PREVIOUSLY....
He tapped his way carefully down the stairs into the bullpen. As he approached Lois’ desk, he realized that she wasn’t there. Hearing... and smelling... Ralph walking past, Clark turned his attention to his colleague.
“Hey, Ralph, where’s Lois?” he asked.
“Conference room,” Ralph replied without stopping.* * * * * * * * *
AND NOW...
Lois’ head shot up when, just as Mayson was putting the Snell file back in her briefcase, the door to the conference room flew open and a beaming Clark Kent practically bolted into the room.
“I did it!” he exclaimed. “I went down to City Hall and listened to the most boring press conference in the history of man! I even asked a couple questions. And I didn’t get lost once. Even got a good spot at the conference. I tell you this white cane can clear a path almost as well as you.”
Lois’ eyes had shot to Mayson during Clark’s ramble. At first, her expression was one of undisguised joy. And then, almost as if in slow motion, her face changed as she took in Clark’s dark glasses, white cane and words.
As Lois rose to her feet, she placed a hand in front of her mouth, hiding it from Mayson’s vision, before saying under her breath, “Mayson’s here.”
Clark’s ramble instantly died.
“Uhh... Hi, Mayson,” Clark said, quickly folding his cane, as if in an attempt to keep Mayson from seeing it. A futile gesture.
Realizing that Mayson was still trying to find her voice, Lois moved quickly. She shut the door behind Clark and began closing the blinds on the conference room windows. It was possible that Mayson was just reacting to the realization that Clark was blind. Still, how long could it be before she made the Superman connection? And when that happened... The last thing they needed was to have the entire newsroom watching and listening in.
“So how have you been?” Clark asked in an attempt to cut through the strained silence.
“You’re blind,” Mayson said bluntly, obviously still trying to process the information.
“Yes,” Clark said, sounding resigned.
“Clark was in an accident at the farm while he was in Smallville,” Lois added quickly, hoping to derail Mayson’s thoughts from taking her in the obvious direction. “Welding accident. What did the Doctor call it, Clark? Welder’s flash?”
“Superman’s blind,” Mayson said, completely ignoring Lois’ explanation.
“Well, yes, but...” Lois began, desperately searching her mind for a way to stop the inevitable.
Mayson glanced at Lois and then, moving too quickly for either Lois or Clark to react, stormed over to Clark, reaching up and ripping the sunglasses off his face.
Lois’ shoulders sagged. Without the glasses, there was no mistaking the man standing in the conference room.
“I knew you were hiding something,” Mayson practically spat. “I always thought it was that you had feelings for Lois. But this...” Her voice trailed off as she gestured frantically towards Clark. “You’re Superman.”
“No, Mayson,” Clark finally said. “I’m Clark.”
Lois cringed. The words had been said using Superman’s voice, so if Clark was still planning to try to convince Mayson he wasn’t Superman...
“Yeah, right,” scoffed Mayson, sounding even more annoyed now than she had when she’d originally put the pieces together.
“I’m Clark,” Clark insisted again. “Superman is just a way for me to use my powers without completely disrupting my life. But Clark is who I am - first, last and always.”
The words stopped Lois cold. Clark had never explained it to her in that fashion. But then, such an explanation had never been necessary. She’d known instinctively which one was the real man from the first moment that Martha had told her the truth. Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that Lois couldn’t imagine Superman moping around or being surly.
Before more could be said, the door to the conference room opened and Jimmy stuck his head inside. Lois jumped, her eyes darting from Jimmy to a glasses-free Clark. She let out a breath of relief when she realized that Clark’s back was to the door.
“You have a phone call, Clark,” Jimmy said.
“Thanks, Jimmy. I’ll take it in a moment.” He reached a hand towards Mayson, palm up. “May I have my glasses back please?”
For a moment, Mayson just looked down at the glasses, as if she’d forgotten she was holding them, and Lois held her breath to see how she would react. Then Lois began breathing again when, without a word, she placed them back in Clark’s hand.
Clark slipped them on before turning to face Jimmy.
“Line two,” Jimmy said.
Clark nodded and tapped his way out of the room.
“Oh, Lois,” Jimmy said. “I wanted to ask you what time you want me to come by Friday evening to help get Clark moved into your apartment?”
