Here's part 2. Thank you for all the wonderful feedback!
Table of Contents **********
From Part 1: **********
What was happening to him? Was he losing his mind? Why did everything seem so wrong, so out of place all of the sudden? Clark wanted now more than anything to see that dream again. Everything had been fine until that dream. There had to be an explanation in it somewhere.
He got up and fixed himself a hot cup of soothing mint tea. It usually did the trick to relax him before bed, and he was ready to go to bed and see what his mind had in store for him tonight.
Clark brushed his teeth, splashed some water on his face and lay down in bed, trying to will himself to sleep. His mind was still going a mile a minute. It took a little while but sleep finally found him; and he dreamt.
**********
PART TWO: **********
He was standing next to his desk at the Daily Planet. The woman was there again, standing next to the desk that Jimmy now occupied. He couldn’t remember exactly what she looked like from the other dream, but something told him this definitely was the same woman. He couldn’t see her face, but she had the same soft, silky dark hair. He moved his eyes away from her enchanting form and realized that she wasn’t alone. She was talking to...Perry? This dream was getting stranger by the minute. Clark looked on as Perry clasped her shoulder warmly and shook her hand. It seemed she was being congratulated for something. A name plaque on her desk caught his attention. It read: Lois Lane. He watched with anticipation as she began to turn around. He was about to see her face when a police siren shattered the dream and pulled him out of his sleep.
Clark grabbed wildly for the notebook and pencil he had set on his bedside table. Lois Lane, he wrote the name down first – it seemed so familiar - and then he quickly began jotting down some other notes; he even sketched out a picture of her from what he could remember. He could still hear the siren going off in the distance, but he needed to document what he could remember while it was still fresh in his mind.
He leapt out of bed, changing his clothes as he headed for the window. Why were there always emergencies in the middle of the night? He took off into the night sky to see what help he could provide.
***********
The emergency had turned out to be a false alarm. A small child had tripped a fire alarm at an apartment complex. After checking to make sure there was no fire and everyone was okay, Clark had hurried back to his apartment in hopes of having another shot at falling asleep and dreaming.
Unfortunately sleep wouldn’t come to him this time. He was so wound up from the false alarm and from his previous dream that he just couldn’t get back to sleep.
He decided he couldn’t lie in bed any longer. He swung his legs around to get out of bed and rubbed the last bit of sleepiness out of his eyes. As he opened his eyelids back up, the drawing he’d done caught his attention.
“Who are you, Lois Lane?” he asked the picture. “Did you really work for the Daily Planet? Did I know you at one time and I’ve just forgotten?” But no, he thought, he would remember *her*. He did remember her. Somehow she felt so familiar, so inviting. This was going to drive him insane.
There was nothing more he could do about it now. He’d ask Perry about her when he got to work later that morning. Right now he needed to do a light workout to take his mind off of it. He got out his broom and dustpan and began sweeping his apartment. He’d lift a piece of furniture up with one arm and sweep under it with the other, pushing small dust and lent piles into the center of the room where they could be swept up and disposed of.
By the time he heard Jimmy’s knock at his front door, he’d done enough spring-cleaning in his apartment that his own mother would have been proud, and she kept her house as neat as a pin. It was amazing what you could get accomplished off of nervous energy.
“Coming, Jimmy!” he hollered, putting away the last of his cleaning supplies and grabbing his glasses off his bathroom sink. He ran up the stairs grabbing and tying his tie as he went and throwing his suit coat over his arm. He opened the door and stepped outside before Jimmy even had a chance to say...
“Uh, good morning, CK.”
“Morning, Jimmy.”
“You seem like you’re in a chipper mood this morning,” Jimmy observed.
“Really? Probably because I got an early start, or maybe because I know today is going to be a good day. I’m ready when you are,” Clark told him. He was anxious to get to work so he could talk with the Chief.
**********
The ride to work seemed to take longer than it ever had before, probably because Clark ended up losing all semblance of his patience. He’d even gone as far as to gripe at a couple of cars that were barely managing to travel the speed limit. Jimmy kept throwing worried glances in his direction. It wasn’t often that Clark got impatient. But finally they made it.
