For a plot summary, please click here:
Synopsis of Chapters 1 - 9 Missing Lois - TOC ***
Where we left off in Part 6...“Oh, come on, Clark. It was funny. Your emotions were bouncing all over the place. You even broke Perry’s door out of jealousy when I told Jimmy I could kiss him.”
“What?” Jonathan gasped.
Lois waved off his concerns. “It was nothing. Jimmy is doing a mock-up of what the refugees’ missing baby might look like.”
“Clark, you were out of control?” Jonathan looked at him. “You can’t be out of control, son.”
“I know, Dad. Perry even sent me home early after Lois told him I’d been dosed with
Revenge.”
“What, that stuff that made Lois do the dance of the seven veils? I thought you said it didn’t affect you?” Jonathan asked, confused.
“What’s this?” Martha inquired, glancing between the men. “I didn’t hear that part of the story.”
Lois stared at Jonathan and then at Clark, mortified. “You told him about that?” She covered her face with her hand.
“You’ve got to admit, Honey, it’s a great story.” Clark grinned, bouncing Lara on his hip. “At least,
I didn’t take advantage of you in your weakened state.”
Lois socked him in the arm. “Don’t even go there, Clark Kent,” she snarled. “You begged, pleaded, and practically dragged me off to the supply closet, yesterday.”
“Clark Jerome Kent! I didn’t raise you to act that way,” Martha scolded. “Even if she is your wife.”
“I know, Mom.” He looked away again, blushing. Then he turned to Lois, lowering his voice. “I didn’t mean…”
“I know darn well what you meant, Clark, and we’ve already discussed this…”
“In this instance, I’m right,” he retorted.
“We’re not discussing this again, Clark. Period. You want to bring it up with him, fine. But my opinion on the matter isn’t changing.” Lois crossed her arms and turned away from him. Then she noticed Martha and Jonathan staring at her. She cleared her throat. “Clark was not himself yesterday,” Lois said in her husband’s defense.
“Clearly. Well, if it wasn’t the perfume. What was it?” Martha inquired. “New and improved Space Rats? Hypnotism? Red Kryptonite?”
Part 7Lois clapped her hand over her mouth, all the blood draining from her face. Then a moment later, her hands were in fists and her face was beet red as she snarled and started pacing the kitchen floor. “Red Kryptonite! Red Kryptonite, of course. I should have known. Argh! I knew it didn’t seem like him.”
Clark’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
Lois went over to the table and picked up the gift from the other Clark. “This!”
“I don’t understand.”
“Yesterday, I found on my desk a birthday gift from Superman.”
Comprehension flooded Clark’s face as he nodded. “The rose.”
“Exactly. I thought it was from you. Only, you told me in no uncertain terms it wasn’t.”
“Sorry, I kind of overreacted. It was just a flower. One flower.” He caressed her face. “I’m sorry.”
Lois took his hand in hers. “You didn’t overreact, Clark. You were being affected by the Red Kryptonite. It brought out your jealousy.”
“What Red Kryptonite?” he asked, his brow furrowing again.
“The rose came with a necklace. A red heart pendant on a long gold chain. I thought it was just red glass, but now…”
Clark’s lips pinched together. “When were you going to tell me about this?”
“I took it off as soon as you said you hadn’t given it to me.”
“Where is it now?” he said with a glare, reproaching her.
“My top desk drawer.”
Clark passed Lara to Martha.
“Are we ever going to be free of that man?” he said, spinning into his Superman suit.
Lois grabbed his arm. “It wasn’t him, Clark.”
Martha’s son stopped and stared at his wife. “What? You just said…”
“Clark,
he wouldn’t give me a Red Kryptonite necklace any more than you would have,” she said, holding up the square gift. “This one is from him.”
Martha looked at Jonathan, her eyes large.
“Let go, Lois. I’ve got to get rid of it.”
“No.” Lois latched on to his waist. “The necklace is safe in my drawer… or more accurately, you’re safe being away from it. Stay here and I’ll get rid of it on Monday.” Lois looked Superman in the eye. “Please.”
He stared at her for a minute. “I hate thinking a piece of that rock is out there…”
“I know.”
“You’ll get rid of it?” Superman asked.
“Well…” A grin slowly appeared on her face. “I could keep it for special occasions…”
“Lo-is!” Clark gasped, blushing.
His wife sighed, a slight pout hinted at her lips. “OK. I’ll give it to Dr. Klein.” She let go of him.
