Cardinal's Odds and Ends

[ajfinn]

BUFFER

[Cardinal]

--------------------

Bringing his aging pickup to a stop, Clark got out of the truck and headed over to the barn. Seeing Lana’s maroon Yukon SUV, he realized she was here and waiting for him. Easing open the barn door, Clark flipped on the light switch just as a chorus of “Surprise!” swept over him from his assembled friends.

The fact that Lana had pulled this off under his nose was surprise enough, but Clark’s surprise turned to shock when he read the large banner hanging from one side of the barn to the other. It read, “Clark Kent’s Alien Exposition, one night only.” On the end of the banner was a drawing of a telescope.

His head swiveled back and forth like he was possessed, until he finally located Lana in the loft. Disregarding the friends that were closing in to congratulate him, Clark made his way up the steps in an absolute panic. Eyes wide, afraid his worst fear was about to be realized, Clark stormed up to Lana and asked, “What have you done to me? How could you…”

The rest of what he tried to say was muffled by Lana’s open hand pressing down over Clark’s mouth. Pete and Chloe were howling with laughter at Clark’s panicked expression. Using her softest, most soothing voice, Lana did what was possible for no other, she brought him back from a state of panic with a smile and a few words, saying, “Clark, calm down. No one knows anything more about you than they did yesterday.”

When he tried to speak again, Lana continued to shush him, saying, “All they’ve been told is that you have an astronomy fixation, that you believe in life on other planets, and that they were to dress up appropriately for this surprise party. If you’ll take a second to notice what they’re wearing, everyone, including the three of us up here, are dressed in a costume having to do with aliens of some sort.”

“We’ve also got three different TVs down there playing “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T.,” and “Starman.”

No longer hyper-ventilating, Clark looked around and noticed that his three closest friends were all dressed like Men In Black. He whispered to Lana, “Well, Agent Smith, are you here to keep the alien in line?”

“Oh, you know it, Mr. Kent,” Lana said. Gently directing him toward the stairs, and swatting him on the butt, she said, “Get that fine behind down there and greet your guests.”

Over the next ten minutes, Clark met more ‘aliens’ and people who dealt with ‘aliens’ than he’d ever thought possible. There was Mork from Ork, the alien from “My Favorite Martian,” the Robinsons from “Lost in Space,” any number of Klingons, Vulcans, and Romulans from Star Trek, Commander Adama from Battlestar Galactica, one Darth Vader and a couple of Imperial Stormtroopers from Star Wars, and several other characters he couldn’t identify right away.

The back door to the barn creaked open right about then and Jonathon and Martha Kent walked in, accompanied by Shelby. Shelby wore a cardboard sign loosely attached around his neck that proclaimed him to be dressed as ALF and the Kents were dressed as Han Solo and Princess Leia. As she drew closer, Martha said, “If you want to, Clark, I’ve made a white Luke Skywalker costume from the first movie for you. It’s in on your bed.”

With the party now in full swing, lights reflecting off the multitude of glittery stars dangling from the roof, and refreshments being enjoyed by all, Clark headed for the house to put on his costume. In his room, he undressed and began to pick up the outfit, when he noticed a final 3x5 note card sitting on top.

It read, “Enjoy yourself, Clark.” Flipping the card over out of habit after a couple of hours of clue hunting, he grinned widely as he read, “I told you I’d get even with you after what you did on my birthday, Clark.”

Rejoining the party, Clark smiled, thinking of other things that must have happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

[ajfinn]

Ha ha ha ha ......... very very funny, Cardinal!! Great hunt with the clues, and terrific joke/party!

:D

[MOOman0618]

That was awesome!!! SHELBY AS ALF!!! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I think the party went over well...I could just picture Clark's face when he saw the banner! I like the MIB idea, the whole thing was super!

[linn]

Man,... this is great....just caught up with it......hehe..ppms!

[SVsleuth]

That was ... genius... Cardinal! Super idea! I never would have thought of that. I could feel Clark's panic when he saw that banner. The whole hunt was sweet & the way Lana got him back really good! You have a very creative mind. And I loved how you named so many of the aliens. I :lol: at mention of Mork form Ork, whom I hadn't thought of in forever! Do most of these young readers even know who that was? I mean, do they play reruns of Mork & Mindy on cable channels these days? And I used to love the original Battlestar Galactica, way back when - but I wouldn't remember their names! I guess you're a real trivia geek, huh Card? Or you watched a lot of TV in your life.

Oh, and perfect ending:


thinking of other things that must have happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this update. Now time for Broken Road???

[Cardinal]

Yes, now it's time for "Broken Road."

You can tell ClanaLover that the next chapter there will be titled "Dirty Laundry."

Lana will get to meet Elaine for the first time.

Oh, in case anyone forgot, the IDEA for the alien-themed party belongs to MOOman. I just executed it.

Thanks, MOO!

[SVsleuth]

Sounds great. Is some of it written already, or is it just still in your head?

[Cardinal]

I've got the first page done. A normal update is about 6 pages long, like the last one on this thread was.

[SVsleuth]

Okay, good. then get busy writing. :lol: (just kidding: you deserve a break to read if you want one - just not too long.) ;)


Originally posted by Cardinal
Oh, in case anyone forgot, the IDEA for the alien-themed party belongs to MOOman. I just executed it. Thanks, MOO!

Oh! I had forgotten. Thanks MOO! Y'all make a great team!

[MOOman0618]

Originally posted by Cardinal
Oh, in case anyone forgot, the IDEA for the alien-themed party belongs to MOOman. I just executed it.

Thanks, MOO!


Yes, but ideas and final products are two very different animals. I really don't deserve thanks.


ALF! :lol:

[akuma]

That was hilarious Cardinal, keep those great updates coming!!

[NYC300Z]

that was a great update! It was funny too! I guess Lana did get him back! :lol:

PPMS!

[Cardinal]

Okay. boys and girls. My next update will be here, hopefully on Friday.

"The Wedding" finally gets to the wedding (well, the rehearsal, anyway).

Amazing, isn't it? :p

[SVsleuth]

Yes! We are READY for a CLANA Wedding! Will be watching for it eagerly! :)

[Cardinal]

The Wedding - Chapter 14

In the final two months leading up to the wedding, Lana and Clark still had a number of things to accomplish.

Shortly after Clark’s birthday, his speed was called upon to write, stuff, address, and seal the wedding invitations.

Lana had to go to the hairdresser she was using for the wedding, with her headpiece, for a run-through of her makeup and hairstyle.

Having most of the details done made finals at Central Kansas A&M easier for both of them. They still had more than five weeks to go before the ceremony.

At this point, Lana and Clark had to plot out the table layout and seating chart for the reception. That took the better part of a day, deciding who they wanted to honor most by placing them closest to the head table, who they wanted to seat together, and who they wanted to keep apart.

Lana commented during this delicate bit of work that, “Lex was right. You really need diplomatic skills for stuff like this.”

At that, Clark leaned over and planted a quick kiss on her cheek and said, “You’re doing great. If it was up to me, I’d just have open seating…except for the head table, of course.”

Once Lana decided on a seating chart, and Clark didn’t raise any objections to it (smart man), they then had to fill out the place cards that were to be put into the souvenir pewter picture frames to be used for helping the guests seat themselves.

After that, Lana confirmed the date and details with her chosen vendors: the photographer, the videographer, the florist, the bakery, etcetera.

Lana then had to go back to Metropolis for a final dress fitting, and to pick up her bridesmaids’ dresses. The custom-made tuxes for the men were shipped to Clark a couple of weeks after the final fitting.

Slowly, inexorably, the big day finally approached. All of Clark and Lana’s time together, by this point in their six month pledge, was either in public or with a couple of unwitting chaperones, like the Kents or Pete and Chloe. The really unfortunate part was that most of their friends and family knew of the pledge by now and were teasing them about it remorselessly. Clark was fairly sure Pete had a betting pool going on whether or not they would make it to the wedding night with the pledge still intact.

Clark had never seen Lana more in her element, running a large production like this wedding with seeming ease. She seemed to be energized by working on the slightest details of the wedding and when she looked up at him to ask his opinion, the way her face glowed just made her more beautiful than ever. Maybe, Clark thought, being a wedding planner is what she’s called to do. I’ve never seen her so alive as when she is working on this wedding. Even watching her paint while I model for her doesn’t compare.

During the last week, Lana made out envelopes for the church, DJ, bakery, florist, photographer, videographer, hairdresser, and Judge Ross and filled them with checks for payment of their services. Those would be handed out after the wedding, or at the reception, depending on who was being paid. Martha picked up the job of making sure the mementos, like the cake knife and the toasting glasses, were safely returned to the Kent farm for safekeeping.

The final seating chart was turned over to Lex’s staff so they could begin arranging the Grand Ballroom and so the chef would know how many meals to prepare.

Finally, Lana made a visit to a local day-spa for a complete treatment: facial, waxing, brow-shaping, etcetera.

Clark and Lana also had to pack for the honeymoon. At this point Lana had to ask Clark what kinds of clothes she was going to need since he wouldn’t tell her where they were going. Clark smirked and replied that she wasn’t going to need any clothes for quite some time. He finally allowed that it would be quite warm, so shorts and tank tops would be fine, she’d definitely need swimwear that could actually survive getting wet, and several top-shelf dresses would also be required. Bruce assured Clark that Alfred would come over to pick up the suitcases the morning of the wedding and place them in the Maybach.

Friday morning, June 27th, 2008. Clark looked at the calendar one more time to be sure he was reading it correctly. Rehearsal day. It’s here. Yes! Clark got up and ate then went through his morning chores as deliberately as possible. Anything to help pass the time on his next-to-last day as a bachelor.

Lana called just before noon to remind him she was going with Chloe and the bridesmaids to a bridesmaids’ luncheon held by Chloe at the Smallville Country Club. Clark, meanwhile, was helping set up the rented tables for the rehearsal dinner. Since there was no chance of rain, the tables were being set up outside in the area between the house and the barn that would be shady at dinner time. Clark could already smell Judge Ross’ smokers and was getting hungry as a result. Judge Ross had asked Clark what he wanted her to make. Clark smiled and said, “Everything. Ribs, chicken, brisket, you name it.”

He was glad his mom had decided to enlist the judge to make her famous barbecue while she, Martha, made everything else from pasta salads and fruit salads to corn-on-the-cob, and garlic mashed potatoes with cream gravy. Of course, no feast would be complete without a wide assortment of Martha Kent’s famous pies. Jonathan had gone into town earlier to pick up a couple of kegs of beer, which were now sitting in a farm trough filled with ice. For those who chose to not drink, sweet iced tea and lemonade would be available.

Once the tablecloths were in place and held down temporarily by rocks at each corner, Clark went inside to call all of the men in the wedding to make sure they knew when and where to show up for the rehearsal.

Lana enjoyed her all-girls outing. It was her first time out since her bachelorette party to just relax and not worry about anything. Not her vow of celibacy, not the wedding plans, not anything. Her bachelorette party had consisted of a big sleepover at Nell’s old house during which several wedding movies were played, large quantities of chocolate fondue were eaten, and everyone tried to coax stories about Clark out of Lana. It was a harmless party, but Chloe knew there were limits Lana would not step beyond.

Both had wondered what Pete planned for Clark’s bachelor party. Pete had the ability to get Clark to do things he didn’t really want to do. Add that to Pete’s occasional taste for the risqué and the girls were slightly worried. They need not have been. Clark had laid down the law early, in an attempt to keep Pete under control, and to keep from insulting Lana. In the end, Pete organized a trip to Denver where the guys went to Coors Field to watch the Colorado Rockies play the St. Louis Cardinals and then went to Casa Bonita for dinner.

Finally, four o’clock arrived, and the rehearsal was ready to begin. So that Lana could concentrate on her part as the bride, her Aunt Nell was using Lana’s notes and acting as the rehearsal director.

“Okay, everybody,” Nell said, nearly shouting to make herself heard above the din of conversation. “If you’d all come in here now, we’d like to get started.”

Buffer please!

[SVsleuth]

BUFFER!

[Cardinal]

As the entire party gathered, Nell reviewed the notes one more time.

“Let’s see…Lex and Harry, where are you two?” Nell asked.

When they stood up, Nell said, “You are our two ushers. Let’s go over how we’d like you to seat the guests. First, the front two rows are reserved for family. Clark’s family will be sitting in the front on the right, Dean and I will be sitting on the left. More distant relatives will occupy the second row. Beyond the families, there will be no bride’s side and groom’s side, just general seating. Obviously, try to seat people as close to the front as possible.

“Once the wedding starts, step inside the chapel, but keep those middle doors closed. If anyone comes in late, they’ll have to use the small doors on the sides of the foyer and come up the outside aisles, otherwise, they’ll be a distraction. We‘ll have a note posted on the middle doors, directing any latecomers to the proper chapel doors.”

Flipping to the next page, Nell said, “At this point the music that has been playing will be stopped, and after the crowd noise subsides the next CD will start.

“ The first song played will be the ‘Prelude to Te Deum.’ When this music starts, the ushers will begin to seat the family members. First, the more distant family members will be seated in the second row, and then the immediate family will be shown to the front row, with the obvious exception of my husband Dean who will be escorting the bride. Bring one couple or family grouping out on one side and then, when that usher heads back, bring out a family group on the other side. We’ll replay that song over if necessary until everyone is seated.

“The next song played will be Clarke‘s ‘The Prince of Denmark’s March,’ sometimes incorrectly know as ‘Trumpet Voluntary.’ During this song the groomsmen will march down the center aisle, one-by-one and take their places at the front, followed by the best man, and finally the groom. We’ll try and pace the march in practice tonight to make the song length match the march, if the song turns out to be too long, then we’ll have to cut it off. All five of you young men will be the right half of an inverted V, with Clark at the apex. You’ll all be facing the audience at this time.

“Next, comes the entrance of the bridesmaids and the maid of honor. Their song is Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D.’ Just like the men, you ladies need to be facing the audience in the other half of the inverted V. Once again, we’ll be trying to pracetice timing the marches to fit the song length, and, again, if the song is too long, we’ll have to cut it short.

“After Chloe reaches her spot, there will be a pause of absolute silence to gather everyone’s attention. Then, the ushers will pull open the doors, the audience will stand, the ‘Wedding March’ from Wagner’s ‘Lohengrin’ will start, and Lana and Dean will head down the aisle.”

Nell paused to ask, “Lana, do you have this music burned onto a CD in the order you want it played?”

Lana smiled an said, “Yes. We’ve got one CD with music to be played over and over while we’re waiting for the wedding to start, a second one for the wedding music itself, and a third one for the music to be played during the ceremony.”

“Okay,” Nell said, “Something for those of you on the platform to note, as Lana passes where you stand, you are supposed to turn in place and follow her progress to her final position just short of where Clark will be standing. At this point, Judge Abigail Ross will take over.”

Making eye contact with Pete’s mom, Nell asked, “Abigail, would you go over what you have planned?”

Standing and making her way to the front, Abigail said, “Lana and Clark aren’t messing with any unity candles or things like that. They decided to forgo any candles in this service at all due to the ungodly heat of a Kansas summer. They don’t see the need and, quite frankly, neither do I. You will all be thanking them at about 4 in the afternoon tomorrow.

“Clark and Lana have said they have some music that will be playing in the background very softly during the service. For those who have a specific interest, the three selections are: Bach’s ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,’ Bach’s ‘Sheep May Safely Graze,’ and ‘Spring,’ from Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons.’” Picking Lana out of the crowd, Abigail asked, “Can we test that out tonight, Lana? I want to make sure I can be heard clearly.”

“No problem, Judge,” Lana said.

Hearing her work title used as her name, one eyebrow rose on Abigail’s face as she slowly rotated her head toward Clark as if to ask, ‘What are you teaching her?’

Clark shrugged his shoulders in reply as a way of saying, ‘What did I do?’

Returning to her notes, Abigail said, “First off, I’ll read an introduction, then ask the ritual question of the bride’s escort, at which time Dean will hand Lana off to Clark, and they will step up and both face me.

“At this point, I will read the charge and an admonition, or two, to the two of them about the nature of love and marriage. Then we come to the vows, which neither one of them will say when we do our run-throughs tonight.

“Then, they’ll exchange rings. Next, each one of them has selected a passage to be used for a reading. Each one of them will read their passage to the other. Then, I get to pronounce them man and wife.”

Rolling her eyes, Abigail said, “At that point, Clark finally gets to kiss his bride.” Shaking her finger, she said, “Nothing else until after the reception, Clark. You too, Lana.” The whole crowd erupted at that, with the bridal couple turning red with embarrassment.

“Finally, I’ll give a brief benediction, and then present the new couple.”

As Abigail took a seat, Nell stood back up, consulted her notes, and said, “At that time, the recessional music will start, my notes say that will be the ‘Wedding March’ from Mendelssohn’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ Clark and Lana will then leave together, followed by Pete and Chloe, and then each pair of attendants.

“Once they have cleared the chapel, the ushers will come forward and release the guests row by row, starting in the front. The bridal party will have form a reception line in the foyer. After the guests have cleared the line, we’ll need the bridal party and close families to stay after the ceremony for photographs.”

“Okay people, let’s run this through.”

It took three run-throughs to make Nell happy, so it was after 6 p.m. by the time Nell told everyone to head out to the Kent farm for an outdoor barbecue.

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The question of who’d been watching the smokers was answered when Pete’s brother Bob stepped forward to welcome him and Lana.

“Everyone else will be here in a minute, Bob,” Clark said, “I hope the meat is done.”

“It’s been done for an hour, Clark,” Bob replied. “Bring out the salads and stuff and we’re ready to go.”

Twenty minutes later, the food was set out and the guests were ready. Jonathon stood up to say a few words before everyone headed to the buffet.

“I’d like to thank everyone that has made this day possible for Clark and Lana. Particularly, Nell, Chloe, Pete, and Martha for providing the necessary support without which Clark and Lana may have given up and eloped.” Smiling at his son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Jonathon said, “I see a lot of the handiwork of my wife and Abigail Ross over on those tables. I think it’s time to honor those ladies’ hard work by digging in.”

[SVsleuth]

1st!


In the end, Pete organized a trip to Denver where the guys went to Coors Field to watch the Colorado Rockies play the St. Louis Cardinals and then went to Casa Bonita for dinner.

You had to have a shout out to your beloved Cardinals, didn't you! :lol:

Well, I certainly hope all Lana's planning leads to a picture perfect wedding. Usually, in spite of the best laid plans, however, something unexpected happens to add comedy to the day. At my wedding, when I got in the limo with my Dad, I sat on my long veil, which pulled it off of my head. My Dad spent the entire trip to the church trying to help me fix it.(Dad's know just how to do such things, right?) When I got there, the florist tried to help me with it at the last minute, but then the music was playing & it was time to walk. The veil stayed on for a while, but by the time we got to the offertory song, it was sliding hopelessly off of my head! My maid of honor had to come take it off & reset it on my head. Watching the video, it seems we chose a "fix the veil" song! We all get a good laugh now, but at the time, I was mortified! Hope it goes better for Lana.

