver the address for Star Labs, and leaned back against the seat. As the cab made its way down the street, she realized after a few minutes, that she was nervous. She wasn't actually scared because she knew there was nothing wrong with her, but she had a feeling, a sense of anticipation of what was to come. She couldn't fathom why, but something inside her told her that this appointment would change everything.

***

The examining room was like any other; cold, nearly featureless, and almost everything was white. There was a counter with a sink in the corner opposite the examination table, and it had a few jars of cotton swabs, tongue depressors, and a box of Kleenex. On the floor next to it was a trashcan with a sign on the side that read "Hazardous Waste". Next to the bed, on the wall, was the usual array of equipment; an oversized mirror, an otoscope, opthalmaloscope, sphygmomanomter, and a stethoscope.

She sat impatiently on the bed, trying not to move too much so the bed-cover wouldn't make that annoying crinkle sound. Finally the door opened and the doctor came in. Dr. Bernard Klein was a bald man in his mid-forties, with a square face, thin mouth and clear blue eyes. He'd been a friend to Lois and Clark for a couple of years, and the couple trusted him implicitly. He'd been especially helpful to them when they told him Clark's secret. In fact, he seemed almost nonchalant about it, which caused Lois to suspect that he knew already, and had probably known for quite some time. He, of course, promised never to reveal Clark's other identity, explaining that the Hippocratic oath wasn't just to protect doctors.

"Good morning, Lois," he greeted her brightly as he came into the room.

"Doctor," Lois replied somewhat hesitantly, though with a smile.

"And how's everyone in the wonderful world of journalism?"

Lois chuckled at his query. "Everyone's fine, thanks."

"So," he started, crossing his arms over his chest. "What can I do for you today?"

"Well, as I'm sure Clark told you over the phone, I haven't been feeling too well lately. It started a couple of days ago. I've been light-headed, nauseous, and I've had a couple of dizzy spells." She had to suppress a grin when she thought about what had caused her last dizzy spell.

"Uhmm-mmm," Dr. Klein murmured when she finished. Standing up, he took his stethoscope from around his neck, and hooked it into his ears. "Well, let's see if we can find what's going on, shall we?"

Over the next ten minutes he checked her heart rate and blood pressure, then placed his fingers below her jaw and probed her lymph nodes. He then asked if she'd eaten anything that might have disagreed with her over the last week.

"Sometimes, mild food poisoning can wait a few days to manifest itself, depending on what it was, how it was cooked, that sort of thing."

"No, I can't think of anything like that," Lois replied. "Clark does most of the cooking, so I know it can't be that. Now, if I had cooked, then we might have a problem," she laughed nervously, then blushed when she realized she was babbling.

Dr. Klein nodded. "OK, let's try something else." He reached down and lifted the bed up slightly, so it was tilted up at a thirty-degree angle. "Lie down, please."

"Why?" she asked immediately, wondering what he was thinking.

"Well, I want to do an abdominal probe, and it would be easier if you were lying down," he answered reasonably.

"Oh," she gasped, embarrassed at having asked such a question. Of course he would want to examine her! 'Get a grip, girl!' she chided herself. 'What are you afraid he's gonna do? He's a doctor for crying out loud.'

"Um," he said, and Lois realized he was blushing slightly, "could you untuck your blouse, please?"

"Sure," she answered, and untucked her blouse, pulling it up to give him room.

"Sorry, my hands might be a little cold," he said nervously. He probed her stomach, applying percussion to several spots. Other than the coolness of his hands, she didn't feel any discomfort, until…

"Ow!" she grunted as he pressed into one particular spot. He stopped immediately.

"That hurt?"

She nodded.

"Ok, how about this?" He pressed into almost the same spot, and she winced, but didn't cry out. "Any better?"

"It hurt a little, but not as much as the first time."

"Ok." He stepped away. "You can sit up now," he smiled. She sat up, and tucked her blouse back in. He picked up his clipboard and made some notes. "I can tell you that it's not the flu. However, that tenderness in your abdomen has me a little concerned. I'd like to run a couple of tests, just to rule out an infection or virus." He watched Lois wrap her arms around herself, and moved to reassure her. "Don't worry, Lois. It's standard procedure." She smiled slightly and nodded. "I want you to go down the hall to the lab, and the nurse is going to take a couple of blood samples, and I also want to take a urine sample, just to be safe. It'll take about ten minutes to get the results, so when you're finished, you can have a seat in the waiting lounge. The nurse will come get you when I get the results, ok?"

The blood test wasn't that bad. She was wary of it at first, eyeing each technician suspiciously, but everyone was very nice to her, and the technician who took her blood was very professional. She looked away when he put the needle in, but just when she thought she was going to feel a sharp stick, he removed the rubber band from around her arm, and announced he was finished. That done, they escorted her to a little bathroom, gave her a cup, and simply told her to place it in the slot when she was done.

