Just a few short days later, Lois slowed her Jeep down as she approached the valet parking at Armand’s Steakhouse. There were two cars ahead of them, and Lois put the car into park. She turned to Clark and gave him a nervous smile. He smiled back, trying to encourage her. He reached across and took her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles in a calming fashion. He wanted to say something to allay her worry, but he wasn’t sure what actually would make Lois more comfortable with the dinner to come.
“Beautiful night,” he quietly remarked instead, hoping he could at least draw her thoughts away from her mother.
Lois nodded as she looked out of the windshield. “It really is. I wish we were doing…oh, just about anything else. Seems a shame to waste the night cooped up indoors.”
The night sun was beginning to set, throwing brilliant shafts of light, gilding all the world in molten gold. The night was warm and rich with humidity – Clark could smell the rain that would roll in later that night. He loved this time of the year, when the world woke from its sleepy winter hibernation and burst forth with vibrant new life. Even here, in Metropolis, he enjoyed the sights of the early summer – skinny trees lining the streets, every limb heavy with bright green leaves, flowers blooming in planters on the sidewalks or in window boxes in countless apartments, birds that twittered on rooftops or pecked at scraps of food that had been dropped in the streets.
“Well, if we get out early enough, maybe we can take a walk in the park before heading back home,” Clark offered.
“I’d like that,” she said, brightening a little.
The valets took the cars ahead of them and Lois pulled up. Behind the Jeep, the valet line was growing ever longer. After a few quiet minutes, a cut-shaven young man with a mop of blonde hair approached the car. Lois opened the door and got out, handing him the keys.
“Ready for this?” Lois asked as Clark offered his arm to her. “There’s still time to back out.”
“And risk the indignant wrath of Ellen Lane?” Clark teased with mock fear, and giving her a smile. “It’s probably best we don’t.”
“Ugh!” Lois teased back. “Such a goody two-shoes. Trying to rack up points with Mom, are you?”
“Well, she’s not overly fond of me, is she?” Clark replied thoughtfully.
“No, she likes you. She’s just…Mom.” She shrugged, as if that statement alone explained everything. Clark gave her a quizzical, disbelieving look, that asked her without needing to speak if she was serious. “She’s…a little…critical. Of everyone,” Lois sighed. “Try not to take what she says too much to heart. Besides, she’s been more lenient on you than anyone else I’ve ever seen her meet.”
Clark shot her another look, complete with an arched eyebrow. He shook his head in incredulity as they walked. He opened the door to Armand’s Steakhouse, where they were to meet Lois’ mother and sister.
“I don’t mind whatever she has to say about me,” he said dismissively as they stepped into the lobby. “It’s watching her criticize you that I have trouble with.” He knew his mouth was turned down in a mild frown, but he didn’t care. It took every bit of his restraint to not give Ellen a verbal lashing each time she criticized Lois.
Lois sighed again. “She means well. And I don’t think she means to come off half as judgmental as she does. She thinks she’s helping when she says things. And, honestly, ever since she started seeing a therapist a few years ago, she’s been much more mindful of what she’s saying. It’s…a work in progress.”
“If you say so,” Clark allowed with a dubious look.
“She’s still exhausting to deal with but, our relationship is in a much better place now than it used to be.”
Clark stopped and faced her, putting his hands on her slender waist. He smiled and bent his neck to give her a light kiss. “And for that, I’m glad,” he said with seriousness after he’d kissed her.
“Besides, Lucy really likes you,” Lois reminded him with a grin as she gently and playfully bopped the tip of his nose with her finger.
He smiled again and his tone got lighter. “I like her too. She’s a great person. I wish we had the chance to see her more often.”
“You and me both,” Lois said with a soft laugh. “When I talked to her the other night on the phone, she said she’s considering moving back to Metropolis. She said she’s thinking of going back to school and finishing her degree.”
“Nice!” Clark said with approval. “What field?”
“Accounting. She was about halfway through when she dropped out of school to move across the country for her boyfriend at the time. Turned out the jerk was married and seeing five different women at the same time. She dumped him but the damage was done. She got derailed with her degree and never tried to get back into it. Until now. She’s finally getting her life back on track.” The pride in Lois’ voice was unmistakable.
