For two weeks, Clark found something that he’d never experienced before: peace. Not just the kind that came from being out in the country, away from his Metropolis prisons – both the one in Lex Tower, overlooking the city like a castle in the clouds, and the one beneath midtown like a hoodlum’s den. Of course, being free to roam around outside in the sunlight, unrestricted by the collar that had dictated his every move for a decade, was wonderful beyond words. It put his mind at ease, knowing that no one on the farm was going to kill him for merely breathing the wrong way.
No, that wasn’t the source of his peace.
It was the love that had flooded his heart. It brought him peace in his mind, his heart, and his very soul. For the first time in his life, Clark no longer felt tossed about in a violent, unending storm. Now, the skies had cleared, the wind had died down, and he no longer felt afraid of the thunder and lightning that had raged for his entire life. Now, he could see blues skies, lazy clouds, and hear the sweet sound of birdsongs. He felt…serene…like nothing in the world could ever go wrong again.
He had Lois to thank for that. It was she – and she alone – who had kindled the flame of love in his heart. And it was that love which had truly set him free. Even caged in the fallout shelter, his love for Lois had unlocked the chains he’d always needed to keep around his heart. It had demolished the walls he’d built up inside to protect himself. It had allowed him to be vulnerable for the first time in his life, in a way that was profoundly different than when Kryptonite had weakened him and left him powerless.
He owed her everything and wondered sometimes if he could ever repay her for all the things she’d done for him. But he was determined to try.
He spent almost every waking moment with Lois. Together, they would walk the expanse of Lucius’ farm on nice days. On cold, overcast days, Clark would find warm, sunny places for them to visit. He’d never been to the beach before meeting Lois, but those coastal paradises soon became his addiction. Whenever possible, they would spend at least the afternoon on some isolated, deserted beach, skinny-dipping in the clear, pleasant ocean waves or laying on the hot sand, sometimes making love right there, with nothing between the silky soft sand and their bodies. Some days, they spent sight-seeing, keeping as low a profile as they could, seeing the wonders of the world hand in hand, heart to heart. One day, Clark spent the hours with Lois in his arms, chasing the sunset in an endless loop of majestic red and brilliant orange painted across the skies.
Another day, it had snowed heavily in Kansas. Lois insisted they stay on the farm and had proceeded to show him all the things he’d only seen on television and in books. They built a snowman first, and Clark had so much fun he took the next ten minutes to build Lois an entire army of snowmen that stretched across the entire barren crop fields. He didn’t think he would ever forget how her eyes had absolutely sparkled as she’d laughed, her breath misting in the air before her. In his mind, she’d looked like some kind of joyful snow spirit come to Earth to mingle with the common mortals. And then, she’d scooped up a handful of snow, patted it quickly, and hit him in the chest with a snowball. Clark had never laughed so much in his entire life as he had that afternoon, as they’d traded snowballs, made snow angels, and kissed in the still slightly snowy air. He’d made hot chocolate for them to share once they’d retreated to the warmth of the house and changed into their soft, dry pajamas and fluffy bathrobes. He’d even used his heat vision to get a fire going in the fireplace, and the roaring blaze had seemed more cheerful than any he’d seen in Lex Tower. They’d made love in front of that fire and afterward, Clark had wrapped Lois in a blanket and sat her on the couch.
“Lois,” he’d begun, taking her hand in his and studying how perfect each finger was. “I have to ask you something. When all of this is said and done, if I’m still a free man, would you…make a life with me? I know it’s sudden and I know we haven’t been together all that long. But…I can’t live my life without you. Would you…marry me?”
“Clark…I…” she’d stammered, the shock of his question registering clearly in her features.
“I know. It’s too early,” he’d chastised himself.
“That’s not what I meant,” she’d corrected him. “I love you. I guess…you’re right. It is soon. But….yes. I will marry you. Maybe I’m crazy…my sister always said I tend to jump into things without checking the water level first. And she was right. But this? This is right. It’s scary because it’s so fast but…it’s a good scary. Like ‘my first solo assignment at the Planet’ scared. Or ‘leaving home to get my first apartment’ scared. And…look at me. Sucking the romance out of this.” She’d smiled nervously.
