Bolt, From Dubuque (Part 15)
By: Ann Nonymous
He was flying, Clark thought with a smile as a patchwork quilt of greens and golds materialized beneath him, tree-filled gullies cutting odd angles across the regular grid of rural townships and ranges. It was so peaceful and so familiar, a landscape sculpted by man yet still controlled by the whims of nature, by the rains and the sunshine and the soil. Around him was the pristine blue sky, dotted with fluffy white clouds that grew and pulsated, morphing into shapes that his imagination gave definition to, a game that was just as calming from the air as it was lying in a patch of grass on the ground. Beside him, a duck kept pace with his movements, its wings flapping vigorously, then stilling as it glided gracefully on the wind. Soon he was joined by a few more feathered companions, falling into formation around him, making Clark the apex of a large V shape. He let out a whoop as he dove down and away, letting the birds go on about their travels without him. He turned his head, looking in front of himself for the first time, and saw the tall buildings that made up the Metropolis skyline, still very distant, but imposing nonetheless. As he looked down again, the landscape began to change, the open country gradually giving way to the bustling metropolis. The gray and black of concrete filled the scenery, with buildings lining the web of streets, the green now completely gone from the color palate below him. The world was a vastly different place here than it was back home, a more exciting place, a busier place. He wanted to stop and observe, to watch the hustle and bustle of life in the big city, but he couldn’t, because he had a date.
Yes, a date with Lois, he thought, a frown working its ways onto his face. It was strange, but suddenly he got the feeling that he had been in this situation before. He tried to shake it off as he landed in a darkened alley in the heart of the city, the campus of Metropolis University only a few blocks away, but he found himself preoccupied. So preoccupied, in fact, that he didn’t really notice the man waiting for him at the opening of the alley, his face covered in shadows, his form indistinct. As Clark approached the street, though, he couldn’t help but notice, and he involuntarily paused, a chill running down his spine. It was strange how, even under the bright glow of the remaining daylight, the man seemed only to be bathed in shades of gray, almost as if he were an apparition, something not really part of this world. Although Clark couldn’t see his eyes, he knew that they were trained on him, watching his every move. He told himself to ignore the feeling of dread that the man brought, to move on, and after a moment he did. But before he could even take another step, the alley seemed to be bathed in a supernatural green glow. Clark screamed at the pain that the light seemed to bring, dropping to his knees as the shadowy man approached him, menace exuding from his featureless form, his hand slowly emerging from his pocket. In it was a crystal, one that seemed to pulsate with energy, one that caused the unimaginable pain to grow the closer it came. Clark’s vision began to shrink, the darkness closing in on him, until finally he could stand it no more. He pressed his eyes closed, begged for the pain to stop, but there was no relief.
With a sharp intake of breath, his eyes popped open, and suddenly it was all over. There was no alley, no rock, no man hidden in shadow. His chest heaved up and down and his heart raced, and he realized that it was just a dream, a horrible dream. Slowly, he willed himself to relax, his eyes closing as he focused on being calm. His breathing had almost returned to normal when something tickled the back of his mind, causing his eyes to pop open again. He was laying on his back, he realized, the soft envelope of bedding surrounding him. The ceiling above was speckled, though, wholly unlike the formed concrete of his dorm room ceiling. His eyebrows knitted together, and he noticed that the ceiling wasn’t the only thing different about where he was. The ambient noise level in the room was fairly loud with the roar of traffic and the muted sound of conversation on the street outside the room. And, to top it all off, there was the heavy sound of someone else breathing right beside him.
With a start, Clark turned his head sideways, and he saw a peacefully sleeping female form right next to him. She was covered by a sheet and lying on her side, facing away from him, her chest gently rising and falling with each breath. Who...? And did they...? He’d remember something like that, wouldn’t he? His head quickly snapped back into an upright position, his mind spinning as he tried to remember what had happened. Yesterday, he had flown to Metropolis to go on a date with Lois. And he had gone on that date, and it had been wonderful. It had been perfect, in fact, culminating in the most spectacular of kisses. But then there had been an explosion, and he had to leave her.
He remembered saving people from the ruined Daily Planet Building, although the memories were vague, more like flashes, their contents something that he was sure he had tried to forget. Then, after everyone was free, he had gone to work with Bolt, piecing the building back together. Then.... Uh, then something happened, although he wasn’t quite sure what, and that’s all he could remember. As Clark slowly turned his head toward the sleeping form next to him again, he could see now that it was indeed Lois. A blush filled his cheeks as he thought of himself with her, but he still didn’t know how that could be. Still, how else would he have ended up in the same bed as her? The more he tried to contemplate the hole in his memory, the more frustrated he became, until finally he decided to stop worrying about it and just embrace the situation he found himself in. And Lois.
