Mr. Kent dug out an old radio he had left down here in the storm shelter just for these kinds of emergencies. It takes him a while, but at last we get a channel from Wichita, even if it is a little crackly.
“…three more twisters spotted in and around Smallville. Everyone is advised to take cover as winds pick up…”It seems an eternity as we wait. A million thoughts go through my head… Did Clark rescue Luthor’s helicopter? Was Luthor still wearing that ring? Will Clark be able to get away before it can hurt him?
“He’ll be fine, Lois,” his mom says to me, patting my arm, apparently seeing the worry on my face.
I wonder if she knows… Clark had seemed completely oblivious as to the existence of the green rock before Venice…
“Mrs. Kent---“
“Please, call me Martha. You’re practically family now, Lois,” she says with a warm smile.
I smile weakly in return. Although I’m touched by the gesture, I’m worried about what could happen to Clark. “Martha—do you know about a green rock that affects Clark? When we were in Venice, Mr. Luthor had a large sample of it, and he said it had come from here, Smallville.”
“I’ve never seen any green rocks around here. And how could it affect Clark?”
“It hurt him,” I begin warily.
“What do you mean, it hurt him?” she responded in some alarm.
“It made him weak—he even briefly lost his powers.”
She looked fearfully at me. “We’ve never seen anything that can hurt our son… And why are you telling me now?”
I told her my harrowing tale of being in Luthor’s helicopter and about pushing out the large chunk of rock.
“Luthor thought he found a deposit of it in Smallville. He brought his sample to check it against what his men found… But he also wears a ring made of the stuff and I just worry what will happen to Clark if he gets too close---“
“Hush a moment! I think they’re talking about Clark---“ Mr. Kent interrupted, his ear bent close to the radio.
“…two of the twisters never touched ground. Inexplicably, they seemed to have been rerouted, as if the wind suddenly changed direction…”We all exchange relieved glances.
“Is his breath really that strong?” I ask, mentally going over the catalogue of super powers I know about.
Martha shrugs, “Well, he once sneezed and sent the tractor almost a mile away… so I think it might be possible…”
“…just in. Mr. Lex Luthor, Metropolis’ philanthropic billionaire, has been rescued from his storm-ravaged helicopter. We don’t have details yet, but we know he was rescued out of the sky… More later, when we understand what exactly happened…”I smile broadly at the Kents. “Clark’s okay, then! And the world has just heard their first story about Superman, though they don’t know it yet! It means I have to get cracking on the Daily Planet’s story… I hope Clark gets back soon. I want Perry to get this ASAP,” I say, getting up from the stool I was perched on as I look for pen and paper in the musty shed. There’s got to be something to write with down here…
I glance at the Kents, and they eye me with a worried expression. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Lois?” asks Mr. Kent.
I do my best to reassure him. “Clark will pre-approve every word, I promise. He’s already made himself a hero—we simply need to give him a proper introduction.”
*L**L*
About an hour later, we were able to return to the farmhouse. The electricity was out, but Martha was kind enough to set me up with her old typewriter and a few candlesticks.
I had scribbled some notes on cardboard with a pencil I had found in the shelter, surprising both of Clark’s parents with my resourcefulness.
I begin writing my piece on Superman, meanwhile worrying what is taking Clark so long to return. The storms have passed, and besides the electricity being off, everything seems to be all right.
I’m busy typing away, when I see a figure on the back porch. I know it’s Clark and I rush over to open the door for him.
I throw myself in his arms, noting that his uniform smells of cool air and even a little smoke.
“Lois,” he breathes with relief into my hair, planting a kiss on my forehead.
“What happened? Is everything all right?” I ask as we step into the kitchen. He looks a little tired, but there’s also a spark of excitement in his eyes. His hair is tousled, and there are smudges of dirt and soot all over him; he looks wonderful.
“Lois---it was amazing,” he began, taking a seat at the kitchen table while I pour us some lemonade. “After I left you, I went back to the helicopter. The look on Luthor’s face was priceless. I’m pretty sure he thought he would always be the only truly powerful man in Metropolis,” Clark says a bit smugly, but then shrugs his shoulders as if shaking off the moment of one-upmanship. “Anyway, I instructed him to take a seat, which he did and strapped himself in. I landed them just outside downtown Wichita. He was dumbstruck, Lois. I don’t know if he was grateful or angry, but I hope it changes his perspective on some things….”
