There's something wrong with my other post. I can't get the whole chapter to come up. So I figured I'd try starting over.

Thanks to those who gave me feedback, again.
And thanks to rkn for betaing.

A Box of Swiss Chocolates, Part 9


Kiley continued to work on her abstract painting which showed her conflicting feelings for Larry and what to do about those feelings for the next few days. She ran her fingers through her hair as she put her paintbrush down. What was she going to do?

She had another date with Larry tonight. They were going spend some time at his house again. He would make dinner again, and then they would watch some movies and eat some popcorn. She sighed. It sounded like an ordinary date for an ordinary couple. Even though inside, she felt they were anything but that.

Her parents would probably think she was dating the enemy. Even though she no longer believed that, she could understand their perspective. Still, some of the things he said about his uncle made her uneasy. Besides, there was also the issue about the superheroes. Was she making too much of his comment? Or did she have a reason to be wary? But Larry was so fun to be around, aside from those other issues. And he was a wonderful kisser, too.

She picked up her paintbrush again and continued painting. She had about a half an hour before she needed to get ready. It was 11:00 AM here, which meant it was 5:00PM in Zurich. She was supposed to meet him at 6:00PM. At least she was getting the hang of this time change thing!

A half hour later, she began cleaning up her studio. She sighed contently. There was nothing more relaxing, in her opinion, than cleaning up her art studio after she had finished. She certainly needed to relax now.

After Kiley finshed cleaning, she changed into a more sensible outfit. Her blue and green shirt with black pants was a good choice. Then she quickly spun into her Superwoman outfit and flew out the window.

However, on her way there, she noticed a hostage situation in Madrid. It seemed that someone had placed a bomb on one of the trains and was demanding $1,000,000 in exchange for the code to stop it. She grumbled. Criminals! Didn’t they know any other ways of making money? The bomb squad was working frantically to stop it, but it didn’t seem like that they would be able to in time. She flew down to the train and grabbed the bomb quickly. Then she hurled it into space. The passengers sighed with relief and thanked her profusely.

She accepted their thanks politely, but she really needed to leave! She was going to be late. Kiley sighed as she flew off as fast as she could, remembering how upset Larry was the last time he thought she had stood him up. And they were a lot closer now than they were then. How much more angry or hurt was he going to be this time?

Within a minute, she landed a few blocks from Larry’s house. She quickly changed into her normal clothes. Then she ran as fast as a normal human would be able to run to his door. She nervously knocked on the door. What was she going to say to him? What would he say to her? Would he even be home? Kiley ran her fingers through her hair as she waited.

About three minutes later, Larry finally answered the door. He was dressed casually, in a blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He looked just as handsome as he always, did, Kiley said to herself. The expression on his face, however, was hard to define. “I thought you said you’d call if you were going to be late,” Larry commented curtly.

Right. Now was the time that she had to explain herself. Too bad she hadn’t come up with an excuse in advance. She didn’t have much experience with creating excuses, because she didn’t usually need them. “Weeellll…it was kind of a last minute thing. I had already left when I realized that I would be late. I’m sorry.” That much was true.

Larry nodded slowly. “I see.” He continued to stand in the doorway, not letting her in or shutting the door in her face.

Kiley sighed. He was obviously on the fence, so to speak. How could she make him land on her side? “I’m sorry I hurt you, Larry. I know it makes me look like I don’t care, but I do. Really. Please let me in.” She reached up, hesitantly, to stroke his face. Would he welcome her touch or consider it invasive at this time?

Larry looked as if he might reject her touch for a second, but then seemed to welcome it. He sighed, looking confused. Then finally, he said, “Okay, come in, Kiley. But next time, please tell me if you’re going to be late.”

Kiley sighed in relief as she walked into his house. Larry was going to give her another chance! Then she paused, as she thought of his last comment. She couldn’t promise to do that. What if it was another last-minute decision like it was today? Still, how many more times could she hurt him like this by making him think she didn’t care enough to let him know? She wasn’t ready to tell him the real reason, yet. She knew that. That would require a lot of careful thinking on her part. So what else could she do?

Kiley ran her fingers through her hair again. She needed to stop thinking about this stuff and enjoy her time with Larry. “So what do you have for dinner?” she asked brightly, trying to concentrate on more pleasant topics.

Larry rummaged around in his kitchen, looking for ingredients for various recipes. “I’ve got enough for the two of us to have Teriyaki Sesame pork cops and some rice to go with it. Is that okay?”

Kiley nodded. She looked outside and added, “Since it’s gotten quite windy in the last few minutes, I think it would be okay for us to stay inside this time.” She sat down at his table. It was a small round wooden table that had been painted brown. It was perfect for two.

Larry looked at her strangely, then looked outside. It was true that it was a windy day, but not much more windy than normal. It could get quite windy in this area because of the altitude, she was quickly finding out. Larry grinned at her. She knew he was realizing it was her way of saying she was comfortable enough to spend time with him alone in his house now.

