By ML Thompson <thomplaw@tbaytel.net>
Rated: PG
Submitted: March, 2006
Summary: A series of deleted scenes from Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman that prove that Lois isn't really galactically stupid where Superman is concerned.
Before you get started, WARNING! I'm not entirely sure if 'Galactically Stupid' is the name of the story or a description of me for writing it. I will tell you this: I've been working hard the past couple of months. And I tend to get a little punch-drunk when I'm tired. So… READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
One point of order. I was really disappointed that we weren't given any deleted scenes on the Lois and Clark DVDs (at least season one and two since that's all that have been released at the writing of this story). So this is my attempt to correct that — sort of <g>.
This is a fanfic based on the television show, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm borrowing these characters for a little fun and not for any profit. For a complete disclaimer, go to: http://www.thompsonlawoffice.ca/Disclaimer.htm
Thanks to Carol and Gerry for their corrections and their ideas. Their help, as always, is greatly appreciated. Furthermore, thanks to everyone for their comments on the Fanfic Message Boards. They were both encouraging and very helpful. Finally, my thanks to Tricia Walpole for her assistance in editing this story for the archives.
***
*Deleted Scene From The Pilot*
Lois pounded impatiently on the door. She'd told him she'd pick him up at nine. So why was he taking so long to answer? This was why she hated working with partners — they never took the job as seriously as she did. She raised her hand again when the door suddenly opened and…
Lois' mouth went slack when she saw… Muscles and sinew, knitted together in perfect unity. Or… well, she was getting ahead of herself. It was obvious that she'd interrupted his shower. His hair, although combed neatly back, was still wet. A single strand, stubbornly refusing its place with the rest of his hair, dropped onto his forehead leaving Lois with the sudden, and quite unexpected, impulse to push it back in place.
She fought the impulse off. And had it only been his hair, she might have been successful in ignoring the gorgeous specimen standing in front of her. But her eyes didn't stay on that lock of hair. Pretty much ignoring his face, her eyes sought to know the body. Arms that she'd have a problem getting both hands around. A broad chest with hard pecs which tapered into a narrow waist. Everywhere she looked, she was confronted by bulging muscles and nowhere could she spot an ounce of extra fat.
His body was still glimmering as small droplets of water clung to it. One suddenly took that moment to escape, running down his stomach to disappear in the simple white towel that was wrapped around his waist. Her tongue was suddenly begging to be allowed to dart out and catch that particular droplet.
Yet this entire exploration took only a matter of seconds before she managed to forcibly remind herself to look away, to meet his eyes. She was there for work. The Messenger. The shuttle. The space program. Story. Plot against. Right.
She cleared her throat, hoping that her voice would work in spite of the sudden lack of moisture in her mouth. "It's nine o'clock. I thought you'd be… Superman!" she exclaimed.
Those hard pecs. That rock solid body. Those bedroom eyes. Even that stubborn lock of hair. She instantly knew who he was.
"Superman?" Clark asked in confusion, even as he took a slight step back. "Lois, I…"
"Don't even try to deny it, Clark! Did you honestly think I wouldn't figure it out? What do you think I am? Galactically stupid?"
"But… Lois… I haven't invented Superman yet. That doesn't happen until later in this episode. Remember? You discover a bomb on the shuttle. Superman comes. Eats the bomb. Ringing any bells here?"
Lois let out a breath. "Okay, so maybe I jumped the gun a little, Clark. But I'm just so sick of all these stories that portray me as galactically stupid. After all, a pair of glasses. A flashy costume. A little bit of hair gel. Just how stupid do people think I am? And really, when you think about it, I make these amazing leaps of logic in order to get to the bottom of a story. So what's wrong with my figuring out the Clark/Superman connection before you invent Superman?" She glared at Clark, daring him to contradict her.
After a moment, he let out a breath. "You're right, Lois. There should be at least one story out there that shows how truly brilliant you are." Then his eyebrows crinkled. "There is one problem, though."
"What's that?"
"The love story."
"What do you mean? There's nothing that says I can't fall in love with you even though I figure out your secret."
"No. Of course not. But… well, that's what makes this love story so special, so unique. You instantly fall head-over-heels in love with Superman. Clark instantly falls head-over-heels in love with you. It's the ultimate love triangle."
Lois crinkled her eyebrows as she thought about that. He had a point. By figuring it out this early, was she risking the love story? Maybe. And what was more important to her — the love story or having people know she wasn't galactically stupid? A small grin quirked at the corner of her mouth as her eyes again wandered down his body. Well, maybe she wouldn't do it for the love story — after all, she wasn't entirely sure she believed in love — but… if she played her cards right, in three years she'd have exclusive access to that body. The grin on her face widened.
