Separate
By Joan Powers/scifiJoan
A/N: Special thanks to Emily C and Mozartmaid for their greatly appreciated beta work and morale support. Other than minor polishing, this story has already been completely written. I plan on posting chapters every two or three days.
Type: Drama/Romance L/C
Summary: Whenever Clark tries to get closer to Lois, his alter-ego’s duties get in the way. What if Clark Kent and Superman could become two separate entities?
Timeline: During Season 2 just after Lois and Clark start dating. Slightly AU (No Mayson or Dan)
Rating: K or PG
Sitting on the couch in Lois’ apartment, Clark was kissing Lois. Deeply, slowly, savoring the moment. Her warm breath and pliant body against him were making his thoughts go haywire. It was rare for him to truly indulge and enjoy the moment, but now he certainly was. He’d been looking forward to this all day.
Every time he’d looked up from his desk, he‘d seen her and longed to touch her. He’d focused his energy on completing his story, knowing the sooner he met deadline, the sooner he could be with Lois.
Help!
No – not again!
“What’s wrong, Clark?”
“I…”
Maybe he’d heard wrong.
Couldn’t he ignore it for once? He was only one man, he couldn’t save everyone. Surely they must understand that. There were others fully capable of protecting the people. Certainly the police or fire department could render assistance.
Oh my God!
But there was a huge difference between ignorance and blatantly ignoring a person in peril.
Reluctantly, he pulled back. “Lois…I’ll be right back.”
XXXX
“Tell her!”
“I can’t, Mom.”
“This is foolish, Clark. Don’t you trust her? If she’s that important to you, she needs to know the truth,” his mother insisted. “Don’t you think she would’ve understood that you needed to rescue those people from that fire last night?”
Clark paced about his apartment while on the phone with his parents. They didn’t understand. He loved Lois. He trusted her. Despite her killer reporter instincts, she would never divulge his secret. He wasn’t concerned about that.
Trying to change the subject, Jonathan mentioned, “Good job with that train. Saw that on the news.”
Lois and Clark had been dining at an exclusive French restaurant the other night when he’d heard the cries of those aboard an out of control high speed train. Superman had rushed to stop it and had saved hundreds of lives. By the time he’d returned, Lois had given up on him and gone home. She’d given him an earful about that the next day.
Between the demands of their profession and his higher ‘calling’, his love life seemed doomed.
What could he tell her?
It felt too soon to tell the truth. What if she liked Superman better than Clark? It sounded foolish to be jealous of himself, but there it was.
“Yeah, but I didn’t make it to that explosion as soon as I would’ve liked.”
Shortly after the train incident, a leak in a gas main had caused an explosion that had taken down several apartment buildings and trapped over a hundred people in the debris.
“You helped rescue the victims,” his dad reminded him.
“Some of them.”
Clark felt horrible that despite his super abilities he’d only been able to reach a fraction of the victims. There just hadn’t been enough time. If only he could’ve done more.
Lately he’d been feeling frustrated in that respect. For every person he rescued, another person slipped beyond his grasp. There didn’t seem to be enough hours in a day to do all that needed to be done.
On the other hand, now that he was dating Lois, he craved more time to be with her.
How could one man have so much yet feel so divided?
“You can’t do it all, Clark. You know that. We’ve talked about that,” his mother assured him.
Half-heartedly, he replied, “I know….I know…It’s just…Sometimes I wonder if I should be patrolling even more as Superman. Or even make that my primary job. To do more good in the world.”
“Son, you need to do what makes you happy,” his dad diplomatically stated.
Martha added, “You need a balance. Just keep striving for that. Don’t look at what you couldn’t do. Focus on what you’ve done. You’ve got a lot to be proud of. Besides, don’t you think your stories in the Planet have impact on people’s lives as well? Clark Kent is just as important as Superman. I’m sure Lois would agree.”
He hadn’t thought of it that way.
“I’d better get to work.”
“Tell her.”
“Mom!”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Two coffee cups in hand, Clark hurried to catch up with Lois who was just outside of the Daily Planet building.
“Hey!”
She didn’t smile.
Closing the gap between them, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Even though Lois had never been a morning person, he felt uneasy. It seemed far too early in their relationship for the sparks to fade.
She didn’t pull any punches. “You’re always ducking out without a good reason. Like last night.”
He hadn’t been able to return to her apartment.
“I…I…”
“Don’t bother.” She stepped into the Daily Planet building, letting the door close behind her.
He barely managed to balance the two coffee cups without spilling them.
