As always, thanks to my fabulous betas – Carol, Beth, and Mark!
From Chapter 23
Lois sighed, “Tell Perry we can't print this half baked idea that Superman is responsible for the heat wave.”
Clark shrugged. “Like you said, the public has a right to know, Lois. We don't know how Superman gets his powers. Maybe it's true.”
The phone rang and Perry moved to pick it up as Lois moved closer to Clark.
“What's with you?” she asked him.
“What?”
“You are the one who said that some things have to come before the news. Not publishing libel about your roommate doesn't count? I thought Superman was your friend, Clark!” Lois demanded hotly.
“It's not libel, Lois,” Clark said. “We don't have to say he's causing it. Just that it's a theory. This isn't the same thing as with your dad anyway. It's not going to hurt Superman.”
“It's not?” Lois asked. “You don't think it will hurt him to read a story by his closest friend saying he's responsible for this heat?”
Clark sighed. “I think it may hurt him that people think that, but they do whether we print something about it or not.”
“Clark,” Lois started, but Perry, who was off the phone, cut her off.
“Lois, Clark,” he called out. “I want the article on this Superman thing on my desk in an hour.”
Chapter 24
Clark opened the door to the apartment feeling discouraged. What if it was true? What if Superman really was responsible for the heat wave? What did it mean?
The apartment was quiet and after turning the television to LNN, Clark discovered that Superman was helping with a multiple car pile up on one of the bridges in New York.
He moved to the kitchen to make dinner, taking out green peppers, tomatoes, and carrots and slicing them at normal speed. He wanted the relaxation that came with cooking and doing things at super speed did not work as well for that. He moved to the refrigerator to take out some chicken breasts, cutting them into bite sized chunks.
He had finished all the chopping and just added the garlic to the wok when he heard the whoosh of Superman's arrival. “I'm making dinner; you're welcome to join me,” he called.
“Thanks,” Superman said, sounding tired.
A few minutes later Superman was in the kitchen and pouring drinks as Clark poured the stir fry onto two plates.
“So, can I ask you a question?” Clark asked.
“You know I really can't tell you if I'm responsible for the heat wave,” Superman said.
Clark gave a half smile. “That wasn't quite what I was going to ask, but it answered my question.”
Superman smiled, “What were you going to ask?”
“I was going to ask if it is always summer in Metropolis in your universe,” Clark admitted.
Superman smiled. “Clever. It may even have worked.”
Clark put his fork down. “I don't suppose you can tell me if Luthor's power plant is somehow related, can you?”
Superman coughed on the bite of chicken he had been trying to swallow. “Isn't the plant down right now?”
Clark nodded, “Yeah, but he just got approval. It seems so… coincidental that Luthor gets approval for the plant in record time as Metropolis needs more power due to an unexpected heat wave. I'm not sure how he could be causing it, but I don't know. The thought just occurred to me.”
Superman nodded, but did not say anything. He was not comfortable with the idea of lying to Clark, but he did not see how he could confirm the suspicion either.
***********************
“I'm making this public appeal asking him to submit to the laws of this community,” City Attorney Cheng announced to the press gathered in front of her, announcing her decision to seek an injunction ordering Superman to stop using his powers.
“What if he doesn't?” a TV reporter asked. “If he's endangering the lives of everyone in Metropolis, shouldn't you be issuing a shoot-to-kill warrant?”
Clark blanched. “He can't be serious! After everything Superman's done?” he said sotto voce to Lois and Jimmy.
Jimmy smiled, “McKee is an idiot. You can't shoot Superman!”
Clark smiled. “You're right, Jim. Thanks for the reminder.”
“It doesn't matter,” Lois said with force as the press conference let up around her. “It's not whether or not we can hurt Superman physically. Don't you think questions like that hurt him emotionally?”
Jimmy shrugged, “I guess. But it's not like we even know if Superman has feelings like a person.”
“He does,” Clark said so quickly even Lois looked at him funny. “Lois is right. This has got to be hurting him.”
“Let's do something to cheer him up,” Lois suggested.
“Like what?” Jimmy asked.
“I don't know. Make him his favorite dinner?” Lois suggested.
Jimmy laughed, “I thought you wanted to do something nice for him!”
“Very funny,” Lois said. “Clark can cook. We'll just help.”