I reach over and put my hand on Clark’s. “What about the ring? I didn’t notice if he had it on. I was so worried---“
Clark’s eyes met mine, full of warmth that I am so concerned. “I was fine, Lois. I did see the ring. Which is why I directed him to stay in the helicopter. If I had picked up him and his pilot, I would have fallen like a stone out of the sky… Don’t worry, he has no clue that his rescuer and the guy who stumbled all over himself at his Venetian party are the same man.”
“That’s a relief… You know he found a deposit of the stuff. That’s why he was in Smallville.”
Clark, to my surprise, nods. “More about that in a second… Now the twister I saved you from did land. I couldn’t stop it, but I saw two others forming across the horizon. I was able to blow those two off course, so they never even touched ground. Then, I flew back to where the one landed, and immediately felt the green rock in the ground. It was near Shuster’s Field, where my parents found me. But the twister actually helped. I watched from a safe distance as it scattered some of the rock, and buried the rest of it underground. The remaining bits above ground are not enough for Luthor to bother with… I think he’ll drop that project now. At least, I hope so.”
I nod in satisfaction, glad that Mother Nature was able to lend a hand. “And the third twister? What happened?”
Clark’s buoyed spirits seem to fall a bit. He clears his throat and then continues his story. “I wasn’t in time to stop it….It---took out a small town. I flew down after, and blew out a few fires, helped rescue a few people. But it wasn’t enough, Lois. There were a few injured… and so many people lost their homes…” He lays his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.
I rub his back soothingly, under his cape. “Clark---but you did so much. The people are grateful for what you did, I’m sure.”
He nods, and glances up at me. There are tears in his eyes, but a shining hope there as well. “I was so worried what they would think---seeing this caped man flying around them—but they were all so happy to see me when they saw why I was there. After they got over their initial shock, they just asked me to help. And I did… It was—really rewarding.”
I smile at him, and lean over to kiss his cheek. “I told you that you are a hero.”
He gives me a lopsided grin, and then notices my typewriter. “Already writing your piece, I see,” he says, though there is no recrimination is in his voice. “Let’s see what you got.”
We spend the next hour or so going over my article, and adding things to it. What it boils down to is the birth of a superhero. We decide to lead with “Superman saves billionaire and towns in twist of fate” as the main headline. If I can write a glowing few sentences about Luthor, then maybe he’ll back off my tail, at least for a while. We also decide that we will tell Perry that I got a ride back with Luthor from Europe, and that was how I got my interview—well, sort of interview. If you call spying at an exclusive Venetian party and being held captive on a billionaire’s helicopter an interview! But I know I have enough information to make the article work. We will mention he’s working on a green energy project, but not go into details about the mineral. That way, I will have all my bases covered: an ‘interview’ with Luthor, painting him as a normal businessman swiped by fate, and distance Clark from the story altogether by not including him in the byline.
I still have my sights on taking down the billionaire, but I think it will have to wait for another day. Clark’s debut is more important; the real meat and potatoes of the story is explaining who Superman is and why he is here. We work on that bit well into the night, knowing the wording will have to be perfect. I even convince Clark to let me take a picture of him in the suit. We stage it so he’s in the air, in profile, so there’s no doubt he can fly.
And since Clark's name is not even in the byline, there's no possible connection between him and Superman, so I can introduce Clark to Perry a few days after the article runs.
Having our plan worked out, and the article written, I am now exhausted. Clark excuses himself to change out of his new work uniform, and I rest my head on the kitchen table.
Just for a moment…
*L**L*
“Lois! You’re back!” Perry beams at me the next morning when I come into the bullpen.
“And I’ve got a heck of story for you, Chief!” I say, waving my copy at him excitedly.
“I hope it’s about this flying man I heard rumors about last night. Not a single news outlet knows how to explain it, so they’ve been tiptoeing around the story. Some are saying the pilot who reported it was just in shock and didn’t know what he saw,“ Perry says, but quickly gets engrossed in reading my story.
I wait expectantly, and after a moment, he looks up at me with a smile. “Great shades of Elvis, Lois, this is fantastic! And---have you actually talked to this Superman?”
I nod, handing him the photo of Superman and say what Clark and I had worked out the night before. “He only had a moment after he rescued the helicopter, but yes. I got the exclusive, Chief! And even a photo!” I only feel a little stab of guilt in that Clark can’t take direct credit for some of the story. But he needs to be off the byline in order to sell the new superhero.
“So you got your interview with Luthor, after all. Well, good going, Lois. We’re glad to have you back. And this has got to go to print right away. We’ll beat all the other papers in the country with this!” Perry says gleefully, and then over his shoulder he shouts so the whole newsroom hears him, “Copy!”