And Lana & Clark are wise to skip the unity candles as well. Ours were burning very quickly, due to the air conditoner blowing on them. Near the end of the priest's sermon, he suddenly noticed the candle stubs, almost gone. He quickly ended the sermon & went directly to the lighting of the unity candle. We lit it - & the air conditoner blew it out! We lit it again, thinking, "I hope that's not an omen!" So the best laid plans, still led to a comedy of errors. But, hey, we got married, and that's what counts. And, no, it wasn't an omen: still married, almost 20 years later...
PPMS!

[Cardinal]

My brother's wedding had several disasters in it.

This, though, is easily the best one:

First, my nephew, who was 12 at the time, and the bride's little brother, who was 11, were in charge of lighting two huge candelabras on the raised platform of the church. They marched up side by side and headed for their respective candelabras. When they raised the long candle lighters high enough to light the topmost candles, the air conditioning vents (which were high on the wall) blew out both lighters.

The boys looked at each other in abject panic and rushed down the steps to get re-lit by the photographer, who happened to have a Bic lighter. My nephew, Tony, immediately turned his lighter up as far as it would go. He was now blowing a three-inch-long flame out of his lighter. He went to his rack and lit the candles easily. The little brother, Ted, didn't turn his wick up very far and kept having difficulties getting his candelabra lit.

Tony stood in the middle where he was supposed to wait. Every few seconds, he would take a step toward Ted and then he would think better of it and would stop. He was thinking, I've already screwed up once today, I'm not doing it again. You could just see him trying to decide what to do.

All of the men in the party were up in the balcony watching this and we were DYING LAUGHING, we couldn't stop! My brother's bride was, thankfully, still in the bridal room and couldn't see this happening.

[MOOman0618]

Awesome update. I saw you sneak in your team! And that was probably smart of Pete not to try any funny business. He would have had several angry females to deal with. Can't wait for the actual wedding! Post more soon!

[NYC300Z]

Wow so much detail it was really interesting. So much work and time going into this....so funny that everybody is cracking on Clark and Lana...

PPMS!!

[akuma]

Poor Clark and Lana, it must have been a difficult six months, but now almost over! Awesome update, really want to see the wedding now!!!

[SVsleuth]

So when should we expect an update?

[Cardinal]

Sometime tonight, I hope. The way this is shaping up, this will be a fairly large update.

[SVsleuth]

Good. Well, Ill try to be around to buffer.

[akuma]

Cardinal i could use a great big pickmeup and an update would help alot, so im here to buffer if ur gonna do it soon!!

[akuma]

Could u give a timeframe for ur expected update so i can try to be online to buffer, thanks Card!

[Cardinal]

Hopefully before 11 pm, definitely before midnight.

That supposes I can get a question answered which I have been trying to research. :(

I will need at least 2 buffers when I do post. :)

[akuma]

awesome i should be here:D

Oh boy im getting excited, its 11 ur time and 12 mine, update hopefully soon!
Sry Card, im exhausted but ill be looking for ur updates in the morn, goodnight all!

[Cardinal]

*Many parts of the wedding service itself is taken from a several web pages*

The Wedding - Chapter 15

June 28th, 2008...D-day…THE day. Oh my, Clark thought, the day is finally here. Clark rolled over in his bed and looked at the clock. It’s barely 6 a.m., I don’t have to be anywhere for another two hours. Clark rolled back over and tried to get some more sleep. Sleep, however, had finished with him and gone elsewhere. When the clock read 7 a.m., Clark gave up and got up.

As he showered, shaved, and got dressed, he tried to analyze what he was feeling right now, why he had woken up so soon. By the time he pulled on his red t-shirt and Levi’s 501s, Clark had decided he was really excited and somewhat nervous. He smiled widely when he realized that doubt wasn’t a part of his feelings. Heart and mind were in agreement: he was getting ready to marry the right woman…the only woman.

He was supposed to meet Pete and the rest of the men of the bridal party, including the ushers, at 8:00 a.m. at Lex’s for breakfast. Country Kitchen or Village Inn would have been fine for Clark, but no restaurant around Smallville could match Lex’s staff. And his mom had enough to do today already. To kill the time, Clark ate a bowl of cereal and read the paper. Fifteen minutes before 8, Pete stopped by to pick up Clark for the drive to Lex’s. Clark grabbed his garment bag and ran out the door.

“You know something, Clark?” Pete asked, shaking his head, “I think this is going to be the first time I’ve ever eaten at Lex’s, and now, I‘ll be doing it twice in one day…unreal.”

“Well,” Clark said, “it’s the first time I’ve been back to the mansion since he tried to break up Lana and me. Lana’s been there a couple of times to check on the preparations for the reception, but I’ve been avoiding it.” When Pete raised an eyebrow at this, Clark explained, saying, “It brings back some painful memories for me about how close Lex and I used to be.”

In town, at that very moment, Lana was up uncharacteristically early. Like Clark, excitement and nerves were running rampant. She was meeting the girls, but not for breakfast, they were heading straight to the local day-spa where Lana was going to treat them all to facials, manicures, and pedicures, before they headed over to the hair salon for their appointments there. Lana stuffed a granola bar down her throat and devoured half a pink grapefruit before scurrying out the door in designer jeans and a teal baby-T to walk over to the spa.

Everyone was on time, and hugs and kisses were the order of the day. Lana couldn’t tell if everyone else was excited themselves of if they were just feeding off of her. When 8 a.m. rolled around, the doors opened and the girls stepped inside. The spa was normally closed on Saturday, but was available for special occasions and Lana had booked it for her and her friends months ago.

At Lex’s, the guys were serving themselves from the sideboard in the small dining room. After stuffing themselves full, which was always a chore for Clark, Bruce said he had heard what the girls were doing and proposed that the guys do the same.

“Go to a spa?” Clark asked, eyes popping wide open at this surprise suggestion.

“Yeah, Clark,” Bruce replied, “it wouldn’t hurt you to have your nails trimmed and buffed, and a good facial will unclog those pores and make your skin…glow.”

Everyone was trying to stifle a laugh at Clark’s expression until Bruce said, “That goes for all of us.”

Clark was about to decline, saying, “I don’t think I…,” when Lex jumped in and said, “Frequently, you don’t think, Clark. This isn’t just about you. You owe it to Lana to look and be nothing less than perfect today. If that means you have to eat your ideas about manliness for one morning, then do it.”

Pausing to see if Clark was absorbing this lecture, Bruce said, “She is worth it, don’t you think?”

“Besides, Clark,” Lex said, “that kind of pampering really is pretty nice, once you get used to it.”

Holding his hands up, palms out in a sign of surrender, Clark said, “Okay, okay, we’ll do it.”

Pete looked up in surprise and said, “What’s this we stuff, Kemosabe?”

“If I have to do it, Pete,” Clark said, wrapping an arm around Pete‘s shoulders and giving him a squeeze, “then my best man is going to be right there with me. Isn’t he?”

“My image may never survive if the guys at the fraternity ever hear about this,” Pete said.

“Don’t worry, Pete, no one will see you,” Lex said. “Since the girls have the day-spa in town tied up, Bruce and I brought in some professionals and their equipment from Metropolis for this. In fact, they’re waiting for us in the sun room right now. Follow me.”

Clark looked from Bruce to Lex and back, and asked, “You two are in this together?”

“Yes,” Bruce said, “it was Lex’s idea, but he thought you might be more likely to go for it if I presented it to you.”

“You sneaky little…” Clark said, fuming at the idea of being manipulated so easily.

Heading to the sun room with the rest of the guys, Clark asked Bruce, “Where’s Alfred? I didn’t see your Maybach when we came up the drive.”

“He’s at Lana’s disposal until the wedding,” Bruce replied. “He’ll pick her up at the spa and drive her wherever she requires. That way, she won’t risk her newly lacquered nails while driving and Alfred will be right where he’s needed when it’s time to take her to the church. Don‘t worry, Alfred has already called to say he’s picked up all of the honeymoon luggage.”

--------------------

Stepping out of the sun room, just after 11 a.m., the guys headed back to the small dining room for a light lunch before getting dressed.

“What time is the photographer expecting us at the church, Clark?” Lex asked.

“Somewhere around 1 p.m. We won’t be able to take pictures with the girls until after the wedding because I’m not allowed to see Lana’s dress ahead of time, but at least we can do the pictures that require only the guys and get them out of the way. Plus, my folks will want some pictures with Pete and me and I expect Pete’s mom will want some shots also.”

Muttering under his breath, Pete said, “Like you wouldn’t believe, Clark. All of this wedding stuff is getting her all primed and ready for me to get married. I can’t let her and Chloe get near each other or all they do is give me these looks.”

“Pete, ol’ buddy,” Clark said, “you have it in your power to fix that any time you choose.”

“Yeah, I know,” Pete replied.

The guys grabbed their tuxes out of their cars and each took a bedroom to begin dressing. The girls were just finishing up a light lunch consisting of Chicken Caesar salads and sweet tea at the Smallville Tea Room before heading to Nell’s old house to change for the wedding.

Half an hour later the men were ready to go. They were all wearing matching outfits. Summer weight, cutaway length, one-button coats that were a grey so dark as to be almost indistinguishable from black. With those coats went pearl grey vests and ascots, wing collar shirts, daytime stripe pants and glossy black seville shoes. It would have taken so long to dress, except Clark forgot his shoes which meant Pete had to go back to the farm to get them. Then, everyone except for Bruce and Lex had to be shown how to properly wear the ascot.

Looking at each other, Clark said. “So much for getting a usable tux out of this.”

“Yeah,” Pete replied, “there’s no social occasion around Smallville that will require something this fancy.”

Looking at Pete, Clark said, “Sorry about the shoes, Pete. I guess I was a little nervous this morning.”

“That’s okay, Clark. Covering your behind is my job right now. That’s what best men do.” Looking Clark over carefully, Pete said, “Umm…Clark, you’d better give me the wedding ring now. We really don’t want you misplacing that.” After Clark retrieved the ring box from his room and checked to make sure the ring was still there, he handed it over. “Next,” Pete said, “who’s got the marriage license?”

“I do,” Clark said. “It wouldn’t do Lana any good, she doesn’t have pockets.”

“I know that, Clark,” Pete said, rolling his eyes in exasperation, “what I was hinting at was your need to hand that over, too. With your luck, you’d use it to wipe your forehead when you start to get flop sweat.” Once again, Clark returned to his room, dug the document out of his belongings, and handed it over to Pete.

Securing the vital objects away, Pete asked, “What about the payment envelopes?”

“Nell’s in charge of those, she’ll hand them out at the correct time.”

“One final thing, are you sure you don’t want me to hold a copy of your vows in case you stare into Lana’s eyes and your mind goes blank?”

“I’m way ahead of you on that one, Pete. Your mom already has a copy of my vows and of Lana‘s, we changed our minds. Your mom will read the vows and we‘ll just repeat them. We were too afraid of messing up.”

“Okay then, let’s go.”

For the ride to the church the seven men managed to fit themselves into the rectangular passenger compartment of Lex’s limo. Upon arrival, Clark checked in with Nell and headed immediately for the chapel to begin taking photographs.

They took group photos, individual photos, photos with Clark’s parents and then with both of Pete’s parents. That last was a major surprise for Pete. They even took silly pictures, including one inspired by the night that Clark and Lana and Pete and Chloe went on their first dates. For that one, Pete jumped into Clark’s arms and, just as the photographer said ‘cheese,’ leaned over for a kiss.

[SVsleuth]

BUFFER!

[Cardinal]

By the time the many photos had been taken, it was nearing three o’clock and some of the early guests were already filling the parking lot. At three sharp, Lex and Harry pulled on their white gloves and opened the doors of the church to the guests.

First a trickle, then a stream of guests came in, registering inside the door at a table watched over by another of Lana’s girlfriends, named Michelle.

Clark and his four attendants were sent to wait in a spacious but windowless room so that Lana and her attendants could enter the building without risking being seen by Clark. Instead of coming in the front door, they took the extra precaution of using a door on the opposite side of the church from where the men were located. The men found their boutonnières sitting on a chair in the room. Clark’s was a white rose, the rest were given white carnations.

As the women filed into the bridal room, Chloe said, “I still can’t believe how good these bridesmaid gowns look.”

Lana looked at Chloe and said, “I thought I liked shopping for clothes until I had to shop for one dress style that would look good on four different women at the same time. I almost gave up and brought each girl back individually to shop for a dress. They wouldn’t have matched, but at least there wouldn’t have been as many headaches.”

“Yes, but you wouldn’t have been happy with them, Lana, and this is your wedding.”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, followed by Pete’s voice saying, “Chloe, come out here for a second.”

“Can’t this wait, Pete?” Chloe asked.

“No,” he replied, “We need to talk now.”

“Clark’s not out there is he?”

“No.”

“Okay, I’m coming.” Turning to Lana, Chloe said, “I don’t know what that man of mine is thinking, we’re only minutes away from the start of the ceremony.”

Opening the door, Chloe stepped out and quickly shut it behind her. Hands on her hips, she asked, “What is so darn important?”

Pete turned and headed for the room where the men were waiting, and said, “Follow me.”

When they reached the room, Pete opened the door and asked Clark to step out. As he came met Chloe, she said, “Wow! You look…positively edible, Clark.”

He grinned widely and said, “You’re not looking so bad yourself, Chloe.”

Becoming all business, Chloe asked, “What’s up? I’ve got a somewhat nervous best friend I’m supposed to be supporting on the other side of the building.”

At this, Clark reached back into the room and came back out with a single white rose. “I need you to give this to Lana. She’ll know what it means.” As Chloe turned to return to Lana with the rose, Clark called out, “Make sure she’s careful with that, there’s still one thorn left on the stem.”

Chloe walked quickly back to the bridal room. When Chloe entered, Lana looked at her, saw what she was carrying and started to tear up. She didn’t need to told who it was from or who it was for, and as Clark said, she already knew what it meant: she’s still his one and only.

Chloe and the other girls noticed Lana’s sudden rush of tears and all were trying to help level out her emotions, but nothing worked until Chloe said, “If you start crying, you’ll ruin a perfectly good makeup job. You’re not allowed to cry today until you say ‘I do.’ Clark sending one lousy flower isn’t cause for tears." Though it may be for him when I get my hands on him, she thought.

Smiling and blowing her nose on a tissue offered by Steph, Lana said, “Oh Chloe, you don’t understand. I’ve never told you what one white rose means to us, but it’s personal and very, very special.”

“Oh. So those are happy tears?” Chloe asked.

Lana nodded yes as Chloe went on to say, “Well, you’re still not allowed to cry yet. If you do, we’ll have to postpone the wedding until 6 p.m. so we can fix your face, and at six, the rules change and it becomes a night wedding. No one is dressed for a night wedding, so you have no choice but to quit crying.”

By the end of Chloe’s spiel, Lana was laughing and so were her other attendants. Chloe’s logic was somewhat twisted, but she had achieved her goal. At this time, the church’s wedding coordinator, who was working with Nell, tapped on the door to tell Lana that the wedding was about to start.

The first notice the crowd had that the wedding was starting was when the music they had been listening to cut off. Everyone started looking back toward the central doors, which were then being closed by Lex and Harry. After a short pause, the music started up again, but this time, it was something new, ‘Prelude to Te Deum.’ The doors opened back up and Harry escorted Clark’s grandmother down the aisle with his grandfather right behind. They were ushered into the second row on the right, as Harry started to return to the doors, Lex brought some of Lana’s relatives down the aisle, ushering them into the second row on the left.

This continued until only the immediate families were left. Harry escorted Martha down the aisle with Jonathon right behind him. As the Kents took their seats in the front row on the right, Harry headed for the doors and Lex escorted Nell down the aisle. Dean, meanwhile, headed for the door to the bridal room.

When Nell took her seat and Lex reached the doors, the ‘Prelude’ faded and the next song came up, ‘The Prince of Denmark’s March,’ sometimes incorrectly called ‘Trumpet Voluntary.’ At the first sound, the ushers held the doors open and the groomsmen came marching in, one by one. Bruce came first, using a slow, measured step to make this as elegant as possible.

When Bruce reached his position one the far right side, standing on floor level, Eldar started his march matching Bruce’s careful steps with his own. Clark reflected that having Bruce go first had been a fortunate accident. His calm demeanor and experience in ‘difficult situations’ was setting a good example for the guys behind him.

When Eldar reached his station two steps up and several feet closer to the middle than Bruce, Greg started down the aisle. His spot was on the top step at the platform edge, and still closer to the center than Eldar. Pete then came down the aisle with a smile as wide as can be. His position was a couple of feet closer to the middle than Greg’s and a couple of feet onto the platform. Finally, it was time for Clark. He was trying for dignified grace, but the thought that this would soon all be over and he and Lana would officially be one, forced a smile to come out. Soon, he gave up fighting it and the smile consumed his face.

With the men in place and facing toward the audience, the music faded once again and all eyes returned to the now closed doors. After what seemed to be a minute, but was only a few seconds, the doors opened again to the strains of ‘Canon in D.’

Just like with the guys, the women marched with slow-measured steps. Ashley came first, holding a small bouquet of flowers and wearing a white, one-piece dress. It had a spaghetti-strapped bodice with a bow at the natural waist. The bottom half of the dress was a chiffon over satin, shirred, tea-length skirt. The whole dress had a ball gown silhouette. Her position was opposite Bruce. Upon reaching her spot, A.J. headed up the aisle. Her spot was opposite Eldar, and she was followed by Steph who stopped opposite Greg. Finally, Chloe came down the aisle. The only thing different for her was the absence of flowers. She might need her hands to straighten Lana’s clothing and so went unencumbered. When Pete saw her smile, he was sure she was seeing this whole thing as a trial run for her future wedding. When Chloe reached her spot just a few feet away from Pete, the music faded and everyone held there breath.

Then, the familiar sounds of the ‘Wedding March’ by Wagner started. Most people call this song, ‘Here Comes the Bride.’ At the first note, the crowd rose as one, turned to the doors and waited. The wait was short as the doors were pulled open and the bride and her step-uncle headed down the aisle to a chorus of oohs and ahhs.

Lana was wearing a white satin, spaghetti-strapped gown with a princess waistline, a floor-length hem, a pleated bustle with buttons running down it, and a modest v-neck, enhanced with silver illusion trim that made the v-neck appear to go deeper than it really did. The v-neck was deeper in back than in front, but there was less of the illusion trim in back.

On her head, instead of a veil, Lana wore a gauzy, lace-trimmed, fingertip-length mantilla that covered her back well past the bottom of the v-neck, but was held up from covering her face with a few well-placed pins. Her bouquet was an array of roses in many colors, the only bright color of the whole wedding so far.

No one particularly paid attention to what Dean wore, but it was a sharp, summer weight black suit with a black, silver, and white striped Windsor tie.

As they made they way down the aisle, Lana’s eyes, her thoughts, every part of her, was fixed on one spot, on one man, Clark. That man was currently having trouble breathing, and it was a good thing he wasn’t required to do any speaking, for that was far beyond his current capacity. All he could do was gaze in wonder at the vision of surpassing loveliness that was wafting her way down the aisle toward him. To waste that woman on me is…insane, was his first rational thought after Lana entered the doors. A quick look at his white rose boutonnière and he thought, May I be worthy of her.

