Author's Notes: You all are so great! And Marcy, thank you so much for the Poster. It's awesome! It highlights the main point of this story perfectly. The tag line rings so true. I want to give you a Pulitzer, but I don't have one.

Chapter 3: River of the Nile

"What do you mean we can't get an annulment?" Lois nose flared angrily at the woman working the front desk. After seeing themselves on video, they both uncomfortably made their way back to their rooms and agreed that an annulment was the best course of action. Neither of them remembered it so it shouldn't affect them at all.

Or so they thought.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Kent"

"Lane!" she snapped back. "It's Lois Lane, now explain to me why we can't get our marriage annulled?"

"According to your records, you and Mister Clark Kent were married in front of a Roman Catholic priest"

"Yeah," she agreed but not remembering nor does she understand the implications of being married in a catholic ceremony. "We changed our minds"

The woman raised her eyebrows, suspicious.

"Well, before we proceed any further, you and your hus…" she stopped to correct herself. "My apologies, Mister Kent must fill out these papers before you're considered for an annulment"

"What?" Lois and Clark both say shocked and a mighty bit confused. He remained in the backdrop perfectly content to let her do all the work, but when the woman claimed it would take longer, he had to speak up.

"How long will it take?" he inquired impatiently.

"Unlike the U.S., most annulments made here are rarely granted"

"What's the average?"

"On average, 37"

"Thirty seven – " Lois said, ready to attack the clerk but Clark held her back. He plastered a fake smile to the woman working the desk.

"We're under a lot of stress but thank you for your help," and pulled her out of there. Once they were outside the building, he looked at her with a serious demeanor. "You didn't have to attack her," he chided.

"I didn't attack her"

"No, but you almost did"

"God! This can't be happening," she said, leaning against the wall and sliding herself till she reached the ground. She sat there, nervous and tired. "I'm sorry," she directed to him even though she wasn't looking at him.

"It's okay," he sympathized. "You're not alone in this"

She brushed her hands through her already unruly hair as he joined in sitting besides her. She pulled her knees near her body where her chin was close enough to lean on. Something suddenly came into her mind and she felt the need to express it. She had wanted to for a while now.

"Thank you"

He is surprised by the softness in her voice when she said that. "For what?"

"The lilies. They're my favorite"

Remembering the video feed of himself handing her a bouquet of white lilies and the vase filled with them the following morning, "I didn't know that," he admitted, regretfully.

"But last night you did, so, thank you"

"I'm sorry about all this, too"

"It's not your fault"

"I feel responsible"

"That isn't a first, but it's still not your fault. We're both the victims here"

"Are we?"

That questionary admission caught her by surprise. She wasn't sure what he was trying to get at and so he continued.

"I mean – you and I looked happy. Like what was happening was real," he said, trying to make sense of what is happening.

"But it wasn't us"

"Yeah, but they sounded like us, they talk like us – "

"But they were married and doing the horizontal mambo." She points to themselves. "Not us"

"It can be," he said, his voice barely audible.

She is surprised. "You're not seriously thinking of giving this a shot?"

"Would it be so bad?"

She laughs in disbelief. "Clark. Seriously. Are we in the same line of thought, cause I swear I thought I saw you make a wrong turn?"

Clark was having a hard time figuring out how he was feeling and where exactly those feelings lie. All he knew for sure is that being married to Lois wasn't as bad as he thought it was. It could be feelings that still lingered from there absent memories or maybe, just maybe, there could be something between them that they were too stubborn to consider.

He gulped, nervously. "Well, we can't get annulled here. Our best chance is in the states"

She sighed. "So what? We pretend to still be married?"

"We are married, Lois," he said, tiredly. How much more in denial is she going to get before she comprehends that they really are married. Officially and legally, albeit problematically.

She groaned. "Fine."

"I'll call Chloe"

"Wait. Why Chloe?"

"She'll get us our passports"

"And how exactly are we going to explain… this," she said, waving her hand carrying the diamond marital ring.

"We've got to tell her the truth"

"Oh. No. Now I think you're out of your mind"

"Do you want to end this or don't you?" he challenged, angrily. Sometimes, he just can't figure her out. "She can't blame us if we don't even remember"

"Whatever," she agreed, only because it's the only way. "Just don't mention anything else"

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't dream of it."

But he can't help but think about the possibilities.

Lois and Clark exited the terminal two days later looking for Chloe in the sea of people waiting to get on board the plane that has just landed.

"Look, there she is," he said, pointing out to the far side where Chloe stood, grinning.

"How does she look?" she asked.

"I don't know, okay I guess"

"Okay? Does she look mad?"

"No, she doesn't look mad"

"Angry?"

"That's the same as mad"

Before either of them can say hello, "Lois! Clark!" Chloe hugged them both fiercely. She looked between the two of them, her face bright, happy and totally grinning with amusement as she inspected both their hands with the wedding rings. "I can't… believe…" then she breaks out laughing.

"Lois and Clark. Clark and Lois. Lois Lane Kent. Wow that's a nice rock!" Chloe said, loudly, her eyes growing big at the sight of the ring and getting the attention of a group of waiting passengers.

Lois glared at her. "Do you mind?" she yanked her hand away from her squealing cousin.

"Oh, you two have to tell me everything. I've been dying since Clark called me the other day"

"Dying painfully, I hope," Lois said, blankly.

Chloe couldn't suppress her laughter. The whole situation was mind bogglingly surreal. She could remember the details so clearly when she picked up the phone two days before.

"Hello"

"Chloe?"

"Clark. Oh my God. Where are you? You're parents are freaking out."

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Calm down, Chlo and let me explain"

"Okay – "

There was nothing but silence on the other line.

"Well – " she waited, impatiently.

"I'm sorry, it's just – a lot's happened"

"Which would be – "

"Chloe. Promise me you won't freak out"

"Okay, now you're freaking me out"

"How's my mom and dad?"

"What do you think? They're worried about you. We all tried calling and looking around, we couldn't find you anywhere. Speaking of, where are you?"

"I'm in Italy"

"Could you run that by me again?" she said in disbelief. Did he just claim he was in another continent? This is worst that finding him at the Arctic.

"Yeah," then there was a brief pause before he included, "I'm with Lois too"

Chloe gasped in great surprise. "You're with Lois!"

"Uh huh"

"In Italy?"

"Yes"

"Alone?"

"Why? Did something happen?" he asked, oblivious to the signs Chloe was overtly expressing. "Look, we're stuck in Italy and the crazy thing is, we don't know how we got here"

Chloe quirked an eyebrow, the investigative reporter in her coming out for full swing and ready to help out. She's been through this with Clark more often than she can count.

"Tell me what happened"

"Well…" she heard him breathe in deeply. "There's one other bit of information you should know"

"What's that?" she asked, worriedly.

"Lois and I are married"

That was out of this world, and she wasn't even talking about Clark Kent, the alien farm boy from Smallville, Kansas. If there was anything in this world to top that revelation, it would be the knowledge that Lois and Clark were married.

Married!

Chloe laughed all the way to the postal office to overnight their passports to Europe, and she laughed all the way back to her dorm room. And laughed some more before she went to sleep that it ended up keeping her awake for the rest of the night. She literally had to avoid Jonathan, Martha and to an extent, Lana to keep from spilling the beans.

Oh, those silly kids, she thought amusingly.

"So," Chloe began, her smile not fading. "How's the honeymoon?"

Lois and Clark sighed. No one was making this easy.

To be continued…