I Now Pronounce You Husband & Wife

I Now Pronounce You Husband and Wife

By Ketsia J. Lerebours 

Summary: It's Lois and Clark's wedding day, and there's nary a
villain in sight.


The story takes place on the wedding day of Lois and Clark. We
see the couple preparing for the wedding and the honeymoon night.
There is no villain to disturb the happy couple. I just wanted
Lois and Clark to be in love and happy on their wedding day and
night. 

***

Saturday morning dawned glorious with the promise of a warm
spring day. Lois Lane stretched and yawned as she lay in bed
listening to the soft music coming from her clock/radio. 'Today
is my wedding day', she thought to herself as she listened to the
words of the song. She couldn't help but think of how her life
had been before Clark Kent. Before she had met him she had been
jaded and cynical, she had been hurt by love, and had built a
wall around her heart to protect herself. She had made her career
her sole priority, and had thought that that was enough to keep
her happy. Oh, how wrong she had been. It was because of Clark's
love that she was what she was today. A woman who was not only
fulfilled professionally, but a woman also fulfilled emotionally.
Clark was her other half, her life, he kept her centered and gave
her infinite joy.

"Lois, are you up yet?" asked Lucy Lane as she walked into Lois'
bedroom balancing a mug of coffee and a blue berry muffin in one
hand and a tremendous basket of long- stemmed red roses in the
other.

"I've brought you breakfast and some flowers from your fiance."
Lucy walked to her sister's bed and placed the coffee and muffin
on the night stand table before handing Lois the basket of roses.
Lucy then got on the bed, crossing her feet as she leaned against
the headboard. "So, what does the card say?" She asked as she
made herself more comfortable on the bed.

Lois took the basket of flowers and put it in her lap as she read
the card to herself, the note said:

["To my beautiful bride,
counting the minutes until I can hold you in my arms.
I love you. Clark."]

Lois smiled as she brought the roses to her face.

"So, what does lover boy have to say?" Lucy persisted. Lois
smiled and handed the card to her. "Oh, how sweet," Lucy
exclaimed as she read the note. Lois placed the roses on her
night stand table and picked up the mug of coffee and the muffin.
"Thanks for breakfast, Lucy," she said as she ate.

"*So*, today is the day you take the plunge," Lucy grinned. "I
never thought that I would live to see the day my big sister
finally ties the knot." She shook her head as if she still
couldn't believe it.

"Me, neither. I didn't think that I would ever meet someone like
Clark." She placed the coffee mug on the night stand table and
reached for Lucy's hand. "I'm so happy that you were able to be
here to share my special day with me."

"Are you kidding?!" Lucy gave Lois' hand a squeeze. "Nothing
could make me miss seeing you marry your superguy, even if I had
to hijack a flight to Metropolis..." Her voice broke for a moment
as her eyes began to tear. "I'm *so* happy for you." She dropped
Lois' hand and reached over to give her a huge hug. She held Lois
for a moment as she thanked heaven for her sister's happiness and
said a silent thank you to Clark Kent. It had torn her apart to
watch her big sister suppressing her loving nature because of her
fear of being hurt.

"Lois, you should have been up half an hour ago!" Ellen Lane
walked rapidly into the bedroom, her robes flapping wildly around
her as she walked. "We have a million and one things to do before
the wedding, what are you still doing in bed?" asked Ellen. She
didn't wait for a response but started talking again. "I cannot
believe that you are still in bed." She looked at the girls with
disgust. "I've been up for hours." She shook her finger at Lois.
"It's not my wedding young lady." She turned to include Lucy. "I
swear you girls will be the death of me." Ellen continued her
tirade.

Lois and Lucy looked at each other, rolling their eyes at each
other knowing that their mother would never change, she would
always be the consummate worrier. "I'm up, I'm up," said Lois as
she and Lucy separated and got out of bed.