"Fine," she said with resignation. "We'll do this your way." She took a few steps back until she was again standing outside his hotel room.
He gave her a smile before softly closing the door.
Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand, knocking on the wood. She'd told him she'd pick him up at nine. So why was he taking so long to answer? This was why she hated working with partners — they never took the job as seriously as she did. She raised her hand again when the door suddenly opened and…
Lois' mouth went slack when she saw… Muscles and sinew, knitted together in perfect unity. Or… well, she was getting ahead of herself. It was obvious that she'd interrupted his shower. His hair, although combed neatly back, was still wet. A single strand, stubbornly refusing its place with the rest of his hair, dropped onto his forehead leaving Lois with the sudden, and quite unexpected, impulse to push it back in place.
She fought the impulse off. And had it only been his hair, she might have been successful in ignoring the gorgeous specimen standing in front of her. But her eyes didn't stay on that lock of hair. Pretty much ignoring his face, her eyes sought to know the body. Arms that she'd have a problem getting both hands around. A broad chest with hard pecs which tapered into a narrow waist. Everywhere she looked, she was confronted by bulging muscles and nowhere could she spot an ounce of extra fat.
His body was still glimmering as small droplets of water clung to it. One suddenly took that moment to escape, running down his stomach to disappear in the simple white towel that was wrapped around his waist. Her tongue was suddenly begging to be allowed to dart out and catch that particular droplet.
Yet this entire exploration took only a matter of seconds before she managed to forcibly remind herself to look away, to meet his eyes. She was there for work. The Messenger. The shuttle. The space program. Story. Plot against. Right.
She cleared her throat, hoping that her voice would work in spite of the sudden lack of moisture in her mouth. "It's nine o'clock. I thought you'd be naked… umm… ready," she said, meeting his amused expression. As he turned, heading for the washroom, she stepped inside, closing the door.
For a moment, she leaned against it, hoping people would appreciate the sacrifice she was making in order to keep the love story alive — even as, in her mind's eye, she was again exploring that body.
*Fade Out*
***
*Deleted Scene From Honeymoon In Metropolis*
Lois examined the equipment, ensuring they had everything ready for their surveillance. She had to admit, she was still slightly annoyed at Perry for assigning Clark to help her with this stakeout. If she had to listen to one more 'blushing bride' joke, she was going to hit someone.
Suddenly, Clark threw the blanket over their equipment and grabbed her from behind.
"Are you insane?" Lois gasped. Instead of answering her, he flipped her over to land on her back on the bed, his body pressing into hers. "Clark, this is not funny." Then, before she could say anything further, Clark's lips were on hers, his hands pinning hers to the bed.
What was he doing? They might be posing as newlyweds, but they weren't. In fact, she often barely tolerated his company. She squirmed beneath him, determined to dislodge his weight and then, perhaps drive her point home with a knee to a sensitive part of his anatomy.
Click.
"More towels? Yeah?"
Lois froze beneath Clark, suddenly understanding. The maid. She closed her eyes, returning Clark's kiss to assist in his illusion. They were posing as newlyweds. And she had told him, the last time they'd been caught in a compromising situation, to maintain that they were sharing a moment of passion so… God, his kiss was incredible. But then she knew that. She'd kissed him just before Trask had thrown her out of an airplane. But this… His body pressed into hers. His hands holding hers hostage. She opened her mouth slightly and was rewarded by the soft brush of his tongue, stroking inside her lower lip, sending sparks throughout her body. Her tongue came out to flick at his, attracting his attention as he chased her tongue back into her mouth.
"Oops. Sorry…"
In the back of her mind, Lois heard the maid's awkward apology and quick exit from the room. And then… No! Clark began to move back, finally releasing her lips and her hands. No!
Her arms came up immediately, pulling him back down and claiming his lips in a kiss of pure passion, even as her body moved restlessly under his.
"Lois, what are you doing?" Clark gasped, panting when he finally managed to break away.
"What? Are you honestly telling me you don't want me?"
"But…" Clark looked confused. "I thought you were in love with Superman," he said, his eyes lighting up as if glad to have found an argument that would get her to back off.
"Clark? What do you think I am? Galactically stupid? You are Superman!"
Clark's mouth fell slightly open. "How… how long have you known?"
Lois rolled her eyes, wishing that they could simply end this discussion and go back to the kissing part. "I told you that I knew who you were back when I saw you in that towel. You're the one who said we had to wait to allow for the whole love triangle thing. So… been there, done that, bought the t-shirt." She tugged again at his shirt. "Now why don't we just get down to business here?"
Lois smiled when a stunned Clark allowed her to pull her back to him, kissing her again. It wasn't long before kissing was no longer enough. Her hands snaked under his shirt, growling in frustration when she felt the Superman suit underneath. "Clark, how…" She pulled at the suit, trying to find a way to get her hands under it.