Clark sprang from the car like a wind-up toy and ran inside the parking garage stairwell, not bothering to wait for Jimmy. He made his way up the stairs, through the building and into Perry White’s office as quickly as was *humanly* possible.
He gave Perry a look of dismay when he entered the office and found the Chief occupied on his phone.
“Alice, honey, we really do need to talk about this; and I want to talk about it, but I’ve got to go right now. No, I’m not letting my work take precedence over...yes, I know that...”
As Clark sat there listening to Perry, he realized that he had no idea what he was going to say. ‘Uh Chief, I had a dream about a girl who I don’t know. In my dream she worked at the Planet, so I thought you might know her.’ Geez, how dumb did that sound?
Clark got up from his seat, waving at Perry to let him know it wasn’t anything important and left the office. Clark took a seat at his desk feeling a little disheartened.
“Hey, thanks for waiting for me!” Jimmy exclaimed, coming up to his desk. Then he stopped and took a closer look at Clark’s face. “Are you okay? You know you’ve been acting a little strange this morning.”
Clark hesitated briefly but then decided that he’d feel a little more comfortable talking to Jimmy about it than Perry.
“I’m sorry. I guess I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately,” Clark began.
“Yeah, I could tell. Anything I can help you with?”
“Well, actually, yeah. That is if you don’t mind me imposing on you.”
“Imposing on me? What do you need?” Jimmy asked, looking a little concerned.
Clark paused briefly, he hoped what he was about to ask wouldn’t offend his friend.
“I need you to do some research for me,” Clark said, watching Jimmy’s face. The look he had seemed to indicate disappointment. It hadn’t been too long since Jimmy had been allowed to start writing articles, and Perry still had him do grunt work from time to time; but Clark could always tell that it bothered Jimmy a little. It was like a demotion or something.
“If you don’t have time, I understand,” Clark continued. “It’s just that you are so good at it, and this isn’t something I would trust to anyone else. It would really be a favor to me.”
Jimmy seemed to brighten a bit at the praise and the trust Clark was implying. “Sure. I think I can find some time to help you out. What are you looking for?”
“I want to see if there are any articles in the archives - it would be back before I worked here - for a reporter by the name of Lois Lane.”
“Lois? Why are you interested in her?”
“Do you know her?” Clark asked, suddenly hopeful.
“Well, yeah. I worked with her for a little while before she left.”
“She left the Planet?”
“Yeah. It was a mess. She claimed another reporter had stolen a story that she’d written. Let’s see, he worked on our international edition, Claude? Yeah, Claude. Ugh, I couldn’t stand him. So pompous and arrogant.”
“Uh, Jimmy.” Clark said, motioning with his hand for Jimmy to get on with it.
“Oh, sorry. Well she didn’t have any proof to back her allegation and there was a big stink over it. I guess at the same time though, her mom was going through a real rough patch. Seems like her mom was attacked or something like that and then had a nervous breakdown. Anyway, Lois ended up moving in with her to take care of her. Everyone hated to see her go. She had a lot of spunk, and things were certainly interesting when she was here.”
“Do you know where her she moved to?”
“No, sorry, I don’t. What’s this all about?”
“It’s complicated. I can’t really explain right now, but, Jimmy, you’ve helped me more than you can imagine. Don’t worry about digging up those articles. You’ve given me a great place to start. Thanks.”
“Uh, sure,” Jimmy responded, sounding a little confused. He walked off towards Perry’s office, leaving Clark to his thoughts.
Clark’s head was swimming. She was *real*. Not some figment of his imagination but a real person, who used to work for the Planet. Clark felt more determined now than ever that he needed to figure out who she was and why he was dreaming about her.
Clark turned on his computer and waited anxiously for it to boot up. Maybe he could look her up on the internet, find an address or a phone number for her. The phone at his desk began ringing. Clark picked it up impatiently.
“Clark Kent.”
“Clark? Are you okay?” came Mayson’s voice. She sounded concerned.
“Yeah. Why do you ask?”
“Oh,” she responded quietly, and then paused. “Are *we* okay?”
