Part 7
Once she said good-bye to Martha and Jonathan, Tess left the farmhouse, got in her car, and drove back towards Smallville. When she reached the small apartment, she met Monica who was sitting in her apartment and waiting for her.
“Miss Wings, what are you doing here?” She asked; her voice etched with concern, but also traces of impatience.
“Tess, I haven't made any progress with Lois, and I feel completely useless on this case,” Monica said softly as she stirred the decaffeinated coffee that was in front of her.
“Who said you weren't making any progress?” Tess asked. “Remember when this started and I told you and Andrew that there were three parts to the case, and Jimmy Olsen was one of them?”
“Yes.”
“Well, tell me how things are shaping up with him,” Tess said as she sat down at the table as well and looked over at her younger charge.
“He’s talking to me a little, but it seems as though he wants to talk mostly about baseball, and anything else that distracts him from his wavering self-esteem,” Monica said. “I think I've learned more about baseball from him than I did when I was actually coaching a team.”
“What about Andrew, has he made any progress?” Tess asked.
“I don’t know, Jimmy and I were away from the offices all afternoon, and when I got back to the building, Andrew had left,” Monica responded.
“Yes, I was told that he had to go out on an assignment.”
“Another assignment?” Monica asked.
“Nothing related to this case baby, just one of his usual stand-by cases. Everything is OK now and he should be back at his apartment in Metropolis right now,” Tess said. “Now, tell me how things are shaping up with Jimmy.”
Monica sighed and took a deep breath before she started speaking. “Jimmy misses Clark something terrible, Tess. I think the closest emotion that could describe how his feelings are is ‘abandonment’.”
Tess nodded, it was obvious to her that this case was starting to show the extent of how many layers it had, but when she looked at Monica, she could see the dejection in the face of her younger friend. “Don't worry, your role here is just as significant as Andrew’s, and you have seen where sometimes, his compassion comes in quite handy, especially when dealing with tough nuts like Lois Lane.”
Monica nodded and smiled as she stood up. “Yes, you're right, but I still want to help Lois, and I don't know how. It seems like she doesn't want me around, and I have been working with Jimmy more often than with her. It seems like instead of me working with Lois and Andrew working with Jimmy, our roles have switched.”
“Maybe they have, but you know that Lois is going to need a friend, and we are all on the same team, Angel Girl, so you get back to Metropolis and don't forget that,” Tess said.
“So, you think I can find out from Jimmy a little more about the two of them?” Monica asked.
“Yes, I do.” Came the almost immediate response.
“Tess?”
“What is it, Angel Girl?”
“Has the Father even said anything to you about this case, or are we still as in the dark as to why we are here?” Monica sat back down.
“All that I know is that Clark has a secret that he cannot tell too many people about. It seems to me that he is trying to protect his family, but what that secret is will have to come from him and him alone,” Tess said. “Now, I think you need to get your little angel backside back to Metropolis.”
Monica nodded, smiled weakly, and disappeared.
*****
The following morning, Tess returned to the coffee shop and as she came in for the morning shift, Clark was seated on a barstool, his head down, his shoulders slumped, and she knew that he did not even start talking things extensively over with his parents. She shook her head as she came into the small cafeteria. “Good morning, baby.” She said softly as soon as she had reached him and rested her hand gently on the upper part of his back as a way of letting him know that she had arrived.
“Hi Tess,” he said as he raised his head only slightly, but his gaze never faltered away from the countertop. “I didn't know that you knew my parents, but my mom said last night that you met last week.”
“That's right,” Tess said. “We had gone to the church to help with their fundraiser and then they invited me for tea and cake. I arrived there last night while you were at work.”
“I know, they told me. I guess I forget sometimes how everyone in a small town seems to know everyone else,” Clark mused.
Tess stepped behind the counter and began to make some coffee. “You’re here awfully early, Clark, I don't even think Raphael is in yet.”