“Good for her,” Clark said, grinning as he peered beyond the hostess stand. “And, speaking of, there they are now.” He nodded to where he could see Ellen and Lucy sitting at a table. Lucy was excitedly talking about something, it seemed. She was gesturing expansively as she spoke and Clark could only wonder what had the younger woman so worked up.
“Ready?” Lois asked him again.
“With you by my side? I can handle anything,” he said sincerely. He hugged her to his side for a moment, drawing strength and comfort from her and imparting what he could in return.
Lois took a step, then hesitated. “Thanks for coming with me,” she added.
“Hey, of course,” he said, smiling and cupping her cheek with his hand.
Lois smiled in return. “My very own superhero,” she murmured.
A chill ran down Clark’s spine. With Lex Luthor’s arrest and with the amount of dirt they’d been digging up on the disgraced billionaire’s other underhanded deeds, he and Lois had been kept far too busy for him to even attempt to tell her about Superman, despite the fact that, after talking to Grandma Tildy that one night, he was more resolved than ever to finally tell Lois the truth.
Maybe tonight, if this dinner doesn’t go too late, he told himself. After all, she has tomorrow off. It might be for the best. Although…is that really fair to Lois, to throw that at her after a dinner with her mother?
“I’m no hero,” he whispered, a little hoarsely. “I’m just a simple man who loves you and would do anything for you.”
No, I have to tell her tonight. It can’t wait any longer. I’ve been a coward for far too long about this.
“You’re sweet,” Lois said, her smile brightening even more. She stretched on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on his lips. “Well…into the lion’s den,” she muttered after they parted once more.
You have no idea, Lois, he thought with a mental sigh.
With that, they left the lobby of the restaurant and made their way over to the table where Ellen and Lucy sat waiting. Lois greeted them both with a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Clark did the same. He’d learned, from previous meetings with the Lane women, that this was their preferred way to say hello, rather than something more stilted, like a handshake. It made him smile inside. His own parents – particularly his mother – had been much the same.
“Good to see you again, Ellen,” he said as the woman swept him up into a quick hug.
“You too, Clark,” she replied, smiling and patting his cheek affectionately. “You look well.”
“So do you,” Clark responded. He moved on to embrace Lucy. “Hi, Lucy. How are you doing?”
“I’m great. You?”
“Couldn’t be better,” Clark answered as they all sat down.
“How was your trip in?” Lois asked her mother as they each unfolded their napkins and draped them over their laps.
Ellen rolled her eyes.
So that’s where Lois learned that perfect eye roll, Clark thought with a mental laugh. He bit back the smile that threatened to turn up the corners of his mouth.
“Traffic was awful. Took me twice as long as usual getting into this wretched city. Why you love it here is beyond me,” Ellen said with mild disgust.
“You used to love it here too, when Lucy and I were kids,” Lois pointed out.
Ellen nodded. “True. Then I divorced your father and wisened up.”
“Mother!” Lucy said sharply, looking up from her menu.
Ellen shrugged. “It’s the truth. Anyway, we’re not here to discuss your father. God only knows where that train of thought will crash.”
“No, we aren’t,” Lois agreed in a flat, but diplomatic tone.
The waiter appeared at their table then, filling their water glasses from a pitcher of ice water that he carried with him, and dropping off a generous basket of bread and butter. Clark caught the look of relief on Lois’ face as the conversation was disrupted, and he mentally bolstered the man’s tip for his excellent timing.
“Good evening,” he greeted them. “My name is Zander. I’ll be your waiter tonight. May I take your orders? Or do you need a few minutes?”
“I know what I want,” Lois said with a shrug as she closed her menu.
“Me too,” Lucy chimed in.
Ellen glanced at her menu. “I’m set.”
Clark nodded. “I’m ready.”