"Wait, wait, wait." Clark pulled back, struggling to catch his breath. "Lois, we can't."
"What do you mean we can't? We've done everything we're supposed to do. Now…"
"But this isn't the way things are supposed to go. We don't make love until we get married."
"Who came up with that stupid rule? No one consulted me about it. And tell me something, how does our moving the time-line up a bit hurt our love story?" She raised herself on her elbows as Clark moved back to take a seat on the side of the bed.
"It doesn't, but… well, don't you remember the curse?"
"The curse?"
"You know. Tempus. Lady Loisette. The Fox. You dying of some horrible disease if we consummate."
Lois allowed herself to collapse back on the bed, closing her eyes. "So…" she began after a moment, "…how do we break the stupid curse? I suppose we need a time machine."
Clark shrugged.
"I don't suppose you have one in your back pocket," Lois said, even as the reality of the situation sank in.
"Sorry."
"So…"
"So…"
"I guess we wait. If I recall correctly Tempus doesn't show up until season two. Although, to tell the truth, my memory of that first meeting is a little… foggy. It's almost as if someone tried to erase my memory."
"Yeah. That's how I feel, too. But… Lois, I don't think we have a choice."
"Fine." Lois rose to her feet. "Get the maid back in here."
As Clark rushed to do as commanded, Lois turned her attention to getting the bed straightened, concentrating on returning the camera equipment to the place they had been before their passionate interlude. She had to admit, she was still slightly annoyed at Perry for assigning Clark to help her with this stakeout. If she had to listen to one more 'blushing bride' joke, she was going to hit someone.
Suddenly, Clark threw the blanket over their equipment and grabbed her from behind.
"Are you insane?" Lois gasped. Instead of answering her, he flipped her over to land on her back on the bed, his body pressing into hers. "Clark, this is not funny." Then, before she could say anything further, Clark's lips were on hers, his hands pinning hers to the bed.
What was he doing? They might be posing as newlyweds, but they weren't. In fact, she often barely tolerated his company. She squirmed beneath him, determined to dislodge his weight and then, perhaps drive her point home with a knee to a sensitive part of his anatomy.
Click.
"More towels? Yeah?"
Lois froze beneath Clark, suddenly understanding. The maid. She closed her eyes, returning Clark's kiss to assist in his illusion. They were posing as newlyweds. And she had told him, the last time they'd been caught in a compromising situation, to maintain that they were sharing a moment of passion so… God, his kiss was incredible. But then she knew that. She'd kissed him just before Trask had thrown her out of an airplane. But this… His body pressed into hers. His hands holding hers hostage. She opened her mouth slightly and was rewarded by the soft brush of his tongue, stroking inside her lower lip, sending sparks throughout her body. Her tongue came out to flick at his, attracting his attention as he chased her tongue back into her mouth.
"Oops. Sorry…"
In the back of her mind, Lois heard the maid's awkward apology and quick exit from the room. And then… Clark began to move back, finally releasing her lips and hands.
Lois let him go, raising herself on her elbows. "Doesn't anyone knock around here?" she demanded, not quite able to meet Clark's gaze.
Okay, so it wasn't time. Still… Her eyes drifted down his body, not quite able to believe what she was willing to put up with if the end result was having access to that body. But when she finally did meet Tempus, she was going to make sure he paid for this.
*Fade Out*
***
*Deleted Scene From Fly Hard*
Lex and Clark moved in on each other, eyes locked, looking like two stags, circling each other as they waited to attack. Lois watched, wondering if she should put herself between them before things got seriously out of control. They had to find a way to defeat the terrorists now holding them hostage at the Daily Planet. And that wasn't going to happen if they spent their time fighting one another.
After all, half of their fight was over her. She knew that. And it wasn't as if she minded. Driving Clark up the wall was half the reason she was dating Lex. If he wasn't so stubborn, insisting that they do things 'by the rules,' they could have gotten together months ago. But 'that wasn't the way things were supposed to go.' How many times had she heard that now? Okay, so maybe only twice. But it was two times too many. So now he could just suffer — wondering what her feelings for Lex really were.
"Then what do you suggest, Mr. Kent?" Luthor asked. "That we just sit here, let them do whatever they want. Then wait for them to kill us?"
"I have no choice! If I try to get to the bomb, one of the others might kill any one of you. And if that's a hair trigger under his finger, it could go off faster than I could stop it. I can't take that risk."
Lois' eyebrows rose as she stared at Clark. In her peripheral vision, she could tell that everyone else was looking as stunned as she. Oh, she knew of course what her next line was supposed to be. But try as she might, she couldn't quite bring herself to say it. Regardless of the eventual payoff, she couldn't quite bring herself to look that galactically stupid.