Clark spun back into his jeans and t-shirt.
Lois grabbed him again and kissed him, whispering something into his ear.
“Lois! My parents.” Clark blushed a deep crimson, again.
She smiled. “They don’t have Super hearing, Clark.” And then batted her eyelashes, innocently, at them.
Martha ignored that statement. “So, someone other than Superman put a Red Kryptonite necklace on your desk, Lois, claiming it was from him? Knowing you’d wear any gift from Superman; thereby exposing him to the Red Kryptonite whenever you saw him?”
“Everyone knows we’re friends.” Lois shrugged, hugging Clark around the waist.
Clark shook his head. “No matter what we do, you will always be known for being in love with Superman, instead of me.”
“He’s a part of you, Clark,” she told him. “And I happen to love everything about you.”
He kissed her cheek. “Nice save.”
“Actually, I’m not even on the Superman beat anymore. After that kiss, I don’t hardly ever see Superman… this person must not know that or still think we meet in secret.”
“We do.” Clark smiled at her.
“What kiss?” Jonathan asked.
Clark looked at Lois and she looked down and away.
“Jimmy caught Lois and Superman kissing late one night at the office,” Clark admitted.
“Clark! After all that trouble last January,” Martha admonished him.
“I know, Mom.”
“My fault.” Lois raised her hand. “I can’t help it if I love my man in blue tights.”
“How come we didn’t hear about this?” Jonathan asked with a raised brow.
“I was able to convince Perry to bury the story,” Lois exclaimed with a catch in her throat, looking away, again.
“Perry?” Martha asked skeptically. “Perry White buried a story? A Superman story?”
“He told me… well, Superman, me… that we – Lois and Superman – would be on the front page if he ever saw us together again.” Clark swallowed. “That’s when he removed Lois from the Superman beat.”
“So, who left the necklace?” asked Jonathan.
Lois shrugged. “I don’t know. Have we stepped on any toes lately?”
“Not anyone with access to Red Kryptonite.” Clark shrugged.
“Bruce Wayne perhaps?” Lois suggested.
Martha's son smiled secretly. “No. I doubt that. I think he learned his lesson about dealing with Kryptonite.”
“Could it be someone hoping to scandalize Superman with a juicy headline?” asked Martha. “Instead of just knocking down Superman a peg or two.”
“Like who?” Clark glanced at Lois and they both came up with the answer at the same time. “Mindy Church.”
“But we would have heard about it if she’d been by the office. Jimmy said he heard that she came by to talk to Perry last week.”
“Perry would never…”
“Of course not, Clark. We must have a mole. Someone on her payroll.”
“We’ve had a hiring freeze since Lex, Jr.’s death, so it must be someone on the staff. She must be blackmailing someone in the office.” Clark looked at his wife. “We need to tell Perry.”
“He’s not going to like this.” Lois shook her head. “I’ll call him and tell him what’s going on.”
“No. We’ll tell him next week after you’ve had a chance to get rid of the necklace. I don’t want to chance telling him and spooking the mole, who might check your desk for the necklace.” Clark wrapped his arms around his wife. “Anyway, it’s your birthday. Let’s concentrate on that.”
“This is more important than my birthday. I’m okay if we don’t celebrate it, Clark. It’s not like I’m thrilled to be turning thirty-one, anyway.
“Aren’t you only thirty, Lois?” Martha asked.
Lois glanced at Clark. “Right, thirty.”
“We’re not skipping your birthday, again, Lois.” He wrapped his arms around her waist. “End of discussion.”
Lois rolled her eyes, but a smile slipped onto her lips. “How about I call Jimmy and ask him to take the necklace to Dr. Klein today? Would that make you feel better than leaving it in my desk all weekend?”
Clark smiled at his wife with love. “Thank you.”
“How would Mindy Church get Red Kryptonite?” Martha asked. "It isn’t like the stuff is lying around… well, lying around anywhere outside of Smallville."
“Well, Mindy was married to Bill Church Sr…” Clark started. When he paused, Lois jumped in.
“And who had the Red Kryptonite the first time? When you got apathetic about Perry being kidnapped? Bill Church, Jr.” She shook her head. “Just what we needed the Luthors and Churchs to join forces. Ugh. I’ll be happy when we can rid ourselves of both those families and be able to concentrate on our own for once.”
Clark’s arm squeezed her in a hug. “So, why don’t we do just that, Birthday Girl?”
“I hear the Feldmans have a corn maze again this year,” said Jonathan, holding his arms out for Lara. “That could be fun.”
