----Chapter 23
"Lois! How're you feeling?"
Looking over towards the voice, Lois smiled at the man that had called out to her. Clark was right next to her, getting her settled in at her desk. It had been a relatively event free morning. She'd taken a shower and put on a nice suit that had her mentally frozen for a few minutes when it felt tight around the waist. She had unbuttoned it and found that she was a little rounder than she'd been just four or five days ago.
Lois had been able to put that in the back of her mind, though, as she was eager to get back to the Planet and do something that felt familiar, because she was running seriously low on familiar activities these days. Outside of over eating, all her familiar activities were activities she seemingly no longer partook in.
"That's Perry, Lo. You generally refer to him as Chief."
She nodded, stood and smiled at Perry White, her editor-in-chief that she couldn't remember. "Hey, Chief. I'm fine. You know, aside from knowing nobody and nothing here. That minor detail is somewhat annoying."
"I can only imagine. Look, hon, if you need anything just holler. My office is right over there," he said as he pointed back past them. "Are you planning on doing a full day today, or are you just going to familiarize yourself with everything and head home at lunch?"
"I don't know yet. I was getting a little stir crazy sitting around the apartment all the time. Who I remember being is not comfortable with spending too much time in the same place doing absolutely nothing."
"Lois, you've never been comfortable doing that. Trust me, if you were, you wouldn't be half the reporter you are. Let me know what you decide and don't work too hard today. You can wait until Monday to really dig in."
Lois smiled, but had other plans. "Actually, Chief, I was wanting to get through all this tech stuff ASAP so I could get back to our city council story. We're so close to finding the evidence we need, I can feel it. To take down Lex would be a nice little confidence boost in this world I only partially recognize."
"I know I won't be able to do anything to stop you from doing what you want, so just be careful and listen to Clark. He's only got yours and little Almond Joy's best interests at heart."
As Perry walked away Lois spun and glared at Clark. "You've got him doing it too? Is there anybody in the world besides me that isn't going to be calling our unborn baby Almond Joy?"
"Not if I have any say in it. I mean, yeah, once he or she is born and old enough to dislike the nickname I'll probably just use the initials, but until then, our child is officially Almond Joy. Maybe we could use A and J names for first and middle names so that he or she will always be AJ?"
She sighed. This poor child was going to hate her not only for forgetting he or she existed every now and again, but also for letting its father go haywire and use such a ridiculous nickname.
"We can think about that later, Smallville. Oh, and I think I'm starting to show. I'm a little more round than I was, say, on Saturday." He looked away from her eyes and down to her stomach, smiling. He stared for a moment before Lois got sick of it. She snapped her fingers at him. "Up here, Smallville. No stomach staring in public. Let's keep that to a household activity, if it has to happen at all."
He held up his hands in surrender. "Ok, ok. I'm getting the feeling that this is not the best development in your mind, so to speak, but am I not allowed to be a proud father admiring the wonders of his pregnant wife?"
"Since your pregnant wife is still getting around to reading up on what exactly is happening with her body right now, I think she can be a little edgy."
"Fair enough. Once you're informed, though, your stomach is fair game."
After an obligatory eye roll, they spent the rest of the morning going through the systems and everything. The original plan had been for him to do some of the easy stuff and hand her off to a tech guy for the more complicated tasks, but she found it easy to learn from him and convinced him to just do it all instead of making her meet somebody new that wasn't actually somebody new and go through the awkward conversation.
Lunch time eventually came, and they went to the park and got some hot dogs from a vendor walking the paths. She was surprised the guy was still out and about in November. Lois took down three like they were nothing and could have eaten more, but she didn't want to stuff herself into a lunch induced laziness that would affect her work. Taking down Lex was more important that getting a couple more hot dogs, even when pregnant.
Their afternoon was spent with Lois digging through a couple different leads they'd lucked into right after lunch and Clark calling sources to see if anything else could be dug up. While it was all compelling evidence, it still only linked Lex indirectly and therefore did them no good for the goals they had in mind.
"This is ridiculous, Smallville. We were working on this even when I wasn't memory deficient and weren't able to link it to Lex. If there's information out there, we're looking in all the wrong places and it is bugging the hell out of me."
"I know. Believe me, I'm right there with you on the frustration. There's always something, though, and I know we'll find it. We wouldn't be the team we are if we didn't always get the evidence we needed to make our articles the top notch things they are."
