Lois didn’t challenge Clark’s ultimatum not to write about Superman for the next two weeks. She was too busy on the Intergang story about the sabotage of the cruise liner and all the follow-up articles she could type up. The DA’s office and the Grand Jury issued indictments and arrest warrants for seventeen suspects, including the Mad Bomber Sean McKenzie, on charges ranging from attempted murder, interfering with navigation on a city waterway, to illegal possession of explosives and illegal use of said explosives. Lois broke the story on McKenzie and got an “Attagirl” from Perry.
That string of indictments didn’t include the federal charges brought by the ATF and the Coast Guard Criminal Investigative Service, or CGCIS. Intergang’s attempt to blackmail the cruise line had boomeranged back on them and put them in deep trouble, from the lowest part-time messenger in the organization to the highest decision maker. And Superman had given several depositions about the placement of the bombs and the apparent intent to disable or sink the ship. It appeared that Intergang had seriously damaged or even destroyed itself with this heinous act. The organization thrived on operating in the shadows, and this act had brought them out into the spotlight. Jimmy had suggested in a meeting that it was like hunting for roaches after turning on the kitchen light at three in the morning. Perry had laughed and told everyone to keep on stomping on their crunchy little heads.
Lois couldn’t set aside the time needed to deal with what she’d come to call in her head the “Clark situation.” Every reporter in the city was competing for inside information on the ongoing investigations by all the law enforcement entities involved, and she’d been busier than a beaver in a drought. Perry’s couch had been her bed half a dozen times during those two weeks. She hadn’t had any time for anyone or anything else.
Perry had emailed Clark to clarify that his permission to write about his involvement in the liner story included Lois’ follow-up work. Perry had quietly informed Lois that Clark was fine with her chasing the liner story. She wondered how far she could stretch that permission to other articles.
Probably not very far at all.
After those two weeks were done and the bulk of her articles were complete, she still hadn’t come up with a valid reason to talk to Clark, nor had she had the time to devote to planning what she would say in that sure-to-be difficult conversation. Lucy was ready to receive her diploma and was already thinking about looking for her own place. Once she moved, it would be extra hard to reconnect with her. So their reconciliation needed to happen now.
She stuck her head in Perry’s office. “Hey, Chief, it’s five-thirty on Thursday afternoon, I’ve been in the office for thirteen straight days, stayed late every evening, slept on your couch so often it’s got my hip imprint in the middle, I just sent you the final version of everything I have on the cruise liner attack, and I think I’ve earned a Friday off. How about it?”
Perry nodded. “Sure, Lois. How about the last Friday of August, 2028?”
She made a face at him. “Come on. Really. I need a significant amount of sleep. I promise I’ll be available if something breaks. Otherwise I’ll see you here bright and early Monday morning.”
He frowned slightly. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” She stepped in and shut the door, then leaned on it. “I need to set things right with Lucy. And I – I still need to figure out what to say to Clark.”
He nodded slowly. “That is a pickle. Yeah, you’ve been doing yeoman’s work lately, so you’ve earned some time off. Just keep your pager on and stay near a phone. Or you could go get your own cell phone.”
She made a different face at him. “Seriously? Those things are pretty expensive. Hey, since I’d be getting it for business, will the paper pay the cost? Or at least part of it?”
“I made that very suggestion to the suits upstairs last week and I think they’re actually considering ponying up some money. But even if they don’t, you should think about it for yourself. It’d just about pay for itself in the time you’d save and the coins you’d put in a pay phone.”
She nodded back. “I will seriously think about it. Having a phone in my purse isn’t such a bad idea. So am I off until Monday? Pending a major story breaking, of course.”
He waved. “Go ahead. We’ll try to muddle along without you.” He sighed dramatically. “I just hope the Sunday edition has a story on the front page.”
She ducked her head in fake sympathy. “Me too, Chief. Have a good weekend.”
“You too. Eat lots of crow.”
She shook her head as she opened the door. “That’s going to be on my plate for a while, I think. I’ll probably get deathly sick of it.”
*****
Lucy walked into the apartment Thursday evening and saw her sister making a turkey sandwich on toast, something even the worst cook in Metropolis couldn’t burn. Lois lifted her head and smiled. “Hi, Punky. You want something to eat?”