Martha passed him his granddaughter and then turned to watch Lois and Clark as they discussed possible activities for the day. Evidently something happened between Lois and the other Clark when she went to the other dimension to help him find his Lois, something that they still disagreed about. Martha wondered if that had to do with the lie which created the big argument between them back in July. Whatever it was, they seemed to have worked it out. She sighed, pleased that her son seemed happy again.
Clark’s mother shook her head. There was something else going on, she just knew it. It was right there on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn’t taste it. If only she could remember.
***
“No, Clark. Absolutely not,” Lois said for what felt like the one hundredth time that week.
“It’s the quickest solution, Lois. Please. Wham. Bam. They’ll leave me alone again,” he pleaded, clapping his hands together.
Lois raised an eyebrow at her husband.
He did not just use that phrase, did he?“Sorry,” he instantly apologized, running a hand through his hair.
Lois took hold of Clark’s hands. “It’s only been a few weeks, Clark. I promise it will die down. Eventually, they’ll realize your private life is private for a reason.”
The media uproar from Windy Wing’s article in the
National Whisperer exploded because respectable papers like the
Daily Planet picked it up. Perry said it was gossip, and he would usually never pay any credence to anything published in that rag, but he got his arm twisted from the powers that be in Multiworld Communications (aka Mindy Church) that this was a story that their readers wanted to know about.
Who was Mrs. Superman? That was the headline that started it all. Lois and Clark had tabloid reporters following them down the street. Had they spoken to Superman recently? Had he introduced his significant other? Had he mentioned her? Was that why he seemed to be pulling back on his rescue duties and charitable functions?
It didn’t help their plight in the fight for Lara. So far they had been able to delay the blood tests. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to get any headway with the sketch Jimmy had made of the refugee couple’s missing baby. They found the slave bosses, but the bosses all denied the couple’s story. They interviewed the other refugees, but none of the others claimed to have even seen the baby. The only thing that linked this otherwise non-existent child to the world was about two inches of umbilical cord that the parents had managed to save.
The
Daily Planet had run several articles in the paper showing Jimmy’s sketches. “
Have you seen me?” He had done the basic sketch, then he had done five other possible faces, using other dominant traits from the refugee couple.
They asked Henderson to show the sketches to the couple to see which one best matched their daughter, but the parents were unsure. Lois didn’t blame them. A newborn’s looks changed drastically by six weeks of age, let alone seven months.
They had checked the usual dumping grounds for abandoned children. Hospitals, fire stations, police stations, churches, orphanages – none of them reported a baby that matched any of the sketches in or around February or March.
Had one of the slave bosses kept the child as his or her own? There was no indication of that either. Had the person who took the baby killed her? This possibility always frightened Lois the most. Not just for the horror of it, somehow atrocities to children seemed more appalling when one had a child of one’s own, but also because the dumping of a newborn’s body could easily be overlooked and the tiny corpse might never be found.
They still hadn’t found Mindy Church’s mole. The identity of the person who planted the Red Kryptonite necklace remained a mystery. Lois liked Ralph for it, but Clark kept saying personal opinions aside they had no proof, except her gut, which could easily be persuaded by her dislike of the fellow. And because Ralph was the one given the job of bringing down Superman.
Mindy Church insisted that the
Daily Planet was not Superman’s Public Relations firm and thus did not owe him any positive press. So, for every positive story Clark or Barry or, even occasionally, Lois wrote, a negative piece would be written by Ralph. The slimeball actually seemed to enjoy the extra attention.
All this lack of progress in any area of their life was pushing Clark closer to the edge. He hated all this negative publicity for Superman, especially when it showed up in the
Daily Planet. He had been searching for a solution ever since they had first returned from Smallville and saw the newsstand showing the
National Whisperer and Windy Wing’s screaming headline.
Clark got on his knees. “I’m begging you, Lois. Put me out of my misery and marry me.”
Rolling her eyes, Lois walked around him and into the living room. Lara was standing up at the coffee table. She had taught herself to stand just this past week and had decided that this definitely was the way to go. Crawling, or what they called her gator scoot, had been almost all but abandoned for this new activity. Lois caught her daughter as Lara’s legs gave out and she fell. “Begging does not become you, Clark. I promise you it will blow over.”
Her husband jumped over the back of the couch and sat down next to her and Lara. “Hear me out. Next week, I could fly my parents to Metropolis to watch Lara. Harvest will be finished by then.”
