“It took a long time for me to get here.” Lois began. “Between campaigning with Lex, being first lady and becoming an activist, I’ve got nearly a decade invested here in Washington.”
Clark didn’t speak. He simply sat and watched her in the reflected light of the moon.
“My people think I’m throwing it all away.” Lois stared off into the distance, silent.
“What do you think?” Clark found himself tensing in anticipation of the answer.
“I think the people are bigger than that.” Lois hesitated and turned to him. “If I’m wrong...I’ll deal with it.”
Glancing back at the house behind him, majestic in its reconstructed glory, Clark asked, “You’d give this all up?”
“It’s a different world than it was just two years ago. People aren’t as afraid, and their minds are clearer. If I stepped down tomorrow, I don’t think General Cash would have a chance in the next election.”
“Lois,” Clark began. “I couldn’t ask you to...”
“Throw in the towel?” Lois‘s lips quirked. “I thought you knew me a little better than that, Smallville.”
In the distance, Clark could see the lights of camera crews arriving. The distance and the screen of trees and shrubs would make it hard for anyone not actually on the grounds to get a good shot, but it wouldn’t be long before someone found them.
“I’ve got at least another year before campaigning starts again,” Lois continued. “I’m going to try to accomplish as much as I possibly can.”
Frowning, Clark said, “So where does that leave us?”
“It leaves us as the two most public people on the planet.” Lois sighed. “I can’t lie to you, Clark. This won’t be easy. The jokes are going to be brutal, and the press is going to be relentless.
“We could just wait,” Clark said. As he said it, part of him wanted to take it back. They’d lost so much time already, and he didn’t want to lose any more.
“You’d do that for me?” Lois asked.
Clark’s face felt frozen, but he nodded.
Taking his hand in hers, Lois looked him in the eye and said, “No. I’ve wasted too much time already. I’m not ready to wait another minute.”
She kissed him, and Clark could hear the distant sound of flashbulbs.
**************
Being President had its benefits. One of these was being able to make sure that people received honors they deserved.
Looking out over the sea of lights and faces, Lois smiled. She began to speak.
“The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civil honor our nation can bestow, and we award it today to 12 outstanding individuals. The men and women we honor span the spectrum of achievement. Some are fighters. Others are healers. All have left an enduring legacy of hope and courage and achievement.”
The twelve men and women in the chairs behind her shifted slightly.
‘It’s my privilege to begin the evening by speaking about a man who had a special place in my heart. Dedicated to truth and justice and believing deeply in the highest principles of America, Perry White was a forceful, courageous and deeply principled reporter. He covered the civil rights movement, assassinations of presidents and musicians and throughout thirty years of service, he never lost sight of his deeply held belief in the truth.”
Lois glanced out over the crowd, catching the eyes of several of the reporters who had known Perry personally.
“As an editor, he was demanding. He taught a new generation what it means to stand up for what you believe in. He was my mentor, and I only wish that he was here today so that I could present this award to him. In his place, his wife will accept the award.”
There was movement behind her, and Alice stepped forward into the limelight. The years without Perry hadn’t been kind to her, but there was an expression of gratitude in her eyes.
Lois handed her a box. Inside was a medal hung from a royal blue velvet ribbon.
Alice embraced her, and there was a desperate strength to her embrace. Lois struggled to keep tears from her eyes. She forgot sometimes how much she missed him, and sometimes it almost seemed as though he was only a phone call away.
When Alice returned to her seat, Lois began again.
“Our next candidate has been responsible for scientific advances that have made our lives safer and better. He has been a trailblazer on the frontiers of science, providing vital inventions that helped with the Occupation, and with the aftermath of Nightfall. It was his team who developed the weapons systems that keep our skies safe, whether the danger is natural, alien or manmade. Bernard Klein has been honored here before, but it is time to be honored yet again.”
The years had been good to Doctor Klein. Success and acclaim had given him a new confidence that hadn’t been there before. He accepted his award with good humor, his smile letting Lois know that he was solidly in her corner if no one else was.
Past Presidents had been content simply to list each award winner’s accomplishments and allow the military to actually bestow the medals. Lois preferred the direct approach. She preferred to look each recipient in the eye, giving them the thanks of a grateful nation.
The others followed one after the other. Writers, artists, journalists and inventors followed one after another. One political prisoner and three activists.
It all passed by in a blur.
Finally, the last.
“Like the distinguished Doctor Klein, our last candidate has been on this platform more than once before. The last son of a dying planet, Kal El of Krypton was sent to the planet earth. He was raised by Americans to hold the American ideal to the highest standard.”
Lois glanced back at Clark, who looked as good as she could ever remember seeing him, standing in his Tuxedo.
“He had abilities far beyond those of ordinary men, abilities that we later learned could be devastating in the hands of lesser men. Unlike those men, he refused to be corrupted, instead dedicating his life as both Superman and Clark Kent to making the world a better place.”
Lois gestured, and Clark stepped forward to stand beside her.
“Despite every bit of ingenuity mankind had to offer, Nightfall would have meant the death of the human race. Clark Kent chose to sacrifice himself so the rest of us might live. Later, when injured, he did it again, saving as many people as he could before he was himself overcome. He has paid a price for this, losing memory of years of his life, but if the need arose once more, he would not hesitate to do it once more.”
Turning to him, Lois reached in the box and removed the ribbon.
“It is my special pleasure to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Clark Kent once again.”
Being President had its privileges.
****************
Being in Clark’s arms was like stepping back in time, especially as they rose gently through the clouds. The sky opened up above them, the stars brilliant and the moon luminous and huge.
Flying with him had always been her guilty pleasure, and yet she’d forgotten just how much she’d enjoyed it. Here and now, with him still in his tuxedo and without a secret left to hide from the world, Lois felt content.
He was beautiful in the moonlight, seeming younger than he had in years. Lois felt a little guilty, as though she were dating a younger man, one who was still innocent of al the world had to offer.
Holding her tightly, he stared down at her for a long moment. “Any regrets?”
Lois shook her head then smiled up at him. “I wouldn’t have this any other way.”
When it all came down to it, she needed him. She needed his uncomplicated view of the world, his ability to cut through all the confusion and come to the truth of the matter. Lois lived in a confusing world of grays, and Clark was there to remind her of what was right from wrong.
“You don’t think we’re moving too fast?” Clark asked again.
“We’ve been dancing around each other for thirteen years,” Lois said quietly. “We have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
If she’d learned anything over the last several weeks, it was not to take time for granted. Somehow, she’d come to believe that he was immortal, that he would always be there for her. She’d always expected that some day they would be together.
She’d almost lost him, more than once, and it had frightened her.
He kissed her gently, and the world seemed to spin.
The kiss seemed to last forever, and when it ended, Lois realized they were no longer alone.
Three helicopters broke through the clouds around them, filled with men in black suits.
Lois sighed, then giggled. There wouldn’t be many of these times alone with Clark now that she was president, but it wouldn’t last forever.
In the meantime, she’d grab every moment that she could and live life to the fullest.
She kissed Clark again, then looked back at the men gesturing for them to return to the white house. She sighed and nodded at him, and they began to descend through the clouds.
Sometimes being President wasn’t all it was cut out to be.
