This chapter is dedicated to my first FOLC friend, RetroRose! See I made you 19 again and a resident of Smallville, Kansas!
From Chapter Four:
It was starting to rain. The dry season started in June, so this was typical for March. “Do you want
to go straight back to the hotel, or do you want to take a little world tour first? As long as it’s dark and no one can see us, I mean”, Clark said earnestly, looking into Lois’ deep brown eyes.
“Clark, you can take me anywhere you want, as long as we’re safe, and I can leave this
Godforsaken place, even temporarily,” Lois replied with enthusiasm.
They walked a little way down the street, and crossed over into a grove of trees. Clark picked
Lois up in his arms. [She’s so light, got to get this woman a good meal!]
“Are you cold?” he asked her. “A little,” she said. Clark gently used his heat vision to make
her more comfortable.
“Wow! What did you just do?” Lois asked. “That felt so wonderful.”
“That was propaganda, Lois,” he smiled. With that they lifted off into the night sky, rising above
the rain clouds, up to where the moon and the stars shone brightly. [If I’m dreaming, please don’t
let me wake up,EVER].
Chapter Five
Clark held Lois close to keep her warm, within his aura. They were over the western part of the United States now, but far above the clouds, and it was light again. Flying west as they were, the bright mid-day sun mirrored what Clark was feeling inside. This was the start of his “real” life with Lois, as opposed to the “fantasy” one he had conjured up, to keep him going. To make each day livable.
“Clark, it’s so beautiful, up here. You can do this anytime you want?” she asked.
“Yes, but it’s not as special when you don’t have anyone to share this with,” he said sincerely,
staring into Lois’ eyes, hoping to find a pathway to her heart, her soul.
“C’mon!” she exclaimed. “You mean to tell me there is no ‘Mrs. Kent’ at home?” Lois was incredulous. She had just assumed he was married. All the good ones, were, after all, taken.
[This gorgeous man, alone? What, was he gay or something? Maybe people from his
planet—Krypton, was it? don’t need sex and closeness?] she wondered, almost aloud.
“Lois, did you say something? No, there is no ‘Mrs. Kent’ at home. I have been waiting for the
right woman to show up,” he said, flashing that wonderful, goose-bump making, smile at her.
“Well, that answers that question, and a few more,” Lois said. “But I still don’t get it. You know you can have any women you want, right? You MUST know that!” Lois asserted. “What with all this ‘propaganda’, those muscles, and your fantastic smile, most women are shallow enough to fall for you right on the spot!” she laughed.
“Lois, that’s exactly why I haven’t been involved with anyone recently. Most women look at the
icon, not the man inside. I AM more than just ‘propaganda’, muscles, and a great smile”, he said,
ironically giving her another one of those heart-stopping grins again.
“Let’s stop for a minute, and talk, OK?” he asked. They were now over the Fiji Islands. He spotted a small uninhabited isle. This way they could sit on the beach and watch the sunrise. Local time was 11 hours ahead of Congo time. A new day was dawning. He had waited seven years to be with this woman. A romantic location couldn’t hurt, could it? He also realized that he was trying to put off reality back in Brazzaville as long as he could.
He gingerly dropped down to the beach. “Wait here, I’ll be right back,” he said. Lois reluctantly took her arms off of Clark’s shoulders and sat down on the clean, white sand.
At super-speed, he gathered some brush and some larger rocks. Using his heat vision, he soon had a great romantic “fireplace” going. The sky was a spectacular mixture of colors.
“Are you hungry? You must be starving! What would you like to eat?” Clark asked.
Lois, not taking him seriously, replied, “Let’s see, I haven’t had Chinese in a while. I’d like to have a little taste of everything from the best Chinese restaurant in the world, and a nice bottle of wine to go with it!”
Suddenly, she was aware that Clark had disappeared. She began to panic. Was he going to leave her here? Where did he go? She stood up and called out, “Clark, this isn’t funny! Come back! Where are you?”
