Thanks to those of you who gave me feedback again. And thanks to rkn for betaing, especially her thoughts on the end of this chapter.
Here's part ten.
A Box of Swiss Chocolates, Part 10
About three days later, things were really coming together with the city hall corruption story. Kiley had been right, Clark said to himself. She may not have any desire to be an investigative journalist, or any kind of journalist for that matter, but she was still very sharp when it came to information.
He and Lois had known the city government was spending the city’s budget on other things, but they didn’t know where to look. Kiley had come in and opened their eyes the other day. Since then, they had compared the budget to the gambling casino’s earnings and had definitely seen a connection. Last night they had taken a trip down to the casino so they could get some more information from the city council members themselves.
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Clark noticed Lois’s hands were shaking as she drove to the casino that Kiley had told them about. “Lois,” he said softly, “It’ll be okay.”
She sighed as she continued to drive. “I know we need this for the story, Clark. And I’m happy we have this lead. But…But Clark, I don’t have good memories of illegal gambling casinos.”
Clark ran his hands through his hair. “I know, I don’t either,” he replied, knowing what she was referring to. “But Lois, there won’t be any gangsters this time. Just a bunch of corrupt government types.”
“I know,” Lois said as she turned into the “suicide slum” area of Metropolis. “I’m sure we’ll be okay. I just wish we didn’t have to go in there.”
“We’ll we can figure something else, if it’s a big problem for you. Maybe get a source or something,” Clark offered. He didn’t want to cause Lois anymore pain. When Kiley was withdrawing from them, it had been painful for both of them. But he knew remembering THAT NIGHT was extremely painful for her. And he hadn’t done anything to make things easier for her back then. The least he could do was spare her the prospect of reliving it all over again.
“No, that’s okay, Clark,” Lois replied softly. “We already tried talking to the city hall people, remember? They won’t say anything to us. And we can’t talk to any of the people in charge of the casino unless we go in there. I can handle it again, with you. Just don’t get in front of any guns this time, okay?”
“I promise, Lois. No guns.” He rubbed her shoulders, trying to give her some comfort.
She smiled gratefully at him as she drove into the parking lot of the building Kiley had described. Then she took a deep breath and got out of the Jeep.
“So we’re doing this?” he asked her, trying to give her one last chance to back out.
“We’re doing this,” she replied, taking his hand.
So they went into the casino, pretending to be everyday gamblers. Fortunately no one recognized them.
“How many people do you usually get a night?” Lois asked the person who seemed to be in charge, trying to appear causal.
“About 30 on an average night,” the man replied, just as causally. “Sometimes we can get up to 50 on a weekend or special occasion.”
Lois nodded. Clark came up behind her. “So, do I see some city council members around here?” he asked, also trying to appear causal.
The man chuckled. “Yeah, I guess some of them have big ‘itch’ for gambling! They just can’t get enough.” He had a coldness in his eyes, like he enjoyed feeding their “itch.”
Clark didn’t like the look in the man’s eyes. It reminded him of some of the looks in the toughest criminals he had faced. Lex Luthor, Tempus, and Bad Brain Johnson came to mind. He shook himself. That wasn’t important right now. They had a job to do, here.
He thought about the man’s words, “an itch. ”So they had a gambling addiction, in other words. Which meant they needed help. Still, that didn’t explain why they had to use the city budget to feed it!
They needed to talk to some of the city council people. Maybe since they had them cornered, they could even get them to go on the record.
So they talked to a couple of members who agreed to go on the record if they spoke quietly. They explained how their gambling addiction started small, as a recreation activity on the weekends. Then it grew until they were using city budget money every night.
Still, that couldn’t be the answer for all the city council members. Every one of them having an uncontrollable gambling addiction? It was hard to swallow. So they asked around and found some of them enjoyed being able to get away with it.
“Oh yeah,” said one. “I know Mr. Howe loves the thrill of using city budget money. He gets a kick out of the fact that we’ve been doing it for months and no one has caught on yet. Wonderful adventure and great profit, he says.”
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But now they had almost enough to print the story. They even had a deal with the police department to have the exclusive in exchange keeping quiet until their bust succeeded. Superman planed to assist with that as well, to maintain order.
And his Lois was getting just as excited as she always did when they were about to break a big story. “Look at all information!” she exclaimed, flipping through their notes with glee.
Clark grinned at her. Yep, that was Lois. She never backed away from a challenge.
He absentmindedly flipped through some European papers. Sometimes they had good ideas, and he could read them pretty fast. Suddenly he stopped on one in particular. “Superwoman Spending Free Time in Europe. Why?” it read. Clark stopped flipping through the articles in shock. What was really going on with Kiley?