A couple of minutes later, she exited the bathroom and went down the hall to the waiting lounge. Sitting down, she watched the TV for a few minutes, then picked up a magazine and leafed through it for a while. Finally she put the magazine down and stared into space. She couldn't help feeling anxious. There was no real reason to; the doctor was just eliminating all the usual suspects through normal tests. But, she wondered, what would the tests reveal? Was she simply suffering from a bug? He said it wasn't the flu. Was it a virus? An infection? What if it was worse than that? Suddenly all sorts of horrible possibilities began running through her mind, taking her imagination with them. She was really starting to scare herself, imagining all the horrible things that could be happening to her, when the nurse appeared.

"Ms. Lane? Dr. Klein will see you now."

She stood up on shaky legs and followed the nurse into Dr. Klein's office.

"He'll be in in just a moment, Ms. Lane," the nurse informed her, then closed the door. Sure enough, Dr. Klein entered the room a couple of minutes later, file in hand, and a very peculiar looking expression on his face. He walked around to his desk, and sat down.

"Well?" Lois demanded.

"Well, the tests were very informative, Lois. The blood tests ruled out any infections, and viruses, so we're in the clear on that."

"Good! So what's wrong?" she prompted, slightly annoyed at the doctor for his use of the medical 'we'. Why did doctors always do that?

"Well, nothing! The blood tests ruled out all infections. I ran the urinalysis to check for any toxins, and, well, there weren't any."

"Get to the point, doctor," Lois said warningly.

"Sorry," he grinned. "I just… well, the test did reveal something. Here," he said, handing her the file. "I'd like you to see this."

Lois took the file, and stared at it, uncomprehendingly for a moment, then shook her head. Dr. Klein could see her confusion, so he leaned forward, and, smiling, pointed at the folder.

"About halfway down, Lois," he said, now holding his hand over his mouth, trying unsuccessfully to hide a huge Cheshire grin.

Lois scanned the file, her eyes drifting over all the medical jargon, not understanding half of it. Then she saw one particular thing that caught her attention, and she did a double take. She looked up to see Dr. Klein smiling like the cat who'd swallowed the canary, then looked down at the file again.

"Oh, my God," she breathed in disbelief.

It was after eleven thirty when Clark was finally able to get away and head for Star Labs. He was anxious to be with Lois, to find out the results of her appointment. He touched down behind the building, changed clothes, and made his way around to the front door. Walking across the lobby, he tried to stifle the sense of worry he felt. He told himself again and again that she was fine, probably just a little overworked. 'That's an understatement,' he thought to himself. His little tornado never seemed to slow down. That, combined with the bug going around the newsroom, made him figure he'd be giving his beloved little workaholic some intense TLC for the next few days. "I can definitely handle that,' he smiled to himself. He walked up to the reception desk where a pleasant looking dark headed nurse was sitting.

"Hi," he said politely, flashing his famous smile. "I'm here for Lois Lane. She had an appointment with Dr. Klein this morning."

The young woman blushed slightly, a reaction Clark noticed quite often whenever he talked to women. Lois once said it was natural when one is addressed by such a polite, genteel, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous man. That made Clark blush. He was never out to win over or impress people, especially women. Well, except maybe one woman! But he had already won her heart, just as she had won his, the moment he'd first seen her.

"Yes, Mr. Kent! Well, she was here, but her appointment ended almost fifteen minutes ago."

He sighed, disappointed that he'd missed her. "Well, thank you," he said politely, and smiled slightly, causing the girl to blush again.

"No problem," the girl replied shyly.

He went back outside, and decided to try the townhouse. Walking to the back of the building, he changed into the Suit, and flew home.

"Lois?" he called as he walked inside. There was no response, so he went up the stairs to the middle landing. "Lois?!" he called again. Still no response. He checked the bedroom to see if she was merely asleep, then tried the living room, the kitchen, but could not find Lois. Finally he realized she probably had gone to the Planet to look for him. Changing once again into the Suit, he headed for the Daily Planet.

Walking briskly into the bullpen, he caught Jimmy as he walked by.

"Hey, Jimmy, has Lois been in today?" he asked the young photojournalist.

"No, I haven't seen her, CK," the young man answered. Just then Perry White came out of his office.

"Chief! Have you seen Lois today?"

Perry regarded Clark for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I haven't, son. But then again I told her to stay home and get some R&R, remember?"

"Yeah, Chief, but she wasn't at home and she wasn't at Star Labs. I assumed she'd show up here, looking for me." Clark stood with his hand on his hip, and shook his head, wondering where she was.

"Well, now, I'm sure she's alright, Clark. Maybe she went to run an errand, or something," Perry said.

"Maybe," Clark replied, though more to himself.

"Just give her a few minutes, son. She'll come in here any minute, probably demanding where you've been!"

***

Lois walked slowly around Centennial Park, her arms wrapped around herself. She watched the passersby as they made their way. She gazed up at the sky, noticing how clear it was, and how the sun felt so warm on her skin. She could hear the sound of birds in the trees, and how beautiful the sound was, like music. She found herself in front of the fountain, where it had all started. Clark was such a strong, independent, self-assured man, and yet that night, he'd seemed more unsure of himself than she'd ever seen. He had told her that he'd felt guilty about all that had happened, and how he'd never have forgiven himself if she had died without knowing how he felt about her.

