Cruise Control

By Zoomway

"That's the situation as it stands, boys and girls. There's a
butcher out there making mincemeat of single women he finds at
typical 'singles' functions."

"I know," Clark sighed. "Even Superman says he can't get a
handle on the guy. He's been keeping an eye on singles clubs,
bars and dating services but has come up empty."

"It's not just Superman," Lois added, giving Clark a reassuring
look. "The police have been staking out the same places all over
town, but this guy seems to slip right past them."

"Not enough man power," Ralph shrugged. "There's thousands of
singles joints in Metropolis. Believe me, I know."

Perry grinned. "Is that knowledge from research or empirical in
nature, son?"

Ralph frowned, "Empirical?"

Lois put a hand on Ralph's back. "The chief wants to know if you
ran research on all the singles 'joints' in town, or if your
knowledge comes from the personal experience of striking out in
all of them."

"Not...all of them," Ralph said, straightening his undersized
jacket. "I still have about 200 I haven't given a break yet."

Jimmy shook his head and smiled. "Chief, if this is some kind of
undercover assignment, I'm volunteering."

"Well, I do have an undercover assignment in mind, Jimmy."

"Isn't that a pretty big long shot, Chief," Clark offered.

"I agree, Perry," Lois sighed. "The odds of one of us hitting up
a singles club and getting lucky...um...I mean being at the same
bar this guy hits up, aren't terribly good."

"I agree. That's why I'm narrowing the odds," Perry smiled, and
held up a broadside advertising the launch of Titanic II.

Lois grabbed up the garish advertisement. "This is the tackiest
thing I've ever seen!" she said, and began reading aloud,
"'Experience the singles fantasy of a lifetime on the high seas!
With free setups in all 18 bars on board, the seas have never
been higher! Join us on the *steer*age deck for the best
all-you-can eat barbecue buffet! Grab a life preserver and join
us in one of 75 hot tubs! If this ship hits an iceberg, it's only
to create our world famous SOS daiquiris! Don't miss the maiden
voyage of Titanic II (maidens welcome but experience
preferred)'." Lois tossed the offending poster onto the table.
"Perry, you can't be serious."

"75 hot tubs!" Ralph said, his eyes slightly glazed.

"As a heart attack, Lois. You, Clark and Olsen will have cabins
fairly close together."

"Yes!" Jimmy shouted, pulling his fist through the air.

Ralph rose from his chair. "What about me?"

"'Cabins'? Plural?" Clark asked, obviously unhappy with the turn
of events.

"It's a singles cruise, Kent."

"What about me?"

"Perry, couldn't Clark and I play singles who meet and move
fast?"

"Lois--"

"What about me!"

"Ralph, I've already got two reporters on the ship and a
photographer, so you'd just be--"

"An expert on the Titanic!"

"How's that, son?"

"I know all about the Titanic, and it's not imperial knowledge
either. It's all research."

"He might be a good front man for us, Chief," Lois suggested.

"She's right, Perry. If we have an 'official' reporter from the
Planet covering the cruise laying some background on the original
Titanic, then--"

"Then if the killer decides to take the cruise, he won't suspect
there's other reporters on board." Perry nodded thoughtfully.
"Okay, Ralph, you're on."

"Thank you, Mr. White!"

"Thank Kent," Perry said. "It was his suggestion, so you'll be
sharing his cabin since I can't book another one this late."

"Now wait a minute!" Clark protested.

"Chief, to be fair it was *my* suggestion," Lois said, and then
regretted the statement instantly.

"Ooh," Ralph purred, and slicked back the phantom hair atop his
head.

Clark sighed loudly. "What's wrong with Lois and I sharing a
cabin? I mean who's really going to know, Chief?"

"No chance," Perry said. "This guy we're looking for is smart,
and he preys on *single* women, Clark. If he sniffs around and
finds out Lois is sharing a cabin with a man, he'll back off."

Clark folded his arms. "That's another thing. This puts Lois too
much at risk."

"Hold it!" Lois interrupted. "I can take care of myself,
Clark."

"This man is a killer, Lois."

"I've held my own with all--"

"Time out!" Perry shouted. "Lois's cabin will be wired and
monitored at all times from the adjoining cabin."

"A cop is going to be peeping on me?"

"Not exactly a cop, Lois," Perry soothed.

Lois shook her head. "Then what?"

"Me."

Everyone turned and faced the man who entered the conference
room. "Scardino?" Clark's eyes instantly narrowed. "Why do we
need a DEA agent?"

"I've got a gun and a badge if it makes you feel better, Kent,"
he said and shot a smile to Lois that contained more teeth than
the average great white shark. "You look even more beautiful than
I remember, Lois."

"She's also more *married* than you remember." Clark said, and
put a possessive arm around Lois's shoulders.

"*Happily* married, Dan," Lois added, suppressing a smile over
Clark's testosterone posturing.

"I'm sensing a little history here," Ralph said.

Jimmy leaned backward toward Ralph and whispered, "Lois and
Scardino used to date, but she dumped him for CK."

"Even better," Ralph smiled. "Bad blood."

"The DEA booked passage for Agent Scardino because there was a
tip about a synthetic drug being transported on the Titanic
replica."

Scardino shrugged. "With me already on board, your boss asked if
I'd keep an eye on Lois, and I can't think of anything that would
make a cruise more pleasant."

Lois glanced at Perry. "How did you know the DEA had been tipped
off?"

"Because the tip was phoned into the Planet first," Jimmy said,
sounding rather proud. "I took the call."

"Ah," Clark nodded, and raised his eyebrows in a manner Lois had
come to know as Clark's 'gotcha' mode. "So what *really* happened
is that Perry phoned the DEA about the tip, Scardino recognized
the name, and just *happened* to volunteer for the assignment."

"Hey, I didn't have to volunteer. This assignment called for the
best, and so this was a job for--"

"Superman," Clark interrupted. "He could just x-ray the cargo,
find the drugs...problem solved."

"As much as I'd love to have Superman as my drug-sniffing
partner, it isn't just about finding the drugs, Kent. I have to
find out where they came from and who's picking them up."
Scardino shrugged. "I'll be spending a lot of time rifling
cargo."

"Wait a minute," Clark protested. "If you're busy 'rifling'
cargo, who'll be watching Lois?"

Jimmy quickly grabbed Ralph's raised hand and lowered it. "CK's
not in the mood for jokes," he whispered.

"Who's joking?"

