Part Thirteen
“Uncle Mike, you want me to cook… with my arm in a sling?”
“Hey, if you can cook in that condition, imagine how great the food’s gonna be with two hands?”
“But I thought you were *bring* dinner?”
“Yeah, but it’s not cooked. Let’s get started. Here’s all the ingredients for Zucchini with tri-color penne in a cream sauce with roasted leftover chicken. Just the meal for a busy working single gal. It’ll be great.” He pulled out a large plastic container with a grin on his face and held it out to her. “Don’t worry pumpkin, as a reward for all your hard work…vanilla bundt cake with Swiss chocolate frosting.”
Lois rolled her eyes in happy anticipation. “Yummy!” Suddenly, she realized what he was up to. “Uncle Mike, why are you making me cook? I thought I was your favorite niece?” Lois asked petulantly.
“You are! So now, I’m going to do you a favor and teaching basic survival cooking skills. Clark should not be the only one doing the cooking in this relationship.”
Straight away on the defensive, Lois grimaced then snapped, “What makes you mention Clark?”
He looked over at his niece, mischief dancing in his eyes. “First, we cook. Then we eat. After that we talk.”
In time-honored careful chef-trained manner,
Mike laid out all the ingredients in sections for each dish. He rummaged through Lois’ pantry and cabinets to find less than half of the items he needed. “How, do you survive in this kitchen? Your Grandmother, bless her heart, would have been ashamed.” Not waiting for an answer, he began to improvise with the few kitchen tools Lois did have available.
“How am I supposed to cut veggies with one hand?” She asked caustically.
“I knew a guy who can gut a fish beautifully with only one hand. Just use the fingers to hold the zucchini and red peppers, let me do the onions and garlic.”
He handed Lois a knife and had her rather clumsily chop the zucchini and slice the red peppers. The whole operation was thumb-fingered and slow, but she managed to get it done without cutting herself. Through it all, Lois muttered darkly about being untalented cooking wise, and the food was going to taste terrible.
“Your Aunt Rita said the same things when we started dating. Only she wasn’t so polite! That woman – God rest her soul - couldn’t tell a chicken from a goose! But pumpkin, as the years passed and we grew closer, cooking became our passion and helped us through some really tough times.” The older man grew solemnly quiet as he watched Lois, sauté the mixture of zucchini, red peppers and onions. “Rita was an excellent cook, but most important of all she was my best friend.” He was silent again, but it was better this time. Happy memories raced through his mind, memories that made the older man smile contently to himself.
***
“Mom, let me get that.”
“No, you go help your father in the barn; he’s messing around with that smelly old tractor. This spring weather is really cooperating and he wants to be ready to plow as soon as possible. Dinner will be on the table in twenty minutes.” Martha finished taking the baked chicken out of the oven and proceeded to baste it.
“Okay.”
Clark walked out to the old barn. He loved coming to Smallville in the early evening when the sights and scents of the Earth were preparing to burst into a riot of summer colors. He listened as two squirrels scampered around the front of the Barn. The small animals happily played with one another, as only the young can. Further out in the field, the sound of cows lowing for their calves reached his ears. Visiting his parent’s home and being an active part of the farm was a welcome change from city life.
Meeting Jonathan in the barn, the two men began replacement work on the spark plugs and were deeply engrossed in the project when they heard Martha’s voice calling them for dinner.
Quickly they made their way to the farmhouse and washed up at the kitchen sink, the aromas of fresh baked biscuits and Martha’s apple pie lingered in the air. This was the heart of the Kent home. No matter how many places Clark had traveled and explored, no matter how many adventures Superman experienced, the farm would always be home. A place of refuge from the busy world of newspaper deadlines, deadly criminals and a certain female journalist who held his heart and now his greatest secret.