He'd sat her down next to the fountain, got down on one knee, and asked her the one question she'd secretly been wishing he'd ask her. But before he could get the words out, it had started to rain. She suggested going back, but he had said not even a downpour would stop him from saying what he wanted to say. He'd taken the black velvet box out of his pocket, looked into her eyes with that look that made her want to melt, and softly asked if she'd marry him.

She found herself in front of that very spot, and laughed to herself. How far they had come together, she thought. And now, after what she'd learned at the doctor's, how much their lives would change. She looked at her watch and realized that Clark would be looking for her, so she hailed a cab to take her the short drive to the Planet.

***

Clark tapped his pencil on his desk, and checked his watch for the dozenth time in ten minutes. Finally, he decided it was enough. He got up with the intention of flying around the city searching for his absentee wife, when he heard the elevator doors ding open. Immediately he heard her heartbeat and smelled her perfume. He turned to face her and was immediately struck by her appearance. Her hair was slightly wind-blown, and she looked tired, but she also looked… different. He greeted her at the bottom of the ramp, and took her in his arms.

"Honey, I was getting worried! I went to Star Labs and they said you'd already left. I checked the house and you weren't there. I ended up here and no one here knew where you were." He finished and looked at her face. There was a hint of circles under her eyes, and she looked like she'd been crying. She wrapped her arms around him, returning his embrace.

"I'm sorry, Clark. I didn't mean to worry you." He just stared at her, glad she was finally with him. She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"Can we go somewhere and talk, alone?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied, steering her towards the conference room. He kept his hand on the small of her back as an affectionate gesture, but he was also still concerned about her. She seemed so subdued when she walked into the newsroom, and she was still pale.

Lois allowed Clark to guide her to the rear conference room, actually grateful for the support of his hand. She was glad she'd taken the cab back to the Planet, as she didn't think she could've made it there on her own, once the reality of Dr. Klein's diagnosis really set in.

She kept her back to him until she heard the door close. Now it was just the two of them.

"Lois?" Clark began quietly. "Did you see the doctor?"

At that moment she turned abruptly, and threw herself into Clark's arms, grasping the sides of his face in a kiss that was passionate, desperate, and hungry. He returned her kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close. But just as quickly as she started it, she pulled away.

"Yes, I saw the doctor."

"And? What did he say? Is there someth…" Suddenly he stopped. His eyes widened, and he stared at her in horrified sadness. "Something's wrong," he whispered. He pulled her to him, holding her tight, as if by holding her he could shield her from harm. "Oh, god, Lois, no!" he whimpered, tears threatening to fall. "It can't be true, it CAN"T be!"

"Clark, sweetheart…"

"No! I won't let anything take you from me, Lois, I love you, I…" he trailed off as he felt her fingertips touch his lips.

"No! Clark, you don't understand!" she cried, trying to keep from laughing. She shook her head emphatically. She looked him right in the eyes. "There's nothing wrong with me! I'm not sick. And you're right. Nothing's gonna take me away from you!"

That seemed to calm him a little, but he still looked a little bewildered. "So, what happened?"

Now she really had to work to keep from laughing out loud. "Well, I have bad news, and I have good news. At least I think the bad news is bad and I think the good news is good." She paused for a moment, and he looked at her, waiting with baited breath for her to continue. "The bad news is, there was evidence that we made love in the elevator last month."

"Uh-oh," he groaned.

"Yeah," she sighed in agreement.

"But, how can that be, Lois? I checked the lift really carefully. There was nothing in there."

"I know. But that's what brings me to the good news," she stopped and swallowed, as the tears threatened to start falling. "The evidence is not in the elevator."

"It's not?"

"No, it's right here."

"Lois, honey, I'm not following."

"Dr. Klein was wrong," she said simply. Clark just looked blankly at her, so she leaned forward to kiss him quickly, but deeply. Then she pulled away to gaze lovingly into his brown eyes. "Clark, I'm pregnant." For a moment, all he could do was stare, wide-eyed and slack jawed, at her. "What? What did you say?" he demanded, totally taken aback.

Now that she'd said it out loud, she couldn't keep the tears from falling. "I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby!" she laughed as the tears fell unbidden down her face.

"But," he sputtered, still unable to believe it was true, "Dr. Klein said, we were… y'know. Even your father said he didn't think it was possible!"

She shrugged. "Well, medicine isn't an exact science. And as for Dr. Klein's diagnosis, well, I guess nature just had other plans. He was just as surprised as I was! When he showed me the results of the tests, he had this goofy grin on his face he couldn't seem to get rid of. I looked at him, pretty much the way you're looking at me now…" He blushed. "…and just said, 'Surprise!' I almost fell out of my chair! That's why I was having all those dizzy spells." She finished, and they both just stood in silence for a brief moment, her eyes never leaving his face.

"A baby," he murmured, then the dubious look on his face vanished, to be replaced by a look of pure joy. "A baby!!" he exclaimed. He grasped her upper arms and held her slightly away from him. He gazed at her, letting his eyes drift down over her body, until he was staring, transfixed, at her abdomen. "We're gonna have a baby, Lois," he murmured, almost reverently.

"I think we've established that," she remarked, laughing at her husband's uncanny knack for understatement.

"We're gonna be parents!"

