9
After an enjoyable Sunday afternoon family meal, Clark and Lois prepared to say goodbye to Martha/Mary and Jonathan/Joe, and head back to Metropolis to really begin life anew there as a married couple. Lois asked Martha to sit on the front porch with her, while Jonathan and Clark headed out to the barn, one of their favorite places in the world.
"Martha, it's been quite an experience coming here. I still can't believe that I met my twin and everyone else's from the other world, much less that I traveled back in time with the infamous H.G. Wells! Next time we come to visit, let's just have a plain old-fashioned, boring weekend, okay?" Lois said, laughing.
"You got it, honey," Martha responded, her eyes tearing up slightly.
"Martha? What's wrong?"
"Lois… sometimes I miss my son so much. Seeing you with Clark just reminds me of how much we've lost, but also reminds me how much we've regained, as well."
The two women squeezed each other tightly, both of them crying now. Lois began pouring her heart out to her newly acquired mother-in-law.
"I never had a family as warm as this one. My father was hardly ever home, and my mother was constantly accusing him of womanizing and cheating on her. There were lots and lots of arguments – really nasty ones. My mother started drinking, so I practically raised my sister Lucy myself. That was a big responsibility; it made me grow up so fast. It hardened me also. Was your Lois from a family like that?"
Martha reflected on that question, and gathered her thoughts before responding. "My son's Lois was an orphan. Her parents were killed in a tragic car accident when she was ten. She never had a sister Lucy like both of you Loises do. She was riding in the back seat of the car with her parents when the drunk driver came across the guardrail and hit them head-on. She was the only survivor. She lived with her aunt and her cousin from age ten until she graduated from high school in Metropolis. She always felt guilty that if she had been able to give them CPR, or had known some medical techniques, she might have been able to save them. So, in true Lois Lane fashion, she decided to go into nursing school at MU."
Lois took a moment to let this information sink in. "Did you ever tell Clark this? That the Lois in your world lost her parents the same way and at the same age that he was? When those wonderful Kents died," she said, picturing her recent visit with them in her mind, "my poor sweets, he must have been so devastated," her voice becoming softer and more somber. "What a miracle that you and Jonathan are here now. It's probably Herb's finest accomplishment, bringing you here so that we can all be a family, somehow."
"Honey, I have never told Clark much about *my* Clark's Lois, because he already felt bad that you weren't here to share his life. Of course, now that you're together, it doesn't matter. I may tell him more now - if he's interested, that is," Martha replied.
Lois realized she was *very* curious now, wanting to know more about their son and her other-world twin. "Was your Clark a reporter? I'm wondering how he met Lois if they didn't work together," she asked. "I remember *my* Clark telling me that *your* Clark became a hero when he was a teenager, known as Superboy. Tell me about him, Martha. I find this very fascinating."
"*My* Clark started flying when he was 18, just like this world's Clark did. When he went to college, at Metropolis University, the hustle-bustle of the big city held him captive, in contrast with his Smallville childhood - growing up in a small, rather sheltered town. After witnessing one too many accidents, disasters, and bank robberies, he came home from school one weekend, and asked me to make him a costume, so he could help save lives. It happened to be the Columbus Day holiday, so I was in a bit of a patriotic mood when I fashioned it," she admitted. "And I found the 'S' emblem in the rocket ship that we discovered him in. I figured it was some type of family insignia, so I thought it would be appropriate for him to wear it on his suit. I couldn't believe how similar my design was to this world's Superman. So very strange it all is."
"Yes, and my twin fashioned this world's suit after the one *your* twin designed in the other world. Wow! Hey, who named him 'Superboy' - since the other Lois named him 'Superman' in this world as well as her own?
"Well, there's an interesting story behind that," Martha smiled. "Clark always looked young, and even though he was 18, he could have passed for 15. Right after his debut, a little five-year old girl had lost her cat. Clark was flying by and overheard her calling the kitty's name, Tango, (he was an orange tiger), over and over again. Turns out her pet was up in a tree, looking down at her the whole time! Being the soft-hearted person that Clark was, he stopped, got the kitty out of the tree, and surprised the little girl by floating down in front of her holding Tango, who was meowing like crazy.
