Hope everyone had a good 4th! Thanks again to everyone who left fdk!
From Part 1:
“Ms. Lane, are you all right?” someone asked in concern.
No, she was definitely *not* all right! She’d just found out that her partner, the person she had thought was her best friend in the whole world, was really Superman. She couldn’t even begin to think about the implications of that revelation. She was definitely not all right. But what bothered her most was the fact that the video had been plastered all over the news.
“I have to go somewhere, I’ll be back later,” Lois said frantically as she headed for the building’s exit. Clark had a *lot* of explaining to do!
***********************
Part 2:
Clark awoke to a knock at his door. The person on the other side became more insistent and the knocking became full-fledged pounding. Clark winced as he rolled out of bed. He glanced at the clock on his night stand and winced again. He rarely over-slept, but he couldn’t really blame himself after the fitful night he’d had.
Clark made his way to the front door, throwing his glasses on as he went. Never mind a shirt; he wasn’t awake enough for that yet. He didn’t have a clue as to who it could be. He didn’t expect to see Perry or Jimmy until later that night at Perry’s retirement dinner, and Lois…
He didn’t want to think about her at all.
But the fates were obviously not on his side. She stood on his door step, and behind her stood at least a dozen reporters—very hungry-looking reporters. They were obviously on a big story, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why they were lined up outside his apartment. He couldn’t figure out why Lois stood there either. And she didn’t look any happier to see him than he did her. In fact, she looked down right angry.
“Lois? What’s going on? Why are all of these reporters out here?” he asked in confusion, finally finding his voice.
Lois glanced behind her, noticing that several of the vultures were already approaching.
“Hurry, Clark, inside!” She quickly pushed her way into his apartment before closing and locking the door behind her.
He watched, his confusion growing as she looked out the window. What in the world was going on? Why were there a dozen reporters outside his door? And why in the world was she standing in his living room? He’d hoped that he could at least avoid her until later that night.
“Lois, what’s going on? Does all of this have something to do with the explosion at the Planet?” he asked, gesturing toward his front door and the crowd of reporters on the other side.
She turned to him, and it struck him yet again that she looked angry. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Kent!” Angry was an understatement. She was teetering on the edge of furious and looked ready to plunge over into the depths of stark raving mad at any moment.
What in the world was going on here?
“*I* have a lot to explain?” he asked with a touch of sarcasm. Was she serious? After everything that had happened he felt the last thing he should have to do is explain anything to her. He’d obviously told her too much as it was—starting with how he felt about her.
“Clark… just turn the TV to LNN and you’ll see what I’m talking about.”
He stared at her a few moments longer in complete bewilderment before going over to his television. She was acting so strangely. Maybe this was all a dream. He certainly didn’t feel very awake yet.
He shook the ridiculous thought that all of this was a dream out of his head before turning on his television and switching the channel to LNN. What he saw made him wish that it *was* all a dream. As things stood though, it was more like a nightmare. Dumping a bucket of ice water over his head wouldn’t have shocked him any less than watching himself on national television spin from his blue spandex suit into his shirt and tie. He was definitely awake now. The words coming out of his TV rang loud in his ears.
“The video you are seeing was sent anonymously to the LNN newsroom this morning. Sources say that the video has been analyzed and proven authentic. Let’s roll the footage one more time. If you’re just now tuning in to LNN, this morning we’ve received video footage proving that Superman is really Clark Kent, reporter for the recently-destroyed Daily Planet.”
After the video was over, he switched the TV off and turned to Lois. He could still see the anger in her eyes—and now it made sense. But he could also see the hurt. The pain of his betrayal shone clearly in her eyes. He saw her fighting back tears and ignored the sudden urge to take her in his arms, to comfort her. After everything that had happened between them, not to mention the devastating news that his life was about to become a living hell, he just couldn’t find it in him to care that she felt hurt and betrayed. She’d hurt him the day before in the worst possible way. At the moment all that was left in his heart was bitterness.
He glanced into her eyes once more before turning away.
