He’s not welcome here.
I’ve got nothing else to say to you.
Go back to Metropolis or Gotham or wherever it is you need to scurry off to, like the rat you are.
You don’t belong here.
If he doesn’t leave on his own, right now, he’ll be forcibly removed.
Superman treats strangers with more respect than Kent treats his so-called friends.
Don’t bother trying to show up to the cemetery either.
I’ve got nothing else to say to you.
I’ll make sure you’re arrested on sight if you do.
You don’t belong here.
You don’t belong here.
I’ve got nothing else to say to you.
You don’t belong here.
You don’t belong here.
The words slammed forcefully around in Clark’s mind. No matter what he did, he couldn’t forget how angry Chen had been with him. He couldn’t forget the other man’s venomous attitudes. The words still stuck his heart with cruel barbs, leaving him bleeding inside. As much as Clark felt he probably deserved a lot of what Chen had said, it still wounded him to know how much pain he’d caused a man he’d once considered his brother.
He wished Grandma Tildy had told him just how deep Chen’s hurt had gone. He wished he’d been better able to anticipate the frigid reception he’d received. He wondered if she’d been trying to spare his feelings or if she simply hadn’t known how much hatred Chen harbored toward him. Either way, he’d been completely blindsided at the wake the day before. Sure, a part of him had fully anticipated Chen giving him a cold reception. But Clark hadn’t been prepared to see just how different Chen had seemed. He hadn’t been recognizable as the same person.
I’m to blame for that, his mind admonished him.
No, another, smaller voice in his mind said. He chose his path, just as you chose yours. He could have chosen to let you try to explain things. He could have allowed you to apologize. He decided not to.
Clark sighed and looked again at the journal before him. He hadn’t gotten far into putting his thoughts onto paper just yet, and he wasn’t sure he was going to. He was too distracted and far too upset still. He still had too much guilt and grief to work through. Instead of writing being therapeutic, it was a chore of Herculean proportions. Still, he forced a few more sentences out, each of them a struggle to fully form in his tortured mind. He dropped the pen after a few minutes and put his head into his hands, his hands on either side of his skull, like he’d seen people with severe headaches do. But still the words would not come. Like a dammed up river, barely a trickle of inspiration made it past Chen’s mocking, vengeful words.
“Hey? Are you coming to bed?” Lois asked gently.
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Clark replied distractedly. “I’ll be right there.”
He was grateful for the excuse to put the journal away, and for the way Lois took his mind off the mental replay of the wake. In fact, she’d managed to keep his mind off Chen and Grandma’s funeral for most of the day. Clark had sorely needed the distraction. It had felt so good to focus on something else for the day.
He and Lois had driven out to Smallville and spent the better part of the day touring the town. He’d taken her everywhere – the old quarry where he used to swim during the summers, past his old schools, through the center of town, for an ice cream sundae at the General Store, which he’d been mildly shocked was still operated by the same family. They’d driven by the movie theater where Clark had gone as a child, when there had been money to spare. He’d taken her to lunch at Maisie’s Diner, now under new management and – to Clark’s memory – it hadn’t been as tasty as it had once been. Clark hadn’t been able to stop the thought that his mother would have been disappointed. Maisie’s had been one of her favorites. For dinner, they’d gone to the Barbeque Pit – his father’s personal favorite. They had also seemed to change some of their recipes, but this time, it had been for the better. Clark had rarely tasted barbeque food so good.
He’d also driven them both to his childhood home. They hadn’t gotten out of the car, sitting parked on the side of the road, gazing at the house and land that had once been a part of his soul. That had been a strange experience for Clark. Even after he’d developed his powers, he’d never gone back to the farm. At first, it had been too painful. Now, it just felt foreign and he felt like an outsider looking in. In truth, he hardly even recognized the place. The siding of the house had been redone, changing it from a weather-beaten, but neat, white to the ominous gray of a storm cloud. The tree in the yard which had once held his tree house was gone. Not even the stump remained that he could see. The barn was completely new. It was easily twice as large as it had been during Clark’s youth. A stable with horses had appeared. And the crops, as far as he could tell, were all in the wrong places.
They didn’t stay long. It was too depressing for Clark.
From the farm, they’d driven to the cemetery, after stopping once to pick up a bouquet of fresh flowers from the local florist. Clark had reverently placed the flowers on the grave before awkwardly introducing Lois to his deceased parents. It simply hadn’t felt right to stand there in absolute silence, and it had always made him feel a little better to speak to his mother and father aloud, as though they could hear him that way. They’d stayed at the cemetery much longer than they had at the house, and Clark had recounted all kinds of stories about his parents to Lois. For the first time in his life, he’d felt like telling those stories had filled him with joy, and not abject grief.