"The little girl, named Melissa, was *so* excited; she started screaming, 'Mommy! Mommy! A Super Boy just came out of the sky and saved Tango!' Her parents came running out of the house. Clark introduced himself as 'a friend', and flew off. It turns out that the little girl's mother was a local TV newscaster. Melissa just wouldn't stop chattering about the 'Super Boy' that had saved Tango. It ended up being a front-page story with the headline: 'Super Boy saves lives and rescues lost cats too!' I had a copy of that newspaper saved in storage for the longest time. I wonder if it's still in the farmhouse. We left in such a hurry I didn't get a chance to take any personal effects."
"Aw… that's a great story. I bet *my* Clark would have become Superman sooner if he still had his folks around. Lana wasn't supportive of his abilities at all," Lois mused. "Did your Clark date a Lana also?"
"Lois, I really can see why you're a great reporter. So full of questions; so curious all the time. Yes, Lana Lang was his childhood sweetheart. They went to Metropolis University together, and I really thought they would get married someday. He had never told her about his special abilities, though, and she figured out on her own that he was Superboy. She was so angry with him that he had kept his abilities secret from her for so long that she never forgave him. The ironic thing was that *our* Lana was the intrepid journalist, and she was just as mad at herself that she hadn't figured it out sooner."
"Hmm; I guess I would be ticked off too if I had known Clark that long and he didn't feel he could share something that important with me too," Lois reflected. "So what happened to her?"
"Pete Ross kept asking her out, and finally, to spite Clark, she said 'yes'. I was personally so angry with Lana myself that I didn't talk to her for a couple of years!" Martha said with much energy. "She ended up marrying Pete right out of college, and took a job as a TV newscaster in Metropolis. By then, Clark and Lois were an item, and he didn't care anymore.
"Huh. So what exactly *did* your Clark do for work, as a civilian?"
"My Clark was an EMT. He decided that he could best utilize his special gifts if he was present at the scenes of emergencies and disasters. In his own subtle way, he could lend support to the victims. If he was needed as Superman, he would tell his working partner, who knew his secret, and then slip away, changing into his alter-ego. It was quite effective, the arrangement he had. His partner was an old friend of his from Smallville who had figured out who Superboy really was. He protected his secret, and was very trustworthy. You're going to be surprised when I tell you his name," Martha said, with an impish smile. "There are such interesting and subtle differences between the various parallel worlds."
Lois' face bore a horrified look. "No… it can't be… Lex Luthor, right?"
Martha nodded. "Yes, Lex was about 8 years older than Clark; he was like a big brother to him. Lex had visited him one weekend at his dorm at Metropolis U; he had slept overnight in his room. Inadvertently he witnessed Clark change into his Superboy suit and fly out the window. Clark had been a little careless; he thought Lex was still fast asleep. This was early on in his Superboy career, when he was quite impulsive and not as cautious as he should have been.
"Later on, after Clark had graduated from MU and was traveling around the world, Lex finished his PhD in Molecular Biology. Instead of accepting numerous offers to teach at prestigious medical universities, he decided to donate his services to STAR Labs, becoming instead a renowned research scientist. Lex was quite the humanitarian. He didn't need to work, since he came from a wealthy family. Intuitively knowing that Clark's biggest goal in life was to help people, he purchased an ambulance company and offered my son an opportunity to be his co-owner and partner, calling the business 'L & C Ambulance and Emergency Services'. At first, Clark refused the offer, feeling it was too generous. It was at that time that Lex admitted to Clark that he had long ago figured out his true identity. Clark decided that if he was that good of a friend to have known all that time and to have still honored his secret, it followed that Lex was worthy of his unconditional trust. He agreed to the business venture.