**
Damn him! Why couldn’t he have put a shirt on before answering the door? The sight was beyond distracting. Lois tried her best to ignore his bare upper torso as he turned his back to her. But the sight of his half naked physique sent her pulse racing. In the year that she’d worked with him she’d never allowed herself to notice how gorgeous Clark was.
Until now, that is. And the discovery of just how strong her attraction was shocked her.
“Don’t you have anything to say, Clark?” she asked, her voice demanding. She mentally shook her wayward thoughts away. There were more serious issues to deal with right now. Like his deception, for one.
“What do you want me to say? I’m Superman? Well, now you know,” he said bitterly as he turned to face her again. And she couldn’t help but notice the despair in his eyes. It was a look that she was not used to seeing in his expression, and it shocked her, causing Lois’s hard stare to soften a little. He looked ready to fall apart at the seams.
But he’d been *lying* to her for months, she quickly reminded herself. She could not allow herself to lose sight of her anger. She’d trusted him, had told him things that no one else knew! How could he not tell her something this big? He was supposed to be her friend! But he’d never told her—had never trusted her enough. That last thought was what saddened her the most. She took a deep breath, willing the tears away. Instead, she grabbed a hold of her anger with an iron grip.
“How could you not tell me about this, Clark? I worked with you—closely—for nearly a year. How could you keep something like this from me? I thought you trusted me! Could I have been any more stupid? You must have been laughing at me the whole time!” She glared at him, anger spitting from her dark eyes.
“Laughing at you? Are you kidding me? Believe me, Lois, there was never anything to laugh about!” he practically shouted at her. The despair in his eyes turned to anger, taking her aback. Why was *he* mad at *her*? He was the one who had been lying to her since the first day they’d met!
“Are you sure about that? It must have been quite an accomplishment to fool the famous Mad Dog Lane so completely! How could you not laugh? I’m laughing at myself!
The joke is definitely on me. You must have thought it was hilarious that I couldn’t see through your disguise, the award-winning investigative reporter that I am!” she exclaimed. She couldn’t believe how angry she was. She had never trusted anyone as much as she had trusted the both of them—or him, since they were the same person. It was definitely going to take some time to get used to that concept.
“Lois, I understand that you’re angry, but I can’t deal with this now, not after everything that’s happened between us,” Clark said, avoiding her eyes, and Lois could hear the hurt and bitterness in his voice.
It was then that it really hit her. Superman and Clark were one and the same, and that meant that she had turned his love down as Clark, just to rub salt in the wound by claiming that she loved him as Superman. But he hadn’t believed her, even after she’d begged him to.
<Under the circumstances…I don’t see how I can.>
His words from the night before rang through her ears. It all made perfect sense to her now. Oh, how she must have hurt him! No wonder he couldn’t stand to look her in the eyes. He must hate her; she hated herself.
“Clark, I…” she started, stricken with the realization of what she’d done. She had claimed that she would love him as an ordinary man, but she’d already unknowingly turned away that same ordinary man’s love. She turned her back to him in shame, unable to face him a moment longer.
**
Clark watched helplessly as she turned away from him. He’d never felt so helpless in his life. His world was falling apart, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. He’d lost his job, he’d lost the easy companionship with Lois that they’d once shared, and now it looked like he was going to lose his life as Clark Kent. How was he going to worm his way out of this one? What was he going to do?
The situation hit Clark with full force and his heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. His worst fears had come true; everyone knew that he was Superman. How was he going to have a life now? Superman’s enemies now knew his greatest weakness. They now knew that Superman had loved ones. How would he keep them safe? How would he keep Lois safe? The woman was a walking target, always had been. But now he feared that things would become so much worse.
Lois, it seemed, was so upset by the revelation that she couldn’t even look him in the eyes. Her illusion of Superman had been shattered. All that remained in her mind was Clark Kent—and she’d made it clear exactly where Clark Kent stood in her life.
“Lois, please, look at me,” he pleaded. She had hurt him beyond belief the day before. But he couldn’t deny that he still loved her, achingly so, and he couldn’t stand to see her so upset.
“How can I after all I’ve put you through?” replied Lois in a small, broken voice.