It was time to lower the conflict thermostat. Lucy decided, almost on impulse, that it was appropriate for them to stop firing angry words at each other. Lucy was tired of it and Lois needed a confidant. Besides, Lucy loved her sister, irrespective of her recent idiocy.
Lucy smiled back. “No thanks. Just had some pizza with my study group. We’re celebrating the last two weeks of classes and cramming for the final finals.”
“Final finals? There’s more than one set of finals?”
“I finished all my college courses and all that’s left is the last set of tests for my certification. Anything after that is regular continuing education courses to keep my certificate current. Other than that, though, no more school, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks.”
Lois chuckled. “So, no sandwich either?”
“Nope. Just a crème soda, assuming you haven’t drunk the last one.”
“I think we have two left. Why don’t you pull both of them out?”
Lucy shrugged. “Okay.” As she opened the fridge, she asked, “Is this a special occasion or are you taking a cooking class?”
“Huh? Oh, you mean the sandwich. No, I just got hungry and didn’t want to go out for something in case I missed you.”
Lucy paused, then finished handing one can to Lois. “Missed me?”
Lois popped the top on her drink and nodded. “We need to clear the air between us.”
Oh, good, thought Lucy, she’s either about to confess her faults or she’s going to rant on Clark again. Either way, it would be better not to argue this time. “Okay, Sis, clear away.”
Lois brought her sandwich to the table, then turned to face her sister. “I need to apologize to you. I’ve been horrible to you for quite a while now and I’m very sorry.” She took Lucy’s hands in hers and said, “I only hope you can forgive me.”
Lucy looked in her big sister’s eyes and frowned. “You want me to forgive you.”
“Yes.”
“Because you’ve been a very bad girl. For quite a while now.”
Lois lowered her eyes to the floor. “Yes.”
“Also because you overreacted in your overreaction to whatever Clark’s secret is, right?”
Lois almost smiled. “You’re not gonna let go of that, are you?”
“Don’t change the subject. Just tell me that you’re going to change your attitude toward Clark.”
Lois closed her eyes and nodded. “Yes. I’ve been nasty and unreasonable and terrible to him and I want to make it right.”
“Sounds to me like you mean it.” Lucy lifted her arms and hugged her sister. “In that case, yes, you’re forgiven.”
Lois hesitated a moment, then threw her own arms around Lucy and squeezed. “Thank you! Oh, thank you, Lucy! I was afraid I’d pushed you away from me forever!”
“Naw. I’m your sister and I always will be. You can’t get rid of me that easily.” They slowly slid back from each other until their fingers were entwined again. “I hope it goes well when you talk to Clark.”
Lois reached for a tissue on the table, then dabbed at her eyes. “It won’t be easy, I’m sure, but I’m going to do my best.”
Now, thought Lucy, was a moment for a gentle reality check. “You know he’s been in Kansas for over three months now, right? And that he hasn’t heard from you all this time, even though he’s sent messages to you through me and folks at work? And that he seems to be settling in pretty well back in Smallville?”
Lois nodded. “I know all that. And I – I know it’s possible that I’ve ruined any chance for a friendship with Clark. All I can do is be honest and sincere and open, just like he was with me.” She stopped and sniffed. “And now I’d like to eat my sandwich, if you don’t mind.”
Lucy’s smile grew from small to medium, to large, to extra-large, and then right up to Sasquatch. “Lemme heat up part of that leftover pizza and I’ll join you.”
Before Lucy could pull away, Lois grabbed her around the shoulders again. “I love you, Punky! I’m so glad you’re my sister!”
“Me too.” She decided to take another risk. “You want to read Clark’s letters that he sent me? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. There’s nothing personal or private in any of them.”
Lois licked her lips, then nodded. “Yes. Thank you. I would like that.”
“I’ll go get them for you.”
“I’ll nuke some pizza for you. How many slices?”
“Three.”
Lois’ eyebrows rose. “That many?”
“Hey, it takes a lot of calories to forgive a sister.”
Both women laughed. Then they sat down to eat.
Lucy chased a slice with soda and burped. “Scuze me,” she muttered. “Hey, did I tell you about my raise?”