"The company was successful largely because of Clark's talents – their slogan was 'L&C Gives You TLC'. Sometimes that 'TLC' involved a personal flight with Superman to the hospital," Martha reflected with sadness in her voice. "Do you want to see their business card? It has their pictures on it. I always keep it in my purse, so I had it with me when Herbert rescued us. It's the only remembrance of my son that I have, sadly."
"Of course I do!" Lois exclaimed. <Wow… I get to see yet *another* Clark. This parallel universe stuff is really amazing!>
Lois' mouth dropped wide open as Martha handed her the card, which included a photo of Clark and his best friend Lex Luthor… who looked *exactly* like Lenny Thorul, not the Lex Luthor of this earth! Same curly red hair, only with a charismatic smile, bereft of evil. A carbon copy older version of the kid she had just interviewed.
"What's the matter, Lois? You looked shocked. Why? Because *our* Clark and *your* Clark could be identical twins?" Martha asked.
"No, no… it's because… your world's Lex Luthor didn't look exactly like the Luthor of *this* world. I guess there *are* some worlds where your counterpart isn't your exact double." <Just a fraternal twin, maybe? Hmm.>
"Well, Clark's always told me how evil this world's Lex was. Our Lex was a great, charitable man who always did the right thing *because* it was the right thing to do," Martha said with sincerity. "I miss him, too. Maybe that's why Clark doesn't want to tell me what happened over there – Lex is probably dead, too."
"<Or he's over here, making my life miserable as Lenny Thorul. No! Stop it! That's *not* possible!> "Wow, Martha. That's quite a testimony to his character. It's so nice to know that there was a good and decent Lex Luthor out there somewhere.
"So, tell me – how did your Clark meet his Lois? Since you say she was a nurse, Clark must have seen her quite frequently in his EMT work. How convenient!"
”They met at the M U. Clark was majoring in agricultural engineering with a minor in biology. Lois, as a nursing major, had to take biology as well. Well, in the beginning, they would simply glance at each other out of the corner of their eyes in the classroom, as if they knew each other. They stared at each other so much that finally, one of the other nursing students introduced the two of them. It was, of course, love at first sight. Lana Lang was soon a thing of the past.
"And *we* -Jon and I - loved her as well. After graduation, she worked hard and moved up the ladder, becoming the Head Nurse in the emergency room at Metropolis General. She was a miracle worker in her profession, and they made an excellent team.
"What terrible irony that they were visiting us in Smallville when those horrid Kryptonians came to town. To save innocent townsfolk from harm, Clark had to reveal he was Superman. Lois was with child; they had come to visit to tell us the good news. Oh, it was *so* ..." Martha was unable to continue, overcome with grief from the recollection.
"Oh, Martha - I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up. It's gotten you too upset." Lois hugged her and they sat quiet for several minutes, both of them digesting the graveness of the horrific world Martha had left behind.
Lois broke the ice first, as usual. "Let me try to make you laugh, Martha, to change the subject. Hmm… do you have any idea what a lousy nurse your *new* daughter-in-law would have been?" she grinned.
Martha looked in Lois' eyes, and said, "I think I know, dear. Right up there with your cooking, huh?" Her face brightened as if a dark cloud had lifted.
"Well, if I hang around with you enough, Martha, some of your culinary expertise has *got* to rub off on me," she joked.
Martha smiled and said, "Not necessarily."
Both women shared a giggle and a moment of camaraderie; as they looked up, Clark and Jonathan were on their way back to the house.
"Guess it's time to go, Ma," Lois said. "You don't mind if I call you that, like Clark does?"
"No honey, I absolutely insist that you do!" Martha responded.
"Then you *have* to call me 'Pa', asserted Jonathan, overhearing the conversation."I won't stand for anything less." He walked over to Martha and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"You got it, 'Pa'! I have to say, it's so sweet to see that you two still enjoy each other's company after all the years you've been together. As I was telling Ma, in my house, my mother was always accusing my father of cheating on her, which it turns out he was, and my mother learned to comfort herself with a bottle of vodka. They still have issues, to this day, even though they're divorced now."