A little while later Lois was chewing on the end of a pencil and studying a file when Clark spoke up.
"That was strange."
Lois pulled the pencil from her mouth. "What was strange?"
"I was just talking to what seemed like a promising source with evidence that could potentially make our article and we got cut off. I tried calling back but I kept getting the message that I had dialed incorrectly or the number I was trying no longer existed."
"You're right, that is strange. Who were you talking to?"
"Unfortunately, I don't know her name. She'd heard we were digging around and got word to me through another source. I don't think she'd have ever met with us to make sure she stayed anonymous, but it sounded like she wasn't above passing it through this other guy."
"How do you know she was legit and not just some disgruntled employee looking to get her boss some bad press and make us look foolish while it happened? You did find the source who shot at us on Tuesday."
"I don't know. I guess I may never know, now, but having the line cut off and suddenly the number doesn't exist? That sounds more like somebody else trying to keep her quiet than her screwing with us. I'm going to try calling the other guy back to see if he can do anything."
They were there for another hour, Lois still going through files and Clark still trying to find out what had happened to the woman he'd been talking to. Neither was all that successful in making any progress.
Clark was helping Lois put on her jacket when he spoke. "So, what sounds good for dinner tonight?"
She shrugged the coat on and grabbed her purse off the desk before turning around to face him. "I don't know, not really feeling like there's a definite answer to that. What sounds good to you?"
"After having a good portion of my pizza eaten the other day, it's sounded really good to me all week."
"Sounds good to me too, Smallville, despite the fact that I should really start eating better. You going to go get Jordan now, or go home with me first?"
"Usually I just go straight from the Planet, but I'm happy to be your escort before heading to the farm. There is a little work mom asked me to do out there, so it'll be about an hour before Jordan and I get back."
She thought about it a second before answering. "You should just head straight there. I'll be fine getting home on my own and this way you can get the work done a little sooner so we can eat a little sooner. You can also bring home the pizza."
"Ok then. I'm going to head to the roof and take off. See you in a little while." He gave her a big smile and headed towards the stairway. He disappeared and Lois got in an elevator, heading down and grabbed a cab after four or five attempts. She nearly gave the driver directions to the place she and Chloe had lived before catching herself and giving the man the right building to drop her at.
She paid the man and headed inside, finding her way to the apartment without much hassle. She said hello to an older woman that greeted her as she got to her door. Once inside, she dropped her purse on a chair and shed her jacket, tossing it over the back of the same chair.
Walking into her room, she kicked off her heels and pushed them next to the dresser where they'd be out of the way. The dresser sparked her interest, though. It held the diary, and she wanted to see what the next entry was about. Grateful as she was to one and all for telling her about the past, not being able to know it from her own perspective sucked. The diary gave her at least a little bit of that.
She hit the dresser until the secret drawer popped open and grabbed the diary. She walked out to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, filling it and gulping it down once before filling it again and heading to the couch where she could sit and read. She set the glass down and opened up the diary, flipping pages until she got to the next entry.
10/19/17
I am now Lois Lane Kent. The one and only Mrs. Clark Kent. Holy frijoles.. I can't believe we actually made it and got married. I know that for whatever me that's reading this, it may have just made my waking up without all my memories a more difficult thing, and I'm sorry for that. The fact is, though, that I love Clark too much not to marry him, and I think that soon enough you'll feel the same way, if you don't already.
We had a simple ceremony with just family and close friends. The reception, though, that was huge. It was a blast, getting a chance to see a lot of smiling faces. I didn't remember all of them, which makes me wonder how they get invited, but everybody was kind enough to act like nothing was happening.
It's a very strange experience, though, having everybody willing to do anything for you. I could ask for anything or anyone and it was there for me. Bride's have an astounding amount of power at a wedding, which makes sense in the grand scheme of things, but it kind of went to my head and I ended up having one of the servers run and buy Chloe and I a pizza at 11 p.m.
Chloe had a great time, despite having to sit for most of the reception. She stood through the ceremony like a champ, but it took a toll on her back, as I was afraid it would. She might have found it difficult to dance as big as she is, though if anybody can find a way to do something that seems unlikely it's my little cousin.