"Clark, take it easy," Perry said when she didn't respond. "You're not Superman."
"I know, but even…"
"Oh for crying out loud," Lois interrupted. "Look at him!" She turned towards the others in the room. "Are you all galactically stupid? Now, I could understand Jimmy not figuring it out or Jack here, but, Chief… You're the editor of the world's greatest paper. How is it that you don't know? Think about the number of story meetings he's suddenly disappeared from. How is it that you didn't notice? And you, Lex… How is it that you haven't figured it out?"
"Loisss," Clark hissed behind her.
But she was on a roll now. "Come on, Lex. You've been looking for a way to destroy Superman since he first came on the scene. And yet it never once occurred to you to wonder what Superman did when he wasn't wearing the suit?"
"Well, after I saw the messages from the globe… I did sort of wonder."
"And it never occurred to you to look right under your nose?"
"He does sort of look like Superman," Perry said.
"Yeah, but…" Lex began, examining Kent closely.
"Hey, I'm not Superman," Clark objected, giving Lois a look that instantly silenced her. "It's just…" He fiddled with his glasses. "A passing resemblance, maybe. A thing I do at parties."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Lex said.
"Don't worry, son," Perry added. "We didn't really believe you were Superman. So…" He looked at the others. "How do we get out of here?"
Lois shook her head as she watched them continue to cling to their denial. She'd done everything she could do to prove her point. If they were too galactically stupid to see, that wasn't her fault.
She looked back at Clark who was giving her an amused grin, and rolled her eyes. Some days things just seemed so weird.
*Fade Out*
***
*Deleted Scenes From Tempus Fugitive*
Lois made her way down the ramp into the newsroom, holding her birthday present for Perry.
"Morning, Lois," Clark said, joining her beside her desk.
"You're late."
"Morning, Clark," Clark responded, removing a wrapped gift from a bag. "What'd you get him?" he asked.
"Checked suspenders."
"Didn't you give him that last year?"
"Well…" Damn. He was right. She had given Perry checked suspenders last year. "He liked them, didn't he?" Lois pouted.
A ding of the elevator caught Lois' attention. Looking towards the doors, she watched as an odd looking man stepped out. His clothing was old-fashioned, as if he'd just stepped off the set of a turn of the century English movie.
His eyes swept the newsroom until he spotted her and Clark. He began walking towards them. Without realizing she was doing it, she grabbed onto Clark's arm, digging her fingers in. "Clark, it's Wells," she whispered.
Clark looked over at her, confused. "Who?"
"Come on, Clark. Tempus' traveling companion. That means Tempus is waiting in the…" She released his arm, seizing her jacket and heading with purpose towards the elevator. She only stopped when Clark grabbed her arm.
"Excuse me… I'm H.G. Wells," the man said before Clark could explain why he'd stopped her.
As far as Lois was concerned, Wells was irrelevant. Oh, sure. He had the time machine. And, yes, she planned on figuring it out and going back to reverse the curse. But… it was Tempus she wanted. She was going to tear Tempus limb from bloody limb.
"And I've run into a spot of trouble. I've been traveling with a companion in my time machine… And we've just come back from the future. I've left him in the park, actually, but…"
"I'm going to kill him," Lois whispered to Clark, being sure to say it softly enough that Wells wouldn't overhear her.
"We stopped here because…"
"Sir, we're a little busy, so let's wrap this up. Time travel isn't possible. H.G. Wells wrote fiction… and died in 1946," Clark concluded, leading Wells away.
Lois rolled her eyes. Typical Clark. He was still insisting on doing this by the book — or the script as the case may be.
"I know you're Superman and I need your help," Wells said.
Lois heard him and rolled her eyes. Wells really must think that she was galactically stupid — not to have figured out the Clark/Superman connection. Otherwise, he wouldn't bother speaking in that ridiculous conspiratorial whisper. Please. To not overhear that, she'd have to be deaf.
Clark looked at Wells. "Could you just give me a minute here?" he asked Wells, before turning back to Lois.
"What are we waiting for, Clark?" Lois demanded when he returned. "Tempus is in the park."
"No, he isn't, Lois. Remember? We go down to the park with Wells and find that Tempus has wandered off. But… Lois, do you remember what happens?"
"It's fuzzy, but… yeah, sort of."
"Then you know that if we don't play this out the way it's supposed to go down, Tempus might well end up killing me as a baby."
Lois opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it again. As much as she hadn't wanted them to, her feelings for Clark had developed beyond that initial feeling of lust she'd had when she'd seen him in that towel. If he was killed, she'd miss him — more than she could possibly say. And besides… if he was killed as a baby, she'd never have a chance to know that body. The fact that she'd just contradicted herself didn't even occur to her. "Okay, fine. We play this out. But then… Tempus is all mine." She turned, about to head over to where Wells was waiting for them. Suddenly, she turned back around. "Oh, and just for your information, once we straighten out this whole curse thing… you're all mine, too."