*L**L*
The next morning, Clark is at my door bright and early.
“Hey there,” he says, and flashes this morning’s Daily Planet at me. My article is above the fold and I smile ecstatically at him.
“Perry loved it! And the rest of Metropolis will, too! I’ve already gotten calls from several media outlets. They want to meet Superman, and I’m the only connection they have so far.”
Clark’s smile vanishes. “What did you say to them, Lois? Because I don’t want people thinking you can just call me up on the phone. I have no doubt that criminals would want to take advantage of that.”
I shake my head, reassuring him. “No. I said it was a fluke meeting, that I have no idea if I will see you—er, him again. But Clark, I think the next step needs to be a press conference. You know, introduce yourself to the city. State that you want to stay in Metropolis. People are endlessly curious about you…”
“I know,” he says resignedly. “That’s been part of my problem, even before the costume. But hopefully if Superman makes a few public appearances explaining himself, then that will be all that’s necessary.”
I grab my coat and briefcase and then smile at Clark. “So, are you ready to meet the editor of the world’s greatest newspaper?”
*L**L*
I watch Clark as we enter the Planet building, his gaze soaking up every detail. The building itself is about eighty years old, and it definitely has an imposing style to it that I hardly even notice anymore. We stop outside in front of the globe, Clark staring at it in awe.
“I can’t believe I’m really here,” he almost whispers.
I laugh good-naturedly at his open admiration. “You’ll get used to it, Farmboy,” I say, tugging him along. Honestly, I do know what he means. I remember the first time I stepped into this hallowed building, thinking of all the great reporters that had gone before me. And seeing that wonder in Clark secretly makes me smile.
When we get up to the bullpen, no one even notices Clark. He has his hands in his pockets, and he keeps looking around a bit like a lost tourist as he follows me closely.
My heart starts fluttering as we near Perry’s office. I hope Perry is off the scent of Clark being a story, and he will just see him as a good journalist---and a potential new-hire.
I tap on his door, and he waves us in, finishing up a phone conversation.
“... Okay, Alice. I’ll see you at eight… love you, too. Bye.”
“Chief, I’d like you to meet Clark Kent,” I present with a bit of aplomb, and Clark reaches to take Perry’s hand.
Perry smiles, then his expression turns a little suspicious as he glances back at me. At first, I feel my throat close up with fear, wondering if he’ll call me out about Clark being a story—or worse, mention Superman and Clark’s name in the same sentence. But as Clark’s ‘interview’ gets underway, I begin to realize Perry’s suspicions stem from another source.
“So you were a reporter in Borneo, huh, Kent?”
“Yes, sir. Though I’m from Kansas,” Clark says frankly, and we all move to have a seat. Clark waits till I’m seated before he follows suit, and I see Perry takes notice of the gesture.
“And you two met in Paris?” Perry says with that suspicious squint still in his eye, looking at me and then at Clark.
I step in, trying to keep the business at hand—getting Clark a job here—on track. “That’s right, Chief. Clark, er, Mr. Kent and I sent you a few stories while I was over there.”
Perry leans back in his chair, crossing his fingers on his chest as he thinks a minute.
Suddenly, he looks us both square in the eye. “Now, I don’t think office romances are a good thing. They go too easily awry, as you well know, Lois,” Perry says sternly, this pointedly directed at me, and I feel myself blush.
Clark glances at me with a
now what expression, and I get it entirely. Do we let Perry know that there is something between us and risk Perry sending Clark unequivocally packing?
Clark clears his throat and pulls out his CV and some articles. “Here’s some of my work, Mr. White. Miss Lane here is just helping out a fellow reporter,” he says. So it’s the colleagues route/no sparks angle. I roll my eyes. Perry won’t buy it.
Perry reads over Clark’s papers carefully, every now and then glancing at us with an unreadable expression. Then, he sets them down with a thwack on his desk and nods. “All right, Kent. You can have a trial run. Work with Lois on a few stories… “ Perry points at me. “Your first assignment is to do a follow-up on Superman. See if you can find out more about why he’s here and what he’s doing.”
It takes all of my effort to not look over at Clark at this mention and give him a conspiratorial wink. “We’ll do our best, Chief,” I manage with a straight face.
As we get up to leave, Perry pulls me aside, while Clark politely waits by the door. “There’s not a doubt in my mind that you two are smitten with each other. But Lois, honey, please be careful. I don’t want what happened with Claude to happen with Clark. I trust your judgment on his reporting skills—the pieces you turned in together were certainly strong-- but he still has to prove himself to me, you hear? No free rides.”