"Relax, Kent," Scardino said. "Whenever Lois is in her cabin,
I'll be at my monitors. When she leaves, I'll be checking out the
cargo or catching a nap. I assume you can keep an eye on your
wife the rest of the time."

"Since I obviously have no voice in this other than the
'helpless female'," Lois said, and began walking for the door.
"I'll go home and pack."

"Lois--"

"Maybe it'll be *nice* to be single for a few days." Lois
slammed the door with sufficient force to cause a map of
Metropolis to tumble from the wall.

"Well," Scardino said, cutting through the momentary silence. "I
*definitetly* remember her temper."

"Just means she's passionate," Ralph said as he pulled a piece
of fried chicken from a greasy sack. "She's probably a real
wildcat when she makes--"

Clark's palms slapped down heavily on the tabletop just in front
of Ralph who was suddenly finding it hard to swallow the chicken.
"You weren't going to make a very personal comment about my wife,
were you, Ralph?"

Ralph only managed to shake his head since he could not convince
the food in his throat to commit to a direction.

"Good," Clark smiled, and then turned his face to Scardino.
"Because I'd sure hate for you to be the first casualty
registered by the Titanic in over eighty years."

"Uh, Clark," Perry said, stepping in. "Maybe you'd better go
home and get some packing done too."

"Sure, Perry," Clark said, and smiled in a fashion that

indicated his flash of indignation was more theatrical than
hostile, and though 'smug' was rarely an adjective that would
apply to Clark Kent, there was no other way to describe the
expression on his face when he glanced back at Scardino before
exiting. "For what it's worth," he said, "Ralph is *so* right."

***

Everyone arrived at the dock in separate cabs. All except Clark
and his 'roommate' Ralph of course. The latter was hanging his
head out the window like a carsick beagle, and the former was
yawning after spending most of the night trying to apologize to
Lois.

"What a rip-off!" Ralph whined.

"What?"

"Are you blind? Look at it!"

Clark sighed and lowered his gaze to look out Ralph's window.
Though having seen some truly awe-inspiring sights in his
travels, Clark's jaw dropped slightly as he caught a glimpse of
the behemoth looming in the intermittent fog. "Incredible," he
whispered. "That thing must be over a thousand feet long."

"1,029 feet," Ralph sighed, obviously disappointed.

"Are you saying it isn't a faithful replica?"

"No, at least from here it looks like an exact replica."

"Then what--"

"Of the 'Normandie', Kent, *not* the Titanic. I mean geez,
anyone could tell at a glance." Ralph cleared his throat. "Well,
almost anyone. There's only three funnels for one thing."

Clark took another look. "You're right," he said, and to Ralph's
surprise smiled. "I'm impressed Ralph, you really do know these
old liners."

Ralph, a man who rarely received a compliment, found himself
somewhat tongue-tied. "Well...I...I just love these old ships."

"6.50," the cab driver said.

"I've got it," Clark nodded.

"Okay, I'll get our bags and board the ship."

Clark paid the cabby and then approached the gangway slowly. The
ship looked like a skyscraper at sea. Ralph, burdened down with
luggage, breezed past carried forward by enthusiasm alone. "This
is so cool!"

Clark shook his head and smiled. He placed his hands in his
pockets and continued to stare at the magnificent anachronism of
the Normandie replica. It boasted silently in the fog of an era
of bygone elegance. A time when the world moved slower, love
lasted longer and the closest thing to 'fast food' was a Coney
Island hot-dog and a nickel beer.

"CK.?"

Clark shook himself back to the present, "Hey, Jimmy. Got all
the gear Perry wanted?"

"Sure, CK., but I was wondering...I mean--"

"Just say it, Jimmy."

Jimmy took a deep breath. "I was kind of worried. I mean you
almost went totally postal on Ralph yesterday, and--"

Clark laughed loudly and patted Jimmy on the back. "That was
mostly for show, Jimmy. Don't worry."

Jimmy sighed with relief. "Scardino?"

"I guess," Clark shrugged and resumed walking toward the ship.
"The guy just...I don't know...he gets to me."

"Want some friendly advice?"

Clark smiled. He knew he'd get Jimmy's advice anyway, "Sure."

"Play it casual. Think L.L. Bean instead of GQ."

"You want me to wear flannel?"

It was Jimmy's turn to laugh. "You know what I mean. A casual
attitude. Once a guy knows he's got control of your dashboard,
he's gonna keep pushing your buttons."

Clark stopped walking and placed a restraining hand on Jimmy's
shoulder. "Is it just me, or are you a bit more...well, metaphor
enhanced today?"

"You noticed!" Jimmy replied, or 'gushed' might be more
descriptive. He reached into a gear bag and pulled out a
paperback and handed it to Clark. "Check it out, CK. It's the
most amazing book I've ever read."

Clark glanced at the title: 'Moving Up the Food Chain: A Primer
for Bottom Feeders'. Clark handed the book back. "Jimmy, you are
*not* a 'bottom feeder'."

"Not now," he nodded. "Now that I've got this book."

"Jimmy, you don't need a book to--"

"Sorry, CK.," Jimmy interrupted and started running. "There's a
blonde on the dock who desperately needs my phone number!"

Clark began walking again. "Bottom feeders?" He whispered and
then raised his gaze and noticed Scardino leaning on the gangway
talking to a man in his late fifties or early sixties dressed in
a captain's uniform. Lois stood nearby, her arms folded, a stance
Clark faced most of last night. He squared his shoulders and
began to walk up the gangway. Since he wasn't supposed to know
either of them, he felt just passing by them would be the best
strategy. However, Scardino's glib patter grated on him, and when
he heard him comment, "She's a beautiful replica of the Titanic,"
Clark could not resist saying, "She's a replica of the Normandie
*not* the Titanic," as he passed by.

The captain's hand reached out and snagged Clark's coat. "How'd
you know that, young man?"

"Lucky guess?" Scardino smiled.

Clark looked at the captain. "Some guys know their ships," he
shrugged, and then looked at Scardino. "And some guys can't tell
their ship from shinola."

The captain began to laugh so hard he had to hang onto Clark for
support. When he finally got his wind back he clapped a hand on
Clark's shoulder. "Son, how would you like to see the bridge and
the wheelhouse?"

"Sounds great," Clark smiled. He wrapped his attitude in
flannel, and disappeared up the gangway with the captain.

Lois smiled rather admiringly. "Point goes to Kent."

"I thought you were sore at him."