“Uhh...” Lois’ eyes flashed over to Mayson who was obviously processing the implications of Jimmy’s statement. Damn it. If they had any chance of convincing Mayson to keep the secret based on her feelings for Clark, it had just flown out the window. “Why don’t you ask Clark?” Lois said, unable to focus on the question given all the other stuff running through her mind at the moment.
Jimmy’s eyes flicked between her and Mayson as he seemed to realize he’d just said something wrong. “Well, okay then,” he said before making a quick exit, closing the door behind him.
“So...” Mayson said after a strained pause. “...I guess you finally got your wish. You and Superman. Together.”
It briefly flashed though Lois’ mind to lie. Maybe use the idea that Clark was moving into Lucy’s room. But as quickly as the thought had come, Lois dismissed it. Mayson would find out the truth sooner or later. And be even more upset then about being lied to. Lois sighed. “No, Mayson. Superman and I aren’t together. Clark and I are.”
Mayson made a dismissive motion with her hand.
“So how long has this been going on?” Mayson asked. “Or were you two secretly together the whole time he was pretending to date me? Or was he pursuing you as Superman while he was dating me as Clark? What was he playing at by faking an interest in me? Was he just trying to get a source inside the D.A.’s office?” The volume of her voice had risen on each consecutive question. “Nice gig, if you can get it.”
“Of course not, Mayson. There was never anything between me and Superman. And as for Clark... First off, Clark would never do that. As for me... Before Clark left, I was still trying to figure out how I could be in love with two men at the same time.”
“Uhh... Superman and Clark. Lucky for you that they turned out to be one man then.”
“Yeah,” Lois said softly, more to break the cycle of the argument than in agreement with Mayson’s comment. “Look, Mayson, what are you planning to do with this information?”
Before Mayson could answer, the door opened and Clark reentered the room. “I’m interested in the answer to that question, too,” he said. Then he turned his head towards Lois. “Bobby will meet with us in about an hour. He indicated that he has some information for us.” As he spoke, he closed the door again.
“Uhh, well, I guess I should let you get back to work then.” Mayson picked up her briefcase in preparation to leave.
“Wait, Mayson,” Clark said. “Before you go... I need to know what you plan to do with this information.”
“In other words, you want to know if I’ll help with your ongoing deception of the people of Metropolis.”
“No, I want to know if my parents are going to have to sell the farm and move somewhere where no one will ever find them. I want to know if Lois is going to be followed everywhere she goes by paparazzi. And I want to know if I can still go out for a cheeseburger without it ending up on the front page of every tabloid in the country.”
“Oh, please.”
“Mayson, you kept the fact that Superman was blind to yourself,” Clark said. “I’m just asking that you extend that same discretion to Clark.”
“I kept the fact that Superman was blind a secret to protect this city! The city no longer needs to be protected from being abandoned by Superman. Everyone now knows that Superman is gone - and we’ve survived.”
“I didn’t abandon the city, Mayson.”
“No, of course you didn’t. Superman did. And you’re not Superman, right? You’re Clark. Superman is just the way you’ve been deceiving the city for the past couple of years.”
Clark let out a frustrated breath.
“The city... the world deserves to know the truth,” Mayson continued.
“Don’t give me that bull,” Lois responded, unable to hold her tongue a moment longer. “This has nothing to do with the world. This is your pathetic attempt to get revenge on Clark for choosing me instead of you. How petty can you get? Ruining a man’s life for not loving you.”
Mayson narrowed her eyes and looked as if she was about to respond when Clark spoke.
“I’m asking you to keep this secret for me - for what we meant to each other.”
Mayson scoffed. “And what exactly did we mean to each other?”
“We were friends, Mayson. As far as I’m concerned, we still are.”
There was no doubting the sincerity in Clark’s voice. And Lois held her breath as she waited for Mayson to respond. Mayson reached up and rubbed the bridge of her nose and made a small noise in the back of her throat.
“Is one of your headaches coming on?” Clark asked sympathetically.
Mayson’s eyes immediately flashed. “I don’t see that that’s any of your business anymore.”
Clark let out a breath. “You want to stick to the topic. Fine. Are you going to keep my secret?”
“I have a condition,” Mayson finally said.
“And what’s that?” Clark asked.
“That Superman stays gone.”
Lois sucked in a quick breath. She opened her mouth to object. There might no longer be a Superman. Might never be again. But if somehow it was possible in the future... This city... The world itself still needed Superman.
“Deal,” Clark said before Lois could get any of her objections out.