I nod gratefully to Perry. “I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.”
Just then, Jimmy rushes in and runs smack into Clark, scattering papers everywhere. Clark bends to pick them up, apologizing profusely. He pushes his glasses up his nose, which I’ve never seen him do, and he awkwardly hands back the papers to Jimmy. I realize suddenly that he did it slightly on purpose. I had suggested to him to play up the mild-mannered farmboy… I guess he took me at my word.
“Let’s get out of here, Kent. We’ve got work to do,” I say, purposefully stepping around Jimmy.
Clark follows me and I flash a quick smile at him. “You were perfect,” I whisper when we’re clear of Perry’s office.
“I don’t know if your boss really likes me though,” he answers with some trepidation.
I plop my stuff on my desk and look at Clark resolutely. “He’s your boss now, Kent. And you’ll win him over soon enough,” I wink at him, to soften the blow of my hard tone.
Clark suddenly turns his head as if he’s listening to something.
“What is it, Clark?” I ask, worried.
“Fire—down on 16th Street,” he says in a low voice so as not to attract attention. He glances over his shoulder at Perry’s office. “What should I do?”
I grin at him, and tug playfully on his tie. “Go save the day---I’ll be right behind you to get the scoop,” I say gleefully.
Clark suddenly smiles and starts taking off towards the elevators.
I grab my coat and a notepad, and I notice Perry watching me.
“Got a lead already, Lois?”
I simply grin and wave at him as I head out of the bullpen. “Keep the presses warm, Perry! I have a feeling I’ll be back with a headline!”
And so it begins…
*L**L*
EPILOGUE
~Paris~We sit outside a quiet café on the Ile-St-Louis, right in the heart of Paris, about to enjoy an authentic Parisian meal. Clark flew us here for our ‘anniversary’---a month ago today we entered each other’s lives and changed them forever.
“Here’s to one month working at the Planet, Clark,” I say lifting my champagne glass to his.
“And what a month… Never in all my wildest dreams could I imagine working for the Planet and finding a way to use my abilities out in the open.”
We clink our glasses together and take a sip.
“And here’s to your nomination for the Pulitzer, Lois Lane,” Clark adds with a wink in my direction. “Maybe next year an article with both our names on it will get the nod.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, Clark, and you know it,” I say honestly, still a little guilty that our relationship had started because of my blind ambition to get his story.
He shrugs and takes another sip. “I’m just glad everything worked out,” he says, his focus shifting to our meal that has just arrived. I can’t pronounce a thing Clark ordered for us, but as I dig in, all I know is I’m eating a lovely chicken with asparagus and mashed potatoes—all of which sounded better in French but taste as heavenly in any language.
As I enjoy my meal, I realize there is more I want to say, need to say to him. I put my fork and knife down and look over at the man that has changed my life in so many ways in just a few short weeks. “Clark,” I begin hesitantly, though with just that one little word, I suddenly have his entire attention. I clear my throat, summoning courage, as Clark stops eating and patiently waits for me to continue. “I know sometimes I put up a tough front, especially at the office---but you do
know, don’t you?” I fumble with my napkin, thinking of the few dates we’ve been on, the kisses we’ve shared, and all of the little adventures we’ve had in between. But I’ve never said those three words---I guess still afraid that he’ll suddenly walk away from me, uncertain if he really thinks I’m worth sticking around for.
Clark reaches across the table and takes my hand, “Know what, Lois?”
I clear my throat, looking at my plate, unable to meet him in the eye, just in case his feeling isn’t as strong as mine… He scoots his chair closer to mine, and with his other hand, he lifts my chin so I’m forced to look in his eyes. “Know what?” he asks, softer, in a tone that melts my heart.
I sigh,
take the plunge, Lois, I silently coach to myself. Then, suddenly it’s not hard, as I look in his eyes and I see there what I’ve seen all along. A friend, a partner—and I just
know—he’s the one.
“I love you,” I breathe, and it’s as if I open a door to a world of new possibilities with those three words. I’m suddenly taken aback by the sheer force of it.
I realize now that Clark has always been more than a news headline to me, and certainly more than the man in a cape who flies.
He’s been
my story… my own private knock-your-socks-off-you-won’t-believe-this story.
Because I see it there in his eyes---he loves me, too.
~FIN~
*L**L*
This is the cafe I'm picturing for the final scene.