"I am," she said, and walked over next to Dan and leaned on the
gangway railing. "But I'm also in love with him, and so I can't
be *completely* blind to his charms."

"I still don't get why you chose Kent over me."

"If it makes you feel any better, Dan, I didn't 'choose' Clark
over you," she said wistfully. "I was already in love with Clark,
so it was no contest."

"Somehow that *doesn't* make me feel better." Scardino shook his
head. "Tell me, is this one of those 'talk show' moments where a
woman says she'll stay with a guy who cheats on her, or has kept
some deep dark secret from her?"

Lois smiled. "I wouldn't stay with Clark if he cheated on me."

"Yet you went back to Kent even though nothing changed. He was
still running out on you, leaving you stranded, not letting you
finish a sentence, making you feel humiliated," Scardino said,
counting the infractions off on his fingers. "At least that's
what you cried on my shoulder about the first time we went out
together."

"I also complained to *you* about *you*, Dan. You thought gifts
could solve everything, you wouldn't tell me about your work, and
you horned in on my date with Clark," Lois countered, mimicking
Scardino's countdown.

"Touche. But why was Kent's mistreatment forgivable?" Scardino
asked, and then swiftly brought up his index finger. "And if you
say it's because you 'loved' him, then you're no different from
the women on those talk shows."

Lois propped her elbows on the railing and leaned her head back
gazing up at the mammoth ship. The rising fog now obscured the
funnels. "I thought Clark was afraid. I wasn't sure if he was
afraid of commitment, intimacy, or maybe of just falling in love,
but I wanted to find out." She brought her gaze back down to
Scardino. "I decided I needed to show him that *I* wanted to have
a committed relationship with him."

"So you dumped me."

"And Superman."

"Perfect," he nodded. "So if I want a woman to adore me, I just
have to run out on her every time the conversation shifts to
something important in our relationship."

To Scardino's surprise and despite obviously baiting Lois, she
did not show the slightest flash of anger. "Actually," she
smiled, "the only way it works is if the disappearing act is in
total contradiction to the man's other qualities."

"Contradiction?" Scardino shook his head. "So, basically the guy
just has to come across as Joe Romantic and he can pull the
Houdini act over and over and the woman will forgive him because
Houdini is a contradiction to Joe Romantic?"

"You just don't get it, Dan." Lois sighed. "It's not about
*forgiveness*. It's about the woman finally realizing that
running away is the last thing in the world he would do if he had
a choice, and coming back to her is the only thing he lives for."
She patted Dan on the shoulder. "Otherwise, you might as well
be...Inspector Gadget."

Scardino watched with unabashed admiration as Lois walked up the
gangway. "Wowsers."

***

Part 2

Clark grumpily straightened his tie. It was time for the 'get
acquainted' brunch. "Where's the grand salon, Ralph?"

Ralph whistled off key as he applied an aftershave that smelled
a bit like a fresh mown lawn. "That would be the first class
lounge. It's on the promenade deck."

"Thanks," he sighed.

"Hey, cheer up, Clark. I've been watching babes march up that
gangplank all day. It's like Playboy having an army!" He slapped
Clark on the back. "You know the old saying, you're married, not
dead."

"Uh huh."

"Come on, man, let's make history," he said, and exited the
cabin.

Clark took one last look in the mirror. "Waterloo," he
whispered.

***

The grand salon was filled beyond capacity. All seats were
occupied, and people were milling about in small groups
everywhere. The overflow cluttered the promenade deck >from the
lounge vestibule to the upper elevators. Clark was not really
claustrophobic by nature, but with so many bodies in close
quarters awash in perfume, aftershave, shampoo, deodorant, and
breath spray spritzing intermittently like defective sprinklers,
he felt all his senses were suffering an overload. Despite the
discomfort he scanned the assembled men attending the brunch
trying to memorize their faces, clothing and the women they were
trying to impress.

It was obvious even at a glance that men outnumbered women two
to one and that made keeping tabs all the more difficult. When
alcohol was added to the mix, men who had been content earlier to
simply out-posture a rival, began initiating shoving matches
preceded by the customary shouts of profanity. Clark was pleased
that there was a big show of security on the ship and nothing was
allowed to get out of hand before a guard would step out of
nowhere and escort a troublemaker away. He was actually hoping
that the large security force would dissuade the killer from
making a move, if in fact he had made this cruise at all.

After a few minutes Clark spotted Lois. She was surrounded by
three hopefuls whose small talk ranged from what type of car they
probably didn't drive to what they probably didn't do for a
living. Clark was about to step closer when a tall redhead with
green eyes blocked his path. "Don't I know you?" she asked.

"I don't think so," Clark said, still trying to key in on the
men who surrounded Lois.

"Would you like to?"

Clark took a good look at the woman, and she was really very
striking. That in itself made it seem odd that she would have to
approach a man, unlike the other attractive women who seemed to
have to fend them off. "Well, I guess that's the point of this
cruise, isn't it?" he said, his voice rather nervous.

"Exactly," she smiled and extended her hand. "I'm Samantha. I
work at Slow Joe's in Suicide Slum. Ever hear of it?"

"Sorry, I'm afraid I haven't."

She reached into the low neckline of her dress and extracted a
card. "Got a pen?"

Clark fumbled in his jacket until he found a pen. "Here ya go."

"Thanks," she smiled again and wrote a phone number on the back
of the card and handed it to Clark along with his pen. "It's the
best strip club in Metropolis."

With great precision Clark's jaw, his pen and Samantha's card
all dropped in unison. His face turned scarlet as he clumsily
retrieved the card and pen from the deck. "Sorry," he said, his
face still burning.

"Don't sweat it, it's just a promotional gimmick from my boss.
But what the hey, I got a free cruise out of it."

Clark adjusted his glasses. "Your boss was smart."

The woman shrugged. "He wanted to upgrade the class of guys at
the club, and you looked like what he had in mind."

"Well, I'll sure keep it in mind."

"Great," she said and then her eyes shifted to a very muscular
young man in a tank top. "Duty calls," she said, and vanished
into the crowd.

Clark sighed with relief and then turned his attention back to
Lois. The competition had narrowed to one man, a very tall, and
intimidating man. He had obviously scared off the rivals. He
appeared to be the type of man nobody would initiate a brawl with
even if hopelessly drunk. The man kept trying to touch Lois, but
she kept politely but firmly blocking his progress. Her
assignment placed her in a bad position. She could ill afford to
completely put off any man in case he turned out to be the one
they were looking for. On the other hand, she didn't want to
spend the balance of the cruise being dusted for fingerprints.