He began mixing the garlic, seasoning salt, pepper, and teriyaki in a bowl. “I had a group of children come into the store today for a field trip” he commented as he got the pork cops ready. “I took them all around the store, showing them the different kinds of chocolates that we have. I even took them back to the bakery to show them how the chocolates are made. They loved it.”

Kiley smiled as she pictured Larry showing off his chocolate business to all those little tykes. She was sure he’d be great with kids.

He placed the pork chops in the oven and then began getting the rice ready. “Maybe I could show you the bakery sometime,” he said softly.

Kiley smiled at the idea of getting to know Larry better through his work. Not to mention seeing all those different chocolates being made. “I’d like that,” she said just as softly.

Forty-five minutes later, the table was set and dinner was ready. “Do you have some milk to go with this?” Kiley asked. She really preferred to drink milk, especially for dinner, and she was no longer embarrassed to tell him that.

Larry looked surprised, but opened the refrigerator and examined it. “Yes, I’ve got some.” He handed it to her.

“My family always drank milk at dinner,” she began explaining. “There was even a joke about it. Dad always cooked, because Mom couldn’t to save her life. In exchange, she always poured the milk, so she could feel like she was a part of the process. I guess drinking milk at dinnertime always has fond memories for me.”

Larry nodded, finally understanding. “I’ll remember to keep my milk supply for when you’re here, then. It’s nice to see someone drinking milk,” he teased her.

Kiley laughed and poured her own milk. That still felt kind of weird, even though she had been doing it since she left home. They enjoyed their meal. It seemed Larry knew a lot of recipes. Naturally, that made sense that he had learned to cook from world-class chefs when he was a child.

After they finished their dinner and cleaned up, they stepped into Larry’s den. It was a small room, off the side of the living room. It had a small blue couch, a television, and a shelf with DVDs. The walls were painted beige. “What do you want to want to watch tonight?” Larry asked her.

Kiley shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you have?” She looked at his DVD case, reading the titles as she went along. “Madame Butterfly, Faust, The Valkyries, Carmen…you have a lot of operas, don’t you?”

Larry blushed. “Yeah,…um, Uncle Lex liked to watch opera a lot. When he visited, we would watch them together. I… guess they bring back fond memories for me.” Larry was all flustered, the way he often acted when he talked about his positive relationship with his uncle.

Kiley sighed, not sure what to make of this. She was uncomfortable when he mentioned his positive relationship with Lex Luthor. But it obviously made him uncomfortable as well. Once again, she reminded herself to put it out of her mind for now and enjoy the night. She looked at his DVD case again. What could they watch that wouldn’t make them so uncomfortable and would give THEM pleasant memories?

Finally, her eyes settled on a copy of the original of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. “How about this one?” she asked, pulling it out.

Larry smiled. “I think that would be perfect.” He put the DVD into the player and turned on the television. Then he and Kiley settled in and cuddled up on his couch. It was nice to be close like this. They enjoyed the movie, especially the kissing scenes, as they used them as an excuse to kiss each other.

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Kiley smiled as she painted the next day. That had certainly been a great date. She and Lary seemed to be getting alone wonderfully. She paused for a second. Except for her superhero business getting in the way, of course. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen very often.

Speaking of her superhero business…“Help. I need HELP!!” she heard someone yelling. Since this was during the day, it would probably be better for her to answer it, since Dad would be at work. She quickly spun into Superwoman. It sounded like it was coming from Suicide Slum, so she’d better move. Cops didn’t usually patrol that area very much, even during the day.

She flew towards the noise, and soon found a couple of guys beating up a girl. She sighed, and picked the thugs up to take them to the police. She wondered why they were beating her up. Where they angry at her for some reason? Were they working for someone else? Or were they just the type who thought pounding women for the heck of it was fun for some reason? She’d have to get the woman to the police station to explain her situation, whatever it was. Hopefully she’d be willing to do that. Especially since, given the type of clothes she was wearing, Kiley thought the woman might be homeless.

So Kiley flew back to where the woman had been standing. Fortunately, she was still there. “Are you okay?” she asked gently

The woman nodded. “I am now. Thanks for coming, Superwoman.” She winced slightly, and Kiley noticed that her left arm seemed especially beaten, complete with bruises, scrapes, and cuts.

“Do you want me to take you to the hospital to get checked out?” Kiley asked, concerned.

The woman shook her head. “No, I’ll be all set.”

Kiley took a deep breath and nodded. Then, “Would you let me fly you to the police station so you can file a complaint and explain your situation? Those guys are just going to be back on the street unless you do, you know.”

The woman thought for a minute, then nodded nervously. So Kiley picked her up gently, not wanting to hurt her more than she already was. As she was leaving Suicide Slum, she absentmindedly turned on her X-ray vision. In one of the buildings was an illegal gambling casino. Not that was unusual, especially for suicide slum. But some of the people in there…city council members?