Lois’ eyes widened. “No! When does it become official? Are you buying a car?”
“Effective this last payday. Now that I have my certificate, Mr. Carlson says I’m more valuable and he wants to keep me around. I’m going to save up some more dough and get my own place. I think I’m going to stick with public transportation for a while, though. I checked on car insurance in Metropolis and it’s horrifyingly expensive.”
Lois’s face fell. “You – you’re moving soon?”
“Sure. A couple of months from now, maybe. You don’t need me underfoot all the time. Me getting my own place is actually overdue, don’t you think?”
Her sister’s eyes focused on the remains of her sandwich. “Are you – is it because I’ve been so lousy to be around lately?”
Lucy reached out and took Lois’ hand. “No, Sis, nothing like that. This is what we agreed to way back when I moved back in with you and because I’m overdue to start adulting the right way. After Johnny – after he died, you helped me keep it together. You gave me a roof over my head, you encouraged me when I was afraid I couldn’t handle the schoolwork, you helped with handling Daddy and Mom, and you even loaned me your Jeep a few times. You have been very good to me and I won’t forget it.”
Lois sniffed once. “Thank you. I know I’ve been overbearing at times. And I’ve been impatient with you on occasion, too. And—”
“On occasion!” Lucy burst out. “You’re kidding, right?”
Lois looked up and Lucy brightened her smile. Her reward was a small grin. “Maybe more than just two or three occasions. But you’re an adult now, even if I don’t want to admit it. You’re almost twenty-three and you’re not my baby sister anymore.”
Lucy gave Lois’ hand a squeeze. “I’ll always be your little sister. Just remember that I’m a woman too. Hey, I can even see myself coming to you for advice on a boyfriend problem.”
Lois turned her head slightly and gave Lucy a side-eye. “A boyfriend problem?”
“In a year or two, maybe, when you’re a little older.”
They laughed together. Lucy picked up the second slice and offered the third to Lois. after a moment, Lois nodded and took it.
It was the best meal they’d shared in months.
*****
Rachel sighed as she signed the monthly overtime report for her office. It wasn’t that they’d used too much, it was just part of the paperwork that went with the office. Her father had warned her about it. When she was a teenager, he’d taken her to his office several times just to see how much desk work went into being a sheriff, or even a deputy. If not for Denise Howard’s efforts, who’d been the office admin as far back as Rachel could remember, her dad said he would’ve shoved all the paperwork in the dumpster out back and set fire to it.
He wouldn’t have, of course, but he did tell Rachel the truth. One, record keeping was a legal requirement, but the paperwork was still a drag on being a sheriff. Two, Mrs. Howard – whom Rachel did not address by her first name until after she was sworn in for her first term in office – not only watched over all the officers, she made the paperwork as simple and easy as she could for them. If not for Denise, Rachel mused, she would’ve burned every bit of cellulose fiber in the building herself.
She stood and walked to her office door to return the completed forms to Denise, then opened it. She was surprised to see Clark, dressed in slacks and golf shirt and sneakers, sitting on Denise’s desk, apparently trading funny stories and laughing quietly at each other’s punch lines. “Hey, Clark,” she called. “What brings you by tonight?”
He rose with that graceful strength he possessed and smiled. “I wanted to see if you were free this evening. There’s a new restaurant just south of Wichita I wanted to check out and I didn’t want to go alone.”
Rachel pursed her lips and shook her head as a giggling imp whispered in her ear. “I don’t know, I’m kinda busy. Why don’t you ask Denise?”
Clark’s eyebrow rose. Denise’s mouth flew open and she blinked several times. “What – I – you – but – I—” she stammered.
“Hey, you two was gettin’ along just fine when I walked in. I don’t wanna break up a budding relationship or nothin’.”
Denise regained control of her mouth and narrowed her eyes. “You little minx! If he
had come to ask me to go out with him, I’d already be gone! He’s asking
you! Now put on your civilian clothes and let him take you out to dinner!”
Rachel didn’t want to let the teasing end just yet. “What about the office? We gotta have coverage for—”
“We have it! Tommy’s on nights this week, Billy Joe’s backing him up, and Gail’s on call! Go be a woman for a night!”
