Hearts United
part 3
by Pam Jernigan

****

"Okay, that should work," Francine was finally able to tell the set director. He had had his own notions about what should go where, and those notions clashed with her own. It hadn't been easy to come to an agreement -- although, she thought with a mental smirk, it had gotten easier after she'd reminded him that she was the one paying the bills.

She brought the mail in from the front box, and sat down to sort through it. A few of them could get shuffled right on over to Brenda's desk, as she was, among other things, the casting director. And a few could be tossed into the trash. The rest, she had to deal with. Bills and invoices, mostly.

Running a theater was a far more complicated proposition than being a dancer had ever been. And, to add insult to injury, she was actually making less money now -- she and Brenda both wanted to invest as much as they could into creating a successful showplace. It was hard work, but, to her own surprise, it was work that she loved.

Although paying the bills was not her most favorite activity. Her mind tended to wander, and after only a minimal struggle to concentrate, she leaned back in her chair. It was like Lois said, earlier -- things had changed a lot in the past few months.

Next time her ex-husband paid one of his rare visits, she'd greatly enjoy telling him off. She'd confronted and beat up alien bad guys. Harry was nothing, compared to that -- and he couldn't even claim that he'd gotten her this job and therefore she owed him. She'd have to warn Brenda not to fall for any of the bastard's tricks or sob stories. He'd manipulated her for the last time, thanks to Kal.

In fact, now that she was free of Harry and Johnny, and standing on her own two feet, maybe it was time to think about having a *good* relationship for a change. Not that she knew many candidates; the only one that came to mind was Bill. She'd always thought there was a spark between them, but neither one of them had ever acted on it. Still, if she happened to run into him again... she knew she was reasonably attractive, and last she'd heard he wasn't involved with anyone... well, who knew what could happen?

She smiled a bit, remembering how Kal and Lois had looked, this morning. Totally in love, and showing it more than they probably thought they were. Lois deserved to be happy, though... and she was forced to admit that Kal was a decent guy. Always had been, really, even when he'd been just another of the Metro Club patrons, though she would never have said so. Finding out that he was an alien had been... well, shocking. Enough of a surprise for even a cynic like her to look at him through new eyes.

And then this morning, they'd surprised her again. Kal could fly? And who knew what else he could do; she was dead certain Lois hadn't told them everything. But hey, a girl had a right to a few secrets. Besides, Brenda would get Lois to 'fess up to everything, sooner or later.

Brenda, in fact, had pretty much already decided that Kal was Superman come to life. Francine felt that was stretching things, but supposed it wasn't impossible. She certainly wouldn't mind seeing Kal in skin-tight spandex.

That mental image made her smile, and then provoked a question. If Kal wanted to play Superman, he'd need a costume -- something high-quality, but which couldn't be traced back to any costume shop or tailor.

It was a good thing for them that she was a pretty darned good seamstress.

She laughed at herself for that grandiose thought, and shook herself back to reality. Time to get back to work and pay some bills.

****

Lois mechanically processed what little information the Colonel had on Lex Luthor, jotting down a few notes, but her heart wasn't in it. When she'd first heard about the asteroid, she had thanked God for sending Kal to them. But then, upon reflection, she wasn't so sure what Kal could do. He didn't even have a ship to use.

He certainly seemed very cool and collected. His mental echo was a touch more uncertain, but not by much. He turned his head to catch her looking at him, and smiled. She needed to talk to him.

"Thank you, sir," she told Colonel White, as he seemed to run out of steam. Apparently, his heart hadn't really been in it, either. She stood, and Kal followed suit. "Um... we'll be in touch." She managed a ghost of a smile. "Probably not before next week, though."

"Ah, it's not that bad, I'm sure," he replied, managing half a smile.

They all shook hands goodbye, and then Lois reached for Kal's hand again. Their bond worked better when they were touching, and she needed the reassurance.

****

The drive back to Lois's apartment was very different from the earlier one. Then, they'd been laughing and joking. This time, they were silent, and Lois seemed lost in thought.

"Don't worry, Lois," Kal said again, feeling her anxiety.

"I'm not worried," she snapped at him.

He considered contradicting her, then decided to let it slide. It was more important to lessen her worry than to badger her into admitting to it. "I can take care of this all by myself, you know."

"Oh, really?" She scowled at him. If she'd been standing, he thought, she'd have crossed her arms. "Just going to fly on out there, in vacuum, and knock it out of the sky?"

"Something like that, yes." He'd been considering the best approach to the problem.

"Kal, be reasonable. You don't know what you can do out there. Yeah, I know you've gone all over space and all that, but that was in a *ship,* ya know? It makes a difference."

"Yes, Lois, it makes a difference, but think about it. I'm invulnerable -- the lack of pressure won't be an issue. I'll have to see how long I can hold my breath -- I've never had occasion to check, before -- but there are such things as air tanks."

"It's still too risky, Kal." Her scowl faded, and her worry shaded toward outright fear. "Anything could happen."

"Shey-ana, it's more risky if I *don't* go." They parked behind her apartment building and just sat there for a moment. "You heard Colonel White. They haven't got any idea what they're going to do, if they can even do anything..."

"They're working on it, Kal. Give them a chance, okay?" She looked across the front seat at him, silently urging him not to leave her.

He sighed, hating the thought of distressing her. "Okay. We'll give them a day... but Lois, that thing is getting closer every minute."

"It's just..." She faltered, reaching for his hand. "You've hardly even gotten here."

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "After all the work I put in to come be with you, there's no way I'm going to let some space rock wreck everything."

She looked at him again for a long moment, then took a deep breath. She brightened somewhat, to both his inner and outer sight, and managed a smile. "Okay, let's go in."

****

As they entered her apartment, a thought occurred to Lois. "You know, I should really get you a duplicate set of keys."