Clark wanted to intervene, but he too was put in a bad position.
His fight with Lois over treating her as a 'helpless female',
precluded a 'heroic' approach. He glanced at a tray laden with
booze, poured a third of a bottle of gin on his shirt, dried it
with heat vision, took a swig, rumpled his hair, loosened his
tie, and approached Lois with a very unsteady gait. He stopped
within just a few feet of Lois and began applauding. Lois and her
goonish companion looked at him. Clark extended his hand to Lois,
"Congratulations, you're the winner!" he said, and then belched.

Lois took his hand and tried not to smile. "The winner?"

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded. "I personally scoped every babe on this
barge and you won the 'babe I'd most like to share a lifeboat
with' contest." He belched again.

"Sleep it off, pal," the goon interrupted. "You smell like a
distillery."

Clark deliberately ignored the goon, and kissed Lois's hand.
"You're like food to a drowning man."

The goon grabbed Clark's shoulder and spun him around to face
him. "That's food to a *starving* man, geek, and I thought I told
you to go sleep it off."

Clark lowered his head and held his arms out apologetically
while he swayed unsteadily on his feet. "Hey, I didn't mean
anything by it," he said, and with his head bowed forward was
able to peer over the frames of his glasses. He focused a wide
beam of heat vision below the man's belt.

Lois knew exactly what Clark was doing. There was suddenly a
smell suspiciously like laundry subjected to a steam iron filling
the air. As the goon shifted from side to side uncomfortably,
Lois managed her most innocent look. "Something wrong, Dirk?"

"I...I think I was supposed to play tennis with somebody," he
said, but a smile turned into a grimace as he hurried off.

Clark put his arm around Lois's waist and then quickly moved her
in the opposite direction. "It won't take long before he cools
down."

"Relatively speaking," Lois said as they sped by the elevators
into the theater.

"Was his name really 'Dirk'?"

"Aren't all airline pilots named Dirk?"

Clark laughed. "All the phony ones."

After successfully navigating past the emergency engine room,
the library, well, to correspond with the original Normandie the
door was marked 'library', but it was actually a sauna with
pictures of book covers on the wall, Lois and Clark found
themselves in the winter garden. "Oh, it's beautiful," Lois
sighed.

"And *quiet*."

Lois turned and straightened Clark's tie. "Thanks for the
non-rescue rescue."

"Well," he said softly, "I didn't want you to feel like a
'helpless female'."

"It wasn't so much about the 'helpless female' thing that upset
me. It was you competing--"

"With Dan."

"Yes." She brushed his lips gently. "There is *no* competition
there, Clark."

"I know that, Lois," he said, his voice even softer than before.
"It's just that he gallops in from the past like nothing has
changed."

"Trust me, things *have* changed." Lois placed her mouth over
Clark's and smiled into the kiss as she tasted gin. "I knew it,"
she cooed. "You did the Paul Newman bit right down to using
gin."

Clark raked his lower teeth across her lips and then nuzzled the
side of his head against hers. He whispered, "But I forgot to
sneeze and wipe my nose on my tie."

Lois tilted her head backward and laughed. Clark pressed his
lips to her throat. He loved to feel the vibration of her
laughter. "I'll never forget that night we watched The Sting at
my parents' house," he whispered as his lips moved down her
neck.

"You were out of control."

"So," he mumbled. "It's your fault. You're the one who insisted
we have dinner with my folks the last night of our honeymoon
vacation time."

Lois, her eyes closed, stroked Clark's hair. "Well, it just
didn't seem fair that Jimmy and Perry would be the first people
to see us after the honeymoon."

"Mm hm," Clark replied as he sneaked down the strap of Lois's
dress.

"Besides, I couldn't wait to tell your mom about the
honeymoon."

Clark straightened slowly. "My mom?"

"Girl talk."

"My *mom*?"

"Relax, Clark...geez, it was nothing specific." Lois smiled. She
loved Clark's slightly prudish side.

"Define 'nothing specific'."

"Look! A coke machine next to the verbena."

"Lois--"

"Clark, I'm dying of thirst," she said offhandedly as she
dropped quarters into the machine.

"About my mom--"

"Nuts!"

"What?"

"You distracted me, Clark. I meant to hit Diet Coke but ended up
hitting Dr Pepper." She handed the soda to Clark. "You can inhale
poisonous gas, so you should be able to handle this."

"I like Dr Pepper, Lois, and don't change the subject."

Lois shook her head. "I don't see how. It tastes like cough
medicine mixed with carbonated prune juice."

"Lois--"

"All right, all right!" Lois sighed loudly. "I had a talk with
your mom before we got married and told her...well...I told her
that I hoped I wouldn't disappoint you on the honeymoon because I
didn't enjoy...sex."

Clark spewed a fountain of soda the length of the garden and
began to cough and sputter. Lois patted his back. "I tried to
warn you about Dr Pepper."

Clark ran the back of his hand over his dripping chin. "Are we
talking about the *same* Lois Lane? The 'Lois, we haven't tried
the kitchen table yet, Lane'?"

"I said 'didn't' *past tense*, Clark." She blushed slightly.

"And *after* the honeymoon?" he asked, and nudged her
playfully.

Lois shook her head and folded her arms. "Forget it. You're
being too smug."

"Come on," Clark cajoled. "Tell me."

"Nope," Lois smiled. "Huh uh, sorry."

Clark shrugged casually. "Okay, then I'll just call my mom and
ask *her*."

"You wouldn't dare."

Clark pulled out his cell phone and wagged it in front of Lois.
"We're not that far from shore."

Lois made a lunge for the phone but only succeeded in knocking
Clark, and thus herself down onto a soft bed of cool, freshly
turned sod. Lois pinned his arms above his head and smiled down
at her husband. Strangely enough, it was more often moments like
this than when Clark was performing some super feat that Lois
thought of him being Superman. Who would believe that she could
leave the 'Man of Steel' helpless and breathless and without an
ounce of Kryptonite.

"Okay," Clark sighed. "Now that you've got me right where I want
you...tell me what you told my mom."

"All right," Lois relented. "I told your mom I was worried
because I wanted your first intimate experience to be a good one,
and I was scared that I wouldn't--"

"Wait a minute. You told my mom that I was...that I never..."

"Your parents didn't know you were a virgin?" Lois smiled. "I
didn't think there was anything you kept from your parents. They
thought you had experience?"