He was shocked at her words. Whatever he’d been expecting her to say, that wasn’t it. But it was true; she had put him through hell, no doubt about it. But even so, nothing on earth would ever keep him from trying to comfort her when she was upset. “Lois, I don’t care about that. I care about you,” he said, the anger he’d felt earlier suddenly absent.
She turned to him then, and he was a goner. Tears streamed down her face as she faced him, her guard well and truly down for the first time since he’d met her. She held nothing back.
“How could you care about me after what I did to you? I was cruel, Clark! I turned you down flat yesterday, and as if that wasn’t enough, I threw my interest in Superman right in your face by asking you to contact him for me. But he’s you, Clark, and I had no idea. I’m so sorry. You must hate me!” Lois cried, covering her face with her hands in shame.
He moved across the room without hesitation. A moment later she was in his arms. “No, Lois. I could never hate you. I’m so hopelessly in love with you. You’ve become such an important part of my life. That’s why what you did hurt so much.”
“Clark, I...” she started awkwardly, pulling away from him.
“No, you don’t have to explain. I don’t want a repeat of yesterday, believe me. I know that you’re not in love with me, and I can live with that. But, Lois, what I *can’t* live with is you marrying Luthor.”
“Why? I don’t understand why you hate him so much. You couldn’t possibly be that jealous,” she said, a kernel of doubt creeping into her voice. Could she finally be ready to listen to the truth?
He had to get through to her. She needed to know that the man whose proposal she was considering was the devil incarnate. This had nothing to do with his feelings for her. Okay, maybe it did a little bit, but he’d never deny her happiness with another man if he knew the man deserved her love. Lex Luthor didn’t deserve the ground she walked on.
“I’m not saying this just because I’m jealous. I’ve seen and heard things about Luthor that no one else has. I know that Luthor was behind the testing of Superman, the sabotage of Space Station Prometheus, and I believe that he was behind the destruction of the Planet. I just don’t have proof yet.”
“How did everything become such a mess? If I could be so blind to the truth about you, then maybe I was wrong about Lex, too. I’m just not sure about anything anymore,” Lois said, and for the first time since he’d known her she looked utterly lost.
“Lois, I would never deliberately do anything to hurt you. And I’ve never lied to you about anything other than Superman. I just don’t want to see you get hurt by that man. It doesn’t matter how you feel about me, but I can’t stand by silently and watch as Luthor destroys your life. And if you marry him, Lois, that’s exactly what he’ll do.” Clark held his breath as silence filled the space between them. She didn’t say anything for a moment, seemingly lost in her thoughts. His only hope was that he’d finally gotten through to her.
“After you came to see me last night as Superman…well, obviously, I had a lot to think about. And the fact is, everything in my life just got so confusing, but one thing that was clear to me was my feelings for Lex, or rather, the lack of them. Now I’ve decided, Clark. I’m not going to accept his proposal.”
Clark sighed in relief at hearing her words. “You’re not?”
“No, I’m not. I should have listened to you sooner about Lex, and if he is what you say he is then I’m prepared to help you prove it.”
Clark sighed again. “Thank you, Lois, for listening. Believe me; I’m glad that you’re not planning to marry that monster. But why listen to me now, when you wouldn’t before? I’ve been trying to get you to see Luthor’s true colors for weeks now, but you always insisted that you knew him.”
“Things…changed. My feelings changed.”
“How so?” Clark persisted.
“When I found out that you were Superman this morning, my whole world was turned upside down—yet again. I’ve been so confused lately. I guess losing the Planet, and then losing your friendship, it just threw me for a loop. Lex seemed so safe, so…”Lois trailed off, sighing warily before continuing. “Clark, now that I know the truth about you, it feels as if everything has become so much clearer. I realize now that I was blind about a lot of things. I was blind about Lex, about you, about the way I feel.”
“Lois, I…”
“No, I need to say this,” Lois interrupted. “Clark I realized that I…”
**
<I love you.>
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.
She loved him.