Lois felt tears come to her eyes at the realization that Clark had honestly given up hope that his eyesight would ever return. He would never have made that deal otherwise.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois had been quiet since Mayson had departed. Clark had tried to talk to her, but she had insisted that they needed to get back to work. So he’d quickly typed up the story on the press conference and sent it to Perry. When the time had come to meet with Bobby, Lois had quietly asked if he was ready, but other than that, she hadn’t said a word since they’d climbed into the jeep.
Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you before making that deal with Mayson,” he said.
“What?” Lois asked, before continuing. “No, Clark, I’m not upset about that. After all, I confirmed to her that we were involved without discussing it with you first. I understand. We both had to make decisions on the spot. It couldn’t be helped.”
“Then why have you been giving me the silent treatment?”
“I’m not. I just... I guess I’m just sad.”
He reached over and squeezed her leg.
“I wish we had planned that better,” Lois continued. “Maybe if we had handled it differently, you wouldn’t have been forced to make that promise.”
“Lois, I’ve told you how much Mayson has always disliked Superman,” he said. “So I realized as soon as she had a condition what it was going to be. And being blind now... I don’t see how Superman can return anyway.
“It’s one thing to fly my girlfriend to Paris without my sight. It’s another to confront the bad guys directly if they know I’m blind - and it certainly wouldn’t take long for them to figure it out. There are just too many ways they could manipulate me into making a mistake - one that could be fatal, not for me but for some innocent bystander. I mean, bullets can’t hurt me, but since bullets can go faster than the speed of sound, I can’t stop them from hitting other people without my eyesight.
“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to quit fighting the bad guys. I’m just going to have to do it as Clark, not Superman.”
“So you’ve given up on getting your sight back?”
From the tone of her voice, Clark could tell that this was what really bothered her about his promise. “Not completely,” he said. “I’d have bought a pair of proper sunglasses if I had. I’m still allowing my eyes to get as much sunlight as possible. But, Lois, we have to be realistic here. It’s been more than six weeks and there’s not so much as a hint of improvement.”
“And if your sight does come back?”
Clark sighed. “We’ll deal with that problem if we come to it. Maybe once Mayson calms down, she’ll be willing to renegotiate.”
Lois’ silence spoke of her skepticism. To tell the truth, he had doubts about that plan, too. But... “It’s possible. She’s not a bad person, Lois.”
“Hmph.”
She pulled the jeep off the road and put it in park, making Clark suspect that they were at the place where they were supposed to meet Bobby Bigmouth.
“You’re not still jealous of Mayson, are you?” Clark asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous. How could I still be jealous of Mayson when I was never jealous of her in the first place?” Lois responded far too quickly. Then, slightly sheepish, as if she realized how that had sounded, she added, “She gets her hair color out of a bottle, you know.”
Clark smiled. “Now, you see, I knew that. That’s why I chose you. Couldn’t stand to look at that phony hair color anymore.”
“Right. And if you could see, that might be slightly more believable.” There was laughter in her voice now.
Clark chuckled, glad that the tension between them had been broken.
“So why did Bobby ask for you instead of me?” she asked after a moment.
“He was told I was back and wanted to hear for himself. Well, that and he said he trusted me not to steal the cheese off his pizza.”
“Once! I did that once and only after a long day without any lunch or supper...”
“Try every single time.”
Bobby’s voice coming from the back seat caused both Lois and Clark to spin towards him.
“Oh, and Clairol, number 9 - light blonde,” Bobby added.
“How long have you been listening to our conversation?” Lois asked.
She sounded casual, even though Clark knew she was anything but. If Bobby had actually boarded the jeep at the pizza parlor... What exactly had they said about Superman during the drive here?
“Long enough to know that you’re not jealous.”
Clark was suddenly breathing more easily. Bobby had only snuck in the back seat after they’d arrived at this spot. Their conversation about Superman had concluded before then. Still, how Bobby always seemed able to sneak in - even getting past some supersenses - was a mystery. Maybe Bobby had some superpowers of his own.
“Good to have you back to guard my food, Kent,” Bobby continued. “Too bad about the eyes. If you’re looking for a career change, the blind beggar outside The Pagoda died recently. His street corner’s open.”
“Bobby!” Lois exclaimed, even as Clark chuckled.
Most people got so tongue-tied and uncomfortable around him, not knowing quite how to react. Bobby’s approach was refreshing. Weird, but refreshing.