Clark blushed. "Well the subject really never came up until that
Stephonvitch woman said Superman fathered her 'love child'. Then
when my parents said the idea was 'laughable', I kind of felt--"

"Defensive?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "I guess so."

Lois released Clark's wrists and melted down on top of him.
"Well, for what it's worth, your parents told me they had no
experience either except with each other," she said and started
kissing Clark's neck. "Although they said they didn't exactly
wait for the wedding night."

Clark sighed against her hair. "I'm not sure I want that much
detail about my parents' past, Lois."

Lois untied his tie and pulled it through his collar. "If it
makes you feel any better, I told your parents that if it weren't
for my 'skittishness', we'd have been lovers long before the
marriage."

"Hm," he moaned as she kissed him aggressively. "There were a
couple of times we almost *didn't* wait."

"Yeah. I told your parents about those times too."

Clark dropped his head back. "This from a woman who said she had
trouble opening up about personal feelings."

"Well, your parents are like Perry," she shrugged. "They want
details."

"Perry," Clark sighed. "We're not exactly carrying out the
assignment he put us on."

"You want me to stop?"

"No."

"Then shut up and take it like a man of steel."

***

Clark whistled happily as he entered his cabin. Ralph, in a much
less amiable mood, sat back on his bed reading the ship's
brochure. "You and Lane seemed to disappear for a couple of
hours."

"An investigative reporter's job is never done, Ralph."

"I saw you two duck into the winter garden. I got tired of
waiting after ninety minutes," he said. "Must have been a *lot*
there to 'investigate'."

"Trust me, Ralph," Clark smiled. "There was."

Ralph tossed the brochure on the bed. "How can you stand it?"

"*It*?"

"Being with the same woman all the time." He shook his head.
"Granted, Lois is hot...um...attractive and all that, but still,
it's got to get boring day after day with the same woman."

Clark, though at first tempted to fire back a defensive
response, was feeling a bit generous at the moment. Ralph was a
man he'd never seen with *one* woman let alone a variety of
women, Clark shrugged. "I guess I'm just not like you, Ralph."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he replied, suddenly finding
himself on the defensive end.

Clark sat on the edge of his bed and removed his shoes. "Just
that I never liked playing the field and I hated being single."
He stretched out and put his hands behind his head. "I love being
married," he smiled. "And with Lois, it's *always*
unpredictable."

"But tell me," Ralph said, lowering his voice. "If one of these
hot babes gave you an invitation, you'd turn her down?"

"Yep."

"That's it? Just 'yep'? You wouldn't even *consider* it?"

"That's it. I mean there was this tall, green-eyed redhead who
approached me, and --"

Ralph sat up. "Yeah...and!"

"And she was very attractive, but I wasn't interested."

"Oh, please."

Clark shook his head. "Ralph, she didn't even proposition me.
She was just trying to hype some strip club she works at called
Slow Joe's."

"Assuming such a place exists, which I doubt, since I've never
heard of it, you're saying that if she came on to you, you'd turn
her down cold?"

Clark sighed. He realized that he would never convince Ralph of
his loyalty and fidelity to Lois. "Let's just say I come from a
genetically faithful line of men."

"Shyeah, right." Ralph slumped back onto his bed. "What planet
are they from?"

"You'd be surprised," Clark laughed.

***

Lois hated getting dressed in the cramped bathroom, but since
her cabin was wired for sight and sound, it was the only spot
that allowed any privacy. She wasn't in the mood for dinner.
Especially not one more 'singles' feast. She was tired but
satisfied after her afternoon 'meeting' in the winter garden with
Clark and would prefer to snuggle next to him the rest of the
evening, and just...sleep.

Lois sighed hearing tapping at the cabin door. She wished it
would turn out to be Clark, but realistically expected Scardino
checking up on her. So she was quite surprised to see Jimmy
standing in the hallway. "Well," she smiled. "You look very
dapper, Mr. Olsen."

"Thanks, Lois. You look," he glanced up. "Wow! I mean...wow."

"Thanks," she laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. What
brings you down my way?" When young Mr. Olsen lowered his gaze,
Lois lifted his chin. "Jimmy?"

"I haven't been doing so hot with the women on this ship, and I
thought maybe if I could make a great entrance, I might get a
little respect."

Lois folded her arms. "So I'm supposed to be your charm
bracelet?"

Jimmy swallowed. "I'm sorry, Lois...I guess it's just
that...well, what I'm trying to say is--"

Lois looped her arm through Jimmy's and grabbed her purse. "You
sound just as tongue-tied as Clark," she smiled as she locked the
cabin door and headed up the corridor with Jimmy.

"CK gets tongue-tied?" Jimmy coughed, "I mean even *after*
you've been married?"

Lois rang for the elevator. "The day Clark stops getting
tongue-tied around me is the day I have to go back to sex appeal
school."

"There's a *school*?"

***

Clark tugged at his collar as he scanned the crowded ballroom.
By the evening festivity, many singles had become couples. No
doubt having made a date for this evening at the brunch. Ralph
nudged him. "You made a big mistake picking a traditional black
tuxedo, buddy boy."

Clark glanced down at Ralph's powder blue tuxedo accented with
navy satin lapels. "You could put an eye out, Ralph."

"Thanks," he smiled. "This beauty is going to get me a lot of
action tonight."

"Ralph--"

"On the dance floor," Ralph shrugged. "Lighten up!"

"Sorry. I hope you have a night to remember."

"You bet I'll--" Ralph cut himself off in mid-sentence as Lois
and her young escort entered the room.

Clark followed his gaze and smiled warmly. As Lois drew nearer,
Clark tugged at his collar again and licked his lips. More than
just his smile was feeling warm. He watched as Lois planted a
soft kiss on Jimmy's cheek. Clark nodded. Very classy.

Jimmy, receiving the great entrance he had wanted, whispered,
"Thanks," and then bowed rather gallantly. Lois smiled and then
the two parted.

Though Ralph would never admit it aloud, he suddenly understood
everything Clark was trying to tell him in the cabin. He shook
off the uncomfortable scent of orange blossoms. "Well, time to
mingle."

As Clark watched the rhapsody in blue satin fade into the crowd,
he wondered what brilliant pitch the salesman must have given
Ralph to sell him that tuxedo. The scarier thought of course was
that Ralph needed no persuasion at all. Clark shook his head and
turned away, but bumped into a thin, blonde man. "Sorry," he
said, as the man's drink spilled over the front of Clark's
tuxedo. It was the second time in the same day he wore a drink
rather than consumed one.

