Lois was ready to make her comeback official. More than finally putting her by-line – her real by-line – alongside Clark’s for the article that told the world about the downfall of Lex Luthor, she wanted to *look* like Lois Lane again.
Lois stared for a long time at her reflection in the mirror her hairdresser had given her after the cut and dye work was done. There were tears in her eyes, and the hairdressers around her shared secret smiles over how a colour change and a cut could make someone so emotional. Lois touched her short bob, content to see her hair dyed back to its natural dark brown. It was such a silly thing, but coming back to her old look meant the end of fear, the end of hiding, and the beginning of a life she hoped would redeem her past.
“Thanks, ladies. I love it,” she said, at last handing back the mirror.
Lois stepped out onto the busy Metropolis street a few moments later, the sun warm on her face. She didn’t even bother to put on sun shades, not wanting to feel like she would be hiding again. Instead she embraced the sunshine, embraced who she was and who she would become. Confidently, she walked towards the cafe a few blocks away, where Clark waited for her to have lunch.
She spotted him sitting at a small table on the outdoor terrace, reading a menu. Lois made her way over to him, her heart pounding with only slight trepidation, hoping that he would like her new look. It was ridiculous to worry over, but his acceptance of this change was the last little hurdle in her mind to reclaiming Lois Lane.
“Hi,” she said shyly, distracting his attention away from the menu.
“I’m sorry, miss, but I am waiting for my girlfriend,” he said, barely glancing at her and looking immediately back down at the menu.
She touched his arm, moving the menu away from his face so he would look at her. “Clark, it’s me! Lois!” she said with a little bit of alarm.
He gave her a disarming smile as he set the menu aside. “I know it’s you, honey. Don’t you know I’d know you anywhere?” he said, taking her hand to kiss it.
She smiled in return. “You’d better,” she laughed good-naturedly, taking a seat across from him in the warm sunshine. “But do you like it?” she asked, fingering her bob shyly.
“I love you—no matter what you look like, Lois. And I’m glad you finally feel like your old self.”
“Thanks, Clark. I needed to hear that.”
He gave her another dazzling smile, and she leaned back slightly to feel the warm sun on her face, a sense of peace and rightness filling her. At last, she was fully able to embrace the light.
*~*~*~*
Clark got a call from Wayne later that day telling him he had found something interesting out in his parents’ old barn. He promised it was no kind of glowing rock, but all the same, he thought Clark should see it for himself.
Clark decided it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce Lois to the Irigs, and to his old life in Smallville.
“Hey,” he said as they left the Planet for the evening. “How do you feel about taking a little trip?”
She turned to him with a smile. “I love little trips—but where we going?”
Clark tugged her into a side alley and lifted her into his arms. “Smallville.”
*~*~*~*
They arrived on the farm a short while later, just before the sun had fully set. Its afternoon rays made the wheat look like gold around them as they landed at the old Kent farm. Clark gently set Lois down and led her into the farmhouse.
“Wayne?” Clark called as they stepped onto the porch.
Margaret came to meet them instead, wiping her hands on her apron as she opened the screen door. “Clark! So glad to see you!” she said, leaning to give Clark a quick hug and a kiss on his cheek.
“You must be Lois. We’ve heard so much about you!” Margaret said, turning smiling eyes on Lois.
“Nice to meet you,” Lois said, pleasantly surprised by the warm greeting.
“Wayne told me to expect you, Clark. I didn’t know you’d bring someone... but I think we’ll have more than enough for dinner. Come on in you two.”
They followed Margaret into the farmhouse, delightful scents of roast beef, vegetables, and fresh bread wafting in from the kitchen. “Wayne will be back within the hour... Make yourself at home, kids.”
Clark smiled and gestured for Lois to follow him. He took her on a short tour around the farmhouse. The Irigs hadn’t changed much around the house as they hoped to be able to buy back their old farm within a year. Besides, the Kents’ stamp was still strongly on the house, and until Clark could feel comfortable boxing up old memories, the Irigs were content to leave the house as it was. Clark showed Lois old pictures, including some of his mother’s artwork. He shared with her various memories that he hadn’t talked about in years, finally feeling free to let it all out – this time with no pain, only the joy of remembering happy times. His tour ended upstairs in his old bedroom that seemed like it was frozen in time. Nothing had changed there since he was ten years old.