“Maybe we could do something else,” Clark said. “Like a visit to my parents.”
“Your parents?” Lois asked.
“Yeah. I think he'd like that,” Clark stated. “Meet me at my place in a half hour, that will give me some time to get in touch with him” he said, shooting Lois a look. He hoped she would quickly catch on that he did not want Jimmy knowing where Superman lived.
“Sounds perfect,” Lois said. “Jimmy and I will go back to the Planet and get started.”
“On what?” Jimmy asked.
“Well, the only way we're going to be able to fix this is to find out what's really causing the heat wave. That means we have some work to do,” Lois said.
***********************
“Are you up for a field trip?” Clark asked Superman as he closed the door.
Superman looked up from the television to smile at Clark wanly. “I guess.”
“You saw the press conference?” Clark asked.
Superman nodded. “It's not like I didn't know it was coming.”
“Still, McKee's comment…”
“Was stupid,” Superman said. “I can't be shot.”
“That's what Jimmy said,” Clark smiled.
“So,” Superman said, already looking a bit better, “where's the field trip to?”
“Lois, Jimmy, and I are going to take you to Smallville.”
Superman's eyes lit up.
“I thought you'd like some time away,” Clark smiled. “They are coming over in a few minutes. I'll leave now, you can tell them you already took me, and then you can take them when they get here.”
“Thanks, Clark,” Superman said quietly. It felt nice to go through this with someone who really got what this felt like this time around.
“It was Lois' idea to do something for you,” Clark admitted. “I just thought a visit to my folks would be…”
“It's a great idea, Clark,” Superman interjected quietly.
***********************
Superman landed in the corn field gently, placing both Lois and Jimmy on their feet. He was not sure, but he thought Jimmy may have been more pleased about the ride than Lois.
Lois rubbed her arms. “Wow. I forgot that it's still cold outside of Metropolis. It's freezing out here.”
“Well, come on in then, honey,” Martha called from the doorway.
Lois walked over, giving Martha a hug. She still felt a little awkward for her behavior last time she was here, but it was hard to ignore the fact that Martha was not one to judge.
“Hi, Mrs. Kent,” Jimmy said softly. He had met Clark's parents briefly when he came to Metropolis for the Trask story, but did not know them well.
“Good to see you again, Jimmy,” Martha smiled at him warmly and Jimmy felt himself relax.
Martha turned to Superman, and opened her arms to him. Superman walked towards her, giving her a hug almost as tight as the one she gave him. He tried not to get all choked up at how good it felt to feel Martha's unconditional love. Lois and Jimmy would surely find it strange that he was so close to Clark's parents if he was too obvious.
“I'm so glad you're here,” Martha said. “I hope you aren't letting what those people are saying in Metropolis get to you.”
She spoke softly, but not so quietly that the others could not hear and Jonathan added from the kitchen, “It's all nonsense, of course. You've done so much for the people of Metropolis. I'm sure no one but the reporters think any of those things. And even the reporters are just trying to sensationalize the news.”
“Responsible journalists don't need to do that,” Lois said hotly.
Jonathan smiled at her. “Of course not, Lois. You and Clark tell it like it is. But not everyone has the raw talent you two do.”
Lois flushed with pleasure at the compliment.
“Well, anyway, Superman, none of us believe it,” Jimmy stated.
“I know,” he said. “And you have no idea how much that means to me.”
***********************
“Your parents are so great,” Lois said, toying with a loose thread on her pants. She and Clark were sitting in the living room. At dinner, Jimmy had mentioned that he had always wanted to ride on a tractor and Jonathan's eyes had lit up. As soon as they finished eating, Jonathan invited Jimmy out to the barn.
Clark had gotten up to help his mother clean up, but before Superman and Lois could join him, she had shooed them all and sent them to the living room. Superman had only sat still for a moment before he said he wanted to take a walk, so now only Lois and Clark were left in the living room.
“I know,” Clark said, thinking that Lois was right, his parents were great. “I've always been close to them and I don't think I really realized just how special they are. I mean… I'm not saying this right. I've always known I'm lucky to have such great parents, but I don't think I got how many people have parents who aren't nearly as… supportive and accepting as mine are.”
Lois smiled. “Yeah. Not everyone has parents like yours.”
