Part Eleven
Lois awoke, feeling slightly dizzy and drained. Her tongue was dry, with the consistency of sandpaper and stuck to the roof of her month. It took a moment’s orientation to remember where and how she ended up sleeping in Clark’s bed.
“Urgh. I feel plain awful.” She groaned as she tried rubbing sleepy eyes with her left hand and was greeted to the sight of a sling and bandages.
“Meow?”
Lois jerked away quickly when she saw a furry body leap onto her side of the bed. Her arm throbbed painfully as the bandages and sling became tangled with the bed covers. “Pepper! Stupid cat! Go chase mice or whatever it is cats do!”
The little animal merely ignored her as it walked to the end of the bed laid down and went into ‘kitty sleep’ mode. Lois, feeling not a bit foolish for yelling at the cat, got up and went to the bathroom. It took a few extra clumsy minutes working with only one arm, but immediately after washing up she felt immensely better.
It also took great effort to get into the set of old sweats Clark had laid out for her. She struggled to zip up the hoodie, than roll up both pants legs. Upon looking at her reflection in the mirror, she could not help but laugh at the tiny figure swallowed up by heavy clothes.
Lois wandered into the kitchen alcove, hoping desperately Clark had left some morning coffee. The carafe was half full and still warm. <Thank you, Clark.> Lois thought. <I’ll never argue with you again.>
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the purloined papers from Dr. Scott’s computer lying on the counter. “Rats!” She said out loud, “We *are* going to argue. He won’t ignore the little stunt I pulled last night. Especially since all my efforts were washed away by a downpour.” However, her mind went back to the sweet, intimate moment she shared with Clark last night. Shaking fingers touched her lips as she remembered the ‘good night’ kiss. Was it her imagination or did she respond in kind?
She sighed gently, then said aloud, “That must have been my over active imagination.” Yet in the recesses of her mind, she knew the kiss to have been real… all too real.
Taking the ruined papers in hand, Lois sat quietly on the couch, sipping her coffee, considering how the discussion between them would proceed. Despite her referring to Clark as an over-grown boy scout, she knew the protective attitude of the man from Kansas toward her was much more than that. Once the fireworks stopped over her indiscretion, maybe an honest open dialogue could be started about their relationship and what direction it was headed.
A dialogue she desperately wanted since before this whole Shackleton hijacking began and until last night had stalled. <There I go thinking about work again when I need to focus on Clark and I. Dr. Friskin is right; this avoidance tactic must stop. When he gets in from work this evening, we need to talk about *everything*.> Lois winced internally, maybe he won’t be too angry.
In the far corner of the room, came the sounds of insistent scratching. Searching for the source, she caught Pepper working desperately at Clark’s closet. The feline was determined to pry open the door.
“What’s the matter, puss? Looking for a mouse?”
“Meoow!” The cat wailed. His sleek body’s back muscles bunched up in a vain attempt to open the closet door.
“Honestly, you are the most contrary cat; first your chase me out of the bed, now your attacking Clark’s closet! Here, let me open the door so you can nose around to your heart’s content.”
Lois got off the couch and walked leisurely over to the closet. She tugged hard on the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Pepper sat quietly on the wooden floor, cocked his head and watched his ‘substitute staff person’ struggle with the door. The reporter took note of the cat’s nonchalant attitude and said, “Well, if it’s not that important, I’m going back to my couch.” Before Lois could reach her seat, the little animal scratched at the closet door again, yowling for all he was worth.
“What is so important about this door, Pepper? Does Clark have a stash of kitty treats?” Lois wondered sarcastically. “OK puss, I’m trying one last time, if it doesn’t open and the yowling starts again… I see a balcony in your future!” Once again, she gave the door a tug, than realized with annoyance it was a sliding door. “There!” She said triumphantly, “it’s open!”
Pepper happily walked inside and began roaming around, content to be exploring a new space within the apartment. Lois listened to him scratching on the inside wall. She wondered what the furry little creature could be into now, when suddenly the groaning sound of ancient hinges swinging open were heard deep within the closet. The reporter’s curiosity was definitely piqued. <What was back there?> she thought.
