TO WAKE FROM DREAMS
PART 14
“Clark,” she cut in. “Have you even *looked* at Hamilton’s notes about all of this?”
Not looking exactly at her, he shook his head. Taking it all in.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” she said. “Didn’t your parents tell you that?” she said, knowingly.
He smiled. “But do you think anyone will believe it?”
“They’ll believe Superman.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Chief, you wanted to see me?”
Perry looked up as Jimmy walked into the room.
“Yeah, uh, sit down, son,” he said. “There’s something I’ve been putting off for a long time. And I wanted to talk about it with you, first,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets and walking around to the front of the desk.
“What is it?” Jimmy asked.
“The Planet party. We’ve held it off for too long now. I think we need to just get it over with. It won’t be quite the celebration it would have been back… well, it won’t be a happy celebration or anything. But we are still a paper. We can’t forget it. And we can’t let everyone that works here forget that either. The Planet is more than just paper and ink. We have to honor what it stands for. Clark. He represented what it’s all about. This paper is good and it’s pure, driven by integrity and ethics and hard work, passion and commitment. And boy was that him all over. Lois, too. And you, too, Jimmy. We have to have this party before everyone here forgets why we’re here and what it means. I’d like to do it tomorrow.”
With tears in his eyes, Jimmy nodded at his boss, in complete agreement.
It was high time everyone stopped ignoring what had happened and did something to celebrate life. And honor the man that had given his up.
He stood up. “I’ll talk to Ralph, Chief. We’ll get this going. I think it’s a great idea,” he said.
Jimmy looked at his watch. “It’s, uh… it’s six, Chief. Are you having dinner with Alice again tonight?” he asked, breaking the moment that had fallen over the two men, and trying to regain some composure.
He was curious to know, also, if Perry was still keen on this new idea he had of going home and seeing his wife whenever he could. He had said that something he had learned from Clark’s early departure from this life was to make the most of his own.
“You only live once, right?” Perry asked, trying to snap out of the mood he had just been in as well.
“Yeah,” Jimmy said.
“Why don’t you come, too.”
Jimmy smiled. “As soon as I let Ralph know that the party is on.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They hadn’t wanted to make a big deal about his return, but when the invitation had come to her apartment, she’d known that there was only one way, given the situation, for Clark to rightly return to his life.
And that was in the ultimate way. At the very party that was honoring the paper… and him.
And so, for the first time in over a month and a half, the team of Lane and Kent – once dubbed the hottest team in town – walked through the doors of the Daily Planet together, a world of tomorrows ahead of them.
Lois looked up at him in awe. She had never thought she would have the honor of being inside the Daily Planet with her partner again. The last time she had been there, when she’d thought about that fact, it had torn her up. She had realized that she’d never appreciated the luxury of just having him there, healthy and whole, every day. To work with. And to just be with. As friends.
But here he was… dressed as Superman, but even so. He was there. With her.
Looking down at her with a kind of sparkle in his eyes.
“You look beautiful,” he said, quietly, obviously not wanting to be overheard, since he was dressed as his alter ego. “I love you in that color. Any color really. But this one… it brings out your eyes. And you just… you look amazing,” he said, looking down, smiling.
She felt her cheeks burning at his compliments and smiled up at him.
“Well, you look like you always do in the suit,” she joked. “I’ll return the compliments later, I promise,” she said, smiling.
She had seen him in his dress suit when he had gone to pick her up and he had looked – she closed her eyes, the image of him filling her mind, making her breathing quicken a bit – absolutely gorgeous. At the sight of him, she wondered for the millionth time what had been wrong with her that she had never noticed *how* gorgeous he was before all of this had started.
She had always been incredibly attracted to him. But looking at him now, in the Superman suit, she knew he was so much more gorgeous in his own clothes, whether it be a tux or a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. With his hair falling loosely where it wanted to, and with his glasses sitting innocently on his face. He was so boyishly handsome, yet utterly, staggeringly sexy. She couldn’t believe that she had preferred the alter ego for so long.
But she’d forgiven herself already for that blindness. And he’d forgiven her, in a way, saying there was nothing to forgive.
And they’d moved on.
“Okay,” he said, breaking through her musings. “You go upstairs first, and I’ll be up in a moment."
“I can’t believe I’m nervous about heading into the newsroom at the Daily Planet,” she said, her musings heading in a whole new direction. “I mean, I know Perry will give me my job back in a heartbeat. But I just feel so awful the way I went away and worried him and Jimmy. They’ll probably never want to get close to me personally again.”
“You’ll feel better once you’ve talked to them about everything. You’ll be great, don’t worry,” he said, reassuringly. “Now, back to the plan.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The party was nice.
As Perry looked around at the faces of his many employees, he knew it was missing *something*, though.
It wasn’t that the party wasn’t a huge celebration. He had known that would be the case, due to the recent circumstances. He’d been prepared for an overall subdued get-together.
He realized it, as he looked at the people all around him, though. The party – and the paper – was missing its heart and soul.
There were no two reporters that Perry knew – save Jimmy, who wasn’t actually a reporter – better than Lois and Clark. He’d known what they were like at work and personally. He’d known their likes and dislikes, their quirks and idiosyncrasies, their writing styles, their strengths and their shortcomings. He had loved them both so much for everything that made them who they were.
He didn’t know anyone at the paper that way now. Not anymore. He felt as if he were standing in a room full of strangers.