"Lucy, how could you let Lois stay in bed so late. You know we're
on a tight schedule." Ellen Lane continued to rant. "What
possessed you and Clark to set the wedding for 12 p.m. ...
Whoever heard of having a wedding at such an ungodly hour....
It's not enough time to get ready...I can not be..." Ellen
continued to talk, but neither Lois and Lucy paid much attention
to her because they were too busy teasing each other.

"Someone who wants to get to the honeymoon pretty quickly," Lucy
whispered to Lois as she elbowed her in the ribs and gave her a
knowing look. "Can't wait to start the honeymoon, huh, sis?" Lucy
finished, giving Lois a wicked grin.

"Darn right, I've waited long enough for this day to come," Lois
whispered back with a lascivious grin.

"Girls, girls, are you listening to me?" asked an exasperated
Ellen Lane as she suddenly became aware of the fact that neither
of the girls had heard a word she had said.

"Of course we're listening, mother," said Lois in a tolerant tone
of voice. "We have plenty of time. It's only 9 a.m." She took
Ellen by the arm and led her towards the bedroom door. "Could you
do me a favor, mother, and draw up my bath water? I just have a
phone call to make."

Ellen Lane allowed herself to be led out the door.

"Okay, Lois, but hurry up." She walked out the door, for once
doing what she was told instead of arguing.

Lucy followed her mother to the bedroom door. "I already took my
shower, so I'll leave you to your phone call." She stopped and
turned to face her sister again. "Say Hi! to Clarkie for me and
give him a big kiss for me too." Lucy made kissing noises as she
closed the door, barely escaping the pillow that Lois threw at
her head. Lois smiled and shook her head at the closed door as
she reached for the phone, dialing Clark's number.

***

Clark Kent, yawned and stretched, he reached over to the night
stand table and shut off his alarm clock. 'Today is my wedding
day', he said softly to himself. He rolled out of bed and walked
toward the kitchen where he could hear his parents preparing
breakfast.

"Good morning, mom, good morning, dad....beautiful morning, isn't
it," he said with a happy grin on his face as he walked into the
kitchen.

"Good morning, honey," Martha Kent reached up and gave her son a
kiss and a hug.

"Good morning, son," Jonathan Kent reached over and hugged his
son. "How did you sleep?" Jonathan handed Clark a plate of
pancakes and sausages.

"Like a baby without the slightest care in the world." Clark
helped his parents set the table for breakfast as he answered his
father's question. "I can't believe that this day is *finally*
here, Lois and I are getting married." He shook his head as if
trying to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

The trio sat at the table to eat breakfast. But instead of eating
Clark stared into space, reminiscing about his first meeting with
Lois. He remembered that day as if it were yesterday, yet it had
happened three years ago. He had fallen in love with her two
minutes after he met her. He was being interviewed for a job at
the Daily Planet when Lois Lane had barged in on the meeting as
if she owned the place; she proceeded to ignore his outstretched
hand when they were introduced and went on to speak to Perry as
if he weren't even in the room. He had known at that moment that
his life would never be the same again. He smiled to himself as
he thought about his Lois...his Lois... domineering, stubborn,
uncompromising, pigheaded, loving and oh so brilliant, oh how he
loved her.

"Clark...Clark, honey," Martha Kent waved her hand in front of
Clark's face trying to awaken him from his stupor. Clark started
realizing that he had been staring into space for quite some time
and that his mother had been speaking to him for the past few
minutes.

"Sorry, mom," he said with a sheepish look on his face. "I was a
million miles a way, what's up?"

"Honey, Lois is on the phone," Martha smiled to herself as she
handed Clark the phone, she had a feeling she knew where her
son's mind had been, with Lois of course.

"Thanks, mom." Clark took the phone from his mother and walked
outside to the balcony so that he could have some privacy.

"Hi honey."

"I love the flowers and the note you sent."

"I'm glad you liked it."