Clark started to ask her what she was talking about when he suddenly remembered – he had told her he would call her last night, and he’d forgotten. Oh no, poor Mayson. How could he have forgotten? Well he knew how, he’d been preoccupied with thoughts of another woman. Clark felt his cheeks flush in shame.
“Oh god, honey, I’m so sorry. I promised I’d call you last night, and I forgot.” Clark searched for other words to say, other ways to make her understand he hadn’t meant to hurt her.
“I waited and waited last night. I was afraid something was wrong, or something had happened...or that maybe you were still upset with me. When you still hadn’t called me this morning, I couldn’t wait any longer.”
She thought he had been punishing her after their little disagreement over Superman yesterday. Clark’s heart ached.
“Please don’t think that. I’m not upset with you. I just got pre-occupied and then got busy, and I just forgot. I’m sorry I worried you. I feel terrible. How can I make it up to you?”
“You can remember to meet me for dinner tonight. We need to talk. We have reservations at Sergio’s for eight o’clock, remember?”
Clark pretended to forget. “Umm, Sergio’s? Really? Hmm, must have forgotten to write it down.”
“Clark! How could you forget? You’re the one who asked me to make the reservations, like three weeks ago!”
Clark couldn’t stop himself and a soft chuckle escaped his lips.
“You cad! You’re teasing me!” she exclaimed. “All right, now I’m serious. Eight o’clock, Clark. Don’t forget...again.”
“I love you.”
There was a pause.
“I love you, too,” came her soft reply. “More than you know.”
No, he knew and hopefully tonight she would, too. “Bye, Mayson.”
Clark hung up his phone and saw Jimmy come out of Perry’s office. He was headed straight for Clark with a grin on his face.
“Who’s your buddy? Huh? I am!” Jimmy exclaimed.
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Clark asked, confused.
“Well I figured that the Chief might remember where Lois had gone when she left. I asked him, and he did. She moved to New York City, that’s where her mom lived. Perry only knew because the ‘Daily Bugle’ newspaper had called him for a reference when they were interviewing her. She works for the Daily Bugle now.”
“Jimmy, you are the best,” Clark told him, clapping him heartily across the back.
“Well you know, when you’re good, you’re good. What can I say?” he said smiling as he walked back to his desk.
New York City? That wasn’t all that far from Metropolis, especially not for Superman. He could be there in a matter of minutes.
Clark turned his attention back to his computer and finished logging in, feeling a renewed zeal. He didn’t need to find an address or a phone number for Lois Lane; all he needed to find was the address for the Daily Bugle.
After a couple of tries he had it. He didn’t really understand why he felt so compelled to do this; he just did. He had to know who this person was, if she was even the same woman from his dreams. He needed to solve this mystery so he could put it behind him.
Now, to find the time to make a trip up there. He looked around the newsroom. It was a pretty slow news day all in all. It had even been a slow day for Superman. No emergencies yet.
Clark headed over to Jimmy’s desk. “Jimmy, I just remembered an errand I have to run. I have to, uh, pick something up for my date with Mayson tonight,” Clark told him. Jimmy would buy that.
“Oooh, CK, hot date?”
“I hope so. I forgot to call her last night, and she’s not too happy with me, though. I need to see if I can make it up to her. Can you cover for me? I’ll have my beeper with me if there’s an emergency.”
“Sure, I’ve got your back. You’d better hurry and get outta here, though, before something comes up. You don’t want to have your girlfriend mad at you, believe me, I know.”
“Thanks Jimmy. I owe you one.”
Clark headed off towards the elevators. If he hurried, he’d have enough time to run his *errand* and pick up something nice for Mayson in addition to what he already had planned to give her. Tonight was going to be special.
**********
Clark was always amazed at the reaction he got when he flew to another city as Superman. People pointing and shouting, clapping and cheering. He guessed the citizens of Metropolis had just gotten used to having him around; a Superman sighting wasn’t such an extraordinary thing anymore. But, the fame also made it harder for him to land inconspicuously and change into his normal attire. So after finding the building that housed the Daily Bugle, he decided to remain as Superman and just give the building a once over.
He landed on top of a neighboring building and sat down on the edge of the roof. He started to x-ray the building and got the oddest sensation that he was doing something *wrong*, being bad. Like he was looking into a girl’s locker-room or something. Weird. He shook off the feeling and peered into the building. He stopped at each floor examining the faces of each of the women, and he found her. She was riding the elevator down to the bottom floor.