After the ‘Superman has a secret girlfriend’ scandal broke out, they were told categorically by Henderson and his supervisors, no more trips with Lara out of Metropolis, Superman or no.
“You and I will fly to Las Vegas. We get married, have a short honeymoon, maybe save a few people, then come home.”
Lois raised an eye brow. “It isn’t happening, Clark. It’s only going to make matters worse. Believe me. Patience is what you need.”
“You promised to marry me!”
“Exactly. You asked me to marry you again on my birthday.
You! Not Superman. You. Clark Kent. You, I’ll marry in a heartbeat, a thousand times over. But I’m not going to do this media circus event you are picturing in your mind. I will never agree to that.” She picked up the TV remote and turned on LNN.
“
Billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne was seen again on the arm of Mindy Church, the former wife of Cost Mart CEO Bill Church, at the gala event honoring Gotham City’s…”
“Ugh,” said Lois, turning off the TV again. “That man. To do that to our poor Penny.” She picked up a magazine from the coffee table.
“She said they weren’t dating.” Clark took the remote and turned it back on. “What is he up to?”
“Making an even bigger jackass of himself is my guess.”
“Lois!” Clark gasped, covering their daughter’s ears. “Growing sponge, here.”
She rolled her eyes again but let Clark watch without further comment.
When the story about Bruce Wayne ended Clark, turned off the TV. “Should I warn him who she is?”
Lois raised a brow. “Have we become friends then?”
Clark sighed and shook his head. He shifted his position so that he was facing Lois, pulling Lara into his lap. Giggling, his daughter pulled on his ears as he continued, “It doesn’t have to be a media circus.”
Lois shot him a glare and returned her focus to her magazine.
“There are always people wandering around Las Vegas in costume. No one would have to know I was the real Superman until afterwards, when I blasted us into the sky.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Clark, is that what this is really about?”
He smiled sweetly.
Lois recognized his innocent look and raised him an eyebrow. “If you think our marriage needs fantasy role playing…”
“No!” Her husband gulped. “Not at all, Honey. I just want to have control over something in our life. This would give us control, again, on the Superman story.”
Lois shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t.” She reached over and took his hand. “Clark. There have always been crazy stories in the tabloids about Superman and there always will be. Why does this one bother you so much? Is it because there is a grain of truth to it?”
“I feel like I’m lying by not addressing the questions. It’s all the reporters ask about. Who is this mystery woman I mentioned when I was drunk on Red Kryptonite? How much longer does Superman have to tell them ‘no comment’?”
“Forever, if need be. It’s none of their business. Just because a reporter asks you a question, doesn’t mean you have to answer it, you know that. Superman never answered that question on whether or not you loved me at my trial and nobody ever questioned you on it.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “That’s because everyone knows that Superman will always love you.”
“They won’t if you run off to Las Vegas with another woman.”
Clark sighed. “We could go on Halloween, then everyone will be in costume. No one will know it is you. At least the tabloids would stop guessing who this mystery woman is.”
Lois stood up, turned her back on him and counted to ten, before speaking. “You want me to put on the lavender suit and go out in public with you
on Halloween. You want me to marry Superman as Ultra Woman.
On Halloween. You want everyone to know that Superman and Ultra Woman are together forever… that she’s your destiny…
on Halloween.” She turned back around, fire in her eyes. “Are you hoping some tabloid will get a shot of us kissing in front of everyone? Do you want to make love to Ultra Woman on Halloween, too? Just stop me when I’m getting close.”
Clark stared at her, holding Lara to his chest, his face blank from expression.
“I’ve done that already, Clark. I know you want me to erase that night from my memory, but this isn’t the way to do it. I know this tabloid mess will blow over, because I spent a year –yes, a
year – dealing with Superman in the press on almost a daily basis. If he can suck it up, so can you.” She paused and took another deep breath. “I am going to tell you this once and once only. I will never wear that suit again.
Never. I am not Ultra Woman anymore nor will I ever be again. I am Lois Lane. Love me for who I am or leave me now, Clark Kent. But never ask me to put on that suit again.”
Lois turned to march out of the room, but her husband was there in front of her. She glanced back at where he had been sitting a moment before and saw Lara, standing on the floor holding on to the couch. Clark pulled Lois into his arms.
She rested her head on his shoulder as she pounded his chest with her fists. “When will you forgive me, Clark? When?”
He held her tighter. “As soon as you forgive yourself.”
“How can I forgive myself for hurting you?”