The truth was, he and Lois had been to Armand’s Steakhouse before, and always ordered the same things. Zander nodded, placed the pitcher of water down, and whipped out his notepad. Then he went around the table, taking everyone’s orders in turn – filet mignon medallions for Lucy and the steak and lobster combo for Lois, Clark, and Ellen. When he was finished, Zander retrieved his pitcher of water and quietly slipped away to put in their order, stopping only once to refill the drinks at a neighboring table.
“So, Lucy,” Clark said, looking to his left where Lois’ sister was sitting. “I heard you’re moving back to the city. Or, thinking about it, I guess is more accurate.” He fidgeted in his seat a little, trying to get more comfortable.
Lucy nodded, grinning. “Yeah. At least, that’s the plan. I still have to secure an apartment and everything, but, I’m looking. I was hoping to start classes in the fall but, it’s already early summer. I may have to wait until the next semester. We’ll see,” she said with a shrug, sounding unconcerned.
She’s a stark contrast to Lois. The thought flashed across Clark’s mind, quick as lightning. Lois would be nervous over not having a concrete plan.
It amused him. Lois could be impulsive sometimes – he’d seen her throw herself head first into more than one situation without checking the water level thoroughly. But something this big – moving to a new city, focusing on a new goal like a job or schooling - would have her on pins and needles, until she knew every last detail of how it was all going to work out. Lucy, on the other hand, seemed very casual about the whole thing, as though there was nothing to be worried about and if things worked out, they worked out.
“Well, if I hear of any apartments, I’ll let you know,” he promised, taking a sip of his water.
Lucy shrugged again. “Thanks, Clark. Lois said she has the classifieds guy keeping his eye out too. Something’ll turn up, eventually.” She gestured flippantly, as though it wasn’t a big deal at all.
Lois nodded. “Lance. He’s screening out ones he knows are in decent buildings for me.”
“So, what about you?” Lucy asked, changing the subject easily. She picked a piece of bread from the basket and a packet of butter. She put it on her plate and started to smear the butter across the bread. “You two put Lex Luthor behind bars. How does that feel?” She gestured subtly with her knife.
Clark stopped himself from smiling too broadly. Instead, he allowed only a mild half-smile to twist up the corners of his mouth. “It feels…weird. Good, but weird.”
“You knew him, right?” Lucy went on, paying more attention to her task of buttering the bread than to him.
“Yeah. Not well, of course, but…” He let his voice trail off for a moment as he let his memories crash over him. He tried not to wince as he recalled shielding the bomb blast with his body. “I never once thought he’d be capable of something like hiring a bomber to try and destroy the Planet.” He shook his head sadly, then squared his shoulders in resolve. “It feels good to finally have the responsible party in jail, no matter who it is.”
“It’s a shame,” Ellen added, folding her hands on the tabletop and leaning slightly back in her chair. “When I worked at Metropolis General, he was always donating to the hospital. To this day, his contributions have made them one of the most advanced hospitals in the country. The most advanced on the East Coast, if I’m not mistaken.”
“No one’s denying that Lex did some good,” Lois countered, following Lucy’s lead and taking some bread. “But he’s done a lot of bad things too. Things we’re still learning about.”
“It’s like an iceberg,” Clark mused darkly. He gestured vaguely with one hand, the other on his drink. “Luthor showed what he wanted to the public – the part of the iceberg that sticks up above the water. But the part lurking below the surface? That’s the truly dangerous part. Like Lois said, we have no idea yet just how much evil he’s committed. We’ve already uncovered more than anyone dreamed was possible.”
“Evil is a little strong of a word, don’t you think?” Ellen asked, frowning, taking a sip of her water.
Clark shook his head confidently and let go of his glass. His fist tightened of its own accord. “Evil isn’t strong enough of a word,” he argued, his voice flinty and unyielding. “He’s not the person everyone thinks he is. He’s…got blood on his hands. A lot of it, from the look of things.” It hurt him to say such things. As much as he hated Lex Luthor, he was still a man Clark knew personally. He was a man Bruce had had a few, albeit small, business dealings with.
Ellen silently raised a skeptical eyebrow. The look was enough to convey all her thoughts on the matter. Lois glanced around quickly, as though expecting the other diners to be leaning in to listen.