The closer Lana came, the more like Lana she looked and Clark was able to relax and smile. When Clark finally managed a smile, Lana’s face lit up like the sun. As Lana passed each pair of attendants, they turned in place and followed her progress to toward Clark. She and Dean stopped one step short of Clark and, as the music faded, Judge Abigail Ross stepped forward and the very soft background music began.

[SVsleuth]

BUFFER! (There's more, right? Where is it?)

[Cardinal]

Abigail took a deep breath, looked into her book, and began. “We are gathered here to celebrate the union of Clark Kent and Lana Lang in marriage. Marriage is a sacred and joyous covenant, which should be entered into reverently, that husband and wife may give to each other companionship, help and comfort, in times of prosperity and adversity. Into this sacred covenant these two persons now desire to enter. The marriage of Clark and Lana has called us together because this union touches each one of us. A new family is established in our midst, and we celebrate that new relationship with the bride and groom.”

Looking at Dean, Abigail continued, “Who brings Lana to be married to Clark?”

"Her Aunt and I Do," Dean said, loud and proud, making Lana just that much happier.

Completing his part in the ceremony, Dean handed Lana over to Clark and took his seat next to Nell. Clark helped Lana take that last step forward and then they stood side by side in front of a judge, where they both had wanted to be for many years.

Clark didn’t know what to do with his hands and was trying to keep them still at his sides until Lana’s right hand crept into his left hand. Clark’s nervous hands stilled at that point and numerous members of the audience smiled at the simple sign of affection.

Abigail watched this and smothered an incipient smile. When she was under control, she continued with the charge.

“If anyone present can show just cause as to why this couple should not be joined together, speak now, or forever hold your peace.”

During the silence that followed that statement, Lex had the uncomfortable feeling that Judge Ross was staring right at him, just daring him to say anything.

Abigail, then continued by saying, “I charge you both, in the presence of these witnesses, that if either of you know of any hindrance, legal or otherwise, to this marriage, that you speak now.”

After another silence, Abigail asked, “Clark Joseph Kent, do you take Lana Elizabeth Lang to be your wife? Will you love, honor, and cherish her, in good times and in bad, and do you promise to stay true to her as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Clark said.

Now looking at Lana, Abigail asked, “Lana Elizabeth Lang, do you take Clark Joseph Kent to be your husband? Will you love, honor, and cherish him, in good times and in bad, and do you promise to stay true to him as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Lana said.

Then Abigail moved to the admonition, and read from her book, saying, “Love between man and woman, like any other love, is a love generous in offering and generous in receiving. It is full of laughter, mercy and rejoicing. Love nourishes but it does not possess; in love we affirm one another but do not dominate. To love is not to win or lose, but to help and to be helped.

“In the words of the Apostle Paul, I remind you that ‘Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, not rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over another's failings, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope and its endurance.

“Love never ends. So faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of them all is love.’”

Looking at Lana and then Clark, Abigail said, “Please face each other and hold hands.”

As they faced each other, grabbing on tightly as if to make sure this was not a dream, Abigail said, “Clark, as you look at Lana, repeat these words after me.”

Following along as she read, Clark repeated this vow:

“I, Clark Joseph Kent, take you Lana Elizabeth Lang to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.”

Looking at Lana, Abigail said, “Lana, as you look at Clark, repeat these words after me.”

Just like Clark, Lana followed Abigail’s words and repeated the vow she read:

“I, Lana Elizabeth Lang, take you, Clark Joseph Kent, to be my friend, my lover, the father of my children and my husband. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity.”

[MOOman0618]

BUFFER!

[Cardinal]

Looking at Pete, Abigail said, “May I have the rings.”

Pulling the velvet ring box out of his pocket, he handed it to his mom. She opened the box and said, “Clark, hold Lana‘s left hand so you may place the ring on her finger, and repeat after me.”

When he shifted his hands, Abigail handed him the smaller of the two rings. As with the vows, Clark repeated what Abigail read, “Lana, I offer this ring as a symbol of my love. Let it always be a reminder of my vows to you.”

He then slipped the ring on her ring finger.

Looking at Lana, Abigail said, “Lana, hold Clark’s left hand so you may place the ring on his finger, and repeat after me.”

“Clark, I offer this ring as a symbol of my love. Let it always be a reminder of my vows to you.”

Abigail now said, “The bride and groom each have a selection they would like to read to you.” Reaching to her side, she picked up two small books off of a table, read the covers, and handed them to the correct person.

While they were finding their places, Abigail pulled the microphone out of its stand and handed it to Lana.

Lana read her book and said, “This is titled ‘Why Marriage?’ It’s by Mari Nichols.” She cleared her throat and read,

“Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person,
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body...

"Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who won't hold them against me,
Who loves me when I'm unlikable,
Who sees the small child in me, and
Who looks for the divine potential of me...

"Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night
With someone who thanks God for me,
With someone I feel blessed to hold...

"Because marriage means opportunity
To grow in love in friendship...

"Because marriage is a discipline
To be added to a list of achievements...

"Because marriages do not fail, people fail
When they enter into marriage
Expecting another to make them whole...

"Because, knowing this,
I promise myself to take full responsibility
For my spiritual, mental and physical wholeness
I create me,
I take half of the responsibility for my marriage
Together we create our marriage...

"Because with this understanding
The possibilities are limitless.”


Clark took the microphone and said, “My passage is by A. Powell Davies." He read, "‘When two individuals meet, so do two private worlds. None of our private worlds is big enough so that we could live a wholesome life in it alone. We need the wider world of joy and wonder, of purpose and venture, of toil and tears.

"What are we, any of us, but strangers and sojourners forlornly answering through the night time, until we draw together and find meaning of our lives in one another, dissolving our fears in each other's courage, making music together, and lighting torches to guide us through the dark night?

"We belong together. Love is what we need, to love and to be loved. Let our hearts be open; and what we would receive from others let us give. For what is given still remains to bless the giver - when the gift is love.”

Returning the microphone and the two books to Abigail, she set the books on the table, and returned the microphone to its stand.

Looking misty eyed from Lana to Clark, Abigail said, “Now, by the power invested in me by the State of Kansas, I do hereby pronounce you Man and Wife.” Looking at Clark, she said, “You may kiss your bride.”

After that, it was a race to see whose lips started kissing first. As a gentle roar of approval rose from the audience, Abigail waited a good ten seconds before leaning forward and whispering, “Save some for tonight kids, I’m not done yet.”

Unfortunately, for Clark and Lana, that comment was picked up by the microphone and everyone heard it. That gentle roar became raucous as the newly married couple went red all the way to their hair lines.

Speaking loudly to overcome the noise in the audience, Abigail said, “In closing, I have one thing to say, one reading of my own.” She picked up another book and read, saying, “May these two hearts be united one to the other like the flower and its perfume, like the flute and its melody; may they have many summers of sweet love and happiness; may they in the autumn of life ripen through service into the serenity of Spirit; and may they at the end of their days break all mortal bonds and encounter the great unknown with fearless heart.”

Clark and Lana turned to face the audience and Abigail set her book back down. As they held hands, Judge Abigail Ross said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Clark Kent.”

[SVsleuth]

1st!

Wow! Cardinal, you put more research & work into this wedding than many real couples do! Thanks for inviting us the a super CLANA wedding - & even letting me be a bridesmaid - & Michelle a helper. Wait till she sees that! The blooper at the end was really funny, in the context of this fic - & even the hand holding earlier, that didn't get past the crowd of frends & family.

Hey, now MOO knows who to call for any advice on the wedding planning. Maybe he'll even hire you! :lol:

[MOOman0618]

Super stuff there Card! You definitely captured the whole wedding...I am impressed. I can only hope mine goes that smoothly!

[SVsleuth]

BTW, when is your wedding supposed to be, MOO?

[Cardinal]

Originally posted by SVsleuth
Wow! Cardinal, you put more research & work into this wedding than many real couples do!

I figure this is the only wedding I'm likely to have, so why not go all out, especially when there are no budget limitations.

[SVsleuth]

Originally posted by Cardinal
I figure this is the only wedding I'm likely to have, so why not go all out, especially when there are no budget limitations.

:lol: :lol: (Get out there and find the right woman! She must be out there somewhere!)

[Cardinal]

She may be out there somewhere but I have a limited search radius! :p

[NYC300Z]

wow Cardinal The Wedding was amazing! I have no words to describe it!

PPMS!

[akuma]

That was simply amazing and now for the honeymoon!!:D

[SVsleuth]

I think we get a reception first, then a honeymoon - right Card?

[akuma]

Originally posted by SVsleuth
I think we get a reception first, then a honeymoon - right Card?

Well yeah, but hey, i can look ahead right?? Maybe we'll get both in a big update!!

[SpeedyKate91]

great updates
PPMS!!!!

[linn]

that was amazong Cardinal!!!!!:D....i read the story before but didn't get to comments so im commenting right now......Awesome update love the wedding!!!

[LanasLover16]

This is deffinitly my favorite story!! It just keeps getting better and better every update!! PPMS!!!

[MOOman0618]

Originally posted by SVsleuth
BTW, when is your wedding supposed to be, MOO?

Next August! So it's a ways from now. And I think hiring Card to be my wedding planner may be the best idea yet! Well...maybe we will see how the reception goes first. :p






oh yeah, almost forgot...Post More Soon!

[ajfinn]

Wow, Cardinal!!! I am so very impressed with the emotion and detail you gave us in this wedding :) *tear*

That was absolutely beautiful!!!!! I can die in Clana bliss now.

Thanks for putting so much effort into that! Lovely! Simply lovely!

[SVsleuth]

Go, CARD! What high praise from the published author herself, ajfinn! Way to write! ;)

[binkys711]

OMG! I FINALLY READ IT! THAT WAS SOO BEAUTIFUL! so heartfelt! I can't believe it! their married! you described it perfectly! so amazing! I was on the edge of my seat throught the whole thing! you did an outstanding job! very romantic! That wedding was THE BOMB!now...the honeymoon;):p PPMS!!!

[Cardinal]

Definitely no update tonight. I work until 9 p.m. Central and have to be back at work by 7 a.m. Central.

I'll will write after work tomorrow, but have no idea which thread will get the update.

[NYC300Z]

yeah well i vote for both!

[Cardinal]

Update here tonight...sometime. We're up to the reception. ;)

[cufcchic]

sometime as in a couple of hours or minutes? please PPMS!

[Cardinal]

Hours...definitely hours. I've just reached the point where Clark and Lana have their first dance.

[NYC300Z]

oh well I got class from 6:15 to 9:00 PM so i'll be back then to check!

[SVsleuth]

Looking fwd to the reception! :)

[Cardinal]

The Wedding - Chapter 16

As Abigail presented them to the crowd, a roar of approval went up from the audience. Clark and Lana turned to face the audience side-by-side for the first time as man and wife. As Clark offered Lana his arm for the walk down the aisle, Lana reclaimed her bouquet from Chloe. Lana then linked her left arm with Clark’s right arm and they headed down the aisle to the sounds of the ‘Wedding March’ from Mendelssohn’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ Pete and Chloe stepped toward each other, linked arms, and followed Clark and Lana. The remaining attendants followed in pairs: Greg and Steph, A.J. and Eldar, and, finally, Bruce and Ashley.

When the last pair made it down the aisle Lex and Harry came up the aisle to begin releasing the guests, starting with the front row. The wedding party had setup a receiving line just outside the main doors to greet the people as they leave the chapel. The first people through the doors were Martha and Jonathon. Martha saw her new daughter, and they kissed each other on the cheek and hugged each other long and hard. The only words they said were, “Welcome to the family, Daughter,” and, “It’s nice to make it official, Mom.”

As Martha passed on the Clark, Jonathon picked Lana off the floor with his hug, saying, “You make us so very happy, Lana. Not because you’re marrying our son, but because you’re you.”

The tears were rolling freely down Lana’s cheeks as she said, “I don’t know how to reply to that other than to say, I love you both, almost as much as if you were my birth parents.”

Martha, meanwhile, was kissing her son, who for once wasn’t embarrassed at receiving public affection from his mother. “Clark, we sometimes wondered if you’d ever get to experience this with any woman, yet here you both are, so very much in love. We’re so excited for you both. You make us very proud.”

“Thanks, Mom. I only hope Lana and I can live up to the example you and Dad have set for us.”

Martha passed down the line, with hugs for Chloe and Pete, and warm greetings for the rest of the bridal party. Clark and Jonathon, meanwhile, were sharing a wordless bearhug, tears trickling out of their eyes as they pounded each other on the back. When they finally released each other, Jonathon grabbed his son’s upper arms, looked him in the eyes, and said, “Treat her right, Clark. It’s the simplest thing to say, but it can be the hardest thing to do sometimes. Put her first in what you say and do, and everything will work out fine.”

“I will,” Clark said.

While Jonathon was with Clark, Nell was crying profusely as she greeted her niece with a kiss and a hug. “That was a beautiful wedding, Lana. I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks for all your love and support, Aunt Nell. From the time I was three, you’ve been there for me. Without you, I would not have grown up to be the woman I am. You’ll never know how much you mean to me.”

Nell passed on to Clark as Jonathon made his way down the line, giving Clark a quick kiss and a warm hug. Stepping back, she said, having gotten her crying under control, “I didn’t like you at first, Clark. I was afraid history would repeat itself and Lana would suffer the same heartbreak I did, but you and Lana fit in a way that Jonathon and I never did. Lana has never been as happy as she is with you. Nothing else comes close. I think you and Lana will do just fine.”

Clark smiled at Nell, and said, “Thanks, Nell.”

Dean was hugging his step-niece and congratulating her on a wonderful wedding when Lana said, “I’d like to apologize to you, Dean. When you first started dating my aunt, you got under my skin…a lot. Watching you two the past five years, though, I’ve come to think you’re a special guy. You make Nell happy in a way she’s never been since I’ve lived with her, and you’ve always been good to me. Thanks!” She then stretched up and kissed him on the cheek.

After the rest of the guests flowed out of the chapel, the guests that were invited to the reception headed to the Luthor mansion where an open bar awaited them. The wedding party went back to the chapel for another round of photographs.

Having gotten some of the pictures done before the wedding, these pictures only took an hour. After the photo shoot was over, Clark helped Lana get into the back of the Maybach, with Alfred holding the door. Then Clark walked around and climbed in the other side. When Alfred drove off, the rest of the wedding party climbed into their cars and followed.

Upon their arrival, Lex’s servants ushered everyone toward the grand ballroom. At the door, a large table was setup with an array of pewter picture frames. Each one had the name of a guest and that guest’s table number. The frames were arranged alphabetically. While the guests were seating themselves, the wedding party was taking the chance to neaten themselves one last time before being formally introduced.

When everyone had reached their seats, Lex entered the ballroom and took a wireless microphone from the DJ who was stationed near the main doors. The room was laid out with a long, straight head table running across the far end of the rectangular room. Running down each of the two long sides of the room was a single row of circular tables, each one capable of seating eight.

“As your host,” Lex said, “I thank you all for coming tonight. Now, if you’d all stand, it’s my pleasure to introduce the wedding party.”

As each couple was introduced, they walked through the massive oak doors and into the ballroom, going straight down the middle of the parquet dance floor before veering off to walk around the head table to take their seats. First he introduced the attendants, Bruce and Ashley, Eldar and A.J., and Greg and Steph. Then he introduced the parents, or in Lana’s case, her adoptive parents. Next, he introduced the best man and maid of honor.

When the Pete and Chloe reached their seats, the room lights dimmed and an overhead spotlight came on. A hush came over the crowd, and Lex said, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to give to you, in their first public appearance in their new life together, Mr. and Mrs. Clark Kent. They walked into the room arm-in-arm, the spotlight following their every move. The only difference from the church was that Lana had removed the mantilla from her head. Underneath, her hair had been pulled back into an elegant knot at the back of her head.

Lex handed the microphone back to the DJ and had started to walk around the room behind the tables to reach his seat. When Clark and Lana reached the middle of the dance floor, they stopped and faced each other. The DJ said, “Taking their traditional first dance together, Clark and Lana Kent will dance to ‘My Valentine.’” As the music began, Clark’s left hand enfolded her right one, his right hand slid into place on the left side of her waist and her left hand rested on his right upper arm. Their eyes locked, and for a moment, for the length of one dance, everyone else went away.

“My Valentine,” Martina McBride and Jim Brickman

If there were no words
No way to speak
I would still hear you

If there were no tears
No way to feel inside
I'd still feel for you

And even if the sun refused to shine
Even if romance ran out of rhyme
You would still have my heart
Until the end of time
You're all I need
My love, my valentine

All of my life
I have been waiting for
All you give to me
You've opened my eyes
And showed me how to love unselfishly

I've dreamed of this a thousand times before
In my dreams I couldn’t love you more
I will give you my heart
Until the end of time
You're all I need
My love, my valentine

La da da
Da da da da

And even if the sun refused to shine
Even if romance ran out of rhyme
You would still have my heart
Until the end of time
‘Cause all I need
Is you, my valentine

You're all I need
My love, my valentine

When the music faded, Clark and Lana held on a few seconds longer, neither one willing to break eye-contact. Their extended clinch inspired Pete to pick up a fork and lightly tap the edge of his wine glass. When others realized what he was doing, they took up the call, adding their own clinking sounds to the growing din.

Clark finally noticed and said, “What do you think, Mrs. Kent? Should we indulge them?”

“Oh yes, Mr. Kent, I think we should,” Lana said. “After all, it is the polite thing to do.”

Their actions suited their words. Clark’s hands cupped Lana’s face and her hands wrapped around the back of his neck as they pulled each other in for a deep kiss. Seconds later, they came up for air to the accompaniment of cheers and applause for the kiss.

“I guess they didn’t feel cheated by that kiss, Mrs. Kent.”

His stupid grin was answered by one of her own as she said, “Mrs. Kent…how I love hearing that, especially from you.”

“That’s good,” Clark said, “because I intend to refer to you that way for at least the next sixty years or so.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

[MOOman0618]

BUFFER!!!

[Cardinal]

As the bride and groom made their way to the head table, the room lights were turned back on to keep them from tripping on unseen obstacles.

As Clark seated Lana, and then himself, Lex’s staff took a cue from Pete and started bringing out the first course.

A bevy of formally-attired staff members quickly placed plates of gorgonzola polenta in front of the guests.

Clark peered cautiously at his plate. Leaning slightly in Lana’s direction, he asked, “What is it? It’s not that I’m not going to eat it, my mom will attest to the fact that I’ll eat anything, only, this is a dish I’ve never seen before.”

“The cheese you can see is gorgonzola,” Lana said, “it’s an Italian blue cheese. Polenta is made primarily from yellow cornmeal. It’s really good and I thought it would be nice to have since it’s a corn dish and corn is the main cash crop around here.”

Being the first of seven courses, the polenta was small and Clark, being Clark, was done in no time. Lana was taking her time with small bites and thorough chewing, so she was dismayed when Clark excused himself when he finished.