Clark kissed her forehead. “I love you and don’t want to hurt you, either. You were right and I was wrong. I’m sorry, Lois. We’ll find something else to do on Halloween.”
Lois laughed softly through her tears. “I like the sound of that. Say it again.”
He paused and then repeated. “You were right and I was wrong?”
“Again.”
***
Lois and Clark entered the newsroom, hand in hand, big grins on their faces. It had been a nice weekend after all. Clark spun her around and back into his arms for a kiss.
His Mom had sewn Lara a ladybug costume, using some leftover red fabric from the last batch of capes. Actually she was a red, yellow and blue ladybug, but nobody seemed to notice her similarity to Superman.
Lois had dressed up as a black cat and had looked extremely sexy in that skintight black outfit and tail. The light sprinkling of glitter to make her more reflective in the night had been a bonus. She was still shimmery in spots, despite taking numerous showers since Halloween. Clark swallowed, thinking about how she looked when she had crawled into bed that night. He smiled. Yes, it had been a good weekend.
Clark had added some tape to his glasses, a pocket protector, a bowtie and a plaid leisure suit he had found at a second hand store. Lois actually had the audacity to ask when he was going to get into his costume. She had wanted him to dress up as a cave man, but he wanted something that would allow him to wear his glasses, plus keep the blue suit hidden underneath.
Halloween was a notorious night for pranks gone wrong. There were several Met U students who would be happy to hear that Superman had decided not go to Las Vegas to marry Ultra Woman that weekend after all. If that discussion ever became public knowledge, which it wouldn’t.
Lois slid off her overcoat and was hanging it up on the coat rack, when Jimmy appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her elbow, ushering her into the conference room. Clark followed, curious.
“I thought I should warn you. I think the fake Superman has struck again,” he told them.
They both spun around and looked at her desk. There sitting up on the shelf, next to her photo of Clark and Lara was a single red rose with an attached note.
“Let me…” Clark started.
“No.” Lois stopped him. “I’ll go. You wait here.”
“Did you see who delivered it?” Clark asked Jimmy.
“No. But I saw Ralph hovering over by Lois’s desk when I came in.”
Clark didn’t know quite what to say to that. Sometimes he hated it when Lois’s gut was right. His wife picked up the note and sneered. Then she walked back to the conference room.
“The note is more for you,” his wife said, handing it to him. “Feel free to set it on fire when you’re done.”
Clark’s brow came down as the opened the paper.
You make one sexy Catwoman, Lois. Clark’s a lucky guy. Bruce“I hate that man,” said Lois with a grimace.
“I don’t know, Lois,” replied Clark with a smile. “You were very sexy and I am a lucky guy.”
Jimmy glanced over at the note and repressing a laugh, behind pinched lips. “Catwoman, eh, Lois?”
She raised a brow at him. “What were you for Halloween?”
“Dracula.” He shrugged. “I hear they threw a ‘Come as Your Favorite Superhero’ party over at City Hall. Over four hundred Supermen showed up. I’m surprised you two didn’t cover it.”
Lois froze, the blood draining from her face.
“We don’t cover social gatherings, Jimmy.” Wrapping an arm around his wife, Clark informed him, “Halloween is a time for families.”
“I’m just saying, that would have been a great place for Superman to take out his girlfriend in disguise. Don’t you think?” Jimmy asked. “I wish I had gone and snapped some shots of the different Superman couples. I hear the
National Whisperer is offering over $1000 for a snapshot of Superman and his mystery woman; $5,000 if they’re kissing, plus a penny a page for residuals.”
Lois’s jaw dropped.
“Would you really sell out Superman?” Clark stammered. “To the tabloids, Jimmy?”
“No way, CK! I just thought it would be funny if the
Daily Planet out-scooped them for free.”
Clark sat down on the edge of the conference room table and faced his wife. “Tempting, isn’t it, Lois?”
“Nope. Not even for a scoop, Clark.” She turned to Jimmy. “If you ever feel so desperate for funds that offers from tabloids seem tempting, come to us and we’ll help you out, okay? Promise me that.”
Jimmy smiled. “Thanks, Lois. I’d never sell out Superman. No matter how much money was thrown my way…” He swallowed and looked away. “But… I did do something I’m not proud of. Something I should confess to you…”
Clark stood up. This didn’t sound good.
“Maybe I shouldn’t say anything. Nothing will probably come of it. And Perry will kill me, if he finds out I went behind his back…”
“Well?” Lois asked.