Dashing aside all consideration for Clark’s privacy, Lois pushed aside his crisp, white oxfords, flannel shirts and neatly arranged suits. The groaning sound came from ancient hinges that revealed a hidden gap between the back of the closet and an unlit space. She nearly plunged into the deep, sheltered area and bumped head first into a well-known blue, red and yellow costume.
Superman’s suit.
Her mouth opened and closed twice. Speechless, her good hand felt the familiar spandex garment while a thousand feelings churned in her mind, crystallizing into one clear sharp thought. Her best friend of three years, her partner in journalism was the last son of Krypton – Superman. All those times he disappeared with the lamest excuses suddenly made perfect sense. Out of the blue, the jigsaw puzzle of her total relationship with him for past three years suddenly snapped into place. As if to confirm this revelation, she heard Pepper knock something over and then Superman’s voice – albeit tinny – emanated from the closet.
{Clark Kent is a friend of mine. My uniforms were hanging in his closet because he was kind enough to clean them for me. I don’t have a washing machine or a place to hang my spare uniforms.}
By following the sounds, she reached up and saw a strange machine, which displayed a holographic image of the Man of Steel, his arms folded, floating in mid-air. He continued talking and once finishing the speech, took flight and vanished.
A shocked and much shaken Lois Lane gingerly removed both the suit and holographic device from the closet. Each item deposited on the small table in the kitchen alcove as if they would render more harm than any bullet. A combination of delayed shock from the wound, lingering after effects of the antibiotics and a poor night’s sleep caused her rubbery legs to weaken.
Slowly, overly cautious not to hit her arm, she sat down at the table and looked from one item to the other. This was far worst then discovering her printout sheets from previous night’s job were ruined. Her best friend, the one person she trusted more than anyone on Earth, was *not* of this planet. Clark had deceived her utterly! How many lies had he told to cover up his secret? Weren’t they partners? Didn’t he trust her? How dare he keep her in the dark!!
His dear sweet parents, the Kents, had gone along with the charade. Martha, the mother she always wished she had and stolid, dependable Jonathan were just as guilty as their son was. Suddenly hot tears flowed down her face, as the enormity of the entire state of affairs weighted like granite upon her heart. Too weak to look for a tissue, Lois balled up the suit and held it tightly to her face, weeping bitterly.
***
A half hour later Clark walked into his apartment and began to call out to Lois. His eyes immediately riveted to where she was sitting. She was looking absolutely great wearing his old sweats and sitting at the kitchen table… watching the Superman hologram his mother had recently created. Martha Kent had left the device behind thinking her son might have use of it again someday. His jaw dropped in stunned realization of what was actually taking place.
<Oh boy.> Clark thought frantically. She knows. <What can I say to ease the pain?>
***
Lois, her face tear-stained, looked up at him angrily while holding his Superman suit in her good hand. Pepper sat quietly by the open closet door, contently licking his paw, ignoring the byplay between the humans.
<He looks so innocent and scared.> she thought, but angry resolve would not stop her next words. “You were holding out on me… partner.” Her voice was tired and hoarse from crying. In vain, she fought hard to keep the sobs from
escaping her throat.
***
Clark ran down the short flight of steps and reached his partner’s side, placing a tender hand on her shoulder. “It’s not that simple Lois. I’ve hated keeping this from you, but the right time never seemed to present itself.” His voice tinged in bitterness.
***
Once the meeting had broken up, Aykira quietly asked Dr. Amundsen to walk her to her car. “In case any of those reporters are still hanging around?” George asked in concern.
The two LexCorp employees walked freely down the same corridor that only three hours before Lois had moved with such stealth. Aykira felt uncomfortable asking this, but it was her job to cover all the bases. “No, hopefully the other security guards will have removed them from the grounds by now. Unfortunately George I have to make a request.”
“P…Please Ms. Hallick, if there is anything I do. I want this situation cleared up as soon as possible so I can finish out my contract.”
“…and get married to Catherine Grant?”
Smiling in a happy lopsided way, the scientist responded. “Yes. Who told you?”