"No sweat," the man shrugged. "You're the one who got soaked."

Clark's eyes narrowed as he watched the man depart. He had a
strange feeling of deja vu, but couldn't place him. He would have
given the matter more thought, but felt a hand tapping on his
shoulder.

"I found it."

Clark turned to the voice. "Aren't you a little overdressed for
this party, Agent Scardino?" he asked, noting Scardino's blue
jeans and windbreaker ensemble.

"I'm not here for the pate`, Kent." Scardino shrugged. "You
mentioned your pal Superman being in on the bust, well, I found
the synth, and considering there might be an armed escort waiting
for it at the end of the line--"

"It wouldn't hurt to have Superman on your side."

"Something like that," Scardino conceded. "So, how do you
contact the big guy? Recite the boy scout oath three times over a
ouija board?"

"I usually rub two DEA agents together."

"Very good, Kent," Scardino said sweeping his arm toward the C
deck elevators. "I see some of your wife's smart lip has rubbed
off on you."

"Must be all that friction," Clark smiled as he exited the
ballroom.

Nagging at the back of Clark's conscience, however, was the
thought that Lois was on her own. He knew that Lois would make
the same choice if their places were reversed. If the killer
wasn't on board, then a nice little DEA bust at the end of the
line wouldn't be bad journalistic compensation. Still, Clark
found it impossible not to feel protective toward Lois even if it
was an issue that had caused a cold-shoulder showdown the night
before the voyage. Clark shook off the thought as the elevator
closed. "We going to the cargo hold?" he asked, and
surreptitiously lowered his glasses and shot a quick blast of
x-ray vision toward the ballroom.

"No, the garage. The guy hid the stuff under a spare tire of one
of the cars," Scardino said, and then sniffed.

"No offense, Kent, but you smell like a gin and tonic without
the tonic."

"Well...I--"

"I know how it is, Kent. I'd probably knock back a few myself if
my wife was dancing with every loser in Metropolis," Scardino
said and then quickly raised a hand. "And before you say it, I'm
*not* from Metropolis."

Clark shot another blast of x-ray vision to C deck as he stepped
into the garage. "Never crossed my mind, Scardino."

The two men weaved between the rows of cars until they came upon
a nondescript sedan. Scardino fished a key gun out of his
windbreaker. "Ever notice how all cars started looking like
Italian jogging shoes in the 80s?"

As the trunk opened, Clark barely caught a glimpse of the spare
tire before he was hit with a wave of vertigo. That was quickly
followed by extreme muscle pain. Kryptonite. He staggered a few
steps from the car and then collapsed. Scardino slammed the trunk
and ran to Clark. "Kent?" He said and tapped Clark's cheek a
couple of times with the back of his hand. "Kent, wake up, it's
no fun slapping you if you're unconscious." Scardino shook his
head and grabbed Clark's wrist. He hoisted him onto his shoulders
and then groaned under the strain. "Better lay off those between
meal grand pianos, pal."

***

Part 3

Lois's feet were throbbing. Not only from dancing non-stop for
an hour, but from having every known shoe size finding itself
atop her toes. Just as the music ended, Lois noticed Scardino
leaning in the doorway of the ballroom. She took a step toward
the door, but her current dance partner held her back. "Another
dance?"

"Well, I'm flattered, but I promised him the next dance," she
said, tipping her head in the direction of Scardino.

"Snappy dresser," the man replied sarcastically as he walked
away.

Lois hurried to Scardino. "You find out anything?"

Scardino smiled. "I found out *three* things: you look hot in
red, your husband can't hold his liquor, and the synthetic drug
stash is in the garage."

"What?"

"Come on, I'll show you the stash."

"No, I mean about Clark."

Scardino blinked a couple of times. "He's drunk, Lois, not
dead."

"Dan!"

"Take it easy. He passed out so I took him to his cabin to sleep
it off. End of story." He handed her a key. "I fished it out of
his pocket. Go check on Prince Charming and then meet me back
here and we can check out the garage."

Lois pulled a key from her purse. "This is the key to my cabin.
Give it to Ralph and tell him I'm spending the night with
Clark."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but Kent is a big boy,
Lois. Trust me, I have the hernia to prove it."

"Dan, please." Her voice was plaintive, almost tearful.

"Okay, no problem. Which one is Ralph?"

"He was in Perry's office."

Scardino shook his head. "I don't remember what he looks like."

Lois sighed loudly, "He's at the bar getting drunk."

"Which one? There's twenty guys at the bar getting drunk."

Lois began running for an open elevator. "The one who looks like
he was mugged by the Commodores!" she called over her shoulder
just before the elevator closed.

"Ah," he nodded. "The shiny blue tux."

Scardino tapped Ralph on the shoulder. Ralph swiveled around
unsteadily. His head kept swaying from side to side. He tried to
focus his bloodshot eyes on Scardino. "Would you like to dance?"

Scardino folded his arms and smiled. "I make it a policy never
to dance with a guy wearing a suit louder than the music."

"You know," Ralph belched. "You're the only woman here who
appreciates my tuxedo."

"Jeez," Scardino moaned as he tugged Ralph from the bar. "I've
*got* to get a haircut."

***

Lois fumbled nervously with the key, dropping it twice before
seating it successfully in the keyhole. Before she had a chance
to turn it, however, the door opened from the inside. "Clark!"

"Hi, honey."

Lois launched herself at Clark and wrapped her long legs around
his waist and kissed every square inch of his face repeating the
phrase, "You're all right!"

"I'm fine, Lois," he smiled.

"Dan said you passed out."

"I did."

Lois's smile vanished and she slid her legs from his waist.
"What happened?"

"Scardino took me to the garage to show me the drugs. There's a
synthetic down there all right, but it's not drugs, it's
Kryptonite."

"Oh, God!"

"I know," Clark said and sat on the edge of the bed. "What's the
use keeping the real stuff locked up at STAR Labs if some
fruitcake with a chemistry set is cooking up fresh batches of a
synthetic?"

"Is it just as strong?"

Clark rubbed the back of his neck. "Initially, yes. I mean the
only other time I passed out was when I was first exposed to the
real thing. The difference is, I started getting stronger the
moment Scardino pulled me away from the stuff."

"None of that lingering weakness like with the real
Kryptonite?"

"None."

"It's still dangerous," Lois sighed. "We've got to get rid of
it."

Clark shook his head. "They'll just make more. I have a plan if
you don't have to get back to the ballroom right away."