Clark had somehow managed to knock down the walls that she’d built around her heart, barreling his way inside. The knowledge terrified her. But even so, she wanted to tell him. The declaration was on the tip of her tongue, longing to be spoken. For months she’d been denying her feelings for Clark, and now that she was finally able to admit to herself that she loved him, the urge to tell him was strong. But she had ruined any chance that he would believe her. Not after rejecting him as Clark right before throwing herself at him as Superman. How could he believe her? He might still love her, but he wouldn’t believe that she returned his feelings.
How could she have been so blind? She’d wasted so much time concentrating on Superman, or on Lex Luthor, while ignoring the man of her dreams, a man who would stand by her, and had stood by her, no matter what. Clark’s friendship had come to mean more to her than anything. And with that realization came the understanding of why it terrified her so much to even *think* of crossing into relationship territory with him. She had been burned in the past; she didn’t want to get burned again. And Clark had the power to scorch her alive if he rejected her, and possibly even if he didn’t.
It had been far easier to focus on Superman. She’d put him up on a pedestal, idolizing him, believing that he was the perfect man. He had made her feel safe by appearing untouchable, and someone who was out of reach couldn’t hurt her. She could long for him without consequence. Although, now that she knew he was really Clark, her attraction to Superman made even more sense. She had been drawn to him in both of his guises. And she had been drawn to the both of them for a lot of the same reasons, she realized suddenly. She’d admired Superman because of his compassion for humanity, his unwavering ethics, and his willingness to give of himself freely. But Clark also had all of those traits. Why had she never thought about that before?
She’d been attracted to Lex for entirely different reasons. Grudgingly, she had to admit that she’d been dazzled by Lex’s power, wealth, and sophistication. As shallow as it was, he had done wonders for her ego. The men in her past had stomped on her confidence, leaving her to feel that she would always come up short as a woman. Lex had pampered her, making her feel wanted and desired. And dating Lex had been safe. If you didn’t love someone, they didn’t have the power to hurt you. Was that why she’d considered marrying him? Had she really been willing to live out the rest of her days in a loveless marriage? But what did she know about marriage? Her parents hadn’t exactly been the best of role models.
Lois sighed, her thoughts weighing heavily on her conscience. But in light of the mess she’d made of her friendship with Clark, she realized it was too late to fix the mistakes she’d made. She couldn’t take back her words from yesterday anymore than Clark could take back his declaration of love. She’d realized too late that she couldn’t protect her heart from him; it was impossible. He’d had it in his grasp for months, and she hadn’t even realized it. If only she would have recognized her feelings the day before when he’d told her that he loved her, the outcome might have been a lot different. Instead, she’d denied herself any possibility of happiness with the most wonderful man she’d ever known, hurting him beyond repair. She’d be lucky if she still had his friendship after this.
She was an idiot, plain and simple.
And now his life was falling apart. Someone wanted to ruin him, and she was bound and determined to find out whom. Their personal problems would have to wait; she had to find a way to help him out of this mess.
“Lois, you were saying?” he asked, bringing her out of her thoughts and back into the conversation.
He wasn’t going to let this go, was he? There was no way that she could tell him just how her feelings had changed though. He’d never believe her. “Clark, I just realized that marrying Lex wasn’t something I was really prepared to do. You asked me yesterday if I loved him, and the truth is, no, I don’t love Lex. I never did.”
Clark seemed satisfied with her explanation. Lois started pacing, relieved to have dodged that bullet. The conversation had become way too personal, and she worried that she’d end up revealing something that she wasn’t ready to reveal yet.
“But, Clark, this isn’t important right now. We have a much bigger problem—someone is trying to destroy your life! We need to find out who that person is, and we need to come up with a story about that video. This isn’t the type of news that should be public knowledge.”
“We?”
“Yes, Clark, we. Daily Planet or not, I still consider you my partner and we need each other right now.”
***
Clark was once again amazed by the woman standing before him. She had received a total shock that morning, discovering his secret, and yet she was able to think with a clear head, trying to help him by finding a way out of the mess in which he now found himself in. But he wasn’t sure that there was a way out of the situation. What if Clark Kent was no more? He couldn’t continue to have a life as Clark Kent if the world knew what he could do. Superman might be the only thing left for him. That last thought was utterly depressing.