"Yes!"

"I'm…" suddenly his smile vanished, and his eyes grew to the size of saucers. "I'm gonna be a father," he murmured as the reality of the situation finally reached his brain. "I'm gonna be a father," he whispered, more to himself.

"Clark? Are you ok?" Lois asked softly, concerned when he went so quiet. "Are you happy about this?" She wasn't sure if his silence was out of delighted surprise, or terrified shock.

He heard her question, his head snapped up. "Happy?" he shook his head helplessly. "Lois, I…" he tried, but he couldn't put into words how he felt at that moment, so he did the only thing he could think of that came naturally. He pulled her back to him, slipped his arm around her waist, brought the other hand up to the back of her neck, and captured her lips hungrily beneath his, kissing her like he'd never kissed her before. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she leaned into him, pressing her body against his. She felt his arms tighten around her waist as he deepened the kiss. She wasn't sure, but she could've sworn she heard a very low growl emanating from the back of his throat. Finally he released her, but only so much that he could touch his forehead to hers and exhale deeply.

"I'll take that as a yes," she murmured breathlessly when he released her.

He pulled away to look at her, sliding his hand from the back of her neck, to cup her cheek in his palm. "Lois," he whispered, looking deep into her eyes. "You have no idea how happy you've just made me."

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea."

"No, Lois," he whispered, closing his eyes, and swallowed, trying to get past the lump in his throat. "Just now, when you told me you were pregnant, it didn't really sink in. But then you said you were going to have a baby… it really hit me." He closed his eyes, and blew out a deep breath. After a moment, he looked at her again. "All I have ever wanted was to fit in, be like everyone else. I wanted to find someone to love, to share my life with me. Having superpowers kind of put a kink in my plans to be like everyone else, but I've managed to do some good with them. I thought when I fell in love with you, and then you fell in love with me, that I had no right to ask for anything more out of life. But I've always wanted children, someone of my own blood to carry on my beliefs and ideals. Someone who would be a result of the love I feel for you. And now it's coming true!" He pulled her close, resting his head on her shoulder. "Thank you, Lois. Thank you for giving me this gift, for making my, our, dream come true." He kissed her ear, and whispered, "I love you."

"Oh, Clark!" she sobbed.

He pulled away and looked her. "Lois? Honey? You are happy about this, aren't you?" His voice caught as he asked her. What if she wasn't as happy as he was, and was only telling him to make him feel better? He wanted children, but he wasn't going to force her to do something she didn't want to.

She shook her head and looked away for an instant. Then she turned to look at him again. "Yes, Clark. I'm happy. I'm very happy. A little stunned maybe, but happy. I know you've always wanted a child, and when he told me the news, all my fears and insecurities about being a bad mother just sort of vanished. I knew I wanted this child. Besides, remember what I said a few months ago? Well, I still believe the world needs another Clark Kent. Now maybe it'll get one."

"Lois, any child who had you for a mother, will be the luckiest, most blessed child in the world." That said, he pulled her into his arms again, and kissed her, thanking the same God who'd brought her into his life for making her the mother of his child.

The next few months flew by in a whirlwind of activity. When they weren't working, Lois and Clark spent every available moment preparing for the arrival of their little miracle, as Clark called it. They spent hours looking for the perfect crib, strollers, baby carriers, baby clothes, diapers, everything. One particular afternoon while shopping, Lois came across something she couldn't resist. When she showed it to Clark, he couldn't hide the slight grimace from his face.

"Lo-is…" he moaned.

"Oh, come on, Clark, it's perfect!" she exclaimed. She proudly held up the little blue baby jumper with the yellow belt and little red S. She held it up to her now quite rounded stomach, and looked at him with an expression of awe. "It even comes with little red booties!" she persisted. "Clark, I have to have this."

He loved to see her so happy, but he couldn't ignore the warning voice in his head. "Lois, honey, I don't think it's such a good idea," he said, walking towards her. She looked up to see him standing very close. "Why not? It is your crest after all."

"Exactly. As cute as it is…" he began, and looked at the tiny jumper she still held. He felt a smile tugging at his lips as he fingered the garment, then remembered himself. "We can't risk anyone making a connection between me and Superman. Just look at what happened a couple of months ago. You and I can handle that kind of exposure, because it's just us. But I don't want to put our child," he placed a hand reverently on her stomach, "in that kind of position. That kind of danger."

"Ok," she replied quietly. "I'm sorry I suggested it." She replaced the jumper back on the rack, turning her head so he couldn't see how upset she was. 'Damn these hormones!' she thought angrily. The one thing she hated about being pregnant was how easily she was upset. He was only trying to remind her that they had to be careful about giving any clues as to his other identity. She knew that, she understood it. So why was she near tears??

He saw that his speech was causing her to feel incredibly guilty, and saw a hint of tears pricking at her eyes. He closed his eyes for an instant, cursing himself for making her cry. "Honey, I'm sorry," he whispered, pulling her into his arms, not caring who saw them.

"No, it… it's not your fault, Clark. You know I get this way sometimes, even when I'm not pregnant." He smiled. "You're right. We can't parade the baby around in a baby- Superman suit. It would just invite gossip."