His muscles protested as he rolled over, positioning himself such that he was right next to Lois, his nose buried in her dark hair, his arm wrapped around her from behind. He sighed and closed his eyes, wishing that he could summon up thoughts of her, using his imagination when none were forthcoming. Lois sighed in his embrace, snuggling into him. They lay blissfully together for a few moments, until her breath caught in her throat, signaling that she was awake. Instantly, she was sitting upright, twisting to look at him with wide eyes.
“Clark!” she said, almost as if she was surprised to see him. He smiled weakly, more confused than ever.
“That’s me,” he answered, bringing his hand up to his head and running it through his strangely disheveled hair. As the covers slipped down at the gesture, he noticed for the first time that he was still wearing his Superman t-shirt and jeans. Odd attire for someone who had done what he assumed he had done.
“You’re awake!” she said, a wide smile forming on her face as she lunged toward him, wrapping him in a hug. He hugged back on instinct, although he was still confused. He’d never seen anyone so happy before about the simple fact that he was awake.
“I am,” he said, deadpan. Lois pulled back some and planted a big, wet kiss on the lips, which he gladly returned. He found himself smiling crookedly as she sat up again. She looked at him for a few moments, as if waiting for him to say something, then sighed and shook her head.
“You aren’t a little confused about why you’re waking up here, in my bed?” she asked, a light note in her voice. Clark shifted his eyes around the room, and then found her again.
“Well, yeah, I guess,” he answered. “I just kind of assumed....”
Lois laughed at that, then reached down and ruffled his hair. “In your dreams, Kent,” she said, then sprung out of bed. “No, it’s nothing that fun, and I’ll tell you all about it over a nice, big breakfast.” She glanced toward the clock at that moment, then turned back toward Clark. “Or lunch.”
Clark furrowed his brow and looked at the clock, noting with shock that it was now well after noon. Growing up on a farm as a kid had taught him to rise with the chickens, and it had been a habit, one that he still practiced even though that had been half a lifetime ago. He usually had trouble sleeping until 8 AM, 9 was a stretch, and 10 was unheard of. Whatever it was that had led him to this place, somehow he felt that it was probably a good thing that he didn’t remember it. Granted, oversleeping was hardly an indicator of disaster for most people, but that coupled with the disturbing hole in his memory and vague whispers of terrible feelings from some point in the recent past, made him wonder. And worry.
Lois scurried out of the room, throwing on a robe as she did. Clark groaned lightly as he sat up, his body stiff and achy. Another bit of evidence, he thought wearily. It had been a long, long time since he’d felt physical pain or its after effects, almost ten years. Since then, nothing had been able to hurt him, or at least not anything that he’d encountered, although he had to admit that there were things in the world that he didn’t care to ever find out how they affected him. Invulnerable or not, he had no intention of walking into a nuclear explosion, for instance. But what if, hypothetically, someone had stumbled on something that could hurt him back there at the Daily Planet? What if the missing part of his life was connected to that? Something certainly happened to him to cause the ghost of pain that still lingered throughout his body. He winced as he pulled himself out of bed, stretching as he stood, trying to work the kinks out of his muscles. As he turned, his arms fully stretched to his side, his hand hit against the corner of the nearby chest of drawers, causing a piercing pain to shoot up him arm.
“Ow,” he said, quickly pulling his hand injured in toward himself. With a start, he noticed that the skin had been broken in several places, although not deeply enough to cause bleeding. He stared at his injured hand for a moment, dumbfounded, before the full enormity of the situation began to descend upon him. He wasn’t invulnerable anymore. Aches and pains in his muscles could be several things, bad things, maybe, but not catastrophic. But broken skin could only mean a loss of his protective shield, and probably the rest of his powers as well. No heat vision, no super senses...no flying. Although he was fully clothed, he felt naked at that instant, naked and utterly helpless, stuck in a strange place a missing a large part of what made him who he was.
Clark wanted to cry out, hit something, do anything to vent his frustrations, but he stopped himself. He wasn’t alone, he told himself. Maybe something awful had happened, maybe he had lost the powers that had filled his life to that point with both agony and joy, but he hadn’t lost Lois. Somehow, through it all, he had ended up here with her. She had looked out for him, brought him to her home and her bed, and kept him by her side until he found his way back from the darkness. Then she had greeted him with a smile and a kiss. She was definitely a keeper, he thought with a wry smile, his gaze turning toward the door. Either he could stand here and wallow in pity, or he could go out there and be with her. Given the choices, he couldn’t help but head toward the bedroom door, a smile finally working its way onto his face as he contemplated breakfast, make that lunch, with Lois.