The family sat around the table discussing events of the day, with comfort and ease. Such matters as Maisie adding new meals to the diner’s menu and Wayne Irig’s son finally deciding to settle down in Smallville were grist for the mill. Still a sense of expectation hung over the family gathering. Clark knew his parents waited patiently for him to tell them what was on his mind.
While buttering a hot flaky biscuit, Clark began to recount the events of the day starting with Lois’ dramatic arrival at his front door.
Jonathan, clearly alarmed said, “Gunshot wounds, even grazes like the one Lois experienced can be particularly nasty.” Turning to his wife he said, “Martha remember how bad Wayne looked when I brought him to the hospital after he was accidently shot while hunting?”
“Clark, it was awful. The blood was everywhere!” Martha shuddered at the memory.
The younger man nodded remembering, the event took place right after the whole Bureau 39 debacle. He could not fly home to visit Wayne; it would have looked too suspicious. Sending flowers and a promise to help around the Irig farm a few weeks later was the best he could do.
“Well, at least Pete Ross was able to come and take care of her.” He paused for a moment and launched into the rest of the story, knowing it would frighten and concern his parents.
“Lois knows,” Jonathan, whispered his face took on a thoughtful, worried expression.
“Oh dear,” Martha breathed. “How did she take the news?”
Clark rubbed the back of his neck. “Not well. Which I guess should be expected. She insisted on going home and taking some time to think about the whole situation. I wanted to talk, unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to stop her. But thankfully this evening, she’s not alone. Uncle Mike brought over one of his special dinners.”
***
“I don’t believe it! You blew up the mess tent?” Lois’ belly laugh rang throughout the apartment.
Mike, a big grin on his face, was laughing just as loud. “Yeah well, that’s what happens when you mess up a perfectly decent moonshine recipe. Don’t worry! I haven’t bothered with a still since!”
“I should hope not! Aunt Rita would’ve laced into you with both barrels! Daddy never told me that story.”
“Ah, your Dad’s a good man, but when it comes to *that* kind of fun, he’s a little stiff.”
“Yeah, well I can’t imagine Mother being happy when she discovered her favorite soup pot was full of holes!”
That mischievous twinkle light up his eyes again, “Well now, Aunt Rita got into a scrape or two in her younger days. It’s not common knowledge within the family, but she worked undercover in Moscow during the Cold War. She took lots of dangerous chances – just like you do today.
Lois took a sip of soothing Oolong tea and nearly spilled it when she heard those words. “Aunt Rita?” An image of an energetic, petite red-hair came to mind. A woman who was a Den Mother for the local boy scouts troop and painted scenery for the community theatre group. This same sweet, gentle woman was a spy?
“Yup, that’s how we met. But that’s a story for another time. One of these days, I’ll give you her journals. It’s pretty lively reading.” His voice trailed off to another place and time. A special time and place where Lois could never hope or even consider following. As if to dispel the mood, Mike quickly roused himself from the table and started collecting the dinner dishes. “You did good tonight, nothing was overcooked, and the curtains are fine. Keep it up and pretty soon cooking is gonna be easy.”
“Yeah, right. I can only ‘cook’ when either you or Clark is around.” As soon as his name escaped her lips she regretted it.
“Clark huh?” I’m surprised he’s not here looking after you himself. I have to admit getting your phone call this afternoon caught me off guard.”
Lois winced internally. How could she discuss her relationship with Clark to Uncle Mike?
Especially since she could never ever reveal the big secret about Clark, one she now shared. Yet, Mike was a perceptive man; he was not blind to the deep friendship between them and must have figured out a particularly thorny problem had recently arisen.
“Ah, we had a difference of opinion.”
“Is that how you ended up with your arm in a sling?” He asked innocently.
“What? No!” Lois began to get angry. “Clark would never hurt me!”
“I know that,” her Uncle responded with no heat in his voice. He began running hot water into the sink and added soap for the dishes. “But neither can he stop you from taking foolish chances. He wants what bests for you, but you have to stop pushing him away and stop taking unnecessary risks. Sometimes in a relationship, we have to sacrifice what we want in order to preserve the whole. Your Aunt knew that only too well. She left the service before we got married and never looked back.”