Clark had chuckled and cupped her cheek with his hand. “I love you, Lois. Even your babbling,” he’d teased with a soft smile. “And I promise. Once Lex is in jail, I’ll get you the ring you deserve.”
She’d shaken her head. “The ring doesn’t matter to me.”
“It does to me,” he’d admitted. “Lois, I’ve never done one single good thing in my life. I want to do everything perfectly by you.”
“That’s not true and you know it! You saved my life that night in the car. You’ve been trustworthy and not run from here now that your powers are back. And you’ve made me insanely happy!” she’d pressed.
“Still, you deserve a beautiful ring to compliment your extraordinary beauty,” he’d asserted. “And I’ll get it for you, somehow.”
“You don’t need to,” she’d told him again.
But Clark would not entertain the idea of getting her anything less than a perfectly flawless, large diamond to adorn her finger with. He’d shaken his head.
“Lois, there isn’t a force in Heaven or in Hell that will stop me from getting the ring you deserve. I’ll find a job…even if it’s cleaning every single toilet in every Wayne Enterprises building across the globe,” he’d resolved.
“You want a job? Let me talk to Perry once this is over and done with,” Lois had replied softly.
“Why would he consider someone with no experience whatsoever?” Clark had questioned. “He’s got a world class paper to run. Not some gossip rag like the Dirt Digger. I’d be a liability to him, not an asset.”
“You could learn. I could teach you. Take you under my wing, so to speak. You’re a smart guy, Clark,” she’d told him. “You could be churning out award-worthy articles within a month.”
“I’m not sure,” he’d hesitated. “Even if I could learn that fast…and maybe I could…I’ve still got no work experience whatsoever under my belt. Unless you consider being a professional assassin to be something Perry would value.” He laughed bitterly. “I don’t even technically exist. I have no birth certificate, no history, no work experience, no college degree, not even a GED. Everything I could have had, Lex took from me. The only birth certificate I ever had has been linked to a death certificate for over twenty years now. Kal Luthor is dead. And that’s for the better. Clark Kent doesn’t exist…for better or worse.”
Lois had looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. “I guess I hadn’t thought about that. But, you’re forgetting one thing.”
Intrigued, he’d looked at her. “What’s that?”
“Bruce.”
“Bruce?”
She’d nodded. “Regardless of what happens with your testimony at Lex Luthor’s trial once we expose what he’s been up to, he owes you, big time.”
He’d furrowed his brow in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“He’s rich. And I know people,” she’d begun, rather cryptically, in Clark’s mind.
“I’m not entirely sure I’m following,” he’d sheepishly admitted.
She’d given him a conspiratorial smile. “He imprisoned you for six months. He can certainly pay my people to get you a set of…papers. Birth certificate, driver’s license, the works. Make you a legitimate Metropolis denizen.”
The thought had frozen him in in his tracks. He’d blinked as the implications unrolled right before his mind. He’d cleared his through before attempting to respond.
“You…could do that?”
“Yes,” Lois had confidently assured him. “It might take a week or two for them to get everything ready – their work is top notch. But it’ll be worth it, I promise.”
Clark had nodded. “I look forward to it.”
After they’d gone to bed that night, Clark had tossed and turned, until he’d finally gotten up and floated down to the living room. Hurriedly, as though the Devil himself were breathing down his neck, Clark had finished writing in the second journal. But he wasn’t satisfied even then. There was still more to write. He’d found a third journal and filled every square inch of blank space, then a fourth. Finding a Sharpie marker, he’d noted on the front cover of each book exactly what was contained within, before taking the lot of them up to his bedroom and hiding them in his underwear drawer. Finally, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he’d been able to slip into an uneasy sleep.