“This isn’t a race, Clark,” Lana said, “you could wait for me.”

“I’ll be back in a few minutes, Lana,” Clark said. “Trust me?”

“I do trust you, Clark. It would be hard not to after everything we’ve been through.”

“Then wipe that frown off your face, I’ll be back as soon as I can…okay?”

“Okay,” she said, pretending to pout, “but you have to kiss me before you can go.”

“That’s good, ‘cause I was going to kiss you anyway.”

He leaned over and kissed her warmly before pushing his chair back, putting his napkin on the table and heading for a side door. Some of the crowd wondered where he was going, while others figured he had need of the ‘necessary facilities.’

Minutes later, when most people were finished with the first course, Three of Lex’s servants entered the room, carrying a small wooden platform and a padded wooden chair. When the three men reached the center of the dance floor, the servants set the platform on the floor and placed the chair on top of the platform.

Lana’s interest was piqued. Clark hadn’t mentioned this to her and it was way too early for him to be taking off her garter, so she was completely clueless. She started to ask Pete if he could guess what was going on, when she noticed a smile creeping across Pete’s face.

“You know what’s going on.” Turning more fully to him, she said, “Tell me. Clark forgot to mention this to me.”

“Sorry, Lana,” Pete said, “but the only thing I’m allowed to tell you is that you’re about to find out what Clark has been doing on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for the past 8 to 9 months.”

Her mouth opened wide and her head shot back around to stare at her husband when he re-entered the ballroom. What could that man of mine be doing out there?

Adjusting the chair the way he wanted it, Clark waved at Pete. Pete stood up and told Lana that her presence was required on the dance floor. Pete helped her with her chair and escorted her to the edge of the dancing surface, where Clark took over. He guided Lana to the platform and handed her up into the chair.

All the way out to the chair, Lana had maintained her poise, but when she sat down, she stared into Clark’s eyes with a look that was pure ‘what the hell?’ Pete had gone over and retrieved the wireless microphone from the DJ and brought it over to Clark.

As Pete returned to his seat, Clark said into the microphone, “Normally, the best man would be making his toast right about now, but with Pete’s agreement, there’s something I want to do first.” Looking at Lana, he said, “Comfy, Dear?”

She nodded a quick yes, unsure of what to say. Lana was facing the front of the ballroom, so Clark gestured over her shoulder to the DJ who pressed play. When Lana heard the opening bars of “I’ll Still Be Lovin’ You” come over the sound system, she was still a little unsure of what was about to happen. The lights were turned off and the spotlight came back on. Then, Clark began to sing.

“I’ll Still Be Lovin’ You” - Restless Heart

Changing my life with your love,
Has been so easy for you.
And I'm amazed every day,
How I'll need you,

The first verse of the song hadn’t even been finished when Lana’s eyes open as wide as possible and her hands headed for her face to cover her mouth.

'Til all the mountains are valleys,
And every ocean is dry, my love.
I'll be yours until the sun doesn't shine,
'Til time stands still,

By this time, the tears were racing down Lana’s cheeks. Clark was prepared for this and handed her a linen hanky from his pocket.

Until the winds don't blow.
When today is just a memory to me, I know,
I'll still be lovin',
I'll still be lovin' you.
I'll still be lovin' you.

She was in shock. In all their time together, she had never, not even once, heard Clark sing. As far as she was concerned, he didn’t know how.

Never before did I know,
How loving someone could be.
Now I can see you and me,
For a lifetime.

From what she could hear, over her sniffles and occasional sobs, Clark was actually a pretty decent singer. Lana was amazed. But it wasn’t the quality of the singing that was flooring her. It was the naked emotion. Clark had never been big on these kinds of emotional outpourings. Not before tonight, anyway.

Until the last moon is rising,
You'll see the love in my eyes, my love.
I'll be yours until the sun doesn't shine,
'Til time stands still,

Lana suddenly remembered that Clark wouldn’t allow her to use this song for their first dance. Now, she knew why.

Until the winds don't blow.
When today is just a memory to me, I know,
I'll still be lovin',
I'll still be lovin' you.

Instrumental Break.

I'll be yours until the sun doesn't shine,
'Til time stands still,
Until the winds don't blow.
When today is just a memory to me, I know,

Martha and Jonathon were shooting each other looks, as if to ask, Who is that man and what did he do with our son? Pete was silently cheering his boy on, while Chloe was as shocked as Lana was. Lex, on the other hand, had long ago come to the conclusion that Clark could do anything. He just smiled as he sipped a glass of wine.

I'll still be lovin',
I'll still be lovin' you.
I'll still be lovin' you.

I'll still be lovin',
I'll still be lovin',
I'll still be lovin' you;

I'll still be lovin',
I'll still be lovin',
I'll still be lovin' you;

It was the end of the song, and Lana was having trouble controlling herself, in more ways than one. If I could stop crying, she thought, I’d drag him off somewhere and give him what for…with my lips, my tongue, my fingers…oooh, he has no idea what I’m going to do to him in our hotel room.

As Clark shut off the microphone, the only thing keeping him from breaking down was the emotional release he had received from singing to Lana. When she shot out of her chair at the conclusion of the song, fiercely wrapped her arms around him, and began to shower him with kisses, Clark’s control was gone, too. They just stood there, kissing and murmuring endearments to each other. At this point, no one else mattered. No one else even existed.



The reception will be continued in Chapter 17. This update is way too long to post all at once.

[akuma]

Buffer?

[Cardinal]

No buffer. That's it for tonight.

[MOOman0618]

Originally posted by Cardinal


It was the end of the song, and Lana was having trouble controlling herself, in more ways than one. If I could stop crying, she thought, I’d drag him off somewhere and give him what for…with my lips, my tongue, my fingers…oooh, he has no idea what I’m going to do to him in our hotel room.
Now that's what I'm talkin' about!



Great update Card! I can't believe this is only half of it! I must say, you know your stuff. Can't wait for the rest of it! Post more soon!

[NYC300Z]

Amazing update Cardinal! Yes Moo quoted a great part of the story!:D
So many wonderful moments! Lana and the Kents! Him calling her Mrs. Kent

the whole Clark singing...the part Moo quoted!:D

PPMS!!

[akuma]

WOW Thats all i can say!!:D

[linn]

OOOOO My God....that was a amazing and the thought of having Clark praticing singing for Lana on their wedding day....Your so awesome Cardinal....:D :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:

[SVsleuth]

Awesome update, Cardinal! This added a nice touch:


Martha and Jonathon were shooting each other looks, as if to ask, Who is that man and what did he do with our son? Pete was silently cheering his boy on, while Chloe was as shocked as Lana was. Lex, on the other hand, had long ago come to the conclusion that Clark could do anything. He just smiled as he sipped a glass of wine.

And Clark is being so romantic, singing to her and all. I almost expect Clark & Lana to say, "Forget the rest of the reception. Y'all have fun. We're outta here!" - and head straight for the hotel! :lol: :lol: :lol:

PPMS!

[linn]

all this reading makes me wanna go to sleep...well Good Night everyone.....Sweet Dreams...:D

[SpeedyKate91]

that was a great update. i just knew he was gonna sing.
PPMS!!!

[ajfinn]

Excellent update. Ahhh, Clark sang!!! That Lana must really have a clutch on Clark's heart of steel :)

Great job, Card.

[SmallvilleMan]

Something is familar about the other names in this story, but i can't put my finger on it:\

[MOOman0618]

Originally posted by SmallvilleMan
Something is familar about the other names in this story, but i can't put my finger on it:\


:lol: :lol:

[superman_lives_on]

Originally posted by ajfinn
Excellent update. Ahhh, Clark sang!!! That Lana must really have a clutch on Clark's heart of steel :)

Great job, Card.

"Heart of steel"? No, no, no--Clark may be the Man of Steel, but he has a heart of gold--heck, he has a heart even purer than that! And yeah, Lana does have quite a hold on it--but then, he has a hold on hers.

Good job, BTW. Hoping to see more soon.

[SVsleuth]

How soon can we expect the next update?

[Cardinal]

Hmm...I don't like making promises, they have a way of biting you in the butt, so...how about Thanksgiving? Christmas?

Actually, either late tonight or tomorrow.

[SVsleuth]

:lol: Sounds great. Will be watching...

[NYC300Z]

Good to know! Hope it's tonight!;)

[binkys711]

woo! Clark sang! that was sooo sweet! *wipes tear* all the love they feel! It's so beautiful! and what Lana was thinking about the hotel room, great touch!:lol: That update was awesome! can't wait to read the next! PPMS!!!:D

[SVsleuth]

Update late tonight? I hope so...

[Cardinal]

Very late tonight!

[Cardinal]

The Wedding - Chapter 17

As the lights came back on, Clark and Lana headed off the dance floor. While Lex’s staff cleared the chair and platform from the floor, Pete took the microphone from Clark and told the happy couple to wait on the edge of the dance floor since the first round of dancing was about to start.

Speaking into the microphone, Pete said, “Hello. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Pete Ross. I would like to thank all of you for coming tonight and sharing this special occasion with Clark and Lana. I think you’ll all agree Clark and Lana are meant to be together, but I have a story that will show how long ago this started.

“The first day of school in kindergarten, Clark and I rode the same bus. Lana would have been on our bus, too, but her Aunt Nell drove her to school that day. Anyway, we got off the bus about the same time Lana got out of her aunt’s car. As we were walking up the front walk to the school, Clark saw Lana being walked into school by her aunt. He tripped, ran into me, and we both fell down.

“The first thing he said as we got up wasn’t, ‘Are you all right,’ or ‘I’m sorry,’ or even ‘Can I help you?’ Nope, the first thing Clark ever said to me was, ‘Who is that girl?’ Lana was Clark’s heart’s desire from that day on.” He paused to look at Clark and Lana before he said, “Fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it, Clark and Lana have had it from day one.”

Holding Clark’s arm at the edge of the dance floor during Pete’s story, Lana smiled up at Clark and asked, “Falling for girls at an early age, were you?”

“Not girls, plural, but girl, singular,” Clark said, smiling back at her. “Only you, Lana. Though I will say you had some help getting me to fall at your feet at the age of five. If you hadn‘t been wearing that necklace, I might have held out for at least another hour or two.”

Pete walked to the front of the head table, reached over, and grabbed his wine glass. He walked a few steps out into the dance floor and returned his attention to the younger Kents as he said, “Tonight, I would like to offer Clark and Lana an old Irish blessing.

“May your troubles be less.
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness
Come through your door.

“Thank you, Clark, for being my best friend over the years. I wish you and Lana the best of luck in the future.”

Holding up his glass, Pete said, “Please join me in a toast: To love, laughter and happily ever after! To Clark & Lana... Finally!!!"

The rest of the celebrants raised their glasses toward the happy couple and said, “To Clark & Lana!”

Pete walked over to Lana for a kiss and a hug and then a handshake with Clark which turned into a bearhug. Both of the Kents were teary-eyed and thanked Pete for a beautiful toast.

Pete looked around, turned the microphone back on, and said, “As Clark and Lana head out onto the dance floor, I’d like to announce they are encouraging dancing between dinner courses. So grab your partner and put Lex’s parquet floor to good use.”

At that, Pete returned the microphone to the DJ and went to ask Chloe for a dance. She anticipated his request and met him at the edge of the dance floor.

“That was beautiful, Pete,” Chloe said.

“You’re beautiful, Chloe,” Pete said. “What I said was merely nice.”

“You always say I’m beautiful, Pete.”

“And I have never once lied,” As Chloe rolled her eyes, Pete said, “Not about your beauty, anyway. Now let’s get out there before the music starts.”

He clasped her hand and they hurried out to an open spot. Not everyone was dancing, though enough were on the dance floor to keep it from seeming empty.

The first song was slow to let everyone warm up. After that first dance, Lana danced with Dean, Clark danced with Martha, and almost by default, Jonathon danced with Nell. Pete wasn’t quite ready to let anyone else have a turn with Chloe.

For the third song, Lana danced with Jonathon, Clark danced with Nell, and Martha and Dean danced together. Pete and Chloe found other partners for this song. By this time, the second course was ready to be served and the DJ directed everyone to their seats. On the way to their seats, Pete pulled Clark aside for a quick man-to-man chat. Clark grinned widely at Pete’s request and waved Lana to come over. When Pete repeated his request, Lana’s grin matched Clark’s and the three of them headed back to their seats.

Chloe leaned over to her left and asked Clark, “What was that all about?”

The smile still on his face, Clark said, “Nothing much. Pete was just asking about a small change in the order of events this evening. Lana and I both agreed that, in this case, change is good.”

Making sure that everyone was seated, Pete again gave a signal and Lex’s excellent staff moved briskly from table to table, placing bowls of a creamy potato soup in front of each guest. Not having a reason to hurry through this course, Clark kept pace with Lana, talking with each other until Pete started tapping a utensil against his wine glass. When the call was picked up throughout the ballroom, Clark and Lana willingly obliged their guests and leaned in for another deep kiss.

“That’s the first time one of your kisses has ever tasted like that,” Lana said.

“Is my potato-flavored kiss any better than a plain one?” Clark asked.

“Not better, just different.”

“Well, I’ll have you know I was too busy enjoying your kiss to notice its flavor.” Raising one eyebrow, he said, “Though if I get to lick your lips, I might think you had changed lip gloss flavors.”

“We will have to try that the next time they ask us to kiss.”

“That sounds like a plan, Lana.”

At the end of the soup course, Pete stood up quickly, wiped the palms of his hands on his pant legs, and headed for the floor. After retrieving the microphone, Pete turned it on, and said, “We’re scheduled for more dancing right now, but Clark and Lana have agreed to a slight change in plans.” Looking up to the head table, he said, “For this part of the festivities, I need my opposite number out here with me. Chloe, would you come out here, please?”

Not having planned on being part of the evening in an MC capacity, Chloe was surprised but quickly got up and made her way to her boyfriend’s side.

Clark and Lana both thought that Pete, in his tux, and Chloe, in her white tea-length dress, looked like a bridal couple in their own right. Pete held the microphone in his right hand and Chloe’s hand in his left as he began to talk.

“For those of you not from Smallville, I’d like to introduce the Maid of Honor, Chloe Sullivan.” Pete let go of her hand to point at her and she responded by elegantly curtseying. Reclaiming her hand, Pete said, “Chloe doesn’t know it, but I’m here to let you know a little bit more about her than just her name.”

Not knowing where this was going, Chloe began to get a little bit edgy until Pete calmed her nerves by whispering in her ear, “Hey, Beautiful, I’m not going to embarrass you. Not much, anyway.” As she relaxed, he said, “Besides being the Maid of Honor and Lana’s closest friend, Chloe is also my girlfriend. What attracted me to her? The reasons are many, but here‘s a short list. The first time I saw her, I was completely intoxicated by her beauty. Then, her boundless energy drew me in even further. Words like perky and effervescent were made for her.”

Taking a deep breath, Pete turned to look Chloe in the eyes, and said, “But what sealed the deal for me was her passion. Passion for life, for her work, for her friends…you name it. Chloe lives her life with a zeal that no one can match. I’m humbled she’s chosen to include me in that life. I want nothing more than for that to continue…on a permanent basis.”

Releasing her hand to reach into his pocket, Pete pulled out a velvet ring box, got down on one knee , and said, “Chloe, I’ve loved you as long as I’ve known you. I love you more with each passing day. I can’t imagine not having you beside me for the rest of my life.” Flipping open the box, he turned it so she could see its contents, and said, “Chloe Sullivan, will you make me the happiest of men? Will you marry me?”

Clark and Lana were unconsciously holding their breath, waiting for the dam to break. Chloe’s right hand was up covering her mouth, and her left hand was supporting her right elbow, but both arms were shaking. Finally, she could be heard crying. The kind of crying where air is taken in with big, shuddering gasps just to keep on crying.

Not sure how to interpret this, Pete was beginning to worry, wondering if he had waited too long to propose. As his hopeful smile began to flatline, Chloe pulled him to his feet and screamed, “YES!! YES!! Damn you, yes!” as she buried her face in his shoulder and pounded on his chest with her fists. Everyone took a deep breath and started to applaud and whistle for the newly engaged couple. Abigail Ross nearly fell out of her chair after having leaned over while trying to hear Chloe’s response. Her startled squawk brought chuckles from those nearby.

Finally loosing her hold on her fiancé, Pete was able to pull the ring out of the box and place it on Chloe’s eagerly waiting finger. Clark chose this moment to pick up a utensil and start tapping it against his wine glass. Lana quickly followed suit and soon everyone joined them in asking Pete and Chloe to kiss. A request that did not need to be repeated.

One more reception update to go.

[NYC300Z]

Buffer!:D?

[Cardinal]

No buffer tonight. I think I've reached a good stopping point for this update.

Thanks for offering though.

[NYC300Z]

:lol: oh ok Card! It was a great upate! Pete finally proposed and at Clark's wedding! how sweet! Can't wait for more!

PPMS!!:D

[MOOman0618]

YEA!! GO PETE!!! So many happy couples in your story! Great stuff

[SVsleuth]

A BIG Proposal! Boy, Pete must have been pretty confident to risk asking her in front of so many people.
Loved the flashback to kindergarten too, and the flavor of the kisses was funny :lol:

PPMS!

[SpeedyKate91]

yeah loved how Pete proposed.
PPMS!!!

[binkys711]

alright Pete! he finally proposed! That's great! great update Card! loved it! PPMS!!! jejeje...different flavors:lol:

[cufcchic]

loved the update! ppms!

[Cardinal]

This thread is next. Probably on Thanksgiving Day.

[SVsleuth]

Really? Cool! I'm having company for dinner but can probably sneak away long enough to read an update. :)

[kewl]

that was such an awesome update! way to go pete!! PPMS!!!

[SVsleuth]

Hmmmm.... didn't you say somewhere you might update this one on Thanksgiving? ... or did I imagine that? Update coming tonight? or tomorrow? PPMS!

[Cardinal]

No!

After getting an itch to write Scooby last night, I read a good, but incomplete Clana fic on another site and gained inspiration for another 'BR' update. Thus, the reception finale likely won't be until very late Friday or Saturday.

[SVsleuth]

Okay, good to know. I'll check for BR first, then. :)

[SVsleuth]

Moving onto page 1 for the upcoming update?????

[Cardinal]

The Update Song

Oh, the sun'll come out, tomorrow,
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow,
There'll be sun,
Just thinkin' about tomorrow,
Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow,
Til there's none.

When I'm stuck with an update,
That's not close,
To finished,
I just pick up my chin,
And grin,
And say.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow, you're always an update away!

I'm maybe halfway done with this update

[SmallvilleMan]

What is that? No real update? BOO THIS MAN!

[SVsleuth]

Okay, tomorrow it is. We'll grin & bear it. :\

[Cardinal]

For those interested, Clark's tux can be found here:

http://www.besavvi.com/gallery/detail_tux.asp?IntStyleNo=413

Lana's dress can be found here:

http://www.modernbride.com/dressfinder/bride/popup.ssf/cgi-bin/dressfinder/results.cgi/dressfinder/slides.ata?APPROVED=1,3&SLIDES=T&DRESS_TYPE=1&PAGE=10&COLOR=&DESIGNER=173&PIECE=&PRICE_RANGE=&SILHOUETTE=&SLEEVE_LENGTH=&WAIST=&TRAIN=&SLEEVE=&NECKLINE=&HEMLINE=&FABRIC=

This is not for advertising purposes. It's just to show what designs I chose for the bride and groom in my story.