He had to stifle a groan as he entered the hallway outside of Lois’s bedroom, the bright light of the midday sun reflecting off the gloss white hallway walls from the living room and inundating the spot where he now stood in an almost painfully blinding glow. Or maybe it was just a relative thing, he thought as his eyes adjusted and the light didn’t seem quite so intense anymore. In fact, it was somewhat comforting, warming, soothing. Certainly it was nothing to be afraid of, he told himself, forcing his legs to move again. Beyond the hallway, out past the living area of the apartment, he could hear movement, the gentle bustle of someone working in the kitchen, every now and then banging pots together or slamming a cupboard door. That was Lois, he thought, his smile broadening, his strides lengthening.
Entering the living room area, he stopped, enjoying the feeling of the sunlight on his skin. Briefly, he closed his eyes, feeling his muscles relax the longer he stood there. As his eyes gently opened again, he had to do a double take as he noticed a man sleeping on the sofa. The man, whoever he was, was bathed in light, one arm draped across his eyes shielding him from the sun. A crumpled blanket was draped awkwardly over the couch backrest, leaving the man almost completely bare. A pair of baggy plaid boxer shorts was the exception, along with a large, rectangular bandage covering his left shoulder.
“He had a rough night. Best to just let him sleep,” Lois said from very close. Startled, Clark turned toward her, and noticed that she was now directly beside him, her gaze locked on the half-naked man, a look of innocent compassion on her face. He turned back toward the sofa, looking more closely at the man lying there. He did look familiar, in a vague sort of way. Who else would he know in Metropolis? Who else had been around last night? Instantly, he recognized the sleeping form on the couch.
“Is that...?” he asked, pointing a thumb in the direction of the living room.
Lois nodded. “Kevin,” she answered, and Clark arched his eyebrows. He wasn’t the only here who was a little worse for the wear. He was suddenly more curious than ever to know what had happened the night before. What could cause one hero to black out and another to require bandaging? And, the sixty four million dollar question, how had Kevin found Lois and why?
“What happened to his shoulder?” he asked, hoping to at least get a tidbit of what had transpired the night before.
Lois’s smile was somewhat sad as she gestured toward a chair in front a well-used dinette set. “It’s all part of that long story that I was going to tell you over a good, home flipped batch of pancakes,” she said.
Clark looked back toward the living room again before continuing on toward the kitchen. He had to admit, he was positively starved, and some pancakes would really hit the spot. And it was nice to be a part of this domestic slice of the life of one Lois Lane, but he couldn’t help but be filled with a sense of dread over what she was going to tell him. Granted, whatever had happened was in the past, but what if it wasn’t resolved? What if there was more waiting for him as soon as he set foot outside of her apartment?
Wearing the biggest smile he could muster, Clark settled into the nearest chair and listened as the tale of last night began.
-/-\-
The first thing that Kevin became aware of as he emerged from the shadowy remnants of his dreams was an incredible feeling of comfort and happiness. He felt like he was...glowing, if that made any sense. His whole body was awash with warmth, recharging him, fueling the good feelings. In the distance were voices, one male and one female, their volume rather soft, their words generally indistinct. Hanging in the air was the rich aroma of fresh pancakes, making his mouth water and bringing a smile to his face. As nice as it would be to bask in the glow, it might be best to get up and grab some food, he thought, his stomach seconding him.
Slowly, Kevin raised the arm that lay across his eyes and let the sunlight tint his eyelids a bright red. He moved his hand blindly, positioning it so that shadow rested across his face, then opened his eyes and let them adjust to the room around him. From the initial yellow glow, the forms of Lois and Clark sitting at a table in the kitchen emerged. On the table between them sat a large plate full of pancakes, enough for a large family to partake in. He licked his lips, imagining the whole stack on a plate in front of him, heaped with butter and syrup, but before he could bolt off the couch and claim his breakfast, Kevin had to pause, noting curiously the body language of his two friends.
The two were sitting across from each other, locked in a conversation that he couldn’t quite overhear, each with a plate of food in front of them, although the food seemed to almost be an afterthought. Clark was leaning in toward Lois, his eyes watching her intently, his hand fiddling with a fork that, at the moment, held no food. Lois was half turned away from him, her posture shy, her hand idly playing with her hair. A blind man could see that there was something going on between those two, Kevin mused, wondering how long he could watch the non verbal interaction before feeling like he was intruding on a private moment. Not long, he realized as Lois laughed lightly and Clark gave her a crooked smile.