***
Two days later, Bruce came into the living room, and Clark became instantly concerned at the business-like look on the billionaire’s face. The man sat in one of the armchairs and folded his hands in his lap, looking Lois and Clark in the eyes. Clark sat up a little straighter. Bruce hadn’t had much to say to them both since Lois had announced their engagement the morning before. But now, as the snow softly and lazily fell beyond the windows, he looked ready to talk. It made Clark nervous.
“What’s up, Bruce?” Lois asked, before he could say anything.
“The first debate is tomorrow night,” he said, jumping right to the heart of the matter. “I’m flying out tonight, provided the snow passes in time.”
Clark shrugged. “Worst comes to worst, I can fly you where you need to get to. Just tell me where.”
“No,” Bruce immediately declined. “While the gesture is appreciated, it would look suspicious if my plane wasn’t spotted landing at the airport,” he tightly added.
“Suit yourself,” Clark said with a shrug, not taking offense to Bruce’s refusal to fly with him.
While Bruce hadn’t had to say much about their engagement, when he had spoken to them, he’d taken pains to be civil to Clark. Clark thought the whole thing was hilarious. It was clear that Bruce was trying way too hard and that he wasn’t exactly thrilled to learn that Lois had said “yes” to marrying the man who’d killed her family. The billionaire was definitely out of his comfort zone. It had been one thing when Clark had first started to open up and join their side of the fight against Lex. But Clark cozying up to Lois wasn’t something Bruce was comfortable with at all, as evidenced by his interrogation of Lois after she’d gone flying with Clark the first time.
“Lois, you should come with me, to cover the debate,” Bruce continued. “Again, it would be suspicious if you weren’t in attendance. Certainly, Perry would notice and might start questioning what’s really going on.”
“Right,” Lois said with a nod.
“Alfred will stay here with you,” Bruce continued, swiveling his eyes to Clark.
“What?” Clark questioned, caught off guard. “You’re…leaving him to…babysit me?”
Bruce shook his head. “No. I already know that there’s nothing within my power that I can do to ensure that you stay put. As much as I hate it, I’ve come to accept that fact. But there’s also no reason to drag him with us, only to fly back the following day.”
“You still don’t trust me, do you?” Clark accused in disbelief.
“You need to lay low. I’m sure Lex Luthor will have plenty of his underlings scanning the audience for you,” Bruce went on. “And if he’s already ordered a hit on both Alfred and me…twice…there’s no sense in putting Alfred in unnecessary danger.”
From the doorway, Alfred nodded, then entered the room. “It’s true. Unfortunately, I’m not as spry as I once was. If I were to be targeted, I might not be able to get away in time.”
Clark had to admit that there was a certain amount of sense to that and he nodded thoughtfully.
“Fine,” he relented after a moment. “I guess I can hang back. But…what about you?” he asked, looking at Bruce. “You don’t think his goons might try a hit on you?”
“He may well try, but I think it’ll be unlikely,” Bruce replied evenly, almost too-calmly. “There should be too much security for him to even imagine having someone take me out.”
“Don’t underestimate him, Bruce,” Clark warned.
“I’m not.”
“And don’t overestimate your faith in the security. For all you know, Lex owns half the security guards at the debate,” Clark continued. He shook his head and leaned forward in his seat on the couch. “He’s not stupid and he’s not reckless, but he is powerful and cocky. You and I have our differences for sure, but I don’t want to see you get killed.”
“Trust me, I don’t want to be killed,” Bruce said flatly.
“Then let me come along,” Clark insisted, deftly changing his stance on the subject. “Believe me, Bruce, I have a ton of experience in staying out of sight when need to.”
“No, and that’s final. I don’t need to be distracted wondering where you are and if Luthor’s minions have discovered if you’re there or not.”
“I hate to say it,” Lois piped up, “but I agree with Bruce. Stay here, please?”
Clark scowled. “For you…okay. But if you sense anything is off, you call me and I’ll be there in seconds.”
“Deal,” Lois agreed.
“Good. Now, there’s one other thing. Lois, we’ve talked about the case against Lex,” Bruce began, changing the subject.