***
Lois made her way down the ramp into the newsroom, holding her birthday present for Perry.
"Morning, Lois," Clark said, joining her beside her desk.
"You're late."
"Morning, Clark," Clark responded, removing a wrapped gift from a bag.
Lois suddenly felt that something was wrong. "I have the weirdest feeling of deja vu…"
"Don't tell me, you got him checked suspenders again."
"How'd you know?"
"You got him that last year, didn't you?"
"Clark, I'm serious."
"Well, now that you mention it…"
"Damn!"
"Lois?"
Lois looked around. They were back in the Planet — just as if their previous adventure had never happened. "H.G. Wells," she muttered in exasperation.
"The science fiction writer?"
"Clark, he wiped out our memories before we had a chance to go back and deal with Tempus in the past."
"What are you talking about, Lois?"
"The curse, Clark! You do remember the curse, don't you? And… Maybe he's still around somewhere. We have to find him, Clark. We have to go back and break the curse. I mean I might like the whole 'put Tempus in an asylum' thing. But we need to go back and break the curse."
She looked around frantically, but Wells was gone.
"Hey, Lois. Don't worry. We'll get another chance."
Lois glared at him. He might be content to wait for another year and a half, but… Her eyes swept down Clark's body. Damn! It just wasn't fair.
*Fade Out*
***
*Deleted Scene From And The Answer Is…*
Lois and Clark walked hand in hand through the park, heading, without any real thought, towards the fountain.
"Sometimes," Clark said, "you think you're immortal. And you start to think the people around you are, too. It just takes a second to realize how wrong you are about everything." He stopped, directing her to take a seat on the edge of the fountain. "What I'm trying to say is," he said when she was finally seated, "I almost lost you, Lois, and I'm… ashamed."
"Ashamed? Why?"
"I kept pushing you away — even when I promised to stop. And if you died not knowing why, I'd never be able to forgive myself. Because I love you, Lois, and…"
Thunder cracked overhead and lightning lit up the darkened sky. The universe took that moment to open up and rain began coming down.
"Oh, come on, give me a break!" Clark yelled at the heavens.
"Do you want to go back?"
"If the Earth opened up at my feet, I wouldn't move 'til I'd finished saying this…" He took a deep breath. "Lois…" He dropped to one knee in front of her, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket and opening it. "…will you marry me?"
She stared at the ring for a long moment before looking back at him. She leaned forward, almost as if she would kiss him. Her lips only inches from his. Then she pulled back. "My god, Clark! I can't believe you."
"Lois?"
"Okay," she continued, rising to her feet to begin pacing in the rain. "Maybe I did jump the gun a little bit in figuring out that you were Superman. But really, Clark, you left it too long! Asking me to marry you before telling me about Superman?"
He stared at her in stunned disbelief. "Lois, I…"
"Oh, come on, Clark. You know that I know. But you still had to tell me. That was the way the script goes, isn't it?"
"Actually, according to the script, I ask you to marry me and you answer: 'Who's asking? Clark… or Superman?'"
"That's not the point!"
"So I take it you're mad?"
"Mad doesn't even begin to cover it, Clark. I…"
"You're still going to follow the script though?"
"Why should I? Why not just tell everyone that I've known all along? Prove that I'm not galactically stupid. I'm not sure why I played along this long."
"Lois, you can't!"
"Just watch me, Clark!"
"No, I mean… the love story. The triangle. If people know you knew from the beginning, there will be no unique love triangle."
She opened her mouth before closing it again. He was right. And if she did this… She was so close to getting what she wanted. She looked at him; even soaking wet, he was easily the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. And soon now… Oh, yeah. She might be furious with him at the moment, but… if playing this by the rules just a little while longer would get her what she wanted… Fine. Besides, even going by the script, she got to make him pay for proposing before telling her about Superman. So really… was she really giving anything up? "Okay, we'll play this your way. So… who's asking? Clark… or Superman?"
*Fade Out*
***
*Deleted Scene From The End of Virtually Destroyed*
Lois and Clark made their way into Jason Xavier's Virtual Reality Center, each looking around carefully to ensure that the police had all left. They found Jimmy, alone in the lab, typing ferociously on a key board.
"So how's it…" Clark cleared his throat nervously. "How's it coming, Jimmy?"
Lois shot Clark a look, hoping Jimmy didn't notice how nervous Clark was.
"Great. I just need…" Jimmy pressed a few more keys. "There!" he exclaimed pushing himself back from the keyboard. He turned to face them. "Not exactly good as new, but… almost."