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Kiley continued to work on her abstract painting of Larry. She was enjoying painting her boyfriend, although sometimes it could be difficult because she had so many conflicting feelings about him. She liked him and enjoyed spending time with him. Larry really was a sweet man with a love for cooking, just like her father. He also had a lot of hidden insecurities with regards to his uncle, as she had recently found out. And he supported her painting, which was important to her. But she also worried he might not support her as Superwoman. When she was with him, those doubts seemed to disappear. But at home, her insecurities grew. Was he really that different than the other Luthor’s she had read about? But it still helped her to work through these emotions by painting. So paint she did.
Her phone rang from the living room. She sighed and put her paintbrush down. Who was it? she wondered. She didn’t often get phone calls. She contacted the art gallery when she needed to. Larry didn’t have her phone number, because she didn’t want him to notice the Metropolis area codes. He knew she was from Metropolis but believed she was staying in Zurich right now for her paintings. She wanted to keep it that way for now. Kiley couldn’t think of anyone else that would need to call her today.
“Hello?” she said into the phone when she finally picked it up.
“Hello, Kiley,” her father’s voice greeted her. “Your mother and I would like you to come over AFTER dinner tonight. We would like to talk to you.”
Her parents! She hadn’t even thought of that possibility! Since most of her family could travel very quickly, they usually tended to come over when they wanted, or needed to talk. Why hadn’t they done that this time? Did it mean it was more serious? And why did Dad make such a point saying their discussion would take place after dinner?”
“Uh…sure…I’ll do that Dad,” Kiley stammered. What was this about? “Hey, how’d that tip I gave you the other day work out?”
Her father’s voice brightened. “You did great, Kiley. We think were going to break this case because of your help.”
“I’m glad, Dad,” Kiley replied, brightening as well. She really was proud that she could help her parents like that. Still, why did she get the feeling that it wasn’t going to help restore her relationship with her parents as much as she had thought?
“Please come by at about 8:00PM, okay?” Dad added.
“Okay, Dad.” Kiley hung up the phone and sighed. She supposed she should get dinner first, then.
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By the time Kiley was ready to see her parents, she was a nervous wreck. She ran her hands through her hair over and over again. What was this about? Had they figured out about Larry somehow? Although if they had, she would’ve expected them to be more upset than they seemed to be. But it certainly was serious. She realized the reason why they wanted her to come over after dinner was because they didn’t want Alice to be included in the discussion. Besides, family dinners were supposed to be relatively happy occasions. She didn’t get the impression this meeting would be a happy one.
Kiley landed in the backyard of her parents’ Hyperion Avenue home. Then she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
“Hi Kiley,” her mother greeted her as she answered the door. “Come in and have a seat,” Mom said as they walked in to the living room.
Kiley nodded and sat down on one of the couches.
Her father sat across from her on the other couch. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. Mom sat down next to Dad and snuggled against his side. Kiley sighed. She and Larry were getting closer, and they liked to snuggle together as well. But looking at how her parents automatically leaned against each other for support reminded her how far she and Larry still had to go in their relationship.
“So, Kiley,” Dad began, taking a deep breath. “I know you’ve been keeping your distance from us for a while now. I wish you’d tell us what’s wrong, but I can’t force you to do that. But, sweetie, were not the only ones who have noticed a change in you.”
He picked up an article that had been laying on the couch he was sitting in, and handed it to Kiley.
She picked up the article, puzzled. What did this have to do with anything? Journalism was their business, not hers, her parents knew that! Then she noticed the headline. Oh no.
The article went on to explain that Superwoman’s presence had been noticed at least six times in Europe for the last month. That was very unusual, especially since all the Superheroes were based out of the United States. Certainly they had been known to help in major disasters, such as earthquakes, large floods, volcano eruptions, war relief effort, and such things. But none of the things that Superwoman had assisted in while she was in Europe fit that description. While all of the police officers, firefighters, and everyone involved, especially the victims, appreciated her assistance, they had begun to wonder why she was in Europe so often. These events wouldn’t have even aired on LNN before Superwoman had arrived. How did she know they needed help so quickly?
Kiley finished reading the article and slowly looked at her parents. “Well, I did say that I was working on a painting that involved the Swiss Alps,” she commented. “I needed to fly to Europe in order to get my sketches for that painting.”
Dad nodded. “Yes, I understand that. But Kiley, there has to be something else going on here. There’s no reason why you would need to go to Europe as often as this article claims. Besides, didn’t you tell us that painting was finished?”
Kiley nodded. That’s right, she had. “I needed a lot of sketches for that painting,” she replied quickly.
Dad sighed again. “Kiley, you should know better than not to tell me the whole truth. I always know.”
Kiley ran her hands through her hair. “I have reasons for going to Switzerland, okay. And they’re good reasons.”
“Okay, but Kiley we would really appreciate you telling us what those reasons are.” Mom said, joining the conversation. “Journalists who poke around like this,” Mom pointed to the article, “Might notice more than they should. In Metropolis, we can control most of the media concerning you and your father. And Smallville is so rural that we really don’t worry about Thomas. Plus, he still has Grandma and Grandpa to look after him. We don’t have that luxury in Europe.”