It was a new experience, for him to be at the cemetery as himself in the middle of the day, rather than sneaking in at night while wearing his Superman disguise. He’d liked being free to be himself. It had felt good to be there legitimately, instead of flying in like a thief in the darkness, always on alert for any night guards who might be on patrol. He’d felt at peace and having Lois at his side had given him strength.
As they’d gone from place to place that day, Clark had run into a few people he’d once known. Lana Lang and her new husband. Pete Ross and his wife, out with their infant daughter. Chuck Freeman, walking his dog. Rachel Harris, dutifully patrolling the town, making sure peace and law reigned. Old Man Oscar, who still ran the General Store, even at the age of eighty-six, and who still made the best ice cream sundae Clark had ever known.
It had been good to see familiar faces. But it had been a distant familiarity. The long years since they’d last seen each other had turned once close friends into casual acquaintances. After quick catch-ups, there hadn’t been much else to talk about, and the conversations had ended sooner rather than later. Clark had once again felt like an outsider – an alien in an alien world. But, at least none of his old friends seemed to hate him or blame him for losing contact with him, so he counted the day as a success.
Lois yawned, jerking him back to the present. “You know, I really enjoyed getting to see Smallville today,” she said sleepily.
“Me too. Err…I mean, I liked getting to show you around. It…it was nice to go back, even after so long,” Clark replied, finally setting aside his journal completely. Even now, he still remained faithful to Grandma Tildy’s request that he write something each day. He clicked the pen closed, giving his surrender a sense of finality. “I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like, going back. But…I needed that. Thank you for suggesting that we go.”
Lois nodded as she climbed into the single king bed in the room and pulled the sheets up around her waist as she sat up, leaning against the headboard. “You would have done the same for me. Besides, I’ve always been curious about where you grew up. At least…once I let myself accept your friendship. Somehow, I feel like…like Smallville really suits you. Not that you should leave Metropolis I mean. But…that quaint, comfortable, welcoming, polite small-town atmosphere…I see it in you. I have, ever since the beginning, even when I didn’t want to.”
Clark shrugged. “I guess, maybe, it did impact how I grew up. Mostly, I watched how my parents were. I wanted to be just like them.”
“I wish I could have met them, even just once,” she said with quiet wistfulness. He could see the sadness in her features and it broke his heart with such love to see how much she cared for him and the family he’d lost.
“They would have loved you,” he assured her with a sad smile of his own. He didn’t doubt the truth of those words, not for one second.
He crossed the room and got into the bed, still feeling awkward over sharing it with her, even if nothing had happened between them. He laid on his side, propped up on one elbow, looking at her. Lois mimicked his movements.
“You know,” she said after a moment, reaching out to touch his upper arm, “I didn’t really get a chance to say this yesterday. I was too upset over what happened with Chen to think straight. But…I was really impressed with how you handled things. You were calm and collected and, well, if that had been me in the direct line of fire, I can assure you that one of those police officers at the wake would have needed to forcibly remove me.”
“There wasn’t really a point in getting angry with him,” Clark explained with a shrug. “It wasn’t going to change his mind or make him want to salvage our friendship.”
“Still…he had no right to treat you like that.” Her face clouded over, reflecting the inner thunderstorm he knew was raging against such an injustice.
“Maybe. Maybe not. But going to his level…it’s just not who I am.”
“I know. But…still. When you challenged him and asked if that’s how he’ll treat other boys who run away and then return…I came close to cheering for you. I was on the inside. I mean, I’ve seen you challenge people we’re investigating and everything but…” She shrugged a little, appearing to search for the right words. “I looked at you and I knew you weren’t even thinking of yourself in that moment. You were challenging him on behalf of everyone else.”
Clark sighed. “I wasn’t thinking of my situation. “And, I’ll confess…I might have cheated there, a little.”
Lois furrowed her brow in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“The night I spoke to Grandma…I saw Superman. He’d been there, to the halfway house, after bringing a runaway boy back. He’d convinced him that running away was the worst possible option. He told me that he briefly met Chen and Grandma. Both welcomed the boy back with great relief that he was safe and back home with them. When Chen was so unwilling to even give me the chance to apologize, all I could think of was that story.”
Lois somberly nodded. “That makes a lot of sense. Do you think Chen was telling the truth? That he can forgive the other boys, if the need ever arises?”
Clark thought it over for a moment. “I really hope so,” he finally declared. He sighed. “You know something, Lois? I expected Chen to resent me, even hate me. But I never once thought I would have to remind him that I won’t be the only runaway he’ll have to deal with, and that he can’t hold grudges against them. That they deserve compassion and at least an attempt to understand their side of things. That they will need Chen to forgive them, because they’re already beating themselves up about their decision. I don’t care if he ever forgives me. I mean, it would have been nice, if we could have saved the friendship we once shared. But if he can’t see past a mistake or two…he’s in the wrong field. The boys in the halfway house need someone on their side, not someone to pass judgement.”