Next thing she looked back to where he had been sitting, and there he was, with 8 containers of Chinese food, plastic utensils, and a bottle of White Zinfandel complete with two wine glasses.
“Omigod! I thought you were kidding. Do you know how long it has been since I had a decent meal, let alone Chinese? And I’m sooo hungry!” she said. She was ravenous. She tore into the various containers. Clark opened the wine and poured her a glass.
“I’d like to make a toast,” he said, after filling his glass as well. “To Lois Lane’s reappearance into the world, and to our new friendship. I know I’ll be a better reporter and probably a better person too, just from knowing you,” Clark said, trying to keep the toast platonic, and not romantic. Not yet, at least.
“Thank you, Clark, that’s so sweet,” she said, clicking her glass with his. “Mmmmm…this wine is wonderful.”
“Well, we’re not too far from California wine country, after all,” Clark replied. “I’m glad you like it.”
“This is all so heavenly, Clark. Thank you sooooo much,” said Lois sincerely.
They ate and drank in silence, watching the sunrise. After several refills of wine, Clark looked over and saw that Lois had a pleasant smile on her face. “This is the first time I’ve had Chinese for breakfast,” she remarked.
“Remember, it’s nighttime back in Brazzaville. This is really your dinner,” Clark reminded her.
“Lois, tell me about yourself now. In the ten years you were in Brazzaville, was there anyone special?” Clark asked, really not wanting to hear the answer, but also realizing how much he needed
to know.
“Clark, before I left to investigate this ‘gun-running in Africa’ story, I had dated a fellow reporter named Claude. I let my guard down with him, and he stole a story from me and ended up winning a
Kerth Award because of it. I was so devastated.” Lois’ eyes began to well up at the recollection.
Clark put his arm around her to comfort her. [This is appropriate], he thought to himself. [I’m not being out of line here, right?] he reasoned. [She’s upset, and even a friend would do his for her].
“I’m so sorry, Lois. You didn’t deserve that,” Clark said, with empathy. “Go on.”
“Well, one of the reasons I was so excited about going overseas was that I felt like I had been made
a fool of. You know how people gossip. I felt embarrassed and really wanted to get the Hell out of
there for awhile. So when the opportunity came up to investigate the lead I had, I practically begged
Perry to let me go. We had quite a fight about it, as I recall.”
“Perry thinks of you as a daughter, Lois. That’s so nice.” Clark remarked.
“Well, he knew how dangerous it would be for me to go there. I guess at that point in my life, I didn’t care. Almost like a death-wish. If I came home alive, I’d have a good chance to win a Pulitzer and smear it in everyone’s face that had made fun of me. If I didn’t, at least I wouldn’t have to look at those people anymore!” Lois was now in tears. “I basically wrote off men at that point in my life!”
“Lois, come here,” Clark said softly. “Please don’t cry. You’re going to make me cry too.” Clark held her in his arms, gently rocking her. Without realizing it, soon they were floating above the sand.
Lois looked down and said, “That’s a neat trick. Have I told you how much I love your ‘propaganda’,
Superman?” she said, smiling thru her tears. “You know, you’re like my guardian angel. Not only are you saving me from life in a refugee camp, you’re a great listener too. It’s hard to find that in a guy.
Especially a non-married one,” Lois gushed.
“I have an idea!” Clark exclaimed. The sun was above the horizon. “How would you like to take a nice sauna bath?”
“Yeah, right! And just where would I find one around here?” she asked sarcastically.
“Well, I just spotted a little lagoon not far from here. C’mon!” he urged.
“OK, but isn’t the water going to be a tad cold? The sun is just coming out now!” Lois remarked.
“Oh, I forgot. ‘Propaganda’ again, right?” she teased.
[If it helps me win your heart, I’ll do whatever it takes], he thought to himself. He picked Lois up, and, flying low, just above the trees, he released his hold on her until she appeared to be flying under her own power, with Clark just holding her hand for support. He gave her another gentle treatment of heat vision and smiled at her. “Having fun?” he asked.