“I haven't seen anyone from the paper here today yet, maybe it's too early. I suppose the reason for that is that things here are much slower and laid back than they are in Metropolis,” he said sadly. “Sometimes I forget that.”
“You miss it, don't you?” Tess asked. “The hustle and bustle of the big city, its rather addictive, don't you think?”
“Yes, I suppose it is. You know, life is a lot less complicating here than there, but still…” his voice trailed.
“Still?”
“One misses it after awhile, and sometimes it's just too quiet and simple here,” he smiled weakly.
“Did you ever consider going back?” Tess asked as she put a cup of coffee in front of him and watched as he reached for a spoon and once again opened the sugar bowl.
As he poured the sugar into the cup, he raised his head and looked at Tess. “I was thinking about it, but I don't know if there is anything for me there anymore.”
“Anything or anyone?”
Clark shook his head sorrowfully. “There is someone, but…” His voice trailed and he tried to block the emotions he carried.
“Clark if I may be so bold, maybe what you need to do is embrace your feelings about this. You know, strength is not just a physical attribute, it is a spiritual mechanism that is inside every creation of God,” Tess said gently as she reached over and rested a motherly hand on his. “Now, I think you know me well enough to tell me what's bothering you, so why don't we both sit down and stop beating around the bush about all of this?”
Clark looked at her, but after a few moments of hesitation, he could sense that she was not about to take ‘no’ for an answer, and reluctantly he nodded before getting down off the stool. Tess stood up as well and the two of them went over to a table and sat down.
Once they were comfortable, Tess smiled. “Now, I know that you were hesitant about whether or not you could trust me, but Clark, I think you know that you can.”
“It's so strange, but I already know that, Tess,” Clark said softly all the while realizing that he still felt strange in her presence. Somewhere deep inside of him told him that she meant no one any harm and this was the feeling he went with. Sighing deeply, he looked at her, all the while hoping that he could tell her everything without being afraid of being sent to the nearest psychologist's office. “The night I came home, Lois and I had a fight, and it was the worst fight I could imagine having. I guess I should tell you about Lois though.”
“It's not necessary, baby, your parents have already told me a little bit about Lois,” Tess said softly. “Last night before you came home, we were just talking about how much they like her and how much they hope you will resolve things with her. You know, sometimes in-laws don't always get along, and Martha and Jonathan both seem completely overjoyed that you love someone that is compatible with them as well, it keeps families together after two people make that pledge before God.”
Clark sighed deeply. “Lois gets along with my parents really well, but I think the relationship is over, I don't think she wants to marry me, so I don't know why they even brought her up in the first place.”
Tess nodded. “If you don't mind me saying so, I think right now you are so willing to give up on her, then it seems to me that the self-confidant and empathic person I talked to yesterday has all but disappeared.”
“In all fairness, you really can't make these assumptions about me, you hardly even know me,” Clark said, suddenly on the defensive.
“Maybe I do, maybe I don't, but listen to me Clark, if you love someone, then you can’t just run away from them without even trying to communicate, and cutting out of town is hardly a sign of courage in that regard,” Tess said.
“It’s not that easy, Tess,” Clark said, and it was obvious that he was getting more emotional about the situation he lived with.
“It’s not? Well, baby, I see it this way. If you really love Lois, then why are you so willing to give up on her? Love does not end when things get hard, it perseveres and tries to make the best of everything. You have talked about Metropolis endlessly, and yet you have hidden away at your parents’ house rather than fighting for the one you love. Now, I'm not telling you what to do, and neither are your parents, but you’re a big boy, Clark Kent, it's time for you to stop running away at every bump in the road and for crying out loud, cut down on the sugar intake, it's no wonder you look as though you’re about to jump out of your skin.”
Clark looked at her, a small smile breaking through. “Who are you, Tess? I mean; you blow into town like a tornado, you speak with so much wisdom that it’s eerie, and you make so much sense.”