“Unfortunately; it is part of my job to know these things.” Aykira inhaled deeply, hesitated, then forged on, “In any case, it is your fiancé I am concerned about here. She is the gossip columnist for the Daily Planet. That could be very ‘problematic’ for LexCorp if the details of the break-in were made known to the public.”
George’s face took on a slightly reddish hue. His tall body swiftly transformed from quiet and attentive to taunt and ramrod straight with barely suppressed anger. “Ms. Hallick, my professional life is professional, but my relationship with Miss Grant is most *definitely* private. Lack of privacy and life balance are some of the reasons *why* I’m leaving LexSolar after my contract ends in three months. I am pleased you have asked me to stay on as provisional team lead until the right person can be found for my position. You have nothing to fear. Ms. Grant won’t know the details about the break-in or the topic of this morning’s meeting.”
The two people continued walking through the large building in awkward silence. Several people acknowledged Dr. Amundsen in friendly greetings as they passed. He quietly responded in turn. <Obviously he was a man well respected by colleagues and underlings alike.> Aykira thought. She regretted speaking so to the scientist. But, sadly another aspect of her job was maintaining a proper public image. The company did not need to see its name negatively reported on in a gossip column.
“I apologize for mentioning this George; it is the nature of our business.” She sighed softly, “Another matter I wish to point out. Be on your guard with Dr. Scott. The man is loose cannon. I will see what I can do to get him off your back for the remainder of your time here.”
“Thank you. Any assistance in that area is much appreciated. No matter what he does, the man seems... protected.”
They reached the main lobby and Aykira signed out. She fully expected George to leave, but being a gentleman; he walked in companionable silence to her car. Thankfully, the media had departed. After offering a slightly stiff good-bye he returned to the building.
<He is a good man. LexSolar will find suitable replacement knowledge wise. But as a genuinely caring person, it will be almost impossible.> Aykira started up the car and drove back to Metropolis her mind deep in thought.
***
“So *when* were you going to tell me?”
“It’s not that simple Lois. I’ve hated keeping this from you, but the right time never came up.”
“The right time,” his partner countered, “was five minutes *after* you thought it was a bad time! I cannot believe you *and* your parents kept this from me. All of you were like another family to me.”
“I still am your friend, Clark Kent.” He said softly. His warm chocolate brown eyes held her is a beseeching stare
<Those eyes of his, are genuine, honest. Keeping such a huge secret inside has been agonizing for him. I’ll bet Martha and Jonathan were uncomfortable as well. They must have known how close we were drawing to each other. Even Martha admitted I’m family, not company.> Still despite that happy memory, Lois refused to let him get off easily. “How can you say that? I don’t know you. Who are you, Clark or Superman? Where does one man end and the other one begin?”
***
<Here it is. Time to be completely honest with her and pray she understands.> “Lois, Superman is the personification of all the special things I can do. Clark Kent is who I am.” He said very quietly in a firm voice, which carried a hint of the Man of Steel’s persona.
The poor crestfallen woman stood up and walked toward the bedroom. Clark trailed haplessly behind her. Stopping as she entered the bedroom. He said the first thing to enter his mind. “Are you going back to sleep?”
“Yes,” she sighed, “but not here. I need to think, to be in my own home. Wear my own sweats and sleep in my own bed. Right now, we are too close to each other. We need to talk, but later.”
“It’s okay. With your arm in a sling, it makes sense for me to drive you back.”
Clark watched as she turned and looked at him with those saddened beautiful brown eyes. “No. Could you call a taxi? It’s better this way.”
“Sure Lois anything you want,” he placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. “I hate to see you so upset. Are you hungry? I brought over some Minestrone soup and cinnamon rolls from your Uncle Mike. He and Grace really liked the story.” <I have to keep her here. We have to work this out, our future depends on it.> Clark held up the white paper bag as if it was a peace offering. Her quiet response cut like a knife.
“N…no. I do need to eat, but not here.”
