First, I wanted to say that I'm sorry to have been so long to post since last chapter. As I said on the comment folder of part 6, I've send that part to my beta reader last month, but I hadn't received any response since then. I'm a little worried for her. I don't know what's wrong. I've send email to her to make sure she was okay, but I didn't have any response to that either.
So, I hope she's okay, that nothing wrong happened except that she didn't have time. And I hope I'll hear from her soon. In the meantime, I'll post the remained chapters of my story.
And I'm sorry for my level of english, and all the tipoes. That hadn't been beta read. It's now that we can see how invaluable her work was, and I would like to thank her again for her help with the chapters 4,5 and 6.
But I hope you'll enjoy the part anyway.
Previously, on part 6:
“Lois, what if it’s real?”
Clark didn’t want to ask, but some sadistic voice in his mind pushed him. He needed to ask her, to really know, not just only guess, how she was feeling.
After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly started crying. They were tears of desperation. She was completely wrecked, and couldn’t hide it anymore. Clark took her in his arms to comfort her.
“It can’t be… It can’t be… real, “ she responded while crying into the cradle of Clark’s arms.
He wanted to tell her the truth, and he even opened the mouth to speak, but he knew he couldn’t. He'd known the night before, when he agreed with Henderson, that it would be very difficult to see Lois like this and go on lying to her, letting her believe he was married to someone else. Yet, he'd agreed to do it. So he resisted the urge to confess everything, and held her tighter.
He saw some of their colleagues looking in their direction, and that made him angry. All of them were enjoying the sight of Lois suffering and crying, as if it was just a good show. But he couldn’t do a thing about it; it was why he couldn’t tell Lois the truth in the first place. People had to see her like this to believe that his wedding was real. But he couldn’t help to feel that he was being too cruel to her.
He couldn’t let her go on like this. She was crying out her soul in his arms, and he just wanted to made her feel better.
“Shh. Maybe you’re right, Lois. Maybe, he hasn’t married her. Shh”
"I just have to prove it to the world," responded softly Lois, still crying.
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And now, part 7:
PART 7: THE PRESS CONFERENCE
It was almost noon, and it was time to go to City Hall to assist at the Press Conference. Lois looked at her partner, who was sitting at his desk, typing some notes, and went to him.
"Clark. It's time to go."
"Yes. I'm coming"
He turned off his computer, put his notes in his drawer, and went towards Lois to help her put her coat. While they were waiting the elevator, Clark looked at her. It was obvious she was still very upset, but she was trying to hide it. He hated what he was doing to her. And he hated what he was about to do.
The elevator's doors opened, and Lois entered inside. Clark stopped and said to Lois:
"Huh... Sorry Lois, I've forgotten something. Go ahead, I'll meet you there."
Lois was about to protest, but the doors closed. She sighed. She didn't want to go alone at Superman's press conference. She needed Clark to be there, with her, when he'll introduce his wife to the world. How could she do it without her best friend to support her? But no. Clark is always forgetting something, and he's never here when she needed him. She sighed.
Clark really hated the situation. Not only he had to break Lois' heart as Superman, but he can't even be there for her as Clark. He sighed and went towards the stairway doors. It was time to pick Andrea before the press conference.
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Lois came at City Hall. It wasn't yet time for the conference but there were yet a lot of people. Reporters from the whole world were there, waiting. Many had cameras or video recorders with them.
The police was there too. They put barriers to prevent the hundreds of people of the crowd to come too near. Everybody wanted to see Mrs Superman.
Lois had difficulties to advance in the crowd, but she finally came just in front of the barrier. A policeman blocked the way. Lois showed him her press card, and he let her pass, but then, she was in the reporters’ crowd, and that was as much difficult as before to move forward.
She finally reached her goal. She was just in front of the podium set for the conference. And it wasn't too soon; Superman just appeared in the skies, with a blond haired woman.
<Oh great! A blond! Superman goes crazy for a blond, now! humph!>
Lois was jealous. She knew at the first second she saw his wife that she hated her. She thought that seeing her would upset her, and she prepared herself to face that feeling. But she felt more angry than upset. Seeing Superman with that... blond really made her angry. And definitely jealous.
Superman began to talk in front of all the microphones.
"Hi, everyone. I think you all know why I organised this conference, so I'll go straight to the point. I am married. The wedding was a few days ago, actually. I'd like you all to meet my beloved wife, Andrea Flynn."
At that, the blond woman approached the microphone wave with a smile for the crowd.
"Hi."
A thousand flashes of cameras blinded her for a few moments, but she kept smiling. Superman resumed speaking.
"We have time to respond at your questions."
Still smiling, Andrea interjected in a humorous tone:
"Except the very personal ones, of course."
Superman took the parole again.
“Of course. Okay, so… first question…”
Immediately, all the reporters began speaking all at once. Superman designated one, and right away, everybody fell silent to listen to his question.
“How have you met?”
“Andrea works for the police. We meet many times, on various rescues or arrests…”
While Superman was responding at the question, it was clear for every observer that he was ill-at-ease doing so, so Andrea took over.