“Taking risks is what I do… it’s how I get the job done. What do you want me to do? Give up working at the Daily Planet?” She answered simply.
“No. I’m not saying you have to go that far! Can you tone down the ‘jumping in the end of the pool’ bit for Clark? How important is your relationship with him?”
***
“Mike’s a good man. If she isn’t with you, family is the next best thing.” Jonathan said quietly.
“Oh, but honey, you two really need to talk. Maybe her finding out is a good thing. With Superman finally out in the open, the relationship you always wanted with her can now become a reality.”
“Can it Mom? Until recently, she fawned over Superman and barely paid any attention to me. How can I be sure it’s me she wants?”
“Son, I have seen the way you are with each other. That can’t be faked. The care and commitment to you is there, she just needs to realize it.”
“Dad, I hope you’re right. She means everything to me.”
***
“He means everything to me,” she whispered.
“You’re an investigative reporter. Takin’ chances is all part of the job. Having a real loving relationship is all about takin’ chances. Give it a try, he’s worth it.”
“Are you saying that because of the piece he did on Grace’s shop?” Lois asked suspiciously.
“No, I’m saying it because I’ve been watching you two together for a couple of years now and it’s obvious to everyone but you what *his* feelings are.” Mike finished drying the dishes walked over to the settee, picked up his jacket, and prepared to leave. “Now, what time should I come back for your next lesson?”
“How about Monday night, same time?”
“Yeah, that ought to work. Mondays are pretty quiet at the restaurant. Hey, this might make a good item for your paper! ‘Learning how to Cook’ by Lois Lane”
Lois cringed. “Not on your life Unc!”
***
“Bye honey, make sure Lois gets at least one of those brownies!”
“I’ll hold off eating them as long as I can Mom.” He chuckled upon seeing the amused look on her face.
He bent down to gently hug Martha good-bye. Clark turned and shook his Father’s hand than their son spun into the suit and soared into the late night starry Kansas sky.
***
The next day at the Daily Planet was ‘quiet’ and uneventful as could be in the newsroom of an internationally known newspaper. Its inhabitants were working hard to complete their assignments for the evening edition. Jimmy, locked in the darkroom, worked on developing shots for Diane’s story about the proposed urban renewal of Suicide Slope by LexCorp. Jack was getting up to speed on some new hacking techniques Jimmy had shown him the previous evening. Even Cat spent all of her time locating juicy tidbits to be included in ‘Cat’s Corner’ and not her upcoming wedding.
Perry was in his office listening to a recording of Elvis’ Hawaii concert, ready to pounce if anyone, was slacking at his or her assignment.
Ralph, as it happened, was the only member of the bullpen’s staff not working on an assignment. He oiled his way over to Clark’s desk, perched his hip on the edge and started probing him with questions.
“So Kent, since your partner isn’t here, why don’t we have a little chat?”
Clark sat at his desk, editing his follow-up article on the earthquake tremors in California last week. He looked around and was acutely aware of Lois’ absence. Right now, he should be leaning over her shoulder editing *her* copy or getting a low-fat mocha latte for her from Java Perk rather than listening to Ralph’s banal comments. She was still healing both physically and mentally, he felt sad about the former and deeply responsible for the latter.
Looking up from his copy the younger man said, “We have nothing to talk about.” To emphasize the conversation was over, Clark turned back to the keyboard.
“Oh but we do.” The obsequious man responded. “Where did you and the little cutie get that information about the Shackleton hijacking?”
Clark wasn’t sure if it was the ‘cutie’ comment or the ugly tone of Ralph's voice but his normally mild persona vanished as he stood up, looked down at the shorter man and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Look Ralph, I don’t know what your game is, but my partner and I do *not* share our sources with you. Oh and her name is Lois Lane - not cutie.”
