XYK

Chapter 35- "On Loud speaker."

Lois put Durga down into her stroller seat and grabbed the papers from Clark and stared at them in horror. Her mouth agape with shock as she skim read the document that detailed their divorce.

Looking up she caught a glimpse of Clark, "You're smiling. Why are you smiling?"

"I'm smiling because this is just so typically us." He took a sip of coffee "Don'tcha think?"

Lois grimaced "I'm glad you're taking it all in your stride."

Catching his ex-wife's sarcasm but choosing to ignore it, Clark asked"What do you want for breakfast?"

He turned and reached for a frying pan. "I can make you some eggs and bacon or.."

When he didn't get a response Clark turned back around only to find Lois Lane on bended knee.

"Will you marry me, Clark Kent?" Lois said a smile on her face.

Clark regarded Lois for a full moment. Then another moment, and then another. He was speechless. Words evaded him completely. When an answer didn't come Lois began to get worried. "Say something, say anything."

Clark extended his hand to help Lois up off of the ground but she managed to dodge the gesture"You haven't answered my question."Lois stated behind gritted teeth.

"No." Said Clark quietly.

Lois felt like she'd just been slapped in the licked her now dry lips and batted away fresh forming tears,and feeling impossibly silly,she made her embarrassed eyes meet Clarks."You're punishing me,aren't you?"

"Of course not, Lois." Clark reached for Lois again but she batted his arm away stood up and dusted her knees off.

"Then why don't you want to marry me?It's not like we haven't s done it before."

"And that didn't work out so well..."

"A-HA!" Lois yelled as if she'd just worked out a hard math problem "So you are trying to punish me. Just admit it!"

"Lois,I love you and you love me, so why can't that be enough for now?" said Clark appalled that Lois could think he'd try to score a point.

Lois shook her head,and began backing out of the kitchen "I should go..."

"Lois, I don't want you to go."Clark tried reaching for Lois but she dodged the slight of his hand. "Let's talk about this..."

"No!" Lois shook her head vehemently "Clark. You've made your feelings really clear on this one...Durga and I should leave, we've taken up enough of your time."

"Don't be like that Lois. Not after last night."

Before Lois could respond, the phone began to ring. Both Lois and Clark's eyes darted to the ringing phone and immediately back to each other in a silent standoff.

As the ringing phone began to irritate, Lois sighed resignedly. "Pick up your phone Clark."

Clark reached for his phone.

"Good Morning Clark!" said a familiar voice "I'm not waking you up am I? I always get the time difference wrong."

"No Chlo,I'm up."Clark kept his eyes on Lois, silently begging her not to move. "How are you?"

Lois rolled her eyes and picked Durga up and left the kitchen.

"Good, good." Chloe replied, excitement in her voice.

Clark could hear Lois rummaging round, poking his head around the door he saw her putting on her shoes and assembling her and Durga's belongings. "Chlo,I'm kind of busy right now, I'll phone you back..."

"This will only take a moment..Put me on Loud speaker!" cried an excited Chloe from the end of the line.

"Why?"Clark asked puzzled.

"I want you to get the full effect."

"Ok,Chlo."Clark rubbed his cranium.

"Are you sitting down?" Squealed an excited Chloe.

"No Chloe."

"OK....whatever..."said Chloe taking a dramatic pause "...I'm engaged to be married!"

Lois who had been bent over in the middle of putting on her shoes, stopped shook her head and tutted.

The sound of Chloe's excited voice faded into the background as Clark watched Lois get up, gently put Durga in her stroller and head for the door. She didn't look back at Clark.

"Clark,are you there...? Are you there...?" Chloe voice emanated from the phone.

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"Ok, it's very easy. You just put the needle in like so.." The middle aged nurse showed Lois how to administer her meds "...then you check that the drip is turned this way, like this...."She looked down at Lois to make sure she was watching. Once the nurse was satisfied she continued. "Then, you press this button, and you're good to go. Easy peasy, huh?"

"Yep."Lois feigned a smile .

"I'll come check on you in an hour."The nurse said.

"Thanks."Lois watched the Nurse leave the room then exhaled, she picked up the first magazine she could get her hands on. It was a copy of 'LANE' magazine. Holding the shiny pieces of paper in her hand, Lois began to tremble. She loved the magazine, was proud of her vision and everything she had accomplished but it was a dream with an end in sight. She knew the countdown had begun.

She cleared her mind and leant back in the comfortable armchair and thought of Durga in the hospital nursery, probably in heaven chewing on an orange crayon.

Lois closed her eyes ,"Xymethaline- yttrium-Krypton difluoride. Xymethaline- yttrium-Krypton difluoride. Xymethaline- yttrium-Krypton difluoride. Xymethaline- yttrium-Krypton difluoride. Xymethaline- yttrium-Krypton difluoride. Xymethaline- yttrium-Krypton difluoride...."she said to herself until the words lost all meaning.

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Washington DC

Pete took a sip of coffee and studied the figures in front of him. His papers spread out in front of him just how he like them. Now he was ready to do some strategising .Suddenly his office door opened and a gust of wind sent every piece of paper swirling around the office.

Completely unsurprised by the sight that stood in front of him, Pete picked up his office phone.

"Nancy, cancel my 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock and 4:3o." He said. From the expression on Clark's face, Pete could tell that it was going to be one of those afternoons.

Within 30 minutes the best friends had found themselves seated in a back booth of a Washington DC sports bar.

"That's some heavy stuff."Pete said taking a sip of beer.

Clark agreed "I know. She's been carrying that around all those years."

"Why didn't you ask her to marry you again? It's what you've wanted since the moment you split."

Clark shrugged "I don't know...It just seemed too heavy...too soon."

"You're scared huh?"

"I'm not scared." Clark grabbed some nuts from a bowl and tossed them into his mouth.

"Not even a little bit." Pete asked.

" even a little bit."

Pete laughed. "You're scared."

"OK."Clark smiled "I wouldn't use the word 'scared'....reticent maybe. I can't go through that again; I can't have her and then lose her again. I mean we've been through a lot this year. She's still so fragile. Lois likes to pretend she's this brave impenetrable warrior woman but she's not...she's human."

Pete nodded. "I hear you. But you love her, and she loves you and you're in this thing together now. It'll take time, effort and maybe even some counselling but maybe what Lois needs is reassurance that despite what she's been through, you'll always be there."

Clark exhaled and studied Pete for a long hard moment."When the hell did you get so wise?"

Pete laughed "I surprise myself sometimes."

Just then Clark's cell phone began to beep, signifying a text message. It was Lois.

"Clark,I need you. How soon can you get here?"

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"I've been trying your cell phone for hours." Clark said as he entered Lois' apartment.

"I had a hospital appointment."

Clark studied Lois' face "You look pale."

"I'm fine Clark." Lois said .

Clark gently kissed her on the forehead and she didn't move away or scowl. Clark took that to be a good sign. It seemed that she wasn't bearing a grudge for the morning. He smiled as he got down on bended knee,he rummaged through his pocket to find Lois' ring.

"Marry me, Lois Lane. Make me the happiest man in the Galaxy."

"No." Lois said casually as she turned on her heels and walked into her bedroom.

TBC.