It's early Friday over here and I can't sleep. So I thought I don't leave you waiting any longer for this latest installment in the
MagiKal AU .
Magician In DistressCalming himself down in the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean had taken no more than a few minutes. Only seconds after that, he’d dried his clothes with a burst of heat vision, relieved that his powers weren’t fluctuating right in that instant. A wry smile played around his lips as Clark imagined himself in the remnants of incinerated clothes.
That would guarantee him the curious gazes of the other customers waiting in line in front of his favorite ‘boulangerie’ in Paris. He took his place at the end of that line and ruffled his still damp hair a bit, because he didn’t like it slicked back as it often was after flying at super speed.
He felt somewhat uneasy without Houdini by his side, but then he could never take Houdini to France. As the first customer in line left the bakery with a bag of warm croissants, Clark remembered to check his wallet. He breathed a small sigh of relief as he discovered that he still had a few french bills left.
A couple of minutes later the shop assistant smiled at him. “Bonjour, Monsieur. Qu’est-ce-que vous voulez?”
“Bonjour, Madame,” Clark replied. “Je prends quatre croissants s’il vous plaît.”
She packed the four croissants in a bag and told him how much he owed her. Clark paid and took his croissants that were still warm and smelling delicious.
“Merci beaucoup. Au revoir, Madame.” Clark turned to leave when he felt the familiar prickling in the back of his neck.
He barely heard the woman's reply as he hurried out of the bakery, searching for a secluded place where he could take off. His lungs started to burn and he realized that he might not have the time to leave France before the icy breath would freeze everything in his immediate surroundings. He was close to the Champ du Mars, though, the park that surrounded the Eiffel Tower.
Clark changed directions. As soon as he reached a line of trees, he became a blur. When he could no longer contain his powers, he let out the burst of freezing breath and recreated the statue of liberty, he’d built so many months ago. From the corners of his eyes, he saw people stop and stare as the statue grew seemingly out of nothing. The hiccup was stronger than the last few and so the statue became much larger than even Clark had anticipated.
He directed bursts of heat vision on the ice to carve out the form. Feeling a bit dizzy from flying around the statue at superspeed, he prayed the hiccup would stop before it turned into a real problem. He didn't want to consider the implications of having to reveal himself to the world. Why hadn't he thought to take the costume with him, if he'd taken the time to get Lois' keys before he'd rushed off?
Finally, the prickling in the back of his neck lessened after he’d created the statue's head. He continued a bit longer until he’d finished the Lady of Liberty. Then he darted off, hoping that nobody had seen him. He didn't take the time to listen to the people’s reaction to Gustave Eiffel’s other creation appearing a few hundred yards from the Eiffel Tower.
Clark felt antsy as he sped back to Metropolis. If he’d at least taken his MagiKal outfit with him, he might have explained his trick as the beginning of a world tour. The sudden appearance of an ice sculpture in another part of the world could raise suspicions he'd managed to avoid so far.
He'd probably have to talk to Murray about the issue, though he had no idea which kind of fabricated explanation people might swallow. And speaking to his so-called manager was the last thing he wanted to do. Perhaps Lois would have an idea that wouldn't result in a complete disaster.
Clark slowed as he reached a secluded alley close to her apartment, He dived down and stopped just in time before he would have destroyed the pavement. Startled by the rough landing, he checked the croissants, which thankfully were still intact. Now all he needed was to get Lois a change of clothing and then he’d be back at his trailer in no time at all.
Clark crossed the street and fumbled for the keys in his pockets. Though he’d never been in her apartment, he figured she wouldn’t mind if he fetched her some clothes that were less revealing than his underwear. Knowing Lois, she’d want to find out what had caused her behavior as soon as possible. It would certainly help his peace of mind, if an incident like the one last night wasn't going to happen again.
Clark did his best to suppress the surge of unease that took hold of him as he let himself into her apartment building, climbed up the stairs and opened all five locks on her door. He couldn’t quite keep from grinning at her thoroughness. Considering that she had a tendency to jump in without checking the water level, the number of locks on her door seemed a bit out-of-character.
Clark had made it about half-way into her living room, when an intense wave of pain slammed into him. He grabbed his head that was assaulted by a splitting ache behind his eyes and a strong surge of dizziness. His stomach cramped and his knees buckled. Every muscle and tendon burned like fire.
Gasping for breath, Clark found himself on the floor. The world spun around him and he squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught of pain.
He knew this sensation of utter helplessness. But why were the crystals at Lois' apartment? He had to get away from here. Slowly, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked toward the door. It was closed. Clark grunted in frustration. The way he felt now, he wasn’t sure he’d have the strength to open it and get out. Moreover, he wasn’t keen on being seen in his current state.
Clark gritted his teeth and decided it would have to be the other direction, away from Lois’ living room. He hoped that her bath or bedroom would shield him from the effects of the crystals.
His crawl toward Lois’ kitchen was painfully slow. Now and again, he needed to rest in order to catch his breath. And the longer it took, the more helpless he felt in the face of the excruciating pain wrecking his body. At first, it seemed to be getting worse instead of better. There was no way he was going to get out of here. If he wasn’t damn lucky and Lois came looking for him…
But why would she be looking for him? An alien? An abomination? Someone who couldn’t even kiss her without endangering her life. Surely, she was better off without him. He’d never manage to control his powers and how could he expect someone to love him like he was? Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to just stay here and let the green crystal finish its job? Clark rested his head on the floor. He was completely exhausted and miserable. What purpose did he have in life? Tears streamed down his face and his heart clenched in despair. If he just stayed here, life would be over soon. Wasn’t that for the better?
Clark stopped his struggle and rested his head on the floor. Just a while and unconsciousness would claim him. The pain would stop and then everything would be over. No more grief, no more doubts, no more hiccups.
But then he thought of Lois and remembered her beautiful face. His throat tightened as he imagined how she felt in his arms, how magical their date had been. He’d held her in his arms while watching a sky full of stars. She loved him. Clark knew that. Where were all those dark thoughts coming from?
He groaned. It must be the red crystal talking. Gritting his teeth once more, he fought against the darkness trying to pull him under. He wasn’t going to let the dark thoughts win. It wasn’t true what the red crystal whispered into his ear. He was loved and there was a reason to crawl on. For Lois he had to choose life over death, even if giving up seemed a whole lot easier at the moment.
Inch by painful inch he crawled across the floor until the pain subsided and moving became easier. The dark cloud above his head lifted and he took a breath of relief. The door to Lois’ bedroom wasn’t far now and as he finally passed it, the last of the pain receded and he collapsed in a heap on the floor.