[SVsleuth]

Cool! :)

[akuma]

Gving this thread a swift kick to move it to top of page one, cause its gettin updated, TONIGHT!:D

[binkys711]

:rotfl: great song choice Card :lol: and I love the wedding dress and tux! great job! can't wait 'till ya update!

[NYC300Z]

tomorrow!:D

[SVsleuth]

Did he say tomorrow? Well he did, but that was yesterday. So I thought he meant tonight - No? :\

[akuma]

he told me tonight when i asked, so lets hope!

[Cardinal]

Sorry I'm late, I fell asleep after work and didn't get up until 11 p.m. :(

The Wedding - Chapter 18

As Pete and Chloe broke their kiss, Lana and Clark led the onlookers in a loud round of cheers and applause. The newly engaged couple was still facing each other and still holding hands when Pete turned to the DJ and nodded, his cue to play an old, acoustic love song by Dan Fogelberg that had somehow become a favorite of Chloe’s.

When Pete and Chloe began to dance ever so slowly to the song, the crowd followed the lead of Clark and Lana who stayed on the side of the dance floor, holding hands and watching the first tentative steps their best friends took together in this new stage of their relationship.

Longer - Dan Fogelberg

Longer than,
There've been fishes in the ocean.
Higher than,
Any bird ever flew.
Longer than,
There've been stars up in the heavens.
I've been in love with you.

Stronger than,
Any mountain cathedral.
Truer than,
Any tree ever grew.
Deeper than,
Any forest primeval.
I am in love with you.

I'll bring,
Fires in the winters.
You'll send,
Showers in the springs.
We'll fly,
Through the falls and summers.
With love on our wings.

Through the years,
As the fire starts to mellow.
Burning lines,
In the book of our lives.
Though the binding cracks,
And the pages start to yellow.
I'll be in love with you.

Longer than,
There've been fishes in the ocean.
Higher than,
Any bird ever flew.
Longer than,
There've been stars up in the heavens.
I've been in love with you.

I am in love with you.

When the song drew to a close, Pete and Chloe still entranced, Clark turned to look for the member of the kitchen staff that was serving as the liaison with the wedding party. Catching the man’s eyes, Clark signaled for the next dinner course and then escorted Lana back to their seats.

The competent bustle of Lex’s staff serving the salad course of field greens, crumbled bleu cheese, apple slices, and a raspberry vinaigrette brought Pete and Chloe back to Earth and they made their way back to the head table. For this course, Clark and Lana changed places so they could sit next to their counterparts and discuss the engagement. Lana was looking at Chloe’s ring and they were replaying their phone conversation of nearly ten months before, only this time it was Chloe gushing and Lana doing the analyzing. Clark was congratulating Pete on the big brass ones it took to propose in so public a setting and on the panache he showed in pulling it off.

All throughout the course, various family members and friends came up to the head table to give their congratulations, led by Pete’s parents, who again surprised Pete by coming up together, and Chloe’s dad.

Once the dancing began again, Lana danced with Pete and then each of the groomsmen, while Clark danced with Chloe and then each of the bridesmaids. Pete and Chloe danced with his mom and her dad respectively, after the fourth dance, the revelers returned to their seats for the fourth dinner course. As they ate the lemon sorbet, which was supposed to help cleanse their palates for the remaining courses, Pete decided to return the focus of the evening back where it belonged and started tapping his spoon on the side of his wine glass to request another kiss by the newlyweds.

As Clark and Lana leaned in for the kiss, Lana said, with a giggle, “You’d think they would have seen this enough by now.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Clark said, a small smirk evident on his face after they finally broke their kiss. “I definitely haven’t done it enough…and when we make it to our hotel tonight, you‘re going to find out what else I haven‘t done enough of in the past six months.”

“But Clark, whatever could you mean?” Lana said, as she pretended ignorance and innocence, “I do have to sleep sometime, you know.”

“Sleep? Sleep!? That’s what the three-hour ride in Bruce’s Maybach is for. That way, you won’t need to sleep while we’re actually in the honeymoon suite.”

“Three hours away, huh? The only place of any size I know of three hours away is Metropolis…where are we staying? For that matter, you still haven’t told me where we are going for the honeymoon except for what kind of clothing I needed to pack and that I’m going to need my passport.”

“Well…since you’ve been so good, I’ll tell you. We are staying tonight in the Honeymoon Suite of the Metropolis Four Seasons Hotel.”

“No…really…where are we staying?”

Shaking his head slowly, Clark said, “We’re off to a lousy start in our marriage if I can’t get you to believe the truth about where we will once again be able get our sweaty little hands on each other.”

“You’re serious? How can you afford something like that?”

Clark just rolled his eyes, pointed at the ostentatious luxury of Lex’s Grand Ballroom, and asked, “How are you paying for the use of all this?

“Well, I’m not. Lex is making it his wedding present to…” Lana’s voice trailed off as she realized what Clark was implying. “Lex is paying for it?”

“Yeah. He said covering the cost of the reception was his present to you. Paying for the honeymoon is his gift to me.” Clark waited a second, then said, “I think he wasn’t overly thrilled when he saw the places I was considering for our honeymoon. At first I wanted to turn him down, but he said there was no point in having money if he couldn’t use it to help his friends.

“Also, Bruce thinks Lex has really turned the corner. Having had time to adjust to the death of his father…and to adjust to us…Lex has changed the direction of his life. It appears the new Lex is the real deal.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” Lana said. “I've always thought of him as the older brother or cousin I never had. I’d like to have that relationship back again.”

“Me too, Lana.”

It was time for more dancing, but first, it was time for Lana to throw her bridal bouquet. Pete was in the center of the dance floor as Clark held Lana’s chair. While Lana was making her way around the table, Pete said, “Okay. We need all the single ladies to make their way out here please. It’s time for Lana to throw her bouquet. Tradition has it that the woman to catch the bouquet will be the next one to get married. Since Chloe already knows she’s getting married, I’ll have to ask my fiancée to stay off the floor at this time.”

Chloe glowed at the reminder that she was finally, officially, engaged, but went out on the floor anyway. When Lana made it to the dance floor, she headed back toward the head table. Clark reached over the table to hand her the bouquet. With the bouquet in hand, she pulled a white rose out of the center of the bouquet and handed it to Clark, saying, “That’s my rose from you. No one else gets that one.”

Clark looked at the white rose and, seeing it only had one thorn, realized Lana had taken the single rose he had sent to her before the wedding and stuffed it into her bridal bouquet to make sure it was a part of their wedding.

Lana faced away from the small crowd of women and threw her bouquet over her head. It was caught by a woman in her mid-twenties. Not too many people at the reception knew her and her catching the bouquet didn’t cause much of a stir until it was realized that the young lady was Lex’s new girlfriend.

“Look at Lex,” Lana said, as she tried to keep from choking on her laughter. “He looks like a fish out of water.”

“Yeah,” Clark replied. “If a ghost could get any whiter…I think all the blood has left his head.”

[SVsleuth]

BUFFER!

[Cardinal]

The bouquet-throwing was followed by dancing followed by the fifth dinner course, Almond-Crusted Chicken. Next came time for Clark to shoot Lana’s garter into the crowd of bachelors. The platform and chair from Clark’s solo was brought back out and placed on the dance floor near the head table. After Lana was ensconced in the seat, Lana pulled up the long skirt of her dress and Clark made a show of slowly sliding his hands up her leg until he reached the garter which was mid-thigh.

“If you had put that garter even an inch higher, Lana,” Clark whispered, “our honeymoon would be starting right here, right now.”

“Well, if your hands had taken one second longer to wander their way up my leg,” Lana said in retort, “what happened next would have been just as much your fault as mine.”

They were both smiling in anticipation of later events as Clark stood up, faced away from the guys, and shot the elastic garter over his shoulder. It was caught by one of the groomsmen, Greg. When he didn’t appear as sheepish as most guys would, Clark began to wonder just how far along Greg and his girlfriend Becky were in their relationship.

More dancing led to the sixth course, Horseradish-Crusted Salmon. The last set of dances were goofy group dances, something for everyone to have fun with. Finally, it was time for the seventh and final dinner course, the wedding cake.

Lex’s staff brought out a special table and placed it in the middle of the dance floor. Next, a large cart rolled onto the floor with the three-tiered wedding cake on top. Lex’s staff expertly slid the cake from the cart to the table and then left the floor along with the now-empty cart.

Clark and Lana made their way out to the table and located the sterling silver cake knife. Picking it up hand-in-hand, they looked at each other, indelible smiles on their faces, and proceeded to cut the cake to the cheers of the onlookers. As the first slice was pulled from the bottom layer, Clark whispered, “Ladies first,” and lifted the slice to Lana’s mouth. After she took a bite, and while she was still swallowing, Clark pressed the rest of that first narrow slice into her face and smeared it around her mouth, cheeks, and chin.

“You are going to get it now, Buster!” Lana said, somewhat surprised that her normally reserved husband - husband, I love the sound of that, she thought - would do that to her.

Lana picked up the next slice and said, “I hope you know a good dry-cleaner, Husband-of-Mine.” She gently fed him his first bite and then equally as gently, and just as slowly, smeared the remains of the slice all over his face. While Clark and Lana were busy using their fingers to take the cake from each other’s face, followed by a liberal use of handi-wipes, the rest of the diners dug into the cakes that Lana had decided to use as centerpieces. By the time the bride and groom had returned to their seats, each had a full-sized slice of their cake waiting for them on their plates.

When everyone had their fill of cake, a short social hour commenced to allow everyone to chat, before it was time for the bride and groom to take their leave. Clark signaled Pete that it was time and he announced that everyone needed to make their way to the front entrance. On their way out the front doors, everyone was handed a small bag of birdseed to throw at the happy couple as they made their way from the doors to the car.

Finally, after allowing a few minutes for the crowd to arrange themselves, Pete pulled open the front doors and Clark and Lana walked arm-in-arm to the car door being held open by Alfred. Ducking their heads under the cascade of birdseed, they hurried down the long gauntlet of people. After helping Lana and her chapel-length train inside the car, Clark walked around to the other side and climbed in beside her.

When the maroon and black luxury car drove off with the ever-competent Alfred behind the wheel, Chloe and Pete were arm-in-arm, looking at their friends drive off into the night.

“I hope our wedding will be as nice,” Chloe said wistfully.

“How nice it is doesn’t matter, Chloe…only that it’s ours.”

[SVsleuth]

1st! Awesome chapter, Card! I LOVED Greg & Becky's appearance too. Cool! :)

And the garter scene was cool, too - they are REALLY ready now....

PPMS!

[kewl]

super update!!!!! i love every scene of the wedding!!!! keep em going!!!! PPMS!!! :D

[NYC300Z]

That was a cute update Card! Pete and Chloe....the wedding cake....so much good stuff!:D

PPMS!

[akuma]

Finally, NOW we get to the honeymoon, awesome update Card!

[linn]

that was so awesome card!>>>>>PPMS!:D

[MOOman0618]

YEA!! I caught the garter!! I guess that means I will have to get married! :p

Awesome update...I wonder how much of the honey moon you are going to be able to post in the PG-13 forum. ;)

[Cardinal]

Umm...well...it is PG-13, so not very much. The people on the pink-colored Clana site will be so pissed off, too. I'll have to remind them my thread on that site is PG-13.

[binkys711]

great update Card! That was great! make sure to make it as detailed as pg-13 possible Card! after 6 months of not doin' it Clark's gonna rip Lana's dress to shreds, or maybe Lana will be the one with the the first move on the tux?;):p I love this story! *tears* husband and wife...clana! HOORAY!!! PPMS!!!

*chants* Honeymoon! honeymoon! honeymoon!

[NYC300Z]

*joins chant* honeymoon honeymoon honeymon! :p

PPMS!

[SVsleuth]

Originally posted by MOOman0618
YEA!! I caught the garter!! I guess that means I will have to get married!

Yeah, Moo, that was one of my favorite parts. I love the way Card wrote us all into his fic, & you catching the garter was so cool. Did you tell Becky? ;)

[Cardinal]

Here's a brief preview of the honeymoon update. I hope it will both whet your appetites and help tide you over until the full update appears! :)

As Clark and Lana rode away from the Luthor Mansion, they kissed deeply and then sat back and took deep breaths.

“Wow,” Lana said, “after all the time spent dreaming what our wedding would be like and then planning it, I can’t believe it’s over.”

Clark picked up her hand and kiss it. Holding onto her hand, he said, “If it meant getting to marry you, I’d do it all over again in a second, Sweetcheeks.”

“So would I, Studmuffin.” Wiggling her feet, Lana said, “I’ve been wearing high heels for hours. My feet are killing me.”

“That bad, huh?”

“You should try it sometime. Just not in any of my shoes.”

Thinking quickly, Clark said, “Slide all the way into your corner of the seat, Lana, and swing your feet into my lap.”

“Okay.” With a rustle of fabric, it was done.

Clark quickly slid off both of her shoes, tossed them on the floor, and began to massage first one foot and then the other.

“Ohhhhhhh…” she said, “that feels so…so…I don’t even know how to describe how good that feels, Honey.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it? I love it.”

Relaxing with the unexpected massage, Lana felt selfish asking for anything more, but she could not help it. “Clark?”

“Yes, Dear?”

“Would you sing to me? Something just for me?”

“What would you like?” Clark asked.

“You have a song list?”

“No, but I’m confident enough to try singing any song I’m familiar with, as long as you are my only audience.”

“Surprise me,” she said.

Clark thought, as he tried to warm up his voice. Finally, he came up with a short, beautiful song that should please her.

You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cocker

You are so beautiful
To me
You are so beautiful
To me
Can't you see
You're everything I hoped for
You're everything I need
You are so beautiful
To me

Clark sang the song slowly, the way it was meant to be sung. By the end of the first time through, Lana was in tears, when he finished a second run through, Lana was asleep, an angelic smile on her face.

[SVsleuth]

Aww... So sweet :)

Thanks for the short but sweet update, Card.... Nice surprise to find. :)

[HP_DRAGON]

aww that was great PPMS

[NYC300Z]

oh that was so cute Card! massaging her feet and singing for her! Can't wait for the rest of the honeymoon!

PPMS!

[linn]

That was soooooooo cute Card...I absolutely loved it...PPMS!!!!!

[MOOman0618]

Awwww! Cute stuff! :) So when do we get the full update?!? Soon?

[binkys711]

aww....that was so sweet! buut we must have the full update soon plz?!

[kewl]

so sweet. just can't wait for the real update!!!

[Cardinal]

Update here late tonight!

[SVsleuth]

:) Yippee! :) An update tonight! Honeymoon CLANA love...

[cufcchic]

clark singing?! awesome! i loved the update, but it was short! ppmasap! an clana honeymoon............:) awesome!

[NYC300Z]

Yay! An update tonight! i'll be checking at about 1am Eastern!:D

[Cardinal]

You all should remember that wasn't an actual update...that was just a preview of the real update. It didn't even have a chapter name.

[akuma]

I remember Card!!:D So still plan on updating tonight?

[Cardinal]

Yes. Though it will be midnight Central time or later.

[binkys711]

yay! can't wait!

[SplitCold]

i dont know how much longer i can wait, hope you update soon

[SVsleuth]

He's getting close. I'm trying to wait to buffer...

[NYC300Z]

Midnight Central time should be 1 am Eastern...well it's after 2am Eastern so that's after 1 am Central right? You still awake Card?

[Cardinal]

The Wedding - Chapter 19

As Clark and Lana rode away from the Luthor Mansion, they kissed deeply and then sat back and took deep breaths.

“Wow,” Lana said, “after all the time spent dreaming what our wedding would be like and then planning it, I can’t believe it’s over.”

Clark picked up her hand and kiss it. Holding onto her hand, he said, “If it meant getting to marry you, I’d do it all over again in a second, Sweetcheeks.”

“So would I, Studmuffin.” Wiggling her feet, Lana said, “I’ve been wearing high heels for hours. My feet are killing me.”

“That bad, huh?”

“You should try it sometime. Just not in any of my shoes.”

Thinking quickly, Clark said, “Slide all the way into your corner of the seat, Lana, and swing your feet into my lap.”

“Okay.” With a rustle of fabric, it was done.

Clark quickly slid off both of her shoes, tossed them on the floor, and began to massage first one foot and then the other.

“Ohhhhhhh…” she said, “that feels so…so…I don’t even know how to describe how good that feels, Honey.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it? I love it.”

Relaxing with the unexpected massage, Lana felt selfish asking for anything more, but she could not help it. “Clark?”

“Yes, Dear?”

“Would you sing to me? Something just for me?”

“What would you like?” Clark asked.

“You have a song list?”

“No, but I’m confident enough to try singing any song I’m familiar with, as long as you are my only audience.”

“Surprise me,” she said.

Clark thought, as he tried to warm up his voice. Finally, he came up with a short, beautiful song that should please her.

You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cocker

You are so beautiful
To me
You are so beautiful
To me
Can't you see
You're everything I hoped for
You're everything I need
You are so beautiful
To me

Clark sang the song slowly, the way it was meant to be sung. By the end of the first time through, Lana was in tears, when he finished a second run through, Lana was asleep, an angelic smile on her face.

--------------------

Pulling up to the main entrance to the Metropolis Four Seasons Hotel three hours later, a liveried doorman rushed out to open the door to the ultra-expensive luxury sedan. Clark gently woke his sleeping bride, slipped on her shoes, exited the car and walked around to the door being held open by the doorman to help her out of the car. A bellhop was at the trunk talking with Alfred before loading the luggage onto a handcart.

As Clark prepared to walk with his still sleepy bride inside this most excellent of hotels, Alfred walked up to him and pressed a room key into Clark’s hand, and said, “Master Clark, you are already checked into your room and the expenses have already been covered.”

“Thanks for everything, Alfred,” Clark said, “and thank Bruce, too.”

“Master Bruce bids me to remind you and your lovely wife to discuss his idea, at least briefly, during your time in paradise. He knows you will make no decisions about your future without her input.”

“I think we can manage that, Alfred,” Clark said. “We’ll have plenty of time.”

“Are we there yet, Clark?” Lana asked as she slowly revived.

“We’re here, Lana. It’s time to go inside.”

With one arm around his bride to steady her until she completely regained her equilibrium, the happy couple entered the large double doors which were held open by two additional doormen. Looking back, Clark smiled as he noticed Alfred handing out tips to the doormen. The first doorman turned them over to an assistant manager who asked them to follow him. He led them to an elevator where he used his key to change the car to manual service and then pressed a button for the top floor.

When the three of them stepped out of the elevator, Clark used the electronic key to open the door and then he bent over and picked Lana up, one hand beneath her shoulders and one under her knees with her arms looped around his neck. Stepping forward, Clark carried his bride over the threshold and into the bridal suite.