He knew the names of everyone that he laid eyes on. But he didn’t know their story. What drove them. What drove them nuts. He didn’t know what kind of person Jim Murray really was. Or what Lisha Mayer did when she left at five-thirty every day. All he knew was what they turned in.
Stories. Stories that he assigned.
And there was nothing in those stories that spoke to him about the person writing them.
And he didn’t care, more importantly. He was not in the business of making friends. Especially if he was to have the respect a boss ought to have.
With Lois, Jimmy and eventually Clark – those friendships had just happened. Naturally.
The paper he had molded and shaped had had a heart and soul driving it for a long time. A core team that cared as much as he did about it. Core friendships that lit it up and made it amazing. He had people that he cared about so deeply, who cared about him so deeply… and that made everything – the long hours and crazy cases, the solid walls that stood in the way of truth and justice – completely worth it. Bearable.
He took a sip of his champagne, counting the minutes until this party was over – this reminder, yet again, of all that had changed and gone wrong recently – and he could go home. Forget about it all. Ignore it.
“Perry?”
He knew that voice. And it actually sounded the way it had once before. The way it used to…
He turned around and he saw her standing there. Looking stunning…
“Finally,” he thought to himself… she no longer looked broken.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Words were not needed to convey their feelings and in a heartbeat, after a heartfelt exchange of the eyes, she was in his arms, not wanting to let go.
She began to cry… happily. Hugging Perry, she realized how much she had missed him. Missed the Planet.
He was like a father to her. Her own father was fine and even unique, and she was grateful to him because she was the woman she was because of the way he had been.
But Perry…
She reached a hand up to her face to wipe away the tears, not loosening her hold on him even a little.
Perry was as good as it got. The most inspiring boss and colleague. A moving and caring mentor. And a solid and unwavering friend. True. Genuine. Compassionate.
And he loved her like a daughter. She had always known that.
“Perry, I am so sorry!” she cried.
“No, Lois. No,” he said.
Holding her arms firmly and strongly in his hands, he pulled back and studied her intently.
“Lois… you look… well, you look… just about…”
“Happy?” she asked, laughing, her eyes shining with both happiness and moistness.
“To say the least,” he said.
“Perry… I know I apologized the other day to you for disappearing and for worrying you. But it wasn’t enough. You care about me more than most people in this world. And you’ll never know how much that means to me. I never meant to hurt you or run like that. I had no idea I would react like that to everything.”
“You loved him,” Perry said gently.
“How did you know?”
She hadn’t admitted it to anyone – even herself! – before Clark’s seeming death. And Clark had never been aware of her feelings until she had told him. Laughter cut through her thoughts and she looked at Perry. Perry… he was laughing!
“Lois, I knew you loved him all along. I knew it long before you were engaged to Lex. So I knew it *long* before– “
“Well why didn’t you *tell* me?” she joked, cutting him off before he could utter the horrible words that were no longer even true.
He smiled, the laughter subsiding.
“Oh, I wish he had known it. And I wish more than you can ever imagine that you two had gotten your chance,” he said, shaking his head.
“Well, Perry – “
“Lois!”
Lois turned to see Jimmy running toward her, a big smile on his face. She immediately stepped forward into a hug with him, holding him tightly.
“You are a sight for sore eyes,” he said, sounding a little choked up.
“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing!” she said.
Finally he pulled back and looked at her.
“Lois, I’ve looked everywhere for you! Where have you been?” he asked.
“Hiding. From the world. And Jimmy… I know I worried you and that I should have let the both of you in. I am so sorry for that. On top of what you were already going through, you had me to worry about. I really… I am so sorry for that,” she said, looking down.
“Lois, we just wanted to be there for you. To know you were alright. You’re like family to me! And Clark… I know he was your best friend. We all loved him, but no one was closer to him than you…” Jimmy trailed off.
“I appreciate that you understand, Jimmy. But I apologize all the same,” she said softly.
“There’s no reason for that. I’m just glad to see you!” he said, smiling ear-to-ear.
She wiped a tear that traced a path down her cheek. “I am so glad to see you both!”
She looked at the faces of her two loving friends, smiling at her. She felt she didn’t deserve it. She had run from them when they had been such caring friends, trying to reach out. She had regressed back to being the Lois Lane that didn’t need anyone and wouldn’t let anyone get close or help her. And in doing that, she had deserted them. But looking at them, she could see that they not only understood, but they didn’t care about it at all. They just cared about this moment. Being together again. She promised herself, silently and solemnly, that in the future, no matter what, she would never shut them out like that again. No matter what.
“I have some news,” she said, after a warm moment shared with these friends. “What would you say if I told you that everything could be perfect again?”
“I’d say that it *is* looking better now that you’re here… but that it could never be perfect. I mean, it couldn’t be like it was before, anyway,” Jimmy said. “Not after…” he trailed off, nodding his head suggestively to imply the meaning of his unspoken words.
“Lois what are you talking about? Are you… are you coming back?” Perry asked.
“Well, yes, that… if you’ll have me,” she amended.
“Oh, honey, you know you don’t have to ask!” he said, unable to hide his joy.
Lois smiled brightly. “I was hoping you’d say that! I just… I have one request. One condition,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“I want my partner back, too,” she said.
Perry and Jimmy exchanged worried glances, clearly thinking that Lois had lost touch with all sense of reality.
“Uh, Lois, honey… Clark’s – “
“ – right here.”
Three heads turned to see what they had all once believed to be a vision they had never thought they’d see again.
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