“You think he’s unfit to run the house?” Lois asked thoughtfully.
Clark shook his head. “The Chen I once knew was more than capable of taking things over. I think, maybe, he’s still in there. Maybe I really am the only one he’ll ever turn his back on. Maybe not. I don’t know. He’s got Mina…she’s always been a level-headed voice of reason. She’s good for him.”
“Too good for him,” Lois huffed. “I pity her, married to a man like that. She seemed like a sweet woman.”
Clark smirked. “So sweet you seemed maybe a smidge jealous when she came over?”
Lois blushed slightly. “I was just…making sure she knew who I was, that’s all.”
Clark laughed. “Lois, you were practically marking your territory.”
Lois slapped his right pectoral muscle playfully. “I was not!”
“Sure, Lois. Whatever you say,” he grinned. “You didn’t stress that you’re my girlfriend at all.”
Lois rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Well…can you really blame me?” she relented after a few seconds. “Chen really got under my skin, that’s all. I guess it took me a minute or two to recognize that Mina wasn’t going to crucify you the way her husband did. Anyway,” she went on, waving the discussion away, “I just thought you should know how proud I am of you for standing up for those boys.”
“Someone has to,” Clark replied, shifting to lay on his back. He folded his hands behind his head. “They have enough to worry about without having to question Chen’s ability to forgive their mistakes.”
Lois nodded and fell silent. Before long, a yawn overtook her once again.
“Tired?” Clark asked, kissing the top of her forehead as she snuggled into his side.
“A little,” Lois admitted, laying her head on his chest.
“Sorry it took us so long getting back from Smallville,” he apologized.
“It’s not your fault. No one could have foreseen that accident on the road,” she said.
The fatal head-on collision had happened on a narrow stretch of road, just one lane in each direction. The two cars had wound up at awkward angles in the center of the road and had caused the entire road to shut down. Lois had considered themselves as lucky. When they had gotten stuck in traffic, the emergency personnel on scene had already been mostly finished. They had only wound up being stopped for forty minutes or so while they had waited on tow trucks to arrive and move the destroyed vehicles. Clark, on the other hand, had silently grieved the fact that Superman hadn’t been in the area to help save lives.
“Why don’t we get some rest,” Clark offered, more than ready to end the conversation about Chen. It still stung badly that his once best friend had so completely rejected his attempt at reconciliation. “We have a pretty early flight tomorrow and the airport is kind of far.”
“Even if it wasn’t, I’m beat,” Lois agreed. “Goodnight, Clark.”
“Night, Lois. I love you. And I’m glad you were with me for this.”
“I love you too, Clark.” She yawned again. “Sorry,” she apologized.
Clark chuckled. “It’s okay. Get some sleep. See you in the morning.”
Lois murmured a sound of contentment and, within minutes, she was sound asleep, her head still on his chest. Clark sighed, perfectly at peace, his heart no longer aching with hurt over his lost friendship, but with so much love for Lois that words utterly failed him.
And he wondered, for how much longer would this picture of perfection last?
***
Three swift weeks later, Clark munched contentedly on a glazed donut as he stood surveying the bullpen of the Daily Planet. Three weeks in which he and Lois had been kept dizzyingly busy with the Luthor case. Clark had been grateful for the constant work. It had kept his mind busy and hadn’t allowed him to dwell on the events that had transpired in Kansas at Grandma’s funeral. He hadn’t had time to obsess over all the things he hadn’t gotten to say to Grandma Tildy before her passing. And, though he’d grieved hard over her loss, his heart was starting to ever so slightly mend. She wouldn’t want him to mourn for long, he knew. She’d believed in grieving, sure, but not to the exclusion of all else. She would have wanted him to focus on gathering all the evidence he and Lois had been working on getting, to ensure that Luthor never again stepped foot outside of prison.
Clark was, perhaps, a bit more bothered by the way Chen had treated him. With Grandma, there had been a part of Clark that, although had been buried deep and never openly acknowledged, knew there would come a time in his life when Grandma would cease to be there to talk to. But Chen? Even though Clark had known it would be likely that his friend – former friend, his mind interjected, putting a screeching halt to Clark’s train of thought as the reality of his broken relationship with Chen once again slapped in him the face.
Former friend, his mind corrected him once again with weighty sadness.
Clark closed his eyes against the thought, trying to will away the pain it brought his heart.
In all the scenarios Clark had ever pictured in his mind as he’d prepared to return to Kansas and say goodbye to Grandma, he’d never once envisioned such a hostile response from Chen. He still couldn’t reconcile the cold, cruel, vicious man with the ever happy, quick with a smile, sensitive and caring young man Clark had once known. Clark shook his head to himself, wishing he could forget the look of absolute hatred on Chen’s face and the deadly cold fire that had burned in the man’s eyes. He felt a new hole being punched in his soul as he once more heard Chen’s condemnations in his mind.
