Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Nighttime in the Daytime, 10/20

Chapter 10. The Calm Before the Storm

Previously:
Thompson and his men came in like they owned the place. That simple act proved this was theirs. They were still in their M-I-B suits. Even Clark had a little trouble looking through all the hardware between him and Lois and the cadre of alien hunters. They flicked on the large overhead fluorescent lights and he was gratified to see they were still in shadow. He put his mouth near Lois’ ear and whispered, “Here, sit on my lap. They could be a while.”

Sliding back onto the lap that she suddenly felt under her, she turned her head and whispered into his ear, “What are you sitting on?” She felt his shiver as her breath touched his ear.

Enjoying this game in spite of the imminent danger, he turned his head to her ear and whispered back, “Nothing.”

They both held perfectly still as Thompson’s men stored away some weapons in locked lockers and changed to casual civilian clothes. Even Clark was surprised at the amount of hardware they took off their persons; guns hidden in ankle holsters and under both arms. Seeing relatively clearly in that area of the vast room, he noticed a large number of military assault rifles. Wondering if there was a connection to the mysterious crates that had come into Metropolis recently, he determined he would get some numbers off them before they left.

In the increased lighting in the warehouse now, he noticed a large roll up door at the rear of the building. He knew all this hardware hadn’t come through the front door and had expected such a door. Once he got Lois home safely, he was determined to come back to get his ship and take it to the Farm.

Chapter 10. The Calm Before the Storm

It was with a great sense of pride, peace and hope that Superman carried his natal ship back to the Farm. The folder of information on him from the Bessolo Blvd. faux Furniture Warehouse and his map sphere were safely tucked inside his a bag at his belt. Going back later that night, Clark had run the same combination on the large back door lock and taken his ship out.

His plan was to store it at the Farm with the chest that had contained his blanket with his shield somewhere larger and safer there. The combination of things might be of value in the future, either if he perished in his attempt to divert Nightfall or if he continued a long a productive career.

The hope was for a long a productive career with Lois Lane at his side. He continued to be amazed at her intelligence, confidence, beauty, talent, and, dare he think, her love for him.

Several hours later, Clark shook the last of the dirt from his hair and brushed it off his flannel shirt and jeans. Looking at the revamped barn, he smiled in satisfaction. His stuff was safely stored in a remodeled below ground vault that used to be the root cellar. In addition, support beams and siding had been replaced on the whole barn and he had reroofed the aging structure. Smiling and humming, he zipped around the structure with a new coat of barn red paint.

Lois had invited him to her family Sunday dinner again, but he declined. He couldn’t help but feel it would be awkward talking with Admiral Lane at home at this point. Sometime he would have to do it, but just not now. Lois knew about Superman, but he still couldn’t tell her about his connection to her father. Knowing the clandestine world like he did, he was sure Lois and her mother and sister had no idea of the details of Admiral Sam Lane’s job. Faking that they had only met when Lois was in the hospital would just be awkward for both of them.

On his way back to Metropolis he stopped by Pete’s office for an update on the asteroid. Landing in the trees again and changing into jeans and a KU sweatshirt, he walked toward Pete’s office. Unusually, the door was shut and as he tried the knob, he found it was locked. Checking quickly around to see that no one was near, he pulled down his glasses and looked through the door.

He tuned his hearing in as well as his sight. Professor Daitch was giving an update on Nightfall. Pete had his secure computer turned so that he couldn’t see the image, but he could hear Daitch.

“In summary, we now estimate that we have 140 hours to impact on the Earth. That’s a little more than five days. The government has offered a nuclear option, but our models don’t think that will be successful and might actually cause more damage by fragmenting the asteroid and causing multiple impacts around the globe, rather than one single impact on an unfortunate part of the globe. What we need is something to change the momentum vector and let it pass Earth by. Unfortunately, we have no technical means to do that at our disposal. Can anyone contact this Superman person and see if he thinks he can help? It would certainly be worth a try.”

Unaware that said person was eavesdropping outside his very door, Pete cleared his throat and said, “Um, my brother Clark Kent works at the Daily Planet and they have had most of the coverage on Superman. I can see what he could do.”

Daitch responded enthusiastically. “Please do. The sooner the better. Contact him and see if he can get a message to Superman. Have Superman come to the EPRAD center in Metropolis for a briefing. Let me know when he wants to meet on this link. It’s more secure than my phone at EPRAD. We’ll be waiting. And we will be waiting impatiently,” he added for emphasis.