“Well, when you get to be my age baby, you tend to have a little bit of old-fashioned wisdom. I've had more experiences than you would care to count, and I'm going to tell you something. If you would only let go of all this pain, all this confusion, then you might be able to see your way back to the one you love and find the peace you need.”
Clark nodded numbly, but he looked at her, his trust in her emerging contrary to the pain he carried in his heart and the confusion he still had about who she was. “It’s not so easy Tess, she thinks I lied to her.”
“Did you?” Tess asked.
“No, I just didn’t tell her everything,” he said softly.
“Would you say that that might come close to lying?” Tess’ gaze never faltered, and somewhere he could feel the intimidation at having her stare him down like this.
“I didn’t lie,” Clark objected.
“But, you didn’t tell her the truth either?” Her question was automatic.
“I couldn’t,” was his simple response.
“Now, I’m not here to judge you, baby, but try to think about what I've said. Put yourself in her shoes, if you’ve kept the truth away from her, then maybe she perceives it as being a lie. Maybe as much as she needs to understand where you're coming from, you need to understand where she’s coming from. It will be through that, that you will find forgiveness and resolution.”
“I was only trying to protect her,” he offered weakly.
“Did you tell her that?” Tess asked. “Did you look her in the eye and with all the gumption and all the strength that you have, tell her that you did not mean to withhold the truth from her, and that you’re sorry you hurt her?”
“Yes, I tried countless times, but you don't know Lois’ temper, if she gets angry enough she could talk anyone down to the size of a mouse,” Clark said softly.
“From the way you describe her, it sounds like you love that aspect of her personality very much,” Tess said simply as she took a drink of her coffee.
“Yeah, I guess I do,” he said. “What would you do?”
“Well, it may come as a surprise to you, but I would pray about it, and then I would pick up my boot straps and go back to where it is I belong,” Tess said softly. “You have a choice, Clark, you always have, now it is going to be up to you to make the choice that is best. It may be hard, but it will be the best and only you can make it.” With that, Tess disappeared into the kitchen, thus leaving him alone in the cafeteria.
*****
That same morning, a few hours after Tess and Clark had spoken, Jimmy Olsen walked into the Planet building, his eyes filled with sadness. This had been his usual stance for the past few days and Monica approached the building at the same time. The young angel had decided to make the best of everything and she was going to try and help Jimmy the best way she knew how. She smiled as she stepped into the building from the bright sunshine outside.
“Jimmy, hold the elevator please,” she called out as she watched him going into the small enclosure.
“Hi Monica,” the young photographer said as she stepped inside and he pressed the button for the floor of the newsroom.
“Hi, thanks for waiting,” she said once the doors closed and they were alone.
“No problem, how's it going?” He asked.
“Great, and with you?” She asked.
“It's OK, just the same as always,” he said shrugging his shoulders. “You gonna go with me today to work on the carnival story?”
“If you don’t mind the company,” Monica smiled.
“Why should I mind? It seems as though Perry is looking for someone to baby-sit me,” he mused.
“Now, wait a minute, if you don't want me around, just say so and I'll stay away, but keep in mind, Jimmy, Perry wanted me to accompany you so that I could get the story that would go along with the pictures. Look at Lois, she’s working in a similar way with Andrew and that seems to be working just fine.”
“Yeah, poor Andrew,” Jimmy chided all the while trying to keep his humor in top form.
“Why do you say that? Lois isn't so bad,” Monica offered.
“Yeah, then what happened to your so-called ‘partnership’? I mean; from where I’m sitting, it looks as though it dissolved like a snowball in July,” Jimmy offered bluntly.
Monica sighed deeply and she looked at him, all the while shrugging her shoulders.
“Let me guess, she and you didn’t hit it off?” Jimmy offered.
“I guess when you put it that way, no, we didn't.”
