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Part 24

Part 25

Thursday – Mid-afternoon

Clark stood on the third floor looking down at Lois. He hadn’t talked to her since the bomb went off the day before. His Mom had said he was jumping to conclusions and perhaps he was, but Clark couldn’t get the image of that pretty boy actor holding Lois’s hand out of his mind.

At least you hadn’t stalked her at the restaurant, Kent. You hadn’t watched her laugh and talk to Scardino from atop another building. And you had kept your cool and hadn’t landed in front of their table and punched the guy to Manhattan, tempting though it might have been. You didn’t do an impersonation of a gargoyle and sulk… much. There were worse things you could have done when your girlfriend went out to lunch – a lunch she was supposed to have shared with you – with another man.

Henderson had tracked him down at his parents’ café the previous night. Lois had told the policeman about the bugs and he came by to collect them from Clark. Apparently, Henderson had a friend at the prestigious S.T.A.R. Labs – a Bernard Klein, PhD. – who owed him a favor. Henderson had been surprised that Lois hadn’t passed along the message to him but, then again, Clark hadn’t spoken with her since he went to save that first jumper. There had been three – all within a line-of-sight of each other on opposite sides of Metropolis and all within minutes of one another. It couldn’t have been a coincidence.

The policeman had two messages for Superman. Firstly, the bomb at the Carlin Building – which happened to be owned by one Mr. Lex Luthor and named for one of the man’s ex-wives – had been remotely operated. There had been video cameras planted inside that had nothing do with in-house security. Someone had been watching for him and blew up the building once he got there. Not good.

The second message was about the photographer who had taken the photos of Superman and Lois that had showed up in Randy Goode’s Dirt Digger Weekly. He had been found dead, shot, his place ransacked and every negative in the place taken. It had been Lois’s suggestion that Henderson should question the photographer regarding the break-in at her apartment.

You’re in love with one smart cookie there, Kent.

Again, it was information Clark would have gathered earlier and from Lois herself if he hadn’t missed their lunch date due to an electrical fire at one of the amusement parks on Hell’s Gate Island. Superman had been kept busy all the previous day. Clark had almost not been able to complete his deliveries for MDS in time.

Someone was testing Superman. Testing his abilities, testing his weaknesses and his strengths. Clark wondered who? He wished he could discuss this with Lois, or at least get one of her all-encompassing comfort hugs. But he knew if he even tried he would probably say something stupid, like throwing it in her face that his girlfriend shouldn’t be having lunch and holding hands with other men. Or mention his giving a one-on-one interview with Linda King, which he was sure Lois knew about, since the article had been front-page news on the Metropolis Star that morning. He just knew there was going to be hell to pay for that one. He was trying to get the tabloid heat off of his girlfriend. And using Linda had been a convenient excuse with her injury.

Excuse? Please, Kent. You know Lois and Linda have some kind of history. Your girlfriend made you jealous and you were throwing it back in her face. And using your Superman persona to do it. Low, Man. Really low. You are out of control.

Clark was sure there was some innocent reason behind Lois’s lunch. There always seemed to be. Lois claimed to love Clark, but knowing that there was some man out there she was destined to be with, who wasn’t him, grated him raw and made him doubt her loyalty, even though she never had herself. He could not listen to reason, not while his green-eyed monster held him by the lapels. He had even refused to talk to her when Lois had called the café the night before.

Actually his Mom’s exact words to Lois had been, “The big chicken won’t come to the phone, Lois.” Just like his Mom to side with Lois and not to gloss over the truth for him in his time of need.

Clark had then heard – only because he could never block out her voice – Lois asking his Mom to tell him not to come over that night because she was going to bed early. Actually, Lois was all stressed out because she thought Superman had been blown to bits that afternoon and then wouldn’t talk to her about it. And because she was so exhausted from lack of sleep from the night before last when she had been forcibly removed from her apartment for her protection. His Mom, of course, had fully understood and the message would be passed on.

