A big thank you to my betas – Kelly, Carol, and Beth (who are still talking to me despite the fact that some of them seem to think I'm evil).
From Chapter 5
“Thank you, Lois. I'm really lucky to have you as a friend. I know we don't really know each other long enough for you to do a favor this big for me.”
I shook my head. “Nonsense, you were there for me when my mom called and you even offered to entertain her if we needed you to. You've been a great friend to me already.”
“Still, Lois. Thank you.”
“You're welcome. Now, here's the thing. I'm an atrocious cook. I actually don't do it. We order in on my nights. But Chad is great. Tomorrow is his night and it's a good one to come over. He's off all day tomorrow to recover from tonight's shift. So, he'll be well rested and probably eager for some company. Does tomorrow work for you?”
“It sounds perfect,” Clark said.
Chapter 6
“Good morning,” Chad said as he crawled into bed the next morning.
“'Morning,” I replied sleepily. “What time is it?”
“About seven,” Chad yawned in my ear.
I had another fifteen minutes before I had to get up and I scooched backwards until we were spooning.
“Did you have a good night?” Chad asked me and I felt myself stiffen slightly at his words. I had promised Clark I would not tell Chad, but it was weird to have a secret from him.
“Clark stopped by,” I said. “He's… having some trouble adjusting to life here.”
“So he came to you? Somehow you aren't the first person I would think of for pointers on how to adjust to Metropolis. You think if someone can't live here, they should just move. You don't have any patience for that kind of thing.”
I laughed and could feel Chad shaking with laughter behind me. “Well, Clark didn't know that.”
Kissing me just behind my ear, he asked, “So, did you help?”
“I think so,” I said. I did think so. Clark definitely seemed better when he left last night than when he arrived. “I invited him for dinner tonight.”
“Am I supposed to be clearing out for you and your boytoy?” Chad teased.
I turned around so I was facing him. “Would you?” I asked. “Maybe after you make us dinner?”
Chad reached out to tickle me. “Is he really coming for dinner?” he asked a moment later.
“Yeah. You don't mind, do you?” I asked, catching my breath.
“Of course not. Anything special I should make?” he asked.
I shrugged right as my alarm started beeping. “Clark seems to eat anything,” I told him as I got out of bed.
************************
“I um… brought some wine?” Clark said and I almost laughed. I had never seen Clark so nervous before.
Chad took it from him and smiled at the label. “A Chardonnay is perfect. I made salmon. It's good to meet you, Clark.”
"You, too,” Clark said to Chad as the two shook hands. “Thanks for having me. I'm sure this isn't the best time since you were up all last night.”
Chad laughed, “Are you joking? I slept all day. You'll be begging me to let you leave.”
Clark laughed and I could see him begin to relax. “So, what can I do to help?” he asked.
Chad put up his hands as if to ward off the devil. “No thanks. I don't let reporters into my kitchen. Not if I want to be able to use my pots again,” he said, bumping his hip against mine playfully.
Clark smiled. “Yeah, Lois did say something about burning water. I completely understand.”
“Do you cook?” I asked Clark.
Clark shrugged, “I'm pretty good. It comes from spending years freelancing all over the world. I was poor, so had to make my own food and I learned all sorts of useful tips from the locals.”
“Like what?” Chad asked as he motioned us to follow him into the kitchen.
Clark thought for a moment before saying, “Like in Italy, I was taught the easiest way to peel garlic. You smash the fat end with the edge of a chef's knife. The whole thing sort of breaks apart and the peel comes right off. And in Spain, this woman taught me when to buy fresh herbs and when to use dried. Actually, the most fun thing,” he said, “was learning how to chop in Korea. You know how those Japanese guys chop things super fast at those hibachi places?”
“Yeah,” Chad said and I could see his eyes light up. This was a skill he'd like to know too, I was sure, but I wasn't so keen on his learning it. Clark couldn't be hurt if he missed with the knife, but Chad most certainly could.
“I know how to do that,” Clark said, his eyes gleaming.
“Can you show me?” Chad asked and I groaned. “What?”
“I kind of like your fingers,” I said.
Chad laughed. “Me, too. I'm not planning to cut them off. Clark has all his fingers, doesn't he?”
"Well, yes, but he's super, dear,' I told Chad – in my head of course, since I wasn't actually telling him Clark's secret yet.
“It's perfectly safe,” Clark assured me. The first trick is to bend your fingers so the joints are along the edge. No fingertips around to get lobbed off,” he said, and I relaxed somewhat as Clark moved closer to Chad.
Chad gave him a knife and a cutting board. “Can you chop up the carrots and celery for the salad?”
“Sure,” Clark said, taking both from him. He peeled the carrots and then lined them up. “Okay,” he said so Chad stopped stirring the sauce and came over to watch.
Within a few seconds the carrots were all chopped and almost right after that the celery was done, too. “Wow!” I said. I looked at him carefully. Had he used super powers?