Lois walked in, almost reverent as she touched his old bookshelf, picked up his old catching mitt.
“Oh Clark,” she sighed, turning to him. “This whole house is full of sweet memories...”
“I know... it’s also why I avoided it for so long – after.”
She reached to squeeze his hand. “Well, I’m glad you’re here now.”
He gently tugged her closer. “I’m glad *you’re* here, now.”
She smiled, reaching around his neck to kiss him.
Margaret suddenly popped her head in the door.
“Oh, sorry kids. Um, Clark? Wayne just called. He’ll be here in about fifteen minutes. He said you should meet him out at the barn.”
*~*~*~*
The barn was musty from disuse. Wayne evidently hadn’t gotten to sorting it out yet, and Clark promised himself he’d take care of it before he left. Lois and Clark waited just outside the barn as the smell of old hay kept making Lois sneeze.
“I told you, I’m a city girl, Clark. As pretty as it is out here, at least I don’t have allergies in the city.”
“Sorry, Lois. You don’t have to wait with me. I’m sure Margaret wouldn’t mind you hanging around the kitchen.”
She scoffed, “Right. The kitchen is so not my territory, Clark, you know that. And I don’t mind. I’ll survive a little hay.”
A short time later, they saw Wayne’s truck pull into the driveway. Wayne made his way over to them with a smile.
“Good to see you, Clark,” he said, giving Clark a hug. Wayne then turned and reached a hand out to Lois.
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Lane. Any gal who’s captured Clark’s here heart has got to be a good one.”
Lois blushed gracefully. “Nice to meet you, Wayne. And please, call me Lois.”
Wayne nodded and then turned serious eyes back on Clark. “Um, Clark?” he asked hesitantly. “I’ve got something in the barn to show you, that your, uh, parents left behind,” he said carefully, glancing at Lois.
“It’s okay, Wayne. Lois knows everything. There’s no need for secrecy.”
Wayne smiled apologetically at Lois. “Well, good. I’m sorry, Lois. Just looking out for Clark, here.”
“I understand.”
Wayne smiled briefly and then moved ahead of them to go into the barn. “I started to clear it out last weekend, and that’s when I found this,” he said, gesturing to an oddly shaped object draped in canvas.
Wayne lifted the cover to reveal a small silvery blue vessel. It didn’t look to be from Earth, and immediately Clark knew what it was.
“This brought me here,” he said in awe, moving to touch it. A small stylized ‘S’ was on the nose of the vessel, exactly like on his baby blanket and now on his Superman suit. He wondered what the symbol represented, and suddenly felt desperate to know more about where he had come from.
As his fingers touched the ‘S’, the hatch of the vessel opened. Clark glanced at Lois who gave him an encouraging nudge to investigate further. Clark leaned in to look into the tiny quarters that had carried him from a far away planet. He felt sad suddenly and almost angry with whomever had decided to send a little baby on such a journey.
He almost stood up to close the hatch, when a silvery glow caught his attention. In the folds of the material in the vessel was a small globe. Clark reached for it and it began to spin in his hand. The glow became stronger and a holographic image of a man was suddenly projected against the barn wall. The man wore all white except for the stylized ‘S’ across his chest.
Clark reached for Lois’ hand as the image began to speak.
“My name is Jor-El. And you are Kal-El, my son. You have traveled far, my little Kal-El. But we will never leave you... even in the face of our death.” As Jor-El spoke, images of a strange blue and red planet destroyed appeared behind him, and of a tiny space ship being hurtled through space.
“ You are the only survivor, the last son of the planet Krypton. Even though you've been raised as a human, you are not one of them. I have sent you to earth to live as one of them, Kal-El, to discover where your strength and your power are needed. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you... my only son.” The globe suddenly stopped spinning, and the image of Clark’s father, Jor-El faded. Clark stood holding the globe, shaken. “My… father. My real father,” he whispered.
Lois squeezed Clark’s hand and turned him to face her. “Are you okay, Clark?” she asked softly.