It was at that moment that he shifted his weight ever so slightly, causing the springs of the couch to squeak loudly. Instantly, both Lois and Clark were looking at him, the magic of whatever moment they had been caught in now gone.
“Look who’s rejoined the world of the living,” Lois said with a smile.
Kevin smiled as he contemplated whether she was referring to Clark or himself. “Well, the world of the un-dead is just not as fun,” Kevin said, pushing himself up into a sitting position.
“I can second that,” Clark said, and Kevin smiled. After having seen Clark in that building, at the mercy of the green rock and the murderous thugs, it was nice to have him come out of it with his sense of humor intact.
“So how are you feeling?” Kevin asked Clark.
Clark shrugged, looked at Lois, then back toward Kevin. “I’ve been better, I guess, but all things considered, I suppose it could’ve been worse. I mean, I woke up in bed with a beautiful woman sleeping beside me, and that’s okay any day.” Lois reached across the table and pushed him in the shoulder, her expression outwardly shocked, although the blush in her cheeks gave away her true feelings. “How about you?” Clark asked, pointing toward the bandage on Kevin’s shoulder.
“Oh, that? I can hardly tell it’s there,” Kevin answered, attempting to downplay the injury that he’d received while saving his friend, but after a moment he realized that the statement was true. It was odd, but there was absolutely no pain coming from his shoulder. Moving his arm around experimentally, he found that there was no stiffness or numbness, either. In fact, he felt great, better than he had in a long time, better than he had since....
Kevin jumped off the couch, causing Lois and Clark to give him similarly curious glances. Aware that he was possibly overreacting to a farfetched and completely unreasonable possibility, Kevin forced himself to relax and smile. “Excuse me. I, uh, need to visit the little superhero’s room,” he said, gesturing toward the bathroom. “As you were.” Without a second thought, he walked casually toward the bathroom, gently closing the door behind him and turning on the light. It took all his will to not test for the full range of powers right then and there. Slowly, deliberately, he approached the mirror and regarded the bandage, finally bringing up his hand and tearing it off. As the white gauze pulled away and the light illuminated the area underneath, he could see...nothing. Not a scab, not a bruise, not even the slightest indication on his skin that there had ever been any injury there at all, although a smudge of red on the underside of the bandage gave very clear evidence that there had been a wound, all right.
He began to tingle as the truth of the situation began to hit him. The reflection in the mirror showed his wide eyes, and his wicked smile. Just to be sure, he looked at the last bit of tape that still clung to his skin, squinted, and willed a burst of heat toward it. The tape disengaged from his arm with a wisp of smoke, proving once and for all that it was not just a dumb, wishful idea. He was back. Bolt would fly again.
“Yes,” he said with clenched teeth, tossing the bandage into the wastebasket. He wanted to float out of the room and reveal his new find to the others, but he told himself to calm down. What was the hurry, anyway? Yeah, he needed to get home eventually, but it was a Saturday, and he was in Metropolis with his friends, the people who knew him best, and it might be fun to stick around. Enjoy life a little. Revel in just being Kevin Jones. When the time was right, after the new had worn off the day but before they let themselves agonize over how he and Clark would get home, then he’d tell them. There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered, like how and why the powers came back in the first place, but that could be pondered later. For now, it would be his secret.
Carefree, a spring decidedly present in his step, Kevin went about his business in the bathroom, then reemerged into the sunny world of the living room and had a seat at the table with Lois and Clark, partaking in a late breakfast and enjoying the company of friends. Clark was going to be okay, the bad guys were vanquished, a copy of the morning edition of the Planet sat defiantly on the table, and the sun was shining. Yes sir, everything was now right with the world.
*~*~*
Clark emerged from Lois’s bedroom and into the living room, a smirk on his face, his hands absently tugging on the spandex outfit. All in all, smirk aside, he cut a magnificent figure in the new outfit, one that would be awe inspiring to anyone, criminal or not. The spandex, its slightly shiny hue reflecting the light coming in through the window, clung tightly to his body, accentuating his physique, the reflected light making his already impressive build seem that much...bigger. A red cape fell across his shoulders and hung behind him, rippling in the air as he walked.
“I feel silly,” he said, looking up at her, his eyes pleading. Lois smiled at him and shook her head as she rose from the couch and approached him.
