Hi,
I do apologize for this part being a day late, but I do have a good excuse.
I've been without internet access since Tuesday. A workman broke my cable connection and we've been without internet, phone etc ...
However, now I'm back up, time to post part 19. I know this might not go quite the way you expected, but I hope you enjoy.
Yours Jenni
*****
Previously on My Wife The Boss:
David's enthusiasm was rousing Clark from his stupor, but it still seemed as if the guy was talking to him from a long way off.
“I have to go too, but we just wanted you to know how grateful we are to you for saving our lives.”
“I'm sure I didn't ...” Clark protested.
“Are you kidding?” David asked with feeling. “I know what you did ... we all do, and we'll be grateful forever.”
Another medic appeared at David's back and he was shepherded away, but not before shouting over his shoulder. “I hope your hands are OK, and come see us in the hospital if you have the time. Oh, and you're a reporter ... we'll save an exclusive interview for you.”
The irrepressible young man's laugh echoed back through the clamor of the fire teams as they finally got the fire under control, and Clark came to sufficiently to wonder if getting an exclusive would avert Lois' inevitable anger.
Just when he'd promised her that he would be careful, he'd gone and risked both his life and his secret ... again.
*****
continued ...
Chapter Ten
Christmas ... A Time of Goodwill?
Lois walked across the newsroom floor to her husband's desk, her high-heels clacking on the tile floor, attracting some considerable notice. The Planet staff seemed to hold its collective breath as the staffers waited to see if this would turn into the latest round in the ongoing saga of Lane and Kent. It was nothing new; some even had the temerity to suggest that the life of their boss and her star-reporter husband was interesting enough to warrant a column or two in the Sunday newsmagazine.
This time, though, it seemed that those who thrived on havoc and disruption would be disappointed.
Coming to stop by Clark's chair, Lois spoke deliberately, with the intent to reach the far corners of the newsroom. “Congratulations, Clark. Excellent story on last night's fire ... It's not every time we have a reporter on the spot ... or our very own hero making the news. And the interviews with some of the survivors were a great touch. No other paper can beat us.”
She smiled broadly as she glanced quickly around. A few of her staff looked disappointed, but most were beaming. Clearly, the majority were happy to see normal service resumed between Lane and Kent ... even if they were no longer functioning as a writing team.
“What's wrong, people? Don't you have work to do?” she called out, but her eyes were twinkling. “You've seen me praising reporters before.”
There was a scurry as the staff returned to what they had been doing.
Clark, however, was staring at her with raised eyebrows, trying to work out if his editor was being facetious. “What? You're not mad at me for last night?”
While he and Matt had been tending to the fire, Lois had been dealing with her own small crisis at home. Sara had returned from her gymnastic class in hysterics. She hadn't been chosen to compete in The New Troy high-school meet.
Their daughter had reached the age when her superpowers were emerging but she was still having difficulty controlling them, and like her father and brother before her, she firmly believed that she shouldn't use her powers to gain advantage over her teammates or competitors. Also, when her dad had returned to Metropolis, Sara had, very understandably, wanted to spend time with him, and her sport had suffered from a lack of attention.
For the first time, Sara had been left out, and she was crushed that she wouldn't be able to compete in front of her dad.
Lois knew Sara would bounce back, and that she'd be able to show off her skills to Clark some other time, but still, she sympathized with her quiet, sensible daughter. So often, in the past, Sara had shown common sense far beyond her years, but she was still a child, and was bitterly disappointed by what she considered her failure.
When Clark and Matt had gotten home at a fairly late hour, Lois had just seen her daughter off to sleep. Her fatigue, coupled with her worry for Sara, had resulted in her listening to Clark's explanation of the fire and his involvement in the rescue with surprising detachment. Clark understood why, and assumed the storm would come later when she was thinking more clearly.
Yet, this morning she was applauding both his actions and his writing.
Lois shook her head and laughed. “Clark, don't be such a lunkhead!”
With those few words and a final pat on his shoulder, she strode back to her office and closed the door, leaving Clark stunned. He sneaked a glance around him at his colleagues, but it appeared most were looking in another direction or busy at their computers. His brow creased as he stared after his wife. Would there ever be a time when Lois Lane ceased to amaze him?