“Okay!” He backed up with his hands flaying in the air. “Boy, you are really touchy these days! Must be missing your little playmate!” With that parting shot, he returned to his desk.
The rest of the bullpen staff hurried back to their regular tasks. Most of them were more than happy to pretend the entire scene had not taken place.
Settling back into writing the story, Clark put Ralph out of his mind, within moments it was drifting back to his partner. Lois had mentioned he could come over when Pete officially removed the sling, but that wasn’t until later that week. Clark grudgingly admitted to himself waiting for this particular *get together* was not going to be easy. Suddenly, his ears tingled with the distinct cries for help. Swiftly he departed for the staircase leading to the roof and this latest rescue.
In Perry’s office, the senior editor had taken note of the exchange and determined in his mind to find a way to rid the bullpen of Ralph’s presence.
***
The emergency rescue, an explosion onboard an Alaskan oil tanker coming into Hobbs Bay, took the remainder of the afternoon and the better part of that night. When Clark arrived at his apartment, slick with oil, he experienced no small amount of fatigue. Grateful to be home, he carefully removed the messy suit, took a speedy shower and planned on writing up the tanker story after preparing a tuna fish sandwich for dinner. Normally he would prepare something a little more substantial, but tonight he wanted something light. Perry would not be too happy missing out on such a headline grabbing article.
“Meow?” The famished feline sat by his food dish and looked up at him expectantly.
“Oops! Sorry Pepper, its way past your dinnertime,” he reached into a cabinet for a box of Whiskers cat food. “I didn’t mean to leave you alone for so long.”
The feline happily dived into his bowl, ignoring Clark’s soothing words as he enjoyed his delectable, albeit late meal.
Clark looked down at the little animal and wondered if he should contact Mrs. Harper’s relatives and have them look after him. It was unfair to keep Pepper when his hours were so erratic, although he had grown attached to the friendly cat. As if hearing Clark’s thoughts, Pepper looked up, slinked over to him, and affectionately rubbed his legs. He knelt down and proceeded to scratch Pepper behind the ears. “Oh, so *now* you want to show me some attention?”
“Meow!” The little animal in his own way was trying to tell Clark how he felt.
“Hmmm, since you’re content with my ‘other’ life, you can stay as long as Mrs. Harper is out of town.”
Pepper responded with a loud, contented purring sound. Than in a surprise move, happily jumped into Clark’s arms and gently butted him on the head. “Hey!” Clark laughed, “You are welcome!”
Unexpectedly the phone rang; Clark stepped out of the kitchen alcove, deposited Pepper on the couch, than pick the receiver up.
“Clark… it’s Lois, are you all right?” Her voice was full of concern.
A blossoming sense of delight went through his heart. “Lois! What do I owe the pleasure of your call?”
“I saw on LNN about the super oil tanker. That was a huge fire!”
“I’m fine. There were several injuries and a few crewmen suffered minor burns, fortunately between me and the coast guard everyone got off the ship safely. With very careful use of my heat vision I was able to keep a large quantity of oil from spilling into Hobbs Bay. Believe me; sealing off an outsized tear below the waterline of a Super Tanker without igniting the oil *inside* is no easy job!”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Lois responded her mind going into journalist mode. “But the real question, partner, is what caused the opening in the first place?”
“Funny you should mention that. I spoke with some of the crewmembers and they think…” Clark launched enthusiastically into an in-depth conversation with Lois. After several minutes of back and forth speculation on the apparent cause of the freighter’s dilemma, Clark realized the body and texture of his next Daily Planet article was taking shape. He told Lois to hold her thoughts while he grabbed his laptop and started typing up the first draft.
Within a very short time, between her input and his perfect recall of the rescue and discussions with the crewmembers, Clark completed the story and sent it to Perry’s inbox.
“The chief should be happy, that article will be ready for the morning edition. The only thing missing is a great set of pix from Jimmy. Oh, the byline will read Clark Kent and Lois Lane.”
