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The Green, Green Glow of Home - Matchmaker style 4/10


Disclaimers: The characters in this story are property of DC, December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for a short time.

Rated PG-13


* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)


Previously


Early the next morning Lois came downstairs wearing a pair of brown slacks, a beige top and the jacket from the suit she had worn the day before. The brown complimented her hair color. When she came in she saw that Clark felt a lot better. After a hasty breakfast, prepared by Martha, Lois and Clark were out the door to pursue the investigation.

Clark was still concerned. He wasn't so weak that a kitten could bowl him over, but he was not his normal self, at least what was normal for him and that concerned him. What would he do if Lois, as usual, didn't check the water level and got herself in over her head? In his current condition, there was no way he would be able to rescue her and that really concerned him. Especially now when it seemed she was becoming interested in him as Clark. He was happy that she insisted on driving and that she liked having the convertible top down. It gave him a chance to bask in the sunshine, though, this early in the morning it wasn't nearly strong enough for his liking. Since the Irig farm was so close to the Kent farm the trip between the two was relatively short.

In typical Mad Dog Lane fashion, as soon as they rolled to a stop, Lois was about to jump out of the car and attack Ms. Sherman, but she noticed that Clark was holding back. She was instantly concerned. Had the allergy problem from last night persisted? Did he need her to take care of him? Concern in her voice, she asked, "You coming? Are you okay?"

His reply was not satisfying, "You go ahead. I'll just be a minute."

She leaned over and put her hand on his forehead. After a few seconds she gave her diagnosis, "You feel normal."

Nodding his head he agreed with her, "I am normal." But he was thinking, <Normal for an Earth man, not a Kryptonian.>

Knowing nothing of his quandary, Lois asked, "So … everything's okay, right?" She fervently hoped so. She felt that she needed him and somehow she knew that he needed her.

Even though he knew it was a lie, nonetheless he nodded his head to reassure her, Clark said, "Everything's okay."

Reassured, Lois accepted this and said, "Okay, then, let's go."

Carol Sherman had seen them as they drove up and had moved to intercept them at the barrier.

As they exited the car, Lois saw her approaching and hastened to meet her. She was therefore between Sherman and Clark as he rounded the back of the car and bending slightly, attempted to lift the back end, unsuccessfully. Once he was sure he couldn't lift it, shaking his head in disappointment he followed Lois.

As he approached, Lois was confronting Ms. Sherman with the list of active EPA sites that they had received. As soon as she was at the barrier, Lois had addressed Sherman, "It seems that Smallville is not on the EPA list!"

The previous day, unknowingly, Sherman had been lying. Now she was doing it deliberately, because her life depended on it. She knew that she had to play the part flawlessly if she was to live to see her daughter again. Playing the officious bureaucrat she said, "Look, if you want to match paperwork we can do that." She was thankful that Trask had thought of this possibility and prepared her for it. She began flipping through official looking documents on a clipboard that she held. Finding the ones she was looking for she started the litany, "This is our certificate granting access to EPA Superfund status. This is the property rights waiver. Here's the authorization from Smallville City Hall. And this … this is the updated list of what you've got. See? There's Smallville right there." She pointed at a line item on a list.

Clark was now close enough to see the forms. The sheet she was pointing to sure looked a lot like the one Lois had and sure enough, there was ‘Smallville' right where she indicated. He said, "She's right, Lois."

Refusing to give up that easily, Lois asked, "May I see those?"

Ms. Sherman said, "Sure," and hoping that the forged documents would hold up under her scrutiny handed the clipboard over.

Clark was now sure that there was a problem here so while Lois was looking at the forms and comparing them, Clark slipped his glasses down his nose and tried to use his x-ray vision to see what was in the tents, but he failed in the attempt. In fact there was actually pain associated with the attempt. With a disgusted grunt, berating himself for failing to do that the previous day, he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

Seeing that the fakes seemed to be fooling Lois, Sherman, feeling on solid ground, began to elaborate on the story, "It always takes Washington about six weeks to figure out what the people in the field are up to. I can make a call if you like." This was pure bluff and she knew it, but she had less to lose if Lois figured it out than if Trask was displeased.

Lois was angry at being thwarted like this and it showed in her voice as she replied, "Do that. And while you're at it, we definitely want to talk to Mister Irig.

