Worst Timing Ever

Chapter 10

"What time is it?" Chloe asked as she nervously tapped her high heel against the tiled floor. She looked at Lana standing next to her and realized that the young brunette was getting annoyed with her.

The look of annoyance in Lana's brown eyes was very hard to miss.

"It is about eight fifty three which is only a minute and a half later than the last time you asked me in case you want to keep track yourself." Lana sighed and adjusted the coffee carrying case from her left hand to her right hand.

Chloe smiled sheepishly, "Honey, I am sorry but I just want things to go well. What happens to our plans if he decided to find the church on his own, huh?"

Lana looked her squarely in the eye. "I know for a fact that he did not do anything like that."

Chloe tilted her head with an incredulous expression on her face and a hand on her hip. "How do you know that?"

She nodded her head in the direction of the elevator banks.

"Bradley is coming this way right now."

Chloe turned her head and relief flooded her as she saw her cousin's fiancé heading toward them and she smiled before waving at him. Bradley waved back as he sauntered toward them with his suit jacket slung over his shoulder.

Chloe had to admit that he was a really good looking man with his blond hair and lean build but when one compared him side by side with Clark, her friend was the obvious winner.

Even if she was bias does not change that fact.

He finally came to stand before the two young women and gave them a great vivacious smile.

"Good morning ladies." Bradley greeted. "I've been told that you two are going to help me stay on course as we head to the church this morning."

"Apparently, how are you this morning Bradley?" Chloe replied. "I hope that your meetings went fine."

Bradley rolled his eyes a little, "as fine as could be expected this early in the morning. If they could I think some of those men upstairs would love to start at daybreak."

Lana smiled at him. "I say more power to them if that is their choice because I sure as hell wouldn't be joining them. You must be very busy during your stay here in Metropolis."

He nodded and pointed toward the coffee in her hand, "Is one of those for me?"

Lana offered her hand out to them and Bradley took one of the cups off of the tray as Chloe joined him grabbed one and Lana took the last one.

Chloe sighed. "So if you are so busy then how is it that you and Lois find any time to spend together? Plus, the fact that Lois usually spends all of her time with Clark."

Bradley simply smiled in return and missed the hint that may have let him in on why both women were really there waiting for them with coffee. "Oh we make it work somehow. When people are in love the rest of it just kind of works itself out."

Chloe plastered a fake smile on her face but inside was actually hoping that there was some truth in his words. However, Bradley was speaking in terms of him and Lois but she sincerely hoped that things would work out for Lois and Clark.

They were more in love than either of them could imagine it was that they just didn't know it yet. Well, Clark did but Lois didn't so it was time to start changing that.

And unfortunately for him, Bradley was playing right into their plans they had all laid out for that morning and it was the first real step in breaking up the wedding.

"Well, I supposed we should get a move on it because I would hate to be late for this meeting with the minister." Bradley commented and brought the coffee cup to his lips.

Chloe glanced over at Lana from the corner of her eye and gave her a sly smirk. Lana stepped forward and stood a little closer to her cousin's fiancé.

"Actually, we had other plans today." Lana said in a calm and even manner.

Bradley furrowed his eyebrows as he lowered his drink. "Other plans? Did something happen with the meeting? Was it cancelled?"

Chloe shook her head and sweetly smiled. "No but you see we thought that while Lois is at the church talking to the minister we could help you pick out her traditional bride's gift."

A look of realization hit him and washed over his facial features before he began to shake his head and sighed. "I can't believe I forgot about that."

"It is important and it is tradition." Lana said and her eyes twinkled as she tried to sway him in their favor.

Bradley seemed hesitant and gave both women a weary stare. "I am not sure about this, ladies. I know this meeting with the minister is very important to Lois. I would hate to disappoint her so dearly before we are even married. Can't we do this some other time?"

Chloe shook her head. "No this is the only time we can get this done without anyone really knowing what we are up to."

Lana shook her head at him in dismal of his concern too. "Lois is fine on her own with the minister besides she has Clark with her so you don't have to worry about anything going wrong there. They are a great team. Plus, this is the only moment that we can steal to help you find her the best possible bride's gift."

Bradley still looked unconvinced by the brunette's subtle prodding so Chloe decided to jump in with what she hoped would seal the deal.

"But I guess if you think you can handle getting the gift on your own even given how picky Lois is then whatever. We just thought you could use a little help so we saw an opportunity and took it but if you feel confident that you will be able to find that one special gift that Lois will absolutely adore then we should go to the meeting with the minister. And we better hurry or we'll be late."

Chloe turned on her heel, grabbed a confused Lana by the elbow almost spilling both their coffees and started heading toward the building's revolving doors. They had only gotten a few feet away when Bradley called out to them.

"Wait!"