“Ready for me to show you how?” he asked Chad. I guessed not.
Chad moved over eagerly while Clark showed him how to hold the knife and move his hand. In just a few minutes, Chad had chopped cucumber for the salad at a speed that was pretty close to what Clark had used for the carrots.
He put the knife down and smiled at me. “So, it turns out you don't have to be a horrible cook to be a reporter. Who knew?”
“Hardy-har-har,” I said to him as I turned to the cabinets to pull out the plates.
I could hear Clark and Chad talking in the kitchen as I moved around the dining room table. It sounded like things were going well in there. I breathed a sigh of relief. If they got along, maybe I'd be able to stop keeping this secret from my husband. I knew I hadn't been keeping it that long, less than a day in fact, but it still felt weird.
************************
“So, Lois is being the hard bitten city girl and acting all nonchalant, but what do you think of Superman, Clark?” Chad asked as we sat around after dinner sipping the wine Clark had brought.
Clark almost choked on the sip he had just taken, but covered quickly. “Well, it's not like I know him or anything, but… he's pretty amazing. All that stuff he can do.”
I could tell Clark felt uncomfortable saying anything too positive about his alter-ego and was fighting the urge to downplay Superman, knowing that would look weird to Chad. Still, it was probably good practice. Surely, other people would ask this question as well, but since he'd be telling Chad soon anyway, if Chad got too suspicious it wouldn't be that big a deal.
“You're going to have to do better than that, Clark. Chad, here, has a little bit of a crush on Superman,” I threw a teasing grin Chad's way.
“I do not!” he replied.
“You don't?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, maybe a little bit. But I mean, come on. He's Superman!” Chad said like he was a five-year old who had just seen the first Spiderman movie.
“What is it he can do?” Chad asked. “Do you know? Or maybe what can't he do is the better question.”
Clark shrugged. “I don't know. So far we haven't seen him having trouble doing much of anything.”
“He's super fast,” I said, trying to take the pressure off of Clark. “He can freeze things with his breath and heat them with his eyes.”
“He can catch bullets with his bare hands,” Chad said, getting to the stuff that really impressed him. He was such a boy. “And can swallow bombs with no ill effect. How cool would that be?” he asked Clark.
Clark seemed to relax slightly and laughed back. “Pretty cool.”
“Can you imagine?” Chad asked. “Being able to do all of those things?”
“It would be pretty neat,” Clark admitted.
Chad reached out to squeeze my hand affectionately. “Of course, Lois is such a girl,” he said and I smiled at the similarity of our thoughts. I guess being together for ten years would do that. “I'm sure you saw her article on Superman's limitations – how he can't be there all the time. I know she thinks it would be tough to see that side of humanity all the time.”
“Hey!” I replied hotly. “I got a lot of letters in agreement with that piece and not all of them were from women!”
“I'm sure Superman really appreciated it,” Clark said quietly.
Chad got up to stand behind my chair and wrapped his arms around me. “I'm sure Clark's right. And you know how I feel about it.” He picked his head up from my shoulder to look at Clark. “Lois probably told you that I've been helping in the ER. It's not quite the same thing as being right there during a tragedy, but…”
“I'm sure it's still a lot to deal with,” Clark said. “And given that you don't have super powers…”
Chad chuckled. “Yeah. Anyway… I think she's right. I know it's hard on me some days. I feel sort of bad for Superman that way. I have someone to come home to, you know?” he asked, tightening his hold on me.
“Yeah,” Clark said, definitely looking a little uncomfortable.
Chad must have thought Clark's discomfort was from the public display of affection as he let me go and started collecting plates from the table. Clark jumped up to join him and within minutes we were finished loading the dishwasher.
“Do you think…” Chad started, but then stopped.
“What?” I asked.
“I just wonder how Superman's biology is different than ours,” Chad said. “I mean he looks human, right? But he clearly has abilities the rest of us don't have. I just wonder… Is there anything missing? Does he feel things like we do? It would be fascinating to study him.”
I knew Chad was just talking and his interest was purely scientific, but Clark did not and he paled at Chad's words. I wondered how often in the past he had worried about this – some scientist wanting to find out who he really was and what made him different.
“He's a person, Chad. Not a science experiment,” I said, trying to keep my voice light and somewhat teasing.
“Of course not,” Chad said, seeming to come out of his daydream. “I'm not talking about tying him up in a dark room and giving him an anal probe or something. More like random experiments to answer questions he has. I mean, don't you think Superman has all sorts of questions about this, too?”
Clark nodded, although he still looked a little pale. “I bet you're right,” he said and I wondered just how many questions Clark had about himself.
It must be so weird to sit through high school biology and wonder how much of what you learned applied to you. Of course, physics must have been fun, too. I had a mental image of Clark raising his hand in physics class to announce that not everything obeyed the law of gravity.
“What?” Chad asked at my giggle.