“Just trying to be helpful. Seriously though, Kent, sorry about what happened. - farming accident wasn’t it? Too bad they haven’t healed. Have you considered that you might have complications or an infection of some kind? Hear that’s something you have to watch out for with Welder’s flash.”
Before Clark could answer, Bobby continued. “Oh, and congrats on the new housing arrangement, you two.”
Clark’s eyebrows rose. Where did Bobby get his information anyway?
“Hey, you got my pizza!” Bobby said, reaching over to where the pizza box was sitting on the seat next to him.
Lois’ hand quickly came between the seats, slamming down on the box to keep Bobby from opening it.
“Last time I let you eat in my jeep, I had to get it professionally cleaned to get the stains out. This time... you talk to us and then you get the pizza.”
“I already answered your question about Mayson Drake’s hair color and gave Kent advice on his eye problem. How much do you want for a pizza? It is fully loaded, right?” He tried to pry the corner of the box open, but Lois’ hand held it closed.
“Steven Baker,” Lois said. “Homeless guy. Went missing on the east side of Suicide Slum. Was a vet.”
“Had more than a passing knowledge of Machiavelli,” Clark added. “And was recently spotted being carted off in an ambulance, but no one knows where he was taken.”
“Okay, well, I don’t know about Steven Baker...”
“Then why are we here?”
“There’ve been a rash of homeless guys on the east side of Suicide Slum who’ve gone missing in the past month.”
“Why haven’t I heard anything about this?” Lois said.
Bobby took advantage of her distraction to open the pizza box, satisfying himself that it really was fully loaded and all the cheese was still intact. It was only when the box was suddenly slammed shut again that he directed his mind to Lois’ question.
“Maybe because homeless guys don’t talk to people like you.”
“Do the police know about this?”
“Probably. But Metropolis’ finest don’t consider missing homeless guys much of a priority.”
“So who’s behind these disappearances?”
“That I can’t answer. But there is someone behind it. Someone scary. And the guys down there are really nervous. If I hear anything else, I’ll call. Anyway, thanks for the pizza.”
Without further ado, Bobby slipped out of the car as quietly as he’d entered.
* * * * * * * * *
The rest of the week was spent in futile pursuit of the leads Jimmy had dug up. Checking out hospital after hospital, institution after institution, John Doe after John Doe. They’d gone down to the east side of Suicide Slum a number of times as well, but with no better results than they’d had the first time.
They had also made a trip to the police station in Suicide Slum, but the police had basically dismissed their demand for action. Apparently one homeless man who, in their words, probably didn’t want to be found and Bobby Bigmouth’s claim that there were more was simply not enough to make them call out the cavalry - not when there were so many ‘real crimes’ in Suicide Slum that needed to be solved.
Lois and Clark had tried to convince Perry to publish a story about the police indifference to missing homeless people. But even though he desperately wanted to find his friend, he wasn’t prepared to publish an unsubstantiated story that said that the police were ignoring ‘a rash of missing homeless men’ in Suicide Slum - not when they couldn’t even confirm Bobby’s claim that more than just Steven Baker were missing.
‘Hard facts, boys and girls. That’s what we need. Now go out there and get me some,’ Perry had demanded.
By week’s end, both reporters knew that unless they came up with a new approach, they were at a dead end. Still, there was business to attend to that had nothing to do with the investigation, so both decided to set the story aside - at least for one evening.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois sighed when, alone, she stepped into her apartment on Friday evening. The place was filled with half a dozen or so boxes. Knowing that Clark’s personal effects from Smallville would arrive today, she’d left word with her landlord, Mr. Tracewski, to let the delivery men in.
At the same time, she’d had Clark’s name added to her lease and had explained to her landlord that a guide dog would also be joining them. She’d been nervous about his reaction, but he’d seemed to be well versed on city ordinances because his only response had been a grunt.
She had to admit, she’d had a mix of emotions as she’d watched Clark sign the papers making him her co-tenant. It had suddenly hit Lois what she was doing. And she’d found herself wondering if she was completely insane to be doing it. She didn’t think Clark had noticed her reaction. And she couldn’t think of how to discuss her reaction with him. This was just something she was going to have to work through herself.
After carrying the two extra large pizza boxes and six-pack of beer over to the table, she returned to close and lock her door. She expected that Clark would be home soon. He’d left work early this afternoon to go to the Metropolis Center for the Blind, having asked both Perry and the Center if he could do his training session early today to allow for time to get moved in this evening.