“I do need you, Lois. But I don’t think that getting out of this will be so easy,” he said.
“We’ll find a way,” she assured him, and he could hear the determination behind her words.
Clark realized at that moment that he was glad she knew the truth about him. Lois had always been there for him, in both his guises. It was nice to have someone other than his parents in on the secret.
His parents!
He needed to talk to them and make sure they were okay. “I need to go,” he said suddenly.
“Go where?” Lois asked, her eyes widening in surprise. “Is Superman needed somewhere?”
“No, but I need to go see my parents. I just hope they didn’t see that video yet; they shouldn’t have to hear it second-hand.” However, he knew the odds of them missing the biggest news of the century were slim. A moment later he headed toward his bedroom to dress. He came back not more than three seconds later, fully dressed and ready to go.
Lois gaped at him, and Clark couldn’t help but be amused at the dumbfounded expression on her face. “I know that you’re Superman, but…wow! The idea is going to take some getting used to,” Lois said wryly. “Imagine, all this time that we worked together and I could never figure out how you were able to get us free so many times when we were in trouble, or how you were able to break into places so easily. You’ve been holding out on me, Farmboy—big time!”
Clark chuckled before looking through his front door with x-ray vision. There was no way he was getting out that way without being mobbed. He headed toward his balcony in hopes that the area out back was empty. But one glance told him that today wasn’t his lucky day. He couldn’t risk taking off as Superman from his balcony; members of the press were everywhere.
“I won’t be able to leave undetected,” he said in frustration.
“Clark, I know that you need to talk to your parents, but is flying to Kansas such a good idea? It might only cement the fact that you’re Superman in the public’s eye. You could be spotted in Kansas.”
Clark stopped in his tracks as what she was saying sank in. She was right. If there was any chance that he and Lois could come up with a believable explanation for that video, he couldn’t risk it by going to see his parents. He’d have to ask them to come out to Metropolis.
“You’re right. I’m so stressed out that I can’t even think straight. At least one of us is thinking logically. Thank you, Lois” he said sincerely.
Clark’s attention was drawn to her lips as they formed a smile. She suddenly reached her hand out to touch his cheek, her fingers as light as feathers against his skin. “You’re welcome, Clark,” she whispered.
Her simple touch sent a jolt of electricity pulsing through his system. He seemed to be even more aware of her now. How was he going to continue to be her friend now that she knew how he felt about her? “Lois, your friendship means the world to me. I don’t want to lose you,” he confessed.
“You’ll never lose me,” she said softly as she stepped closer and took his hand in hers. “I’ll always be here for you.”
He closed his eyes at her touch, savoring the feeling. Could he dare hope that she cared about him as more than a friend? He thought he’d seen something in her eyes, something that he’d only ever seen directed at him while in the Superman guise.
<But she knows that you’re Superman now.>
The thought sprang into his mind before he could stop it. Could it be that she was looking at him that way because of her new knowledge? Clark didn’t have time to analyze the moment. The insistent ringing of his phone demanded his attention. He was tempted to ignore it, but knew that it could be his parents. Clark crossed the room and had the receiver in his hand in only seconds.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Honey, how are you holding up?”
He sighed in relief at the sweet sound of his mother’s voice. “Mom, I’m so glad to hear your voice. Are you guys okay? Is Dad on the phone, too?”
“Right here, Son. We’re fine. There are some reporters outside, but they haven’t really bothered us yet. Are you alone?”
“No, Lois is here with me. I overslept, so I didn’t see the news this morning until she showed up. I can’t believe this is happening. I don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll figure something out. How is Lois taking the news?” his father asked.
Clark sighed, his eyes on his beautiful former partner. “She was angry, as expected, but we’ve been talking. She wants to help.”
“I’m so glad to hear that, Clark. She’s a wonderful woman. I believe another word you once used was ‘brilliant,’” Martha teased.
His cheeks turned slightly pink at his mother’s gentle teasing. “Can you guys come out here?” he asked hopefully.
“Already one step ahead of you. We just finished booking our tickets. We should land at Metropolis International this afternoon by three o’clock your time,” his father explained.