His reward was the most beautifully smiling face he had ever seen. Lois’ hair, which had been swept up in a bun, came loose. Clark was startled to realize how very long her hair was…almost down to her waist. The “other” Lois’ hair had been styled very short.
“Clark, I haven’t felt this wonderful in more than ten years,” she admitted. “Thank you.”
They landed by a small pond fed by a waterfall. “Lois, the clothes you have on need to be thrown out. What would you like to wear?” he asked.
“Like there’s a clothing store on the island here!” she said with sarcasm.
“Your wish is my command, Madame,” he said. “If you could be wearing anything, right now, what would it be?”
“Well”, she mused, “after a nice sauna bath, I would usually put on a beautiful black silk negligee.”
Clark felt a part of him rise to the occasion, picturing her in it. [Stop, you’ll REALLY scare her off now. Good thing I don’t have the suit on!] he noted to himself.
“But since we have to return to Brazzaville soon, I’ll settle for some clean jeans and a nice sapphire blue cotton shirt. Blue is my favorite color, after all,” she confessed.
“Deal. Now, I swear I won’t look, so get in the water, and I’ll heat it up for you to your specifications. When you’re ready to get out, I’ll be here with clean clothes for you.” Clark promised.
Lois felt like she had died and gone to heaven. Maybe she had. This was so surreal. A deserted island. A Godlike presence catering to her every whim. What?????? the heck was going on here?
“Clark, why are you being so good to me? We’ve just met!” she asked, while she was removing her clothes. Clark had turned the other direction to give her some privacy. “And, by the way, when you signed that last E-Mail to me ‘Love, Clark’, I have to admit I was a little taken aback. Do I remind you of someone, someone that was special? Or do you have an Aunt named Lois and you got us mixed up or something?”
Clark gulped. He knew this question was forthcoming. Lois wasn’t a premiere investigative reporter for nothing. He had laid out the red carpet a little too much, he feared. Now, instead of getting closer to her, she was going to back off. Be wary of him. He had blown it!
“Lois, I-“ he started.
“By the way, it’s safe to turn around now,” Lois interrupted him. She was in the water, only her shoulders were revealed. “Quick, warm me up, it’s freezing in here!” she cried.
“Tell me when you’re warm enough,” he said, focusing his heat vision on the water around Lois. Thank God the subject had been temporarily changed. But knowing “Mad Dog Lane” ’s reputation, she was going to ask him again. Soon.
Well, he certainly couldn’t start telling her about “Alternate Universes”….at least, not yet. But he knew as soon as he got her back to Metropolis, she would hear about her visiting doppleganger from Perry. Why hadn’t he thought this through enough? Eighteen hours on an airplane…he should have used that time to figure out an answer to her inevitable questions. Instead, he had spent it bitching to himself about the airline food and whining that he could have gotten there 17 ½ hours faster! What a fool!
“Ok, that’s the perfect temperature now, Clark,” Lois said, interrupting his thought process once again. “I’m going to enjoy the first decent bath I’ve had in 10 years. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. We’ll talk later. Hey, you’re from Kansas, right? You probably sign all your E-Mails with ‘love’!” she joked.
“Lois, I’ll be back soon. Enjoy!” he said. [Good, I like that explanation for now. People from Kansas are just friendlier by nature. Well, that’s not entirely false], he thought.
Clark sped back to Brazzaville, where it was about 9:00 p.m. Landing on the roof as furtively as he could, he walked down the hallway, entered his hotel room, and opened the suitcase that Lois’ mother had prepared for her. Perfume, cosmetics, lingerie, clothing that should be just her size. All selected by Ellen Lane, purchased on the Daily Planet’s company credit card.
He found a pair of black jeans, which would match his own. Dark colors will be good for flying back here. “The Daily Planet will have a fit if they know I used my powers over here”, he thought. Hmmm. No sapphire blue cotton shirt. ”I guess Ellen doesn’t know her own daughter all that well”. There were no stores open after dark here. Well, that never stopped him before.
