By Cristina (crisdccks@hotmail.com)
Rated: G
Submitted: September 2002
Summary: In this WAFFy vignette, chance brings Lois and Clark together in a story for the history books.
Although this is my second story on the boards and in the archive, it's actually the first I wrote (Be kind!!!)
An idea simply struck me one night, and this is the waffy result! (Blame final exams, not me!!!) I want to thank the Folcs on the boards for the comments on "If only I…", which made me go on writing fanfic, and specially Tricia, for all her help and encouragement (and editing!!).
I hope you like this. As always, comments are more than welcome at the address above.
Cris
***
August 1993.
From where he stood all that could be seen was beauty. Unlike the previous, this was a quiet morning, and not even the soft but cold breeze that ruffled his hair, playing with the unruly lock on his forehead, could disturb the calmness he felt.
It had been months since he'd started traveling around the world; a time in which he'd had the chance of visiting many interesting places and getting in touch with cultures he'd only read of. Now, he found himself at a base camp near Mount Fuji, trying to make up his mind about the next destination of his journey. He stood close to his tent, holding a strangely smoking cup of coffee in one hand and a recent edition of a large North American newspaper in the other.
A few weeks had gone by since the last time he'd been able to get hold of some information about the latest events in 'his' country. He knew he had the resources to reach the information firsthand as well as faster, but he was always afraid of not being careful enough and ending up 'dissected like a frog,' as his father would often remind him, and so he'd waited patiently until he'd finally come across a new source.
After focusing his gaze for a few seconds on the no-longer- smoking cup of coffee and then sipping some of it, he scanned the paper's front page, paying special attention to the new measures on street violence adopted by the government. <I hope they have some effect…> As his gaze fell upon the main article's byline, he felt a strange twinge in his stomach, but, rather than feeling unpleasant, it sent a warm feeling all through his body.
Originally, his intention had been to move on days earlier, but he hadn't been able to make up his mind between heading to Nepal or making his way back to Borneo. Although then he hadn't been in a hurry to get anywhere else, suddenly he felt the urge to resume his trip. Oddly enough, there seemed to be a much better place for him to be.
It took him a couple of minutes to gather the few things he'd brought with him before starting to walk swiftly away from camp. As soon as he was well out of sight, he leapt to the sky. In a matter of seconds, all that was left of the young man's presence in the area was the newspaper he'd been holding minutes earlier, which now lay crumpled on the floor. A closer look at it showed that it wasn't just any newspaper, but the latest edition of the largest Metropolitan publication. The only one that could claim, not without pride, that among its staff was the best investigative reporter the world had known. A woman who'd stop at nothing to get a story; a woman for whom friendship and love were secondary issues. But all that was bound to change. If only she knew…
METROPOLIS — PRESENT TIME
With a half smile on her lips, Lois looked up, wondering if what she was about to say sounded as weird out loud as it did in her head, "So according to… History books, this is how our story begins?"
Shifting his gaze from the brunette woman, who was no longer sitting on the couch, to her quiet husband, H. G. Wells replied, "I believe it's accurate enough, Ms. Lane, but you have a unique source to turn to in case of doubt."
The older man's words seemed to bring Clark's mind back to the brownstone's living room after drifting elsewhere for the last few minutes. "Well, yeah, I guess that pretty much explains how I wound up in Metropolis and not in Nepal, as I'd originally planned. Only back then I didn't know what it was that had made me change my itinerary." Hesitating briefly, he turned to face his puzzled wife, allowing an amused smile to take over his face, "Should've figured it out the minute I saw you, though. Like it or not, you were the one who started it all… or at least your name. It was that feeling I got when I read your name in that byline that caused me to head here. Had I known the trouble I was getting myself into, I probably would have run to Nepal!"
His amused grin had been replaced by a teasing smile that matched the look on Lois's face. She elbowed him playfully, "Like any Nepalese woman could make you half as happy as I do!"
"Well, there was this one woman…" He let his voice trail off as he waited for her response, expecting one of her famous mock outbursts.
"Clark Jerome Kent! Do you want me to drag you into divorce court?"
He answered with a soft, "Not in a million years," bearing his most tender smile as he closed the distance between them. Lowering slowly, he brushed her lips with his, to reassure her how he felt for the thousandth time that day.
Clearing his throat before speaking, reminding the lovers of his presence as he did, Wells added, "I'll have to consider bringing a camera with me next time. I'm sure Mr. Tempus would be thrilled to watch the real thing for a change. He is constantly complaining and stating how sick Utopian TV versions of your story make him! Personally, I don't think they're that bad…" The three shared a laugh before Wells spoke one last time, "Anyway, Ms. Lane, Mr. Kent, I should get going. I hope you enjoy reading your story as much as I enjoy witnessing it."
Giving further proof of their strong bond, the couple replied in unison, "Goodbye, Mr. Wells, and thanks again."
Once the older man had left the couple alone, Lois playfully turned to her handsome husband, a smile on her lips, "A Nepalese woman… right?
Unable to resist, he decided to wipe that grin off her face, if only momentarily, "Lois, you know there have only been two women in my life…"
"Two?!? Clark, you…"
"… And one wore tights." He got closer and embraced her, just before capturing her lips with his one again. Pulling slightly apart, Lois eyed him with a wicked look.
"How can I know you're telling the truth, farmboy? I demand proof…"
Knowing he needed something more powerful than words, he silenced her with a new kiss, this time more passionate, full of desire and the need to feel lost in each other. Another proof of the uniqueness of their story, past, present and future; another reason why their love will always transcend time.
THE END