"So, how many minutes *is it* before you can hold me in your
arms?" Lois asked teasingly.

"One-hundred and eighty minutes before I see you and about
two-hundred and ten minutes before I can hold you in my arms." He
said in a caressing voice. Lois shivered at his tone of voice.

"I love you so much, Clark."

"I love you too sweetheart," He said huskily.

"I have to go and start getting ready, my mother is having a fit.
See you at the church, darling," Lois said as Ellen Lane
frantically made hand motions towards her watch.

"Bye, honey."

***

Hours later, at the Metropolis Holy Trinity church organ music
swelled and filled the air, while the best man and groomsmen,
handsome in their tuxedos, ushered the arriving guests down the
aisle to the beribboned pews.

While, in the large back room of the church a nervous group of
females crowded around Lois Lane. Lois sat in front of the vanity
mirror putting the finishing touches on her makeup, while one of
her bridesmaids, Glenda Hernandez, hot curler in hand, arranged
her hair. Jessica Travis, her other bridesmaid and her sister,
Lucy, the maid of honor, were busy taking the gown and the veil
out of the garment bag. While Ellen Lane and Martha Kent stood to
the side talking quietly to each other until they were needed.
Ellen broke off her conversation with Martha as the flower girl
ran up to her.

"Aunt Ellen, could you please fix my bow?" asked eight year old
Barbara Lane as she turned to present the back of her dress.
Ellen pulled over one of the chairs in the room and sat down so
that she could help her niece. Once Ellen was finished Barbara
ran to the couch to retrieve her flower basket, to get a little
more practice in before the wedding was to begin.

Finally, the time arrived for the bride to dress. Lucy and Glenda
helped Lois put on the wedding dress. The wedding gown was
everything a wedding gown was suppose to be, spectacular and
extravagant. The gown was an ivory off the shoulder satin
creation. The form fitting bodice was encrusted with little seed
pearls. The full skirt ended in a chapel- length train. The veil
was waist length and made of illusion lace, held in place with a
dainty, seed pearled crown of flowers. The brocade shoes were
dyed to match the dress.

Smiling, Lois stood patiently as her mother smoothed the gown in
place and as Lucy adjusted the train, wondering what Clark would
think when he saw her walking down the aisle. Had this moment
been worth waiting for? She hoped so. She hoped that he would
remember every detail of this day for the rest of his life, just
as she knew she would.

"Let's see, you have something new, your wedding gown ..." Lucy
paused as she checked off what she had just said on her list ...
"You have something borrowed, mom's diamond tear drop necklace
...You have something blue, the lace garter that I bought for you
...and you have something old, Martha's antique seed pearl hair
combs." Lucy checked everything off her list and smiled as she
looked at her sister .

Ellen came towards Lois with a misty, maternal gleam in her eyes.
She hugged her daughter, careful not to wrinkle her gown. "I've
never seen you look more beautiful!" She said as she reached into
her handbag for her handkerchief.

"Thanks, mom."

Martha Kent walked over to Lois, her eyes tearing. "You look
lovely, my dear, thank you for making my boy so happy," she
whispered through her tears. Lois, her eyes also starting to fill
with tears reached over and hugged Martha.

"It's me who should thank you for raising such a special son."
Martha returned the hug and smiled at Lois.

***

In the meantime, in a smaller room on the other side of the
church Clark Kent prepared for the wedding. His best man, Jimmy
Olsen, groomsmen: Robert Hooper, Kevin White, and Perry White and
his father, Jonathan Kent, looked on with amused expressions on
their faces as they watched a nervous Clark struggle to adjust
his tie.

"I can't believe my hand is shaking so much that I can't even tie
a tie," said Clark as he struggled to adjust his tie.

"Here let me do it," Jonathan Kent said getting up from the couch
he was sharing with Jimmy Olsen.

"I haven't fixed your tie since you were a little boy." After
fixing the tie, Jonathan stepped back and looked at his son. 'I
can't believe he's all grown up and about to start a family of
his own' he thought to himself as he fought back tears.