Lois was worried about him. Lois was still angry at him. And Lois was hurt that he once again didn’t trust her. He sighed. He was out of control. That was why he wasn’t down on the ground floor talking with Lois, begging for her forgiveness. He missed her, but somehow he knew he was in the wrong again. He had overreacted again. And, this time, he was afraid he had gone too far. She was bound to dump him after this latest move. Personally, he didn’t want to give her the opportunity. So, like the big chicken his Mom told Lois he was, Clark was avoiding her, by keeping his distance. But he couldn’t stay entirely away. He loved her too much.

Perry walked up and stood next to him. He didn’t say anything for a minute as they both watched Lois work two stories down. “Lois turned in an interview with Daniel Scardino for the weekly Planet this morning. According to the article, the man is doing a sequel to Resurrection.”

“Hmmm,” was all Clark would allow himself to say.

“She’s a darn good writer,” Perry continued. “Not as good with imagery as you, but she’s good at laying out the facts. I bet if you two partnered up…”

“There’s no partnership, Perry. We’ll do better on our own.”

“That so? Huh? You want to hear something funny? That Lois told me off the record? It seems that Scardino is obsessed with Superman; so much so that he wants to play him in the movie version of…”

Clark turned to his boss. “Movie?”

“Yeah. You know Hollywood. They already have writers working on a screenplay. Apparently they are playing up the romance between Superman and that woman – Lois Lane – who interviewed him.”

Clark wanted to groan and cover his face, but he felt too numb. His life was being taking away from him before it had hardly begun. “Isn’t it typecasting…” he said instead, deadpan, leaning against the railing again. “… if all the characters that guy plays fall in love with reporters?”

Clark watched as a florist’s deliveryman arrived with a bouquet of flowers. First he took it to Jack at the register, but the cashier just pointed the man to Lois at the newsstand. Smiling, his girlfriend accepted and signed for them. She then took the bouquet back over to the cash counter.

Jack finished with his customer and crossed over to her. “Who are they from?”

“Clark, I hope, but…” Lois’s voice trailed away as she sighed.

She knows that they’re not from you. What you need, Kent, is a huge box of apology chocolates. An MDS truck full should do it.

“Ralph said Clark stopped by yesterday while you were at lunch. Clark was really angry when he heard you had left with Dan Scardino,” Jack told her.

Lois scoffed and shook her head. “I should have known better than to leave a message for Clark with Ralph. He was supposed to tell Clark to join us at the restaurant if he showed.”

Gee, thanks, Ralph, for the botched message.

“Why did Perry put that moron in charge of music anyway? That man can’t tell the difference between Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello. Do you know he actually recommended Michael Bolton to someone who wanted dance music?”

Clark repeated this tidbit to Perry as they watched Lois open the card that accompanied the flowers.

“Ralph came highly recommended,” Perry murmured as an excuse. “Make some good choices.” He nodded towards Lois. “Make some awful ones.” He shrugged. “You’ve got to watch out for Jack. He’s astute, that one. Bratty as they come, but smart.”

Lois blanched at the card, tearing it to shreds.

Oh, good. She didn’t like the sender.

Jack raised an eyebrow to this action. “Who are they from?”

“My date for Saturday night,” Lois mumbled too softly for Jack to hear.

“Huh?” Jack asked.

“Just my local neighborhood blackmailer,” Lois told him, turning back to the sales floor with the bouquet.

“Tempus,” Clark said to Perry as they watched Lois trying to figure out the best way to dispose of the flowers. He had some ideas that included using his heat vision and target practice. “You got any ideas on how to get Lois out of our hole?”

His boss slipped a secretive smile onto his lips. “I’ve got a couple of thoughts. You keep an eye on Lois; I’ll handle Lexco.”

“I’ve got my shift Saturday night,” Clark reminded him.

“Get her out of her date and safely squared away at your folks’ and get here by ten. I’ll handle the rest,” Perry said mysteriously. Then he added softly, “I might have to fire you.”

Clark shrugged. “I might have to quit.” He looked down at Lois as she handed the bouquet to an elderly lady on the way out of the store. “Lois isn’t going to like being ‘squared away’ anywhere for her protection or not.”