Since last night, he'd been waiting for her to light into him. In fact, he'd been relieved that Sara's problem had granted him a stay of execution, because he hadn't felt up to another round with Lois, but now she appeared almost blasé about his rescue. Was it that she no longer cared?
Or maybe it was because Christmas was coming up? The season of goodwill to all men -- and Kryptonians? Nah! Lois had mellowed, but she still didn't do Christmas that well.
Looking around him one more time, he rose and strolled in the direction of the editor's office. He knocked on the wooden frame, but didn't wait for a reply before sticking his head around the door.
“Can I talk to you for a minute, Lois?”
She replaced her pen and glasses on her desk and waved him in. “Sure, honey, but I only have a minute. I was about to sign the overtime claims; payroll hates to be kept waiting.”
“Sorry,” Clark said, already backing out the door. “I can come back later.”
“No, don't. I'm always busy, and I think we need to talk. This conversation has been simmering since last night, and it could have been settled, if you hadn't run out on me this morning ...”
Clark closed the door. “Oh, that,” he said, trying to sound casual. “I had to get down to the hospital really early to interview some of the survivors. They were only admitted overnight for observation. If I'd missed them, I would have had to track them down at home, and I wouldn't have made deadline.”
“Clark, come and sit down, and stop hovering by the door.”
At Lois' statement, Clark's eyes widened and he quickly looked down at his feet, prompting a snort from his wife.
“I meant metaphorically speaking.” Lois sighed and rested her elbows on her desk. “Clark, what is wrong with you this morning? You're acting like a cat on a hot tin roof. And don't pretend that the only reason you ran out of the house this morning was to get the story.”
Clark studied his injured hands for a quick moment, then shrugged. “OK, it wasn't.” He looked back up at his wife. “I thought, given the fact you'd had time to think about what I'd done last night, you might not be too happy with me, and I didn't want to have another argument in front of the kids.” He finally sat down. “Sara is upset enough as it is, so I decided it would be better to talk here.”
Lois gave Clark a puzzled look. “But why wouldn't I be happy that you rescued these people?”
He lifted his hands into the air, displaying the dressings. “I got hurt again, and I promised you I'd be more careful. But I couldn't ...”
“Ignore a call for help?” Lois interrupted.
Clark nodded sadly. “Exactly! I'm sorry, Lois ...” he trailed off as he saw his wife's head sink into her hands.
The tension in the air was almost too painful for Clark to bear. He stared at the ceiling while trying to get his breathing under control. “Maybe I should go ...”
At that, Lois' head snapped back up and he was surprised by the wealth of love and determination on his wife's face. “Don't you dare leave,” Lois instructed him. “Clark, I didn't say that you should never help out.” She stood up and came around the desk, leaning against it. “At first, I admit, I got scared, and I overreacted. I wanted to put you inside a glass cage and keep you safe, forever. But that wasn't my right. Then I remembered how I fell in love with you when you told me you were here to help ...” A tiny laugh escaped. “Well, that and a few other things.” For a few seconds, she was silent, her gaze locked on her husband's face. “And I love you now for the same reasons. What you did last night ... it was amazing.”
Clark shoved his hands into his pockets. “I didn't do anything special.”
Lois crossed the space between them. “Perhaps not ... super ... but it was very special. Three people are still alive because of you, and I'll bet they think you're pretty special.”
His lips curled in a lop-sided smile. “I suppose, but they are biased.”
She stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear. “Especially Laura ... or so I hear.”
Clark leaned back to look her straight in the eye, but an embarrassed flush stained his cheeks. “Lois, she's young enough to be my daughter ... well, almost. Who told you that?”
Lois schooled her features. “James was at the hospital this morning on a follow-up story to the explosion. You know, how post-traumatic stress might be affecting the staff, and he happened to talk to your ... friends.” She almost giggled; her husband was adorable when he blushed. “James said the pretty actress, in particular, was very taken by you.”
“I saved her life, so she's probably just very grateful,” he suggested, dismissing Laura from his thoughts. “But, honey, I'm a married man. You do know that I'd never ...”