He still felt bad. "Are you sure you're ok, honey?" She nodded, and smiled reassuringly. "I tell you what. We will decorate the nursery with every Superman action figure, doll, blanket, hanging mobile, wallpaper we can find. If it's got Superman on it, it'll go in our baby's room. Deal?"

She nodded. "Deal. I love you, Clark," she said, her eyes shining.

"I love you, too, Lois. So much," he replied quietly. They shared a moment of just looking at each other, silently loving one another.

Looking at the list they'd brought with them, she asked, "Now, what else do we need?" She looked around, and started muttering to herself, "Got that… got that… do we have one of those? Yes. Ok, now…"

He started after her, briefly turning his head to steal another glance at the baby jumper. Walking beside her, he began helping her check off items she found, and finding those she didn't. Half an hour later, they left the store with no less than four bags of baby stuff. As Lois eased herself into the passenger side, he feigned his 'hearing a cry for help' expression. She saw the look on his face.

He saw that she saw, and had to keep from smiling. "Uh, honey, there's something I need to take care of. I'll be back in flash." With that, he disappeared. No less than a minute later, he reappeared, climbed into the driver's side, and started the car, not saying anything.

"Well?" Lois asked. He looked at her blankly. "Well, what?"

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," he replied. Her eyes narrowed, and he could tell she wanted more of an explanation. 'Well, she's not gonna get one,' he thought. 'At least, not yet.'

"You know I hate surprises, Kent," she said warningly.

He flashed his famous grin and said simply, "I told you, I needed to take care of something." With that, he pulled out of the parking lot, and started home, a fuming Lois staring out the window.

When, after a few months, she really started to show, the realization of their impending parenthood really hit Clark. Realizing how incredibly fortunate he was, and how delicate the pregnancy could be, he became even more protective of Lois than before, if that were possible, helping her in and out of the jeep, which, much to her chagrin, he now insisted on driving more often. At home he made sure she didn't do anything strenuous, and he watched her like a hawk whenever she went up or came down the stairs. He tried to hide it, but she knew he used his supervision to watch her while she was upstairs. She was slightly annoyed by his overprotectiveness, but she looked into his eyes, and saw his love for her shining in their depths, and she melted, knowing he only wanted her and the baby to be alright.

The one thing she would not accept was Perry taking her off work. She adamantly insisted that she could work, and would. However, she did have enough common sense to know she'd have to lay off the dangerous assignments. No more late night stake-outs, no more chasing after criminals who got away, and no more putting herself in danger for the sake of the story. Even she knew better than that.

The one thing that did not change for Lois and Clark during her pregnancy, much to Clark's relief, was their physical intimacy. In fact, now that she was carrying his child, he found her even more beautiful than before. Since she had started to show, the evidence of their love, of his love for her, was extremely pronounced, and sometimes he just couldn't keep his desire for her in check.

***

Lois and Clark were sitting on the couch, flipping through files on their latest story involving an insurance company that was defrauding its clients. Clark was leafing through a stack of papers, looking for one in particular.

"Honey, do you have the file that has their records from fiscal '97?" he asked. Lois shuffled through the stack in her hand, and shook her head.

"Nope," she said, then shivered slightly, continuing to look through the files.

"Are you cold, honey?" Clark asked, concerned.

"What?" she asked, only half-listening.

"You're cold," he said, answering his own question, and shook his head, chastising himself for being so thoughtless. "Let me get you a blanket." He moved to get up, but she stopped him with a hand on his knee.

"Clark, it's ok. I'm not cold," she smiled.

"Lois, I saw you shiver."

She frowned. "So, I probably just got a chill," she shrugged. "Haven't you ever had a chill?" she asked, then shook her head, and answered her own question. "No, you probably haven't, have you? I mean, look who I'm talking to. The same man who used to duck out of Planet meetings to take a swim in the Arctic Ocean!"

"Lois, honey," Clark began, immediately recognizing the beginnings of a Lois Lane babbling jag.

"And why the Arctic, anyway? Aren't there any lakes around here cold enough? Or, y'know, we do live on the Eastern seaboard. I mean for you, that's just a hop, skip and a jump from the Atlantic. I never could understand why y-uumpphh…" Whatever else she was going to say was cut off by the feel of her husband's lips descending on hers. She felt his hand sneak around the back of her head, pulling her close. Sighing resignedly, she melted into his kiss. The blanket forgotten, and the files on the floor, she murmured happily as the kiss deepened, and Clark's arms tightened around her. They fell back into the couch, losing themselves in each other. He slanted his mouth over hers, requesting entrance into her mouth with his tongue. Her lips parted easily beneath his, and she felt his hand slide sinuously up her side to cup the underside of her breast which was, by this time, quite swollen. She arched into him, pressing her pregnant body against his hard frame. His lips left hers to trail down the creamy length of her throat, and she gasped for air.

"Clark!" she exclaimed breathlessly, and pressed her lower half into him, as much as she could, letting him know what he was doing to her. Her reward was finding out just how quickly, and how much, she was affecting him. He momentarily cupped her breast in his palm, then slid his hand down to the small of her back again. He lifted his head to look into her eyes; he was practically panting! His eyes had darkened to almost black, and his nostrils were flaring. She caught her breath at the sheer… animalness, of his appearance.