“You’ve got a spitfire with that one.” Perry grinned wickedly. “Good thing Superman has super cooling breath.”

Clark rolled his eyes.

Great. Another one of Perry’s Superman jokes.

“Superman’s not dating her, Chief, I am.” Clark sighed. “Until she catches me long enough to break up with me.”

“Then I recommend you leave off the vulture routine,” Perry suggested.

“I’ve always known she was going to break my heart. I just didn’t know my own stupidity would be the cause,” Clark said, shaking his head.

“Lois isn’t going to break your heart, Clark.”

“Sure, she is. Lois knows who her destiny is – that other man, the one that guy from the future predicted for her. I’m just…” Clark didn’t know quite what he was to her. “… Mr. Right Now, I guess.”

“She’s not going to leave you for someone else, Clark,” Perry informed him.

Clark glanced over at his boss. Did Perry know about Lois’s future husband? He had always thought there was something the Chief was holding back from him.

“That other man. He isn’t real, Clark. He doesn’t exist.”

“But... But…” Clark stammered, his head spinning. No, that can’t be true. He couldn’t have been stressing all this time over someone who doesn’t exist.

“Trust me, Clark. She can’t marry a job description, only a man.” Perry patted him on the back. “Shouldn’t you get back to work, son?”

Cryptic and not at all informative. Thanks, Chief!

Resigned Clark nodded. “Yeah. I should return the truck.” He turned away from the railing as Perry walked off.

“Hi, Lois,” said a voice from his past and more recently from his nightmares.

“Well, well. Look at what the Cat dragged in,” replied Lois with annoyance.

Clark turned slowly around and gazed over the railing again.

“See, Lana, I know everyone in town. Even her. You owe me five bucks,” said Cat before issuing them a wave and disappearing up the escalator.

“Lana Lang,” Lois stated with a shake of her head. “What are you doing here?”

“Actually, it’s Lana Harrington now,” Clark’s ex-girlfriend corrected.

“I know. We got the press release.” Lois crossed her arms.

Lana pulled out a business card and handed it to Lois.

With pinched lips, Lois reluctantly accepted it. “P.R.? You are in Public Relations?”

Yeah, that would be a bit of a stretch, thought Clark’s nasty conscience.

His ex-girlfriend placed her best fake smile on her lips. “Of course, Lois. Everyone loves me.” She gave a flip of her hair.

Clark wasn’t buying this routine and neither was Lois he was glad to see.

“Everybody knows you know Superman. It’s in all the papers,” Lana continued. “I don’t believe you’re actually dating him, because that would be preposterous. He obviously is in dire need of some help with the press and I’m offering my services. Give him my card, would you? For old time’s sake?”

Lois handed the card back. “No.”

You can’t lose that woman, Kent. You know that, don’t you?

Lana refused to take back the card, persisting with her sweet-talking hard-sell voice, “Oh, come on, LoLo. I know we were never close in school, but do it for Smallville.” She gave a little bounce and a smile when she mentioned their hometown.

LoLo?

Lois raised a brow at that request, continuing to hold out the card. “You don’t represent the best of Smallville, Lana. You never have. And don’t call me LoLo. We were never friends.”

“I was surprised to hear that you and Pete weren’t married. I had always had a hunch about you two.” Lana was still trying to be nice. It was an odd thing to witness. She must have really wanted him as a client.

Like that would ever happen.

“Pete’s dead, Lana,” Lois said coldly.

Clark got a chill. Lois hadn’t told him that. From Lana’s expression he doubted she knew either.

“When?” Lana stammered, her face white and her façade falling.

“Summer after you graduated.”

Isn’t that when you dated Lana, Kent?

Lana gulped. “That long ago. Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Lois looked skeptically at other woman. “My guess is that after the way you treated him most people figured you didn’t care either way.”

Lana sat down on the bench in the newsstand after giving Lois a sharp glare. “That’s not true! I loved Pete.”

Lois scoffed. “If that’s how you treat the people you love, Lana, I pity the congressman.”