Somewhat exasperated, Sherman replied, "I told you. He's been relocated during the disruption." Now, unlike the previous day, she knew this was a lie, but she had to follow through with it, or else.

Lois challenged, "But you didn't tell us where."

"Because, I don't know. Probably one of the motels," Sherman replied with exasperation.

Lois started to smile like the cat that had just caught the canary, because she knew that she had Sherman. The inside knowledge she had gained by being with the Kents was now going to pay off, big time. She challenged, "I doubt it. Most of the rooms around here were booked up months in advance, or maybe you've never heard of the famous Smallville Corn Festival."

Sherman, realizing that she had been caught and had to come up with an explanation and all she could come up with was, "The government has pull."

Going for the kill, Lois challenged, "All right, then, which one?"

Sherman decided that she would need to bluff this pushy woman again, "I don't know. I'll try to find out." She hoped that the stall would make them leave. She turned and headed for the tents.

She was disappointed when Lois shouted after her, "We'll wait."


And now:


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 04
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ms. Sherman was worried. Her skin crawled each time she had to meet with Trask, but she had no choice. These pushy reporters were forcing her hand. As she entered the command tent she saw Trask watching as a couple of his guards unloaded a crate which had, ‘39/ULTRA' stenciled on the outside. The markings meant absolutely nothing to her, but she noted it none the less. She decided to get this over with as quickly as possible. Knowing that he would know exactly who she was speaking about, she said simply, "They're back."

Trask transferred his attention to her long enough to ask, "And …"

"I think they believe me, but they still want to see Irig."

"Tell them that he'll be in touch." He dismissed her by turning his back on her and returning to the unpacking.

Sherman was about to exit with that message, but she was not satisfied with this response. She said, "Look. If I'm involved in this, I have to know what's at stake, in order to do my job."

Trask turned back around and faced her again. After a moments consideration he said, "Fair enough. I have reason to believe there's a very important meteorite here in Smallville."

Sherman was even more surprised at this answer. She blurted out, "Meteorite? Why do you need to keep it such a secret?"

Trask, as if explaining the concept that 2 plus 2 equals 4 to a two year old, said, "Because if I don't, I will lose the element of surprise over Superman."

Startled and confused at the mention of Superman, Sherman asked, "What's Superman got to do with this?"

She was looking at Trask, but Sherman could see that behind him, the guards had succeeded in removing the top of the crate.

Gesturing at the crate behind him, Trask answered, "This, Ms. Sherman, was retrieved in Smallville, Kansas in 1966, not far from here."

As he finished speaking, without the top holding them in place, the sides of the crate finally fell away and there was revealed to her sight a small spacecraft. On the nose she saw a familiar sigil, the same symbol that she had seen on the chest of the superhero. Her surprise at the sight that met her eyes, caused her to take a gasping breath.

Trask continued to speak while Sherman stared at the small craft, "The meteorite probably landed here at the same time but wasn't discovered until a recent storm. It seems reasonable to assume that it comes from the same source as Superman. The planet Krypton. It's all in this report here." Picking up a folder from the table with official type markings ‘FOUO -- TOP SECRET' and opening it he riffled through some sheets of paper and then finding the correct one started to read, "Not of Earthly origin. Periodic element 126. Emits an extremely high band radiation that doesn't seem to affect humans." As he finished reading Trask was smiling. He closed the folder and looked up at Sherman. "However, my theory is that if a Kryptonian were to be exposed to a significant piece for any length of time, the result could be … lethal." He smiled that very unpleasant smile.

Sherman was shocked at the thought that anyone would wish to harm the superhero. All he had done was help mankind. She challenged, "But why kill Superman? He hasn't done anything hostile."

Sherman was shocked by the look in Trask's eyes. It was the light of fanaticism or insanity, she couldn't tell which.

With total conviction Trask said, "His very existence is hostile. He's the advance man ... the public relations guy. He's here to soften us up ... for the hoards to come. Now do you understand?"

Yes, now she understood, only too well. Now that Sherman had heard this directly from Trask she knew which it was. The man was insane, a maniac and she was beginning to have serious doubts that she would actually survive this job. If all of the guards that worked for him were as mad as he was, her hours, let alone days, were numbered. All she could do was play along and hope for the best. Maybe she could escape or else be rescued. She returned to the barrier and relayed the message to the reporters.

Lois gave Sherman her cell phone number and then she and Clark headed for the car. Lois asked, "Are you hungry, Clark?"