Jimmy cleared his throat and rung his hands together. “I put out feelers to this guy I know about buying the
Daily Planet.”
“Who do you know that is rich enough to take the
Daily Planet away from Mindy Church?” Lois asked, stepping towards Jimmy.
“He’s not really my friend. I mean, I’ve met him once. He’s more of a friend of a friend…”
Clark glanced down at the rose that was still in his hand. “That’s what he was up to. Jimmy, not him. Please, tell me, it wasn’t him. I cannot work for that guy.”
Lois glanced at Clark, not catching his reference. He held up the rose. “No. Absolutely not! Jimmy! No!”
Jimmy shrugged, sheepishly. “He’d be better than her, wouldn’t he?”
“Debatable…” Lois snapped.
“There’s nothing to worry about, guys. He’s not going to be interested in owning a newspaper. He’s more into dot com than brick and mortar.”
“Yeah. Right.” Clark threw his hands up into the air. The Bat had made it abundantly clear he would do anything to get on Superman’s good side. The billionaire had already befriended the current owner of the paper. And Wayne would relish the thought of having power over Superman’s secret life, especially financial power, since he already had his daughter’s heritage in the palm of his hand and Kryptonite. Clark shook his head. “Lois, I can’t. I can’t work for that man.”
Lois looked at him for a minute and then she turned to their friend. “Oh, Jimmy.” She sighed and patted his arm. “And I was tempted to tell you who Superman’s girlfriend really is, too.” She shook her head. “Tsk-Tsk. But this is just unforgivable.” She headed to the conference room door.
“You know? Of course, you know. He…” Jimmy shook his head. “You were going to tell me? The truth?” He swallowed. “Really?”
She smiled, first at Jimmy and then at Clark. “Of course. Superman wouldn’t keep secrets from me.” She raised a brow at her husband. “I mean, us. Now would he,
Clark?” She looked daggers at her husband.
Clark felt his throat go dry. She knew he was keeping something from her about Bruce Wayne and she was mad as hell he still hadn’t told her. But he couldn’t tell her about Wayne. It wasn’t his secret to tell.
When he didn’t respond, Lois nodded and with joyfulness at Jimmy. “OK. There’s only one woman who has ever swept Superman off his feet, besides me.” She turned a sinister grin to Clark. “I believe you once described her as stunning, Clark.”
Jimmy’s brow furrowed.
“I hear she looks pretty hot in lavender and teal, too,” Lois continued, pretending to look down at her fingernails.
“No!” Jimmy shook his head. “No. No. Lois. Because that would mean… that she was… Oh, my God!” He gulped. “Lois!” He turned to Clark. “Not her.”
Clark glared at his wife. “Could be.”
“That’s our theory, anyway.” Lois shrugged and sashayed out the door. “So, don’t tell anyone, Jimmy.”
“I… I…” The color drained from Jimmy’s face. “No. Tell me, it isn’t true, CK. That she and…” He looked at Clark. “… No!... I don’t believe for an instant… Oh, God, it’s true, isn’t it?”
“Blows your mind, doesn’t it?” Clark looked at Lois standing by her desk and shook his head. She always had to be one step ahead of him.
“But I’ve fantasized about…” Jimmy gulped. “I mean, no, I haven’t. No. Never. Kill me, now.”
Clark looked at him, intriguingly. This was a strange reaction.
“I mean,
don’t really.” Jimmy pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to head back… do some research… Really, CK? Earthquakes?… No! Not going to research earthquakes, at all. Ever, again. I’m going… to go… now.” He placed a smile on his face and backed out of the conference room. He bumped into Lois’s desk, grabbed a pen out of her pen cup and ran, literally ran, away from Clark.
Clark watched him as he approached Lois at her desk.
“And you wanted to tell the world.” She shook her head, flipping through her mail.
“I can’t tell you, Lois.”
She glanced up at him. “I’m your wife. You can tell me anything, Clark.”
He sighed. “Not this.”
“That’s your decision.” She set down her mail and stood up, walking to the coffee machine.
Clark followed her. “You’re not mad?”
Lois looked at him with a raised brow as she poured her coffee. “Why should I be mad? I just learned we’re allowed to keep secrets.” She smiled at him, snapped a couple of sugar packets and poured them into her coffee.
“Lois.”
“As I said, Clark, it’s your decision.” His wife took her coffee back to her desk.
She hadn’t been kidding about being Chess Club president. Check mate.
*** End of Part 7 *** Comments
