Surprise Return
The next morning…
"Lois," Clark says as he sees Lois pass by him in the Daily Planet hallway.
"Oh, hey Clark," she says.
"Oh, hey Clark?" he asks. "You sure sped out of the townhouse fast this morning. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" she asks, juggling the folders she has in her hands. "Look, I need to get these up to editing."
"Lois," Clark says as he watches her catch the elevator right before the door closes.
He shakes his head and pushes his glasses up. He smiles at the ladies standing at the reception desk and heads back towards his own.
"I sure don't get how those two are a couple," the receptionist says to the other lady standing at her desk.
"Who, Lane and Kent?" she asks.
The receptionist nods. "He's so…..nerdy and she's so sophisticated," she says, sitting a little taller.
The reporter smiles and chuckles. "He might look nerdy but have you noticed that body?"
The receptionist bites the corner of her mouth. "No….I can't get past the glasses and slicked back hair."
"Hmph. Take a closer look. That man is H-O-T. Lois Lane is a lucky bitch," the reporter says before walking back to her desk.
The receptionist tries to take a better look at Clark who is now seated at his desk.
"Hmmm?" she says to herself.
Later that week…..
Lois smiles when she notices Clark as she enters the restaurant.
"Hi," he says, standing up to give her a quick kiss.
"Hi. Why are we meeting here?" she asks, looking around.
He shrugs. "I thought we'd probably end up eating here a lot once we move in…." he says opening up the menu. He waits for it.
"Move in? Clark, does that mean…." she tears his menu away.
He chuckles and takes her hand. "Yes, they accepted our offer."
"Oh my God. That was quick, don't you think?" she asks, touching her chest.
"It was quick but the agent said that they want to sell this thing because they're tired of two mortgages."
She sits back in her chair, trying to keep composed.
"Oh my God, Ella is going to be so excited when we show her. I have an idea which one I want as her bedroom but we can let her pick out which of the other two she wants as her playroom and then the other one we'll make the office…."
"Lois," Clark stops her, gently squeezing her hand. "We should talk about that, don't you think?"
"You don't want an office?" she gulps.
He gives her a look. "You know what I mean. The comment you made the other day."
"I don't know why I said that. I wasn't thinking. I mean, we're not even married. We should probably take one step at a time."
"So, you don't want to have any more children?"
She bites her lower lip. "I don't know," she shrugs. "I didn't think that I did but then that comment came out…." she shakes her head.
He nods. "I see."
"I think there's a part of me that does so that you can be a part of the whole thing. I wouldn't have to be…."
"Alone?" he asks.
She shakes her head. "No, that's not it. Because I wasn't alone before but I didn't have you. This time I'd be able to say that the dad was going to be at the next ultrasound."
He smiles.
"That's not a reason to have another child, though."
"I know," she says, looking down.
"You know how much I love you?"
She looks up at him with a tear in her eye. "Yes, of course."
"If I gave you my opinion, would that help?"
She smiles and nods.
He leans closer and takes her other hand. "I love you and Ella more than anything and if we got pregnant, that would make me even happier than I already am. But if it's not what you want for the right reasons, then I'm happy with what we have…."
"Oh Clark," she sighs. "I do want another child, I'm just….."
He waits for her to finish.
"Scared."
There, she said it.
"Scared?" he asks, gently rubbing the back of her hands with his thumbs.
"Yes." She removes one of her hands from his and wipes the lone tear from her cheek. "What if something goes wrong this time."
"Why would something go wrong this time? I thought everything went relatively smoothly with Ella."
"It did, but…..Emil will have to explain," she says with a sniffle.
"Did Emil say there could be danger with the next pregnancy?" he asks.
"I'm not sure. I know that sounds stupid but he ran off all this mumbo jumbo and all I know is that it scared me."
Clark releases her hand and sits back in his chair and nods. "Okay. Well, we'll definitely check with him. I don't want to risk anything."
She smiles softly at him.
He acts like he hears something in the distance and she gives him the nod of understanding. He gets up from the table, kisses her cheek and rushes off.
He puts his Superman outfit on and flies to the roof of the Daily Planet to make sure everything is in place.
He calls Lois' cell.
She looks at the caller ID. "Don't tell me…you're going to be awhile."
"Actually, can you meet me behind the building? I'll pick you up from there."
"Uh, sure."
She explains to the waiter that they're leaving early, something came up and she walks around the building.
"What's going on?" she asks.
"You'll see," he says, taking her in his arms. "Hold tight."
She grabs onto his neck and he takes off. She let's out a little bit of a squeal as she looks down at the ground below.
"Oh my God, Clark," she says. "I mean, Superman."
He smiles as he soars over Metropolis with her. He makes sure they fly by their townhouse so she can see what it looks like from his point of view.
"It's so beautiful," she says, looking down at the city lights.
"It sure is," he says, looking at her.
He finally lands on the Daily Planet roof.
"Clark, what's going on?" she asks, smoothing out her jacket. Good thing she wore a pants suit today.
"You'll see," he says, flipping on a switch that brings up lights. He decorated the roof with a beautiful garden again.
"Clark," she says, touching her chest.
"I wanted to do this in the park but I didn't think it was a good idea in this outfit," he says, looking down at himself.
She chuckles.
He walks over to a bench and grabs something.
He walks over to Lois, who's eyes get bigger when she sees it's a small jewelry box.
"Lois…." he shakes his head and looks down at the box he's holding, "I kind of said at the restaurant what I had planned to say to you right now. That's when I realized I better just ask before I say too many other things and make any other plans with you."
A tear falls down Lois' cheek.
"You and Ella are my world. I can't imagine my life without the two of you in it. Will you marry me?" he asks, opening the box.
She looks at the ring and touches her fingertips to her lips and nods.
"Yes. A million times, yes," she says.
He smiles, stands up and slips the ring on her finger.
They stare into each other's eyes, in what seems like slow motion, he leans down and slowly kisses her.