Nodding his head, Clark said, "I could use a bite to eat." He wasn't extremely hungry. Usually he derived most of his energy from sunlight, but ever since being exposed to that rock he had needed to eat and drink to keep up his energy.

With the air of one forming a plan, Lois said, "Let's go into town. Maybe we can find someone who knows something for a change and then we can grab a bite to eat."

The day was bright and sunny and for once Lois took her time driving which gave them plenty of opportunity to talk and for Clark to soak up some sunlight.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Their first stop, after Lois had parked, was City Hall after which they strolled around town for a bit, asking questions of those people that Clark identified as local residents. Eventually they end up in Maisie's Café. Clark led Lois to an empty booth and stood as he waited for her to sit down.

Even though Lois was in a grumpy mood because of what had happened outside, she noted Clark waiting for her and thought, <Ever the perfect gentleman. If we were sitting at a table, I'm sure he would hold my chair for me. So sweet. How can I stay mad at him? But, what he said!> Looking around she thought, <This place looks like something out of Norman Rockwell. Red and white vinyl checkered table cloth, sugar container, salt and pepper shakers, and a ketchup bottle, like ketchup is the only condiment you would want.>

Lois dug into her bag, pulled out her cell phone and threw it carelessly on the table. She reached in again and this time found what she had been after, her notebook and pencil.

While she was doing this, Clark grabbed a potato chip and crunched on it then said, "All right, four hours at city hall and all we know is that in twenty years, there were no permits and no citations issued on the Irig property."

She slammed her pad down on the table interrupting him. No matter how nice he was the incident outside was still digging at her. She crossed her arms on the table and gave him a look that he recognized as irritation.

He asked, "What's the matter?" and then crunched another chip.

In an irritated tone which matched her look as she mocked him, "'Don't mind my friend, Lois. She's from Metropolis.'"

Clark leaned across the table and said, quietly, "You were coming off a little ... 'intense'."

Defensively, Lois replied, "Look Clark, intensity might be a crime in Smallville, but in Metropolis, it's a survival skill."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Lois flipped to a fresh page and started to write. She spoke to herself as she wrote, "No activity that would attract the attention of the federal government."

She was interrupted by the arrival of Maisie, a good-looking, blond, middle-aged waitress who placed a couple Dixie cups of ice water on the table.

As she was placing the water on the table, she recognized who it was that was sitting in the booth and in a happy tone said, "Clark Kent! Your mom said you were here for the Daily Planet." Pointedly she looked at Lois and gave her a sharp appraisal. She wiped her hand on her apron, to dry it, before offering it to her and said, "So this must be Lois."

By this time Lois had become accustomed to everyone knowing who she was. Still she asked, in a sarcastic tone, "How'd you guess?"

Undeterred, Maisie pressed on, "I'm Maisie. How's the writing coming? I'd just love to read a good romance novel."

Lois just couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her novel was one of her deepest darkest secrets. She looked daggers at Clark and if looks could kill, Clark, especially in his present condition, would have died a thousand deaths.

Clark had just reached into a basket of chips and taking one placed it in his mouth. When Lois turned to glare at him, he crunched down on it. Chagrined, Clark swallowed and then tried to make an excuse, "I must have," he cleared his throat, "accidentally … mentioned it to … my mom. She may have …"

Lois almost growled as she finished for him, "Accidentally told the whole town."

Maisie could see what was brewing and it wasn't the coffee. There was a storm brewing and it was her fault. She tried to defuse the situation, "Oh, that's just Smallville for you, honey. Everybody knows everything about everybody else."

Lois was quick to pick up on that. It fit right in with her desires. She wanted to know if Clark was for real. Claude had been a fake, a fraud that had cheated her, seduced her and stolen her story. She needed to know if Clark was like that or not. Here was Maisie giving her the perfect opening. She stared straight at Clark as she asked, sweetly, "If that's so why haven't I heard any dirt on Clark, here?"

Maisie looked back and forth between Clark and Lois, finally returning her eyes to look at Lois and answered her question in a very sincere tone and a straightforward manner, "Honey, I've known Clark all of his life. You can trust me … with Clark, here … what you see … is what you get. He's always been Mr. Straight Arrow." Taking a couple of menus out of the pocket of her apron, she handed them to Lois and Clark and then hearing another customer calling said, "Here you go. I'll be back in a jiff."