“Well, you look magnificent,” she answered, circling around him as stood in the center of the room. It had been four weeks since the explosion at the Daily Planet, four weeks that had seen the arrest of the four men that Lois, Lana, and Kevin had captured, the investigation of the group that they belonged to, and the arrest of dozens of group members throughout Metropolis as accessories to murder. The investigations had revealed to the public the group’s ultimate objective to capture two certain superheroes, although nobody outside of the four men that had been there that night had any idea that the attempt had been successful. None of the men would be brought up on kidnapping charges, but neither Lois nor Clark minded too much. After all, if the district attorney was successful, the men would spend the rest of their lives in prison for the murders of those people at the Planet. That, at least, was justice served.
Physically, Clark didn’t show any lingering effects from his capture that night. His powers had taken longer than Kevin’s to come back, probably because he had been exposed to the poisonous rock longer. By the end of the first week after the explosion, though, Superman was back patrolling the skies. The press had been curious about where he had been during the time that Clark had been recovering, but the questions quickly died down once Superman was back. Psychologically, though, Lois wondered if the experience at the Planet didn’t linger in the back of Clark’s mind. When he rescued someone, did he look over his shoulder for strangers with lead-lined boxes and green rocks? Were there certain places he didn’t go or certain people he didn’t help out of fear of capture? She watched the coverage on the news, looking for any signs of nervousness, but it was hard to see in the short segments that were generally shown.
With the return of his powers came a return visit to Metropolis, partially to thank Lana in person for the help that she’d given in rescuing him, but mainly to visit Lois. Lois had the suspicion that his trip to see Lana was also the final goodbye to a portion of his life now past, but she could see that he was relived to finally part with her in good standing. After that, he belonged exclusively to Lois, her Friday night date as long as she would have him. It was during one of the ensuing Friday nights that she had suggested that they start to formulate a new costume for him in earnest, and he hadn’t resisted, although he hadn’t been bridled with enthusiasm, either.
At the end of that date, she’d taken his measurements, her handling of the tape measure leading her to make contact with him in places that caused both of them to blush. She had borrowed her mother’s sewing machine and explained to her roommate that the reason for the brightly colored spandex outfit she was putting together was the impending Halloween holiday. It had taken more than a week to finish the outfit, and when she had finally revealed it to Clark as their most recent Friday date had wound down, he had found it to be quite funny, surely a joke pulled at his expense. And then, upon realizing that she was serious, that the blue spandex and red cape were the costume that they had discussed, he had been almost comically horrified. Maybe it was out of pity, Lois wasn’t entirely sure, but he had agreed to come back on the next day, a Saturday, to try it out. But, since he would suffer an indignity at her hands, she would have to agree to do the same, and come see his home state of Kansas. They had both laughed at the proposal, agreed that it was fair, and shook hands before engaging in a kiss and parting for the evening.
And so, here they were. Indignity, nothing, Lois thought as she continued to stare at Clark. Showing off his fantastic physique could never be considered an indignity, although she had to chuckle as she saw him clutch the edge of the cape and draw in closer around his backside.
“You’re gawking, aren’t you?” he asked, his cheeks turning red and the cape drawing closed in front of him.
“I’m your girlfriend, aren’t I? I think I’m allowed to gawk,” she answered, although it was hard to keep the lightness out of her voice. What was it about his discomfort that was so darned cute?
Clark cocked his head and regarded her for a second, opening his mouth and then closing it again. His cheeks were beginning to reach the color of his cape.
“Is that why you feel silly? It’s not the cape or the S, it’s the...tightness?” Lois asked as she approached him and arranged the pleats in his cape, her hands lightly brushing his spandex-covered skin, causing light ripples of electricity.
“The S is a work of art,” Clark, said, looking down at his chest, then at Lois. “It’s just like the one on my blanket. And the cape, well, it’s okay. A little dramatic, maybe, but it can be kind of cool, I guess. I just feel...a little exposed. I keep thinking that if I go out in public like this, a cop is going to ticket me. Little old ladies will run away as soon as I open up the cape,” he said, his hands, still clutched to the cape, suddenly sweeping out to his sides, like a flasher revealing the surprise under the coat.
Lois raised her eyebrows at the image, and this time she was the one blushing at the mental image it brought. “The subject, so to speak, is covered, Clark,” she said, gesturing toward him. “There are two layers of protection down there. Guys swimming at the Olympics wear much, MUCH less in public. Plus they shave every inch of their body, and that’s just embarrassing.”