Lex had briefed Clark on the proper amount of money to tip the various people at the hotel. So after setting Lana down, he walked over, tipped the assistant manager, and closed the self-locking door.

When Clark closed the door, Lana kicked off her shoes and wiggled her toes deep into the thick carpet. She wandered through the great room and into the adjoining bedroom. She noticed that just off the bedroom was a dressing room for her and one for Clark. He had followed right behind her, but the first thing he noticed was a large bottle of champagne chilling in a sterling silver ice bucket next to the bed itself. When Lana peeked into a dressing room, she saw that the luggage had somehow beaten them to the suite.

As for the bedroom itself, the monstrosity of a bed went far beyond king-sized. Lana thought they could both sleep on it and never notice the other one was even there, Clark was happy to find a bed where his feet wouldn’t stick out over the end of the bed, and both of them planned to explore every inch of that bed before the night was over.

Hand-in-hand, they explored the rest of the suite together. On the other side of the great room was a cozy dining room for two and a kitchen for those inclined to cook. Maybe a romantic morning-after breakfast, Clark thought, but otherwise, that room will stay as clean as we found it.

Finally, they made their way out to the balcony with its high, carved marble railing and an incomparable view of the Metropolis skyline. Lana looked out over the city and said, “This is much better than the view from Chandler’s windmill. Oh this is nice.”

“Yeah, it’s nice,” Clark said, “but I’ve got a better view right now.” Turning to see what other sights he could be looking at, Lana instead found his eyes locked on her. “Just like the day after the blood drive freshman year in Smallville when I had to be fair and give you back to Whitney, you’re still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen…only more so.”

Lana’s blush was more pronounced against the glowing white backdrop of the wedding gown. “Thank you, Clark,” she said, “you always know the right thing to say.”

“No thanks necessary. It takes no great skill on my part to say the truth.”

At last they turned away from the nighttime glitter of Metropolis and headed inside with Clark pulling the French doors closed behind them. Reaching the bedroom, Lana headed for her dressing room to change after asking for and receiving help with the buttons on her dress. “This will only take a minute,” Lana said.

Clark mentally added three minutes and then doubled that total, so he figured it would really take her eight minutes. He went from tux-clad to wearing nothing but black-silk boxers in a little under two seconds, taking that long only because he wanted to make sure he didn’t damage the expensive tux.

[SVsleuth]

Buffer!

[Cardinal]

When he walked back out into the bedroom to wait for Lana, Clark waited a few minutes and then began to sing the chorus to a song he had found while searching for songs for Lana. The song was “We’re Going All They Way” by Jeffrey Osborne. In their present situation, the chorus took on a whole new meaning.

Were goin’ all the way (All the way)
Headed for forever and that’s where were gonna stay
The more you’re near me, the more I know it
We got it all here if we just don’t blow it

Were goin’ all the way (All the way)
If the two of us both want it Id lay my money on it
Startin’ today (Starting today)
Were goin’ all the way

By the second time through the chorus, Clark could hear hysterical laughter coming through the solid oak door leading to Lana’s dressing room. Shortly thereafter, her door opened and her head poked out as she asked, “Were going all the way? Where did you get the idea to sing that?”

Now that I’ve got an audience, Clark thought, it’s time to go all out. “The same place I got the idea to sing this.” With that, Clark broke into a rendition of “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye while using the unopened champagne bottle as a microphone as he danced around the room in his boxers.

I've been really tryin, baby
Tryin to hold back these feelings for so long
And if you feel, like I feel baby
Come on, oh come on,

Let's get it on
Lets get it on
Let's get it on
Let's get it on

We're all sensitive people
With so much love to give, understand me sugar
Since we got to be
Lets say, I love you

There's nothin wrong with me
Lovin you---
And givin yourself to me can never be wrong
If the love is true

Don't you know how sweet and wonderful, life can be
I'm askin you baby, to get it on with me
I aint gonna worry, I aint gonna push
So come on, come on, come on, come on baby
Stop beatin round the bush....

Let's get it on
Let's get it on
Let's get it on
Let's get it on

At the end of the song, Lana was so turned on that she almost forgot her own preparations and jumped his bones on the spot. Only her dreams of what this moment would be like drew her back into the dressing room.

A couple of minutes later, her door reopened and she came out, a vision in a floor-length white silk peignoir that had just a bit of lace trimming the plunging neckline. Her hair tumbled around her face and down her back like a raging river of molten chocolate. The nightgown covered everything and hid nothing. Clark was struck dumb and it was all he could do to walk over to her and take her hands in his.

They stared at each other in silence for a while. Lana finally broke the silence, saying, “It’s been a long time for this, for us. I hope it’s like riding a bike. ‘Once you learn, you never forget how.’”

“Yeah,” Clark replied as he raised one hand to stroke the line of her cheekbone. “But I’ve heard it’s more like putting together a child’s toy at Christmas…you know, insert Tab A into Slot B.”

Lana smiled as her face tilted slightly towards his caress, “Whatever it’s like, Clark, I think it’s time we figure it out for ourselves.” At that, they linked hands and went to bed for the first time as man and wife.

[NYC300Z]

1:D

Awesome update Cardinal! It was really sweet. Great Clana! Such an important moment! What does Bruce want Clark to discuss with Lana? oh but who cares bring on the rest of the honeymoon!!;)

PPMS!

[SVsleuth]

2 This was hysterical!


Now that I’ve got an audience, Clark thought, it’s time to go all out. “The same place I got the idea to sing this.” With that, Clark broke into a rendition of “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye while using the unopened champagne bottle as a microphone as he danced around the room in his boxers.

Those newlyweds are really gonna have fun! PPMS!

[kewl]

L :lol: L clark sang and dance in front of his wife!!!! awesome & sweet update!!!

[SmallvilleMan]

But I’ve heard it’s more like putting together a child’s toy at Christmas…you know, insert Tab A into Slot B.”

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Classic, i think that sums it up best.

[akuma]

That was amazing Card, hilarious that Clark sang that song!

[binkys711]

YAAAAAHOOOO!!! BOOYAH! that update was awesome! so great! it was hilarious how Clark was singing! I absolutely loved it! incredible job dude!PPMS!!! HOORAY FOR THE HONEYMOON!:D

[linn]

yea....awesome Card....ppms!!!!!!!!

[MOOman0618]

Wow...I am laughing at Clark and thinking about Lana in that nightgown...just wow. That was some good stuff there Card

[Cardinal]

If I update tonight, it will be on this thread. The update is just underway.

[NYC300Z]

Good news! Update!;)

[akuma]

Sweet!! I really hope u can do it Card!!:D:D

[NYC300Z]

Card I only have an hour left!

PPMS!

[Cardinal]

The Wedding - Chapter 20

Lana’s eyes cracked open one at a time. What time is it? she wondered. Rolling over in an attempt to find a bedside clock of some sort, she instead found Clark sitting in a chair he had brought in from the great room.

As soon as their eyes met, they both smiled, and Clark sang, softly, and somewhat scratchily, not having had time for the proper warm-ups.

Good Morning Beautiful - Steve Holy

Good morning, Beautiful,
How was your night?
Mine was wonderful
With you by my side
And when I open my eyes
And see your sweet face
It's a good morning beautiful day

I didn't see the light
I didn't know day from night
I had no reason to care
But since you came along
I can face the dawn
‘Cause I know you'll be there

Good morning, Beautiful,
How was your night ?
Mine was wonderful
With you by my side
And when I open my eyes
And see your sweet face
It's a good morning beautiful day

I'll never worry
If it's raining outside
‘Cause in here with you girl
The sun always shines

Good morning, Beautiful,
How was your night?
Mine was wonderful
With you by my side
And when I open my eyes
And see your sweet face
It's a good morning beautiful day, yeah
A good morning beautiful...day.

With that, Clark got up, sat on the edge of the bed, and leaned in for a good morning kiss. “Hello, Mrs. Kent. How’s married life treating you?”

“Not bad, Mr. Kent, not bad at all,” Lana said, grinning widely. “One day down and infinity to go.”

“Just like Buzz Lightyear, huh? To infinity and beyond?”

“That’s how long I plan to be married to you…infinity…at the very least.”

“That sounds like a plan to me,” Clark said, as he stole another kiss before standing back up. “Now, lay back in bed for a few minutes and I’ll make some breakfast. Okay?”

“Sure.” Tucking the light blanket under her chin, Lana reviewed the events of the past day. It seemed like a week ago, but barely twenty-four hours earlier, she was being pampered at the day spa in Smallville in preparation for the wedding. The event itself had been nearly perfect and the reception went off without a hitch. She smiled when she thought of Clark serenading her in front of everyone, and Pete’s surprise proposal had been another happy surprise.

Any thoughts of edging off into sleep were defeated by the smell of fresh-brewed coffee which soon permeated the air. When she detected the additional aroma of frying bacon, her stomach woke up and let her know just how hungry she was. Her sleep-shrouded thoughts quickly came into focus as a tray bearing these olfactory delights pushed its way into the bedroom, closely followed by the man carrying it, Clark.

“Hey, Baby, I’m glad to see you’re awake,” Clark said, as he looked for a place to set the tray.

“Mmm…that smells heavenly,” Lana said. “Breakfast in bed, this is something new.”

“So’s waking up with my wife, so I thought I’d do something to celebrate. Now, if you’ll sit up, I can set this tray over your lap, and we can eat.”

Lana propped herself up against the headboard and Clark placed the small tray across her lap, standing it up on four small legs. On the tray was a small pile of crisp, maple-smoked bacon, scrambled eggs, toast with butter and fruit spreads, and two cups of Hawaiian Kona coffee.

“How’d you get all this stuff anyway?” Lana asked, as she dug into the meal.

“Same way we got the Hershey’s syrup and whipped cream last night, Lana,” Clark said. “Room service.”

“I wonder how often they get calls for that stuff up here?”

“Well, that is a complete kitchen out there, but there weren’t any groceries in there when we got here, so they must get frequent requests. Given what the room charge is for a night, personal service has to be a major selling point.”

“Actually, Clark,” Lana said, “I was talking about the Hershey’s and the whipped cream, not the bacon and coffee.”

Clark blushed and said, “I’m sure they get requests of that nature, too, since this is the Honeymoon Suite.”

“I’m surprised you still can blush after last night.”

“I don’t need to blush about what I do with you, Lana. It’s just an uncomfortable feeling having outsiders know what’s going on.”

“Oh, come on, Clark,” Lana said. “How would they know we had an alternate use in mind for the syrup and cream? Hmm?”

“The fact we didn’t order any ice cream to go with the other stuff was a pretty big hint.”

“All I know is I’m not going to be able to look at a Hot Fudge Sundae quite the same way ever again.”

“An ice cream dessert will seem tame in comparison,” Clark said. Noticing Lana’s coffee cup was almost empty, Clark picked it up and super-sped to the kitchen to refill it. Coming back with a steaming cup, Clark set it down on the tray and went back to his bacon and eggs.

Once breakfast was over and Clark had cleared away the tray, Lana busied herself looking for where her nightgown had ended up the night before. As she threw the covers aside and rolled off the massive bed, Clark let out a low whistle in appreciation.

“What?” Lana asked. “There’s nothing here you didn’t examine in much closer detail last night, and of all the times to whistle, I’d think you could pick a better one than when I have bed hair and haven’t even seen any makeup in hours.”

“On the contrary, Lana. This is the perfect time to whistle. I was just thinking how staggeringly beautiful you are, makeup or not, perfectly coiffed hair or not, clothes or not.”

I‘ll be damned, she thought, he’s serious. “What time is checkout, Clark?”

“11 a.m., we have plenty of time,” Clark said.

Lana grabbed her husband, threw him on the bed, and said, “Plenty of time before we have to leave, huh? We’ll see about that!"

--------------------

An indeterminate amount of time later, Clark and Lana were snuggling in bed, looking up at the ceiling when Lana asked, “What time is it now?”

Clark reached for his watch on the side table and gulped. “10:30,” he said. “We have to get a move on.” Clark raced into the shower and was done before Lana got out of bed. While she was showering, Clark was quickly packing the one suitcase they each had opened. He then picked something comfortable for the long flights ahead of them.

When Lana stepped out of the shower and toweled off, Clark took his luggage to the door. After Lana threw on a blouse and light, summery slacks, her luggage joined his at the door and he called the concierge for a bellhop to take their luggage. When their luggage disappeared down the short hallway leading to the service elevator, Clark and Lana entered the public elevator for the long ride to the lobby.

Clearing checkout with a few minutes to spare, Clark was looking into hiring a cab when the concierge handed him a note. It said, ‘Please allow me to provide you with one last ride.’ It was signed, ‘Bruce.’

Waiting outside the front door was Alfred and the maroon and black Maybach. After the luggage was stowed and the passengers were seated, Alfred pulled away smoothly and headed to the airport.

“Now, Clark, where are we going? Enough with the anticipation already. Allow me to enjoy the excitement of our destination a little bit.”

With a brief shrug of his shoulders, Clark said, “Okay. Our flight doesn’t leave until 2 p.m. and we have a short layover at LAX before we leave there at 6:15 p.m. Final destination…”

“Yes? Don’t leave me hanging!”

“Fiji.”

“Fiji?” Lana asked, her voice tremulous with excitement. “Are you serious? No way!”

“Yep, Fiji. Our travel agent outdid herself when she learned the travel budget had been…significantly increased.”

Lana had always wanted to travel to exotic locations, which was the only thing she missed about not having gone to France in high school. Just like Lucy in the movie “While You Were Sleeping,” Lana wanted a stamp in her passport. Today, she would finally get one.

[NYC300Z]

1st!:D

Awesome update! Clark whistleing and a little bit for our imagination with all the syrup talk! Way to go Card!:D

Now Fiji I wonder what fun they'll have now!:D

PPMS!:D

[SVsleuth]

2! Great PG-13 job, Card! Clark blushing, the whole dessert discussion, the whistling... and FIJI on the horizon! I wonder how many updates the entire honeymoon will take? Probably more than you anticipate. :p PPMS!

[MOOman0618]

3rd!

Wow...

You made some good use of the PG-13 limitations there Card! heehee :D I dont think I will be able to have any sort of sundae for a while!

Fiji sounds like a super place to go! I wonder what other good stuff they will get into on their travels?! :)

[Cardinal]

Originally posted by SVsleuth
I wonder how many updates the entire honeymoon will take? Probably more than you anticipate. :p PPMS!

Oh, please God. No!!!!!!

[SVsleuth]

Oh, please, YES! PPMS! Lots of nice looooooooong updates! ;)

[NYC300Z]

Yeah birng it on!:D

[binkys711]

OMG Card! that update was hialrious! Chocolate syrup and whip cream :rotfl::lol: that was awesome! GO CLANA!;) we want superbabies real soon! if this keeps happening we just might:p cool they're going to Fiji and liked the reference to the movie!:cool: great update! PPMS!!! yes we want LOTS of honeymoon updates!:)

[akuma]

Oh man, Lana with the syrup and cream, oh man thatd be nice:D Keep updating!!

[IluvCLANA]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

im FINALLY caught up. Awesome ff Card, just like the others. Hope to read some more clana fluff *winks*

*starts chant*
fiji.....fiji.....fiji......

is anyone going to join in?

[SVsleuth]

Fiji! Fiji! Fiji! (SVsleuth joins the chant)

PPMS!

[IluvCLANA]

(yay someone finally joined, thanks svsleuth)*continues chant*
fiji fiji fiji....

[cody111]

update soon

[kewl]

awesome update & a very sweet breakfast in bed on their honeymoon!!!! i love how u squeezed in an idea from "While You Were Sleeping" on this update, that's one of my favorite movies!!!! anyways.... PPMS!!! :D

[Cardinal]

It's one of my favorites, too. :)

I'm working on the next update. It will take a little while to figure out.

[kewl]

yay, another update's coming!!! just can't wait!!! :)

[IluvCLANA]

yay!!!!

[IluvCLANA]

...

[Cardinal]

I wasn't kidding when I said it would take a while to figure this update out.

Currently Clark and Lana have made it to the resort on Fiji where they will be staying.

[NYC300Z]

Update!;)

[Cardinal]

I should have something done before 10 p.m. your time, NYC.

BTW, how are the injuries?

[NYC300Z]

that's cool thanks....their doing better actually....my face has all healed along with my side. My hands are just getting over the infection but still look bad and my knees still not too good, my shin is getting a bit better :lol: well you asked so there's the full report. Can't wait for the udpate to take another break from studying!;)

[Cardinal]

The Wedding - Chapter 21

Once they were loaded up and on the way to the airport, the sights of Metropolis passed by unnoticed by the Kents as they held hands, gazed into each other’s eyes, exchanged occasional kisses, and talked about where they were going.

“Fiji is actually a bunch of islands just a little bit east of Australia,” Clark said, “so we’ll be flying almost halfway around the world to get there.”

“Yeah? Well, I still remember flying all the way around the world with you on my birthday one year,” Lana said.

“True, but we didn’t take any luggage on that trip and you had to stay up for 24 hours to see the sunset in each time zone.”

“It was worth it. No one else has ever gotten to see a 24-hour-long sunset before.”

“This time, we’ll be flying first-class on American to LAX,” Clark said. “From there, we’ll take a Qantas jumbo jet to Fiji, again, flying first-class. Our total time in the air for the two flights should be around twelve hours, so I hope you stuffed one or two paperback books in your purse.”

“I always have a book. I never know when I might need one.”

“Once we reach the airport at Nadi, we have to take one more flight. This one will be a 30-minute seaplane flight to our final destination, Turtle Island.”

“Turtle Island?” Lana asked. “Where have I heard that name before?”

“I don’t know, but it’s where they filmed the movie, “The Blue Lagoon.” Also, Modern Bride magazine listed it as the number one place in the world for a secluded honeymoon. There are only 14 couples on the 500 acre island at any one time.”

“When did you read Modern Bride?”

“God knows you left enough of those magazines laying around your apartment during the last ten months. I just picked one up when I was waiting for you one day and there was an article on honeymoon hotspots.”

After reaching the airport and giving their luggage to a skycap, Clark and Lana thanked Alfred for his assistance all weekend long. On impulse, Lana stretched up and kissed the older gentleman on the cheek, causing the oh-so-correct butler to blush.

Going through the interminable check-in procedures, the Kents were happy they had come plenty early for their flight. Finally, they were in the waiting room, boarding passes and carry-on bags in hand. After the short flight to Los Angeles, they walked down to the Qantas boarding area and dug the Qantas boarding passes out of Lana’s purse. Lana also checked to make sure their passports were still there.

Less than two hours later, they were winging their way toward paradise. Thankful that they were flying first class, Lana still found that long of a flight to be a butt-numbing experience. Once the cabin was darkened for sleeping purposes, Clark and Lana waited a few minutes and then made use of Clark’s super-speed to head to the bathroom unnoticed, where they fulfilled a secret wish: joining the ‘mile-high club.’

Giggling together in their seats after several minutes of frantic lovemaking in plane’s bathroom, Lana said she’d always wanted to try that, but never thought she would get the chance. Clark, on the other hand, had dreamed many times of having sex in midair, he just had not been thinking about a plane being involved.