Chloe smirked when she heard his voice and it was then that she knew they had him. Any doubt that their plan would not be successful faded from her mind.

They both turned to see him jogging to catch up to them. He stood in front of them and looked up down into the faces of the two seemingly innocent and helpful friends of his future wife.

Bradley ran a hand through his sandy blonde locks and pushed them off his forehead before he let out a breath of the tension in his body that was evident to both women.

"How picky is Lois when it comes to gifts?" Bradley asked, "I mean I haven't ever gotten her a present before. I sure don't want to screw up the first thing I ever get her as a gift especially right before our wedding."

"Well it's not that she isn't grateful for the time and money people spend on her when they do get her presents it's just that she is the kind of woman that knows exactly what she wants." Chloe started.

"And she isn't afraid to tell someone whether or not she truly loves the gift or if it is something she will actually enjoy and use. In the first few years of our friendship I used to strike out every time I had to buy her a present. My luck has since improved through our years of friendship and how thoroughly we know each other now." Lana smiled sweetly again.

"But don't worry. You're the person that she is going to spend the rest of her life with so I would assume that you of all people could come up with the perfect present to get her." Chloe insisted with a nod of her head to show her enthusiasm.

They turned to leave again but were instantly halted by Bradley.

"Actually, I think maybe we should go shopping instead. I really would hate to mess this up since it is so important to me to get it right."

Chloe and Lana smiled at each other mischievously before turning around to face him one last time.

"Great."

"Fantastic, Bradley."

Bradley smiled and then headed to the doors himself but Lana put a hand to his chest to stop him from going very far.

"Before we do this we need to get one thing absolutely clear." She said with a serious tone of voice and stern look on her face.

"Lois can't know that we went shopping today under any circumstances." Chloe completed and once again the confused expression returned to Bradley's eyes.

"What? Why?" He questioned.

"Well because we are going shopping for a gift for her. Gifts are generally supposed to be surprises so we can't let her know what we were doing. Lois has insatiable curiosity and will spend the next few weeks trying to get it out of you what is you got her or where you hid the present or any kind of hint at all."

"And she won't let up until you spill the beans then all of this hard work we will put into finding a great gift for her will be for nothing. So you can't tell her anything."

Bradley seemed to agree at first but then a panicked look came across his face. "What happens when she asks me why I missed the meeting?"

"You leave that part up to us, okay?" Chloe comforted him. "And if she asks just change the subject quickly. Never say a word of this, got it?"

Bradley nodded but still had an unsure look on his face. Lana smiled before she clapped her hands together in a giddy fashion.

"Okay!" Lana said before hooking her arm in Bradley's before leading him out of the lobby. "Let's go shopping!"

Chloe watched them for a moment more. When they both glanced back at her she waved them forward, "I think I will just use the bathroom before we get going."

"Okay, meet you on the street corner." Lana called out to her then both she and Bradley disappeared through the revolving doors into the sea of people occupying the Metropolis city streets.

As soon as they were out of sight Chloe reached into her purse to pull out her cell phone. She pressed one of her speed dial buttons and held the phone to her ear. Not two rings into the call the person on the other end answered.

"Lois? It's me, Chloe. Yeah, Bradley blew us off. He said his meeting was more important to him at the moment before rushing back upstairs to his offices. I am really sorry about this Lois. Listen I can't talk much right now but I will call you later, cos. Bye."

Chloe ended the call and smiled down at her phone. Things were working out perfectly.

~x~

"Argh," Lois screamed out as she snapped her cell phone shut. She glared down at the tiny little thing and seriously fought the urge to throw it across the room into the stone wall of the church.

"What's the matter?" Clark asked with concern and worry abundantly evident etched into his voice and also stared back at her in his glorious blue depths as she turned to face him.

She ran a hand through her long brown hair in a frustrated gesture before answering his earlier question. "Bradley isn't coming. Apparently his meeting is more important than meeting Minister Collins."

Clark shook his head a little, "Wait, what? He didn't show up to meet Chloe and Lana?"

Lois shook her head. "No he did meet them but only long enough to tell them that he had to rush back up his office instead of coming to the church. Chloe said his words were, 'His meeting was more important to him at the moment' and she had to apologize to me for it like it was her fault or something."

Clark smiled at her for a moment and was about to open his mouth to say something but was quickly cut off by Lois continuing her rant of comments against her beloved fiancé.

"Just wait until I get my hands on him. The nerve of that guy! Who does he think he is to decide that talking to Minister Collins wasn't as important as some stupid meeting? It's not like he owns or runs that stupid company that he works for. No matter how much money his family has or power they have back in Scotland that guy is just another cog in the machine at his job. Idiot has no idea what is coming for him when we see each other later."