Rachel finally smiled, then looked at Clark as she extended the folder to Denise. “I guess I got my orders.”
“I guess you do. Shall I await milady here beside her faithful guardian?”
Denise growled low in her throat and snatched the folder out of Rachel’s hand. “Faithful guardian my – my left kneecap! I’m not a watchdog!” She thrust a forefinger at Clark and barked, “You! You sit in the chair in front of my desk, young man, and don’t make a sound! I’ve got filing to do, and if you don’t want to end up under ‘junk male’ – spelled m-a-l-e – you’ll keep quiet!”
Rachel chuckled as Clark obediently pressed his lips together and sat. She touched his shoulder and said, “Won’t be but a couple o’ minutes. Have fun.”
His fake put-upon look followed her back to her office. It felt good to tease him and have him tease her back like that.
She hoped it meant that he was as comfortable with her as she was with him.
*****
Rachel walked out of the Newport Grill near Wichita and tucked her right hand in the crook of Clark’s left elbow. He turned his head to smile at her and put his hand over hers.
Best. Date. Ever.
They’d spoken lightly but freely during the drive and during dinner. She’d complained about her paperwork and he’d responded by griping about the expense vouchers he had to file with Perry White, including occasional charges for airfare. She’d thanked him once again for the very nice profile of her in his column. He’d told her she deserved all of that and more, then asked about the commendation pending from the state. She’d said the state commission was still discussing the wording and trying to figure out how to include the Oklahoma troopers without making too much of their assistance. It was a delicate political balancing act, and she’d told him that she would rather chase armed rustlers than deal with the politics of her job. He’d chuckled and told her he understood completely.
They’d ordered different seafood platters and had traded bites from each other’s plates. They’d shared a slice of key lime pie for dessert, one which Clark had confided was almost as good as some he’d tasted in Florida a couple of years ago. Rachel had shared that the closest she’d ever been to salt water was when she was first learning to cook and had over-salted her spaghetti. The worst part, she’d whispered, was that her mother had made her eat it anyway. The lesson was taught and reinforced.
They’d shared a sweet laugh.
She was more than comfortable with Clark. And he seemed to be comfortable with her, too. Maybe that level of comfort would soon translate into something long-term.
Maybe even something permanent.
As Clark opened the passenger door for her, Rachel sighed and let her head fall to his shoulder. He turned and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head, then handed her into the truck. “Up you go.”
“Thank you, Clark.”
He smiled at her, then leaned in and gently kissed her lips.
It was the first time since the prom that he’d initiated a kiss between them. It wasn’t a commitment, wasn’t a proposal, wasn’t a vow of undying devotion, but it was, to her mind, progress.
The Best Date Ever got an upgrade in its rating.
She kept herself from grabbing him and pulling him into the truck on top of her, but just barely. Not only did she not want to scare him off by being too forward, she didn’t want the sheriff of Smallville to be seen cavorting with a man in a restaurant parking lot in Wichita. Wouldn’t that make her opponents happy? With all that she’d accomplished in the past few months, they were silent for the moment, and she wanted to keep them quiet.
So she let him end the kiss before she was ready.
He didn’t back away very far, and her hand floated up to caress his cheek almost of its own volition. Clark turned his head and pressed his lips into her palm, then smiled and slipped back to close her door.
She buckled herself in as he walked around the truck, then once again looked around at the inside of the truck. His vehicle was a newer and fancier model than her father’s. It had a nicer sound system, cruise control, power windows, a smoother ride, better air conditioning, and less road noise inside the cab.
The best feature, thought Rachel, was that it had Clark in the driver’s seat.
He buckled himself in and started the motor, then turned to her and smiled again. She took his hand and squeezed it, then guided it to the gearshift lever on the steering column and let go.
He chuckled. “Okay, I can take a hint. Home for milady.”
“You may take your sweet time, Jeeves. Your lady isn’t in a big hurry.”
He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the highway. “Jeeves was a butler, not a chauffeur. I think you mean either James or Rochester. Or maybe Jarvis.”
“Whoever you are, I’d rather talk to Clark on the way home.”
“Okay. We have about forty minutes or so. Should we cover any specific subject?”