Placing a pair of jeans, socks, walking shoes, underwear, and a bra in a small travel bag, along with a mirror, a comb, and some cosmetics, he again walked down the hall to the outdoor patio and sped off into the night sky.
He flew to Smallville, Kansas, where it was about 2:00 p.m. The new mall that had been built recently had an “American Eagle Outfitter” store. Since he wasn’t dressed as Superman, he didn’t create a stir. Putting his glasses on, he walked in, and found a nice simple cotton jersey top with a V-neck in size “S”. “After all, if I get to pick the shirt, I may as well get something I will enjoy as well,” he smiled to himself.
The sales clerk did recognize him. This was his home town, after all. The beauty of Smallville was that the townsfolk respected his privacy. A visiting Superman/Clark Kent was always a welcome sight, and never taken for granted or abused.
“Hi, Mr. Kent”, said the sales clerk, a young gal of about 19. “How are you today?” she asked politely. Her employee badge indicated that her name was Shelley.
“I’m great, Shelley, really great. Thanks for asking,” replied Clark. He actually meant it this time.
“Boy, it’s been a slow day so far. I just got in at 1:00 p.m., and you’re one of my first customers! This is a really pretty top, Mr. Kent. I’m sure whoever you’re buying this for will love it!” she remarked, not wanting to pry. It was well known in Smallville that Mr. Kent/Superman didn’t date anyone. It was going to be hard to keep it secret that he was buying a shirt for someone that was obviously around his age. A woman. She smiled.
“Here you are, Mr. Kent. It was nice to see you. Have a great day,” she said, putting the purchase in a dark green “American Eagle Outfitters” plastic bag.
“Thanks, Shelley. You’re a very polite young woman. Take care,” said Clark. His heart was starting to pound. He wanted to get back to Lois ASAP.
Lois was still swimming in the water, with a very relaxed look on her face. “She reminds of a kitten, purring”, Clark thought to himself. He hung the two bags he had brought on a tree limb adjacent to the water.
“Hi, I’m back. Are you ready to get out, or do want another shot of heat?” he asked.
“I want another shot of heat, and I want some company too,” she grinned at him.
“Y-y-you want me to swim with you?” he stammered. Wow. Of all things she could have said, that would have been LAST on the list! Skinny-dipping with Lois? Omigod.
“Yes, as long as you give me your best Smallville boy-scout’s honor that you won’t use your ‘propaganda’ to cheat!!” Lois teased.
“I won’t look. Not that I don’t want to, because you are a very attractive woman, Lois. I’m just not that kind of guy,” he admitted.
“Midwest upbringing again, huh?” She laughed. “Then come join me,” she invited. “I won’t peek if you won’t!”
She turned to face the other way so Clark could undress.
Clark was afraid that his burgeoning excitement was going to very apparent. Nonetheless, he joined her and used his powers to warm the water adjacent to where they were swimming. He looked up at the sky. The sun was higher up on the horizon, the color of the sky a myriad of blue, yellow and red. Life was perfect right now. If only he could freeze this moment forever.
“Lois, I just have to say that you are the ‘most beautiful woman that spent ten years in a refugee camp’ that I’ve ever met,” Clark gushed. “Your hair is very pretty, long like that.”
”Oh no! There I go again. I’m going to have to tape my mouth shut!” he winced to himself.
“Thank you Clark, you are so sweet, but really, I feel like ’Lady-freakin’ Godiva’ with my hair like this! I’m getting a haircut as soon as we get back to Metropolis!” she exclaimed.
“Let’s not talk about anything else right now,” she continued. “Let’s just swim and relax. I could fall asleep here.”
“OK, you got it, Lois,” replied Clark. Since he felt like he kept putting his foot in his mouth, silence sounded good to him.
