Pt 23
Clark meticulously removed all the belts from the Superman suits in his closet, put them in a bag and launched himself from the balcony straight up into the sky above his apartment.
Lois was in bed asleep. He knew that because he could tune in to her dreams. They were about him and he didn’t think it was prudent to be listening to this stuff. Anyway, it was too difficult to keep from joining her in the fantasy. He shut his brain to it and focused on the flight to Smallville.
His parents were still up when he arrived. They’d just cleared off the table and were standing at the sink doing the dishes together.
“Hi Clark!” His parents turned to greet him as he came in the kitchen door.
“Hi, Mom, Dad.”
“What have you got there, Clark?” Martha was wiping off her hands on the dish towel hanging on the cupboard door and coming over to him.
“You know how that yellow kryptonite we put in your root cellar boosts my powers and shields me from green kryptonite?”
They nodded and pulled out chairs at the table. “Yes.”
“Well, I was thinking, what if I were to put some of the yellow kryptonite in each of the belts of my suits. I’d be able to have it with me all the time, just in case I ever ran into green kryptonite.”
“Do you think that’s wise? What if there are side effects to it?” Jonathan didn’t know what to make of this.
“Dad, I should have had some side effects from it by now, but it only acts as the sun around me, with the added counter effect of blocking green kryptonite.”
He nodded at his son but wasn’t convinced. “So it enhances your powers. What if you begin to rely on it doing that?”
“I’ve thought about that Dad. Right now I think it’s important, with someone out there searching for kryptonite to kill or harm me, I’m likely to come into contact with it. I don’t want to have to depend on the yellow stuff, but right now it seems like a really good idea.”
His father nodded. “Okay, so what do you have in mind?”
“Well, I can powder it up and Mom could sew it into the belts.”
Martha exchanged looks with Jonathan. “Anything to keep our boy alive and well, Jonathan.”
He nodded. “Okay, I can see your point. But you be careful about getting hooked on this stuff. You know how the red kryptonite affects you like a drug.”
Clark nodded. “I won’t use it after this threat is gone.”
“Then why do you need it in all your belts?” His father objected, eyeing the pile of belts on the table he’d poured out of the bag.
“Your father’s right, Clark. How about just putting it in two of them for now.”
Clark was getting pretty old to be told what to do by his parents, but he conceded that they might be right. “Okay. Two belts. I’ll go get the kryptonite. The yellow kryptonite.” He corrected himself.
In a flash he had retrieved two small glowing stones from the root cellar and laid them on the table. Jonathan put his hammer beside them.
“I don’t need that, Dad.” Clark picked up one stone and holding it over a clean plate, he crushed it to powder.
Martha pulled out her sewing box and returned to the table with her seam ripper. Carefully cutting the threads that held the top of the belt closed, she held the belt open for Clark to spoon the powder all along its length, then held it while he retrieved the sewing machine and set it up on the kitchen table for her. In a few minutes the two belts were as good as new. No, better.
“Thanks, Mom. I’d better get back now.” He would have liked to have stayed and told them about the changes their Kryptonian marriage ceremony had caused in Lois, how she’d been able to search his brain like an archive of files, how she’d been able to be with him every moment along the way of his rescue, and even more unusual, that she now seemed to be able to read the emotions of others, to know their feelings. It was a power he didn’t posess. Or at least he hadn’t, but now that he too could read Lois’ mind, he could also know the deep feelings of those she focused on. It was something he wanted them all to talk about sometime, but it was not his place to be telling his parents without her being there.
With that, he kissed them goodbye and headed to the root cellar. He collected a few small stones and put them in the bag with his belts and took to the skies.
At home, he put one stone under his bed. That was the only place he’d be vulnerable, there and in the bathroom when he wasn’t wearing the suit. One stone went in the closet under the sink. Now he felt better protected, not that he’d ever had green kryptonite show up in his own apartment before, but he knew his vulnerability and he knew that all someone had to do was knock on the door and open a lead box of green kryptonite and he’d crumple into a pile.
He flew to Lois’ window and dropped into her living room. He listened to her breathing. In a moment he was standing in her bedroom doorway, drawn to her by their marriage bond. She looked so peaceful and lovely. Her mind was an open book to him. He could feel her presence in his mind. She was reading him. He stepped a foot closer. She was reaching for him in her dreams.