“What, you don’t have to do that, we were just talking!” Lois said.
“After your comment yesterday, maybe it is *your* turn to edit my copy for a change! Another reason why our partnership works, Miss Lane,” he teased.
“Ha! That definitely explains how all the exclusive Superman stories fell into the lap of a certain mild-mannered reporter. I wish I had known that before…” suddenly Lois’ voice got quiet and small.
“Hey, are you all right?” Clark asked anxiously.
“Yeah,” she was silent for a moment, than spoke, a catch in her voice. “Remember the crane accident on Nordell street a week or so ago?
“Sure. A very close save, the crane could have killed dozens of workers and bystanders. What about it?”
“You came back from the rescue with *another* Superman exclusive. It really got my competitiveness going full tilt. Despite my apology and everything, I made plans that day to break into LexSolar and find out the whereabouts of those crystals!”
“Oh, Lois!” He groaned.
“Yes, and now all I have to show for my efforts is a bunch of ink stained papers, a near brush with the police, what will be an interesting scar on my arm that I can never tell the truth about and… and straining my friendship with you.” Her babble ended with a sob.
Alarmed, Clark wanted to rush over to her home, but first he spoke, very slowly. Lois, it’s okay. Let me come over… if you want me to?”
If it were not for his super-hearing, Clark would not have heard the tiny voice on the other end say, “Yes.”
Within seconds, he floated through her window and landed gently on the floor next to one of the cream-colored settees. Lois lay on the uncomfortable piece of furniture, head down, shoulders shaking, crying on a pillow; the phone lay forgotten on the floor.
Clark knelt down besides her, putting his hand on trembling shoulders, the Man of Steel spoke most tenderly, “Lois, look up, it’s me.”
Lifting her head, the brunette’s luscious hair was tousled around her face. Tracks of tears stained those perfect cheeks. He cupped the lovely face in his hand, then pulled her still trembling body toward him and enfolded her within strong loving arms. The couple sat together, he giving comfort, succor, and she accepting it without resistance.
After a few moments, Clark pulled away from their embrace, pushed her hair back and asked, “How about I make us some tea?”
“I… I ran out,” she whispered.
Clark smiled and held up a bag. “Remember, I used to be a boy scout. Besides I promised Mom you could have at least one of her special brownies.”
She attempted a wan smile herself to lighten the mood. “Used to be, Farmboy?”
“Let me change out of the suit, then we can have two steaming cups of Oolong tea.”
A few moments later, Clark, wearing jeans and a grey tee shirt sat across from Lois, the two friends sipping the delicate liquid and savoring its gentle aroma. On her coffee table was a plate with brownies. They were enjoying this quiet time, the previous intensely emotional moments had drained them both, they needed to regroup and discover new aspects of their friendship.
“I… I want you to know, crying jags is not who I am.”
“It’s okay, Lois. If you need to cry I’m here.”
“Oh Clark,” Lois whispered wiping her face on a wet sleeve and feeling contrite. “Maybe I should have listened to you and not broken into *that place* alone, look at all the trouble it’s caused.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” he quickly agreed.
“I mean, if you were with me using your super powers none of *this*… ” She pointed to her sling and sighed. “This whole fiasco might not have happened.”
Clark looked up from his cup in alarm. “Lois, my powers are not to be used to help with break-ins or any other corporate espionage! That is totally against what I… what Superman stands for.”
All of a sudden the helpless woman, he had cradled in his arms scant moments ago was gone, replaced by the stubborn reporter. “Hey, if it hadn’t been for me, that globe thingamajig of yours would still be in the possession of Bureau 39. Come on, deny that!”
Clark stared at the woman before him, suddenly all flame and passion, ready to take on anyone who got in the way of a story. He was angry with her for taking such a risk at the LexSolar facility, but Lois was also right concerning the globe. Without her drive and enthusiasm, he would still be thinking of himself as a Russian science experiment gone terribly wrong.