He was in trouble.
XXXXX
Sitting at her desk, Lois set out to ignore Clark’s concerned glances. Then when he wasn’t looking, she spied on him. Only yesterday, just a glance shared between them had her blood steaming. Not that their relationship was based purely on sexual attraction. It was just the newest facet within the past week that had her slightly unnerved.
At the end of the work day, he’d surprised her as they’d taken the elevator. He’d pressed the emergency stop button and kissed her passionately.
“Clark, should we be doing this?”
“Seemed like an emergency to me.”
She’d agreed, eagerly returning his advances.
“Lois?”
Darn it! He’d caught her looking at him. Averting her eyes, she pretended to be deeply engrossed in the display on her computer screen.
She’d never really cared what Clark did during his frequent absences. He seemed to run a lot of errands, she’d once noted and left it at that. Sometimes it even gave her an advantage in reporting a story.
But now…now it was different.
For a man so organized, Clark came off as a bit scatter brained. But some smart people had difficulty organizing mundane details in their lives. She could buy that. She’d once interviewed the wife of a Nobel Laureate.
“He wouldn’t be dressed if I didn’t pick out his clothes and insist he put them on. Once he made it all the way to his lecture wearing only his bathrobe,” the woman had chuckled.
Forgetfulness was not the issue.
It was more a matter of priorities.
As much as she hated to admit it, she was falling for Clark. Hard. Once they’d kissed, it had been nearly impossible to stay away. She hated that sometimes her feelings for him distracted her from her work. Yet she wasn’t thinking about work when she was in Clark’s arms. She was thinking about him and him only.
Most of the time Clark was gazing just as intently at her.
Most of the time.
Not last night.
What had been so important that he had to leave in the middle of kissing her in the privacy of her apartment? That made no sense. What man would do that? Most of them had to be fought off with a stick once they’d reached that point.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in her. She could feel his body responding to hers, his inadvertent moans of pleasure as he kissed her. Off hours, he could barely keep his hands off her and she wasn’t complaining.
Was innocent Clark so aroused he felt he had to walk away to protect her virtue? The thought amused her.
But it didn’t fit.
Clark had left her under other circumstances as well, most notably during dinner at a French restaurant last week. Humiliated, she’d left after more than an hour had elapsed, infuriated that he had done that to her.
What’s more, he hadn’t even tried to make an excuse.
What was it?
What was so bad that he couldn’t bother to come up with a conceivable lie?
Whatever it was, it was more important than her. She couldn’t handle that. She was selfish. She knew it. If she and Clark were to remain a couple, she had to be number one in his life. Not number two. Her mother had become number two, saddled with the kids, the house, limited funds and no one to spend the holidays with.
She could never settle for number two.
“Lois, I’m sorry.”
He’d snuck up to her desk while she’d been lost in thought. It was dangerous to look at that face yet she couldn’t resist. Those brown eyes. That sweet curve of his lips. Darn it, what was becoming of her? She was putty in those gorgeous hands.
“Do it again and we’re over.”
XXXXX
“Lois,” Perry warned.
She stepped closer to his desk. “It’s just…Clark and I could cover more ground faster if we split up on this story. I could speak with the parents-”
Truth be told, she could use some time to calm down. But she wasn’t about to share that with Perry.
“Don’t be silly. You two work best as team.” He astutely asked, “You and Clark have another fight?”
Her cheeks grew warm as she attempted to deny it. “No. Why would you say that?”
“You’re trying to avoid him. Sounds like a fight to me. Lois Lane, I thought you were a professional.”
Offended, she replied, “Of course, I am!”
“Then regardless of whatever’s going on between you and Clark, you need to do your job. Think you handle that?”
How dare Perry imply that she couldn’t behave professionally.
Her concern was probably a moot point anyway. She’d laid down the law with Clark, telling him she wouldn’t tolerate being mistreated. Now the ball was in his court.
“Certainly.”
XXXXXX
“Can you believe this?” Lois laughed as they walked together along the city street. After doing three interviews, they’d become absorbed by the story at hand and the tension between them had eased. Currently they were tracking the plight of a missing child.
“Perry insisted.” Clark shrugged.
“I can’t believe he thinks a psychic is a credible lead.” Lois rolled her eyes.
“I believe his words were ‘leave no stone unturned.’”
Clark’s attempt at a Southern drawl made Lois grin.
“You don’t actually believe this stuff, do you?”
He laughed. “No. How about you?”