No, he had to leave. He turned and went about the job of placing small stones of yellow kryptonite throughout her apartment, concealed from view. The powder in his belt should be sufficient actually, and he didn’t see any reason that he’d be removing his belt while in her apartment, so he really didn’t need to be doing this, but he knew it was the prudent thing to do.
He wanted to lean over and kiss her before leaving, but he knew it wasn’t wise to touch her at all. Not yet. Saturday. They’d booked the small church in Smallville for 2pm and had called Lois’ sister and her parents. Saturday.
He shot out of her window again and soon lay in his own bed. The belts were attached to the suits and hanging in the secret compartment of his closet.
He curled up under his covers and relaxed his mind. Lois was there. Her mind was open, too. He relaxed into her dream. They were holding hands, strolling down a white sandy beach. The sky was dark. Stars dotted the heavens. The breeze was warm and soothing. The waves were large and pounded in the distance, then drew nearer as they clapped beside them. They walked barefoot in the wet sand, letting the water lap their ankles. Their minds were one as they sifted the history of one another’s thoughts and emotions. There was so much to catch up on, so much more to understand. So much more than they had ever imagined they would know about one another.
Clark slept soundly. Lois slept soundly. Their minds were one, in separate apartments several miles apart.
pt 24
Pt 24
Ralph stepped off the elevator and stood overlooking the newsroom. There they were, all those luscious women he’d had his eyes or hands on over the past few months. It was good to work in such a healthy environment. He breathed deeply and sauntered over to his desk, pausing to exchange some lusty words and touches with the lovely brunette who sat nearby. Ah, it was good to be back.
Lois straightened her head and followed her mind to where the intense feelings were coming from. Realizing Ralph was part of it, she tried to block out the incoming emotional flood. She’d been working at this lately. On the drive to work she’d felt everything around her, all the emotions of people on the road. Some had had arguments before leaving home. Others had left without enough to eat. Some had been too weary to struggle to get ready and dash off to the office. Then there were the strong emotions, the cab drivers furious at the other motorists, the impatient drivers who shoved their cars into the smallest cracks to try to get to work or through the next light first.
The range of strong emotions around her was almost overwhelming. She certainly couldn’t drive like that. But Clark had been there in her mind with her.
--Block it all out, Lois. You can do it. Just imagine not being able to feel any of it and it should stop.--
She tried to focus on the road ahead of her jeep where she was still parked, not having dared to start driving in that flood of emotions yet. She concentrated and the feelings faded. But she looked up to see a driver heading down the road past her parked vehicle and his sour emotions flooded through her.
--Block it out, Lois.-- It felt good to have Clark with her. He wouldn’t always be available to talk to her telepathically across town like this would he? He’d have to concentrate and block her out sometimes, too.
--I won’t be blocking you out, Lois.-- Then remembering some of her strong emotions, he added, --well, only when you’re really upset at me…--
She started the ignition and began the treacherous drive to work. Clark heard a cry for help and left his apartment. She heard it, too and wondered what he’d be dealing with today. Then she knew. He hadn’t arrived or even understood what the cry was about, but she knew what it was going to be. There was a domestic fight. The husband had drawn a gun. Clark reacted to her information and swooped in to remove the gun and tie up the man before he had a chance to pull the trigger. He didn’t stop until he arrived at the precinct. The woman left standing in her apartment was stunned and looked around in fear, imagining that her husband had moved out of view.
Lois drew her attention back from the woman and to the road in front of her. She tried to ignore the emotions of those around her as traffic thickened. When she’d stop at a red light, she’d let a touch of the emotional flood in, but then she’d shut it off so she could drive.
Then up ahead, out of sight, she knew there was about to be an accident. Clark read her and was there before the vehicles hit one another. She still couldn’t see the scene as the flow of traffic had now slowed to a crawl. But in her mind she could see what Clark was seeing and digesting.
As the traffic pulled away again she was listening to Clark. --Thanks Lois. How did you do that?--
--You’re asking me? I’m trying to drive, you search for the information yourself!--
She felt him smile and focused on the traffic again. This was certainly a new twist in her life. She seemed to be able to read every emotion around her. It was looking like she could even tell the future. She mulled it all over as she drove, feeling Clark listening to her mulling and looking through her mind’s data banks.