“All right Lois, I will give you that much, but just like with our first encounter with Bureau 59, Perry will refuse to print the story without proof. Don’t you get it? Those papers where acquired *illegally*. If the information within suddenly appears as a front page story, Luthor and his deep-pocket lawyers will be all over the Daily Planet in general and you in particular. Neither Luthor nor his lawyers will stop until they get the truth as to how that information was obtained. What will you do then?”
“I have a reputation of protecting my sources!” She responded stubbornly.
“Some judge might make you a test case. Are you ready to go to jail?”
“Yes!” She shouted back.
Clark sat back, momentarily, defeated then spoke again in softened tones, “How can our relationship develop, if the person I care the most about in the universe is in prison? We just found each other Lois, don’t tear us apart.”
Taken aback, she was speechless for a moment, tried to speak and then fell silent. She thought a moment than tried again. “There is so much for us to talk about. I don’t know where we should begin. I do know I have feelings for you, Clark, strong feelings. We work too hard and talk about all the other things in our lives except for the most important… each other.”
“We are here together now. Let’s talk.”
“All right than - Superman. I want you to tell me everything about ‘him’. How and why he came about. Who made the suit and why didn’t you tell me about this other side of yourself.”
Clark’s eyes narrowed. “I thought we were going to talk about us?”
Exasperated Lois wrapped her good arm around drawn up knees and shot back, “There is no ‘us’ until I understand about him!”
***
In the Luthor Industrial Park, the lights at LexSolar offices were burning brightly, many of the assistants were still cataloging their files in order to ascertain if anything had been missing during the break-in. In Dr. Frederick Scott’s office, two men were closing out their final tasks of that evening.
“Okay Dr. Scott; that should take care of the hard drive.”
“What about the server, Tobin? Is there anyway one of you techno geeks in IT can access that data? This is pretty sensitive stuff we’re designing. I don’t want to read about it on somebody’s website.”
Working very hard to hide his annoyance, the IT manager responded as neutrally as possible. “No sir. Like I said, all the files in that folder were cleaned off the hard drive and destroyed.” Levi Tobin slowly packed up his instruments, he desperately wanted to get out of Scott’s office; the scientist had made the last thirty minutes feel like thirty hours, with his condescending attitude, demands and questions.
“If there are any further problems, put in a work ticket and one of my guys will be happy to help.”
“No. I don’t want anyone but you handling this computer, Tobin!”
“Unfortunately, I’ll be on vacation after today…uh, this evening’s work. We are leaving for two weeks. You know, taking the family to the shore.
“I don’t care where your family goes! What about my computer?”
Tobin, at this point, fed up with Scott’s rudeness was about to say something he knew he would regret later hit on an idea. “Dr. Scott, my assistant is perfectly capable of handling this machine with complete confidentially. He’s worked on Lex Luthor’s computer several times in the past. I can have him call you tomorrow.”
“Great.” Scott grumbled as Levi closed the door to the recalcitrant scientist’s office. “I have to break in another guy.”
Levi Tobin shook his head sadly. He hated doing this to the man, but at least Radames knew how to deal with jackasses like Scott.
***
Sitting on Lois’ unyielding couches, the couple had talked on for hours. There was a great deal to explore about each other. Finally, after covering so much ground, Lois decided it was time to bring a painful part of their history out in the open.
“Clark, I know it was to protect me and your parents, but you did lie to me and it hurt. But the worst lie of all came when Clyde Burrows shot you.”
She studied his face carefully and watched the pain and sadness of that horrible night sluice across his entire body as if the bullet had stuck anew.
“You laid there on the floor of th… that speakeasy and pretended to be dead. My world fell apart. I felt as if the gunman’s bullet had struck me in the chest as well.” Lois felt the tears glisten in her eyes; she sniffled gently then reached for a tissue. “That was the worst night of my life.” Her voice sounded odd and distant in her ears.