It was an opportunity. She could introduce commitment to the conversation and see how he reacted. He might think it was a good idea and suggest they think about getting engaged.
He might also think she was pushing too hard and withdraw from her. The Best Date Ever would become The Worst Date Ever, and it would be her fault.
Sheesh. Inner Rachel was getting more demanding by the day.
She decided to let him lead. “Why don’t you start? I’ll do my best to follow along.”
He negotiated the merge onto the highway as he spoke. “Okay.” He paused, then said, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to mention to you.”
“Oh?”
That’s it, don’t be too eager or demanding in any way. “I’ve been talking to Pastor Benton for a couple of weeks. Nothing critical, I mean I don’t have any serious problems to ask him about.”
“Okay.”
No pressure, just let him talk. His fingers tapped the steering wheel. “I’ve been talking to him about Lois.”
Don’t answer this time, just nod and keep listening. After a long moment, he said, “I told him – I didn’t tell him about my other job, but I told him that I revealed a big secret to Lois that wasn’t illegal or unethical and she exploded at me and ran me out of her life and it hurt because I told her because I didn’t want any secrets between us because I was going to ask her to marry me and I was sure she’d say yes.”
Be gentle, be supportive. “What did Pastor Benton tell you?”
He sighed. “That sometimes people do and say things they don’t mean and deeply regret later. I told him it had been more than three months since then and she hadn’t made any effort to make things right between us. He asked me if I’d tried to talk to her and I told him I had and that Lois had rebuffed every contact I’d tried to make. He asked me what my immediate reaction was when someone says her name. I told him that my stomach clenches and my breath gets short and my eyes narrow and my jaw tightens. They do, too.”
He paused for a moment, shifted his weight on the seat, then said, “Pastor Benton said that I’d been deeply hurt and my reactions were understandable. He also told me that I needed to forgive her and let go of my anger against her. I told him that was easier said than done. He agreed and said that it would be a process to get to the point where I could forgive her, but until I got there that residual anger would negatively affect every relationship in my life.”
He’s waiting for a response. “Go on,” she whispered.
His jaw worked and he glanced at her, then looked ahead again. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Rachel. In every way I can think of, you’re a breath of fresh air in my life. You’re gentle, you’re sweet, you are your own woman without slapping people in the face with it, and you say you love me and I believe you. I just – I’m afraid that what I feel about you – at least part of it, anyway – is a reaction to my hurt over Lois. I don’t want to do that. And you deserve better than a broken man who doesn’t know his own heart.”
Ah. Not what you expected or hoped for. But he’s opened up to you. You have to do the same. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, then said, “I love you, Clark. I don’t love you for who I want you to be or for what you can do as – you know. What matters to me is that you’re a hero even when you ain’t flying around in that sexy underwear advertisement.”
She paused while he snorted and chuckled. “I love you because you want the world to be better and you’re willing to make personal sacrifices to make it better. You could’ve told Lois you’d give up Superman if she’d stay with you, but I bet that never even crossed your mind. Superman’s a great guy because you, the man inside the suit, is a great guy. You’re unselfish, you never do things just for the publicity, and you never have traded on what you can do for money or fame. You could be richer than Croesus and run the country if you decided to. You never even considered that neither.”
“No,” he whispered. “No, I didn’t.”
Lighten it up a little. “I hope I didn’t just put a bad idea in your head.”
A bit of a smile grew on his face. “No. My parents wouldn’t stand for me acting that way.”
“See, that’s another reason. Anyone with eyes can tell you love your folks and want them to keep bein’ proud of you. They are, you know. And you’d never do anything that would hurt them or disappoint them.” She touched his hand. “And I’m proud to be your friend, Clark Kent.”
He lifted his hand from the wheel and grasped hers. “Thank you. I’m proud to be your friend too, Rachel Harris.”
He held her hand the rest of the way back to Smallville. And when he dropped her off at her office, he kissed her softly and held her tenderly for over a minute.
She’d give him all the love he would accept and hope that someday he’d give her all the love he had.
When that happened – if it happened – she hoped she could be woman enough to take it all in and be the wife he deserved.
Good work, girl.
Thanks, Inner Rachel.Story comments