Kiley sighed. She understood what her mother was saying, she really did. The idea that journalists in Europe would notice that she was becoming a frequent visitor had not occurred to her, but they obviously had. Still, she wasn’t ready to tell them that she was dating Larry. This conversation was intense enough as it was! Besides, she still wasn’t 100% sure things would work out with him.
Still…maybe she could tell them a little bit more. “I’m kind of seeing someone in Switzerland.”
Her parents nodded, seeming to understand a little bit more. “We’re glad for you Kiley. But you need to be a little bit more careful,” her mother told her gently.
Kiley nodded, glad that they had accepted her explanation. “But what am I supposed to do when I’m flying by and I see someone who needs help? I don’t go looking for trouble, but I can’t ignore it when someone is suffering!” Kiley particularly remembered the kids she had rescued from the fire last week. She hoped the ones she had to fly to the hospital had turned out okay.
Dad nodded, understanding. “I remember having similar conversations with your grandfather back when I was traveling. He would tell me I needed stop using my powers where people could see me, and I’d tell him I couldn’t ignore someone who was in trouble. I thought when I created the secret identity that we wouldn’t have this problem anymore.”
He leaned over and gave Kiley a hug. “I’m glad you’re seeing someone that makes you happy, Kiley. And I understand the situation with the rescues, believe me. But try to be careful, anyway, okay?”
“I’ll do my best, Dad.” Kiley replied.
“Hey, I know we said this wasn’t dinner, but how would you like some chocolate cake?” Dad asked, trying to break the tension.
Kiley laughed. “Gee, Dad, I don’t know. I’ll have to think about that for a second.”
Mom grinned. “We’ll I don’t need to think about it, Clark!” she exclaimed getting up to head for the kitchen.
Kiley followed her parents, saying, “Okay, you don’t have to twist my arm already!”
Alice came downstairs as well, and they all enjoyed Dad’s famous chocolate cake. Kiley admitted to herself that it was almost as good as Larry’s chocolates.
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The next day, Kiley was getting ready for another date with Larry. They were going to watch another movie at his house. It was nice to know that her parents approved of her dating someone, even though she knew they would have a different opinion if they knew who he was. Still, their tentative approval and the prospect of seeing Larry again soon had put her in a great mood.
She sang cheerfully as she got dressed. She put on a green top and a pair of jeans.
She continued to sing as she spun into Superwoman. Hopefully nothing would happen that would need her attention today. That would keep Larry happy, who wouldn’t understand why she would be late again; her parents, who were trying to protect their family’s identities, and her, who didn’t want to deal with criminals or be traumatized by innocent victims today. Not to mention the fact that the victims themselves didn’t need to deal with it, either.
Fortunately, Kiley landed in the area she used to change into her normal clothes without any incident. She quickly walked over to Larry’s house and knocked on the door. He opened the door almost momentarily, grinning. “Hi, Kiley! Come on in.”
Kiley walked in the house happily. “Hi Larry,” she greeted him. They leaned in and kissed, softly.
“So what movie are we going to watch tonight?” she asked him when the broke apart.
Larry shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Let’s go into the den and find something.”
As they walked into the den, Larry causally picked up a newspaper article. “Have you seen this? It seems Superwoman is thinking of taking residence in Europe,” he commented, with a bitter tone in his voice.
Kiley stopped sort. She thought she wouldn’t have to deal with this today! And what was with Larry’s bitter tone, anyway? “I don’t think she’s going to take residence in Europe any time soon,” she replied.
“Well, the article says she’s been sighted in Europe at least six times over the past month, Kiley. These sightings are not the international disasters those superheroes usually take care of. Why is she here anyway?”
“Well, that may be true, but I think she’d say her home is still in Metropolis, and she’d like to keep it that way! And for the record, she is here to help.” So much for wondering whether Larry would support her in the superhero business!
Larry sighed. “Look, I know that you’re used to the superheroes in Metropolis, and they’re supposed to be here to help. But they’ve just always seemed kind of egotistical to me. I mean, ‘Superman?’ ‘Superwoman?’ And those big flashy clothes they were that demand attention! They say ‘notice me! I’m better than the average human!’ I just don’t want that kind of person hanging around my home that much.”
Kiley was shocked. He didn’t want Superwoman hanging around his home, huh? Well than maybe she shouldn’t be here!
“Larry, if that’s the way you really feel, then I’m leaving.” She turned around and walked out the door.
“Kiley wait! Why is that so important to you?”
She ignored him as she flew home. That was the end of that! She should’ve known better than to try to date Lex Luthor’s nephew! They were all alike. And if Larry couldn’t accept Superwoman, he would never accept her. Tears stung in her eyes as she arrived at her apartment. Larry! Blinking until her tears disappeared, she sighed. She wouldn’t let herself cry over him. He wasn’t worth it. He was scum, just like his uncle.