Following that, Clark could see Pete doing the sign off procedures. He closed down his vision and hearing and waited, shoulder against the wall, for Pete to unlock his door.

Pete pulled the door open and looked up to see Clark. “Clark, you startled me! Come on in. Make yourself comfortable. I’ve got to go get some coffee.”

Clark sat in the guest chair he had used when they returned from the trip to the eclipse in Antarctica and waited. When Pete returned, Clark said, “Close the door again and lock it.”

At first appearing startled, Pete did as he said, then thought a minute and then said, “You heard.”

Nodding, Clark said, “The threat is really real. And now, very imminent.”

“Yep.” Pete sat in his chair and swiveled to face his brother.

“Somehow I’d hoped it had magically disappeared. But I guess not. I’ll go meet with Daitch. He sounded kind of skittish, like there were forces at work against me taking a crack at doing this.”

“That was my read too. This is a pretty close organization of people he’s talking to on the secure line. I think there are other people he doesn’t agree with at all.”

“Like alien hunters?” Clark put on a rueful smile, shook his head and told his brother about George Thompson and his ilk.

An astonished Pete absorbed the story. “Alien hunters? You’re a leader of a battalion of aliens bent on damaging the world? As if we didn’t have enough real problems with Nightfall. What is this world coming to?”

*+*+*+*+*+*+

Clark left Pete’s office at least with more information than he had had before. He explained to him about finding his ship and his brother was enthusiastically glad for him.

Now, the best part of the day was yet to come. He was going to pick up Lois from her place after her family dinner and bring her to the Farm for the night. He had logs for the fire and the hot water heater had been started, the larder stocked with things he knew she would like and the electricity turned on. But maybe they wouldn’t need much electricity and the candles would suffice.

While Lois enjoyed her weekly family visits, she had been very eager to get home. After unlocking her door as fast as she could, she closed it and rushed over to open her window, unbuttoning her coat as she rushed back to her door. She was locking her door from the inside when she felt it. First, there was the chill of the window opening more and then diminishing from closing, then the soft thud of boots on the carpet. She blithely continued her locking procedure, but at a slower pace, to see what he would do.

She felt it when he came up close behind her but didn’t touch her and said softly in a deep voice, “Hi beautiful.” Shivers of anticipation ran up her spine. First she turned her head to look at his smiling face, and then turned her whole body to go into his waiting arms.

Inches from his mouth, she softly said, “Hi yourself, tall blue and handsome.” She ran her hands on the slick spandex around under his cape and hooked her thumbs in the back of his belt. This act pulled his pelvis in closer to her. At the start of the kiss, she could feel his excitement.

Their mouths met and the sky exploded. The anticipation had built the entire day for both of them and now they could unleash their feelings. Superman staggered back to the couch, carrying Lois, mouths firmly affixed to each other. He rapidly removed her coat from her shoulders and ran his hands over her sweater and clasped his hands behind her back. Their lips unlocked, but only to place frantic kisses on each other.

Lois took advantage of the fact he wasn’t wearing glasses and softly tongued his eyelids and eyebrows. Feeling as well as hearing his groan, she smiled. Kissing her way to his ear, she licked his earlobe then asked, “Is my transportation ready?”

He returned the favor by whispering in her ear, “We’d better go now or we won’t get there at all!”

With a large sigh, he sat up, sitting her beside him and smiled. “All set to go? Warm clothes you know. It’s winter in Kansas too.”

Lois smiled up at Superman. She always thought of him as that when he was in the suit and Clark when he wasn’t. She rationalized that way she was less likely to make a mistake sometime in public when it counted. “Yes, I just have to get my overnight bag from the bedroom.”

At that, Superman froze in place, looking at Lois.

“What’s wrong? Are you all right? Did something happen at the Farm? Couldn’t you get your ship out of the warehouse?”

Slowly, he unfroze and put a finger to her luscious lips to stop her babbling. He cleared his throat. “No, everything is fine, I got my ship, and the Farm is ready. I just had such a sudden reaction when you said ‘overnight’ that I couldn’t move for a moment.”

At that explanation, Lois expression changed to naked lust. She purred, “I know what you mean, lover.”

His hand went to her cheek, “You’ve never called me that before.”

Turning her head into his hand, she kissed his palm. “Well, you are if I have anything to say about it. I’m going to change into jeans, warm undershirt and boots. It’ll be a minute.”

Exhaling, he said, “Good. I need to calm down or we may wind up in Tahiti.”