Clark nodded, still reeling from the shock of learning he was from a planet called Krypton. That his father had sent him to earth because he had no choice.
He felt Wayne’s hand on his shoulder and it startled him, having almost forgotten the old farmer was there. His eyes were kind and full of concern, though, and that reassured Clark. “I’ll be in the farmhouse, Clark. I think you are in good hands,” he said, nodding at Lois. Clark nodded, thankful that Wayne understood so well that he needed some space to process what he had just seen.
Lois looked down at him, doubt in her own eyes. “Do you need a moment? I mean – I can go inside too and wait---“ she hesitated.
Clark reached out for her hand. “No, stay with me, Lois. It’s all right. I just – need to sit a moment.”
Clark stared at the globe, watching as it morphed from the familiar blues and greens of earth to the blues and reds of Krypton.
“I guess this is absolute proof that I’m an alien,” he said in an attempt at levity, but it came out shaky to his ears.
“Well the flying around and super powers should have given you a clue,” Lois answered with a wry laugh.
Clark laughed slightly then nodded. “At least I know I wasn’t just abandoned… my father wanted to save me.”
Lois sat down beside him and looked at him seriously. “And now you save others every day.” She was quiet a moment, staring at the globe he held. “Clark, I can’t help but feel that you were meant for a great destiny... one much larger than a mild mannered reporter who moonlights as a superhero.” She said it lightly, but Clark could see there was an underlying concern in her words.
“Perhaps... it certainly seemed my father had great expectations for me,” Clark said, looking at the globe that now sat in his hand, quiet and unilluminated.
Lois stood up again and crossed her arms, looking away from him.
“What is it, Lois?” he asked, seeing in her body language that she wasn’t entirely comfortable with it all.
She turned to him, her eyes filled with sadness. “I just – can’t see how – I fit in to all of this Clark,” Lois said, gesturing at the spaceship. “I mean, you obviously don’t need me. I think – I think I might slow you down.”
“Lois,” Clark said with feeling, reaching for her hand. “You need to understand... Come with me a moment,” he said suddenly, standing up. “There’s something I want to show you.”
“As long as it’s not another spaceship,” she said lightly as she followed him out of the barn.
“No, it’s not. I promise... it’s over here. Another part of my past,” he said, walking around the farmhouse to the backyard. A moment later, they were standing in front of his old tree house.
“Clark, I love the trek down memory lane, but what does this have to do with – all of that?” she said, gesturing behind her to what Clark assumed was the spaceship and the strange globe.
“Lois, I have always felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. My father built this tree house when I was eight – I called it my ‘Fortress of Solitude.’ Lois, I have been alone for most of my life, searching for my place on this earth – and when we met – I at last felt like I had found it.”
She looked at him, her brown eyes incredulous with tears, “How can you mean that? You’ve been sent here for a larger purpose, to do good on this earth, to save people’s lives – and I want to believe that in some small way the stories I write might make a difference – but our destinies don’t compare, Clark.”
“They do, Lois,” he said with conviction. “*You* make a difference.”
She looked up at him, her heart in her eyes. “But Clark – I will always have my past to haunt me, no matter what you say or what Jon did to erase it,“ she said sadly. “I want more than anything to believe that I can stand by you and help you, but Clark – how can I?”
Clark took Lois’ hands, fixing his gaze into hers. “Lois – we’ve all made mistakes. I know that more than anybody does. I may have figured out how I can help, but I need you to stand with me, so I don’t have to face the world alone. There are so many questions I still have left to find the answers to, but Lois, I don’t want to find the answers alone. I’ve already lived isolated and cut off from others because they didn’t understand me—but Lois, you do. I believe that together, we *will* make the world a better place. I promise.” He leaned to kiss her forehead.
“But as much as I love you, you can’t move forward until you forgive yourself for the past. I can’t do that for you. The way has been made clear for you to start over, to make a difference each and every day through the stories we write at the Planet.” He sighed, trying to make her understand. “Lois, it was a leap of faith I took when I put on that suit for the first time and flew into that space shuttle. I didn’t know how it would turn out, and I still don’t know the full consequences of showing the world who I am. But I do know that it’s what I was meant to do – just like you are meant to write stories for the Daily Planet. I think – we’ll make quite a team,” he said with a smile.