"Wow…" she murmured, her own chest heaving from the intensity of his gaze. After a moment, she managed to catch her breath slightly. Looking into his eyes, which were still dark with passion, she whispered, "I guess I understand now. I could use an Arctic swim myself right about now."

He continued to gaze at her for a moment, then blinked. When he opened his eyes again, they had returned to their normal color, but there still remained some of the embers of passion that had lit his eyes just a moment before. He brought one hand up to her face, tracing the line of her jaw with his fingers.

"You don't know how many times I had to take Arctic swims before we got together, Lois. It started the day we met, and only got worse from that point."

"Worse?" she giggled breathlessly, not quite comprehending.

"Yeah," he murmured, still touching her cheek. "You've seen what you do to me, now, y'know, that we're married. But Lois, I fell in love with you the first time I saw you, and back then I couldn't do anything about it. And every day after that it only got worse. I got hired, then Perry partnered me with you. Don't get me wrong, I loved the fact that he put us together. But that was part of the torture. I was so in love with you, but you hated me, or at least my presence there, but every time you looked at me, or spoke to me, or touched me in any way, I had to think of something completely benign, or make a discreet exit to the nearest Arctic climate or else risk seriously embarrassing myself."

She couldn't help but giggle at the last part of his confession.

"I'm serious Lois! Do you have any idea what you did to me?" He lowered his head to nuzzle her other cheek, his tone suddenly reverent. "What you still do to me?"

"Ahhh," she purred as his lips skimmed her face. "I do now. Oh, Clark! I'm so sorry for putting you through all that! I wish I hadn't been so darned stubborn, and pig-headed, we could've been together so much sooner…"

"Hey, shhh. Lois, look at me," he tilted her face so she was directly facing him. "I would not trade any of it. Not one moment. We are together now."

"With a little miracle on the way," she finished softly.

"Exactly. Now," he said, pulling them both upright again, "I am going to get you a blanket. You may have just had a chill, but I don't want you catching a cold." He got up and started for the stairs.

"Clark, how can I possibly be cold after you did such a wonderful job of, um, warming me up just now?" she asked flirtatiously.

He turned to look at her, reclining into the couch, her distended belly protruding so proudly before him. He gave her a pained look of intense longing, and then started up the stairs. She smiled as she watched him go, muttering, "can't take it anymore… just too much of a distraction…" Leaning back into the couch she rubbed her stomach lovingly, feeling the baby gently kick her in response.

"You know, little miracle, you are going to have to most wonderful daddy in the world. No, the universe! He loves you so much, and he hasn't even met you. So do I. He keeps saying how lucky he is to have me in his life, but you know something, little one? I'm the lucky one. I can't imagine my life without him, your father. I know he's going to make a great dad. Super, in fact!" she giggled, and rubbed her stomach again. "That's an inside joke, sweetie. Someday your daddy and I will explain it to you."

"What're we gonna explain?" Clark asked as he came down the stairs to the couch, draping the blanket over her.

"Clark," she chided, "you've gotta stop doing that."

"I wasn't superhearing, honey," he defended, tucking the blanket around her. "I just caught the tail end." He settled himself next to her, draping an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh," she grinned. "Well, I was just telling little Kent here that you are going to make a super dad, and that it's an inside joke we'd have to explain when he or she is old enough."

"Ahhh, I get it. Yeah, someday he or she will have to know, but…"

"Not until they're old enough to understand the importance of secrecy," she finished. He simply smiled at her. "Now, I believe you were concentrating on files for fiscal '97?"

His eyes darkened, and his voice became husky. "Actually, I'd like to concentrate on something else…" he murmured, pulling the blanket over both their heads, engaging in something more pleasurable than insurance files.

***

Month after month passed, with Lois' slim body becoming more protruded. The hormones got to her occasionally, and she sometimes had a hard time understanding how Clark could find her now huge body so attractive. He just smiled, and waited for the tears to pass, holding her, reminding her how much he loved her, telling her she would always be beautiful to him.

He did not see her as fat, as she called herself. He looked at her, and marveled at the life growing inside her, the life they had created. This child came from love, and to him, there was nothing more beautiful than that.

When she wasn't crying for no particular reason, Lois actually enjoyed being pregnant. Despite the sore backs, swollen ankles, and having to wear what she called 'fat clothes', she was actually amazed to know there was a little person growing inside her body. She would sit with her feet up, and stare at her stomach, watching it move and ripple as the baby moved. She sat and talked to it, singing lullabies, planning its future. One of her favorite parts was when she and Clark argued over baby names.

"Annie, Amelia, Allison?" he suggested.

She shook her head. "Uhm-mm."

"Alexandra, Anastasia…"

"What? Are we suddenly the Russian royal family?"

"All right, how about Elizabeth? Or Margaret? Or Rose?"

"Now we're British? Come on, Clark? Let's try to simplify it, shall we?"

"What? You don't like the name Margaret? Or Rose?"

"'Rose Kent'? Sounds like someone who stared in the Ziegfield Follies!" she laughed.