“Don't take it too hard, Monica, when Clark first started here, Lois was just as rough around the edges as she is now with you and Andrew. I guess now it’s worse because anytime I even mention C.K., she looks as though she would be perfectly happy throwing me head first out a twenty story building.” Jimmy shrugged his shoulders.
“You don't sound exceedingly happy about his absence,” Monica offered.
“Very observant, because the truth is, I think it stinks to high heaven,” Jimmy said.
“You and Clark are good friends then?” Monica asked as the elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped out and came down the small staircase that extended into the newsroom.
“He’s my best friend ever,” Jimmy's voice was sad as they made their way over to his desk. There Andrew was standing and the Angel of Death greeted the two of them cordially before Jimmy managed to continue, this time his words indicative of someone wishing to change the subject completely. “Anyway, Monica, we need to be downtown at nine, so I'll go downstairs and get something off the breakfast cart before we go. I'll be back in a few minutes.”
Once he was gone, Andrew looked at her. “Did you find out anything?”
Monica shook her head. “Nothing, but I think Jimmy feels a wee bit sad that his friend is away.”
“No kidding,” Andrew whispered. “The first day I was here, Jimmy made some remark about Clark being the only one around here who took him seriously, so chances are, he's feeling a bit negative about himself here. I guess it stands to reason, most of the people here are some years older than he is, and somehow I get the impression that he is feeling a like a fifth wheel, unwanted or unneeded and his ideas are often disregarded.”
“How are things with Lois?” Monica asked.
“I made only a little progress yesterday while you were out covering the story with Jimmy, but it's not something that I would be considering a major breakthrough,” Andrew said softly as they both looked up and could see that Lois had arrived and was coming through the newsroom.
Monica sat down at a vacant desk without saying another word and Andrew walked over to the desk where she had dropped her things. “Good morning, Lois,” he offered freely, thus causing her to glance up.
“Hi,” she said as she rummaged around in her bag and when she found a notebook and a pen, she shoved the purse aside and sat down at her desk.
“You feeling any better today?” He asked as she sat down at the desk.
“What makes you so sure that I wasn’t feeling fine yesterday?” She asked and Andrew took a deep breath, but before he could respond, she continued. “Look, Andrew, I think you’re a nice guy and all, but I’m not interested in anymore relationships, so why don’t you just leave the pretense at the door?”
“Relationship?” Andrew was, to say the least, bewildered. “Lois, I’m not trying to start a relationship with you, I am only trying to be a friend, and react as a friend might, but I’m not really interested in romance, not with anyone.”
“You’re not?” She looked at him in utter disbelief.
“No, I’m not,” he smiled weakly.
“Then why are you being so nice to me?” She asked skeptically.
Andrew shrugged his shoulders. “Does it upset you to know that someone is being nice just to be nice?”
“It’s awkward,” she said weakly.
“Awkward?” Andrew was confused.
“Yes,” she looked down at the desk.
Andrew reached over and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Lois, sometimes people say or do things that might hurt someone else not realizing that they have done so. It doesn’t make it right or wrong, but it does make them human.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to do or say anything that would hurt you and I would walk away before I would allow myself to say or do something that would upset you.”
“You would just walk away?” She asked, the skepticism evident.
“Yes, I would, you see, to hurt anyone is just not me, Lois,” Andrew said softly and for an instant, he could see that somewhere in her, the barrier that she built up around herself in order to protect herself was now starting to break down. Right before his eyes, he watched as she wiped a frustrated hand across her cheek in order to hide the extent of emotion that she seemed to be carrying.
After a few moments had passed, she glanced back over at him before standing up with the intention of leaving the newsroom. “Andrew, would it be OK if we talked about this a little later?”
“Of course, Lois,” he smiled as he pulled a tissue out of his pocket and pressed it into her hand. “Just take your time. I think you know that I'll do whatever I can to help you.”
Lois accepted the tissue and used it to wipe the area just underneath her eyes. After that, she blew her nose and once she deposited the tissue into the wastebasket, she nodded before leaving the newsroom.