Suddenly, Clark stopped talking as Lois' mouth closed on his, and, momentarily, they communicated by means more fundamental. At last, Lois let him go, though she leaned against him for support. There was nothing like a tiny shot of jealously to spice up a relationship ... though she knew she had nothing to worry about. Clark had the purest heart she'd ever known.
His eyes were still shut, but he found his voice and ground out a throaty, “Wow!”
This time, Lois allowed a satisfied smile to escape. “You were saying?”
Now Clark's eyes opened wide. “Saying what?”
Clearly, she'd robbed him of the power of coherent thought, and she made a gesture, encouraging him to go continue. “You were telling me that you'd never ...”
“That I'd never look at another woman. Why would I when I have my hands full with a little tornado like you?” He reached out and stopped her from retreating back to her desk. “Who can also be a little minx when she wants to be.”
“But you like it,” she prompted, totally forgetting her urgent workload.
“Of course I do. I fell in love with Mad Dog Lane and I've never regretted it, not even for a second.” Encouraged by his wife's actions, Clark decided to throw out the rules on conduct at work. He bent his head to wife's, claiming her lips again ... longingly ... lovingly.
The muted sounds of the busy newsroom outside were forgotten for a short, magical moment. When Lois surfaced for air, her gaze was hazy, but slowly it focused on her beloved husband's face.
“And I fell in love with a very super man, and I have never regretted it, not even for a second. Clark, I might have lost my way for a little while, but I never want you to stop being all that you are ... and if that means I have to put up with some stress, then that's what I'll do.”
Clark's gaze strayed over every inch of his wife, and when he spoke, his voice was filled with awe. “Lois, you are the amazing one. You make me ashamed ...”
Her hand pressed against his lips. “No more apologies or excuses. We've been through those too many times. From now on, we don't look back, only forward.”
Clark nodded in agreement. “But what do you want me to do, Lois?” He took her hand and led her to the well-worn plaid couch, where he pulled her down beside him. “Last night at the fire, I didn't have a choice. I heard their screams and I was the only one around to help ... so I did what I could. No one even seems to have caught on that there was anything unusual about the rescue.”
Lois visibly swallowed before she asked. “Was there?”
Holding tightly to his wife's hands, Clark took a deep breath. “I think so. I think I used super strength to clear away the rubbish that was blocking the emergency exit.”
“You only think?”
“In the heat of the moment, it was hard for me to judge.”
Tiny worry lines appeared between Lois' eyebrows. “But that can't be proved ... can it? No one saw you?”
“You don't have to worry. There was no one about except me. And even if there was, it was so dark and smoky, I doubt visibility was good enough for anyone to see anything clearly.” Clark halted and regarded his wife appraisingly.
“Oh ... I knew it! Something else happened, didn't it?”
“Well, yes,” he admitted slowly, drawing out the suspense. “Still, you might not think it's a bad thing ...”
“Clark!” Lois demanded, her wrinkles deepening.
“OK, honey.” He took a calming breath. This was massive. “Before I even opened the door, I knew there was a man and two women inside. I saw them. Suddenly, the door disappeared and I could see everything. David and his friends, the narrow passageway and the smoke ... even the glow of flames from around the corner.”
Lois brows arched in surprise, smoothing away the lines, but she managed to tamp her exultation down to a muted squeal. “Your X-ray vision came back?”
“Yes, for a bit ... but could you be more careful here, honey?” Clark asked, indicating their linked hands, where Lois was holding on for dear life. “My invulnerability certainly isn't back yet, and that hurts.”
“Sorry! I'm sorry.” She smiled contritely and eased up on her grip. “Aren't your hands healed yet?”
“I haven't checked under the bandages this morning, but they still feel a bit tender.” Clark grinned at Lois' crestfallen expression. “Please, don't worry. If Bernie's right, I'm sure they'll be better soon. But it is good news that more of my powers are beginning to come back ... don't you think?” Clark added hesitantly, still unsure of Lois' reaction.
Lois' gaze dropped to somewhere below her husband's chin. “I guess ...” There was a pause before she said in a rush, “Yes. Yes, of course I think it's a good thing. If you do ...”