"What's wrong, dad?" asked Clark as he noticed his father's
expression.

"Nothing is wrong, son, I'm just so darn proud of you," Jonathan
said as he embraced his son. Father and son held each other for a
long moment, each thinking of the love and respect they had for
one another.

A knock on the door interrupted the moment. One of the church
attendants signaled to the men that it was time for the ceremony
to begin. The groom, best man, groomsmen and father of the groom
all filed out of the room to take their positions.

***

A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door of the bridal
party.

"We are almost ready to begin," said Sam Lane as he walked into
the room. Ellen Lane and Martha Kent kissed Lois good-bye and
filed out of the room. The bridesmaids, flower girl and maid of
honor picked up their flowers and filed out of the room. Organ
music began to play as the bridesmaids and flower girl walked
down the aisle.

"You look like a fairy princess, Lois, " Sam Lane said softly.
Tears gathered in his eyes. " I can hardly believe it---my baby
girl, all grown up and about to be married," his voice was
wistful. "Where did all the time go, it just seemed liked
yesterday that you were just a baby..." he paused for a moment as
his voice broke. "How I wish that I were around to see you grow
up to become the beautiful woman that you are today." A wave of
shame overcame him and his voice broke. "I'm so sorry for
abandoning you and ..."

"It's all right, daddy," Lois broke in before he could complete
his thoughts. "What matters is that you're here *now*, to share
this day with me." Lois smiled at her father as she pulled the
waist-length veil down over her face. "Daddy, would you please
hand me my flowers?"

Sam Lane lifted Lois' veil, kissed her on the cheek and reached
down to pick up the bouquet of exotic flame-colored orchids on
the table. He handed it to his daughter as she took his arm to go
down the aisle.

***

The church was packed with friends and family members who came to
wish the couple well. Clark Kent stood at the altar, Jimmy Olsen
next to him and watched as the bridesmaids and flower girl came
down the aisle. He tensed up as the wedding march began to play.
He turned and faced the audience as the back door of the church
was once again thrown open and Lois and her father walked down
the aisle. He never took his eyes off of her as she came toward
him. Her gaze met his through the veil and they smiled at each
other, their eyes bright with love and promises. When Lois and
her father reached the altar Clark accepted her hand and the
couple moved as one to the altar. Lois turned and handed her
bouquet of orchids to Lucy.

Lois and Clark turned and faced one another with joined hands as
the minister's voice echoed throughout the church reciting the
marriage service.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and in
the face of this congregation to join together this man and this
woman in holy matrimony ..."

"Will you, Clark Jerome Kent, take this woman to be your wedded
wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate
of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her
in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep you
only unto her, so long as you both shall live?"

"I will ..." Clark's eyes shone with love.

"Will you, Lois Lane, take this man to be your wedded husband, to
live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of
Matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in
sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep you only
unto him, so long as you both shall live?

"I will..." said Lois, all the love she had for Clark shining in
her eyes.

The ancient words of love, commitment fell around the couple like
a blanket of love. The couple exchanged the vows they had written
together and exchanged rings. Clark's hand trembled slightly as
he slipped the gold band on Lois' finger. Lois' hands also
trembled as she slipped the wide gold band onto Clark's ring
finger. Once all the vows had been exchanged and the blessings
given, the minister smiled at the couple and the congregation and
said: "I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the
bride."

Clark turned and reverently lifted Lois' veil, "My wife," he said
as he brought his lips to hers. Lois reached up and wrapped her
arms around Clark's neck, then his mouth was on hers probing,
demanding, devastatingly possessive as if he couldn't get enough
of her. The kiss went on and on, becoming deeper, hotter, even
more intimate. The couple suddenly became aware that they were
not alone when they heard laughing and cheering, reluctantly they
broke apart and grinned sheepishly at each other. Lucy handed
Lois back her flowers as Lois and Clark walked back down the
aisle.