As if this was a big revelation, Lois repeated in an almost mocking tone, "What you see is what you get, hm?" However, Maisie's statement had started a chain reaction of thoughts and emotions within Lois and after Maisie turned away, Lois took a close look at Clark with a new appreciation. After a few seconds of this contemplation, she looked at her menu.

While Maisie had been speaking, Clark had reached for the pad and started reading. As Maisie walked away, he flipped back to Lois' notes. As he did he let out an exclamation, "Ow!" Surprised and confused, he looked at his finger. It was cut and bleeding. He was thinking, <How did I get cut? Oh, no, I'm not only weak, I'm … vulnerable. That actually hurt. That rock!> Out loud in a shocked tone, he said, "I'm … bleeding!"

Looking up from her menu, Lois asked, "Haven't you ever had a paper cut before?" <Why is acting like such a big baby? You'd think he wasn't used to being hurt.>

Still staring at the blood seeping from his finger in fascination, he said, "Not that I can remember."

Half distractedly as she was trying to decide what to order, she said, "Put it in your mouth, Clark and suck on it."

Following Lois' orders, Clark put his finger in his mouth and sucked on it.

As he did, Lois' cell phone began to ring. Forgetting about the menu, Lois reached for it.

Forgetting about his finger, Clark reached for it.

It was inevitable that as Lois reached for the phone she would knock over one of the glasses of ice water and it would naturally land in Clark's lap. It was impossible to tell if it was an accident or deliberate.

While he reacted to this Lois picked up the phone, looked at him and said, "Oops, sorry," flipped the phone open and extending the antenna, answered it. "This is Lois Lane." Hearing the voice on the phone she blurted out, "Mr. Irig? Where are you?"

He responded, "I think I'm just outside of Salt Lake City."

Incredulous, Lois repeated what he had said for clarification, "Salt Lake City?!?"

Wayne replied, "I just got in my Winnebago and decided to go visit my sister. Been on the road so long, hardly know where I am."

Lois didn't like what she was hearing. It just didn't sound right. She said, "Mister Irig, I'm going to put you on with Clark Kent."

She handed the phone to Clark and he immediately brought it to his ear and spoke, "Hello, Wayne. Can you give me a phone number where I can call you back?

For a few seconds there was silence and then he was back, "I don't see one here. I'm at a truck stop."

Clark was practically shouting, the connection seemed to be really bad and Wayne sounded really confused. Clark persisted with, "What did the EPA guys tell you about the work they're doing on your property?"

Wayne replied, "Just that they needed to do some digging."

Worried, Clark asked, "Wayne, is everything okay?"

Wayne's reply was not really convincing, "There's no problem. Looks like somebody else needs this phone now. Goodbye, Clark."

As Clark shouted, "Wha, wait, Wayne I … " the line went dead.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the command tent on the Irig farm, Trask took the field phone from Wayne's hand and dropped it onto its pouch as a telephone operator hit a switch on a field switchboard to kill the connection.

The guards that had been standing around started to relax.

Trask then took the index cards which he had used to write out the script that Wayne had followed. He was irritated that Wayne had started to improvise, but then there hadn't been much choice. Trask hadn't anticipated every possible question. He actually thought that the Winnebago was a nice touch.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In a questioning tone, Clark said, "Salt Lake City?"

"That's where he said he was calling from. He couldn't wait to get off the line, could he?"

Shaking his head, Clark said, "Wayne's never been much of a talker."

Thoughtfully, Lois said, "He said he was calling from Salt Lake City, but he could have been … anywhere."

Picking up on where Lois was taking this train of thought, he suggested, "You mean like here in Smallville." Looking at Lois he asked, "What did he say to you?"

"He said that he had just decided to visit his sister, hopped into his Winnebago and started driving."

With a shocked expression, Clark said, "I think you're right and he was giving us a clue."

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"Wayne doesn't own a Winnebago."

With a nod of dawning understanding, Lois said, "It sure looks like it is possible." Looking out the window and across the street at the Corn Festival activities, Lois said, "I'd suggest that we go mingle, but I'd like one of Maisie's burgers and a chocolate shake first. Real ice cream, yum." <How did I know that. It didn't say anything about that in the menu.>

When Maisie returned, they placed their orders.