“Honey, don't be scared that I'm about to run off to be Superman again.” Clark stared at Lois' bent head, admiring the silky curtain of her hair, yet resisting the urge to touch her ... for now. “Even if my invulnerability did come back, there's the problem of my missing finger. I doubt my powers will ever cure that one.”
Her thumb gently stroked the back of his bandaged hand, as she continued on a lighter note. “I'm sure we could get around that one. We're Lane and Kent. No problem is too great for us to solve.”
Finally, Clark gave into his need to touch her. Gently putting his finger beneath her chin, he raised her face to his. “Honey, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it ...”
Lois smiled, but deep in her eyes, Clark could see the ghost of fear. The years they had spent apart had wounded them both so deeply, and Clark wondered if their scars could ever be truly healed.
“If we ever do ...” He kissed her tenderly, then tilted his head to the side to watch her. “Helping out as a 'normal' person occasionally will do me for now.”
Lois studied her husband just as carefully. “Are you sure, Clark? I don't want to cage you.”
“I don't feel like I'm in a cage!” Yet there was a tiny catch in his voice, one which he quickly disguised. “When ... when I had no memory, I was trapped in a world I didn't know. Honey, you came and set me free. You saved me.”
“No, that was Matt.”
“No! Matt found me. You were the only one who could have persuaded me to face the unknown and get my life back,” Clark said without a shadow of doubt. Once more, he touched his lips, softly, against her cheek. “You have always loaned me your courage.”
Lois still looked uncertain as her fingers played nervously with the lapels of his jacket. “But you haven't really got your life back ... not completely. My God, you used to fly!” she finished in desperation. “Don't you miss that?”
With a doleful shake of his head, Clark considered his wife's question for a few seconds, before replying resolutely, “I'd be lying if I said I didn't ... at least, a little. But when weighed against what I have got, the lack of flying barely tips the scales.”
Clark pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard, hoping his actions would speak louder than words. When, at last, the kiss ended, he cupped her cheek with his hand. “Lois, I've told you this before, and I'll keep telling you until you believe me. I have my wife and kids back; I have my family and friends, and a job I'm really beginning to appreciate again ... and, if I don't say so myself, one I'm pretty good at ...”
The telephone on Lois' desk began to ring and a disembodied voice crackled across the line.
“Ms Lane, this is George from payroll. Sorry to bother you, but we really need these overtime figures as soon as possible. Are they ready for us?”
Husband and wife both laughed, but it was Clark who spoke. “And speaking of jobs, I think we better get back to them.” He stood and, after a final hug, he moved toward the door. “Oh, and, Chief, I'm going back out tonight to visit the other homeless shelter. I need to get a fix on the bomber.”
The phone was still buzzing impatiently and Lois clicked the privacy key. “Clark, I know how important this investigation is, but I'd rather you didn't tonight. Sara is so upset. I've talked to her, but I think she'd feel better if you had a word with her. You understand about the 'power' thing.” She mouthed the word power silently.
Clark smiled again. “I've already arranged to pick her up from school. I thought we might go somewhere we could be alone ... if you don't mind me using the Jeep?”
“No, of course not. I'll get a ride home from someone here, or I can use a staff car.” Lois fingered the phone. “Good luck with talking to Sara, and be careful. She's still pretty fragile.”
“I know, and I'll tread very carefully. See you later, honey.”
As the door swung shut, Lois depressed the button. “OK, George, calm down. I'll have the figures to you by lunchtime.” She grimaced as she picked up her glasses and put them on. Though she'd learned to take the rough with the smooth, administration was the part of this job she least enjoyed.
Life for Lane and Kent was hectic, but they would always have time for each other, and their family.
Thankfully, Lois wasn't aware of Clark's thoughts as he walked back to his desk.
His lips compressed as he admitted to himself that he'd just lied to his wife. A little white lie, but a lie nonetheless. He did miss flying, but he also believed he'd be very mean-spirited not to value the gift he had been granted. A gift which was worth all his superpowers ... in any lifetime.
He had been given a second chance to love Lois Lane.
*****
to be continued ....