“Someday, flyboy, someday.”

*+*+*+*+*+*+

Carrying his precious cargo carefully, Superman flew them toward Kansas. This was the longest flight he’d ever taken with Lois and he was not really sure how much speed he could use and not hurt her.

The moon was glistening on the snow as they approached the Farm. Superman had left the house lights on, but the yard was dark. Landing them on the front porch, he opened the door for her, saying, “Welcome to my home, Lois.”

As they moved into the house, he explained, “This was my boyhood home. My foster father saved the Farm for me when I was growing up and living with the Rosses. Now that I’m Superman, I’m using it more as a headquarters. I’m not so afraid to fly anymore. When I’m in the Suit, if anyone sees me, they just think I’m on my way to a rescue. Before, even dressed all in black, I was afraid I would see screaming headlines the next day about a flying man.”

With an understanding smile and a pat on his chest with her gloved hand, Lois entered the front door, located between the kitchen and the living room. Putting the overnight bag on the dining room table Superman said, “Here, let me start the fire and get it a little warmer in here. I didn’t want to leave a fire burning. Old Kansas rule.”

“But first, I’ll change into Clark.” He motioned for Lois to stay where she was as he stepped back to give himself room. Then he spun. When the spin stopped, he had his flannel shirt, undershirt, jeans and boots all in place. He heaved a sigh of relief. It had worked.

Amazed, Lois just said, “Wow. So that’s how you do it. That’s why I don’t feel clothes under your uniform.” Pulling off her gloves and hat, she deposited them next to her bag and then opened her coat.

Clark pulled Lois along to the couch. “Sit here and I’ll start the fire.” He really, really liked this part. He opened the firescreen. The logs were already stacked and he stared at them hard.

Looking at Clark and not the logs, Lois thought she saw his eyes glow red. ‘Wow, can he really start fires with his eyes?’

The logs obediently burst into merry flames. Closing the screen, Clark turned to her and smiled. “It will be warm here in a little bit.”

Smiling seductively, Lois whispered softly so only he could hear, “I’m sure it will be.”

To change the subject, she asked louder, “Where did you put your ship?”

“I built a special spot for it in the barn today. Want to see?”

“Most definitely.”

Clark held out her hat and gloves to her. “Better put these back on. It’s cold out there and cold in the barn. There are no animals in it to keep it warm.”

Outside, Lois’ boots crunched through the ankle high snow with a satisfying sound. The heat of the day had made a thin layer of ice on the surface. Ahead beckoned the lights of the barn and behind her was the warm glow of the farmhouse. Halfway between the two, she stopped and pivoted slowly in place, enjoying the sight of the moon’s light on the snow in the clearing and the snow on the branches of the far trees. When she faced Clark, she could just barely see the amused smile on his face.

“What?”

“You look very happy and comfortable out here,” Clark couldn’t help but smile at her.

“Ever hear of the Alps?”

“Of course.”

“Well, we lived in Italy and Dad loves to ski. He loves it second only to flying a fighter plane. He loves anything that’s fast and furious.”

Clark bent over to kiss her there in the moon’s shine on the crunchy snow. “Well, then he will love me.”

After she emerged from the kiss, Lois responded, “That he will, flyboy, that he will. You two should race sometime when he can get flight time again. Right now he is in a non-flying status and it bugs the heck out of him.”

“Well, that’s something I don’t have to worry about. I’m always in flying status.”

Secure in Clark’s arms, Lois stared up at the black sky away from the moon and looked pensively at the black sky sprinkled with stars. “Can you see it from here?”

Clark knew what “it” was instantly. He kissed Lois’ forehead and murmured, “No, not even I can see it. I did just get word today that it is only five days out. EPRAD wants Superman to meet with them tomorrow.”

Lois tried to shake off her sudden somber mood. “Do you always talk about yourself in the third person?”

“Yes. It’s a good habit to have. To distance my two sides. I think there is less chance of a slip-up in public. I’ve learned a lot about how the public perceives a super powered person in the last three weeks.”

Lois tugged on his hand and smiling, trying to lighten the mood. “Let’s go see your spaceinette again.”

Clark laughed. “Spaceinette? That’s not a word.”

“Babies sleep in bassinettes and yours flew through space, so that equals ‘spaceinette’. See, I’m a wordsmith, too.”

They marched together hip to hip through the crunching snow to the barn. Around the barn on all sides the snow had been flattened and turned to slush by Clark’s work throughout the day.