"Ok-ay."

"What about Meagan. Rebecca? Jennifer? Cassie?"

"'Cassie Kent'," he said aloud.

"Ok-ay, let's try something else."

"Lois, let's try to remember something. This is a very special and unique child. She deserves a special and unique name."

"I think we need to remember something else, Clark," she began, then looked at him with a hurt expression.

"What? What's the matter?"

"'She'? Clark Jerome Kent, did you peek?" she demanded.

He laughed. "Oh, no honey! It's just that we were working on the girls' names; I guess my mind just got stuck on that pronoun. No, no, I haven't peeked."

"So you know just as well as I do that this can be a boy! We should be working on boys' names too. And I have just the one," she said coyly, fingering his shirt collar.

"No, Lois," he said gently, and shook his head.

"Why not? I thought you'd be jumping at the chance."

"No, honey, we can't name the baby after me. As much as I'd love to have a Clark Jr., that's another chance we can't take. For the world to know that Clark Kent is Superman would be bad enough, imagine if there was a Clark Kent Jr. They could put it all together too easily."

She sighed. "I see what you mean."

"I'm glad, honey. Now, let's get back to names we can use. I know a great girl's name…"

"Ugghhhh! Bite your tongue!"

As the weeks passed and then the days started to tick by, both parents-to-be became more and more anxious to meet their new edition. They wouldn't have long to wait.

***

Lois waddled out of the bathroom and over to the bed, dropping her robe on the chair. Clark was already in bed, reading. He looked up when she came into the room.

"Feel any better, honey?"

"I'm sleeping in the bathroom until this is over," she grumpily replied. She eased herself into the bed, pulling the covers over her now huge form. He set his book down on the side table and lay down next to her. He took her in his arms, laying her head on his chest, and resting one arm over her stomach.

"I'm sorry this is so hard on you, honey," he murmured sincerely, kissing the top of her head.

"It's not so bad really. Just the constant trips to the bathroom, feeling like I've got a twenty-pound bowling ball attached to myself. It's funny though. As uncomfortable as it all is, I'm going to be sorry when it's over. I can't wait to have this baby, but I've enjoyed knowing that I have sheltered it all this time, given it a place to grow." She sighed. "That's not something that a Pulitzer can give you."

He kissed the top of her head, then worked his way down to her face, kissing her brow, her eyes, her nose. When his mouth finally descended on hers, she was ready, bringing her hand up to the back of his head. Her mouth opened eagerly beneath his, and she slid her tongue into his mouth. He moaned slightly, pulling her closer into his arms, deepening the kiss. She rolled onto her side so she could press herself closer against his hard frame, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as his lips made their way down her throat.

She murmured appreciatively, threading her fingers through his dark hair, letting him know she wanted him. He tightened his arms around her, rolling over so he partially covered her. The kiss deepened, intensified, until both were panting for breath. And just then…

"Owww!"

Immediately, he stopped. "Lois? Did I hurt you?" he exclaimed, horrified.

"No," she swallowed. "You di-ahhh, oowwww!" she cried again. She started breathing heavily, and looked at him, wide- eyed. "Clark, I think it's time!"

***

Epilogue

Clark whistled to himself as he rode up the elevator, holding a bouquet of roses in one hand, and a Double Fudge Crunch Bar and a wrapped box in the other. He was tired from having been up all night, but that could be cured with a few hours sleep. Lois, however, was exhausted from having been up all night with contractions and labor. She had finally delivered about an hour ago, and Clark was beside himself. He had been right there with her at the moment their baby had been born, and he couldn't take his eyes off his new daughter. She had come out screaming, her little arms and legs flailing. It kind of reminded him of the many times he'd had to rescue her mother whenever she'd been thrown out of a plane or a window. They'd cut the cord, wrapped her little body in a soft pink blanket, and handed her to Lois. Clark's heart had nearly exploded at the sight of the woman he loved holding their brand new baby girl against her breast. He hadn't even realized he'd been crying until Lois looked up at him, and rolled her eyes.

"Softy," she'd playfully chided him. She'd then carefully handed the baby to him, and for an instant, he'd been afraid to take her. Not out of any non-desire to touch her; far from it. He'd been afraid that he'd break her. After all, he was able to bend steel bars in his bare hands; how was he going to handle a fragile newborn? But Lois had sensed his concern, and moved to reassure him.

"Clark, you're not going to hurt her," she'd confidently stated.

That seemed to quell any fears he'd had, and he'd held his new daughter in his arms, looking at her with an expression akin to amazement and almost worship.

The elevator came to a stop at the fifth floor, and he stepped out and strolled down the hall towards Lois' room. He carefully opened the door and stepped in. The room was awash in a soft mid-morning light that bathed everything in a warm glow. His eyes were draw to the petite figure lying in the bed near the window. She was lying on her back, with the bed propped up to not quite sitting. One arm lay over her now flat stomach, while the other lay on her side. Her head was tilted away from the window, the sunlight glancing off her cropped chestnut hair. She was dozing quietly, her chest rising and falling gently with each breath. A small smile played across her lips, as if she were having a pleasant dream. She was utterly gorgeous.