“I was never good at forgiveness, Clark,” she said deprecatingly. “My parents never taught me how, and I learned early on that holding onto a grudge was way easier than letting people in to hurt me more.”
“Lois, I will never hurt you,” Clark said, cupping her cheek.
She reached up to touch his hand on her face. “That’s just it, Clark. I know you would never mean to hurt me, but you might anyways... And as for forgiving myself, you’ve already helped me begin to do that – by creating Superman. Clark, when I wrote that first article, I felt—like I was making a difference, that I was somehow righting a wrong by lifting up a true hero. But I can’t live in that shadow forever. I will support you in every way I can, but as for finding forgiveness for the past, you’re right. I have to do that on my own.”
“And I’ll support you every step of the way.”
“I know you want to, Clark... but can you? And still be the hero that everyone needs? I just worry that I’ll either get in the way – or get pushed aside, whether you mean to or not.”
“I love you, Lois. And I would never willingly hurt you, you have to know that. I need you in my life – But I also need to know that you need me, Lois.”
She suddenly threw herself in his arms. “Oh, Clark! Of course I need you! I just don’t want to hold you back.”
“You won’t, Lois. Your faith in the blur was what gave me the courage to come out of the shadows. We need each other... and I think that’s as good a place as any to move forward from.”
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try... I mean, we’ve already conquered the Boss... maybe there’s nothing we can’t face – as long as we’re together.”
Clark beamed a smile at her. “That’s the woman I fell in love with.”
“And you’re the man I fell in love with,” she said softer, leaning up to seal their confessions with a kiss.
*~*~*~*
The next day at the Planet, the news had spread about Lois Lane being back on the beat. Everyone had seen her stunning article that tore down LexCorp and rumor had it that she was next in line for the Pulitzer. The next inevitable question that was whispered about all around the newsroom was whether or not she and Clark were really married.
Lois fielded questions with grace, explaining it had been a cover, while Clark was safely off most of the day chasing down Superman quotes.
Lois especially wanted to hide when Cat Grant came charging after her like a lioness on the hunt, her eyes blazing with excitement about the news.
“Lois Lane – I got to say, your cover was pretty good. Never had me fooled though—and let’s face it, that boy scout Kent is so not your type!” Cat laughed.
“What do you mean, he’s not my type?” Lois asked, slightly offended.
“I *mean* Mad Dog Lane? With Clark Kent? Come on, Lois! You are too much of a hardcore newswoman to be with a softy like that!”
Lois laughed it off, to send Cat away. But it made Lois remember a painful side to herself that she hadn’t wanted to reclaim with the return of Lois Lane – the woman who was always after a story with no time for romance. But being with Clark had changed that sentiment, though she didn’t know how far he would ultimately take it. Lois wanted to believe that their heart to heart yesterday had proven that they could be together as a team, but she didn’t know if their duo would make it as far as a wedding altar.
Clark at last came back to the office in the late afternoon while Lois was finishing writing up a story on his latest save.
“So, any more quotes you want to add before I send this to Perry?” she asked, trying not to convey the feeling of abandonment she had felt all day. Everyone wondered where Clark was and thought it was awfully convenient how he had disappeared for the whole day that it came out they hadn’t really been married...
“I’m sure the story is perfect, Lois.” He came to read over her shoulder. “I told you we’d make a good team, Lois,” he said, squeezing her shoulder gently.
“Is that all we are?” she asked quietly, staring at her screen.
He swiveled her chair around to face him. “Hey, what’s this all about?” he asked gently, as she tried to hide the tears that came to her eyes.
“Clark, you have no idea what it’s been like today – fielding questions about our cover—the—the marriage. People have been welcoming me back all day, meanwhile laughing right after about how they weren’t surprised that you weren’t really married to me.”
“Oh, Lois – I’m so sorry. We should have thought this through a bit more...”
“Meanwhile – Superman has been off saving the day and I’ve been left here to deal with it all. Clark, I don’t want to sound petty, because I know you said we’d be a team – but I think we need to define that team a bit more.”