When they were finished, Lois said, "That was wonderful. Okay, now we can go ‘mingle'. Let's see what we can find out."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As soon as they left Maisie's Diner they could hear the music from the gazebo and followed that as they crossed the street to the square. Stepping onto the square they found themselves on the outskirts of a crowd cheering on an athletic competition. Lois shouted to make herself heard over the cheering crowd, "What's going on? Is it a prize fight?"

Clark shook his head and placing his lips near her ear so that she could hear him, he said, "No, this is a husk-off."

Pulling away, she gave him a mystified look.

He moved close again and said, "Teams try to see who can shuck the most ears in a minute!"

Again she moved away. This time she shouted, "This is a team sport?"

Clark nodded his head enthusiastically.

Lois just rolled her eyes in response.

When they left the area of the competition they saw Clark's mom and dad. Lois and Clark moved over to join them. Lois said, "Look, Clark, you still look like your allergies are bothering you. Why don't you sit a while with your parents and I'll mingle." Without waiting for him to answer, Lois moved off, notebook in hand.

Clark, Jonathan and Martha found a picnic table that was unoccupied and sat down. Watching Lois as she moved off and started talking to people, Jonathan said, "That girl never stops working, does she?" Then he turned to Clark and lowered his voice. "About that rock, maybe those Feds'll look for a while up at Irig's and when they can't find it, just give up. Then she'll give up on the story."

"I doubt it, Dad. We just spoke with Wayne. Dad, he lied to us, but I think he did it deliberately. We think he's in trouble."

Hearing this, Martha was even more concerned about Clark's physical state because she knew that his powers might be needed. She said, "We've got to get you to a doctor, that's all there is to it."

Clark replied, "Mom, what's a doctor going to do? I'm fine now. Fine ... but I'm normal."

Martha rebutted, "Normal for Earth."

Clark replied, "But this is Earth. Normal could be good." Looking around, Clark realized that he had lost sight of Lois. He didn't think it would be a big deal, after all what could happen here in town, but that didn't keep him from worrying about her.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As Lois wandered around interviewing people she suddenly found herself at the boutique booth again. Seeing that the dress was still on display she wandered over to it and started stroking it thoughtfully again.

The salesgirl stepped up to her and asked, "Can I help you?"

Lois said, "I think you can. Do you take credit cards?"

"We sure do."

"Good. How much is this dress?"

"The one on the mannequin?"

"Well, do you have one like it? I'd need to make sure it's my size."

"Miss, that's a one of a kind, an original. It was handmade so that's the only one. You'd have to try it on."

Lois replied, "I don't think I need to. Just take it off the mannequin. I'll take it."

While the salesgirl was removing the dress from the display, Lois looked around for footwear.

Once she had paid for her purchases she took the packages and going back across the street to Maisie's Diner, entered the Lady's Room, or at least she assumed it was the Lady's Room. On the door was a stick figure in a dress, but the legend was Heifers. Glancing at the other door she saw the corresponding stick figure and the word Bulls. Shaking her head she thought, <You'd think we were in cattle country. Obviously someone's attempt at humor.>

As she was entering one of the stalls, she thought, <Well, this is appropriately named. Don't they keep cattle in stalls?> Smiling to herself at the joke, she quickly removed her pants outfit and pulled the dress out of the package. She was now standing in the stall wearing just her bra and panties with the door closed as she held the dress up to look at it. Her mind made up, she unbuttoned the dress and slipped it on over her head. As she smoothed it down over her hips she felt the soft fabric and a sense of rightness. Quickly she buttoned the dress up and as she was sure would be the case, it fit like it had been made especially for her. She next slipped into her new footwear and putting her pant suit into the bag exited the Lady's Room. Knowing how the dress felt and how she felt wearing it which was very feminine, she was feeling like anything other than a Heifer.

She stopped at their Mustang and put her bags in the trunk. Almost as an afterthought she placed her precious bag in with the clothes and then she headed back to the festival to find Clark.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

While Lois had been shopping, Clark and his parents had continued to discuss the situation.

Jonathan added his two cents, "I think you're both jumping the gun. You can't go all your life with powers and then, poof, they just disappear."

Clark replied, "Well, It's happened, Dad." Looking around he spotted a test of strength attraction. "Come on, I'll show you."

As they approached, a girl was just accepting a pink Teddy Bear from the barker which her date had won for her.

The barker shouted, "Ring the bell and win a prize!"

Clark stepped up to the device and, in return for a ticket, the barker handed him a wooden sledge hammer.