“Heaven forbid it should get cold out,” Clark muttered, and Lois couldn’t help but laugh. She felt bad as a pout began to form on his face, but she couldn’t help it.
“Tell you what,” she said, pressing up against him and snaking an arm around his shoulders. “Why don’t we go on about the city for a little while, fight some crime, and see if any old ladies faint.”
The cape bounced once or twice behind him as his hands released it and worked their way behind her back. “The first time someone’s gaze goes down there instead of making eye contact with me, I’m out,” he said, his eyebrows raised, his voice seemingly serious.
“You’re overreacting,” Lois said.
“Well, you...” he started, but was cut off as Lois leaned in and kissed him thoroughly. He gladly returned the kiss, devouring her mouth, pulling her tightly into him.
As Lois pulled away, she tilted her head back and smiled. “I’m biased,” she said, bringing a smile to his lips. “Come on, you’ll be fine.” The arms that had been behind his back dropped, and she twisted in his arms, grabbing one of his hands with hers and slowly tried to nudge him toward the window.
“So, wait a second, since when do ‘we’ fight crime?” he asked, smiling, resisting her motion. “And I don’t mean ‘we’ in the royal sense.”
“Since someone got cold feet, that’s when,” Lois answered, still gently tugging him toward the window. “Besides, I want to see how the new suit goes over.”
“It could be dangerous,” Clark said, his smile fading away and his voice completely serious.
Lois stilled and regarded him. She knew, academically, that much of what he did involved rescues or helping at the scene of an accident or disaster, but he also stepped in front of bullets and tangoed with criminals that potentially were quite dangerous to a mere mortal. If something were to happen to her out there while she was at his side, he would never forgive himself, his eyes told her that. But something inside of her, be it pigheadedness or sheer faith, told her not to worry, because it would be okay. “I trust you to keep me safe,” she said, gently squeezing the hand that she held in her own.
The words seemed to chase away the last of his worries, and, with one last awkward look downward, he approached her widow, removed the screen, and stepped up. Before she knew what was happening, he had gathered her into his arms and, together, they were shooting across the Metropolis skyline. As soon as she caught her breath, she turned her gaze downward, sweeping across the city below, drinking in the vastness of it all.
Their first stop was an armed robbery in a seedier part of town. Clark set her down atop the building across the street before foiling the robbery, quickly dropping the criminal off at the nearest police precinct. She had to strain to see any of the action at all, but when Clark returned, he didn’t seem embarrassed or shy. In fact, he was smiling ever so slightly, although his hands still fidgeted with the cape.
“So?” Lois asked as he picked her up and they shot into the sky.
“There was a kid waiting in the lobby of the police station that thought my outfit was gnarly. His exact words.”
Lois beamed. The next stop was a mugging, and again Lois found herself observing from afar, but she didn’t mind. It was just exciting to be with him, to share in this little nugget of his life. As they continued on to other minor crimes, he gave a running dialogue of what was happening below, of the drug deals and the prostitution and the white collar crime that he could see but couldn’t stop, at least not as a Superhero. But as a reporter, maybe someday he could write stories to put a stop to those things, too. Fighting crime via typewriter was a prospect that Lois actively looked forward to, and she wondered what it would be like to have Clark at her side as she did, part of a writing duo that could bring real change to the city.
The last stop that they made was at a crash on one of the river bridges. This time she watched from the floodwall as Clark cleared away the wrecked cars and tended to the injured, under the glare of the assembled media for the first time that night. Even with the eyes of the world on him, Clark didn’t flinch, didn’t shyly tug at his cape or try to hide the tightness of the outfit. If anything, he almost seemed to carry himself with more authority, standing tall amidst the flood of curious people. When the traffic was moving again and the crash sufficiently cleaned up, he returned to her, gathered her up, and took off into the sky again, this time headed west.
As Metropolis faded away behind them, Lois lightly kissed his cheek and told him how proud she was of him, her very own hero. He had the good grace to seem embarrassed, although Lois was acutely aware that the accolades and the adulation made him somewhat uncomfortable, even when they came from her. It was nothing special, he insisted, even though the situation seemed to bizarrely say just the opposite. Here they were, suspended in mid air, traveling faster than the speed of sound, and still he didn’t see himself as anything to get excited over. But rather than try and argue the point with him, Lois simply reminded him that his spandex-covered form was now preserved on tape for all time, torturing the faint of heart and fashion conservatives everywhere, and that surely it took some bravery to have to face that from here on out. She laughed as she seemed to catch him off guard for a moment, but the laughs turned to screams a split second later as they were diving toward the ground, then turning barrel rolls as they shot back into the air. He smiled smugly while she caught her breath and held on for dear life, although she was laughing again soon enough.