“We can’t say much now,” Lois said in a hurried, hushed tone. “There’s still a lot we’re learning and trying to verify. But…Clark’s right. Lex had the world fooled.”
Ellen huffed for a moment and Clark thought she was on the verge of arguing things further. But then, to his surprise, she put her hands up in a gesture of surrender.
“If you say so,” she allowed and Clark felt the tension in his body draining away as he realized she wasn’t going to fight. “I guess I’ll have to wait and see what comes out in the expose.”
“Maybe we should talk about something else,” Lucy offered, just as their waiter returned with their drinks and the salads that accompanied each of their meals. “Looks good,” she said, once Zander vanished once again.
Lois chuckled. “You say that every time, Luce.”
Lucy shot back a grin. “Because it’s true every time.”
“So, Mom, how’s work?” Lois asked a minute later, as she buttered a second piece of the hot, flaky bread.
Ellen chewed for a moment, then swallowed the piece of tomato she’d been eating. “Could be better. The hospital is cutting our hours again. I’m fine, but the others…” She sighed and stabbed her pointer finger down onto the pristine white table cloth. “Those idiots in charge don’t realize how much manpower the nurses provide, around the clock, in keeping that hospital going.”
“You’re right,” Clark agreed whole-heartedly. “I’ve always heard it said that the nurses are the lifeblood of the hospital. Without them, the patients suffer.” In his mind, he immediately pictured the team of nurses he’d met when his father had been in the hospital, the last time Clark had ever seen him. They had tried so hard to give Clark hope and assuage his fears. He’d always been grateful for their kindness and compassion.
Ellen gave him a look of approval. “Thank you! That’s exactly our point! We’re fighting but…if push comes to shove, a lot of the nurses are ready to go on strike.”
Lois visibly cringed. “That would be bad.”
Ellen nodded. “You’re telling me. We’re already shorthanded. I can’t imagine what a strike would do to us.”
“What about you?” Clark asked curiously, blindly poking at his salad. “Are you ready to strike too?”
Ellen appeared to think it over for a moment. “I’m not sure, to be honest. On the one hand, I’m starting to think a strike is the only way we’re going to be heard. On the other, I’m not sure I can leave the patients like that, knowing how much some of them depend on us.”
Clark nodded thoughtfully as he ate a bite of his salad. It was nice to see Ellen speak with such passion about her job. He knew, from Lois, how she’d always enjoyed her profession, and how it had devastated her to almost lose her medical license when she’d been at her lowest point during the divorce, when her alcoholism had spiraled out of control. It had taken her a long time and a lot of willpower, but she’d been able to seek help, sober up, and reenter the world of nursing, not to mention save her quickly deteriorating relationships with her daughters. It made him feel proud of the woman who, with any luck, would one day be his mother-in-law.
Mother-in-law.
Lois would never get to experience having his parents for her in-laws. His parents would never see their son pledge his life to the woman he loved. If Lois could forgive him his lies and accept his extraterrestrial origins.
He sighed softly, but the Lanes were so busy with their conversation that none of them noticed.
“We should talk to Perry,” Lois decided aloud. “See if he can get someone to cover what’s going on. The more press exposure, the better.”
“That’s a good idea,” Clark replied, nodding to himself and forcing his mind to focus on the conversation at hand. “We can drop him an email tonight, since we won’t be in tomorrow.”
“Well,” Ellen said slowly, as though mulling it over, “I can’t argue with that. Anything that might put pressure on management to come to the table and negotiate with us. I mean, really negotiate with us, not just sit down and try to bully us to get us to back down.”
“Of course,” Lois said, nodding.
Ellen cracked a tiny smile. “Thank you, sweetheart.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “If we can put this threat of a strike behind us, we can finally get back to focusing fully on our patients. Thank you, Lois.”
For the next few minutes, the four of them ate in silence. Clark was glad to have a break from the small talk. It wasn’t that he hated talking with Lucy and Ellen, but he wasn’t sure what else to say. Ellen was usually quite fond of trading stories and gossip with Lucy and Lois about people Clark didn’t know. And his mind was far too busy trying to come to terms with the fact that, before sunrise, Lois would know his true identity. She might not even be a part of his life anymore by the time the sun came up, though he hoped and prayed she would be.