Lois and Clark ran down the stairs of the church. A shower of
flowers tossed by cheering well-wishers enveloped them in a
fragrant cloud as they ran down steps toward the white limousine
waiting at the front of the church.

As the limousine rolled toward the Metropolis country club where
the wedding reception was being held, Lois snuggled into the
crook of her husband's arm, laid her head on his chest, and
inhaled his scent. Clark looked down at the woman snuggled near
his heart and smiled as he reached for her lips.

If anyone awaiting their arrival at the Metropolis country club
noticed that the limo circled the block four times or that the
bride and groom emerged from the back seat disheveled and
slightly dazed, they were too polite to do more than elbow one
another knowingly.

***

When it was time for the first dance, the couple's close friend,
Celine Dion, got up on the stage and sang the song that she had
written especially for the happy couple. The song was called
"Because You Loved Me".

"For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made  right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby 
You're the one who held me up, 
never let me fall
You're the one that saw me through
through it all

You gave me strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
I'm everything I am
because you loved me"

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch 
the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me 
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall 
I had your love I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much 
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you ...

Drawing Lois close, Clark smiled down at her as the words flowed
around them. "Happy, Mrs. Kent?" he murmured

"Deliriously, ecstatically happy, Mr. Kent," she replied, resting
her cheek against his shoulder and thinking how wonderful it will
be to wake up tomorrow morning with her cheek pressed to his bare
chest. The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur, as numerous
pictures were taken, various toasts given, the wedding cake cut,
and the garter and bouquet were thrown to those still single.

Hours later, it was finally time for the couple to leave for
their honeymoon. While the guest were still celebrating the happy
occasion the couple left to change into their travel clothes.
Lucy went with Lois to help her.

Slipping out of her wedding dress, Lois changed into a linen
short sleeved pants suit. While Lucy put the wedding gown in its
garment bag for storage.

Lois paused as she fixed her makeup and glanced at her wedding
rings. "It's hard to believe how *much* my life has changed since
Clark came into it," she said to Lucy.

"Umm-hmm." Lucy walked over to her sister and put her arm around
Lois' shoulders. "But your life is changing for all the right
reasons. The *best* reasons." The sisters held each other for a
long moment.

"I'll take this to the car." Lucy picked up the wedding gown.

"I love you," Lois said as her sister walked out the door.

"I love you too, sis, be happy." Lucy closed the door behind
her.

Alone, Lois finished fixing her hair and took one last look
around to make sure that she had everything. She picked up her
purse and walked out the door where Clark waited for her.

"You have everything?" asked Clark.

"Yes." The couple walked hand in hand back to the reception hall,
where the party showed no sign of ending. They said their
good-byes to everyone. The guests formed a line on either side of
the couple throwing white orchids at them as they ran to the
limousine parked at the curb.

***

The Hawaiian Crimson hotel overlooked the beach. An open
courtyard connected smaller, low buildings with the lobby and
restaurants. The rooms were a series of coral colored cottages.
Each cottage had one to two bedrooms and a sitting room that
opened onto a wide balcony overlooking the beach. The Koolau
mountains rose dramatically behind the hotel.

It was his wedding night.

Clark stood out on the balcony staring down at the sandy beach
below.

His wedding night ...

His wife....

Reveling in the thought and all it implied, Clark walked back
into the bedroom. He walked towards the table where the champagne
was icing in its silver bucket. He poured some champagne into two
glasses. He turned as he heard a noise behind him. What he saw
took his breath away.

Lois stood framed in the bathroom doorway looking breathtakingly
beautiful. She wore a sheer, burgundy silk creation. The
nightgown clung to her upper body before flaring outward at the
hips. Waves of cloud-soft silk floated around her as she moved,
half revealing flashes of her skin as she walked towards Clark.
"You did say that burgundy was the color you always dreamed of
seeing me in, right?" she asked, knowing that he would remember
their first date, when he said that he had always dreamed of
seeing her in burgundy.