“You don’t know anything about it, Lois. What Pete and I had was special. He was my high school sweetheart. He just expected more from me than I was ready to give.” Lana’s voice made it sound like her heart had been crushed, but Clark knew better.

Doesn’t one have to have a heart for it to hurt?

“That so? I was his best friend, Lana. I know the truth.” Lois wasn’t buying Lana’s horse dung either, he was glad to see.

“You weren’t there…” Lana wailed.

Lois stepped closer and looked Lana in the eye. “Actually I was. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. I had come by to return Pete’s math notes. I heard everything.”

Lana gasped.

Lois went on. “How you told him you loved him. How you wanted to spend the rest of your life with him. How the two of you should book a hotel room on prom night for your first time. All those were your ideas.”

“Well… well…” Lana stammered.

“When was that? A week before prom? Pete was so excited, he had even bought you a ring. He cashed in his first semester’s college tuition savings to buy it. Against my advice and his folks’ wishes, mind you, he was going to propose.” Lois’s voice was hard as she pressed these harsh truths on Lana.

Clark swallowed. This story sounded all too familiar. He had not made plans to propose to Lana, but revealing his secret was a pretty close second. His brow furrowed. Hadn’t Lois said she had gone to prom with Pete?

You know this story all too well, Kent. You know what’s coming next.

“And who ran off to KU with her cousin to attend a frat party instead? Who left him a note – a note – saying she wanted to break-up? After she had dated him for over two years? Who told him she was ‘too young’ to be tied down, especially to someone who would never accomplish anything in his life? That he had no potential? And he was too stupid to be more than a fry cook at the local burger joint?”

That speech sounds familiar as well.

“I never said Pete was stupid!” Lana said in her defense.

Clark noticed she didn’t deny Lois’s other allegations.

“So, what are you saying, Lois? That Pete killed himself over me?” Lana actually appeared horrified at that thought.

Lana hadn’t wanted him dead, just pining after her for years. Wondering what he did wrong. Never in his life had Clark felt more like a sucker. For letting this woman control who he was, long after she had gone. Both Clark and Lana hung on Lois’s answer.

Lois lowered her head and admitted with a heavy heart, “No.” Suddenly Lois’s fierce expression looked guilty. “He died of a rattlesnake bite while off camping by himself.”

Clark wondered if there was more to this story she wasn’t telling.

Lana released a breath of relief. No, his ex-girlfriend wasn’t to blame. She would forget this conversation and her high school sweetheart as soon as she left the store; of that Clark was positive. She had abused him like she had with Pete and never looked back.

“Well, it’s been good catching up with you, LoLo… Lois. It’s too bad about Pete. He was a nice guy. Give Superman my card and have him give me a call,” Lana said, standing up and straightening her outfit.

“Don’t hold your breath, Lana,” Lois said, her lips pressed together and her voice low.

“Yeah, and why’s that? Are you going to be petty and not give him my card?” Lana sneered. “Grow up.”

Lois glanced up and caught Clark’s eye. He wondered if she knew he had been there all along, because her expression showed no surprise. Then she leaned over and whispered in Lana’s ear, knowing full well he could hear every word, “Superman is also good friends with Clark Kent.”

Lois knows! How in the world did she know you dated Lana?

Lana jumped back aghast. “No!”

Lois nodded with another quick glance up to him on the third floor, “And Superman listens to his friends.”

Oh, funny, Lois!

His girlfriend leaned close to Lana again and whispered, “You seem to have a knack for screwing over, screwing up, and yet never actually…”

“Supervisor to the third floor cash wrap for a return. Supervisor to the third floor cash wrap,” blared the overhead announcement so loudly Clark felt like heat blasting the speaker above his head.

What? What did Lois say to Lana? Did she just say what you thought she said? To Lana?!

Lois tore up the business card into tiny little pieces and then threw them at dumbfounded Lana like confetti. Then she waved her fingers at Clark with a sweet little smile.

The minx!

Lana glanced up and saw Clark. He grinned at them with merriment he did not feel and waved back in the same manner. His ex-girlfriend turned white as a ghost and bolted for the exit.

Lois pointed at him, glaring, and whispered, “Wait. Right. There.”