“I know. I have been thinking---“
Lois wasn’t listening, as she had turned on babble mode, needing to get out all of the issues on her heart that had been tearing her up all afternoon. “I mean, you said you love me --- and you know how I feel about you. Maybe we should date or maybe not—office romances can get messy and with you with your second job—“
“Lois!” Clark said firmly, finally stemming the babble tide.
“What?”
“Will you take a walk with me? There’s something I want to talk to you about, but not here.”
“Sure,” she said in surprise, reaching for her jacket.
As they rode down the elevator, Lois feared she had said too much. She was terrified of pushing Clark away and at the same time, of getting too close to him. She wanted to help him, be there for him – but she needed him there for her as well.
They walked across the street for a stroll in Centennial Park. The late spring afternoon was warm and comfortable. Even amid the cars on the busy Metropolis street, the song of birds could be heard in the park, along with kids playing nearby. It was nice to have this haven in the middle of the city, just across from the Planet.
“So, what’s the big story, partner?” Lois said lightly, though she was still feeling nervous.
“Lois, I’m sorry I left you alone for most of the day. Some days, it’s going to happen that way, but I should have made it back sooner so you wouldn’t have to deal with the fallout of the reveal of Lois Lane. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Clark. I understand... really, I do. And you got me a great page-one for tomorrow, so I really can’t complain,” she said with an encouraging smile.
“I’m glad. But Lois... the thing is – I know we’ve done this all backwards, and we may need more time to iron out details. But nothing can change how I feel about you, how I’ve always felt about you.”
“Nothing can change that for me either, Clark. What’s this about?”
“I don’t care if it’s tomorrow or next year or five years from now – but Lois—I want the world to know that we belong to each other. And while we were in Smallville, I found something that belonged to my mother. I think she would be honored if you accepted it.”
Clark kneeled in front of her at the fountain in the center of the park and held out a small gold ring with an oval diamond setting. “Lois, will you marry me?”
She looked at him in awe and surprise. “Clark? Are you sure?”
“Lois, I’m as sure about you as I am about anything in my life... there’s no rush... but I want you to know that I’m yours – forever.”
“Oh, Clark!” she said, throwing her arms around him. “There is no one else... of course – yes!” she cried happily.
Clark slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her sweetly. “Like I said, there’s no rush, Lois. But I just want you to know that we are a team, in every sense of the word.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said happily, enjoying the diamond sparkling in the afternoon sun. She looked into Clark’s chocolate brown eyes, drowning in their depths. Every day this man seemed to find new ways of astounding her.
Clark cupped her cheek, his fingers playing in her hair. “I love you, Lois Lane.”
“I love you, Clark Kent – or whatever alias it is you go by these days,” she tried saying flippantly, but emotion clogged her throat.
“What matters is that we’re together – that no matter what guise either of us wear – that our love binds us.”
Lois leaned in, cupping his cheek as he had hers, their eyes meeting. She looked into his eyes, seeing a reflection of love, of acceptance. Suddenly Clark closed the distance between them, as they moved closer together, to give her a passionate kiss. She felt his arms encircle her, and she pulled him closer, wondering if she could ever be close enough to him.
Clark suddenly pulled away, his gaze fixed on the distance.
“What is it?” Lois asked, still dizzy from their kiss.
“A fire, at a school,” he said, looking back at her regretfully. “I’m afraid we’ll have to finish this later, Lois.”
“Don’t worry, Clark.” She patted his arm, “Go on, save the world.”
He leaned down for one more quick kiss.
“Come on, let’s see some tights,” she said playfully, tugging at his tie.
“I’m going, I’m going,” he laughed. “But don’t worry... I’ll be back to finish that kiss.”
With a whoosh, Clark was gone. She looked up at the sky and smiled, “You’d better.” But she was content – all seemed right in the world with Clark out there to save the day. She felt she had a purpose, and she knew that she and Clark would always be a team. Lois stood up and rushed over to a phone booth to dial the Planet.
“Perry? It’s Lois. Save some room on the evening edition... I just got another Superman exclusive...”
~THE END~
----
Jor-El quotes taken from Superman movies, writers Mario Puzo, David & Leslie Newman, Robert Benton, and Tom Mankiewicz
Just borrowing for a little fun, no infringement intended