“Yes. I guess we can say we meet at work. It was difficult for me not to notice him. The girls know what I mean, but I’d never thought he’d notice me too…”
At that, her joyful smile turned tender while she looked for a long second to her husband. Lois felt even more jealous. <God! He’s smiling back at HER!>
“But he did! And then… you know… we started dating… and then… well… without the details, let’s say that today I’m an happily married woman!”
She smiled again at the crowd, looking definitely happy, and Lois felt her jealousy rise still higher. One voice from the crowd of reporters said friendly:
“Oh, come on! Without details? Our viewer would LOVE to know the details…”
The comment made Andrea laugh.
“Definitely without details! I’m sure you have viewers under 18…”
The crowd whistled at the response, and laughed at the embarrassed expression on Superman’s face.
“Well… What my wife is trying to say is that the details between our first encounter and our wedding are a little too personal.”
“Yes, honey. That’s what I said, and I’m sure they understood me pretty well…”
She winked at him, grinning, and Superman smiled back, and began to relax. She obviously had the situation under control, and was definitely more prepared than he was to face the crowd of reporters. He could as well let her do it, and play along.
Lois saw theses smiles and felt rage invade her.
<God, I hate her!>
Lois didn’t really listen at the rest of the conference. She was vaguely aware that questions were asked and that the couple responded with good mood, and humour. She was vaguely conscious of the crowd laughing a couple of times around her at his wife’s jokes. But nothing really registered.
She just watched the couple. The joyful smiling woman. And even angry and jealous, Lois had to admit to herself that she seemed a nice girl, and that she was pretty. And the reserved superhero besides her. Even if he was a little tense in the beginning, he was now completely relaxed, and even joked a few time himself with the crowd.
<I’ve never seen him relax except when we were just us both. And I’ve never heard him joke…>
That thought made Lois even more depressing. She realised that she skipped almost all the conference, and since Clark wasn’t here with her, she needed to focus on the questions that her colleagues were asking, or the Daily Planet wouldn’t have anything to print.
“Superman, are you considering to found a family?”
The superhero’s smile faded a little, and Andrea was quicker to respond.
“We hadn’t discussed it yet. I’d be glad someday to expect the children of the man I love, but… later. I guess it’s a little too soon for me. I prefer to enjoy my life of married woman first.”
“Anyway,” added Superman,” I don’t know if I can… I’m an alien. I don’t know if I am... biologically compatible with humans. We’ll see that in time.”
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In the basement of CostMart, Billy Church looked from the television to his father. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
<Superman… married.>
That was just so surprising. He couldn’t believe it. And he couldn’t believe either how calm his father remained. That broke all their plans for the superhero, but his father wasn’t reacting in any way. He continued to look quietly the press conference in the TV.
From the loudspeaker, Billy heard the reporters now nagging with the crowd of curious “A Kiss! A Kiss! A Kiss!”
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“A Kiss! A Kiss! A Kiss!”
Lois was fed up to hear that. Everybody was crying that, and that just added to her misery. The only good thing in that was that Superman was responded negatively.
“Oh! Come on, honey! Don’t be so shy! We don’t have to hide anymore…”
The voice to her rival really gave her the creeps.
<What? She doesn’t understand that he doesn’t want to kiss her? Give the guy a break!>
Superman was still hesitant, but his wife took the matter in her own hands. She caressed his cheek and kissed him.
The crowd whistled, happy, but Lois’ heart was definitely broken. She felt like dying. She just wanted to cry, and cry again, but she couldn’t. Not here, in front of everyone. In front of Superman. In front of the cameras of the whole world. In front of her rival. She’ll break down when she’d be alone.
Her anger was her ally. It’ll give her the force to go through the end of the conference. She battled inside her head, and her heart to make her anger rise again, through her despair. She though again at her previous certainty that the marriage was a fake. At all the evenings she spent with superman, even just a few days ago… And now, he kissed another woman!
She was angry.
The kiss ended, under the applause of the crowd.
She had to scream to make her heard.
“Superman, a question, please! Lois Lane, Daily Planet.”
Superman looked at her and smiled friendly. He hoped that his smile would reassure her a little about his true feelings. He saw how she looked throughout all the conference, and he hated himself to have put her through that much pain.
“Yes, Lois. I know who you are,” responded he softly.
<The nerve of the bastard! He kisses her, and now he looks me in the eye and smile?!>
“Why did you decide to reveal your marriage to the world?”
Superman looked puzzled, and the crowd was now interested in her. Her icy tone, and the reaction of Superman, who wasn’t relaxed anymore, brought their attention.
“It’s a simple question, Superman. Why did you reveal your marriage to the world? That doesn’t have any sense! You say you love her, but saying to the world that you married her put her life in danger. Every single criminal you stopped would want her dead. By introducing your wife to the world, she became a target. No one had any suspicions about your relationship, so why did you do it? You always kept your private life secret, but now, you’re playing the happy husband in front of the world? Why? That doesn’t have any sense! What are you hiding, Superman?”
She spoke with a little more vehemence that she intended. Her anger took the better of her, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret it when her brain registered the new curiosity of the crowd for her question. And she was proud of herself when she saw Superman hesitate, and stay silent, obviously not knowing what to say…
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