“Of course not. This should be…interesting.”
They paused at the store front advertising Madame Moresca – Psychic Reader and Healer. Brightly colored stars adorned the window display while various crystals hung inside.
Chimes tinkled when Clark held the door open. “After you.”
Lois took the lead.
The overwhelming scent of sandalwood permeated the crowded space. Various books, crystals, and candles crammed the shelves. A circular table with a few crystals on top sat in an alcove.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. This is a business? It looks more like a garage sale.”
“Lois,” Clark tactfully pointed out, noticing the older woman approaching from behind the doorframe with the hanging beads at the rear of the room.
“What can I do for you?”
Most of her iron grey wavy locks were tucked beneath a bright purple kerchief adorned with shiny stars. Her tunic was a darker shade of purple. She moved slowly, possibly hampered by arthritis. A star shaped crystal pendant hung on a chain about her neck.
“We’re reporters from the Daily Planet. Our editor called you earlier. I’m sure you’ve heard about Shandy Summers?” Lois asked.
The woman shrugged. “I’m not much for the news.”
“Great,” Lois muttered a little too loudly. “She’s only ten years old and has been missing for two days.”
“Pity.” Her voice contained little sympathy.
Sensing Lois was losing her patience, Clark stepped in. “Ma’am, is there any chance you can use your abilities to help us locate the little girl? I’m sure her parents would appreciate it.”
The woman’s eyes fixed upon Clark. He squirmed, uncomfortable under her scrutiny.
“Even a little thing – a sound, a color - could help the police,” Clark continued. Removing a photo from his jacket, he said, “Here’s her picture.”
The woman took the photo, examined it then closed her eyes. She took several deep breaths.
Lois winked at Clark, amused by the show.
“A gulley. There are leaves covering the ground. I hear water trickling - not large amounts. A color – red? Lots of red. I hear…cars? Not many, just an occasional one. Moving fast.”
“What kind of car?” Lois asked, with disbelief.
“Shush.” She paused, taking a deep breath to regain the mood. “I’m hearing male voices.” Opening her eyes, she turned to Clark. “You’d better move fast.”
Clark became more alert. “I’d better phone this information in to the police – just in case.”
“You don’t actually-“
“Lois!”
Anxious to leave, Lois replied, “I’m coming with you.”
Already halfway to the door, Clark answered, “No! Why don’t you see if she can glean any more details? I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He bolted from the store.
“Does he does do that often?” Madame Moresca asked, grinning at Lois’ obvious discomfort.
“What?”
“Suddenly have to leave.”
The woman’s words made the hairs on the back of Lois’ neck prickle. Up to this point, she’d felt Madame Moresca was an utter quack. Now…she wasn’t so sure. But she wasn’t about to give this weirdo any satisfaction.
“No, not really,” Lois lied.
“I see.”
XXXXXXX
“She left over an hour ago.” Madame Moresca told Clark, who’d just rushed back into the store.
From the woman’s description, he’d remembered a billboard featuring a lot of the color red along a wooded section of Highway 5 near a creek. Heading in the general vicinity, he’d located her and arrived before the girl could be harmed. He’d been able to place Shandy Summers directly into her parent’s welcoming arms. But rather than feeling satisfied, he’d felt anxious.
Had he already blown Lois’ ultimatum?
As if she’d read his thoughts, the older woman replied, “She didn’t believe you.”
Clark froze, feeling ill at ease.
“She was hurt that you didn’t return. She pretended she wasn’t but she didn’t fool me.”
He sighed.
“You know, there are ways.”
“What are you talking about?” Clark asked, with caution.
“To deal with your situation. Did you think you were the only visitor to this planet?”
That got his attention.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re not the only one. I know who you are. You have a powerful aura.”
He nodded, wondering what was going on. Was this woman planning to blackmail him about his secret identity? What else could go wrong?
“Relax. I’m not telling anyone about your…secret. I care little for those matters. I don’t see why you involve yourself so much with them and their affairs. Our powers, our abilities…can make life difficult for us. They create dilemmas that these pathetic creatures can’t even imagine.”
Taking offense at her tone, he firmly replied, “I’m not interested.”
“You fool. Do you really think things are going to change? I barely know you and I can clearly see the forces within you battling. You’re pulling yourself apart. You’re divided. It’s not hard, you know. To separate.”
Her suggestion terrified him.
“No.”
“It’s not a trivial task. There are…issues. Certain…sacrifices. But it can be done. When you’re ready, you know where to find me.”
TBC