Then, as the salads were finished, one by one, they each began to engage in small talk with one another. For a time, Clark spoke with Lucy about her school plans, until they were interrupted by Zander returning with their entrees. Clark cut into his steak first, and was pleased to see that it was a perfect medium rare. It tasted even better than it looked, as he took the first, much anticipated bite. For just a few heartbeats, he closed his eyes and savored the glorious taste.
“So, what about you two?” Ellen asked a few minutes later, motioning to Lois and Clark with her fork.
“What about us?” Lois asked, and Clark could hear how guarded her voice sounded. He swallowed hard in nervousness.
“You’ve been going out a while now,” Ellen shrugged casually, as if she wasn’t prying into their private lives.
“Not quite a year yet,” Lois corrected her.
Ellen ignored the correction. “How are things going?”
“Really well,” Clark said, wiping the corner of his mouth with his napkin. When he was finished, he returned it to his lap. “Like Lois said, we haven’t been dating a year yet but, well, speaking for myself, I couldn’t be happier. Lois is an amazing woman.” He turned a little toward Lois and gave her a smile, which she gently returned. She took his hand and he gave it a light squeeze.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Ellen said approvingly, cutting her steak.
“I feel the same,” Lois replied with a quick glance at Clark. “Being with Clark…it’s the best relationship I’ve ever been in.”
Lucy beamed. “So…are you two…?”
“Are we what?” Lois prodded, in an almost daring manner.
“Well…do you see a…you know? A future? Together,” Lucy clarified, ignoring her sister’s pointed look. “Like…forever?”
Clark nearly choked on the piece of lobster he’d been chewing. He coughed and took a sip of his ice water. Lois thumped him on the back, in an effort to help. He felt his entire face, neck, and even his ears go hot in a blush. He’d known Lucy was brazen, but the question had caught him off guard nonetheless. She hadn’t ever pried so openly into the status of their relationship before.
“F…Forever?” he stammered. He gently thumped his own chest in an effort to dislodge the rest of the lobster in his throat and wondered how to answer Lucy without giving away his innermost feelings about Lois or the conversation he was to have with her that night.
Of course he saw a future with Lois. Not a day went by where he didn’t fantasize about being her husband and raising a family with her. But there was still the matter of his secret, and how it would either strengthen their relationship or tear it apart.
“It’s still early in our relationship,” Lois answered, swooping in to rescue him from Ellen’s and Lucy’s stares, and he sighed a little in gratitude as she fielded the question. Ellen’s expression shifted from interested and questioning to something more judgmental. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she pursued her lips, as though about to criticize her daughter. Lois must have seen the look. “Too early to be talking about things like that,” she quickly clarified.
“There’s still a lot to consider. And we still have a lot to learn about each other,” Clark supplied lamely, his mind lurching into motion, now trying to save Lois from her mother’s and her sister’s scrutiny.
“There’s no rush,” Lois continued, perhaps a little too hurriedly.
“Exactly,” Clark forced himself to say, though his heart yearned to already be engaged to her.
“I see,” Ellen muttered, raising an eyebrow. “So, then, what exactly are your intentions?”
Clark felt that the question was directed at him, though Ellen’s gaze was fixed on her meal, not on anyone in particular. He self-consciously rubbed at the back of his neck.
“Well, I can’t speak for Lois,” he began uncertainly, “but, my intention is to love your daughter with all my heart, for as long as she lets me.” He turned to face Lois and took her hand in his own. He gave her his most earnest look, hoping she would see how sincere he was. How much he loved her too. “There’s still a lot we need to talk about, before we begin planning too far into the future. And we will. I promise.”
Lois looked at him expectantly, and Clark knew she understood that he was ready to talk to her that very night. At least, he hoped she caught his meaning.