Touchdown at the Nadi airport was at 3:45 a.m. Smallville time on Monday morning, which made it 10:45 p.m. Monday night in Fiji. Going through customs, Lana finally got her cherished passport stamp. When Clark noticed Lana staring excitedly at the fresh stamp on her passport, he raised an eyebrow in question.

Lana replied by saying, “You’ve taken me to some amazing places before, but since we went via ‘Clark Kent Express,’ I couldn’t tell anyone about my experiences except for Chloe and Pete. Now, I can.”

Clark and Lana opted to take a cab into town and stay overnight, then continue on to Turtle Island in the morning. The seaplane flight early the next morning stayed low, giving the newlyweds a chance to look out the window and stare at the lush vegetation and the brilliantly blue water.

When their seaplane landed in the famous Blue Lagoon, it taxied right up to the edge of the beach where they were met by their Bure (boo’ ray) Mama. Their luggage disappeared in a blink of an eye, and they were quickly escorted up the hill to the Vonu Point bure, a thatch-roofed building located on the elevated headland at the north end of the Blue Lagoon beachfront. Clark informed Lana this was the best accommodation on the island and their Bure Mama enthusiastically seconded his statement.

When asked what they wanted to do, Clark looked at Lana, who was obviously still tired from the long trip, and asked for lunch to be served outside by their double hammock. He then whispered something in the Bure Mamas ear and received a reply of “Yes, that is available, I will arrange it all for you.”

After the lady left, Lana asked the question that had been bugging her since leaving the seaplane, “What’s a Bure Mama? In fact, what’s a bure?”

Clark smiled and said, “Bure is the native word for ‘home.’ The Bure Mama is assigned to us for the length of our stay. She takes care of us from handling the laundry and housekeeping to many other tasks. It’s her job to make us at home while we’re here. Should we ever elect to leave the bure while we’re here,” he said, while point a lecherous grin her way, “she’ll help us make use of the island’s resources as much or as little as we wish.”

“Oh, that’s going to be nice.”

After sorting their clothes into the appropriate pieces of furniture, the Kents changed into more relaxed clothes for lunch. Lana wore a halter top and shorts that stopped just shy of being ‘short-shorts,’ while Clark wore a loose t-shirt and board shorts. Neither one opted to wear shoes. Together, they strolled out to the double hammock down near the beach and snuggled together.

When lunch arrived, it was placed on tables in the shade. The meal was a seemingly endless profusion of shrimp, salad, fruit, fish, wine, and more. They fed each other morsels of food and enjoyed the warmth, the soft lapping of the water on the nearby beach, and, most of all, each other’s company.

Upon eating their fill, the sated couple returned to Vonu Point to rest on the queen-sized day bed on the veranda. One of the reasons this bure was the best on the island was the view. Raised up above the level of the ocean, it offered an unequalled view of the Blue Lagoon.

After having had time to digest their lunch, they were visited by two lomi-lomi massage practitioners. This was what Clark had asked the Bure Mama to arrange. When Lana was apprised of the purpose of the visit by these two women, she went back to the dressing area and came back wearing nothing but a large, soft white towel which was covered her from shoulders to mid-thigh. Lana laid face down on the day bed and the massage began. Her towel was pulled down to the top of her hips, and two sets of hands began the long, rhythmic strokes indicative of lomi-lomi.

“Ohhhhhhhhh, Godddddddddddddd!!!” Lana moaned quietly. “This is fantastic, Clark. I think I’m going to melt right here.” The rest of her massage passed with a series of whimpers, moans, and deep-throated growls. When Lana was done, Clark scooped her off the day bed and took her back inside, where she changed back into her shorts and halter. Clark returned for his massage and was rewarded with a similar experience.

At the end of his massage, Clark changed back into his t-shirt and shorts and each grabbed a soda from the refrigerator as they returned to the double hammock, where they whiled away the rest of the afternoon.

When dinner time neared, Clark informed the Bure Mama that, for tonight, they would like a private dinner on the end of the dock instead of joining the other guests. When the time came, Lana was dressed in a light, tea-length halter dress and Clark wore Dockers and an Oxford shirt. Both were slightly weirded out by dressing up for dinner and then not wearing shoes.

They worked their way down the well-worn path to the beach and then wandered down the beach to the wooden dock that stretched far out into the lagoon. The length of the dock was lit with well-spaced lanterns and at the far end was a candle-lit table for two.

The meal consisted of three courses: an entrée seafood soup made with fish, lobster, and shellfish and garnished with a cilantro paste, a main course of a filet of lamb with onion fondue, eggplant casserole, broccoli, and a filo pastry tart, and a dessert course consisting of pannacotta with chocolate, mascarpone cheese, spearmint jelly and candied oranges.

Their last act of the day, before returning to Vonu Point, was to take a lantern for a evening stroll up the beach, their feet kicking through the edge of the water and Clark’s pants rolled up to his knees. When they sensed it was time, the Kents headed up the path to Vonu Point, undressed, and hopped into the Jacuzzi for a relaxing soak before they turned to their last activity of their first day in paradise, testing out the king-sized four-poster bed.


PS Here's the web address for the place Clark and Lana are staying, in case you want to take a look. :)

http://www.turtlefiji.com

Some of the stuff used in this chapter came directly from this site.

[MOOman0618]

Originally posted by Cardinal


When the time came, Lana was dressed in a light, tea-length halter dress and Clark wore Dockers and an Oxford shirt. Both were slightly weirded out by dressing up for dinner and then not wearing shoes.


That would be so much fun! :) Man, I am going to have you plan my honeymoon!! But then again...if I wanted this honeymoon you would have to fund us!

The mile high club!! HA! :lol: They get to have all sorts of fun!

Post more soon...I want to hear about all the other 'fun' they will be having.

[NYC300Z]

2nd!:D Awesome update Card! So many great parts! I really like Clark's thoughts about flying and joining the mile high club with out the plane! Awesome! :D

PPMS!;););)

[SVsleuth]

3rd! Great update, Card. Lana & Clark are having a lot of fun as newlyweds - starting on the plane.... I'm sure they are making a lot of memories to last a lifetime. Clark seems to have planned well & know what is available at this resort. (Actually, it was CARDINAL who did all the great research, but we'll pretend it was Clark!) :lol:

PPMS!

[superman_lives_on]

HOME PLATE! *puff puff* :D

PPMS!

[Cardinal]

And Superman_lives_on scores the first run of the game!

[akuma]

Hmm? what can i get with 5th comment? Argh!!

Anyway...that was awesome update, Clark seems to really have thought this one through! Well done!:D:D:D

[kewl]

such an awesome update card!!!! mile-high club, huh??? :D PPMS!!!

[SVsleuth]

Post 1999 goes on my 2nd favorite story, Card.

...And you know where you'll find post 2000 ;)

[Cardinal]

Well, you're just bound and determined to make me cry.

[IluvCLANA]

AWESOME update!!!that was amazing!!!! beautiful work card, as always
ten thumbs up!

[binkys711]

WOOOOO!!! THE CLANA IS ROCKIN' the bed....and airplane bathrooms:lol: great job Card! That update was awesome! I absolutely loved it! The honeymoon is amazing! I'm loving it!PPMS!!!:D

[Cardinal]

The Wedding - Chapter 22

Wednesday morning rolled around and Clark and Lana were locked in a tangle of sheets. Clark finally pried his eyes open and carefully disentangled himself from the sheets, so as to not wake his very own Sleeping Beauty.

He quickly pulled on a pair of shorts and hurried outside to a polished wood table where breakfast was waiting. Clark picked up the morning repast of breads, pastries and muffins still hot from the oven, fruits, juices, sharp-scented coffee and tea and carried it inside.

The close proximity to aromatic, freshly-brewed coffee slowly woke Lana from the sleep of the dead. She rolled over, spotted Clark, and looked at him hopefully, which generated a smile from Clark and got her the cup of coffee she wanted along with a selection of food from which to choose.

Before receiving her food, Lana sat up and stuffed pillows behind herself as a prop. When Clark reached her, she said, “Thanks, Clark,” and thanked him further for his courtesy with the first kiss of the morning. After taking her first swallow of coffee to sluice away the nasty taste in her mouth, Lana looked over her choices and picked up a croissant and slathered it in butter. Nibbling on her bread, she asked, “What do you have planned, Clark?”

Clark had a number of things up his sleeve for the remainder of their stay: horseback rides along the water’s edge, snorkeling in the Blue Lagoon, riding mountain bikes along the many trails that crisscross the island, and even windsurfing. Not everything had to be a physical activity, however. They twice reserved one of the eight private beaches for a day of clothing-optional fun that included a picnic lunch of lobster and Moet et Chandon champagne and they were allowed to visit one of the local villages on a neighboring island one afternoon.

On one of their afternoons on a private beach, this time on the appropriately named Nude Beach, Clark and Lana took some time to discuss Bruce’s “idea.”

Lana was stretched out on a beach towel, face down. Clark was applying sunblock to keep her from turning as red as their broiled lobster when he asked, “Have you thought much about Bruce’s offer?”

“Not a lot,” Lana said, “I’ve had other things occupying my thoughts recently.”

“I won’t do it unless you support the idea, Lana. Going into something like that without you supporting me 100% is not something I’d want to contemplate.”

Lana propped herself up on her elbow, looked over her shoulder, and said, “Refresh my memory, Clark. What exactly does Bruce have in mind for you?”

“He wants me to do more than be Smallville’s protector,” Clark said, as he continued to apply the SPF 15 sunblock to her lower back. “It’s his opinion that I can do more for the welfare of mankind if I concentrate on big issues of worldwide importance instead of ‘wasting my awesome abilities’ trying to stop runaway cars and the occasional meteor freak in Kansas.”

“He’s got bats in his belfry if he thinks I’m going to let you out there on your own.”

“You know he’s going to put his resources at my disposal for this. He’s got a truly impressive array of information gathering assets, from satellites to human assets.”

“You mean spies?” Lana asked.

“Not active spies,” Clark said, as he continued to work his way from Lana’s waist to her feet. “Just people worldwide who have the same interest in truth and justice that we have and who are in key positions. They know to keep their eyes open and they’ll contact us if they come across something we need to know.”

“So, basically, they’re spies.”

Clark shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably, and said, “Well, yeah, if you want to look at it that way. Now turn over and let me do your front.”

“I don’t need you to…”

“I didn’t ask if you needed me to, it’s something I want to do. Believe me.”

Thinking of Clark’s large, powerful hands working sunblock into her skin, Lana quickly submitted and turned over on her back.

As he started with her toes, she asked, “How will you two be able to analyze the raw data and pick out the truly important stuff from the piles of dross? Some of those ‘spies’ will have agendas of their own, you know. They’ll want to use your abilities for their own purposes.”

“I’m not sure. Some times I’ll have to make an on-the-spot judgment about what is right. In the case of governments, we may have to let some things go on longer than we’d like to make sure we’re doing the right thing.”

“As long as you go into this with your eyes wide open, I’ll be happy.”

Working his way up past the gentle curve of her hips, Clark said, “So you’re okay with this idea?”

“Mmm…mostly. Oh jeez, Clark! Your hands are making it supremely difficult to string together coherent thoughts right now.”

Hearing that, Clark lifted his hands and sat upright, waiting for Lana to collect her scattered thoughts.

“What I want to know is, why aren’t you and Bruce including some of your other friends with ‘special abilities?’ You know, Bart Allen and Arthur Curry? Surely those two would be valuable to any organization like what you and Bruce are proposing.”

“What?” Clark asked. “You mean something like that ‘club or league’ that Bart was joking about back in high school?”

“Yeah, it would be nice if someone else with super abilities was watching your back.”

“What would we name this group?”

“Well, let’s see…you’re in this for truth and justice,” Lana said, “though I think Bruce would like a little vengeance thrown in, and Bart suggested a club or a league…so, how about the Truth Club?”

“No, that sounds like a puritanical bunch of twelve-year-old babysitters.”

“Okay, how about the Justice League?”

“Justice League, huh? Not bad,” Clark said, “Bruce just might go for that. We’ll have to present the whole idea to him when we get back. Now, relax, I’ve got your upper body to finish.”

Lana laid out and said, “Oh goody!”

--------------------

As Clark and Lana returned to Kansas after a long set of three flights, the exhausted couple was met at the Metropolis airport by a driver holding a sign that read, “Lana and Clark Kent.”

When they inquired as to who sent him, the driver replied, “I’m Mr. Luthor’s new driver. As authentication, he told me to tell you that the ‘maniac in the Porsche’ has decided to take things a bit more slowly these days.”

Convinced the driver was who he said he was, Clark and Lana waited for their luggage and then rode home in the back of the brand-new stretch Mercedes limo. They were both fast asleep before the car left the airport grounds.

Upon arrival in Smallville at approximately 9 a.m., the driver carefully woke his passengers up since they had fallen asleep before telling him their final destination. Drowsily, Clark said, “The Talon,” before he drifted off again. Lana, on the other hand, was energized by their arrival, and spent the final few minutes before reaching her apartment thinking of exactly what to say.

When the driver eased to a stop in front of the Talon, Lana gently woke her sleeping prince and kissed him lightly. As they clambered out of the limo, the driver retrieved their bags from the trunk and set them on the curb. Clark waved the man off and took the bags up the stairs to Lana’s door…no to their door…where Lana was already opening the door.

As Clark carried the bags in and set them down, his jaw dropped. He looked around and then went from room to room and his look of horror increased with each step. When he returned to Lana’s side, he said, “Pinch me, Lana, I must be dreaming.”

“You know pinching you won’t do any good, Clark.”

“Oh…right…” Clark turned to her and said, “Lana, we’ve been robbed! There’s not a single thing left anywhere in the apartment. We‘ve got to call the sheriff.”

Before Clark could rush by her and head for the Talon’s phone, Lana placed her hand in the middle of his chest and said, “Whoa, Cowboy! Don’t do anything just yet. I have a few things to explain.”

Pointing around at the emptiness that used to be a cozy apartment, Clark asked, “You knew about this…?”

“Well, yeah.”

“…and didn’t think to tell me about it ?”

“I’m sorry, Clark,” Lana said, “but the way you looked as you came through the door was absolutely priceless.”

“It would have been nice to know about this ahead of time, but at least our stuff wasn’t stolen.” Clark looked around one more time and then asked, “Where is our stuff? Dad was supposed to work with Pete, Pete’s brothers, and Pete’s dad to move all my stuff either up here or into storage. So where did it go instead?”

“Your flannel shirts should go to the Salvation Army, but instead, all of your belongings are sitting in our house waiting to be arranged by us.”

A relieved look passed over Clark face and he started to pick the bags back up when he finally fully processed her last statement. “Our house? When did we pick up a house? I don’t remember one of those being tucked away with the rest of the wedding gifts that are piled up at Nell’s…old…house…Nell’s house? You bought your childhood home?”

Lana stretched up on tippy-toes to kiss him quickly and said, “I knew there was more to you than stunning good looks and super-powers. You figured that one out pretty quick. So, my SUV is right out front. Let’s move the rest of our belongings over to our new house…I hear the neighbors are really nice people.”

“How…”

Raising a finger to his lips to shush him, Lana said, “When I took over paying for the wedding, Aunt Nell made me an offer on the house and land that was way, way below market value. The difference between the price and the value was her wedding present to us.”

“I’m not going to argue about you spending the money since I insisted that your inheritance money was yours to spend, but what are we going to do with a house that big? There’s just two of us and that house is huge.”

Slowly stroking her fingertips up and down Clark’s spine, Lana said, “For now, anyway. We are planning on a large family though. This house will give us all the room we need.”

“Kids, huh? I guess we’d better get started on that right away.”

Clark and Lana then kissed each other, a warm, sweet kiss that promised more…for a long time to come.

[SVsleuth]

1st! Great job, Card! ....and The Justice League is born! .... on a beach in Fiji... and Lana came up with the name. Cool! :cool:

So Lana & Clark have plans for a large family, huh? Yay! superbabies may be on the way!

(P.S. - Like they really needed sunscreen... :p )


PPMS,Card!

[superman_lives_on]

What's on second? :D

Yo, I don't know! Where are you?

[Cardinal]

Lana does need sunscreen if she's going to expose her fair-complected skin to a day of sunlight.

[ajfinn]

What a great update, Card. So now that the "honeymoon" is over .... what section of the story do we step into now? :D

[Cardinal]

The last one, aj...the very last update on this thread is next.

[akuma]

The last one!?!?! Well this has been an amazing fic, and that was great end to the honeymoon!!:D the only good coming from the end of this fic is now u can focus more on Bless the Broken Road!:D

[MOOman0618]

Sunscreen...

Must think about something other than sunscreen...


Ok, I'm better now. Liked how they thought up the Justice League! Very awesome.

And very cool about buying Nell's old house! I was wondering what was going to happen with all that money.

I'll bet they will need a whole lot of practice before they can start making babies huh? But I'll be they got plenty of that on the honeymoon!

POST MORE SOON!!!

[binkys711]

Wooo! that update was awesome! I'm Glad Lana got to pick the name of the Justice League! great touch;) and HOORAY! they have a house! that update was great Card! I loved it! PPMS!!!:D

[IluvCLANA]

WOW!!! AMAZING CARD!!!
the end? nooo!!!! *starts tearing up* but..but..but.... *whines*
okay but you better make the last update mind-blowingly filled with awesomely wonderful clana-fluff (look at that, my demandor instinks kicking in again lol)
and yea, now you start focusing on broken road ;)

[SVsleuth]

Originally posted by Cardinal
The last one, aj...the very last update on this thread is next.

Awww... Well I already IM'd you my thoughts about that, so I'll say nothing more, except "Can't wait for those even more frequent Broken Road Updates!"

Make the ending a great one Card! PPMS!

[SVsleuth]

Coming up soon:

The Wedding's Grand Finale!

[Cardinal]

The Wedding - Chapter 23

I can’t believe this is already our first anniversary, Lana thought to herself as she strolled down the driveway and out to the mailbox to pick up the day’s mail. Pulling open the galvanized steel flap to the box that said “Kent“ on the side, she pulled out a thick stack of envelopes in an array of pastel colors. As she ambled back up the drive, she was flipping through the envelopes and reading the return addresses instead of paying attention to her surroundings.

Thus, when her husband snuck up from behind and goosed her, she gave a startled yelp, jumped in the air, and threw the envelopes skyward. Clark’s arms blurred in front of Lana’s face to catch the envelopes before they hit the ground. After checking the ground to make sure Clark hadn’t missed one, Lana turned to find Clark all alone with the pile of envelopes and asked, “Where are Jake and Emma?”

“Mom said she wanted to watch them for a while,” Clark said. “She claimed we don’t bring them over often enough. Of course, I get the feeling every evening wouldn’t be often enough for her…and don’t worry, I left their bottles, diaper bag, and stroller with Mom, and Dad already has those baby cribs set up in my old bedroom.”

He shuffled through the stack of envelopes at super-speed and smiled when he noticed that several of the cards had not used postage stamps. Holding up the stampless envelopes, he said, “Bart must have personally delivered these this morning. None of them have stamps or postal markings on them.”

