29

by Alisha Knight <ak_budbabe@yahoo.co.uk>

Rated: PG

Submitted: October 2008 __________

Author's Notes:

Thanks to CarolM for BRing this.

For reference, this was written because 2008 was a leap year and the story  is set on the 29th February.

Standard disclaimers apply.

*.*.*.

29 by Alisha Knight

*.*.*.

The game was on slightly louder than usual to try and drown out all the fake calls for help that were echoing around his head.

Clark sat on the couch, his eyes firmly trained on the screen, although he wasn't really watching the action in front of him; he was too busy trying to shut the sounds out. He just couldn't cope with one more call for help, not until it had gone midnight *everywhere* in the world and he was safe once more.

Of course he wasn't so lucky and another insistent scream of his name floated through the night to his ears. He immediately recognised the owner of the voice and he knew there was no way he could ignore it, whatever the consequences of helping her may be. He placed his beer on the table and quickly changed into his Superman costume before flying towards the sound of the woman's voice.

He landed in an abandoned building on the outskirts of Metropolis and followed the sound of her frantic heartbeat to the room where she was tied to a chair. There was no sign of anyone else in the building, nor were there any sounds of ticking clocks or burning fuses, so he strolled, rather than ran, to her aid.

Half of the ropes binding her were already undone and she was busy attacking the remaining knots as she muttered under her breath that Superman must be getting slow in his old age if he was taking this long to show up. Clark smiled, certain that she didn't know he was there as her ramblings against his over-exaggerated speed got more and more irate as she took all her anger out on the tether holding her to the chair.

He cleared his throat to get her attention. "Need some help?"

Lois looked up in surprise at the sound and blinked as she saw Superman watching her with a smile on his face. "Yeah, thanks. Although I'm almost free now."

"I noticed," Clark returned as he quickly untied the remaining knots and let the ropes fall free to the floor. "Did you even need me to come?"

She rolled her eyes as she stood up and dusted the fragments of frayed rope off her dress. "I thought I did, but maybe I've just got too used to having you fly to my rescue. I used to manage quite well before you turned up, and I was doing it again just now."

Clark stepped away from her and eyed her suspiciously as he took in once more the emptiness of the building. "This isn't a set up, is it? Please tell me that you didn't have an ulterior motive in calling me out here."

"What do you mean?"

He couldn't meet her strong gaze, so his eyes fell to stare at his feet as he replied, rather nervously, "I've had a number of woman calling for help today who didn't really want my *help*."

Lois let out a huff of breath. "You're Superman. Surely that happens on a daily basis?"

"Well, yeah, but normally not so many." He looked at her and saw that her face was blank as she failed to comprehend what he was getting at. "Don't you know what date it is today?"

"February 29," Lois immediately replied. "Oh. Wait, you don't think I pretended to need help just to get you out here so I could propose, do you?"

"It's been happening all day," Clark whined piteously.

"*All* day?" Lois was beginning to look very amused at this concept. "Just how many marriage proposals have you received today?"

"Twenty eight."

She had to choke back a laugh at his forlorn look. Instead she managed to take a step forward and place a hand lightly on his chest, staring up into his eyes with a coquettish smile. "So, if I *did* propose to you, what would your answer be, Superman?"

He quickly removed her hand and stepped back as if he had been burnt. "The same answer that I gave the over 28."

"Which is?" Lois battered her eyelashes.

Clark shrugged in resignation. "Yes."

"What!!" Lois exploded, her flirtatious manner vanishing in an instant. "You said 'yes' to *28* women!"

"I don't *want* to marry them, but you know me, I'm too nice for my own good. I couldn't break their hearts. Besides, there's an old Scottish law that made it illegal for a man to turn down a proposal made on February 29."

"Yes, but there's a current law that makes it illegal for a man to have two wives, let alone 28."

He sighed. "So, I guess I ought to marry the first one and let the others down, then?"

Lois nodded in agreement. "That would probably be the best plan. If you have to marry any of them at all."

Clark smiled at her in gratitude. "There is a slight problem with that scenario. You see, I've actually had 29 women propose to me and the first one didn't wait for February 29 to do it."

"She was *that* desperate to marry you, huh?"

"Oh, she was extremely desperate and not the sort of woman who took much notice of convention," Clark answered, taking her hands in his. "And I'm already married to her; the wedding was a few years ago."

He gently kissed her fingers, before Lois freed her hands and wound them around his neck, pulling their bodies closer together. "I think that means you're going to have to turn down almost every proposal you've received today. Superman can't be a bigamist, you know."

Her lips were tantalisingly close and it was all that Clark could do to not close that infinitesimal gap and claim them for his own. "Almost every proposal?" He asked.

"Mmm?" Lois replied. "Oh, I have a feeling that your wife may make a proposal you won't want to say no to. Once you get her home, that is."

Clark finally kissed her, devouring the taste of her as Lois' tongue sneaked its way into his mouth to caress his own. He scooped her up into his arms and flew them back towards their home, very interested in finding out exactly what she had in mind that he was going to find so irresistible. "Lois?"

"Yes, Clark?"

"I thought you'd gone to dinner with your mother. How did you end up tied up an abandoned building?"

Lois blushed, like a naughty child caught red-handed in the act of doing something they knew was forbidden. "Well, you see..."

Fin.

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