Once the door was locked, she walked to Lucy’s old room and switched on the light. She’d used the evenings this past week when Clark had been at his training sessions to get everything in the room packed up so that the guys could carry the boxes down to a storage room in the basement before the desk arrived. Then she’d washed walls and cupboards and had even cleaned out the old dresser Lucy had left behind to prepare for this evening. The carpet still needed to be vacuumed, but that couldn’t be done until the boxes and dresser were removed.
Satisfied that everything was as ready as it could be, she turned and eyed Clark’s boxes once again. She spotted a large brown envelope taped to the top of one. Since it was addressed to both her and Clark in Martha’s flowing handwriting, she proceeded to open it.
Inside were a number of papers, but the thing that had caught Lois’ eye first and made her smile was an eight by ten photo of her and Clark - the very photo that Lois had been wishing for the other day, the one of her and Clark kissing on the front porch swing at the farm house. It had turned out better than Lois had anticipated. Four by six copies of the other pictures Martha had taken that day were also included. But the eight by ten was the one Lois particularly loved.
Still, in spite of her earlier wish for a picture for Clark’s desk, the eight by ten was far too large to be a desk picture. So what... Her eyes caught sight of the faded paint which outlined the spot where the picture damaged during Griffin’s break-in had been. She’d purchased a frame the same size and had planned to put the print in it that had been in the previous frame. But...
She dashed into her bedroom and picked up the frame. It only took a moment to switch the print in it to the picture Martha had sent. Turning it over, she smiled. It was a perfect fit. Even the colors of the matting suited the picture. She quickly returned to the living room, hung the picture up on the wall and smiled. It was absolutely perfect. Suddenly she felt it. This was no longer her place; it was their place. And it felt... right.
The sound of voices outside the door and a key turning in the first lock directed Lois’ eyes to the door. Jimmy must have met up with Clark outside the building and walked in with him. She rushed over to the door and, after a quick look through the peephole, proceeded to turn the remaining locks and open the door.
“May we come in?” asked Clark, beaming from ear to ear.
“This is your place too, Clark. You don’t have to ask... Oh.” Her voice trailed off when she realized why he was asking. Clark and Jimmy stood there. But as well as the two men, a fox-colored dog was looking up at her, his tongue lolling out to one side. “They let you bring Shadow home!” Lois exclaimed.
“Apparently, I’m a good study. They decided we were ready to go out on our own,” Clark said, looking for all the world like a little boy having just received the thing he’d wanted most on Christmas morning.
As he walked in, Lois noticed the large box he’d brought with him.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Shadow’s crate.”
She studied the picture on the box for a moment with a small frown. “Looks more like a cage to me,” she said disapprovingly. “I don’t like the idea of keeping Shadow in a cage.”
“No, you don’t understand,” Clark said as he set the box down. “To you, it looks like a cage. To Shadow it’s a den. His own private space. We’ll put some old blankets in it, maybe even put one over top and he’ll love it.”
Lois looked at Clark skeptically, but didn’t respond.
* * * * * * * * *
The small group decided that before digging into the pizza and beer - or in Lois’ case, wine - they would take the pieces from the demolished sofa down to the dumpster and the boxes from Lucy’s room down to storage in preparation for the arrival of the desk and couch. Some discussion was required to figure out how to accomplish the task. Since Clark could carry more than Lois, even without obvious use of his powers, what they eventually decided was to have Jimmy and Clark take the boxes down while Lois finished vacuuming out the parts of Lucy’s room she’d been unable to clean due to the boxes.
At first, Jimmy tried to insist that he could do the job himself, but Clark’s pride was unable to let him sit around while his friend worked. The problem wasn’t Clark’s strength, but his ability to find his way to the storage room while carrying the boxes. Oh, he would get there sooner or later, of course. But not without bumping into walls and doors.
What was eventually worked out had all three laughing. They began by attaching Shadow’s leash to the front of Clark’s belt. Jimmy picked up some boxes, as did Clark. Then Lois wrapped the handle of the leash around Jimmy’s arm. Tied together, Jimmy led the way to the storage room.
While the guys tended to the boxes, Lois and Shadow remained behind. Lois found that she was enjoying the company. Shadow, free from his halter, had developed a serious case of puppy love. He watched carefully as Lois set up the crate and brought out a couple old blankets to make it homey. When she finally stood back to observe the finished product, she glanced at Shadow.