He got called away to an accident on the other side of town. It was hard not to listen to the emotions around her and in Clark’s presence. If she let it, the amount of feelings would completely shut her down. She had to get good at sorting them out so she could just focus on one thing at a time, one person’s emotions at a time. --How do you do it with your hearing? You don’t have to hear ever little mouse movement, everyone talking, every sound from the building, all the people walking and shuffling papers…?--
--I don’t know. Feel free to look into it though. I just do it.-- She scanned in his brain, willing the answer to come and it did. She instantly knew how to apply the brakes to her superpowered emotion receptors.
She continued driving into the downtown area where the Daily Planet was located. Her cell phone rang and she pulled over by the curb to answer it. Rummaging for it in her purse, her head was down out of sight.
A police officer pulled up and parked behind her, flipped open his ticket pad and stepped out, writing down her license plate. The movement in her side mirror startled her as the officer came around to the side of her car. “May I have your lisence please, Ma’am?”
“What?” Lois demanded, confused at why an officer was asking for her lisence.
He pointed up to the sign on the curb, NO stopping between 7 & 9 am.
She swore under her breath and pulled out her wallet and lisence. Raw emotion was flooding through her. Clark’s voice was in her ear.
--Just keep calm, it’s okay, Lois. Please don’t yell in my head!--
She had to stifle a laugh. He was such a twit! “So how much is this going to cost me?” She addressed the officer who was studying her license as he filled out the yellow ticket.
“Ma’am, not only is this a no stopping zone, there’s a fire hydrant here and a fire lane sign as well. I hope you make a nice salary!”
“What?” Her voice had risen to it maximum decibel range. “I just pulled off the road to answer my phone. I wasn’t staying here. I didn’t leave the car. I was HELPING the flow of traffic by getting out of the way.”
“If you choose to use a cell phone, it’s your decision. I’m sure you realize that your actions have consequences.”
She roared obscenely at him, snatched the ticket as he handed it to her and put the vehicle into drive, barely slowing to let the car on the road pass before she pulled back into traffic.
“Jerk.” She muttered. --Rotten, no good, lousy cop. Doesn’t he have something important to do, like find murderers, clean up the streets in Hobbs Bay? What the heck is he doing giving me a ticket? I was off the road so I didn’t tie up traffic, so I didn’t cause an accident. I’m the responsible one here. Why doesn’t he go catch that creep that keeps weaving in and out of traffic?--
--Lois, calm down and think. Just calm down and drive even!--
--Clark! You didn’t just get a ticket. Did you see him? He was such a jerk. He had NO RIGHT to give me a ticket.--
--LOIS. Calm down. This is my head you’re yelling in. Please. Jimmy’s trying to discuss something with me.--
--Then just block me out!--
--No. I won’t do that Lois, I love you.--
Clark was busy. He’d asked Jimmy to run a search for those little guys who’d been working for Lex Luther on his ‘personal’ projects. Perhaps he was behind the kryptonite dig in Smallville. Who was in jail with Luther that he might be able to work around his fingers. Who was still on the outside that dealt with him?
Jimmy had just brought the list and they were going over it together. A few names stood out. Mark Carpenter had been in and out of jail and had been linked to Lex Corp in the past, but nothing had been found to hold him: that solid evidence that Lex was so good at avoiding. What about those people who had been doing surveillance on Lois’ apartment?
Were they linked to Luther? What about Willoughby? Henderson had booked him and Deborah. What were their full names? Did they have ties to Luther?
Ralph walked into the newsroom, looked around for Lois and headed over to her desk, a National Inquisitor under his arm. Passing her desk slowly, he dropped the rag onto her desk and kept walking. Clark looked up from where he was standing with Jimmy going over the details.
Lois’ words thundered in his head. She wasn’t listening to him. But she was Lois, what did he expect. He instinctively braced himself for the tirade that would soon come. This may be a rotten day about to happen in the newsroom. He stepped over to remove the printed trash from her desk and dropped it in his garbage, not bothering to look at it. He didn’t want that stuff in his head for her to see.
This joining of the minds was going to take awhile to get used to. He guessed marriage was like that in any form. Kryptonian marriage certainly appeared to be a lot different than earth marriages. This was definitely different.
