Who: Clark Kent and Lois Lane What:Somebody saaave me Reunion When: After Clark is released from quarantine Where: Their apartment Warning lol probably nothing
Lois had been filled with a combination of excitement and anxiety when Clark showed up in quarantine. She was mostly happy to see him because what fun would it be to be stuck in an alternate universe without her man? It wouldn't be, that's what. Clark and Lois had a way of balancing each other out and even if she could function perfectly fine on her own, she would much rather he be around. Then there was that immense anxiety she felt because she understood his own reservations about being locked away. No amount of explaining the purpose behind the actions of the bases attendants could make it any easier for Clark, she knew that. She would have visited him the entire forty-eight hours if they allowed it.
When that forty-eight hours was finally up Lois waited eagerly outside their apartment, which was exactly like the one they had in Metropolis. She had been beyond pleased to find her literal home away from home had followed her. She had wondered if it had been a sign that maybe Clark was on his way as well. She liked to think it was just that.
She waited outside the apartment building, watching for one of the cars that was supposed to bring those released from quarantine to their respective homes. When she finally spotted such a car she felt her breath catch, watching it closely with her hands clasped tightly together. When the car came to a stop she stood absolutely still and tried to look through the window from where she stood, to see if she could recognize whoever’s silhouette that was.
Even though he had a few days to adjust in his quarantine, Clark still felt pretty overwhelmed about all of what was happening. He arrived at Lois's place - their place, he supposed - and got out of the car. The apartment building was nondescript, looked like any number of other ones, but a quick glance up at the building showed a lot of different interiors. Including his and Lois's apartment in Metropolis.
He turned and smiled over at Lois, who was waiting (impatiently, he could tell), outside. "Lo!" he called out as he walked quickly (but not too quickly) over to her. "You're here."
As soon as Lois saw Clark step out of the car, she breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath. She smiled broadly, so glad that outwardly he looked okay. She knew better than most people what it meant to Clark to be locked up and she hated the idea of it herself. However, Lois fully understood the gravity of the situation. She just hoped she had been able to put out any flames before they became a roaring fire. She was glad he had cooperated because him being stuck in quarantine longer would have been just awful.
She laughed, moving now to meet him, and feeling such huge relief at seeing him again. Her arms wrapped around his neck when they met. “Hey, Smallville,” she breathed into his ear. She took a moment to embrace him because even if it had only been a little more than a week, she hadn't liked being apart from him.
Clark wrapped his arms solidly around Lois as well, pulling her in against him and kissing the top of her head. "You know, I understand this whole multiverse thing and yet I saw you the about ten minutes before I was pulled here, so even though if you've been here longer than I have, it just doesn't make sense." He pulled back to look at her with a concerned smile. "Are you all right though? Here, I mean. How long have you been here?"
It felt so good to hold him again. Even if there were people here Lois could technically call family, they weren’t exactly the same. Alternate universes may not cancel out blood and family, but there was always the fact that the real thing was so much better than copies. (Not that Lois didn’t like or appreciate her family alternates, she just really wanted her versions to show up. So Clark was an excellent addition.) Lois had taken this whole transition rather well, considering she had been in weirder situations.
Lois nodded, offering a reassuring smile, “I’m great. They’re been very friendly and respectful here. Well most people. There are some snot-nosed kids running around, but that’s to be expected.” No, Lois was not going to discuss that conversation. ...Okay, maybe she would if prodded, but it wasn’t important. She thought for a moment, “Hell, I’ve been here almost two weeks.” She sounded a little dumbfounded by that realization. It hadn’t felt that long, but she had also been busy finding a job and exploring.
"I think this would be easier to swallow if we showed up here together. What's - what was the last thing you had happen back home?" Clark had assumed that they were from the exact same time, but even if she had been here for two weeks, in some way or some manner, they were two weeks apart. Somehow. It was giving him a light headache, and Clark didn't tend to get headaches.
"I saw Kara on the network. And someone from Gotham who knows Batman? And a Diana Prince. And Bart of course. Is there anyone else we know?" What Clark was most concerned about is that people seemed to know who he was.
Clark needed validation, and Lois absolutely understood that. “Last thing to happen for me was being at work for the Daily Planet. We’d been married for a few months at that point. You were off saving the day as always,” she smiled. It had been business as usual for Lois. She really hoped he was at the same point as her.
Lois nodded, “Yeah, that’s a Kara from another universe. She’s pretty amazing, just like our Kara. She’s Supergirl in her universe.” Lois smiled fondly at him and shook her head, “Just Bart, from what I can tell. I haven’t seen Chloe or anyone else.” Lois grinned giddily, “Diana Prince, as in Wonder Woman. I may or may not have been a little excited to meet her.” She sighed again and stroked his cheek. “You’re worried, I can tell.”