He smiled, remembering his words to her.

"You look breathtaking," Clark handed her a glass of champagne,
"Burgundy is definitely your color."

"Thank you, Mr. Kent." She sipped the champagne staring at Clark
with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

Gently, Clark reached over and took the glass from her hand. He
bent his head to kiss her, very slowly rubbing his lips on hers.
"I think we've had enough conversation for tonight, sweetheart."
He lifted her in his arms, carrying her across the room to the
king sized bed, he set her on her feet. His hands lifted to
cradle her face, once again bending down to capture her lips. His
hand drifted slowly and oh, so gently, over her gown.

"I'm not used to anything so soft." Clark's voice reflected the
desire in his eyes. "Is your skin as soft as this?" He asked
huskily.

"Why, don't you touch me and see," she whispered, welcoming his
kisses and the feel of his hands on her body. Slowly, Clark drew
the straps down her shoulders. Lifting his head, he gazed down at
her body painted by the moonlight, his breath caught in his
throat and his heart started pounding.

Lois, reached for the belt which held his robe closed, slowly she
untied it and pushed it off his shoulders, she gazed in
admiration at the heavily muscled broad shoulders and wide chest
of her husband. She leaned over and started kissing his chest.
Clark lifted her again and lowered her to the bed, easing his own
weight beside her.

***

The couple finally slept, but it was well into the wee hours of
the morning.

Hours later, the late morning sunshine penetrated the room where
the couple slept. Lois woke slowly. In the lazy moments between
sleep and full awareness she lifted her head from her husband's
chest, dreamy eyes locked with those of her husband.

"Hi," she said smiling.

"Hi yourself," Clark also smiled. He slipped his arm around her
waist and rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him. Lois
propped her chin on her hands and gazed down into his face. She
didn't think that she would ever tire looking at him.

"You know what? she asked.

"What?"

"I'm hungry. How about we get something to eat?"

"Sure." Clark kissed her lightly on the lips and sat up; He got
up from the bed and reached down and picked her up into his
arms.

"How about we take a shower together?"

"Are you sure that's all you have in mind?" She laughed as she
wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Why, Mrs. Kent, whatever do you mean?" Clark shut the bathroom
door behind them.

***

Several hours later, the couple left the hotel with a picnic
lunch that had been prepared for them by the hotel chief. They
walked hand in hand, their feet sinking into the warm sand as
they walked. It was a warm afternoon with the slightest of
breeze, the air was scented with hibiscus, gardenias and
orchids.

They found a secluded spot under a tree to eat their lunch. Clark
spread the blanket on the sand as Lois unpacked the wicker
basket. The hotel chef had given them enough food to feed an
army. There was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, various
fruits, fresh bread, cheese, pineapple juice and iced tea.

"I can't believe that it's three o'clock in the afternoon and
this is our first meal of the day," Clark said as he opened the
containers that Lois set out on the blanket.

"That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't insisted that we
shower together."

"Hey, I was doing my civic duty and trying to conserve water."

Fighting back a giggle, Lois began to prepare two plates.

"Really?"

"It's not my fault that you couldn't control yourself." Clark
gave her an innocent look.

"Why you...." she lifted her hand to hit him.

Clark caught her hand in his and pulled her to him, giving her a
kiss.

"You didn't let me finish," he paused a moment for effect. "and
it's not my fault that you looked so irresistible with nothing
more than a wash cloth in your hand that I got carried away." He
gave her another kiss.

"Am I forgiven?"

"You're forgiven." She reached over and kissed him.