“So,” Clark said, nudging Lois with his shoulder lightly. “I know you don't get along with your father, although I don't really know why. But what about your mother? It sounds like your relationship with her is not much better?”
Lois shrugged. “We're not that close.”
Clark nodded. “Does she live in Metropolis?”
Lois nodded, wondering if Clark would ever meet her mother. She hoped not. She had never liked the idea of anyone meeting her mother.
Chad held her hand tightly as they walked up the stairs to her apartment. “What's with you today?” he asked her.
Lois said nothing for a moment, afraid to tell him the truth. She had been by his house several times now after school. Only for an hour or so each time to study before the middle school got out and she would go to pick up Lucy. Still, while it was only a short while each time and his parents had not been home from work yet, he had had no problem inviting her over.
She knew he expected her to do the same, but it was hard. How could she know what day would be good for her mother? How could she know what day her mother would actually go to work and not be home when they got there rather than spending the day at home drinking?
Still, she felt like she needed to invite him over. They had been on several dates now and while he had not yet asked her, Lois knew everyone at school considered her Chad's girlfriend. She liked being his almost-girlfriend (although not as much as she would like to be his girlfriend), so she needed to do this. He had no idea why this would be hard for her and she was not going to tell him. Instead, she had decided to invite him over and hope for the best.
She held her breath as she opened the door. She breathed a tiny sigh of relief when she walked inside. It was quiet in the house. Usually, if her mother had spent the day drinking, she would be shouting at the television by now. Unless, of course, it was the type of day where she kept herself in her bedroom crying. Maybe Lois should check the bedroom. If her mother was in there, she could keep her from coming out by making sure she still had lots to drink.
What was she thinking? The goal was to keep alcohol away from her mother, not give it to her! Lois bit her lip. "Let this be a good day,' she prayed.
“So, this is it,” she told Chad nervously as she glanced around. The bedroom door was open. Her mother was not home. She could feel her shoulders fall as the stress left her body.[i]
***********************
Clark came down the stairs and grabbed a dishtowel.
“Clark, I told you, you didn't have to help,” Martha said, not turning around as she scrubbed a stubborn spot.
“I know,” he said. “I wanted to, Mom.”
“Clark, you sound…,” Martha's voice trailed off as she turned around. For a moment she said nothing, but then her eyes got wide and she turned back to the sink to shut off the water.
Grabbing his hand, she dragged him upstairs and into her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her. “What are you doing?” she said, her voice a mixture of anger and confusion. “What if Jimmy or Lois saw you?”
He blushed. “It's that obvious?”
Martha took a deep breath. “Superman, I have no idea what you were trying to do, but you are nine years older than Clark. Of course it is obvious to anyone who knows the two of you!”
Superman sank onto the bed. “I was afraid of that.”
“What were you doing?” Martha asked.
Superman sighed. “I was testing, seeing if I could get away with being Clark, just for a moment.”
“Why?” Martha asked, coming to sit beside him.
Superman took a deep breath. “Sometime in the next couple of days I need to "decide' to leave Metropolis to see if I'm really causing the heat wave.”
“You're not, are you?” Martha cut in.
Superman shook his head. “No, I'm not. But you can't tell Clark yet.”
“I know,” Martha said, reaching over to take his hand in hers.
“So, when I left in my universe, I had to leave as Clark, too. I told Lois that I had a job as editor of the Smallville Press.”
“Okay,” Martha said, trying to determine where this was going.
“I kissed her goodbye. It was an impetuous, silly thing to do. And when I came back, neither of us spoke about it. But a few years ago, Lois told me that while she had tried to brush it off, that kiss meant something to her. It made her realize how much she missed Clark when he was gone, maybe even as much as Superman. I don't want Clark to lose that, whatever it did to her, just because my leaving won't mean Clark needs to leave in this universe.”
Martha laughed lightly. “Oh, honey. You worry too much. Get changed.” She stood up and waited while Superman did his spin thing. “Come here,” she said, leading him back downstairs to the doorway of the living room.
She put a finger to her lips, indicating that he should be quiet and pointed inside. Lois and Clark were sitting close together on the couch, talking, and took no notice of the two people watching them.