Looking at the test of strength he saw that the bottom level read 'Wimp' and then scaled up to the top which, if you rang the bell it use to call you 'Top Dog', but that had been crossed out and it now declared you to be a 'Superman'.

Clark said over his shoulder to his mom and dad, "Here goes!" Clark gave a lusty swing and a grunt the hammer came crashing down on the lever, but the weight only rose to the level of 'Better Luck Next Time'.

The barker asked, "Want to give it another shot?"

With a dispirited air, shaking his head, Clark handed the hammer back to the barker and said, "No thanks. That was enough humiliation for one day."

Martha and Jonathan watched this display with obvious concern and then they exchanged worried looks.

Just then, Lois walked up and put her arms around Clark. Trying to be sympathetic she said, "Don't worry about it. Maybe you should try corn husking instead."

Disconsolately, Clark just shook his head then he noticed something was different. Stepping back away from Lois so that he could get a good look, he said, "My, don't you look nice. I don't remember seeing that dress before."

"That's because you haven't. I just bought it. I felt, I don't know, a little ... out of place. What I was wearing just wasn't right. When in Smallville …" As she finished speaking she let go a little embarrassed giggle at her little play on words. She thought, <It was too … citified.>

All Clark could do was stare at her. Lois was gorgeous! He had never seen her in a dress so becoming. He had seen her dressed for a ball, he had seen her dressed for work and casually, but for some reason, this outfit sent his mind into a whirl. It was a long brown dress which had a light flowered print and a deep wide 'V' neckline. It was very flattering to her figure accentuating her narrow waist and full bosom. She had also purchased a pair of western boots to complete the ensemble which showed through the slit in the front of the skirt. With the look of a hungry dog staring at a steak, Clark said, "All I can say is ... Wow!"

Smiling at his response, Lois did a pirouette and asked, "So, you like?"

Clark's response was a heartfelt, "And how!"

Lois' smile broadened, "Good, because I wanted to please you. I wanted to, I don't know, fit in. Be a part of 'your world'."

"Lois, dressed like that you'll be the belle of the ball."

"That's good because I intend to have you dance with me tonight." <Okay Ms. Two Step and Tush-Push, it's time for you to meet your competition.>

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A little later, at the dance, Lois and Clark were standing on the fringes watching as a country line dance formed up. As the band started playing, Lois spotted Rachel approaching. Rachel had gotten rid of her uniform and was now dressed in a western style outfit with a short skirt which was designed to show off her form and emphasize her legs and it did a good job of it. Seeing her attire, Lois knew instinctively that she was on the prowl and that her prey was Clark so Lois decided to act preemptively. Grabbing Clark's hand she started dragging him onto the dance floor, as she said, "Come on, Clark, let's give it a whirl."

Clark's reply didn't encourage her, he asked, "You're kidding, right?"

Lois watched as Rachel approached and the closer she got the more urgent Lois' importunities to get Clark on the dance floor became. She said, "No, I'm not kidding. I want to dance with you, but only if you promise not to breathe a word about it to anyone at the Planet."

Clark held up his hand in the Boy Scout salute and said, "I promise," and stopped resisting as she dragged him onto the dance floor and into the lines.

It was immediately apparent that Lois was an experienced line dancer. With malice aforethought she took her place in the line right in front of Clark so that at least half of the time she would be right in front of him.

As the people in the lines started to move, Clark was surprised to see Lois display such skill in the dance and said, "Wow, you really do know how to dance!"

Smiling, Lois had replied, "Last year a girlfriend convinced me that it would be a good way to meet guys."

Surprised, Clark asked, "Was it?"

Lois laughed and quipped, "Define guys."

By her broad smile, Clark could tell that Lois was having a good time.

Rachel could also see how well Lois moved and took up the challenge. <She wants to make this a contest, huh? We'll just see about that.> Joining the line right next to Lois, Rachel tried her best to outperform Lois in the moves of the dance. However, try as she might, whatever move was called for, Lois performed it with, at least equal and most of the time more grace and skill than Rachel. It looked like Lois had a natural flair for dance. Rachel was a little hampered by the fact that she had several buttons of her top undone and was going out of her way to exaggerate some of the moves to show off her bodice and make her skirt flare up to display her legs.