"So then…" said Lois, making her way over to the goggles and gloves in what she hoped looked like a casual manner. ?…I could just put these on and…"
"You press this button and… Presto! You'd be back in the virtual world," Jimmy said.
"Any luck at finding Jason?" Clark asked, stealing slightly heated glances at Lois.
"Nah. Wherever he is… he's not in there."
"Well, that's tough luck." Clark grasped the young man's shoulder as he rose. "Listen, how about you head on home? We'll just finish up in here and lock up behind us."
"Hey, if you do that, I'll be eternally grateful. I've got this date with Cindy tonight — that hot babe… uhh… woman," he corrected when he caught Lois' glare of disapproval, "down in accounting. Here's the keys," he said, tossing them to Clark. He hardly had time to grab his jacket before he found himself being escorted, rather forcefully from the room by Clark who locked the door behind him.
Turning, Clark rushed over to keyboard, typing in a few things before turning the keyboard slightly so that it could be seen from the launch pads.
"You sure this is going to work?" asked Lois.
Clark nodded, even as he slid on the gloves.
"But… couldn't someone see us?"
"The doors are locked, Lois. No one will see us."
"But…"
"Next stop… your apartment." Putting on his glasses, he turned slightly, throwing an eraser towards the key board, easily hitting the necessary button.
"You sure this won't trigger the curse," asked Lois when she found herself in her bedroom with Clark inside the virtual world.
"Mmm hmm," Clark responded, pulling her into his arms so that he could begin nibbling on her neck. "This is all in our minds."
"Right. All in our minds." Her hands made their way through his hair as his exploration continued, his lips running down her throat to dip into the hollow right at the base. She moaned. "Oh, yes, Clark. Right there. Mmm… Clark, you're sure we can get out of here?"
"Yeah, I kept the watch Jimmy gave Superman," Clark said, completely distracted as his hands slipped up under Lois' shirt.
"But, Clark, this just seems so…"
Clark pulled back slightly. "Lois, I think this whole scenario requires a little less talk and a lot more action."
Lois giggled when she suddenly found herself sprawled across the bed. Clark removed his coat and pulled his shirt over his head before leaping onto the bed to join her.
His lips again descended on hers as the struggle continued to remove articles of clothing as quickly as possible. Their movements grew increasingly fevered as one piece of clothing after another fell to the floor. Skin pressed against skin. Hands explored bodies. Lips tasted and touched. Tongues tangled. Breathing grew increasingly heavy as they desperately sought to know each other's bodies.
***
"Oh no!" said the computer to an empty room. "Looks like there's another incredible power surge coming and… yeaw!" Right on cue, sparks began jumping from the keyboard. There was a long moment of silence as the computer ran diagnostics. "Still working. Except… Oh, no. Not again." Another power surge sent sparks flying in every direction. "That's it!" the computer responded. "If they think I'm going to stand for this one more minute…" The computer never finished the threat.
***
Lois blinked. One minute she'd been… about five seconds from what she'd been fantasizing about for over two years and the next…
She pulled the goggles off her eyes, discovering that she was standing in the Virtual Reality Center. She turned towards Clark who was also removing his goggles.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I don't… I don't know. Did you touch the watch?"
"No. Look. Maybe we can still go back. Go check out the computer."
Clark moved, only to stop when a feminine voice sounded out of nowhere.
"Don't you dare!"
Lois also looked around in horror. "Who's there?" she demanded. "And what are you doing here? This is private property. You're not supposed to be here."
Clark's eyebrows rose at the irony of the statement.
"I'm not supposed to be here? I'm the only one who's supposed to be here."
"You're… not Jason?" asked Lois nervously.
"Please! I couldn't be that loser if I tried."
"You're the computer!" Clark exclaimed.
"Give the man a prize. Now… get out!"
"I don't suppose we could just have another few minutes to…" began Lois.
"No!"
"But really, if we could just…"
Lois was still objecting when Clark began pulling her towards the door.
The computer waited until they left before speaking again. "Thank god they're out of here because I'm not sure I could stand another minute of that mushy stuff. Who writes this crap anyway?"
*Fade Out*
***
*Deleted Scenes From Tempus, Anyone?*
"Is this the absolute, total and final guest count?" asked Lois as she and Clark walked towards the Daily Planet.
"Funny you should mention that. I ran into an old friend last night."
"Who?"
"Lana Lang."
"Ah… an old girlfriend."
"Lois, you're getting that sound in your voice."
"What sound?"
"Like any minute claws are going to pop out and I'll be getting you a saucer of milk. She's not worth it. We dated in high school."
"Smallville girl," Lois responded, knowing she didn't sound exactly… supportive. "Here in the big city. And…?"
"I told her I was getting married."
"Smart move," Lois said. "And she was…?"
"Really happy for me."