You don’t belong here.
I’ve got nothing else to say to you.
Go back to Metropolis or Gotham or wherever it is you need to scurry off to, like the rat you are.
Clark had known his former friend would likely still harbor some resentment and anger, but he’d never imagined that his past transgressions would be so utterly unforgivable as to incite such a vile reaction from a boy who’d once been a brother to him.
Clark had been a fool to believe that an apology would be welcomed and accepted. And he’d spent the better part of the past three weeks regretting his decision to fly out to Kansas. He felt now that he should have been content to have spoken with Grandma just before she’d died. In trying to honor her by attending her funeral, he’d wound up causing more harm than good. He’d enraged Chen. He’d embarrassed Mina, simply by being the object of Chen’s verbal assault. And, worse, he’d put Lois in the line of fire too.
Three weeks.
Three weeks in which, in all other things, life had returned to a state of normalcy, especially when he was at work. And that was what put his mind at peace now as he let his eyes sweep over the bullpen. Phones rang, the fax machine beeped, and his friends and coworkers moved about the place, trading information, making small talk, rushing out to grab a story before any of their competitors could. Everything was perfectly as it should be, and it made Clark smile to himself. It hadn’t been so very long ago that he’d been an overseas reporter, lacking a place to call home, never feeling like he was a real part of a reporting team, and beyond lonely. Now his life had completely changed. Perry often called Lois and Clark his top reporters. Metropolis had become Clark’s home. More than that, Clark knew that Metropolis had always been his true home. It had just been a matter of finding it. And he was a man in love with the woman he knew he was destined to marry – the other half of his soul, the person he’d been searching his whole life for, the one woman in all the world he could never live without.
Clark sighed, his optimism clouding over.
Lois.
The woman he was still keeping secrets from, three weeks after he’d sworn to himself that he would finally summon up the courage to tell her the truth about himself.
Three weeks.
Three weeks since he’d received a phone call from Bruce, telling him that Grandma Tildy had died. Three weeks since he’d once again put that all-important conversation with Lois on the back burner.
“Morning, CK!” Jimmy beamed, breaking Clark out of his thoughts.
“Hey, Jimmy!” Clark grinned back.
“I’m working on those ATM robbery shots,” Jimmy informed him. “They’re supposed to arrive via currier sometime this afternoon, but…” He shrugged. “You know how it is.”
“Okay, thanks,” Clark replied. “I appreciate you tracking them down for us.”
“No problem,” Jimmy smiled.
Life had returned back to normal since Lois and Clark had flown out to Kansas, only to be thrown out of Grandma Tildy’s funeral. The first few days back had been hard for Clark. As much as he wanted to put everything behind him, Chen’s venomous words had rung in his ears. He’d kept seeing Chen’s face – so full of absolute hatred and disgust – every time he’d closed his eyes. So he’d tried to keep himself as busy as he could, between working for the paper and making rescues as Superman. Lois had mentioned it only once to him – pointing out how distant he’d been since they’d arrived back in Metropolis – but he’d passed it off as just needing some time to process losing not only Grandma Tildy, but any chance of reconciling with his former best friend. For her part, Lois had seemed to accept that explanation, and hadn’t mentioned it again.
But Clark had still felt guilty about lying to her, even a partial lie. So he gave himself only a week to grieve his losses. Then he forced himself to put it out of his mind and turn his attention back to Lois. He could see the relief in her features as she thought that he was feeling like his old self again. And, perhaps he was, he’d reasoned to himself. While he knew he could never forget what had happened, it had been a long time since he and Chen had interacted with one another. So, was it really as big of a loss as it felt, to know that the friendship had died, been buried, and rotted away to a tattered memory? The more he thought about it, the more the answer felt like a confident “no.”
Still, the encounter with Chen had impacted one major decision in Clark’s life.
He was too shaken by Chen’s vehement dismissal of him to tell Lois his secret, the way he’d been planning to.
Oh, he’d tried. Several times, in fact. But each time he’d begun, telling Lois that they needed to talk, he’d chickened out at the last moment and made up something else entirely to discuss. He still wanted to tell her, that much was true. But he couldn’t help but to remember how differently his former friend had treated him as Clark and as Superman. Each time he thought about telling Lois the truth about Superman, that memory would surface and he’d start to fear that she might act the same way.
He was stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
He could tell Lois and risk her completely rejecting him, permanently. Or he could keep his secrets and maintain the status quo, which he knew would eventually drive her away. She deserved – and needed, even if she wouldn’t admit it – his total commitment to their relationship. By withholding such vital information, he would eventually alienate her, simply because she would endure him running out on her without a plausible explanation one too many times.
He was trapped, and he knew it.
Of course, the answer was clear to him. He’d have to tell her, sooner or later. And, the sooner the better.