Believe it or not, the General actually shed some tears as he walked me down the aisle. He called me his Little Lo and gave me a kiss on the temple before handing me away to Clark. His tears made me cry a little bit, then reciting my vows to Clark nearly made my eyes burst as I held the tears in best I could. I didn't end up saying my vows through sobs, so it all worked out.
Lucy was there too, of course, with her husband and son Caden. She's a great mom, and couldn't be more in love with Paul. He's a good man and treats her well, so I couldn't want anything more for her. They're actually talking about trying for another baby soon, so I wouldn't be surprised if she has two kids whenever you are.
Clark's vows... just unbelievable. I know the man can write because of all our work together, but what he said yesterday blew me away. I think he poured his heart, soul and everything else into those words because the way he put his feelings into words was extraordinary. Whatever it was, I think he blew my vows away, which I'm ok with.
We're heading off to Spain tomorrow. I'm writing this at about four in the afternoon and have only had to remove myself from bed once so I could use the bathroom. Other than that, Clark has kept me in bed on a steady diet of food and love making, which is just about the best diet I can imagine.
Also, of course, is that fact that sex with Clark is like running a marathon with a way, WAY better end than breaking the tape. Three to one, if you get my drift. I call it his other super power, which never fails to make him blush. I hope that hasn't stopped working so you can use it because it's all sorts of adorable.
I wish I could think of something useful to tell you this time, but my brain is only half working from happiness overload. I guess I'll just have to impart knowledge to you the next time I write, so don't take too long between reading the entries.
Oh, there is one thing I'd like to mention. Sucking on the spot about an inch under his earlobe drives him wild.
Lois closed the diary and actually felt a little heat in her cheeks. The fact that she suddenly wanted to try sucking on the spot mentioned in the diary was a little unsettling, though somewhat in line with everything she'd been feeling the last couple days. Wanting to have sex with the farm boy should make her question her mental health, not make her think about how amazing it could be!
She jumped up off the couch, walked to her room and tossed the diary back in its secret drawer, pushing it shut before changing into some more comfortable clothes. She was just about to sit down on the couch when she heard the front door opening and Jordan running into the apartment. A grin instantly came to her face as the girl raced to her and got swept up into a hug.
"Hey there, baby girl. How was your day?"
"Really good! Grandma and I made pies!"
Lois looked over to Clark, who was not only carrying three pizzas but a couple pies as well, which smelled like heaven in food form to her. She immediately went and grabbed them off the top of the pizza boxes, opening each up and taking a deep whiff. The cherry smelled great, but the apple set her mouth drooling like crazy. She grabbed a knife and cut herself a big slice, not bothering with a plate and eating it like a slice of pizza.
She turned around to find Clark staring at her like she'd lost her mind. She finished chewing the bite she'd taken and swallowed it. "What? Never seen a woman eat pie before?"
"Not like that, no. I guess Almond Joy really liked the smell of it."
"Yes, AJ did, and therefore I did not want to deprive him or her the pie so craved by taking the time to get a plate. It seemed inconsiderate."
"Right."
"Oh, be quiet." She wanted to tell him to shut up, but thought that might not be the best thing in front of Jordan. She took another bite and spoke around it. "Which pizza is mine?"
He pointed at the one at the bottom of the pile and handed her a plate. She thanked him with a small smile and removed the two pizza boxes from on top of hers before putting a few slices on her plate. She set her pizza box aside and sat down at the table, where Clark put a glass of ice water in front of her. Jordan sat down next to her and started working on a piece of cheese pizza.
Once they'd all had their fill, the remaining pizza and pie were put away and they all sat on the couch, gazing at the television. They put on an old Disney movie for Jordan and watched quietly. Lois was thinking about the dates of the diary entries, thinking about what might come next in it when the time of year it currently was hit her.
"Hey, Clark, is Thanksgiving next week?"
He frowned a second before answering. "Yes, it is. I'd kind of forgotten about it until just now with everything that happened this week. We usually go eat with Chloe and Bruce at the Wayne manor. It's a big thing. My mom, Sam and even Lucy and her family come when they're in the country, but she won't be there this year. We'll fly out there Tuesday after work."
"It'll be good to see everybody again."
Clark looked back towards the television and Lois's vision focused on the spot an inch under his earlobe as dirty thoughts entered her mind. She tried to shake them off, but lost the battle and found herself doing very naughty things to a naked Clark in her mind.
Stupid diary.
