I was working on a challenge yesterday, when this idea popped out. So I mulled over it for a little while and pulled out the keyboard. This is set where Lois still pines for Superman and doens't know his true identity, but is good friends with Clark. Season 2? Boy is she up to no good!
Superman meets Superwoman Pt 1
By Nancy V. Sont
Superman swooped down and grabbed Lois before the truck that was barreling towards her struck.
“Who’s trying to kill you, Lois?” Superman asked as he flew her away from the scene and toward her apartment. The storm that had been threatening, opened up on them, but not before a shot of lightning and a roar of thunder simultaneously enveloped them. The light was blinding. Lois put her hand to her eyes in defense, wondering if being struck by lightning in a cloud would be fatal. However she was within Superman’s aura, wasn’t she, and anyway they weren’t grounded.
He shot upward through the cloud cover to protect her, wondering if she’d be okay. He had been struck by lightning before but not with a passenger.
“Are you alright?”
She nodded. “Sure was bright, and loud!”
“Twas a dark and stormy night…” Superman muttered softly.
Lois heard him and smiled, remembering her days in school when they were taught never to begin a story with that line. But why was Superman saying it? Oh well. He’d done a fair bit of reading in his time, she figured.
“Do you like reading mystery stories, Superman?”
He looked at her, his warm eyes meeting hers with that familiar aloofness. “Sometimes. I always liked trying to find out ‘whodunit’.”
This was a part of Superman that Lois hadn’t ever met before. He never ever spoke of his past on Krypton. It was almost as if he’d sprung into existence the day he’d arrived in Metropolis.
“So did you have any idea who was driving that truck?”
“Sort of. I think it’s one of the thugs who’s working for Blanche. They’re trying to keep things quiet and I guess I got too close to what they’re up to.”
“What are they up to, Lois?”
“They’ve got a warehouse down by the wharf full of contraband. I’ve been trying to get to their records to see who they bought it from and where they’re selling it. I think their office is in Lex Towers, but I’m not sure which office, yet.”
“Please be careful, I can’t be everywhere and you seem to need more than your fair share of rescuing these days.”
“Thanks for caring, Superman, but I can take care of myself.”
“Sure, Lois. Like the way you were taking care of that truck?” Superman flew through her living room window which she’d left ajar as she always did, just in case her favorite superhero decided to pay her a visit.
He let her down to the floor, but before he could fly away, she stood up and touched his chest with both hands. “Superman?”
”Yes?”
“Have you ever thought about being in a relationship with someone on earth? An earth woman I mean?”
Superman shifted uncomfortably. If only she knew! Pulling himself up into his most distant pose, he regarded her gentle expression. “Lois, I don’t think it would ever work for me, not with an earth woman. It would be too dangerous to get close to someone who is vulnerable.”
Lois’ face registered her disappointment, which didn’t slip past Superman. It wasn’t the answer she’d been hoping to hear.
“Goodnight, Lois. Try to stay out of trouble. Take Clark with you when you go searching for those records next time, okay?”
“Clark’s not always available,” she muttered to herself.
He nodded and turned to the window then shot up into the noisy, wet, sky as a flash of lightning illuminated the cloud cover and the buildings beneath it.
Lois sighed and turned toward the bathroom to get out of her wet clothes. Thank goodness for Superman. He sure had come in handy tonight. She’d been startled by the driver who sped up when she stepped into the practically empty road near the wharf.
In the bathroom, as she was pulling her shirt off over her head, she heard it rip. Drat. That was a nice top. Not only was it ripped at the hem where she’d expected it, but the entire side seam had given way. Good grief!
She absently put her hand behind the shower curtain to turn on the water while she continued to undress. When she reached in to test the water, it felt fine. She stepped in, enjoying the feel of the hot water on her shoulders and back. Steam rose around her, quickly filling the room with fog. She pulled back the curtain a bit to peek. Sure enough, the fan was on. Wasn’t it working? There’d never been so much steam in the bathroom before.