She sighed. She’d deal with that later. Right now she had a woman to take to the police station so she could file a compliant and explain her situation. Hopefully she could get a couple of thugs off the streets.

Fifteen minutes later, the woman had explained her situation to the police, with Superwoman’s help. It seemed the men were angry at her because she used to supply them with drugs, but wasn’t willing to do that anymore. It looked like her situation was going to be alright, especially since she wasn’t into drugs anymore.

So Kiley thanked the police officers and flew off. Now what was it that she had seen before? An illegal gambling casino. They were always popping up in Metropolis, because they were good money. Every time the police busted one up, another would open. But it looked like the city council members were spending a Saturday gambling. She remembered the story her parents had been working on. They believed the council was spending taxpayer money on other things. What if they were using it to gamble? Of course that was a very big if…but given what her parents had told her…

She grinned. This could be the lead Mom and Dad had been waiting for! She flew towards the Daily Planet. They’d want to know right away. After landing in a nearby ally and spinning into her normal clothes, she went inside.

The security guards nodded toward her. “Hi, Kiley. Are you here to see your parents?”

She nodded.

“When are you going to join our staff permanently, anyway?” the guard teased her. “We need another Kent on staff.”

She sighed. She knew the guard was only teasing, but it really bothered her. Couldn’t people just accept that she didn’t want to write? She stepped into the elevator. No. Why did fate have to be this cruel?

“So I see the high – and – mighty artist has decided to come to the written world for a change,” Arnold said snidely, standing in the corner of the elevator. Of course, when he was not interviewing her, he was just down right nasty.

“Yes, I’ve got some information for my parents,” she replied, still doing her best to be polite to him.

“Ah, so Miss Kent is running back to Mom and Dad! Does that mean you’re going to start writing after all?”

She pressed her lips together. She really didn’t want to lose her temper, but he was really pushing it. Was this information really worth this? Maybe she could just call them up. But then she remembered how guilty she felt about putting distance between her and them lately. “No, I’ve just got a tip for them,” she replied firmly. “Then I’m going to go home and paint.”

Fortunately Arnold’s floor was next, so whatever snide remark he had planned for her next was cut short. She sighed. Hopefully telling her parents this lead would bring them close to her again. After stepping off the elevator of the city room, she remembered another reason why she hadn’t wanted to be a reporter, especially for the Daily Planet. There was too much noise.

Uncle Jim yelled at his reporters to start writing soon, Tim Hathaway complained that he had to work on Saturday, computers clicked, someone whined that there wasn’t enough soda in the machine, feet shuffled, one of the newer interns begged for a chance to work with Mom and Dad, and Mom pounded her fist on her desk in frustration.

She sighed. Give her a quiet art studio where she could work at her own pace any day. But she had a reason for being here today, and she needed to remember that. So Kiley walked over to her parents and asked, “Can we go to one of the conference rooms? I think I might have a lead for you.”

Mom and Dad looked up at her, surprised, and then nodded.

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Clark was very interested in Kiley’s lead as he walked into the conference room. Lois had been very frustrated about their city council story earlier. They both knew the city council was up to no good, but how could they prove that? Lois had pounded her fist in frustration, because neither one of them had any idea where to go from here.

Besides, the fact that she was willing to come to the Daily Planet to talk to them said something. She could have waited until tonight or called them on their phones. Kiley made it no secret that she didn’t like to come to the Planet when she didn’t have to. She didn’t like the noise, and there were still people that teased her about joining the staff. So the fact that she was here meant that this was a big lead. Or maybe this was her way of trying to bridge the distance between her and them. It could even be both.

All three of them sat down in the conference room. “So I was performing a rescue in suicide slum this morning,” Kiley began. “And while I was flying I happened to turn on my X-ray vision to one of the buildings in the area. It was an illegal gambling casino. I know that’s not unusual, but I saw what looked like some of the city council members in So I got to thinking, what if their using our tax money to gamble?”

Clark raised his eyebrows. Kiley didn’t babble very often, but when she did, she certainly proved she was Lois’s daughter.

Lois nodded at Kiley’s assessment. “That makes sense. Why don’t we look at that angle Clark? We’re certainly not getting anywhere ourselves.”

Clark nodded. “I think this is just the lead we need, sweetie. Thanks.” He leaned over and gave her a hug. Maybe their father-daughter relationship was getting back on track.

Kiley hugged him back. “I’m glad I could help.” She grinned. “But now that I’ve told you, I’m going back to paint. You guys need to work, and you know how much I don’t like being here when I can help it. Nothing personal.”

Lois smiled. “We know. And that’s what makes this visit so special. You thought it was important enough to come see us at the Planet.”

Kiley grinned from ear to ear as she left the building.

Clark turned around and grinned at Lois. “Maybe we’ll be okay.”

Lois gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I think we’ll be fine. With the story and with Kiley. Now let’s get to work.”