Ellen made a sound in her throat that might have been of approval. She nodded slightly as she took another bite of her steak. Lucy grinned at Lois, looking very much like she was happy with Clark’s answer. But, to her credit, she held her tongue. Silence fell again as they each ate their meals, for which Clark was relieved about. He was just finishing up the last of his lobster when his cell phone began to ring. He drew it out of his pocket and checked the number that came up on the screen; one could never rule out that Perry was calling them in on a big case. But not tonight. It wasn’t their boss. It was Bruce. And, apparently, he’d tried calling twice before, though Clark hadn’t heard it ring. He chalked it up to the spotty cell phone reception in Armand’s, but the fact that Bruce had tried to reach him more than once made his hackles rise in dread.
“Excuse me,” he offered, dabbing his mouth clean and putting the napkin on the table. “I’ll be right back.”
“Should I order you a dessert, if the waiter comes back?” Lois asked.
“Uh, I’m pretty full. If you want to split something, I’m fine with whatever you choose,” he replied as he stood up. He gave her a smile. “You always pick something delicious. I trust your judgement.”
“Okay,” Lois said with a contented nod. Then she eyed his phone. “Who?”
“Bruce,” he explained quickly. “Looks like he’s been trying to reach me.”
Lois frowned. “You think everything is okay?” she asked worriedly. Even she knew Bruce never called more than once unless something was going on.
“It’s probably nothing,” Clark tried to reassure her as his heart did little nervous flip-flops in his chest. “I won’t be long, I promise.” He placed a reverent kiss on the top of her head, then stepped away from the table. As he made his way through the throng of closely packed tables, his hearing tuning in on Lois and her family of its own accord.
“Did you hear that, Lois? Planning the future!” Lucy excitedly whispered. “Ten bucks says it isn’t Bruce at all and that it’s actually his jeweler on the phone, letting him know his engagement ring is ready to be picked up.”
Clark cringed as he walked. He would give anything for Lucy to be right. He wanted to be asking Lois to marry him, not preparing to tell her that he was an alien.
“Lucy!” Lois admonished, sounding both horrified at her sister’s boldness and maybe a little amused too.
“Oh, come on, Lois! Don’t tell me you don’t see it!” Lucy said with hushed enthusiasm.
“See what?” Lois asked, sounding a little exasperated.
“The way he looks at you. I’m surprised he hasn’t asked you to marry him already!” Lucy explained.
Clark severed the connection as he stepped outside into the cool evening air. He couldn’t bear to hear anymore, in light of what was to come that night. He took out his phone once again and dialed Bruce’s number from the speed dial. Bruce picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, Bruce. You called?” Clark asked, getting straight to the point. He leaned his back against the cool red brick of the building.
“Yeah. Is this a good time?”
Clark’s blood froze in his veins. Bruce only began a conversation that way if either something very good happened or if something was horribly wrong. And from the lack of warmth in Bruce’s tone, something had to be terribly wrong.
“Uh…I guess. Lois and I are out to dinner with her mom and sister. But I can spare a few minutes. Why? What’s wrong?” he elaborated as his stomach twisted into a knot.
Clark heard Bruce take a deep breath through his nose. Then the man sighed. “I just received some news that…you really need to know. Can you stop by after dinner?”
“I was actually planning on finally telling Lois about…you know,” Clark said vaguely, aware that he was in a public space. He turned around to shield his faces from passersby, as though someone would take one look at him and his secret would be exposed. He placed his free palm on the brick, supporting himself as he leaned forward, his face looking down at the cracked concrete sidewalk.
“I see,” was Bruce’s contemplative response.
“Bruce, you’ve got me worried now. Is everything okay? Are you okay? Is Alfred?” Panic bubbled up in Clark’s chest. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Alfred and I are both fine,” Bruce told him, and that allayed some of Clark’s fears. “But I just got off the phone with the head of Wayne Charities. Clark…I don’t know how to tell you this.” Regret flooded the billionaire’s voice.
Clark’s heart seized. “What?” he breathed and it felt like his lungs were collapsing under the weight of his worry.
“It’s Grandma Tildy. She’s dead, Clark.”
To Be Continued…