Clark nodded. "Me too," he said in a breath of relief. "Good. I've already seen a few instances where it looked like people who knew each other weren't from the same place. It's weird to think about, but I'm glad we don't have to worry about that." He hugged her against him and kissed the side of her head.
"I am worried. There have been a few things said," Clark began, "about my secret. About - well, I'm not sure how I feel about it being an open secret around here." He had never been comfortable with anyone knowing, even since he'd made the decision to be more public with it. Though he had a feeling that somewhere like where they were here was just going to be completely different.
Lois nodded in agreement, “That seems to be the running theme here. There's a Kara, but she's not our Kara, but she's still Kara. And the others have their own Lois and Clark, but they're different from us but the same somehow. It's a bit much to wrap your head around, but we've seen some strange things.” She hugged him tightly in return. “I'm so happy you're here. It's just not the same without you.”
Lois nodded, listening intently to his concerns. She sighed, “Everyone seems to know everyone else's identity. So far I haven't seen anyone with malicious intentions against you. If I did I'd have told you immediately who to be wary of. The others I've been talking to, Kara and her sister, Diana, Jason, Cisco, they're a good bunch.” Lois wasn't about to let anything happen to Clark.
"Yeah I want to get to know this Kara. I think that'll be good. And I'm glad Bart's here too. And everyone else you've been talking to. I'm glad you've had people here for you so far." It was much better for Clark to believe that she'd been well taken care of until he showed up. And at least now that he was here, they could figure out how to go about their lives here, no matter what that meant.
"What are you doing here though, for a job? Are you working? Is there a good newspaper here in Tumbleweed?"
Lois smiled, “She's fantastic. You're gonna love her. And she has a sister, Alex, who is pretty amazing too. I'll see about setting something up with the whole super family so you can get to know them.” Lois hadn't felt threatened since arriving. No one had been aggressive. Yeah, she had been perfectly fine here.
Lois grinned, “I'm a reporter, of course. What else would I do? That being said, yes they have a paper here. The Tumbleweed Telegram. I bet you could get a job there, too.”
Lois's smile was contagious, and Clark matched it. "Good. That sounds great." He scratched the back of his neck and nodded. "Of course you are. I mean, it would make sense if I did it too, I guess. Always smart to stick with what we're good at."
“You and the super family could always team up to keep Tumbleweed safe from bad guys,” she remarked. “Just bringing that up while we're talking about things we're good at, and you're the best I know at keeping people safe.” Of course, working with Clark like they did at the Daily Planet would be fun. Lois just wanted him to be happy and to do whatever felt right.
“I'll back you up in whatever you want to do.”
"Are there bad guys here?" Clark asked, looking around a little bit as though said bad guys might leap out at him at any time. Not that they'd really be able to take him by surprise, but still. "I guess it would be different though if people know what I can do instead of it being something I hide all the time. Did Kara - you said she's Supergirl? - say if she does that here in Tumbleweed?"
Maybe knowing what someone else who did what he did, like Kara or even Bart and Diana, that might help him decide what he could do here too. Or maybe he'd just end up at the newspaper with Lois and they could live a quiet, normal life together. That didn't sound so bad either.
Lois put her hands on his shoulders, “Whoa. I don't know for sure. I've been trying to research all the current other-world residents here. There's a lot of them, but everyone I've looked at so far are friendly. Actions also speak louder than words, so I base a lot of this off of personal conversations I've had since I arrived. If anyone is bad, I'm pretty sure the people at the base have it under control. But if I find anyone who wants to hurt you I'll be grabbing the super family to kick some ass.” Lois wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She would defend Clark until the day she died. “As far as Kara. She did mention she recently beat her Kal in a fight. So I suspect she does the hero thing, too,” she said with a wink. “Personally, I think you two should meet one on one and talk about that.”
Lois would have liked to settle down, have a nice quiet life with Clark. No worries. No one trying to kill them. But then that would take away a lot of the adventure Lois had grown accustomed to. However, she wanted whatever Clark wanted. But most of all, she wanted him to be safe.
Clark wanted Lois to be safe as well, so he wasn't about to stand aside if there was anything bad going on in Tumbleweed. He'd start with Kara and Diana and see what they had to say before he made any rash decisions. "I'll talk to Kara," he told her. "But right now, I'd rather eat. With you, I mean. Do you want to order in and watch a movie or something?"
Maybe if he picked something normal, something that they'd usually do back home, then this would get easier and start to feel more normal in and of itself. Small steps, he figured, to start.
Lois was happy to hear him say he'd talk with Kara. She smiled at his suggestions of food and a movie. She nodded, “Second best thing I've heard today.” The first being his voice. Lois took his hand, lacing her fingers with his. “C’mon,” she said, leading him into the apartment building and to their apartment. Food and movies was perfect. They could figure out everything else later.