He set the flowers, chocolate, and box down on the side table and sat down next to the bed. Reaching out a hand, he smoothed it over her hair, down her cheek. Her eyes drifted open and she smiled at him.

"Morning, Daddy."

"Good morning, Mommy," he replied, taking her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I just had a baby," she answered dryly. "I did, didn't I?"

"Yes, Lois, you did," he whispered softly against her hand. She looked up and saw the roses on the table. "Clark, they're beautiful! Thank you!" she exclaimed tearfully, fingering the petals. He just smiled that dazzling smile. Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Lois called. Clark set her hand down and sat up. The door opened and a nurse came in pushing a glass hospital bassinet with a tiny bundle inside.

"How are we feeling?" the nurse asked pleasantly.

Lois rolled her eyes at the nurse's 'we', then smiled. "We are doing just fine."

"Good, good," the nurse gushed. "There's someone here who'd like to see her mommy!" she said. Then reaching down, she lifted the bundle from the bassinet and carefully laid her in Lois' arms. At that moment, Clark gasped suddenly. Both Lois and the nurse looked in his direction, slightly alarmed.

"Are you all right, Mr. Kent?"

Clark nodded. "Um, yeah," he croaked. "Fine. Just a little overwhelmed," he admitted, slightly embarrassed.

The nurse smiled knowingly. "Oh, that's perfectly normal. I've seen a lot of first time fathers come through here, and they all had the same reaction. Don't worry. After a while it'll become second-nature!" She looked back at Lois. "Well, I'll just leave you two new parents alone so you can get to know your new little one there."

"Thank you for everything," Lois said warmly.

"Thank you," Clark echoed.

The nurse craned her head to better view the baby. "You've got a real beauty there, you know. A real angel." With that, she smiled, and quietly bustled out of the room.

Clark once again took a seat next to the bed and watched, mesmerized, as Lois fed the baby. "Well, she was right about one thing; I was overwhelmed. But not for the reasons she thinks. I was just overwhelmed when she put the baby in your arms, because, well, I'd never seen anything so completely perfect in my life. It took my breath away, to see you, nursing our baby, our little daughter." He stopped and grinned at his own babbling. "Anyway, I brought you something besides the flowers." He handed her the chocolate bar like a magician producing a rabbit out of a hat. "Ta Da!"

"Chocolate!" she cried, and grabbed the candy from him. He chuckled as she tore the wrapper and hungrily started to eat it.

"I got you something else too. Actually it's not for you, it's for her." She took the proffered gift box, and looked at him funny as she removed the lid and paper foil. When she saw what was inside, she squealed in delight.

"Oh, Clark! You went back and bought it! Oh!!" she laughed as she held up the blue baby jumper with the red S. "I thought you said it would be too dangerous for her to have something like this. What made you change your mind?"

He lowered his eyes, playing absently with the bed sheet. "The look on your face when you first saw it. I couldn't resist it. You looked so happy, and I love to see you happy so…" he trailed off.

"Oh, you," she breathed, still amazed at how he could surprise her. She rooted around in the box, moving more foil. "You got the booties, too?" Then her head snapped up. "So that's what the 'something to take care of' was, huh? You went back into the store and bought it while I was sitting in the car!"

He had the grace to look slightly sheepish. Her heart melted, and she leaned forward to kiss him. "Well, you know, Kent, this project isn't finished just yet," Lois stated matter-of-factly. He looked confused for a second, and she laughed. "She needs a name, Clark. We can't call her 'the baby' all her life or she'll develop a complex!" She stared into space for a moment, then looked down at the nursing baby. "Let's see, Constance… Abigail… Mary… Susan… Mindy? Ugghh," she grimaced. "Samantha? No, I hate that, um, what else…" She shook her head, not liking any of them.

"You know, I've been putting some thought into it, and I may have one you'll like," he said.

"Let's hear it," Lois said enthusiastically.

"Well, we wanted it to be special, something that had dignity, and character, something that would distinguish her from others, right?" he began.

She nodded.

"Well, how 'bout we give her a name that has something to do with her origins?" he suggested with a twinkle in his eye.

"You're not suggesting we name her Krypton, are you?" she demanded.

"Noooo, I'm suggesting we name her for where she came into being. I know it'll always be a special place for me."

"I'm not following you, Kent," she said, her voice becoming increasingly suspicious.

Grinning lopsidedly, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"Are you serious??" she demanded when he pulled away. "You're kidding, right? You want to name your daughter after the place where she was conceived."

"Sure!"

"Yes, but, the elevat…" she began to protest. "And if you really want me to have a namesake, then her middle name can be a version of mine. Say, Claire?" She thought about it for a moment, her shock subsiding, and she realized she liked it. "Y'know, I kinda like it. That way, every time we say her name, we'll always have a reminder of that night," she said softly.

"So it's settled then?" Clark asked. Lois nodded.

Clark scooted closer to embrace his daughter and kiss his beautiful wife. Lois kissed him back, then looked down at the peaceful, sleeping baby in her arms.

"Welcome to the world," she cooed, then looked up into her husband's eyes, and murmured, "Ellie… Claire… Lane… Kent."

THE END