Lois was practically fuming as she really thought about what her cousin had just told her on the phone and the more she thought about it the angrier she got. She had just talked to Bradley that morning and had told him that this minister was the man that had married her parents. That that was the reason it was so important for them to meet with him as a couple so they could talk to Minister Collins about conducting the marriage ceremony between her and Bradley.

And as she recalled the exact conversation another detail came forth which made the situation all the more infuriating.

"And he promised me Clark that he was going to be here this morning. So not only is he a jerk for being so inconsiderate about missing this meeting at all, he has also broken a promise to me! That man is a jerk! I swear he is going to regret this! I am going to make him hurt for this."

Clark stood up from the spot in the pew where he had been sitting and walked over to Lois standing in the middle of the aisle near the church entrance. He put both of his hands on her shoulders and gave them a little squeeze that helped her to focus on his face.

She noticed that the different colors of the church's stain glass windows had illuminated Clark's facial features that made him look almost angelic. The soft way his hair fell across his forehead and the slightly crooked smile playing across his red lips caught her attention whole heartily and for some unknown reason caused a shiver to run through her body.

His voice ripped her out of her musings a moment later with its light and amused tone.

"Lois calm down, babe." Clark insisted and he quirked one of his eyebrows at her but he fought to keep the laughter at bay.

"Clark Kent do you think this is funny? Me basically getting stood up is funny to you?" She questioned and put her arms over her chest as a means to create some resistance to his already effect way of charming her thus getting her to calm her nerves.

"No I do not find that funny. Bradley is a jerk for that but what I find very amusing is that you are the only person I know that would be brash enough to threaten physical harm to another person… in a church of all places." Clark smiled.

"Physical harm, no I want to do physical, long lasting damage to Bradley." She quipped. "I also think that this is the perfect place to plot something like this because God only knows how much this meeting meant to me so Bradley deserves the pain he has got coming."

Clark laughed and dropped his hands from her shoulders before stuffing them in his pockets.

"Yeah well you are right and wrong at the same time."

Lois cocked her head to one side, "Care to expand on that?"

"Well you are right that Bradley deserves whatever fitting punishment you have in store but you are wrong that God is the only one that knows how much this means to you because I happen to understand too." Clark said seriously.

Lois felt warmth spread through her heart and she knew it was because it was the truth. Clark was the only person that understands things like that about her. She straightened her posture and closed her eyes briefly trying to recollect her thoughts. Simply because Bradley wasn't there did not mean that she wasn't going to still meet with Minister Collins and ask him the huge favor she was about to.

And as if her thoughts had conjured him out of thin air Minister Collins appeared before Clark and Lois suddenly in the church with a smile on his face and his arms outstretched toward them in a welcoming gesture.

"Lois, dear, how are you?" He asked warmly as he pulled the young woman into a hug.

She was lost in momentary memories of coming to church as a young girl with her father and mother on Sundays and meeting the minister that had been a part of their family's life for decades and it seemed only fitting that she included him in this next chapter of hers. It would have pleased her mother to know that the same man that had officiated her wedding ceremony would do the same for her daughter.

"Minister Collins, it is so nice to see you. Gosh, it's been too long." Lois said as she returned his hug in kind.

"Yes it has been too long but I guess I should be grateful that you remember me at all considering you are a globetrotting famous reporter now."

"Haha very funny," Lois commented as she pulled back and stood beside Clark who reached out and took Minister Collins' hand to shake it and smiled as he did.

"Minister Collins this is Clark Kent." Lois said happily and watched as the two men properly greeted each other.

"It's so nice to meet you Clark. I always see your name right next to Lois' here on those hard hitting articles you write together."

"That would be me. Lois needs someone to check her spelling and grammar before she turns her copy into Perry so she is pretty much stuck with me." Clark commented as he released Minister Collins' hand.

Lois rolled her eyes, "Get real Smallville that is what they invented spellcheck for."

He turned his head to her and smirked. "Yet you never use that, do you? You must secretly like keeping me around."

"Well I think this is something we should discuss when we are alone and not use up Minister Collins' time with our bickering."

Lois turned back to look at Minister Collins who was watching the two with an amused smile on his elderly face.

"What?" She questioned with a curiosity seeping in her body. It wasn't an expression she had ever seen on the minister's face before so she wondered what prompted it now.

"You two are quite the pair. Has anyone ever told you that there is amazing chemistry between the two of you? It is very special thing and you should cherish it." He smiled and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.

"No actually, not really," Lois said.

"Well I think it is something that will do you two a world of good in your marriage." Minister Collins' said with a happy, content expression.

Lois felt her eyebrows slide into her hairline with shock at his mistake. She was about to express her complete repulsion at the idea of ever being married to Clark with a vehement denial and correct his assumption. As she opened her mouth to speak Lois found that the words would not form on the tip of her tongue.