Lois nodded. “We’re just about set on that front. All we need to know now is if we can cut a deal for Clark.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about that,” Clark interjected. “And…I’m sorry, Lois. I just can’t take the stand. Regardless of if I can walk away from the trial as a free man, I don’t know if I can face Lex in a courtroom. He’s still in my head. I still hear him berating the things I do. I can’t…sit there and listen to him try and weasel his way out of justice.”
“You’re still afraid of him,” Bruce observed neutrally.
Clark took a breath and slowly blew it back out again before answering. “Yes,” he shamefully admitted. “He tortured me for years. I’m…in his presence, I’m a broken man.” He shook his head, trying to throw off how ashamed he felt. “If I show up there, I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to testify. And, for all I know, if he finds out that I’ll be there, taking the stand, who’s to say he won’t plant Nigel or Mrs. Cox in the court room with Kryptonite? Yes, Bruce, I’m still terrified of the things he could do to me.”
“But…your testimony…it’s critical,” Lois stammered, sounding shattered.
“I won’t take the stand,” Clark said, a little more forcefully, “but I will testify.”
“How…exactly?” Alfred asked, confused.
“With these.”
Clark zipped up the stairs, retrieved the journals, and went back down the stairs. All in all, he was gone for less than two seconds. He handed them to Lois, who looked a little lost as he pressed them into her open hands.
"What are these?” she asked, clearing her throat first.
Clark sighed as he made ready to take the plunge. “Journals.”
“Clearly,” she replied, arching one perfect eyebrow. “What are they though?”
“My testimony,” he said, uncomfortably looking at the floor. “I can’t take the stand. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t expose to the world all of Lex’s evil deeds. So…everything is in there. These two,” he said, tapping the two books on the top of the stack, “cover everything about my life and what Lex said and did to me. I tried to think of anything that indicated his other criminal dealings, but, as I said, a lot of his ‘business’ was handled behind closed doors in a sound-proof office. I don’t know if it will help or not, but it will explain the other two journals.”
“What’s in those?” Lois asked tremulously, looking half-scared of the answer.
Clark looked up and locked his gaze with her. “The full details of every single assassination I carried out on his behalf.”
Lois turned pale and green all in the same moment. She queasily eyed the journals. “All of them?” she squeaked.
“All of them,” he confirmed. “You…may not want to read them. Or, at least…avoid certain entries.” He closed his eyes, feeling both relieved and terrified to have handed over such incriminating evidence.
But Lois was made of sterner stuff than he was, and she cracked open the first book and leafed through. She stopped toward the end of the book.
“You sank the Mayor’s yacht?” she asked, blinking in surprise.
“I had no choice,” he half-whined in a mild protest.
“On the night of his birthday gala?” she continued, scanning his tight, neat handwriting.
“I didn’t want to. All those people aboard…” Clark weakly defended himself.
“A…co-worker of mine died when the yacht went down,” Lois continued, sounding like she was in a daze, and definitely more to herself than to anyone else. She shook her head. “Cat and I never got along but…the Planet lost some subscriptions once Cat’s Corner ended.”
Clark nodded. “I didn’t realize Cat Grant was someone you knew. I guess I should have put it together. But Lex? He was thrilled she was one of the ones who didn’t make it. She, apparently, had a few…less than favorable articles on him that she’d written.”
“She…was a hard woman to impress,” Lois offered with a shrug.
“I’m…I’m sorry…how can you even stand me?” he asked, repulsed by his own actions. “First you find out I took your family away and almost killed you, now you find out I killed your friend.”
Lois leveled a gaze at him. “I said Cat was a co-worker. She was never a friend.”
“Still…”
“No, Clark. That’s all I want to discuss. These journals…they’re going to be invaluable,” she told him, putting the books aside and taking his hands in hers. “Thank you for them.”
Even Bruce looked at him with approval in his eyes. “I agree. Thank you. It may not be the testimony we’d hoped for, but these journals should be the final nail in Luthor’s coffin.”
“You know what, Bruce? I sincerely hope so,” Clark said darkly.
To be Continued….