Clark felt Lois’ pain as she drove the rest of the way to the Planet. She felt she’d been doing the altruistic thing, but she’d been punished for doing it. It was unfair. Clark knew well how few times in life that good was rewarded. In his line of work, he saw the bad guys hurt the good guys all the time. Justice was hardly ever meted out, unless he could pull a few strings. The laws seemed to all be protecting the bad guys. Lex Luther’s life was a testimony to that. By rights he should have been in jail or executed years ago.
Lois listened as Clark’s thoughts filled her head. She was hurt. It was pretty hidden beneath her anger, but she was angry because he’d been treated unfairly. She tried to focus on her pain, instead of her anger. Pain was harder to deal with than anger.
She felt Clark’s mind surround hers with comfort. It was soothing. She tried to let go of the anger. It was hard, but as she felt Clark’s love and his compassion, the anger slipped from her fingers. The feelings of those driving and walking around her came back into focus. Feeling grateful to Clark for his help in her moment of chaos, she focused again on what was happening on the road ahead.
It was nice to feel Clark’s presence with her all the time. As she parked the car in the parking garage, noticing the various characters she had to walk past on her way to the elevator, she felt very secure that she was safer than she’d ever been, even though she knew she could take care of herself. Well, mostly anyhow.
The elevator doors opened and Lois Lane, dressed in her brown business suit stepped onto the platform. She stood for a moment, the power of the emotions in the room forceful enough that she needed to stop and take it all in before she could head to her desk.
Ralph was sneering, radiating all sorts of unpleasant vibes. A few reporters were arguing over the slant a story should be taking. Betty from research was offering a stack of papers to Tony who was irritated that she’d not given him the information yesterday. She felt Clark. His vibes were different from all the rest. She always felt Clark now, though. But being in his presence was different than other times. It was the same in her head, but the feeling in the room was affected by the goodness that radiated from him, by his calmness, by his upstanding honesty. However upstanding honesty affected the vibes in the room, she didn’t have a clue, but she could see it, she knew it was figuring into the equation in the room. Jimmy was being affected by it as he spoke to Clark, his back to Lois. He and Clark were good friends. There was a link there she could feel.
Perry sat in his office alone, his legs up on his desk, a cup of coffee in his hands and Elvis music on in the background. She could hear his voice as he sang along contentedly. How was that affecting the rest of the newsroom?
She’d never realized how much one person can affect the mood in a room. She walked over to her desk and dropped her satchel on the floor beside her coat rack. Then leaned over and pushed the power button on her system. She walked over to the beverage stand to retrieve her mug and fill it with coffee. Black for today.
She wandered over to Clark. Holding her mug out of the way, she leaned over and met his lips in a quick kiss. He waited until their lips parted to put his arm around her. The electrical circuit wasn’t so bad if their bodies only touched in one place. The hand around her waist caused her hip to touch his though, so she removed his arm and held his hand instead. There didn’t seem to be any of that circuit happening when she did that. Much better. Their eyes met.
What they saw was different than what they’d seen 24 hours ago. The amount they ‘d learned about each other just by wandering in each others minds was staggering. There was still a lot to learn, but so many things had been resolved, so much understanding had been achieved. But life happened so fast. Reactions happened instantaneously, and they changed continually as did the kaleidoscope of events surrounded them.
Living in a hectic city and working at a demanding job where they had to each interact with many people in a day elicited many reactions. Then on top of those outer reactions, there were the inner ones: the reactions to failure and to success.
Lois had watched as Clark had launched into a guilt obsession earlier this morning following an accident he hadn’t stopped. With Lois watching him from within his mind, he looked at things differently. He didn’t see them in the same flawed way he usually did. They were purified, as if they’d been melted by the view of someone else. It was interesting. They’d both thought it over together at the time.
Now the same thing had just happened to Lois. She’d seen her reactions to the officer through Clark’s eyes. It was definitely different from having him talk to her about her reactions. Having him in there, experiencing her reactions with every shred of reason behind it, was a liberating experience. She didn’t feel alone with her thoughts anymore. It was sort of a protection, a security. She couldn’t describe it.
She squeezed Clark’s hand, then headed over to her desk. She dropped into her seat and looked at the flashing light on her phone, alerting her to waiting messages.