But, if she rejected him, he wasn’t sure what he would do. He certainly couldn’t remain working for The Daily Planet. Seeing her every day, even if Perry broke up their partnership, would be too hard for him to bear. In fact, he’d probably need to leave Metropolis. Even the chance of running into her by accident on the streets would be too painful, he knew. There was always Gotham, but Clark wasn’t so sure that would be a viable option either. In a lot of ways, he’d outgrown that city.
There was also always the chance that Lois would retaliate and publish the story about Superman’s true identity. But Clark had to admit to himself that that possibility was almost nonexistent. He knew Lois too well. She had a strong set of morals and was she the smartest person he knew. She would understand why it would be a bad idea to publish that story. She would see how printing the story would destroy not only Clark’s life, but paint targets on the backs of all the people he was close to.
No, she wouldn’t go running to Perry with that sensitive information. She could be trusted to keep his secret.
And yet, the thought of losing her froze the marrow in his bones and turned the confessional words in his throat to dust.
“Hey, Jimmy? Has Lois come in yet today?” he asked, trying to steel his resolve to set a time to have that terrifying conversation with her.
“You guys didn’t come in together?” Jimmy asked, surprised.
Clark shook his head. “No. She had to meet a source this morning, but they wouldn’t meet with her if she wasn’t alone.”
“Oh,” Jimmy nodded with understanding. “Makes sense. She’s got a few that are skittish like that.”
“Tell me about it. It makes me nervous every time,” Clark sighed, his mouth turning down in a half-frown.
“She knows how to take care of herself,” Jimmy assured him.
“Oh, believe me, I know,” Clark replied with a small smile. “But that doesn’t mean I like it any better.”
Jimmy chuckled. “Yeah, well, you can tell her that yourself. Here she comes.”
True to word, Clark looked toward the elevators to find Lois making her way to the ramp that led down into the bullpen. He chuckled. “Hard pass. I’ve tried telling her that already.”
“Got you nowhere?” Jimmy guessed.
“Made her even more determined than ever,” Clark laughed.
Jimmy laughed too. “That’s Lois for you,” he shrugged, grinning broadly.
“No kidding,” Clark agreed.
“Hey,” Lois said, reaching them. She kissed Clark quickly on the lips. “Good morning.”
“Good morning to you too,” Clark murmured, taking the opportunity to kiss her once more.
“You guys need a room?” Jimmy teased. He mocked-saluted them with the slender folder he had gripped in one hand, taking a backwards step away from them.
Lois and Clark gave him a synchronized eye roll.
“How was your meeting?” Clark asked, as Jimmy moved off to his own desk, not far from Clark’s.
Lois shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I didn’t learn anything all that new. Which, honestly, is weird to me. Nick the Snitch is usually a lot more helpful.”
“Maybe we’re just that good and ahead of your sources, for once,” Clark grinned.
Lois chuckled lightly. “Yeah, maybe. And maybe I have a lucrative career as a nun ahead of me. It’s about the same probability.”
“You think he’s deliberately withholding information?” Clark asked, surprised.
“I think he’s scared. Terrified, actually. You should have seen how jumpy he was. Way more than usual. I think he may have been threatened. Even with Lex behind bars, he’s still got his hooks in the criminal element. It wouldn’t be too difficult for him to issue threats to informants, even from jail,” Lois reasoned.
“True,” Clark agreed. “The good news is, in the last few weeks, we’ve connected a lot of crime to Luthor. And we have a decent inkling on what else he may have been involved with. We’ll get him.”
“We always do,” Lois enthusiastically grinned.
“As it is, we have enough to pin on him to keep him in jail for several lifetimes,” Clark grinned.
“Let’s make it several hundred more,” Lois replied brightly, her eyes lighting up with a spark as her passion flared.
“I love the way you think,” Clark beamed.
“But first, coffee,” Lois said, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the break area.
“Of course,” he agreed with a nod. “What was I thinking?”
“You weren’t,” Lois teased. “Which is why you have me.” She turned and grinned at him.
He laughed. “Absolutely. And, good news, I saw Perry setting up the coffeemaker earlier, so at least we’ll know it’s drinkable.”
“Thank God. If I have to swallow down one more cup of mud, I’m going to scream,” Lois said with relief.
“You and me both,” Clark laughed. “Dish soap would have been more appetizing than yesterday afternoon’s noxious brew. I refuse to even call it coffee.”
Lois winced at the memory. “Worst one I’ve ever had, and I’ve been here for a long time.”
They reached the break area and Clark immediately set to work fixing two cups of coffee, just the way they both liked it. He made Lois’ first and handed it to her before adding the sugar and cream to his own. He sipped his, giving it just the smallest taste, and his eyes shot open. He coughed in surprise.
“How is it that Perry’s coffee still takes me off guard with how strong it is?” he asked with a chuckle and another cough.
“I’m not sure anyone ever really gets used to it,” Lois laughed in response. “At least, not those first few sips. It gets more tolerable after that.”