“What do you think?” Lois asked.
Shadow glanced at her before looking back at the crate. Then, much to Lois’ surprise, he stepped forward, sniffing around the crate before following the open door inside. Again, he took his time, smelling the blankets. Lois’ eyebrows rose when he, seeming satisfied with the arrangements, lay down in the crate, looking up at her with a smile on his face.
Lois felt herself relax. Clark was right. He liked the crate. “Okay, then,” Lois said, “well, if you’re satisfied, I have other work to do.”
When Lois turned to tend to her other tasks, Shadow followed, watching her every action with interest. He particularly amused Lois when she began to vacuum. Shadow would approach the vacuum when Lois was pulling it towards herself, as if trying to make friends, only to jump back in terror when the vacuum was coming towards him. Lois slowly began to relax, amazed at how the company a dog seemed able to make her forget the frustrations of the week. Maybe this whole dog idea wasn’t so bad after all. Or maybe it was just this particular dog.
It didn’t take long before their individual tasks were complete and the three gathered around the kitchen table for supper.
“Hey, where did that come from?” Jimmy asked, observing the new picture on the wall.
Lois smiled. “Clark’s mom sent that,” she responded before proceeding to tell Clark about the new picture - and eliciting a promise from him to put one of the others in a frame on his desk. “It might have allowed me to get rid of Mayson sooner,” she laughingly went on to explain.
“So what exactly was Mayson talking to you about before I arrived?” Clark said. “You never did say, but now that I think about it, you two had to have been discussing something in the conference room before I got there.”
“I’m not exactly sure,” Lois admitted. “I think it may have been just an excuse to come by the Planet to see you. She said something about the investigation into Snell’s death being closed because she couldn’t subpoena...” Lois’ voice trailed off. Her eyes suddenly went wide. “Client lists!”
Jimmy and Clark looked confused.
“Of course!” she exclaimed, silently berating herself for allowing her jealousy of Mayson to lower her IQ to something perilously close to double digits. Otherwise, surely she would have picked up on what Mayson had been trying to tell her. “Mayson couldn’t suggest that I dig up Snell’s client lists. After all, the mere suggestion that I do something like that would get her fired or even disbarred. But...” She looked at Clark. “Clark, judging from what Mayson told me, we were right and Snell really did know the identity of the head of Intergang and that knowledge got him killed. The most logical conclusion would be that Snell worked as a lawyer for Intergang - probably pretty high up if he was trusted with that type of information...”
“So his client list would, at the very least, be made up of people who work for or are involved with Intergang,” Clark concluded.
“Exactly. It might even reveal the head of Intergang,” Lois said.
“If we could get a look at his accounts, that might be useful, too.”
“Finding out who pays the bills could tell us who’s in charge.”
“Did you guys practice that?” Jimmy asked in amusement.
“Jimmy, on Monday, could you find out what happened to Snell’s files after he died?” Lois asked, while giving her pizza crust to Shadow who instantly, and noisily, began chewing. This might not be a break in their current story, but since Intergang had first appeared on the Metropolis stage, Lois had been trying to break the story. This might be exactly what they needed.
Jimmy nodded.
“Lois, did you just give Shadow table scraps?” Clark asked.
“No! Why would you say that?” Lois replied guiltily.
Jimmy laughed.
“Traitor,” she said to Jimmy even as Clark shook his head in amusement.
“So... the picture... I take it you two got together when Lois went to Smallville after your accident?” Jimmy asked.
“Yeah, Jimmy. We did,” Clark responded.
Lois thought Clark sat up a little straighter on the admission. Lois smiled.
“Hey, I think that’s great. I always thought you two would make a great couple. Guess you’re glad now you went to Smallville, huh?”
Lois nodded, hoping Jimmy didn’t push for more. Not that she didn’t want to talk about her relationship with Clark, but there were too many land mines to negotiate in discussing exactly how they got together. And if Jimmy thought that Lois had rushed down to Smallville after he had his accident on the farm... well, that suited her just fine. And, to tell the truth, it wasn’t all that far from the truth either - as long as one didn’t know that the accident was a month earlier.