Clark sighed in relief. He needed the support of his parents more than ever now. “I can’t wait to see you. I guess I should let you pack then.”
“We’ll see you later, Clark. Be careful, okay?”
“I will, Mom. You and dad be careful too, and have a good flight. I’ll see you guys later.” Clark hung up the receiver before turning back to Lois, who had remained quiet throughout the whole conversation.
“So your parents are coming?”
Clark had no sooner nodded than a knock sounded at his door. Had the reporters outside gotten brave? Was he about to have his door pounded down? Clark x-rayed through his front door in apprehension. Relief flooded him as he saw that it wasn’t a mob of over-zealous reporters after all.
“It’s Perry and Jimmy,” he announced before opening the door and quickly ushering them inside. The news of his identity as Superman had brought everyone to his door, it seemed.
Perry immediately gathered Clark in a fatherly hug. “How’re you doin’, Son?” Perry asked warmly.
Lois jumped in before Clark could answer. “He’s doing as good as can be expected considering the rumors going around about him! I can’t believe that someone is claiming that Clark is actually Superman! Can you believe it?” Lois asked wide eyed, her expression one of disbelief.
Clark smiled at her, his heart filling with tenderness for her. Lois was already protecting him. She was the most amazing woman he’d ever known.
“Now, Lois, I didn’t become Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet because I can yodel. I’ve known about Clark almost from the get-go.” Perry shocked everyone with his declaration.
“You did? How?” asked Clark.
“Son, you ain’t foolin’ me. Your trips to the supply closet in the beginning were a pretty dead giveaway.”
“Why didn’t you say anything, Chief?”
“Well, I figured that if you wanted me to know, you would have told me. I thought it best to leave well enough alone.”
Clark sighed. How many other people had he not fooled?
“Man, CK, I can’t believe that you’re Superman. That is so cool!” Jimmy exclaimed enthusiastically. “I never dreamed that I’d be friends with Superman!” Clark sighed, embarrassed upon seeing the hero worship in Jimmy’s eyes.
“You guys! We have to keep this under wraps. Clark’s life will be destroyed if we can’t come up with a believable explanation for that video,” Lois explained, grabbing everyone’s attention.
“Well, considering that the video in question is real, it might be hard to find a believable way to discredit it,” Clark said glumly.
“We need to find out who is behind this. And I think we should have someone we trust analyze the video,” Lois said as she pulled her copy out of her oversized purse.
“You’ve got a copy? Awesome! I know someone who could take a look at it. He’s really good,” Jimmy exclaimed.
Lois handed Jimmy the tape. “It couldn’t hurt. Maybe we’ll even find out something useful.”
“How did you get a copy?” Clark asked.
“I found it on my desk first thing this morning.”
“I’ll bet Lex Luthor is behind this,” Clark said angrily. “My gut instinct is telling me that he was behind the explosion at the Planet, too.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me. There’s somethin’ fishy about that man,” Perry said. “Why, he even had the gall to shove his way into my office and hire some snot-nosed, barely-out-of-diapers kid to be my boss! That has still got my blood boilin’ but good!”
“No kidding! I can’t believe the way he just waltzed into the Planet and took over. And right before the Planet was destroyed. Too big of a coincidence in my opinion,” Jimmy said as he started to go through Clark’s refrigerator. “Got anything to eat? I’m starving!”
“Come on, Jimmy, you seemed pretty happy when Lex announced that he bought the Planet,” Lois pointed out.
“Hey! I didn’t want to lose my job. Seriously, though, Jack started to get suspicious of him when Lex started to change the way the Planet was run. I wasn’t too happy about being demoted either,” Jimmy explained before his head disappeared behind the door of Clark’s refrigerator once again.
“Was I the only one he fooled?” Lois asked, and Clark could clearly see the self-doubt that rested in her eyes. “I’m an award-winning investigative journalist. How could I have been so wrong about him?”
“Don’t do this to yourself, Lois. You’re a brilliant reporter, the best in your field,” Clark assured her, wishing that she could see herself in the same light in which he saw her. She was the most amazingly brilliant and resourceful woman he’d ever met. She could sniff out corruption from a mile away. He couldn’t really find fault with her for her blindness to Luthor’s true colors; even Lois Lane was allowed to make mistakes.