Lois smiled wickedly as she sat on the bed next to Clark. "I
told Dan I'd be spending the night with you. Take as long as you
want."

Clark wrapped his arms around Lois and began a slow descent
backward. "I'm always thorough, Lois," he whispered.

***

The next morning at the Rodeo Roundup singles' breakfast, Ralph
sat in a corner wearing sunglasses while alternately chewing
aspirins and antacids. Lois and Clark, sharing a kiss in the
doorway as they entered, took pity on Ralph and sat opposite him
at the table. "Good morning, Ralph," Lois said cheerfully."

Ralph winced, "Don't shout."

"Rough night?" Clark whispered.

"Well, Kent, you told me to have a night to remember, and I
think I did."

"That's great."

Ralph shook his head. "A Night to Remember is the title of a
movie about the Titanic sinking."

"Ouch."

He shrugged. "All I know is that I woke up in a strange cabin
and have no idea how I got there."

"Oh...um, yes." Lois interjected. "Don't you remember that you
said you had a hot date and wanted a cabin to yourself, and so we
switched keys?"

Ralph pulled his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose. "I do
seem to remember a tall brunette with lots of teeth coming on to
me."

"Well," Lois smiled. "That must have been her."

"Yeah," he nodded thoughtfully. "It's coming back to me. It was
a pretty wild night as a matter of fact."

"That reminds me, honey," Clark said, trying to sound casual.
"You left the suntan lotion in the cabin."

"That's right. We were going swimming after breakfast," Lois
said, and hastily departed.

"Wait a half hour after eating," Ralph mumbled into a menu.

Clark picked up a menu and lowered his glasses. He focused his
x-ray vision on the car containing the synthetic Kryptonite.

"Ready to order?"

Clark glanced at the waitress. "No, not yet. I'm waiting on my
wi...wild girlfriend to...uh...get back."

The waitress shook her head and then addressed Ralph. "What
about you, sport? You waiting on your wi...wild girlfriend before
you order?"

Ralph lowered his menu and appraised the waitress from head to
toe. A rather sleazy grin curled his lips. "Are you volunteering
for the job, baby?"

Clark withdrew behind his menu as he saw Ralph's hand reaching
for the waitress. There was the resounding echo of a slap
followed rapidly by the waitress' retreat. Clark once again
focused on the garage. Lois had already jimmied the trunk and had
the spare tire moved out of the way. She peeled back the
carpeting and opened the secret compartment. "Hurry, Lois," Clark
whispered.

"You should have just waited till after breakfast to get the
lotion. You have to wait a half hour anyway."

Lois retrieved the box and held it up to toward the ceiling
smiling. She knew Clark was watching. She put everything back the
way it was in the trunk, minus the box of course, and quickly
exited the garage. Clark sighed aloud with relief. "You know, I
think I'll go ahead and order."

Ralph set down his menu revealing the remnants of a red
handprint on his cheek. "Maybe we should move to another table
first."

"Hi guys," Scardino said as he pulled up a chair. "Where's
Lois?"

"Getting suntan lotion," Ralph said and stared closely at
Scardino's face. "You've got a lot of teeth."

"I never come to breakfast without 'em."

"And you're a brunette."

Scardino placed his hands under his chin and began blinking
coquettishly. "I'm also a Sagittarius and enjoy long walks on the
beach. What's your sign, Ralph?"

"Oh, God!" Ralph pushed himself from the table and ran to the
exit. He turned at the doorway. "It wasn't fair dressing like a
woman and taking advantage of me when I was drunk!"

Lois bumped into Ralph as he was exiting. "Your friend is sick,
Lois. Sick!"

Lois returned to the table. "What was that all about."

"Oh nothing," Scardino sighed. "Just everyone from here to G
deck thinks I dressed up like a woman and took advantage of Ralph
last night."

"What!"

Clark laughed. "It seems the toothy brunette Ralph remembered
was Scardino."

Lois raised her eyebrows. "I'm surprised you chose Ralph.
Clark's so much better looking."

Clark waved a hand. "Don't go there."

"It's pretty pathetic when you think about it," Scardino nodded.
"I was in two different bedrooms last night and both times with
drunken men."

"For what it's worth," Clark said. "I appreciate the help last
night. I was kind of out of it."

Scardino was about to reply when he was interrupted by the sound
of a woman screaming. Everyone dashed out of the dining room
following the sound of the scream.

Clark x-rayed past the bystanders and saw that it was the
redhead who had approached him at the brunch. There was a rope
burn on her throat, but she was alive. Scardino muscled his way
through the crowd flashing his badge.

Jimmy found his way to Lois and Clark. "What happened?"

Lois grabbed his shoulder. "It seems the singles killer *is* on
this ship."

"Oh man, who did he kill?"

"No one," Scardino said as he threaded his way back through the
crowd, his arm around the woman's waist. "She's still alive but
pretty hysterical," he whispered. "I'm taking her to your cabin,
Lois. I'll stay with her until she's calm enough to give me a
description of the guy."

Lois nodded as she watched Scardino and the woman depart. She
turned to Jimmy. "Get on the STS and get a printout of the
singles places in Metropolis where he stalked and killed his
other victims.

When we get a description of the guy maybe security cameras at
those clubs can place him at the scene of the other murders."

Clark grabbed Jimmy's other shoulder. "Then call Metropolis PD
and tell them we suspect the singles killer is on this cruise."

"Got it," Jimmy nodded and vanished into the crowd.

Clark lowered his voice. "What about the you-know-what?"

"I completed phase one," Lois whispered, but I haven't started
on phase two yet."

"Okay, you finish phase two, and when that's done I'll super
speed the box back to its hiding place. In the meantime I'll give
Jimmy a hand."

"Sounds like a plan," she said and then kissed Clark softly and
turned to leave. Clark pulled her back into a very passionate,
very public kiss.

"Mm," she said, her voice breathless. "I guess you figured out
the same thing I did."

Clark nodded. "If we find the guy responsible for almost killing
that women is the same guy that killed the single women in
Metropolis--"

"We get to finish the cruise as a married couple."

"In the same cabin."

"Every night."

"Just at night?"

Lois laughed and pushed Clark away, "Go help Jimmy."

***

Scardino brought Samantha a glass of water. "Feeling any
better?"

"No," she sobbed. "I feel like I'm falling apart. It happened so
fast."

"Just take a few breaths and try and relax."

"I can't!" She wailed. "It was horrible! I was standing there.
Just standing!"