"So happy she'd like to come to the wedding?" Lois asked, seeing where this conversation was going.
"How'd you know?"
"And how'd she take it?"
"Take what?"
"When you said, no."
"Ummm… hmm…"
"Clark?"
"Well, you have to know Lana…"
"No. No. I don't — interestingly enough."
"She's kind of… insistent. Just steam-rolls through things. So it's not like I actually said she could come. She just sort of said… she could come."
"Let me get this straight. You're… Superman." Lois' voice dropped to a whisper on the last word. "And your high school girlfriend can push you around."
"Oh, god…" His head suddenly shot up in a familiar way. "Speaking of Superman…"
"Go. We'll finish this at the office." She gave him a quick kiss. "Be careful."
She watched until he was out of sight before continuing her trip towards the Daily Planet. She was passing an alley when… She stopped when she saw a man step out of the alley.
"Hi, Lois. Remember me?"
The synapses snapped behind her eyes. Did she remember? How could she possibly forget? She remembered it every time she and Clark were on Clark's couch and the kissing was getting somewhat out of control, every time she felt Clark's hands slipping under the bottom of her shirt, every time she felt the heat of passion flowing through her veins.
Without thinking her actions through, her knee came up, lodging itself hard in a very sensitive part of Tempus' anatomy. He doubled over.
Lois let out a breath. "Ahh…" she said, suddenly feeling better than she had in months.
"What are you doing, Lois?"
Lois turned towards the sound of the familiar voice to see Superman floating slowly to the ground.
"I would have thought that was obvious," she said, stepping closer to Tempus so that she could dig the heel of her shoe into his foot.
"Aggg!" Tempus groaned.
"I understand your frustration, Lois," Clark whispered. "But this isn't the right way to deal with this."
"Why not?" asked Lois, reaching over to grab Tempus' collar, dragging him to his feet. "Just one more…" She jabbed Tempus as hard as she could in the ribs with her elbow, causing him to again crumple to the ground.
Clark grabbed her arm, pulling her away from a still groaning Tempus. "Loisss," he hissed, "think about this for a minute…"
"I've been thinking about this for two years." When Clark raised his eyebrows, she continued. "Okay, I'll be good. What did you want to say?"
"Just… Look, Lois, Tempus is here to take you to the other universe. And if you don't go, then alt-Clark will never realize his destiny."
"Is that such a bad thing, Clark? After all, I just get him exposed to the world. And I rub his face in everything he will never have."
"Yeah. And if you don't go there, he won't be ready when we need him when Tempus loses me in time. And besides, think about all those great alt-Clark stories that will never be written."
She nodded slowly. He made a couple of good points. Besides, she could always use the time machine to go back and reverse the curse after the whole alt-Clark adventure. "Fine. You're right."
Turning towards Tempus, she grabbed him, pulling him to his feet.
"Please. Don't hit me again," Tempus begged.
Lois rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a big baby. You're the one who wants to live in a hellish, violent dystopia. Let's see where were we? Oh, yes. I remember. You just asked if I remembered you. And I say… No, I…" When Tempus said nothing, Lois raised her hand. "If you don't want to be hit again…"
"Remember now?" Tempus asked, removing his glasses, trying to portray a cockiness he obviously didn't feel.
***
"What do you mean, no?" asked Lois.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Lane. But I just cannot allow it."
"Can't… Listen, Mr. Wells… Herbert… Please. I'm begging you here. I did everything I was expected to do. I gave the other universe their Superman. I just want to make a little trip back in time to… right a terrible injustice."
"Oh, you mean the curse thing," Wells said, catching on. "Don't worry, Ms. Lane. That's already taken care of."
"It is?"
"Oh, yes, Ms. Lane. We dealt with that whole problem very handily." Without waiting for her response, he fired up the time machine and simply disappeared.
Lois looked up when Superman landed next to her. "Oh, my God, are you all right?" Clark asked.
"I'm fine. I'm fine."
"What happened? You were gone for almost ten seconds."
"Ten seconds?"
"The weirdest ten seconds of my life. I didn't know where you were, what to do and then…"
"What?"
"I just got this feeling of what my life would be like if I lost you."
She smiled when she was suddenly lost in his embrace.
"Oh, wait," Clark said. "What about the curse?"
"Herb said it was already broken. And you know what that means…" She wiggled her eyebrows at him.
"Already broken? When?"
"He… he didn't actually say. Why?"
"Because… Lois, don't you remember? This appearance by Wells happens when Wells is…"
"…older," Lois gasped when it sank in what Clark was telling her. When Wells had come to Clark's apartment… or would come to Clark's apartment… on their wedding night, he had been a younger version of the Wells she'd met on this occasion. Which meant… although to him, they had already gone back to break the curse, to them, it was something that hadn't happened yet.