Opening the personnel door on the barn next to the big barn doors, Clark ushered Lois inside, explaining in detail what he had done to the barn.

“Well, that helped you work off some nervous energy, too.”

“You are a very perceptive woman, Ms. Lane.”

“Comes with the job.” Lois looked around inside the barn and didn’t find anything inside that looked like it could hold a small spaceship. “So where is it?”

Smiling, Clark said, “You’re standing on it.”

Lois looked down at her feet. “I am?” She stepped back and saw a small ring in the floor. “Ah, what no button to push?”

“Definitely not. I made this extra heavy so only heavy machinery or I could lift it.”

Reaching down, he put two fingers in the ring and pulled. Once it started, the hatch in the floor came up easily, pivoting on a bar slightly more than halfway to the end of the opening.

Clark continued, “Once it is started, though, it is easy to open. I used a counterbalancing weight on the back. The opening is just enough for me to get through. You should have no problem.”

Clark floated halfway down the opening and flipped a switch on the wall. The interior was suddenly illuminated softly. “I thought about building stairs down, but then I thought if I’m the only one I want in here, why build stairs? So you’ll have to let me float you down.”

As Lois went into his arms, she said, “Oh, I think I can do that, flyboy.” She turned in his arms, so she could see the ship as they slowly came to ground. There before her was a shape covered by a tarp on several saw horses. The room it was in was quite sizeable and neatly paneled in wood.

The minute Lois’ feet touched the ground, she immediately moved forward, hand outstretched, as if drawn to the ship. She pulled off the tarp and let it fall to the ground and then pulled off her right glove. Turning her head to Clark, she asked, “May I?”

Moved speechless by her sense of awe and reverence, Clark could only nod assent.

Delicately, Lois reached out and touched the “S” symbol again, then ran her fingers over the embossed letters under the cowling. As she reached the back, the ship lit up and the cowl slowly opened, hinged at the back.

Lois jumped back quickly.

Clark stared with an open jaw. “It didn’t do that for me,” he protested. “I didn’t even know it had power!”

“After all these years? How does it have power?”

Clark just shook his head. “Advanced technology, I guess. I wonder…” Trailing off at the thought, Clark moved over to the table where he had laid the Smallville file and the sphere. He felt Lois move up beside him as he took the sphere out of its bag. As before, the mysterious red continents shifted to the blue and green of Earth. At the sound of her gasp, he turned and handed the object to Lois. “Krypton is the name of the planet I came from.”

Lois looked at the sphere in awe. It still showed Earth. “It’s a globe. Does it fit in your ship?” Turning Lois moved toward the open cockpit and found the recess at the front, inside the ‘spaceinnette’ as she had dubbed it. She held out the globe to the recess and then pulled it back. “I don’t think I should just stick this in there. It might take off for home again right through your barn.”

Coming up behind her and hugging her, Clark whispered into her ear. “I agree. There are other things I want to explore that don’t involve spaceships or spheres.”

Turning around, Lois looked into his eyes and said, “I agree also. We have more important things to do.”

*+*+*+*+*+*+

continue below

Rewrite
Having seen the barn ablaze in light earlier from her home, Rita Ross knew Clark was at the Farm. Wanting to deliver some more Suits to Clark, she drove up to Clark’s farmhouse late in the evening as soon as she had finished them. Now there were no lights on in the barn or the house, but the light of fire in fireplace was providing good illumination through the windows to the outside. Knowing Clark didn’t need much light to see, and didn’t sleep that much, she assumed he was still up.

Carrying the bundle of Suits and capes under her arm, she swooped into the house, calling out cheerily, “Clark, are you here?”

Rita heard a muffled groan. She looked over to the fireplace and saw Clark poke his head up over the back of the sofa that blocked her view of the fireplace itself.

“Rita! What are you doing here at this hour,” Clark exclaimed as he ran his hands through his hair to comb it.

Rita held up the Suits she was carrying, “I brought…” She heard what seemed to be a woman’s giggle and noticed that Clark did not have a shirt on.

“Oh, oh! OH! I’m sorry, Clark. I brought…” Again she stumbled to a halt, not knowing what to do with the telltale blue and red Suits.

Smiling, Clark assured her, if somewhat raggedly, “It’s all right, Rita. You’ve been working late this evening, I see. Put them on the dining room table and…go make a pot of coffee. We’ll be along shortly and do proper introductions.”

She saw Clark stretch out his arm in invitation, and a petite brown haired woman appeared under his arm, clad in Clark’s familiar flannel shirt.