“Honey, Clark’s right. Don’t beat yourself up over this. Most of Metropolis is still fooled by that man. That’s why we have to stop him,” Perry assured her. “You know, this whole thing has got me wonderin’. It’s just too suspicious that the Planet was in danger of going under right before Luthor swept in to save the day. We need to do a little investigating into the Planet’s finances.”
“If we can come up with evidence that Luthor was behind the destruction of the Planet, then Jack’s name will be cleared. I feel bad for him; I bet Luthor singled him out because of his past criminal record. What a tough break!” Jimmy said, his head poking around the door of the refrigerator again. “When was the last time you went shopping for groceries, CK?”
“Uh…it’s been a while. I’ve kind of been distracted this past week.” Clark sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. He felt bad for Jack too. He feared that Jack had made an enemy out of Luthor the moment he’d challenged him in the newsroom by asking the new owner of the Daily Planet who had died and made him king.
<That boy has courage. I hope it doesn’t get him into *too* much trouble,> Luthor had said to Clark. Jack had been the perfect scapegoat, Clark realized. Being a young kid with no real family or resources and a criminal record to boot had made Jack the perfect target.
“This is such a mess, guys. Jack’s in jail for the explosion the Planet, which we suspect is really Luthor’s doing, and now the world knows that I’m Superman.” Clark sighed in agitation. When it rained, it poured.
“Don’t worry, Clark. We’ll get to the truth,” Lois declared.
Clark hoped she was right. Even so, finding the person responsible for the Planet’s destruction and the video exposing him as Superman might not change anything. And that was assuming that the two incidences were connected. Finding the person responsible wouldn’t bring the Planet back, and it wouldn’t offer an explanation for the video in question.
“Do you mind, CK?” Jimmy asked, holding up a slice of cold pizza.
“No, go ahead. Help yourself, Jimmy. Can I get you guys anything?” Clark offered, remembering his manners.
“No thanks. I couldn’t eat now if I tried,” Lois replied.
“How about you, Chief?”
“I’m good. Thanks, Son. Actually, I think we all need to get to work. Jimmy, you get that video to that friend of yours. Lois, Clark, maybe you guys could contact some of your sources; with a little luck you might learn some information about the Planet’s destruction. I’m gonna do a little diggin’ into the Planet’s finances.”
“Listen, about this video, do you know where it could have been shot from?” Jimmy asked before taking a large bite of his pizza.
“Well, my balcony isn’t that visible; that’s why I chose this apartment. It gives me the freedom to come and go as I please, or so I thought.” Clark sighed, taking a moment to think about the video. “From the angle, I’d have to say that it was shot from the rooftop of the building across the alley.”
“You know, Clark, someone had to have already suspected that you were Superman. I mean, why else would they have your apartment under surveillance?” Lois asked, her expression thoughtful. “Of course, someone could have put your apartment under surveillance for an entirely different reason and only stumbled onto your secret.”
“It’s possible. I’ve made more than a few enemies along the way as a reporter. But I can’t help but feel that this is related to Superman. I think someone set out to discover the truth about me.”
“Why would someone go to the trouble of learning Superman’s identity just to turn around and make it public knowledge?” Lois asked as she started to pace the floor of his living room. “What would they have to gain from that? You’d think that they’d want to keep that kind of information to themselves and use it to their advantage. Instead, whoever shot that video let the public in on the secret, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
“My guess is whoever leaked that video to the press obviously wasn’t interested in controlling me through blackmail. I think they just wanted to make my life a living hell,” Clark replied, watching in amusement as Lois continued to move around his living room.
“If we can figure out the motivation behind all of this, maybe we’ll have an idea of *who* is behind it,” Lois concluded before coming to a stop in front of him.
The room fell silent as everyone contemplated Lois’s words. Clark realized that she had a point. Someone had obviously gone out of their way to expose him as Superman. If they could figure out why, maybe they’d have a clue as to who it was.