An hour later, Clark and Lois were getting dressed in opposite parts of the lagoon.
“Clark, who picked out these clothes? This is so great!” she said.
“Your mom picked out everything but the shirt,” Clark replied. “The blue top is from my home town, Smallville, Kansas,” he revealed.
“YOU picked this out? Wow, good looks, good listener, great body, great smile, ‘propaganda’, and good taste in women’s clothes! Are you sure you’re not a figment of my imagination?” Lois joked.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, feeling himself turn crimson at her left-handed compliments.
Lois combed her wet hair. “Having my hair this long means it takes forever to dry,” she complained. “Can I trouble you to ‘shorten’ that for me?” she asked, with a wink.
“Absolutely,” he said, using a combination of gentle super-breath and heat vision to replicate the action of a hair dryer.
“You are sooooo handy to have around. I still can’t believe some woman hasn’t swept you off your feet. You ARE one of a kind, you know,” she said, openly flirting with him now.
“Lois, believe me when I tell you, so are you,” Clark said, with a smile as big as the ocean on his face. He felt so smitten and love-struck inside. So not-in-control of himself. How he wished they could by-pass the whole ugly “Brazzaville-let’s bring Lois home the politically correct way to make the United Nations and the Daily Planet happy-” affair! Oh well. Reality beckoned.
Lois used the mirror to apply make-up, for the first time in ten years. “These colors are all wrong for me,“ Lois complained. “My mother never did really know me. She’s too focused on herself. But, she did try, I’ll give her credit for that!”
“Lois, you’re beautiful with or without make-up, trust me,” complimented Clark.
Lois was the one to blush now. “You are too kind. I’m sure my looks have aged way more than ten years,” Lois stated. “In that kind of stressful environment, I’m surprised that my hair didn’t turn completely gray.”
Lois got up and put the cosmetics, mirror, and comb in the little bag. She had taken a hairclip and fashioned her hair in a long ponytail. The black jeans were loose on her, but the sapphire blue top fit perfectly. Just enough cleavage showing to make Clark smile. Hey, he was a guy after all. A guy completely, hopelessly in love with a woman he had just met!
“I suppose it’s time to go back there. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I’ll be back home, looking for a new apartment,” she sighed, with resignation in her tone of voice. “And, I’m sure I’ll be going to a shrink once or twice a week, to get this whole ugly affair out of my system.”
“Lois, I can’t even begin to imagine what life has been like for you. Anything I do to make your transition to ‘normal’ Metropolis life easier, you just let me know”, Clark offered.
“Does that include bringing me back here to “Paradise Island” every now and then?” she asked, smiling but dead serious.
“Anytime. Day or night. I’ll be here for you,” Clark promised.
“Wow, that’s quite an offer. You are just too sweet to be real. I guess it’s time to face the music back in Brazzaville, now, huh?” Lois said resignedly.
“Are you ready? Do you want me to hold you, or do you want to fly by yourself, like we just did?” Clark asked.
“I want you to hold me. I feel safer that way,” Lois replied.
Clark smiled. That was the answer he had been hoping for.
“Good-bye, island,” said Lois, as they flew off into the bright sunshine heralding a new day.
=========================
Brazzaville,
Republic of Congo
“Boyle here.”
“Boyle, I’ve been waiting to hear from you! What the Hell is going on there?”
“She left with the American boy scout, Kent, some time ago. Should be back to Le Meridien by now.
“They’re not back yet. I just called the hotel. Kent hasn’t been seen for hours.
“So what happened, anyway?”
“I had just gotten her to trust me when HE showed up unexpectedly. I didn’t have time to follow through with the plan. I’m not stupid enough to take on Superman!”
“All right. They will be there for several more days. They have to take an airplane home. Find an excuse to visit them at the hotel, so we can find out what flight they’re taking. We’ll have to go with our back-up plan.”
“You got it,” said Boyle, hanging up the phone. [Damn pushy Americans!] he thought, as he went back to sleep.
TBC