She was really here, the woman from his dreams. This was what he had wanted, to confirm she was real and was the same woman from his dream. He wanted to assure himself that he wasn’t crazy. But now that he knew he wasn’t crazy, what was he? A dime-store fortune-teller? Why was he dreaming about her?
Clark knew that he should just leave. He should go back home, back to his life and forget about her. This was sure to only complicate his already complex existence. But he just couldn’t tear himself away. On the contrary, he found himself beginning to move almost as if it were someone else moving him, like a puppet. He felt his body float down into the alleyway between the buildings and spin out of his suit. He went along, helpless to fight it, as his body walked around the corner towards the entrance to the Daily Bugle. He watched in fascination as his body led him directly into the path of Lois Lane as she walked out of the building.
“Ooof!” she exclaimed as they bumped shoulders. “Hey, watch where you’re going!”
“Oh, excuse me! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying any attention. Are you all right, Miss...? he asked, pausing expectantly.
“Lane. And no I’m not all right,” she said looking over at her shoulder and rubbing it. “I’m gonna have a bruise there tomorrow. What’s your shoulder made out of, steel?” she asked him, seeming irritated.
Clark could barely hide his smile. Well yes, actually, it kinda is, he thought. He stood there staring at her, mesmerized by this woman who’d taken control of his dreams. She was smoothing out the jacket of her pale blue suit when she finally made eye contact with him. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she frowned at him.
“Do I know you?” she asked.
“I don’t think so, but you do seem very familiar.”
“Well of course *I* do. I’m the top reporter for the Daily Bugle. You’ve probably seen me on the billboards all over town,” she replied smartly. “But where have I seen you? Do you work around here?” she asked.
This woman was a very *take charge* kind of a gal, wasn’t she? Clark liked her instantly.
“No, actually I’m here to...take in a few sights,” he said, wishing he could come up with a better explanation.
“Really? Well maybe you should pay more attention to where you’re going and not what you’re here to see. Just a little friendly advice. Have a nice time while you’re here Mr...? I didn’t catch your name.”
“I didn’t give it. It’s Kent. Clark Kent.”
“Hmm, Kent,” she paused and seemed to be contemplating his name. “Well, have a nice time in New York, Mr. Kent.”
“Clark.”
“Okay, Clark. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta get going,” she said, starting to walk away.
“Of course, nice having met you, Ms. Lane.”
She paused in her departure and looked back at him. “Lois. Yeah, after the initial jolt, I guess it was nice to meet you, too. I’d say see you around, but New York is a big city. Don’t let anyone hustle you. Bye, Clark.”
Clark nodded his head at her in farewell. Goodbye, for now, he thought.
**********
The smell of marinara sauce and fresh baked bread greeted Clark as he walked up the front steps of Sergio’s. He checked his watch again. He was just a little early, but that was good. He had a little business to attend to first, anyway.
He walked inside and located the maitre d’. “I have a special request I’d like to make,” Clark informed the slender, sophisticated looking man.
“Ah, yes, I can help you with that. May I have your reservation?”
“It should be under the name Mayson Drake. Two for dinner at eight o’clock,” Clark answered him. Would she have put the reservation under her name?
“Yes. I have it here, sir. Donna Mayson Drake and Don Clark Kent.” Clark smiled at the use of the formal titles. “What special accommodations do you require Mr. Kent?”
Clark handed a package over to the man and explained what he wanted him to do. The maitre d’ then took Clark to their table and seated him. Clark waited for no more than a couple of minutes before he saw the host escorting Mayson to the table. She looked stunning in her off the shoulder, scarlet dress. It draped down her body to the floor, clinging in all the right places. Clark swore he could feel his blood pressure rising.
“Honey, you look amazing.” Her face turned a shade complimentary of the color of her dress.
“Thank you. And you look, well, Clark, let’s just say I wish we weren’t in such a public place,” she told him, looking up and down at his full black ensemble. He had on a black suit, shirt, and tie. It was supposed to be a very elegant combination, and he guessed that it was if Mayson’s reaction was anything to go by.