“Well, I should get going,” Jimmy spoke up, breaking the silence. “I’ll track down my friend and see if he can help. I guess I’ll see you guys tonight at the retirement dinner. Hopefully by then I’ll have some info on that video.” Jimmy stuffed the last bite of his pizza into his mouth. “Thanks for the pizza,” he added.
“You’re welcome, Jimmy. See you tonight,” Clark said.
“Wait a second!” Lois exclaimed suddenly. “Perry, you can’t retire! If we can prove that Lex was behind the explosion at the Planet then maybe we can also find a way to rebuild.”
“That could be a long ways off, Honey. Besides, the dinner’s only a few hours away; it’s too late to cancel now.”
“Okay, maybe it’s too late to cancel the dinner, but it’s not too late for you to change your mind about retiring,” Lois pointed out.
“We’ll see how things go. Right now let’s just concentrate on exposing Luthor and helping Clark.”
“The dinner’s still on, then?” Jimmy asked.
“Well, like I said, there really isn’t any reason to cancel it. We still don’t know what’s gonna happen with Luthor, or even if the Daily Planet will be rebuilt. Alice is on my back to retire, so for now that’s what I’m gonna do,” Perry explained to Jimmy before turning to Clark. “But I’m not leavin’ Metropolis until this is all sorted out. I’m here for you, Son.”
“Thanks, Chief,” Clark told Perry with a warm smile. “You can count on me, too. I know the Planet was your life. We’ll get to the bottom of this,” he assured his boss. As far as Clark was concerned, Perry was still his boss. And Lois was still his partner. The Daily Planet might be in ruins, but they all still made a great team. He knew that with the four of them working together it would only be a matter of time before Luthor was exposed for the criminal he was.
“I guess I’ll see you guys tonight, then.” Jimmy said as he headed for the front door.
“See you, Jimmy.” Clark watched as his friend left his apartment, hoping that the press wouldn’t cause his young friend too much grief. “I’ve got a few hours before my parents are due to arrive. I thought maybe I’d pay Jack a visit and see how he’s doing.”
“I’ll go with you, Clark. Afterward, we can track down Bobby Bigmouth and see if he’s heard anything.”
“What in blazes is a Bobby Bigmouth?” Perry asked. Clark couldn’t help but grin at the look of bewilderment that crossed his boss’s face.
“He’s one of our sources. Bobby has quite the reputation for having the biggest appetite in Metropolis. As long as his stomach’s full, he’ll tell you anything. They don’t call him Bobby Bigmouth for nothing,” Lois explained.
Perry chuckled. “You guys get on with it, then. I’m gonna track down the Planet’s board members and see what I can find out. We’ll all meet tonight and trade notes,” Perry paused, sighing. “I’m really not lookin’ forward to this dinner. I can’t see it being much fun.”
“Hopefully by tonight we’ll have some good news, Chief,” Clark said on a positive note.
Perry nodded grimly. “I sure hope so.”
“So, are you ready to face those reporters outside, Clark?” asked Lois as they headed to his door.
Clark frowned at the thought of fighting off the press. Reporters would no doubt follow him everywhere he went from now on. “Not really, but it doesn’t look like I have much of a choice,” he said before opening the front door to his apartment. The moment the three of them stepped outside they were confronted with at least a dozen members of the press.
“Superman! Why did you keep your identity a secret?”
“Ms. Lane! Did you know that your partner was Superman?”
“Mr. Kent, do you ever plan to work as a reporter again now that the public knows that you’re Superman?”
Clark sighed in frustration as question after question was thrown at them. He led the way for Perry and Lois as they pushed their way through the crowd, slowly making progress to their vehicles.
“Mr. White! What was it like being Superman’s boss?”
“No comment!” Clark said loudly, answering for all of them as he escaped into the passenger side of the Jeep. He watched as the reporters scrambled to their cars, clearly planning to follow them.
“It’s going to be a long day,” Lois said, her tone dry as she shifted the Jeep into drive. Clark held on tight as the Jeep lurched forward. They were soon speeding down the street. “I think it’s time we lost this media circus.”
The end, for now.