Oh, crap!

She grabbed her v-cart and headed back to her Magazine Receiving Room. As soon as Lois was out of sight, Clark casually turned away from the railing and slowly walked towards the third floor Receiving Room.

Clark waved at Jimmy and said, “Hey, if you see Lois, could you tell her I have to go return my MDS truck and I’ll talk with her later.”

Chicken!

“Oh, Man. I don’t want to deliver that message, CK.” Jimmy chuckled, pointing at him with both his index finger points pressed together. “Mad Dog on the warpath is your problem and your problem alone.”

Clark grimaced with a roll of his eyes. “I know.” He pressed the freight elevator button.

Jimmy laughed. “Man, you are toast.”

You have to agree with your friend there, Kent.

The doors of the freight elevator opened and Lois stepped out, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend’s neck. “Gotcha!”

Clark gasped. He hadn’t expected her to do an end-run interception.

“Jimmy, do me a favor and run over to the break room and clock me out, would you?” she called to the younger man. “If I let go of Mr. Slippery Magoo here, he’ll disappear on me again.”

Jimmy laughed. “My pleasure, Mad Dog!”

“Don’t call me that,” she growled.

The young photographer held up his hands in surrender as he backed out of the Receiving Room.

“Okay, Lois. Let me go,” said Clark to his new necktie.

“Nope. You and I need to have a serious conversation about boundaries and your lack thereof. And if I let go, you’ll run off. You’re a definite flight risk,” Lois answered, holding on to him tighter. “Now push the down elevator button and let’s find us someplace private where we can talk.”

“Please, Lois. I really need to return my MDS truck.” He pushed the down button and the elevator doors shut.

“It can wait. I can’t,” replied Lois.

Clark listened, hoping to hear a call for help. “I think Kal…”

Lois didn’t believe him. “Don’t even try it, Clark. Kal’s not calling. Tsk-tsk. Lying. Bad, bad boy.” Her words were teasing, but her tone was not.

I’m sure if you looked hard enough, Flyboy, you could find someone who needs Superman’s help.

“You’re really not going to let go?” he asked when they arrived to the ground floor. The elevator opened out into the alley. There was his empty MDS truck still waiting to be returned to the package center.

Lois shook her head.

Clark pressed his lips together, trying hard not to laugh. “Then how am I going to drive?”

“You aren’t,” Lois told him. “There isn’t any place in Metropolis private enough for this conversation. Up, up and away, big boy.”

***

Lois held tighter on to Clark’s neck as he maneuvered them around to the backside of his MDS truck, blocking them from the Daily Book’s security camera.

“Lois,” he said softly. “I really need to return the truck. And then we can talk. I’ll drop you off anywhere in the world and meet you there within the hour. I promise.”

“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you stood at the third floor railing, watching me for the past hour,” she told him.

Clark gulped.

Good. He hadn’t known you noticed him walk up an hour earlier. He should be feeling uncomfortable.

“I’m going to rocket up, hold on,” he informed her, giving in to her demands. He wrapped an arm around her waist and bent his knees slightly.

Lois did remember that first flight was Kal. This time it would be different. This time he knew she knew. This time it was with Clark.

Moments later they were hovering over the city. “Where do you want to go?”

Anywhere with you, gorgeous.

“Rocky Cove.” It was the first place that popped into her head. Probably because of her discussion with Lana about Pete.

“I’ve never flown there,” Clark admitted, sheepishly. “I might need some directions.”

“You haven’t been back to Smallville?”

That can’t be right.

“No, I have. I flew to Shuster’s Field once to check out the crash site after…” He looked away.

“After Lana broke up with you. Yes, I know. Your Mom mentioned you dated a while back. And from your hesitancy towards intimacy, I guessed the rest.”

Clark hooked his free arm under her knees so that she was in a cradle position. “So you going to tell me what really happened with Pete?” he asked, subtly changing the subject.

No, Clark, you don’t really want to open up that can of worms.