Maybe this Andrew would be the key to helping her get over the pain that she experienced because of Clark Kent, she was thinking as she walked towards the elevator. Maybe Andrew would be the friend who would help her, maybe he would be the one who would give her the help she needed in order to forget the pain. As she sank into her contemplations, Andrew stood on the opposite side of the room watching her.
As she stepped into the small enclosure, her stubborn demeanor gave way and she reluctantly allowed the tears to fall from beneath her eyes, but by the time she reached the ground level, she had gotten her emotions back in check and walked outside as though nothing had happened inside the newsroom at all.
*****
Andrew's thoughts were a jumble at that moment, but he could see that Lois was starting to, at least, trust him a little and that was as good of a start as anything. After a second, he raised his head and from the window, he could see the brown eyes of a man who was hovering just outside the window staring coldly inside the building at him.
With his confusion about the case still mounting, Andrew approached the window as knowledge about this person he was about to speak with flooded into his being. “Superman?” He spoke, but stopped some distance from the window. He already knew what the answer was going to be and for now, he just wanted to offer some sort of greeting.
“Yes. Who are you?” The question emerged as a demand rather than an inquiry and the angel could sense a strange hostility in the man’s tone of voice.
“My name is Andrew,” emerged his simple answer.
“No, I mean, what are you?” Clark demanded.
“You wouldn't believe me if I told you,” Andrew responded simply.
“Try me,” came the almost immediate retort.
“You’re not ready to know the truth yet, but soon you will be,” Andrew said softly. “You see; there are many things you don’t yet understand, but understanding has to come entirely from you.”
“Yeah, right,” Clark nodded pretending to understand, but the confusion was reaching the breaking point with him and he was suddenly determined to get some sort of answer out of this man who seemed to be showing an uncanny interest in Lois. This added to the fact that Andrew’s answers did not seem to be adding up to the man of steel’s expectations. Eventually, he looked at the angel, his gaze never faltering and his eyes bearing into the green eyes of his perceived rival. “OK, without focusing on Lois, what about what happened last night. Why you didn’t do anything to help Helen last night? You were just as capable as I was.”
“No, I wasn’t, but I did help her, just not in the same way you did,” the angel responded gently as he came even closer to the window. “You see, you have a gift of helping people; you use your strength to offer assistance to those who need you. I've read a great deal about you, Superman, you have inherited wonderful qualities, but don't forget the ultimate source from where they came.”
“What about you, who the heck are you and why do you speak in riddles? After I helped Helen last night, you just disappeared into thin air. Who do you work for?”
“At the moment, I work for Perry White,” he said simply, but when Clark said nothing further, Andrew continued. “Last night, when you saw me with Helen, you failed to hear what I had said, and there was a reason for that.”
“And what reason, pray tell, do you have for not helping an elderly lady get away from teenage drug addicts?” Clark demanded.
“I’m sorry, but I can't tell you that yet, you’re not ready to know, otherwise you would have heard everything that was said then. When the time does come for you to know what the message is, then you will know, not just part of it, but all of it,” Andrew responded calmly.
“You're speaking in riddles,” Clark said shaking his head.
“Not necessarily, but you must understand that I use the concept of truth to relay messages that have been given to me to deliver, and that is the reason why I was sent to Helen last night as well as why she heard my words and you did not,” Andrew tried to explain.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry, but that's all I can tell you right now,” Andrew said softly as he backed away from the window and turned around with the intention of going back over to Lois’ now vacated desk.
“That's all, you give me a puzzle with words to decipher like in those old spy movies?” Clark asked, disbelief etching his face, the confusion and frustration literally encasing him.
“I can only tell you what I am supposed to tell you, I can’t tell you more, I’m sorry,” with that, Andrew sat down at Lois’ desk and Clark, having no choice, flew away.
TBC