It was certainly different flying with him across the countryside, Lois thought as they fell into a steady altitude again and chased the sun westward. She’d been in an airplane before, probably flying over the very same locations that was now, but it wasn’t the same. No crowded coach section, no roar of the jet engines, no screaming babies behind her...not really any sound at all, except for the soft fluttering of Clark’s cape. They had to be several miles in the air, but she wasn’t cold, wasn’t short of breath. It was just her and Clark, alone with the clouds in the thin air, his arms the only thing keeping her from plummeting to Earth, but somehow she felt absolutely safe.
Flying along, he pointed out the landmarks, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, the large cities of the Midwest and some of the smaller ones, too, many of which she’d never heard of before. The green lushness of the east began to fade into gold and brown as they headed west, the towns gradually spacing out, the rolling hills flattening out until there was virtually no topography at all. Finally, as they passed the last of the Ozarks, south and west of Kansas City, they began to descend, coming to a stop several thousand feet above a small town, one that seemed utterly unremarkable in every way. But she thought she knew where they were, all the same.
“This is Smallville,” Clark said, his eyes locked onto the land below. “Kind of a clichéd name, I know, but it’s my hometown.” He pointed out the main features of town, the courthouse and the movie theater and the churches, buildings so small that Lois had a hard time resolving them from their vantage point. Finally, one of his hand loosened its grip on her and pointed out away from town a couple miles, toward a small white house sitting in a green oasis along a lonely stretch of gravel road. “That’s where my folks lived,” he said, his even voice hiding any hurt he felt at saying the words.
“Show me,” Lois said, genuinely interested in seeing this slice of his past. Slowly they drifted toward the house, then past it, finally coming to earth in a small stand of trees well away from humanity, a large, grassy field separating it from the farmstead that had once been Clark’s home.
Clark set her on the ground and sighed, looking toward the house, then quickly away, his had coming up and pinching the bridge of his nose. Something was wrong.
“We don’t have to stay if it’s too painful, I just wanted to see...” Lois said, laying her hand on his shoulder. Clark smiled and shook his head, then took a deep breath before taking a step forward, out of her grasp.
“It’s not that,” he answered, looking back toward the house. “As odd as it sounds, coming back here could never be painful for me.” He shook his head. “Sure, I miss it, and I miss my folks, but I have too many happy memories from this place to be sad.”
Lois regarded him, wondering. There were so many things that made Clark unique, so many little personality quirks that she doubted anyone else possessed. She was sure that, in his place, she would find it hard to come back to a place where she was once happy without feeling twinges of those memories, and feeling a great deal of emptiness knowing that those happy times could never be anymore. But Clark seemed to be more optimistic, seemed to view life from a more positive perspective, and that was part of what she loved about him.
“So what is it? What’s wrong?” Lois asked, still curious about his initial reaction.
He grinned slightly and turned toward her. “I just remembered a dream I had.”
“A dream?” Lois asked. She wandered over to a nearby tree and leaned against its massive trunk. He stayed rooted where he was and crossed his arms over his chest, his cape twisting gently in the slight breeze.
Clark nodded. “From when I was knocked out. I can remember every detail clearly, like it wasn’t a dream so much as an event I actually experienced.” He took one step forward, looked at the farmhouse, then turned back toward Lois. “I dreamt that I came back here, but the place looked like I never left. And my parents were both there, alive, serving up some nice, warm apple pie.” He smiled and looked away again, his eyes distant. “I remembered that I just wanted to stay, to never leave, but they wouldn’t have any of that. They said that I had a destiny to fulfill, that I had to bring hope to the world.”
Lois felt goosebumps rise on her arms as he continued, his voice soft. “Somewhere out there are probably more green rocks that have the ability to knock me out cold, maybe even kill me. But I tell you, that doesn’t scare me half as much as the prospect that I’m going to be some sort of defining symbol of humanity, that I’m going to change the world. Who am I? I’m just some dumb college kid who can fly. I’m nobody to look up to.”
“Sure you are,” Lois answered, drawing his attention. “You went though hell because you wanted to help people. But even though you walked right up to the brink of death, you didn’t let it scare you off. As soon as you could, you were out there again, helping. That’s an example that everyone should look up to, if you ask me.”
“Maybe,” Clark said, looking away. “Anyway, there’s no saying that the dream meant anything. I mean, it felt so real, and it still does, and I can’t help but think that maybe my folks were trying to tell me something. But at the same time, there is no such thing as ESP or psychic ability. It was probably just a figment of my imagination.”