Clark put his arm around his wife and brought her close to him. "Divorce is not a word in the Kent dictionary, honey. Oh, and Ma, I was telling Pa that next time I'm here I'll tell you what's going on in your world. I need to give it some more thought before I do. I haven't even shared it with Lois, because it's still disconcerting to me. I don't want to freak out the both of you," he said rather ominously. "It's that bad."
"We trust you, son – even though we're curious as all hell, we can wait till you think it's the right time to tell us," said Jonathan, with Martha nodding her head in agreement with him.
"Thank you for that – in hindsight, I wish I hadn't gone over there at all," Clark admitted. "Oh well."
"Lois honey - good luck on your first day back to work. Hope everything turns out OK," Martha said.
"Thanks, Ma. It's definitely going to be interesting, I'm sure of that," Lois responded.
Everyone hugged and kissed. It was time to leave and face reality, once again.
"We'll be back real soon, folks," Clark promised, as he lifted Lois in his arms, streaking towards the basement and his 'tunnel' which would take them to the outskirts of town.
"Ok honey. Take good care of each other – I know that you will," Martha called out, realizing that they were already a blur en route back to Metropolis.
~~~~
Back at 344 Clinton St, Lois began fixating on her first day at work, which would begin with a psychological evaluation. Great way to start a Monday – and her first day back at a job in over ten years.
It was also hard for Lois to reconcile that the 15-year old nearly angelic Lenny Thorul was indeed the same person as his 45 year old evil counterpart. She figured he must have crossed over to the dark side after his mother died, since they were so very close. The loss of someone that important in your life can definitely change your perspective on things.
And how bizarre was it that Ma's Lex Luthor was an exact duplicate of this earth's Lenny Thorul? She decided she didn't want to share that information with Clark; at least, not yet. She needed time to process it more fully.
How could she use what she learned about his high school persona to her advantage? He had told her that she was a nice person. Maybe he still had fond memories of that Smallville Press reporter that had written a glowing article about him so many years ago?
"Honey? Hello, you're staring into space," Clark said, floating over to where Lois was sitting on the couch, squeezing in next to her. "Do I *have* to read your mind to get it out of you?" he implored. "What's the matter?"
<"Clark, don't joke about that. We don't want them finding out that we can communicate this way!">
<"Honey, there is no *them*! I told you, I check for bugging devices every single time I come home!">
<"Clark, I know, but you *can't* be too careful here. I'm upset that our new boss is such an evil, twisted, man in contrast to the wonderful kid he was. What could have happened?">
<"Well, I am wondering if he ever tried to figure out if 'M. Kent' from Smallville was related to me, Clark Kent, at all. After all, it is well-known that I'm from Smallville.">
<"Well, since your mother died when you were ten, if he did try to track her down later, he would have discovered that Martha Kent died in a car accident in 1976. Dead end for him.">
<"Maybe we could use a little psychological warfare on him, honey. What if he suddenly received a copy of that letter with a handwritten note from 'M. Kent'? Think that might freak him out?">
<"Sweets, you're a genius! But what if he thinks that she is related to you, like you said? Your mother mentions that she has a 7-year old son in the letter. He'll figure out that it was you. What if he goes to Smallville and discovers Ma and Pa living in the farmhouse? You've gone to such lengths to hide their true identities.">
<"Let's sleep on it, honey. We won't do anything that will jeopardize them, believe me."> Clark picked Lois up and floated them to the bedroom, where Lenny Thorul would be the furthest thing from their minds… at least for a little while.
~~~~~
"Have I made myself clear, Maxwell?"
"Yes, Mr. Thorul. It goes against my professional ethics, however. I do want to go on record in saying that."
"Believe me; I appreciate your integrity, Maxwell. I just don't need you to act on it right now. Understood? Your goal is to ensure that Ms. Lane *never* goes back to work full-time."
"Well, for the money you're paying me to have 'integrity amnesia', what can I say?"
"Yes, the money I've offered you *is* pretty obscene, even for me. I do look forward to reading your report tomorrow afternoon. Good day, Maxwell."
~~~~~
TBC