“Hey, guys!” Jimmy called as he made a beeline for them, ducking around Lenny, who was carrying a stack of research in his arms. “Did you hear?”
“Hear what?” Lois and Clark asked, almost completely in sync.
“About the fight!” Jimmy elaborated enthusiastically.
Clark’s muscles immediately tensed, ready to spring into action. His mind raced to concoct an excuse for ducking out, so that Superman could break up the fight. His heart rate jumped, anticipating the confrontation he was sure was coming – not that he was looking forward to it, but he knew how volatile fights could be, and how quickly things could turn dangerous.
“What fight?” Lois asked, looking ready to jump into action herself. Clark could see her making mental notes and going into reporter mode.
“It was just announced,” Jimmy explained, gesturing wildly. “It’s going to be on Pay Per View and everything!”
“Jimmy, what are you rambling about?” Lois asked, now looking annoyed.
Jimmy blushed and cleared his throat. “Sorry. It’s Carmine Caneno and Tommy Garrison.”
“The boxers?” Clark asked, his muscles uncoiling and relaxing. His inner tension deflated as he came to realize there was no immediate threat to attend to.
“Yeah, who else?” Jimmy asked, as though the answer had been obvious the whole time. “Caneno issued a challenge to Garrison. I mean, I don’t really follow boxing or anything, but apparently, those two have been rivals ever since the Championship of 1990. They’re set to fight this Saturday at one o’clock.”
Lois’ eyebrows were raised in interest. “That’s a big deal,” she acknowledged.
“Right?” Jimmy agreed, clasping his hands together in excitement. “You guys are gonna watch, right?”
“Yeah,” Clark replied without hesitation. “I don’t normally go for boxing either, but that’s a match up I can’t miss.”
“Garrison’ll wipe the floor with Caneno,” Lois said with a confident nod.
“What? No way! Caneno is, by far, the better fighter!” Clark declared, shocked that anyone could back Garrison so easily. “You’re only saying that because Garrison’s a Metropolis native,” he teasingly accused.
“That and…my father was the one who did Garrison’s rotator cuff surgery after the 1990 fight,” Lois admitted. “As much as we might not get along, Dad is the best and whenever he works on an athlete, they always seem to be better than before. And Garrison was good before the surgery,” she pointed out proudly.
“Not a chance!” Clark argued good-naturedly. “Caneno’s won more fights and has better techniques.”
“Now who’s bias is showing, Farmboy?” Lois teased. “You only like him because he’s Gotham’s Golden Boy.”
“Not true,” Clark replied. “I used to watch at Grandma’s house. Not because I really cared about it, but some of the boys were really into it. Caneno always seemed like one of the more talented fighters. Although, I’ll confess, I met him a few times at events Bruce hosted. Nice guy. Very polite and down to Earth.”
“You’ve met Carmine Caneno?” Jimmy asked, his eyes wide with an almost hero worship look. “And you never told me? CK, you’ve got to hook me up. Any single supermodels that you know?”
Lois rolled her eyes. “Don’t be one of those guys, Jimmy.”
“What? I’m just saying…best friends help each other out,” Jimmy replied innocently. “Uh…speaking of helping each other out…um…so, you two are going to watch the fight, yes?”
Clark shrugged and sipped his coffee. “Of course.”
Lois nodded. “Absolutely. I want to see Clark’s face when Caneno loses.”
“Um…so…can I come over and watch with you?” Jimmy asked haltingly. “I don’t want to intrude on your time together but…you guys know I just moved into my new apartment and everything. The cable company can’t come out until Monday to get me all hooked up. And I’d really rather not have to go to some bar to see the fight. I’ve done it before and people get a little too…shall we say…spirited.”
Clark looked to Lois, then back to Jimmy. “Sure, Jimmy. We can watch the game at my apartment. I’ll grab a few pizzas for us.”
“Thanks, CK! You rock! I’ll bring some drinks,” Jimmy babbled with a grin as he clapped Clark’s shoulder. “Oh, man! This is going to be great! You’re a lifesaver, you know that?”
He turned then and was off, leaving Lois and Clark shaking their heads in amusement.
“Well…everyone’s bringing food. So I’ll bring the chips and dip. There’s not much I’m good at making in the kitchen, but I do make a killer seven-layer cheese dip,” Lois said thoughtfully. “My grandma’s recipe. It’s the one recipe of hers that I haven’t managed to ruin beyond recognition.”
“It sounds delicious,” Clark encouraged her.
“That was nice of you, to invite Jimmy,” she said, taking his hand and leading him back to where their desks stood waiting.
“He’s my best friend,” Clark said, shrugging casually.
“Mmm, I thought I was your best friend,” she teased, turning and facing him.
“You are. But in a very different way,” he replied, kissing her gently on the lips.