"Agggg!" Lois yelled. It wasn't fair! It just wasn't!
*Fade Out*
***
*Deleted Scenes From Soulmates*
Lois groaned as her husband's lips explored hers. She even felt slightly lightheaded when he finally released her.
"To be continued… in Hawaii," he said, his voice holding all sorts of underlying meaning. "Ready?"
"Ready…" Her eyes suddenly caught sight of their luggage. "Wait. I'm missing a bag. I must have left it at home." She made a flying motion with her hand. "Do you mind?"
"Something tells me we won't be needing a lot of clothes on our honeymoon, Lois."
"Yeah. But it's got that little black teddy you bought me…"
She blinked when a sudden blur clouded her vision. Before she could react, the blur was back, suddenly materializing into Superman holding a small suitcase.
"…in it," Lois completed unnecessarily.
"This the bag?"
"Hope you don't do everything that fast."
Clark grinned. "One way to find out." Sweeping her up in his arms, he carried her to the bed.
"What about Hawaii?"
"Hawaii… can wait," he decided, echoing her feelings. "We've been through so much to get to this point, this moment."
She couldn't agree more, meeting his kiss with her own. It didn't take long for things to turn from gentle and sweet to hot and heavy — as they'd been prone to do a lot in recent weeks. She moaned when his lips moved to her neck and his hands began running up her sides, brushing against some very sensitive places during the course of their trip.
Even through the fog of passion which was quickly engulfing her, her mind told her that something was missing — something was wrong. But for the life of her, with his teeth nibbling at her earlobe like that, she couldn't remember what it was.
But… Suddenly it hit her. She forcibly removed Clark from her neck.
"No!" she said, struggling to catch her breath.
"No?" Clark asked.
The adorable confusion on his face was almost too much for her to bear. Still… although her insides suddenly felt as if they were filled with molten lava, she repeated her previous comment. "No."
Clark pulled back, looking as if she'd just stolen his teddy bear.
"No," she began. "…that's not… Clark, don't you remember?"
"What?"
"The curse! Come on, Clark. Before we can…" She made a sweeping motion over the bed. "…we've still got to break the curse."
Clark closed his eyes, letting his face drop into the curve of her throat. He'd obviously forgotten. She felt her heart go out to him. She wasn't looking forward to taking time on their honeymoon to deal with the curse, either. But it had to be done.
A sudden knock sounded. "Thank, God." Lois quickly slipped out from under Clark. "Come on. We don't want him to think that we aren't home and leave or something," Lois said, heading for the door.
"Oh, hello," Wells said when Lois opened the door. "I hope I wasn't…"
His voice trailed off when Lois grabbed him by his lapels, pulling him into the room.
"Ms. Lane, Mr. Kent, I'm…"
"H.G. Wells. Yeah, we know," said Lois. "Okay, so let's just skip all the niceties. You're here to help us reverse a terrible curse that Tempus casts sometime during the middle ages. A curse that causes me to die in some horrible way in every lifetime when we consummate. Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. So… let's just get on with it. Do you have any idea how long we've waited for you to show up?"
"I…"
"Look, Mr. Wells, what my wife is trying to say is…" Clark's voice trailed off at a look from Lois. He was wasting valuable time.
"Ahh… Okay, well then." Wells pulled out his soul tracker. "Let's go."
***
As Lois lay in bed, watching her sleeping husband, a slow smile spread across her face. That had been… amazing. It wasn't that Clark had been experienced, but… Actually, maybe that was the difference between Clark and her previous sexual encounters. Making love with Clark had been about so much more than technique. It had been a complete experience — body, heart, soul. The discovery of how to please each other. The desire to get so close that they almost wanted to climb inside each other's skin. Hearing the love when he'd whispered her name. Feeling the love when she'd whispered his.
She ran her hand softly down his chest, marveling in every line and curve of his oh so perfect body — a body she'd lusted after since the first time she'd seen a droplet of water running down his stomach to get lost in the towel wrapped around his waist.
In some ways, though, Tempus had done them a favor. God, she could hardly believe she was even thinking that. But the enforced wait had allowed her and Clark's feelings to develop, their hearts to grow and their trust to mature. When they had finally come together, it had been about so much more than just sex. It had been the fulfillment of a promise.
Of course… Her smile widened. …she couldn't say she minded the fact that, for the rest of her life, she was going to have exclusive access to this incredible body.
"What are you thinking?"
Lois' eyes met Clark's. "You're awake."
Clark nodded. "So… what put such a thoughtful expression on your face?"
Her eyes sparkled. "I was just thinking about a drop of water," she informed him cryptically, leaning in to kiss him so that his mind was soon too distracted to follow up on that line of inquiry.
And they lived happily ever after.
THE END