Clark could see the sidelong glances the two girls were giving one another as they danced and he came to the realization that they were both dancing for him because they were also looking at him to gauge his responses. As the competition proceeded it became more and more energetic and Clark was surprised when he actually broke a sweat, an unusual occurrence for him. The girls were undeterred as the dance continued, vying to outdo one another. Clark couldn't help, but admit that Lois was the superior dancer and as the song came to an end even Rachel had to admit that she had met her match.

After the dance, Rachel addressed Lois, "You know, for a city gal, you sure can dance!"

Lois couldn't help rubbing it in a little and said, "You're not so bad yourself, but when you 'Tush-Push', you need to add a little," she demonstrated, "at the end."

Rachel was mortified; this city girl had the gall to tell her how to dance! She just stood there and watched as Lois wrapped her arm around Clark's and they moved off. She was so mad she felt she could spit nails! That was supposed to be her walking off with Clark.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A little later, Lois was eating a caramel apple and hanging on Clark's arm as they wandered around a bit talking of inconsequential things and laughing frequently. Finally they were approaching the test of strength booth that Clark had failed at so miserably earlier in the day.

With a look of pure orneriness, Lois said, "Okay, Clark, let's make this a day to remember," and pulling out a ticket, she handed it to the barker. Lois said, "Here you go, sir," as she handed him the ticket. In return the barker handed the hammer to Clark.

Clark looked at Lois and then at the hammer and said, "Oh, no! You know I didn't do well with this earlier."

Lois was strongly convinced that things would turn out differently this time; in fact she was sure of it so she encouraged him, "Come on, Clark. It's only a ticket. What do you have to lose? Give it a shot."

Her encouragement helped him overcome his fears and he hefted the hammer. It was still something of a struggle for him to wield it. The result however was encouraging. As they watched, the weight climbed to 'Better Luck Next Time' and kept going, pausing at the 'Hercules' level before falling back down. The realization that he had spent most of the day in the sun hit him and encouraged him.

Lois was clapping enthusiastically at his performance and with that encouragement he pulled another ticket from his back pocket and as he handed it to the barker asked, "Can I try that again?"

He took a good wind-up and whacked the pedal a good stroke. The weight passed 'Hercules' and reduced the distance between that and 'Superman' by half.

Lois pulled out another ticket and as she was handing it to the barker and in a upbeat tone said, "Okay, that was very close. One more," and she handed the barker another ticket.

A swing and a grunt and this time the weight traveled the distance and with a loud ‘clang' rang the bell! Clark was surprised and pleased. <My strength must be returning.> Dropping the hammer, he threw his arms up in victory.

When the bell rang, Lois squealed in delight and jumping up and down, clapped her hands. She shouted, "I knew you could do it!" and running to him threw her arms around his neck. <I did know he could do it, but how?> "You did it!"

The next thing that happened was an even bigger surprise to Clark. The barker picked up two toys, a Superman doll and a black and white Teddy Bear with a red ribbon around his neck. He said, "You get your choice."

Clark was chagrined at the choices she was being offered and deep down in his gut he was sure he knew what her choice would be. Her infatuation with his alter ego made the choice all , but inevitable. Her hesitation as she looked back and forth, weighing the options made him even more certain of the eventual outcome, but to his total surprise, as she reached for and took the bear she said, "I already have my Superman. I'll take the bear."

To his total amazement, she cuddled it to her breast and again reached for his arm. As she did she laid her head on his shoulder and said, "Why don't we head home?"

Clark smiled when she called the farm 'home' and said, "Anything my lady wishes. I am yours to command."

"Then, take me home. That's all I want right now."

Nodding, Clark started walking toward where the car was parked while Lois hung on his arm with one of hers and cuddled the bear with the other.

Unknown to them, a couple of Trask's men had been watching them.

Unknown to Trask's men, they were in turn being watched by a smallish man in a derby hat.

Trask's men watched Lois and Clark climbed into their car to depart and hurried to their car so that they could follow only to find that their car wouldn't start. The driver got out and opened the hood to see if he could determine the cause of the problem. His companion brought a flashlight and shone it into the engine compartment. The driver spotted the problem immediately. The wire from the coil to the distributor was missing. This was an obvious case of sabotage. Trask wasn't going to like this, not one little bit.

The dapper little man stepped over to a trash receptacle, dropped a black wire in and then disappeared into an alley. As he did he was thinking, <Things are progressing nicely. This way they will have the privacy that they need.>

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TBC