She ignored the problem, letting the water run down over her face. She thought of Superman and what he’d said. He’d almost come right out and said there was no hope for her with him. Wouldn’t it be neat if she weren’t an earth woman? Maybe he’d have eyes for her, then!
She heard a noise in the next room and looked at the wall, trying to know who was in there. Suddenly the wall disappeared and she could see Superman standing in her living room. She grabbed a towel, thinking something had happened to the wall, but when she looked back again the wall was right where it should have been.
As she stepped out of the shower into the steamy bathroom, she felt a piece of plastic on the bottom of her foot. Upon retrieving it, she realized it was a piece of cellophane she’d wrapped a piece of soap in. She’d brought the soap from her overnight bag to the bathroom earlier and the cellophane must have been stuck on the soap. As she looked at the plastic wrap closely, she saw that it was all melted out of shape. Had the shower been that hot? The soap bar on the floor of the shower stall had been reduced to a small blob. The water hadn’t felt hot. Maybe that’s why there was so much steam in the bathroom. Her body didn’t look red, though.
She quickly dried off and put on her robe which hung on the back of the door before going out to see why Superman had stopped in to see her again.
He was standing in the living room looking embarrassed. Perhaps he’d heard her in the shower. Oh my gosh, he wouldn’t have looked at her in the shower would he? Couldn’t he see through walls? Yes, of course he could. Her experience with the wall a moment ago was puzzling but she didn’t have time to think about that now.
“Hi Superman. What brings back?”
Superman held out a notebook to Lois. “I’m sorry to disturb you like this. I found this notebook at the spot where the truck almost hit you. I thought you’d want it back.”
“Oh, thank you, Superman, you didn’t have to do that.” She loved having him in her apartment, if only he’d stay for awhile. “Would you like a cup of tea or coffee? I don’t know what you drink. Cream soda or water?” What did people drink on Krypton?
Superman didn’t move, but smiled slightly. “Thanks, Lois. No. I’d better get back to my patrols. Goodnight.”
With a nod of his head, he was gone. Drat! Lois dashed to the window to look up after him. She strained to see up higher above the building he’d just flown past. No, he was gone. When she turned around, she realized she was floating a foot above the floor. She landed with the sound of smashing. The vase that had held a few fresh flowers was now a mass of sharp shards of broken glass. She inspected her legs and foot as she stood up. That was strange. She picked up a piece of the glass. The edges were definitely sharp. They’d cut her bathrobe. Boy, that was lucky!
She headed to the kitchen to get the broom and dustpan, stepping on a sharp piece as she walked. For sure she’d cut herself now. But no. This was quite uncanny. She picked up a piece of glass and tapped the end of it with her fingertip. Still no blood. Curious now if she was missing something, first with the melted plastic in the shower stall, then with seeing Superman through the wall, and now with not being cut. Could she? No, it was crazy. Wait though, she’d been floating! Oh my goodness!
Lois willed herself to float again, then to clean up the glass as fast as she could. “Oh my goodness!” She sank down onto the couch. She had superpowers! But how? That was incredible! No. She must be dreaming. She pinched herself. It didn’t hurt. Well, that settled it, she was definitely asleep.
She headed back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed. When she realized she’d not shaved her legs, she took out a razor and some shaving cream and sat on the toilet seat. Usually shaving was a breeze, but not this time. She couldn’t get the razor to cut anything! In fact, it was bent. Nope, this wasn’t a dream, she was invulnerable.
It was about that time when she heard noises. They’d been there all the time, but she began to focus on them. She padded into the bedroom and lay on her comforter thinking. She could hear the traffic throughout the city, the streets nearby, as well as the distant expressways. They weren’t close-by at all! The more she tuned in, the more she could hear. Was this what it was like to be Superman? She could hear conversations in the next apartment. In fact, she could see through the walls at the people having those conversations. She looked outside, through the wall and searched for Superman beyond the buildings that would have obscured her view normally.
A smile spread across her face as she contemplated the turn her life had just taken. Superman didn’t think he could have a relationship with an earth woman. But what about a woman from Krypton? Now there was an idea, an idea that needed a well thought out plan in fact.