“How was your day?” she asked him, making polite conversation.
“Okay, I guess. A little slow, not much happened news-wise.”
“Yeah, same here. No new criminal activity lately. Kind of refreshing for a change.”
They sat there in silence for a few seconds and then started flipping through their menus.
“Did you...” “I wanted to...” they both started talking at once.
“Go ahead,” Clark told her. She smiled sweetly at him.
“I was hoping that we could talk about some things tonight, Clark.”
Clark sighed inside himself. He knew what she wanted to talk about, but he had plans of his own. “Then I’ll start by listening,” he told her, taking his linen napkin off the table, unfolding it and laying it across his lap.
“Okay. I’ve been rehearsing this all day...”
“Good evening Madam, Sir. May I start you out with a glass of white wine?” the male waiter asked them, holding out a wine list.
Right on cue. Clark smiled apologetically at Mayson. “Yes, a glass of your house wine, please. Honey?”
“Yes, for me too, thank you.” Mayson didn’t wait long after the man left before she continued. “I’ve thought a lot about what I wanted to say to you, and some things I wanted to ask you.”
Clark kept his eyes focused on her, listening intently, as his hand went into his inside jacket pocket and withdrew a lighter. He reached across the table between them and lit the one lone candle that was resting there on a delicate crystal plate.
At that action, the waiter reappeared with a bottle of wine and a beautifully arranged bouquet of red roses, which he placed on the table off to one side. Behind him came two other men, one carrying a violin and the other a cello.
Mayson looked at Clark, surprise showing in her eyes. “You didn’t,” she whispered, and then the violinist and cellist began to play Mozart’s Violin Concerto number three. The first time Clark had brought Mayson to Sergio’s, over a year ago, they had heard the musicians playing this song in the background. She loved it, she had said.
Clark watched her contentedly as she listened to the hauntingly beautiful music. Moisture was beginning to form in her eyes, and a tender smile graced her face. But, as special as this moment was for her, he felt the guilt in his heart.
He had done this for her, to make her happy because she loved him. And he loved her; but if he truly did, then why could he not stop thinking about Lois Lane? Why did his mind keep drifting back to a woman he didn’t even know?
He pushed the feelings away and forced himself to concentrate on the moment, to focus on the real woman who sat in front of him; who loved him. The woman he had decided to propose to.
A few minutes later and the music came to an end. Clark discreetly tipped the musicians and thanked them. He looked back at Mayson; she was blotting the corners of her eyes on her white, linen napkin.
“The person who takes care of cleaning these probably won’t appreciate the mascara I’ve left for them. Thank you, Clark. That was...out of this world.”
Good, thought Clark. Only fitting since he wasn’t from this world. He smiled at her and grabbed her hands in his.
“I’m sorry our lunch didn’t go so well yesterday, and I’m sorry I forgot to call you. That wasn’t how the past two days should have gone. Do you forgive me?”
“Yes, I forgive you.”
“Do you trust me?” he asked her the hard question.
She paused for what seemed like a lifetime. “Yes, *I* trust *you*, Clark, but...”
“Then will you spend the rest of your life with me?” he asked her, pulling a ring box from his jacket pocket.
**********
Clark lay down in bed with thoughts of Mayson still lingering in his head. She had said no. Well, not exactly no. She had said that she needed to think about it. It wasn’t no, but it wasn’t yes, either. And what was worse was that his own reaction had puzzled him more. Relief?
They had been seriously dating for well over a year now. There wasn’t a *spark* there like he had read about some other couples having. But there was a deep love and affection, and definitely a physical attraction. At this point in his life, it had seemed like the natural thing to do. He was as close to Mayson and loved her as much as he assumed he could love any woman, given the circumstances of his life.
And yet, when she had refused his proposal, it hadn’t hurt him as badly as he thought it would. He’d actually felt slightly relieved. How was that possible? How could he feel like that...if it were true love?
Clark yawned and his thoughts turned back to Lois Lane. He had fought them all night, kept himself focused on Mayson. Now, after what had happened, he welcomed them. He quickly fell off to sleep, and his daydreams turned swiftly into another vision.
**********
To be continued...