“It was the worst night of my life as well. What could I do? The place was full of people who saw Burrows shoot me at point blank range. Everything I had worked so hard for vanished in a second! What kind of lame explanation could I come up with to explain surviving a gunshot wound?”
“You could have found a way to get in touch with me! We could have worked it out together!” she pleaded in a hoarse whisper.
“Lois, I made several mistakes that night. The biggest was not coming to you and explaining the whole truth about Superman.” He shook his head and continued. “When Burrows dumped my body, all I could think of was you.”
At hearing the word ‘dumped’, Lois self-controlled evaporated like the morning dew. “Oh Clark, I thought you were dead!” she cried out.
Lois felt the air currents shift as Clark raced to her side on the couch and gathered her small frame into his arms.
“I never wanted to hurt you. Please forgive me. I could stand losing everything, Metropolis, the Daily Planet, all of it... but not you. Lois, being in this friendship - no relationship, defines me as a citizen of Planet Earth. I want to build ‘forever’ with you. Without my best friend and partner, nothing else matters. I flew home to Mom and Dad. They said I could still see everyone – as Superman. However, that’s less than half my life. Perry was so kind to my folks, he called while I was there to ‘break the news’.”
“The kindness Perry showed your parents? What about the kindness people needed to show me? Clark, I felt like a widow and I wasn’t even a wife!”
The import of Lois words hit him with the force of a hammer.
“Lois, Listen carefully to me. I promise from this day forward never to let anything or anyone get between us again. Nothing and no one will ever stop me from being by your side except death itself.”
Lois’ eyes grew large with understanding. Slowly, her heartbeat changed from excited thumping to its normal steady rhythm. “Relationships are a serious commitment.” It was a statement, nothing more.
He took her small hand and laid it on his chest. “Lois, I am ready for a serious committed relationship. The question is… are you?”
She did not answer, only repositioned herself on the couch to lay her head down on Clark’s broad chest. The sound of his heartbeat was a soothing balm to her soul. They lay together, intimately sharing something far stronger than friendship, but not as committed as marriage. Finally, just as it seemed they might spend the rest of the night together on her terribly uncomfortable couch she spoke.
“I have another question,” she asked in a small voice.
“Name it.”
“Where did the idea for the Superman suit come from?”
“Remember when I messed up my business suit after rescuing that sanitation worker? You suggested I bring a change of clothes with me to work.”
Lois raised her head and squeaked, “I don’t believe it! You got the idea of the Superman suit from me?”
“Exactly, a change of clothes *and* personality, so I can appear at rescues without anyone discovering my true identity. Saving the colonists was just the beginning of Superman’s career.”
“Well, one thing is for sure, nobody looks at your face,” Lois snickered with a wicked glean dancing in her eyes.
Clark’s face felt hot for a brief moment, “That was my Mom’s thought as well. Hide behind a brightly hued, spandex-clad character to protect Clark Kent and those closet to me. It was yet another way to hide my abilities… a talent I have been perfecting for years.”
Lois chuckled for a little bit, than looked very carefully at her partner. She noticed how rapidly his face had gotten serious - and a little sad. “It must have been lonely hiding such amazing powers from everyone. Always being cautious of what people might think. Never allowing yourself to get close to anyone. You are a caring person Clark, hiding such empathy and compassion behind a pair of glasses must have been very difficult… and painful.” This last sentence she spoke softly, as if whispering some long-forgotten secret.
“Yes, but I always had Mom, Dad and to a lesser extent Pete Ross and now… you.” He moved closer to her on the settee, took her right hand and caressed it tenderly. “Lois, all the adventures, crazy mishaps and newspaper articles we have written together were leading us to this moment. We don’t have to get engaged tomorrow, all I’m asking is to give us a chance to know each other without me hiding behind the cape.”
She tumbled heart long into those beautiful chocolate eyes, squeezed his hand, and heard herself saying. “Yes.”