“Mmm,” she murmured against his lips. “And don’t you forget it,” she whispered before kissing him once more.
“Never,” he swore.
They broke apart then, conscious of the fact that they were still at work. They resumed walking, going straight to Lois’ desk, where their stack of research on Lex Luthor was waiting, still only half checked from the night before.
“I was thinking,” Clark said, gathering his courage. “After the fight is over…once Jimmy leaves…maybe you could stay. I still need to talk to you about some important, personal things. Things I let fall to the wayside after everything that happened in Kansas.”
“I’m here now,” Lois pointed out.
“I know. But…” He sighed.
“You can tell me anything, you know that.” She reached over and touched his arm in support. “There’s nothing to be nervous about,” she added as she appraised the slump of his shoulders.
“I know that too,” Clark said, his stomach knotted in worry. “It’s just…after Kansas…”
“Hey, mail for ya,” a voice gruffly interrupted, even if it was friendly in the same moment.
Clark turned and his face split into a grin. “Jack!” he cried, grateful that, once again, the universe had spared him from Lois’ questions at work. “Perry gave you the job!”
“Yeah,” the teenage said with a nod. “Been here for…” He paused, calculating in his head. “Two weeks tomorrow.”
“Two weeks?” Clark gave a low, impressed whistle. “Gearing up for your first legitimate paycheck then, huh?”
Jack gave him a half smile. “First time getting ripped off by having to pay taxes too,” he replied with an eye roll.
Clark laughed. “You’ll get used to it,” he said, patting Jack on the shoulder. “Two weeks? And we haven’t run into you yet?”
Jack shrugged nonchalantly. “Not my fault you’re always out of the office. Sweet gig, by the way. I’m stuck in this building all day and make a lot less than you do.”
“The Luthor case,” Lois said with a nod, ignoring the rest.
“So I’ve heard. Looks like my tape really did help, huh?” he said with a little boastfulness.
“Jack,” Clark said, resting his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “I am not exaggerating when I say our entire investigation could not have gotten off the ground without your help.”
“That why you got me this job?” Jack smirked. He gauged their reaction before adding, “Don’t act surprised. Perry told me everything when he hired me.”
“No,” Clark said truthfully. “If I asked Perry to give a job to everyone who helps our investigations, all of our sources would be working in the mailroom by now.”
Jack gave him a short laugh and he pushed a lock of his unruly hair out of his eyes. “I guess that’s true.”
“I just figured, with your fresh start, a job would help you get on your feet even faster,” Clark continued.
“How do you like it?” Lois asked, sipping her coffee.
Jack shrugged again. “It’s okay. Better than I thought it would be. The mailroom crew is nice enough. Been nice making steady money too. People aren’t throwing out as much stuff that I can sell as they used to.” He grinned impishly.
Clark laughed and shook his head. “I’m sure.”
“Look,” Jack said sounding uncertain. He looked down at his feet, as if he couldn’t meet Lois or Clark’s gaze. “This isn’t easy for me to say but, I owe you an apology. And a thank you. When you first came poking around the railyard, I acted like a jerk.”
“It was your way of surviving,” Clark pointed out.
“Maybe. But I gave you a hard time about the halfway house. Turns out, the place isn’t too bad after all. Better than always sleeping with one eye open and living with constantly looking over our shoulders, at any rate. Back where we were, I never slept more than a couple of hours at a time. I was always afraid someone might attack us and steal what little we had. At the house…it’s different.”
“I’m glad,” Clark beamed.
“I’m not saying I’ll stay forever,” Jack said, locking eyes with Clark as he smiled a little. “Sharing a bathroom with all those other guys gets old fast. In time, Denny and I will get an apartment somewhere, after I make enough money to be taken seriously.”
“I’m proud of you,” Clark said sincerely.
“How’s Denny feeling?” Lois asked.
“Better,” Jack said simply. “Just about back to his old, driving-me-crazy self.”
Lois laughed lightly. “Siblings will do that,” she acknowledged.
“Yeah,” Jack said. “So, uh…thanks. Both of you.”
“Happy to help,” Clark replied.
“Anyway, I gotta get going. This mail ain’t gonna deliver itself,” Jack grumbled good-naturedly.
“And Lex Luthor isn’t going to keep himself in jail,” Lois countered gently. “We still have a ton of work ahead of us.”
“Did he really do as much as the rumor mill is saying?” Jack wondered, pausing in midstep.
“More than what the rumor mill is saying,” Clark confirmed. “We just need to prove it.”
“Well, get to it then,” Jack replied playfully. “I didn’t give you that tape for you to drop the ball now.”
“Yes, sir!” Clark laughing joked.
“Yep,” Jack went on, as if he hadn’t heard Clark at all. “Handed that tape to you on a silver platter. And did I get a single word of acknowledgement in your articles? Nooooooo.” Only the smirk on his face gave away the fact that he was being sarcastic.