She shook her head, "No we aren't getting married Minister Collins. Clark is my maid of honor."

Minister Collins gave her an incredulous look, "Your maid of honor? Oh well… this is something new."

Clark smiled and chuckled a little. "Trust me I was as surprised as you are when a friend of ours suggested the idea in the first place."

"Well where is that future husband of yours?" He asked as he motioned for the two of them to follow him.

They entered a very nice office that had a a small round table in the middle of the room where there was a tea set already situated upon the top ready for the three of them. There were also scones and muffins on the tray too and her mouth watered at the selections she saw before her. Lois was reminded that she had skipped breakfast and quickly walked toward the table.

"Oh he had some business to attend to. He is sorry he can't be here, though." Lois lied and felt so guilty about it as she sat down in front of her minister. Clark sat down in the chair next to her as the minister sat across from them.

"Well that is too bad." He said briefly before motioning toward the teapot. "Would you like some?"

"Yes. Thank you so much for seeing us on such short notice." Lois said as she accepted the saucer that held the teacup. She grabbed a chocolate chip scone and started to dig in.

"No problem, Lois," said Minister Collins. "I was delighted when you called me and asked to stop by. It is always such a pleasure to see you."

"Well the reason I wanted to talk to you is because…" Lois trailed off and looked at Clark for a moment.

She wasn't sure of the exact way to form such a huge request. It would be one thing if Lois was getting married in Metropolis or somewhere in the vicinity but they were getting hitched in Scotland. Lois wasn't usually nervous like this and wondered what was holding her up now.

"Lois you can ask me anything." Minister Collins urged her on.

"I was wondering if you would be willing to see over my wedding ceremony in Scotland."

He sat back a little in his chair but a smile immediately graced his face, "Of course Lois. That would be my pleasure. May I ask you why you are getting married there of all places?"

Lois smiled in excitement at his answer that she barely heard his other remarks. She did not stop smiling as she waved her hand a little.

"Bradley, that is my fiancé, is from there. We plan to get married in a castle over there in three weeks."

"Three weeks?" repeated Minister Collins, "That certainly is soon."

"Yeah but for us it doesn't feel like we are rushing or anything." Lois quickly recovered as she heard the slight concern in his voice. She knew what people thought when they heard how short of a time period her whole relationship with Bradley had spanned.

"I believe you Lois." Minister Collins reassured her. "Could you tell me a few things about you and Bradley so that I could get a better understanding of your relationship?"

"Well… um we met in London when I was there on a work assignment." Lois told him before continuing to eat her scone.

"And," Minister Collins asked as he made a motion with his hands for her to embellish on her statement.

Lois looked at him expectantly with a curious gaze, "And what?"

"How did you feel when you first met him? What is your relationship with him like? I am going to need some more personal details on the two of you and the way you interact together that lets the two of you know you have found the person you are supposed to spend your life with."

She took in everything that he had said and thought over all of the moments of her relationship with Bradley from when they first met to that morning when they had last spoken on the phone.

Lois tried to put those thoughts into the words she knew would be expected in a wedding ceremony. It wasn't like she ever thought he was her prince charming or that they were some sort of fairytale romance played out in real life. He never had her at hello and Bradley was not her other half so what should she say?

She continued to hesitate and started to stutter a response. "Well, I mean we are kind of like that couple that, I guess you could say that—"

"It is like that quote you said you liked a couple of years ago." Clark stated and took a sip of his tea.

Lois furrowed her eyebrow at him, "What quote?"

"I think it goes something like, 'Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you I had no control over.' I always thought you liked that one."

Lois stared at him for a moment and silently thought about how that saying fit Clark and her as a couple a heck of a lot more than it fit Bradley and her as a couple. She shook her head and tried to clear her mind of all of the crazy thoughts she had been having that morning regarding Clark.

"That is perfect Clark. Now I understand why you are the maid of honor after all."

Clark smiled triumphantly at the minister then back at Lois.

She smiled back at him and said, "Yeah Clark… you totally always know the right thing to say."

"Sure, no problem," Clark smiled. "You could also throw in little details about how well you two know each other."

"What do you mean Clark?" Minister Collins asked.

"Well like the fact that her favorite color is navy blue or that the reason she loves to watch The Terminator so much is not because of the action but actually because of the romance between Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor. She thinks Kyle Reese is dreamy."

He threw her a small knowing glance and for some unknown reason it caused Lois to blush.

What he was saying was the truth but it wasn't like her to blush because of something Clark said to her regardless of how true it was.

As he continued to talk to the minister about all of the little details of her personality that he could use in his speech at the ceremony Lois was lost in her own thoughts. Thoughts that revolved around Clark and why it was she was becoming so confused where he was concerned.

What was going on with her?

End of Chapter 10.

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