Looking from the envelopes to Lana, he took in her posture and expression, and said, “Relax, Lana. Mom knows a thing or two about handling kids, even if she’s never had a baby of her own. Let her enjoy her grandkids. I mean, they are a month old, they’ll have to be away from us sometime.”

“Oh, I know, Clark. I’m just nervous…they’re so tiny and they belong to us and…”

“And they couldn’t possibly have a better babysitter,” Clark finished. “Remember, Lex actually volunteered to babysit once in a while. I really like Lex, but spending a day in that dark, brooding castle of his might scar our kids for life.”

Lana giggled at the mere thought of Lex Luthor trying to change a diaper, and said, “Well, you know Pete and Chloe are up for occasional babysitting duties, too.”

“Yeah, now that they are back from their honeymoon, I figure we can give them a taste of what it’s like before they have any little Rosses.”

Clark handed the mail back to Lana and then curled his arm around her shoulders as they walked back toward the house. Climbing the steps to the large porch, they walked to the porch swing and sat down as Lana began to open the envelopes one by one.

Virtually all of the envelopes contained greeting cards wishing them a happy first anniversary and many more to come. The bunch that Clark said were delivered by Bart were from Clark’s “co-workers” in the Justice League. All of the original members sent a card: Bruce Wayne, Arthur Curry, and Bart Allen. Even the new members Lana didn’t know very well had sent something. Lana still was not sure she wanted that Diana Prince character anywhere near her husband, especially in that trampy outfit she wears as Wonder Woman.

She was having enough difficulty getting used to seeing Clark wearing what amounts to skin-tight spandex longjohns in public, though red and blue are definitely his colors, and Chloe’s cousin at The Daily Planet had come up with a good name for Clark…Superman. I couldn’t have named him better myself, she thought. He is a super man.

“When are you expected back on duty, Clark?” Lana asked.

“Not until the day after tomorrow, so we have plenty of time to spend together.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear. Since the twins were born, we haven’t had much time together.”

Clark leaned down, kissed her forehead, and said, “Yeah, I know and I’m sorry. You, Jake and Emma should always be my first priority. It just gets hard to do that sometimes when there’s a crisis like this most recent set of hurricanes. Even I can’t stop a hurricane, all I can do is help limit the damage afterward, but that’s a long, arduous job. Even for me.”

“I don’t blame you, Clark. This is what we signed up for when we decided to go ahead with the Justice League. Though I will say it’s harder on you than it is on the others since you’re the only married person in the league.”

“The others just don’t know what they are missing, Lana. They don’t have a woman beside them with your love, compassion, and strength. I think being in the Justice League is easier for me than it is for them, because I have you to support me. What I don’t like is that it is harder on you. You have to give up a lot of things a wife should expect to have, like a husband that works regular hours and is always able to come home and take his share of the workload at home. Heck, I don’t even bring home a paycheck.”

“Well,” Lana said, “I didn’t marry you for your money anyway, so you don’t have to worry about a paycheck. Among other reasons, I married you because you were the kind of man that would sacrifice his interests for the good of others. All those times you abandoned me to help someone else…it’s in your blood, Clark, and I couldn’t deny you the chance to help people on a global level.”

Looking over the now two piles of paper, one of empty envelopes and the other of greeting cards, Clark asked, “Are you ready to go?”

“Go where?”

“To lunch. This is the first time since the delivery that we’ve been by ourselves and I intend to take full advantage of it.”

Lana collected her two piles, looked up at her husband, and said, with a mischievous grin, “Take full advantage of me, huh? I like the sound of that.”

Clark rubbed his eyes, and said, “You know better than that, Lana. You have another two weeks at least before your OB/GYN will clear you to resume marital relations.”

“But I feel fine, Clark.” Lana looked Clark up and down, and said, “Right now, in fact, I feel more than fine.”

“You look more than fine, too, BUT there will be no horizontal calisthenics until you get that clearance. No matter how much we both want it. Understood?”

“Yes, Dear. I understand perfectly. You’ve turned into a stodgy, old man at the ripe old age of 22.”

“Hey! That’s not a fair thing to say. I’m doing this for you, for us.”

“I swear, Clark, you are so gullible sometimes.” Lana stood up and pulled her husband to his feet. “So, where are we going for lunch?”

“I thought we’d go to that little trattoria you like near the Spanish Steps.”

“The Spanish Steps? You want to go to Rome for lunch?”

“You know of any other Spanish Steps?”

“No,” Lana said, “it’s just that I wasn’t ready for something like that.”

“Well, we haven’t gotten to do anything extravagant like this since Jake and Emma were born, so put your travel clothes on and pack a dress and shoes into the garment bag I’ve already set out on the bed, so we can be off.”

Lana raced upstairs where she quickly chose a nice dress and shoe combination and carefully placed them in Clark’s garment bag. Then, she tied her hair in a bun and pulled a knit white woolen winter cap over the top or her head. Finally, she dug her bulky white snowmobile suit out of the back of her closet and struggled into it and then stepped out of her sandals and into her matching white winter boots.

“Clark! I’m ready!” Lana said.

“Wow! You must really want to go somewhere,” Clark said as he jogged up the stairs to collect the garment bag. Turning the corner into their bedroom, Clark started to laugh before he was able to stifle it.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing…” snicker, snicker, “…nothing at all!"

“I’ll give you nothing, Buster! Tell me what’s so funny!”

“What’s so funny is…in that giant white outfit, you look like the Pillsbury Doughboy.” Saying it out loud made Clark chuckle, “I wonder if you’ll make that hoo-hoo!! noise if I poke you in the belly.” Clark collapsed on the bed in a paroxysm of laughter.

Lana advanced on him menacingly and said, “Keep it up, Chuckles, and we’ll see how much longer than two weeks you’ll have to wait to get your hands on this body.”

“Wait a minute, just take a look at yourself in the mirror and you’ll agree.”

Lana stepped into the bathroom, and looked into the full-length mirror on the inside of the door. Oh my God, she thought. I do look like the Doughboy, or maybe the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.

Coming back out of the bathroom, Lana said, “Okay, you’re forgiven. The unfortunate resemblance to animated food products is noted. Besides, I don't know if I could go more than another two weeks without some lovin' from my man.”

--------------------

Hours later, Lana and Clark were back home and Lana had changed out of her “Doughboy suit” and back into a tank-top and jeans. Clark was back into a white t-shirt and jeans as they walked over to his parents house to collect their children from Jonathan and Martha.

Opening the kitchen door, Clark let Lana precede him into the kitchen. “Mom! Dad! We’re back!” Clark said. After a few seconds, Martha and Jonathan tip-toed down the stairs.

“Shhh! You’ll wake the babies,” Martha whispered. “I just put them down for a nap.”

Clark and Lana looked at each other and immediately sneaked up stairs to look in on their kids. Peering over the rail, Lana saw Jake in one crib in his pale blue sleeper and Emma in the other in her pink sleeper, each with a cap of fuzzy, dark hair, sleeping the weightless sleep of the innocent.

Lana had to fight the urge to pick up her babies since this was the longest she had yet been away from them, but Clark held her arms at her side as he came up behind her to look over her shoulder.

The four adults spent an hour talking downstairs before Lana felt the need to go home and use her breast pump. As she went up to get the twins, Clark asked Jonathan if he had gotten that special item purchased while they were gone for lunch.

Jonathan said, “It’s in on a stool in the pantry at your place, Clark.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Clark replied. “I’d better go help Lana.”

A few minutes later, the Kent babies were strapped into their side-by-side stroller for the walk home. Just as they started down the driveway, Martha came running out of the house with her camera to take a few pictures of her son’s young family.

“She’s already filled one photo album with pictures of our kids,” Clark said, "you’d think she’d give it a rest some time.”

“Oh, come on, Clark,” Lana said. “Your mother didn’t get to take any baby pictures of you, so Jake and Emma will just have to suffer a little bit extra.”

The walk home was pleasant and involved quiet conversation between the adults and happy-seeming burbling from the infants. When they got home, however, it became rapidly apparent that at least one of the twins needed to be changed. Clark quickly determined that his son was the offending party, and said, “You go ahead and take care of the milk, Lana. I’ll handle Mister Potty Britches here.”

As Lana prepared to milk herself, she set Emma in her baby carrier and went into the pantry to get some clean bottles. That’s when she saw a gorgeous tower of flowers sitting by themselves on a stool in the middle of the pantry. She gave an inadvertent shriek, hurried over to the flowers and took the card off the vase. It said, “Happy Anniversary, Lana. The first of many. Your Loving Husband, Clark.”

By the time Lana had breathed in the scent of the flowers and had brought both flowers and bottles out of the pantry, Clark was already back downstairs with Jake in one arm animatedly smiling at his mother.

Clark saw her with the flowers and said, “Happy anniversary, Lana. I love you more today than I did last year. May I love you more next year than I do now.”

Tears brimmed her eyes as she set her burdens down on the table. “I love you so much, Clark Kent, that I will never be able to show you just how much.”

As Lana set some water to boil for sterilizing the bottles, Clark said, “It looks like Jake here would prefer his milk straight from the tap.”

“Oh, is that so?” Lana asked. “Would Jakey-wakey like to eat now? Hmm…would he?” The answer was in the affirmative as his small, soft mouth clamped down on Lana’s breast. Lana winced, as she said, “You’d think I’d be used to that by now. You might as well get Emma ready. She always wants to eat when her brother does.”

When Jake was finished, they switched babies. Emma latched onto Lana’s other breast and Clark threw a burping rag across his shoulder, set his son on the rag, and gently patted his son’s back until he burped.

After repeating the service for Emma, both children were placed in their carriers as their parents got ready to go out. “Who did you get to sit tonight, Lana?”

“Lex’s staff begged for the chance to have a pair of babies to spoil. Everything is so serious over there all the time, that our little ones will add a nice spark…even if they’re sleeping most of the time.”

Once they were dressed and the kids were safely loaded into the SUV, Lana said, “You told me we were going out tonight, but you have yet to tell me where we are going.”

“Oh, I haven’t told you yet?” Clark asked, trying his best to act innocent.

“Noooooo.”

“Well, since we’ve already had a romantic lunch for two in Rome, tonight we’re going to the Talon for Karaoke night.”

“Karaoke night?” Lana asked.

“Yeah, you know, you get up on stage and sing your favorite song. I’m game, how about you?”

“I’ll go, but you better not expect me to sing.”

“You’re not a singer,” Clark said, “you’re the inspiration.”

“For what?”

“Me.”

Half an hour later, they drove up to the Talon after dropping off Jake and Emma at Lex’s mansion. Seeing the street in front of the Talon lined with cars, Lana said, “It looks like Karaoke night is as popular as ever.”

“Yeah. Mom says it’s still one of the biggest draws.”

As Lana pulled to a stop down the street, Clark got out and handed Lana down from the cab. When he opened the Talon door and followed her inside, Lana thought the Talon was kind of dark, even for Karaoke night. Then, someone flipped a switch, light flooded the room, and a crowd of people shouted “Happy Anniversary!”

The Talon was decorated with streamers, bunting, balloons and a large banner that ran across the far end of the Talon, proclaiming, “Happy 1st Anniversary, Lana and Clark Kent!”

“Karaoke night, huh?” Lana asked.

“There will be Karaoke tonight, I promise,” Clark replied.

The rest of their stay was taken up with cake and punch and the well-wishing of friends. People stood one at a time, took the Karaoke microphone, and told stories about Clark and Lana, either separately or together.

Finally, Clark took Lana by the hand and pulled her to the front of the coffee house. When he grabbed a microphone, Lana began to shy away until Clark told her, “Remember, you’re not here to sing, you’re here to inspire me.” He then sat her on a barstool and turned her to face the crowd. The house lights went down and a lone spotlight shone on the couple at the bar.

After humming a few warm-up notes, Clark pressed play on the CD player which already had his disc inside, and the song, “When I Said I Do” came up.

“When I Said I Do” - Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black

These times are troubled and these times are good
And they're always gonna be, they rise and they fall
We take 'em all the way that we should
Together you and me forsaking them all
Deep in the night and by the light of day
It always looks the same, true love always does
And here by your side, or a million miles away
Nothin's ever gonna change the way that I feel,
The way it is, is the way that it was

When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do

When Clark’s shaky voice reached the second verse, Lana found the courage to join him, adding her vocals to his. Neither one would ever win a Grammy, but for few minutes, they held the crowd spellbound with the power of their emotions.

Well this old world keeps changin', and the world stays the same
For all who came before, and it goes hand and hand
Only you and I can undo all that we became
That makes us so much more, than a woman and a man
And after everything that comes and goes around
Has only passed us by, here alone in our dreams
I know there's a lonely heart in every lost and found
But forever you and I will be the ones
Who found out what forever means

When I said I do, I meant that I will 'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do

Truer than true, you know that I'll always be there for you
That's what I had in mind, that's what I had in mind,
When I said I do

As they reached the end, they stared into each other’s eyes before wrapping each other in a fierce hug and showering each other with a rain of kisses to the accompaniment of cheers from their friends.

Clark and Lana would have many anniversaries after this one, many times to share their love with family and friends, but none would ever quite live up to the first anniversary of the day when they said ‘I do.’

The End

[SVsleuth]

1st! Woo-Hoo! Clana babies and all! Card, thanks for writing this most awesome fic for us, for so long. It's always sad to see a great one end, but I look forward to more Broken Road, & more fics from you in the future. You put so much work into every chapter: reading Modern Bride magazines, pouring over websites looking for the perfect honeymoon spot, or just the right wedding gown & tux, etc. Thanks for posting so regularly, with nice, long, CLANA chapters. Keep up the great writing. See ya around!

**************** :) :D :) :D :) :D :) :D :) :D :) :D :) :D :) ****************

**************** Clana Forever! ****************

[MOOman0618]

2nd!

[NYC300Z]

3rd!:D

[superman_lives_on]

HOME PLATE! :D

Oh yeah... GREAT JOB!!! WOO-HOO!!!

[NYC300Z]

Awesome Update!I can't say it better than SV did!


Clana babies! So cute~!


[i]Originally posted by Cardinal “Where are Jake and Emma?”
:lol::lol::lol:;););)

[ajfinn]

Card, that was fantastic!! The babies were so cute, I could really see them there :)

Congrats on a wonderful, very intricate, fic. Few writers ever go to the length that you have with this fic. Super job, dude :D

[Dr. Jeckyll]

Aww, that was a worthy ending for an awesome story. Kinda sad that it's over, but more frequent updates in Broken Road will be compensating a lot!

[akuma]

That was amazing, all i can say:D

[cufcchic]

that was AMAZING card! omg so sweet/ i agree with everyone else!

[MOOman0618]

Dude that was great! Sorry it took me so long to actually post a reply.

A great ending to great fic! :) I can't even imagine how much time you put into this story researching weddings and honeymoons and every little detail involved. Very well written and a pleasure to read!

Loved the Clana Babies...Jake and Emma! ;)

I am sad to see this story ending...but that only means you can spend more time on Broken Road, so it all works out! :D

[linn]

What Mooman0618 said...I don't know what else to say...!!!!!!!

[binkys711]

By GOLLLY! WAAAHOOOO!!! YIPPPPEEEE!!!! They have little babies! 2! 2! soooo cute!!! and that was amazing Card! absolutely delightful! it was soooooo great! so much love! and great touch with the Justice League and I was :rotfl: with the Pillsbury outfit!:lol: that was a great ending! I loved it so much! amazing story Card! I am sad that it's over:( but I enjoyed the story A LOT while it lasted:D:):D you did an incredible job on it!

[kewl]

sweet ending!!!! wonderful job card!!!!

[IluvCLANA]

AWESOME JOB CARD!!!!!! THAT WAS AMAZING!!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR PUTTING YOUR TIME INTO THIS FIC. I HOPE THERE ARE MANY MORE TO COME (JUST LIKE CLANA ANNIVERSARIES)

[happycamper]

Well, Cardinal. Having so badly botched by confusing the name of one of your stories with the title of its first chapter :( , I thought I'd give another of your stories a try. "Odd's and End's". I had read the first little nugget before, "The Proposal", but given up on the rest, daunted by the number of posts.

So tonight I thought I'd try the next little nugget, "The Wedding". Just a little 'odd and end' story, I thought.

Hmmm. 48,500+ words. Well, after spending all evening reading it - it's past 1:00 am here in Hawayuh and I have to get up for work in all too short a time - I thought I'd let you know what I thought.

I have come to the natural conclusion that I HATE YOU!!! Do you know just how high you've set the bar for the rest of us males on this board. How could you possibly write a short novel about a wedding? How could you fill such a long story with so much ewey, gooey sweetness and light?

And do you know how unhappy I am to be forced into breaking my promise to SVsleuth to write something happy about Clana? How could I possibly . . . if I ever write anything again here, it will just have to be more misery and/or tragedy just to counterbalance your goody-goody stories. It is all your fault, hah!

To think about a guy studying all those wedding magazines & honeymoon spots; its almost frightening that you seem to know so much about the subject.

And the way you went into such detail about the gowns. Its unnatural for a guy, I tell you!!! That's it - you're really a girl hiding the truth from all of us; or else (very) gay. Yes! That's it. That's the ticket!!

Now that I finally know the truth, I can use it to destroy you (and your little dog, too)! Be very afraid . . . ;)

[SVsleuth]

Originally posted by happycamper
...And do you know how unhappy I am to be forced into breaking my promise to SVsleuth to write something happy about Clana? How could I possibly . . . if I ever write anything again here, it will just have to be more misery and/or tragedy just to counterbalance your goody-goody stories. It is all your fault, hah!
Oh, no, happycamper. I am NOT letting you break your promise. You MUST try to write a happy Clana fic for us. Your writing is excellent. I'm sure you can do it. You don't have to read wedding magazines - I promise. ;) And you don't have to write a novel - just a short little Clana fic - OK? Please?? I promise not to compare your writing to Card's. :p

:lol:Your post had me in tears laughing! :lol: It's that much funnier since I know how UN-true your theory is about Card. I'm sure he was just dreaming of how great KK would look in that dress.... ;)

Awaiting your happyclana fic, happycamper. Just imagine it's you and KK or you and Lana - that should make it easy to write - right? ;)

[happycamper]

Originally posted by SVsleuth

:lol:Your post had me in tears laughing! :lol: It's that much funnier since I know how UN-true your theory is about Card. I'm sure he was just dreaming of how great KK would look in that dress.... ;)


Do you really? Do you have the unalterable proof, or are you just repeating the lies that she's told you? I'm going to keep my own opinions about little Ms. Cardinal until its proven otherwise. ;)


Originally posted by SVsleuth

Awaiting your happyclana fic, happycamper. Just imagine it's you and KK or you and Lana - that should make it easy to write - right? ;)


Actually, the thought is kind of icky . . . I really can't envision myself in Clark's place . . . I have a daughter who's getting a little too close to Lana in age :( so, no I can't . . .

[buddy232]

Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[clanaalltheway]

great story,Cardinal! like the ending and the epilogue!