Lois looked at him wide-eyed, suddenly remembering something from that night. “Don’t discount the whole psychic ability thing,” she said after a moment, drawing a startled glance from him. “I know it sounds weird, but when you passed out that night, when I was waiting out in that alley half a block away, I could feel it. There was a stab of incredible pain for just a split second, then it was gone. A couple minutes later, Kevin was coming out the door, and the rest is history.”
He arched his eyebrows, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips. “Could’ve been indigestion,” he said, his smile broadening.
“I have a stomach of steel,” she answered, only partially joking. “And do you even know what it’s like to have indigestion?”
He walked toward her, his hands dropping to his side. “I ate dorm food without the benefit of invulnerability a couple of weeks ago. Trust me, I know.” The twinkle was back in his eyes, offsetting his crooked smile. The seriousness had passed, Lois knew, happy to get back to the witty banter that she loved so much.
“And, see, I knew you knew, because we’re psychically connected,” she answered. “I just wanted to hear you say it.”
“Right,” he answered, putting his had out and leaning against the tree next to her. “So, how about you tell me what I’m thinking now?”
Lois tilted her head and looked at him, trying not to smile. “You’re thinking about how much you want to kiss me,” she said. He brought his hand up under his chin, making a thinking pose, then shrugged and leaned in to her, meeting her lips with his. As he pulled away, she ran her tongue across her lips, savoring the lingering tingle that he always seemed to bring. “And now you’re thinking, enough of the trip down memory lane. Time to show Lois some of the more exciting sights is swinging Kansas.”
“Ha, some psychic you are,” he said, gathering her up in his arms. “As I’m sure you’re aware, there are no exciting sights in Kansas. No, I was thinking, time to whisk Lois away because that guy coming out the house might see something.”
Startled, Lois looked back toward the farm and, sure enough, a man had just stepped onto the porch. As they lifted quickly into the air, she could see the man look back toward where they had just been standing and scratch his head, not sure of what he saw. Lois couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, a part of her thoroughly enjoying this side of being in on his secret, enjoying the private joke that only the two of them could share.
It only took a few seconds before they were landing again, this time on top of what looked like an apartment building, although it was hardly impressive by the standards she was used to. From the roof where they stood, she could see a modestly sized town, and a green patch of grass crisscrossed by sidewalks and surrounded by stately looking buildings in the distance representing the college. “Is this Casa Kent?” she asked, glancing at Clark before heading toward the door that stood in the distance.
“Casa Kent is one of those dorm rooms small enough that you’d need a shoehorn to fit two people in,” he answered, and Lois smiled. “Not that the prospect of being close scares me, but I’m just afraid that if I take you to my humble abode, you might find out some deep, dark secret about me. I don’t know if I could take that.” Behind her, she a wooshing sound could distinctly be heard above her laughter, and as she pulled open the door and turned around to hold it open for Clark, she was startled to see him standing there clad in normal street clothes, glasses and all. It wasn’t surprising, she supposed, considering that they were back in the real world now, just Lois Lane and Clark Kent, out for a good time in a quiet Midwestern town. But every now and then the speed at which he could do things caught her off guard.
“I told Kevin that we’d pick him up when we got into town. The poor guy would sit at home all night and read comic books if we didn’t,” Clark continued, following her in the door and down the stairs. She let him lead the way as they got further into the building, and they continued on in silence until reaching an ordinary looking door in an ordinary looking hallway. The didn’t even need to knock before it was pulled open in front of them, and eager looking Kevin Jones waiting on the other side.
“Hey guys,” he said, quickly exiting the apartment and locking the door behind him. “It’s okay that I tag along, right? I mean, I don’t want to intrude on anything.”
“You’re half of my favorite dynamic duo,” Lois said, returning his eager grin. No, this certainly wasn’t a pity date, she thought, genuinely happy to have him around. After that night in Metropolis, he had become a good friend, too. And good friends needed healthy doses of teasing. “And, might I add, you’re my favorite third wheel.”
“Lois!” Clark said, startled, although Kevin laughed.
“Yeah yeah, I need a date, don’t get me started,” he answered, the trio falling into step as they walked down the hallway. “A double date would certainly be a lot less awkward.” As silence settled over the group, Kevin looked quizzically toward Lois, then smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to have a sister, would you?”
Lois smirked. “As a matter of fact....”
They all laughed for the first of many times that evening, the sound echoing down the stairwell and following them along, never very far away.