Martha leaned over and whispered in a voice only Superman could hear, “Do you really think this Lois needs that? I think she's already far too attached to my son to not realize she would miss him if he left.”
Superman smiled. Martha was right. Maybe things were different enough in this world that the kiss was not needed after all.
***********************
“Earth to Lois,” Clark called, waving a hand in front of her face.
“Sorry,” Lois said, flushing.
“So you don't get along with your mother. That doesn't mean you need to disappear into Never Neverland.”
Lois smiled. “Right. Sorry.”
“We should probably head back,” Superman said softly from the doorway. “The two of you have work in the morning.”
“And you have an injunction to get to,” Clark said grimly.
“I'll get Jimmy,” Superman offered.
“Hey,” Clark said, turning and seeing the look on Lois' face. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” she said, still thinking about her mother.
[i]“Is he still here?” Lucy called out a half hour later as she entered the apartment.
Chad smiled. “Lucy?” he asked.
Chad had yet to meet Lucy. Lois had always gone alone to pick Lucy up at school from Chad's house, even though he had always offered to walk her there. She was nervous about what Lucy may let slip. Unlike Lois, Lucy did not seem to think it was any big deal for her friends, at least her close friends, to know about Mom. She did not understand why Lois wanted to keep it a secret.
“Yes,” Lois said, hoping that this went well. She really wanted Lucy and Chad to get along, while hoping that Lucy would not say anything about their mother.
“He is here!” Lucy said, smiling as she walked in.
“Chad, this is my sister, Lucy,” Lois made introductions.
Chad stood to shake Lucy's hand, but Lucy ignored his hand to give him a hug instead.
“Hi, Chad,” she said.
Chad laughed as he hugged her back. “Hi, Lucy.”
Lucy smiled as she swung her backpack to the floor, taking her jacket off and laying it on top of her bag before she sat down.
“So…” Lucy said, looking at Chad carefully. “You're Lois' boyfriend.”
“Lucy!” Lois said, feeling her cheeks flame up. What if Chad thought she was telling people she was his girlfriend when he had not even asked her?
“Sorry, sorry,” Lucy said, not looking the least bit apologetic. “You're Lois' friend. Who happens to be a boy.”
“Yes,” Chad said. “And you're her sibling who happens to be a girl. She speaks about you all the time,” he said, smiling.
“Oh, I bet not half as much as she speaks about you,” Lucy smiled.
“Lucy!” Lois said again, feeling her cheeks flush even more.
“So, Lois said you like to play soccer?” Chad asked Lucy, reaching over to take Lois' hand in his.
Before Lucy could answer though, the door to the apartment opened again. “Mom?” Lois asked, glancing worriedly at the clock. It was too early for her mother to be home from work.
“Yeah,” Ellen Lane answered as she came in. “I just went out… Lucy, pick your jacket up! This place is a sty. My hard earned money doesn't pay for this house so you can trash it!”
Lois winced. Her mom was drunk. She could see it in her eyes and the way she was standing, even if she ignored the vodka bottle in her hand. Plus, the things she was saying – Lois was the only one who ever cleaned around here, although sometimes Lucy helped. Her mother barely did anything except for going to work often enough that Lois could find enough money to buy a few groceries each week.
Before she could say something, anything, to get her mother to go to her room and leave them alone, though, her mother's eyes traveled to where she sat next to Chad on the couch, her hand still in his.
“What's this?” she asked, and Lois bit her lip to stop a groan. In case her little outburst at Lucy had not made it clear, she knew what came next would do it. Her mother was in one of her angry drunk moods. “Is this your little boyfriend, Lois?” Before Lois could respond, her mother continued. “When did I say you could have boys over? He needs to leave now! What did you think you were doing, you little slut?
“Don't think you're anything special,” she said to Chad. “I find her in here with boys all the time.”
“That's not true!” Lucy shouted, but then backed away when her mother glared at her.
“Don't defend her just "cause you're hoping she'll send you her rejects. It's not going to happen. We all know how selfish Lois can be.”
“I should go,” Chad said quietly.
Lois nodded, trying to hold in her tears. She got up and walked him to the door. “Good night, Chad,” she said softly, staring at the tile in their entranceway.
“Good night, Lois,” he said just as softly.
She closed the door after him knowing what they had really just said was goodbye.