“We have more important things to discuss than my history, Clark,” Lois stated, her eyes burning into his. “Like why there is a photo of you flying Linda King in your arms into the newsroom on the cover of this morning’s edition of the Metropolis Star? And why she’s looking at you like she had just joined the mile high club without a plane?”

“Well, Linda did have a head injury,” Clark said.

Is he trying to deflate your anger with humor? That ain’t happening.

“Linda, is it now? She worm her way into your good books already? Did she tell you how I tried to sleep my way to the top of the Metropolis University’s student paper? Did she mention that the incident got me banned from the paper? Even though it wasn’t true. Did she happen to tell you that she stole my article on the professor who was sleeping with students for grades? Or how it won the equivalent to the Kerth award for articles written by a sophomore student?” She was still yelling at him when they reached the outskirts of Smallville.

“We didn’t really talk much about you,” he replied truthfully. “Only that Lois Lane was dating some bozo named Clark Kent.” Again his humor fell flat.

“That patch of trees over there,” Lois said pointing. “But since this is close to where Maisie and Carl saw the government men take the spaceship maybe you should double check we’re alone with your vision gizmo.”

“Vision gizmo?” he replied with a slight shake of his head. Then instead of lowering her down, he went higher into the sky. “What’s this about Maisie and a spaceship?”

She recounted the story she had told to Jonathan a few days earlier.

“Lois, I don’t want you to think I’m being paranoid, but do you mind if we go elsewhere?” he asked.

His father must have really put the fear of discovery into him. And since he’s flying around in his MDS uniform…

“There’s an old abandoned farmhouse near the Irig farm. That should be private enough.” Lois pointed him in that direction.

She felt his arms tighten around her. “Abandoned?”

They hovered above the farmhouse and barn for a minute before Clark set them down. He let go of her and started wandering around staring at the house.

“I thought you checked it out from above,” she said.

“This is my folks’ old place. I recognize it from the photos,” Clark murmured.

Lois couldn’t believe she hadn’t connected the dots and winced at her insensitivity. “Oh, sorry. I should…” She pressed her lips together. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”

Clark sighed. “No. This is as good as any place for you to dump me.”

Her tongue glossed over her front teeth. “Break up with you? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me, Clark?” she thundered.

“After what you just told me about Linda, I can’t see you forgiving me any time soon.” He shrugged. “Plus, you were holding hands with Dan Scardino. You’ve clearly moved on.”

“He took hold of my hand to stop me from leaving, Clark,” Lois growled. “This is the first time I wish you actually had been spying on me. Then you’d know the truth instead of jumping to your own idiotic conclusions.”

“I’m not an idiot, Lois,” he snapped back defensively.

“I know that! Which is why I want you to stop acting like one,” she yelled.

“Are you telling me that you’re not attracted to that guy?” He raised a skeptical eyebrow at her.

“Of course, I’m attracted him. He’s Dan Scardino! Movie star!” Lois told him. “But do you really think I’d be interested in that wannabe when I have the real thing?”

Clark threw up his hands in disbelief. “Well, if it’s not him. Maybe it will be the next guy who makes eyes at you. Who knows – with my luck – Lex Luthor will be swept off his feet by your beauty. How am I supposed to compete against his money and influence and power?” he fired back.

“Yeah, he probably will. I seem to have that effect on men,” Lois replied tersely, her hands on her hips. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll fall for him, does it? Hello? He’s twice my age! For some inexplicable reason, I love you. If I was going to leave you, I’d have done it by now.”

Clark crossed his arms and silently watched her.

She started to pace, muttering to herself, “You’re exactly how he described you. He was right about everything else; of course, he would be right about this too.” She looked fiercely into his eyes, pointing her finger at him. “Do you know how many times you’ve broken my heart for my own protection? Not to mention all the lying? For a man who wants to be known for being truthful you’d think you would have started with me! The only reason I’ve stuck around this long is that I know this must be some crazy phase you’re going through. Because there is no way I’d marry and have children, let alone start the beginnings of an Utopian society, with a man as jealous, obstinate, and blind as you’ve been acting lately.”

Clark froze and stared at her, his mouth agape.

*** End of Part 25 ***

Part 26

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