He tilted his head, considering that, then smiled. "Either that, or always leave a window unlocked."

"Yeah, that could work, too." Dwelling on the mundane was comforting, somehow. "The first thing we should do, though, is to get you a new identity. Do you think your guy in West River is still there?" As the plans formed in her head, her speech speeded up, giving Kal no chance to answer. "Would he be open now? Could I come with you, or should you go alone? Because I think that's got to be our very first priority -- to get you legal standing, I mean, even if it's done illegally." That thought still made her a trifle uncomfortable, but it was necessary, so they would do it. "I was thinking of what name to use, this morning, but I didn't--"

"Actually," Kal interrupted, "I liked the one you gave me."

"Huh?"

"Kal Ellison," he elaborated. He looked at her with a warm smile. "If I understand the naming conventions properly, that means 'son of El.'

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that." She pondered briefly. "Well, that's not it exactly, but yeah, that's the idea. We could certainly use it that way. That's a nice idea."

"Yes, it is," he replied solemnly. "Thank you for coming up with it."

That drew a smile out of her. "I think it was mutual."

He shrugged, not disputing the point. "So, do we like that name?"

"Well, let's see..." She tested how it sounded when said aloud. "Kal and Lois Ellison. Lois Lane Ellison -- although," she added in a quick aside, "I think I'd just as soon drop that; the name is far too famous for safety. So... Lois Ellison. Mrs. Ellison. As long as we never name any daughters Allison, I think 'Ellison' should work just fine."

He grinned at her. "I'll keep that in mind."

"So, let's go get you legal... and to celebrate afterwards," she informed him, "You can take me out to dinner."

****

Kal held the door open for Lois as they left the pawn shop. Just as Kal had remembered, the forger worked out of a backroom. And, given enough monetary incentive, he'd agreed to set Kal up.

"Is it just me," Lois asked crossly, "or did that take forever?"

Kal reached over to hold her hand, just because he could. It seemed strange to be here -- where he'd spent three years alone -- with Lois, the woman he'd fallen in love with while on a spaceship. He decided it was the combination of factors that felt odd -- and exhilarating. He was on his way to realize the dream of his life.

Well, there was still an asteroid to deal with, of course, but he refused to believe it would be especially difficult.

"It took a while, yes," he belatedly replied. "But he was just being thorough."

"Well, it was kind of fascinating," she allowed. "I had no idea it would be so complicated."

"Yes, but worth it." He held up the envelope. "With this birth certificate, I can apply for a social security number. Everything else will follow." He smiled down at her as they continued down the street.

"Yeah, I guess so. I never really gave it much thought."

"Well, don't worry. It shouldn't take long -- it's just paperwork."

"Speaks the man who's never worked for the federal government," she pointed out. "It could take them *weeks.*"

He laughed. "I hope it's not that bad. And I think I can apply in person, which will speed things up. So, where to next? It's a bit early yet for dinner."

Lois looked around, getting her bearings. "Well, I think if we hurry, we can get to the courthouse before it closes for the day. I want to know what marriage laws we've got to deal with, here. Maybe we could get started on some of the paperwork. Maybe," she glanced up at him, "they don't have any waiting period at all, and they'll take a birth certificate as proof of identity..."

"That would be nice. But like you say, this is the government we're dealing with." Kal began scouting for a convenient dark alley to duck into. The December daylight was already fading, as the sun sank low enough to cover the city in shadows. "Let's try this next alley," he suggested quietly.

They turned the corner into a narrow passage, barely large enough for the garbage trucks that toiled here. The noise of the busy street faded behind them.

"I don't know if you know where the courthouse is?" Lois looked up at him. At his headshake, she continued. "It's about fifteen blocks this way, then--"

The rest of her sentence was lost as a screech of metal filled his hearing. Instinctively, he pushed Lois behind him and toward the side of the alley as he surveyed the threat. It was a wrecked station wagon, wedged into the alley mouth at an awkward angle. Someone had taken the turn much too wide and much too fast. The car was no longer moving, except for some incidental late breakage, but even as he watched, a flame sprung up from the crumpled front hood. He could hear a few screams from out on the street.

"Stay back!" he told Lois, before moving forward to investigate more closely. He would probably be able to help, if he didn't mind the risk of discovery. Actually, he realized, he was going to have to help. There were two young women in the front seat of the car, and neither of them were moving.

"Don't let that fire get to the gas tank," Lois urged, from right behind him. Blistering words of reproof formed in his mind, but he pushed them back. Lois was not under his command. Besides, she was right. That fire could be deadly.

He moved forward again, almost to touching distance. The one good thing about the fire, he discovered, was that it provided a literal smoke screen between him and the growing crowd of onlookers he could hear out on the street.

"Blow it out," Lois urged, from a few paces behind him. "Freeze it!"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her, and promptly blew cold mist onto the fire. It hissed and sputtered to an almost immediate stop. The smoke and steam both began to dissipate, and he heard voices from on the street. Time to get out of here.

He turned, collected Lois, and super-sped down to the other end of the block. He tucked her into the shadow of a dumpster. "I hear an ambulance already," he reported, after a moment's careful listening. "I think it's coming here... those women should be okay 'til it gets here." He turned toward her and sighed. "I wish I could have done more."

"Well, you couldn't -- not without a disguise -- and they'll be fine," Lois said, trying to peek over the edge of the dumpster. She turned back towards him and patted him on the chest, smiling up at him. "You were great."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "I didn't do much."

"You did as much as you could, and you saved them both, plus probably a few people on the street." She paused for emphasis. "It was enough. Although we really need to start thinking about a disguise for you. And right now..."

"Let's hit the courthouse," he finished for her. "Okay. After you, m'lady."