“Yeah, if it hadn’t been for Lois, I’d probably still be moping around in Smallville instead of back here, steam rolling over her on my way to my next Kerth,” Clark said. “Did you see that award winning piece I did on the mayor’s press conference this week? No way she’ll top that one. Not even if we find Steven Baker.”
Lois reached over and gave him a swat, even as she marveled at how he’d subtly redirected the conversation, away from questions about how they’d gotten together.
“So how is your story about the homeless guy going, anyway?” Jimmy asked, obviously following Clark’s conversational gambit. “Was any of the stuff I managed to dig up helpful?”
“Not really, Jimmy,” Lois said.
“I’m sorry,” Jimmy responded.
“Don’t be,” Clark said. “Even Bobby Bigmouth wasn’t able to give us much.”
“Well, he confirmed that no homeless people in Suicide Slum would talk to us about this.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because we don’t stink,” Lois said.
“He didn’t exactly say that, Lois,” Clark responded.
“Pretty much.” Lois looked at Jimmy. “Apparently, they won’t trust us because we aren’t one of them.”
“Too bad you can’t quit showering,” Jimmy laughed. “Maybe they’d talk to you then.” After a period of charged silence, Jimmy spoke again. “What?”
“You don’t think...” Lois said.
“Bobby did say that if I wanted a career change...” Clark said.
“Do you think he would help with this?”
“For the right meal, I’m pretty sure he would.”
“We’d have to wait until Monday at least - you’re too clean shaven at the moment. Would Monday be enough time for you to look scruffy?”
“I think so.”
“What?” Jimmy asked, not understanding any of that.
“Jimmy, you’re a genius!” Lois said excitedly.
“That’s great!” Jimmy responded, reaching for another slice of pizza. “Now, would you mind telling me exactly why I’m a genius?”
Lois and Clark laughed before filling him in on their plan.
“Isn’t that a bit dangerous?” Jimmy said.
“Clark will be fine,” Lois responded casually before realizing how that might sound. “After all, he’ll have Shadow with him,” she quickly added.
“And who’s going to bother me with a vicious attack dog at my side,” Clark added for good measure.
Jimmy looked skeptically at the dog in question who was looking hopefully at Lois, begging for another crust. Lois quickly obliged him.
Fortunately, at that moment, a knock came at the door, announcing the arrival of the CostMart delivery men. Soon everyone was distracted by new tasks. As Jimmy and Clark worked to move both desks into the spare room, Lois began unpacking the boxes from Smallville into Lucy’s old dresser and her closet.
In the envelope with the photos was a list from Martha, telling what was in each of the boxes. After dragging box number four into the bedroom, Lois picked up the box cutters and looked at the list. She quickly read down the list until spotting one item she didn’t understand.
‘S-suits.’ What were S-suits? Summer suits? She was just about to slice through the tape on the top of the box to see exactly what was in it when understanding sunk in. Martha had sent the Superman suits. Lois quickly set the box cutters down and pushed the box into the back of the closet unopened.
Since there was other stuff in there besides the suits, she would have to open it later. But for now, at least while Jimmy was here, it was better left unopened.
“Something’s been bugging me,” Clark suddenly said as he and Jimmy moved the furniture in Lois’ room around to accommodate the new dresser.
“Looks okay to me, C.K.”
“Oh, sorry. I’m not talking about the dresser. No, I’ve been thinking about what Baker said to us when we ran into him at CostMart.”
“Actually, he ran into us,” Lois corrected.
Clark smiled. “Okay, well that’s true. But what he said.”
“What did he say?” Jimmy asked.
“A wise prince cannot and should not keep his pledge when it is against his interest to do so,” Clark said.
“Sounds like a corrupt prince to me,” Jimmy said.
“Or a modern day politician,” Lois added, provoking noises of agreement from Jimmy and Clark.
“Why would he say something like that?” Jimmy asked.
“That’s what’s been bugging me. It’s a quote from a book written in the fifteen hundreds by a man named Machiavelli,” Clark explained.
“Hey, I think I’ve heard of him.”
Clark nodded. “He’s the reason we talk about someone being Machiavellian.”
“Cunning, amoral, opportunistic,” Lois said. “Not that we know anyone like that.”
“Okay, but who actually quotes Machiavelli?” Clark asked. “I spoke to his daughter the other day and she didn’t even know who Machiavelli was - let alone why her father would have quoted him.”
When neither Lois nor Jimmy could answer his question, Clark shrugged. “Anyway, it’s just been bugging me.”