Hurriedly going over to the dining room table to deposit the uniforms, Rita carefully avoided looking over toward the fireplace, afraid she might embarrass them further.

Blushing furiously, but happy for Clark, Rita went to make the coffee that Clark liked. Clark had never dated much in High School or KU, except for the obligatory proms and university dances. She had seriously begun to wonder if Clark had any experience with the opposite sex at all. “Well, if he didn’t, he does now,” she voiced the thought under her breath.

“If I didn’t, I do have what now?” Clark came into the kitchen holding hands with Lois, both now fully attired in their own clothes except for their boots.

“You and your hearing!” Rita turned around after plugging the coffee pot.

Then she looked over at Lois in apparent consternation.

“Yes, she knows. Everything.”

Rita looked at Lois, who nodded affirmation.

“Well, everything, but one thing.”

Both Lois and Rita looked at Clark bewildered and chorused, “What?”

Clark turned to Lois, making a formal introduction. “Lois, meet my sister Rita. She makes the Superman suits.”

“She does? Oh, that’s a marvelously complex suit!” Lois enthused, then suddenly realized that she was implying she knew all its inner workings and blushed again. Well, she did know, sort of, but Rita didn’t need to know that.

Rita smiled and extended her arms in a hug. “Pleased to meet you, Lois. Welcome to the family.” It was Rita’s turn to blush. Maybe she was presuming too much.

Lois came into her hug gladly, even if she did have to drop Clark’s hand, and embraced the young woman.

While the coffee perked away, the threesome went back into the dining room and Rita showed the suits and capes she had made up. Rita was careful to sit with her back to the fireplace. Besides, then she could see their cute expressions better. The dominant one seemed to be that of frustration. See could see by the position of their arms as they sat side by side that they were holding hands underneath the table.

“Clark is so hard on the capes! I think I’m running the fabric stores out of red material.”

“Maybe you should try flame retardant material,” Lois muttered.

Rita didn’t have super hearing, but she heard that. “Why, what do you mean?”

Clark looked over a Lois and jiggled her hand under the table. “Wow, that’s really a great idea, Lois.” Slowly his brain was beginning to function again.

“Reentry after Nightfall.” Lois spoke up, but not much louder. Clark having to go after Nightfall when he was being hunted by anti-alien forces was getting to her.

Clark squeezed Lois’ hand tighter and brought their hands to the top of the table. “She doesn’t know about Nightfall, Lois. I haven’t told her.”

The three looked at each other around the table. The coffee stopped perking and there was silence except for the crackling of the fire.

“But maybe I should. Let me go get us coffee for Lois and me and tea for you and I’ll tell you about Nightfall.”

Rita protested, “I didn’t put on the tea kettle.”

Clark pointed to his eyes. Rita just noticed then that he wasn’t wearing his ‘Clark glasses.’

“I said, Lois knows. I fact I made her tea the same way I did for you when I told her about being Superman.”

As he walked to the kitchen, the two women stared at each other silently. Lois gave a tiny shrug of her shoulder and a small smile. Rita smiled back at her.

Coming back with the drinks, Clark noticed the silence. “What? If it works once, it will work twice. Never throw a good idea away.”

“Ah, the sayings of Clark Kent. I’ll start writing them down.” The thought suddenly gripped her that she might be writing them for his memorial if he wasn’t successful in deflecting Nightfall and a very somber expression came over her face.

Clark clasped her hand again, and said softly to Lois, “Like I said, Rita doesn’t know about Nightfall, Lois. I need to tell her.” And he explained what was happening in a few days.

Rita sipped her now cool tea silently after Clark finished. “Wow. And it that was what gave Pete the idea for you to go public? To deflect this asteroid?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“And if that isn’t enough pressure, he has alien hunters after him,” Lois added acerbically.

Eyebrows rising, Rita asked, “Alien hunters?”

At Clark’s nod of assent, Lois took on the job of summarizing the activities of George Thompson and his group.

“So early today I took the spaceship and brought it here to the Farm and put it in the old root cellar beside the barn and built a new entrance to it. I fixed up the barn. That’s was all the lights you probably noticed earlier,” Clark concluded their story.

Rita sat back and shook her head, “Wow, you two have been busy little beavers!”
Then she watched both Lois and Clark go perfectly still, sliding their eyes toward each other and blushing. Seeing each other blush, they erupted into smiles and laughter. They had just confirmed what she thought.

*+*+*+*+*+
tbc
Artemis