“Sorry,” I flushed. “I was just thinking about Superman going through high school here and telling his physics teacher that he didn't care what he was told about the law of gravity. He could fly.”
Chad's eyes got wide. “Do you think he was here back then? That would mean he has a secret identity, wouldn't it?” Clark paled again, but relaxed slightly at Chad's next words. “That would mean he probably has someone to talk to, right?”
Clark smiled, “Yeah, I think it would mean that.”
************************
“Thanks for having me,” Clark said as we stood in the doorway.
“It was a pleasure,” Chad said. “Really.”
“Well, good night,” Clark said, shaking Chad's hand again and smiling at me. He had walked a few feet away before he turned around again. “Hey, Chad?”
“Yeah?”
“You mentioned during dinner that you like to rock climb, right?” Clark asked.
“I do. I'm not very good, but I've gone a few times and it's fun,” Chad said.
“There's a gym near my apartment if you ever want to go. I haven't been often, but I'm okay and I've heard the gym is one of the best in Metropolis,” Clark offered and I smiled. It would be a little weird for Clark and Chad to be friends, particularly to be the type of friends that would go out without me. Without that, though, Clark would probably never be comfortable enough to tell Chad his secret. Besides, Chad didn't have a lot of male friends, so this would probably be good for him, too.
“That sounds great,” Chad said, sounding enthused. “Maybe I'll give you a call tomorrow and we can set up a time?”
Clark smiled and it was one of the first completely relaxed smiles I had seen from him all night.
“That sounds great. See you tomorrow, Lois,” he said before he took off down the walkway.
“He seems great,” Chad said as we closed the door. “Really. He seems… genuine and kind. Exactly the way I picture people from farming towns.”
I reached up to run my hands affectionately through his hair. “You romanticize small towns, honey. But you're right. Clark is genuine and he is kind.”
************************
November 1993
“So?” I asked as Chad walked in the door.
Chad laughed at me as he put his stuff down. “Did you eat those things for lunch?”
I glanced guiltily down at the chocolate covered pretzels I had taken out as a snack before Chad left – which must have been three or four hours ago. “No,” I said noticing how most of the large bag was all ready gone.
“You ate something else?” Chad asked.
“I… um… I had a piece of cheese about two o'clock,” I said, flushing.
Chad came to sit beside me, grabbing a pretzel out of the bag. “You're incorrigible,” he said affectionately.
“Hey,” I said closing the bag. “You said these were for me.”
Chad reached out to ruffle my hair. “I did, but I didn't realize you had become incapable of sharing.”
With a glare, I held the bag out to him. “Don't go using these to refurbish the calories you burned today!” I said.
“Yes, ma'am,” Chad said, sneaking another pretzel before handing the bag back to me.
“So, how was it?” I asked again.
“It was great. Clark was right – the gym was terrific. Well, I guess. Not that I've ever climbed in a gym before.”
“Is it different than outside?” I asked.
“Yeah. It's easier for one – I mean, there's no searching for holds, they're just there and color coded.”
I giggled. “Rock climbing for monkeys?” I asked.
“Something like that. But it means you can do slightly harder climbs because you're not so focused on making sure you won't fall. With the ropes and all the mats, it's a lot safer.”
“So, how was Clark?” I asked.
“He was okay. He said he's only been to a gym once or twice and never been outside and it showed – he was pretty good for a beginner, but he had to stick to the easier routes.”
“I don't really care how good a rock climber he is, honey,” I said, sneaking another pretzel before Chad gently took the bag away from me. “I meant did you have fun hanging out.”
“Yeah,” Chad said, getting up and going into the kitchen. “He's a really great guy,” he said, coming back in with a glass of water. “He told me a little about his travels. Did you know he speaks over three hundred languages?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I'd like to hate him for it, but he's so freakin' nice,” I groused.
Chad ruffled my hair once again. “Just because he has a facility for languages you don't doesn't mean you don't have skill sets he doesn't.”
“Have you read his stuff?” I asked.
“Aside from things you've written together?” Chad asked. “I don't think so, but maybe. I don't make special attempts to read his articles, if that's what you mean.”
“Well, he's good,” I said.
“Better than you?” Chad asked with raised eyebrows.
I giggled. “Maybe not. But he is good.”
“Well, anyway, it was fun to listen to all the places he's been. Although, I forgot to ask. Why'd he move around so much anyway?”
“I think he said he just never felt like he fit in anywhere before,” I said.
“That must be tough. To move from place to place and never feel like you're home,” Chad said. “I wonder why he had trouble, though. He doesn't seem like someone who would have trouble making friends.”
“He doesn't,” I said. “He already has more friends at the Planet than I do. But… you know, you're better off asking Clark why he moved around so much,” I said. I had been about to make something up, but I just couldn't do that. Not telling Chad Clark's secret was one thing. Lying to Chad directly was another, and it was a line I wasn't willing to cross.