“Could he have been trying to tell us something?” Lois asked.
“I thought of that, but what? And what an odd way to do it. Anyway, come on, Jimmy, let’s get that the couch moved to a better spot in the living room.
* * * * * * * * *
Lois collapsed onto their new couch as Clark saw Jimmy out. Shadow jumped up beside her, laying his head in her lap. Lois smiled, her hand immediately beginning to stroke the soft fur on Shadow’s head while he gazed up at her adoringly.
After closing the door, Clark turned towards Lois. “Hey what’s Shadow doing on the couch?” he asked.
“How did you know he was on the couch?”
“Two heartbeats.”
“Uhh... How do you know I’m not pregnant?”
Clark’s eyebrows rose.
“I’m not,” Lois said, instantly turning scarlet. “And can we just forget I said that?”
Clark smiled. “Okay, but only if you’ll explain to me why Shadow’s in my place.”
Glad for the reprieve, Lois responded. “Well, we’ve been talking and I think he’d be glad to take your place in bed tonight.”
“Oh, he would, would he?” Clark walked across the room to the couch. “Sorry, buddy,” he said, pushing the dog off the couch. “She’s mine.” The moment the spot was free, Clark sat down next to Lois.
“So...” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “What do you say we try out the sofa? Make sure it works okay.”
Lois giggled, even as she raised her hand to remove his glasses as he leaned in for a kiss. “Mmmm,” she moaned as his lips softly explored hers. Her hand fumbled slightly as she distractedly worked to put his glasses on the coffee table. God, he was a great kisser, able to make her entire body hum with just a innocent kiss. “I love you,” she whispered when at last he pulled back, overwhelmed by the emotion she was feeling for this man.
“Uhh... But will you still love me after a few days without showering?” Clark asked.
A slow smile made its way across Lois’ face. “Well, I loved you when I arrived in Smallville, didn’t I. But this time... I don’t know, farmboy.” She wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him with her as she lay back on the sofa. “Maybe we better get in all the loving we can before that happens.”
“Suits me,” Clark responded, following her over, his mouth searching for hers as his hands began to wander.
An unexpected sound of whimpering right next to their ears caused them to jump, before bursting into laughter when Shadow began nuzzling at the sides of their faces.
* * * * * * * * *
Clark hated to contemplate exactly where Bobby had found these clothes. Half the smells they were harboring he didn’t recognize and the other half he wished he didn’t. It made Clark long for a hot shower. He could only hope he’d get used to it after a while.
“You ready in there?” Bobby called.
“Yeah,” Clark said, pulling on the thread-bare winter coat.
Bobby opened the door and walked into the room. “Not bad. Not bad. But... something is missing.” A moment later, he again walked out, looking for whatever he seemed to think was lacking in Clark’s ensemble.
Shadow whimpered. Clark immediately knelt down next to the dog. “What is it, boy? The smell getting to you, too? Don’t worry. It won’t be for long.” Shadow seemed to calm at the reassurances of his master.
Bobby chose that moment to reenter the room. “You need something on your head. Your hair still looks a little too clean cut - although, you’re wearing it a bit longer these days, I see. At least that’s good.” Clark flinched slightly - he was going to have to talk to his mother about coming up with some contraption to trim his hair. His thoughts were interrupted when Bobby thrust a baseball cap into his hands. “And I got you these gloves.”
Clark put the cap on his head and took the gloves. As he slipped his hands into them, he discovered they had a number of holes. “Do I want to know how you managed to get holey gloves - or the rest of these clothes for that matter?”
“Everything’s for sale in Suicide Slum,” Bobby responded. “Don’t worry, I’ll send you the bill. Anyway, we should go if we want to get you settled in while it’s still dark. I’ll show you where to put up your cardboard box, but you’ll be on your own from there. You sure you’re up for this?”
“I’m up for it,” Clark assured him. “So’s Shadow.”
“Okay, then. But if you get yourself into too much trouble, I’ll be working at the soup kitchen at the corner of Fifth and Saxton today. You just get yourself there and I’ll smuggle you back to Lois. Just... walk downwind of me, okay?”
Clark chuckled, but gave the promise.
“Oh, and I thought you might find this gives you an advantage.”
He thrust a bottle into Clark’s hand.
“It’s about a half a pint of whisky. It’ll help you make friends.”
* * * * * * * * *
TO BE CONTINUED...
ML