***
Lois turned and entered Clark’s bedroom. Originally, she wanted to change back into her pants and sweater; she looked at the damp and ruined garments, lying on a chair. The sweater was a lost cause and had to be discarded. The pants *might* survive the same fate with a trip to the dry cleaners. Her shoes were the only thing she could salvage of her clothes at the moment, and even they were still soggy. Cautiously she put them on, they still felt *squelchy* from the previous night’s rain. Her anxiety to leave quickly forced Lois to roll the garments into a bundle and stuff them into the damp burglar bag. With a reluctant heart, she rejoined her partner in the living room.
***
“The cab should be here in a few minutes. Um, while you were sleeping last night I dried those papers you ‘acquired’ at LexSolar.”
“Yes, I saw them before, they are a mess.” Lois’ face brightened a little, but Clark noted, her voice was flat.
“Yeah, they were not readable…without a little special help.” This he said while tapping his glasses.
“I don’t understand.” She remarked, puzzlement on her face.
“My super vision allows me to read the impressions on the paper made by the printer, something the naked eye cannot perceive.”
“Oh, that’s a good thing,” Lois said, her interest increased. “What did you find?”
“All the logistics of the Shackleton theft; contact names of the men who to got the mini-submersible and the ones who did the actual stealing!” The young man carefully studied his partner’s face to see if this bit of information might improve matters between them
“That’s fantastic!” He realized Lois’ reporter instincts had flown into overdrive. <Maybe this new information will get her to stay.> Suddenly the blaring sound of the cab’s horn was heard. <Oh great,> he grumbled internally. <Never a cab around when you need one, but now when I need a few more moments one shows up!>
***
“Um, I better leave. Get some rest. Then maybe you and I can talk about, you know.” She made a flying motion with her good arm. “I’ll get these back to you.” She indicated the sweats.
“Sure Lois, I’ll check on you… tonight?”
“No. Maybe tomorrow; I… I need some time for all this to sink in.” <We really need to talk, but not right now. If I don’t leave soon I’ll start crying all over again.>
***
Clark approached a clearly mentally and emotionally exhausted Lois and cupped her delicate face with his hands. He whispered tenderly, his deep voice rumbling quietly in her ears. “I never wanted to hurt you, don’t ever forget that.” Than bent down and kissed her tenderly on her forehead.
He removed his lips slowly, so much was said with that kiss, but so much more was left unspoken. The beautiful brown-haired woman stared intensely into his passionate eyes, her own swimming with tears. She nodded once, gingerly picked up her bag, huddled it close and walked out of his apartment.
As the door closed soundlessly behind her, Clark Kent felt more solitary and isolated than he had ever been. His body, although invincible to harm, felt tense and drawn out from the chaotic anxiety of the preceding half hour. All his dreams of a complete life in Metropolis and on this planet had suddenly taken a very appalling shift.
He wondered if he and the beautiful woman reporter could ever become two normal people learning how to be in love without numerous complications and distractions. Walking in a desultory manner over to the fridge, he put the soup inside, wishing Lois had remained to share it with him.
***
Lois opened the door to her tiny apartment with no small amount of difficulty. Juggling a bag made heavy from water and damp clothes with one hand while using the keys to open multiple locks took more lock pick skills than usual. Right now, she could surely use Clark’s help.
“No. I am not going to let his name linger in my mind like bad cold!” She walked over to her bedroom, grateful for the reassurance of soothing, familiar surroundings of plants, uncomfortable couches and beckoning bedroom. The fish happily swan, unaware of the ordeal their owner had gone through the previous evening.
Lois tried purposefully strode into the bedroom, but lost heart in the vain effort. She placed the black bag on a chair, and then slowly removed the sodden garments from the burglar bag. With a pang of regret, the black sweater was tossed into the trash and the pants placed in her large blue dry cleaner’s bag. She sighed. “That sweater and I have done a lot of ‘breaking and entering’.” It reminded her of the old Stephen Katz song about a faded flannel shirt. So many memories were wrapped up in the old garment to be lovingly cherished.
As Lois prepared for a hot shower, exhaustion crowded her body and the arm ached mercilessly. <The drugs must really be wearing off now.> She thought. Upon completing her ablutions, she crawled under the welcoming covers and drifted into an apprehensive and restless sleep.