But Clark wasn’t joking when he responded. “Sorry, Jack. But that was intentional. We think Luthor is still threatening people, even from jail. If he got wind of who filmed his henchman meeting with Joey Bermuda, chances are, you’d be dead by now.”
“Bull,” Jack said in defiant disbelief.
“Jack, have I lied to you yet?” Clark gently challenged.
The teenager hesitated and Clark saw the uncertainty in his eyes. “I…guess not,” he admitted after a moment.
“Hey, CK?” Jimmy called from across the room. “Perry wants you, me, and Lois to cover the DA’s statement on the Luthor case, now.”
Clark knew he was beaming at the news. He patted Jack’s shoulder. “Duty calls. See you around though.”
“Yeah, you too,” Jack said as he started to push his cart down the aisle. “Now go nail that son of a b…well, you know,” he corrected, glancing around, perhaps reminding himself that he was in a professional environment.
“Don’t worry, we will,” Lois grimly assured him.
***
Clark landed lightly on his terrace, three large pizzas in his hands. They were steaming hot and had his mouth watering, particularly the two plain cheese pizzas. The pineapple one made him shudder in horror – pineapple did not belong on a pizza, ever, as far as Clark was concerned - but it was Jimmy’s favorite. He supposed he could have gotten a small size in the pineapple, but he figured sending Jimmy home with the uneaten portion of the pizza would be an appropriate payment for when he needed to ask the younger man to leave so he and Lois could finally have some alone time to discuss his secret life as Superman.
He left himself into his apartment via the terrace door, and, still clad as Superman, he set the hot boxes of pizza down on the stove top. Then he spun out of his suit and straightened up his home at super speed, dusting the place until it gleamed with cleanliness and unlocking the door in readiness for Lois and Jimmy to arrive. He looked around with satisfaction, hands on his hips, and tried to see if there was anything else that needed to be done. Seeing nothing, he was about to turn on the television and set it to the station that was airing the fight, figuring that Lois and Jimmy might want to see the prefight programming, when the phone rang.
He picked it up before the second ring and brought the receiver to his ear. “Hello?” he said, tucking the headset in the crook of his neck.
“Master Clark?” came Alfred’s strained and slightly rushed voice over the phone.
“Hey, Alfred,” Clark said with a smile. “What’s up? Are you guys going to watch the fight?”
“Actually,” Alfred said, and Clark’s blood ran cold at how scared his old friend sounded in that one, haltingly spoken word.
“Alfred? What’s wrong?” Clark asked, putting his back to the TV. A chill ran down his spine and goosebumps rose on his flesh. His smile disappeared and his brow furrowed in worry.
“It’s…I need your help, sir.”
“You know you never need to ask,” Clark assured him. “What’s going on?”
“It’s Master Bruce.”
“Bruce?” Clark froze in place, dread sitting like a cold, lead ball in the pit of his stomach. “Alfred, what happened?”
“He went out last night, patrolling, the way he usually does,” the old butler explained, and Clark could imagine how badly the man’s hands must have been shaking in his fright. “I lost contact with him, just before dawn. I thought, perhaps, it might have been an equipment malfunction. It’s rare, but it’s happened before.”
“Yeah, I think that happened twice when I used to go with him,” Clark agreed.
“Yes, sir. I remember those times well. I thought that might have been what happened this time, and I figured he’d show up back at home soon enough. Master Clark…he never came home.” Alfred’s voice was thick with panic.
“He…didn’t come home?” Clark asked, as though needing confirmation.
“It’s not like him at all,” Alfred agreed, in response to Clark’s unspoken thoughts.
“No, it’s not. What about the Batmobile? Were you able to call it back?” Clark asked, his thoughts racing.
“I can communicate with it, if that’s what you mean. I can communicate with all of Master Bruce’s gadgets. I just can’t reach him, and I’ve been trying ever since I lost contact with him.”
“Okay,” Clark said, feeling sick. He started to pace away from his living room, moving into his kitchen. Somehow, the tighter space in there felt more comforting than his open, more spacious living room.
“I tried reaching you earlier, but I saw on the news you were in Indonesia, assisting at a fire,” Alfred went on, as though explaining why this was the first time Clark was hearing about Bruce going missing.
“Yeah, sorry I wasn’t reachable. But that fire…I’m just glad everyone made it out alive,” Clark said, resting his hand against the countertop.
“Yes, it was well done,” Alfred agreed.
“Okay, listen. Meet me down in the Batcave,” he instructed the older man. “I’ll be right over. I just have to leave a note. God, Lois and Jimmy are going to kill me for bailing on them.” He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “Don’t worry, Alfred. I’ll find Bruce.”
“Thank you, Master Clark.”
Clark hung up distractedly and spun back into his Superman costume. When he came to a complete stop, he found himself face to face with both Lois and Jimmy.
To Be Continued…