"Okay, take it easy."

"I mean I was trying to decide on the Rodeo Roundup or the
Autobahn buffet singles breakfast, and then 'bam'! A rope was
around my neck!"

"Autobahn buffet?"

***

"How's it going, Jimmy?"

Jimmy placed the phone next to his chest. "I'm on hold with the
police, but the printout is still spilling out over there. It
seems they're sending the name of every singles place in
Metropolis and putting an asterisk next to the ones where the
murders occurred."

Clark picked up the list. "Municipal efficiency in action," he
smiled. "I never realized how many singles clubs there were in
Metropolis." He shook his head. "They even have their
'specialties' listed."

Jimmy shook his head and pointed to the phone, apparently
connected to a living person at last.

Clark nodded, but continued to grin as he read the printout.
"The Frolic Lounge," he whispered. "Specializing in caring
waitresses dressed as nannies and nurses. All patrons should
dress in...diapers?"

"Thanks," Jimmy said, sounding a bit stunned as he hung up the
phone. "CK, you aren't going to believe this!"

"What, Jimmy?" Clark said, but kept reading the list of names.

"The detective working on the case doesn't think the attempted
murder here is connected to the murders at the singles clubs in
Metropolis. The police department was withholding a bit of
information from the press until all victims had been
identified."

Clark looked up. "And that would be?"

"Check it out. They were all men *dressed* as women!" Jimmy
shook his head. "Isn't that wild?"

Clark immediately looked back at the list. "Slow Joe's, the best
gay strip club in town. No wonder Ralph never heard of it."

"What?"

"The blonde man. It was his eyes! Oh, God," Clark whispered and
started to run.

"Hey, CK!"

"Not now, Jimmy!" Clark shouted, not slowing his pace. "I have
to find a ouija board!"

***

Within moments Superman knocked open the door to the cabin and
pulled 'Samantha' away from Scardino's unconscious body. He
wrapped 'her' wrists with a length of window piping, and then
knelt next to Scardino. He tapped his face with the back of his
hand. "Wake up, Scardino. This isn't much fun when you're
unconscious."

Scardino moaned and then his eyes fluttered open. "Superman?"

Clark offered his hand. "Agent Scardino."

Scardino took his hand and pulled himself into a standing
position. He rubbed his forehead. "That woman ain't no lady," he
groaned.

Clark removed 'Samantha's' wig revealing the blonde man he had
bumped into the night before. "She ain't no woman either."

The room was suddenly flooded with ship security who assured
Superman and Scardino that the suspect would be held in
protective custody until a police chopper could take him back to
Metropolis. Scardino folded his arms. "I guess Kent got in touch
with you."

"Yeah. He said Jimmy had found out the victims of the murders
were really men dressed as women."

"Ah," Scardino smiled. "The dawn finally breaks. When Ralphie
announced to the world that I had dressed as a woman when I took
him to bed--"

"Excuse me?"

"He was drunk."

Clark nodded. "Of course."

"Forget it."

"Forgotten. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd better tell Lois and
Clark that you're okay."

"Wait, Superman, I wanted to ask you--"

"Clark already told me that you wanted me there for a drug bust
when the ship docks tomorrow morning. Don't worry, I'll be
around."

"Uh, that too, Superman, but can I ask you something kind of
personal?"

Clark suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Remember when you, Kent and I were competing for Lois?"

"Well, I--"

"Then she chose Kent." Scardino shook his head. "I know how I
felt when she dumped me, but you...you're Superman."

Clark thought a moment. "All I can say is that when she told me
that she just wanted to be my friend, and there was someone else,
it felt like the world had been pulled out from under me."

"How'd you get over her?"

"I'll tell you if it ever happens." Clark smiled, and then was
gone in a blur.

***

The morning was bright and even a bit chilly on Taurus island,
but Scardino was sweating. "I hope you're nearby, boy scout," he
whispered and then leaped out of his hiding place. "DEA! Step
away from the car!"

Weapons appeared from every conceivable hiding place, and a few
that weren't. Scardino scrambled back to his hiding place as
shots cracked through the silence. "I hate Mondays."

An instant later the shots started ricocheting, and then were
silent. "The caped cavalry has arrived," Scardino said, and
cautiously crawled up into daylight again.

The men, their weapons on the ground, stood with their hands in
the air. All but one, a man holding a wooden box. He moved
forward one step. "Surprise, Superman!" He shouted, and opened
the box.

Superman pointed to himself. "For me?" he asked, and stepped up
to the stunned man.

Clark removed a vial filled with green liquid, removed the
stopper, and took a sip. He shrugged, "I can't say much for the
taste." He handed the vial to Scardino.

Scardino sniffed the fluid. "Nyquil."

"The cold medicine?"

Scardino nodded and then faced the suspects. "I hate to break
this to you, boys, but Nyquil can be bought in any drug store, so
I hope you didn't pay over six bucks for this stuff." He handed
the vial back to Superman. "I guess all that's left are the
arrests."

"You can't arrest us for buying Nyquil."

"True," Scardino shrugged. "Stupidity isn't even a misdemeanor,
but attempted murder is a no-no."

***

Scardino felt a pang in his chest when he saw Lois sleeping in a
deck chair, her head on her husband's chest. He took a deep
breath and approached them. "Kent," he whispered. "I'm going back
to Metropolis on the police chopper, but I wanted to thank you
for contacting Superman."

"I was glad I could help. Sorry the bust didn't exactly bring
down a big drug cartel."

"Yeah," he nodded. "But I think the guy who sold the bogus synth
will probably never be found...at least not alive. One of the
guys we busted said the paper-hanger was history."

"Paper-hanger?"

"Forger," Lois mumbled sleepily against Clark's chest.

Scardino smiled. "She's even smarter than you in her sleep."

"I know," Clark laughed softly and stroked Lois's hair. "I don't
know what I'd do without her."

"I have a feeling you'll never have to find out." Scardino
extended his hand. "Bye, Clark."

"Goodbye, Dan."

As Clark watched Scardino run toward the chopper, he thought of
the woman who had been in Dan's life a long time ago. A woman who
had been his partner, his friend, and someone he had much deeper
feelings for, but never got around to telling her. Then it was
too late.

Clark held Lois a little tighter. "I love you," he whispered
against her hair. He heard the sounds of men and women all around
him trying desperately to make that special connection, but as
the chopper lifted into the sky, Clark realized that sometimes
you only get one chance.

THE END