The couple ate their meal in relative silence as they enjoyed the
warm afternoon and the scenery. After eating their fill they put
away the remainder of the lunch. Too full with their delicious
lunch to go snorkeling as they had originally planed to do, the
couple waded into the ocean. "The water is so clear that you can
see the ocean floor," Clark said as he peered down into the
ocean. Suddenly, without any warning, he felt a shove from
behind. He turned and looked at Lois.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to push you into the water, but you don't seem to want to
cooperate," she gave him another shove.

Clark turned and before she could move, he picked her up and
walked deeper into the water.

"Clark, don't you *dare* throw me in." She squealed as he held
her over the water.

"Weren't you just trying to do the same thing to me?" He brought
her body closer to the water.

"But that was different." She held on tighter to his neck.

"Really, how is it different?" Her feet started to touch the
water.

"Because...." Lois tightened her hold on his neck and reached up
to give him a kiss, hoping to distract and dissuade him from his
plans.

Clark responded to the kiss and then dropped her into the water.

Lois came up sputtering. She looked up at a laughing Clark.
Catching his legs, she tried to flip him and bless his heart he
let her pull him into the water, she knew that no power on earth
could move him if he didn't want to be moved, yet he had allowed
her this small victory.

Acting surprised, Clark grabbed her and dragged her back into the
water with him. The couple played in the water for a long while,
before getting out and walking to their blanket. Feeling
pleasantly lazy after their meal and little excursion, Lois laid
back on the blanket and rested her head in Clark's lap.

"Our first full day as a married couple," she picked up Clark's
hand and brought it to her lips and kissed his ring finger. "I
never want this day to end."

"Me neither." He gently caressed her face with his free hand. "I
never thought that I could ever be as happy as I am right now."
He ran his hand through her hair as he gazed into her eyes. " I
thought that because I was different, that I would never have a
normal life, I ...." His voice broke as he searched for words to
describe his feelings. "I thought that I would always be alone."
He raised her hand to his lips. "Until a certain tenacious,
pigheaded..."

Lois broke in.

"Pigheaded? I am *not* pigheaded!"

Clark continued to speak as if she hadn't spoken. "Pigheaded
reporter got under my skin," his voice filled with emotion. "She
made me feel things that I never felt before, with her by my side
I knew that I would never be alone again." He leaned over and
gently brought his lips to hers.

"Oh, Clark," Lois raised her hand and gently caressed his face.
"I love you so much."

Clark leaned over, his lips pressed tender kisses over her face
before he finally brought his lips to hers. The couple kissed
long and hard before they finally came up for air. They held each
other for a long moment, reveling in their overwhelming love for
each other.

"Let's take a picture so that we can capture this day forever."
Lois saw a couple in their early sixties, holding hands and
talking further down the beach. "Let's ask that old couple to
take our picture." She picked up the camera out of its case and
pulled Clark with her as she walked up to the couple.

"Excuse me, but would you mind taking our picture?"

"Sure, young lady." The man took the camera that Lois handed
him.

The couple pose for the picture. Lois leaned back on Clark, he
wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her
right shoulder, they smiled happily into the camera as the
stranger snapped several pictures before handing the camera back
to Lois.

"On your honeymoon?" asked the woman.

"Is it that obvious?" Laughing, Lois wiped some sand off of
Clark's face.

The woman also laughed. "You two just have a glow about you...as
if you just discovered the world. That's the look of
honeymooners."

The woman held out her hand and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Serena Judd Norcross and this..." She wrapped her arm
around the waist of the man that stood beside her, "Is my
husband, Billy Norcross." The couples shook hands as Lois and
Clark introduced themselves. Lois and Clark thanked the couple,
and walked off laughing hand in hand towards their cottage.

"You know... they remind me of us." Billy Norcross turned and
looked at his wife.

"Norcross and Judd, the best darn reporting team at the Daily
Times," Said Serena as she squeezed her husband's waist.

"Still partners, the best of friends and lovers after thirty
years of marriage." Billy Norcross returned the squeeze.

The couple stood and watched as Lois and Clark walked off.

THE END