Part Two
Late Morning - Daily Planet
Clark smiled to himself as the familiar cadence of Lois’ heartbeat reached his ears. He was getting a little concerned, especially after their conversation late last night. The problem with the restaurant reservations was another in a long line of delays and problems with getting married. They were both almost to the point of cancelling everything and eloping. Maybe do something crazy - like get married on a hilltop – just them and some broken down old justice of the peace presiding as they exchanged vows.
At that moment, Lois stepped off the elevator, scampered straight down the ramp and with a happy expression on her countenance moved towards her fiancé’s desk.
“Clark… oh good, you’re here. Great news! We don’t have to worry about the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. Uncle Mike said we could have it at his place! One thing’s for sure: Mother won’t try to change things around. And another thing: Daddy trusts his brother’s cooking. Oh yeah, and one more thing – we, have to set up Uncle Mike with Grace Chen.”
Jimmy, who was discussing his latest Superman photos, smiled, patted his friend on the back and moved away. He knew better than to put himself ahead of Lois.
“Good Morning to you, Lois. Now what’s this about Uncle Mike and his old friend Grace?” Clark leaned back in his chair and smiled, pleased to see his fianceé in a better mood than last night.
“Exactly! Mike needs a date for our wedding and it *has* to be Grace Chen.”
“No, we are not matchmaking! It never works out,” Clark responded emphatically.
“Tell her, Clark, that’s definitely not a sport for the faint of heart,” Science Editor Janet Owens said in passing.
“I’d rather go into a Boston bar in the North End wearing a Yankee baseball cap!” Steve called over from his desk.
“What are you guys thinking of?” Diane chimed in as she sipped her coffee. “Matchmaking almost never works.”
The voice of the Daily Planet’s editor boomed out, “Who’s matchmaking with whom?”
“Nobody around here, Chief,” Clark said with a shrug.
“Good, ‘cause this ain’t the lonely hearts club, it’s a great Metropolitan newspaper which ain’t gonna be so great if my staff aren’t working,” Perry said as he barreled over to the reporting team.
“Hey!” Lois shouted to the newsroom at large. “My *fiancé* and I were having a *private* conversation!”
“Not with your voice that loud, Lois,” Eduardo shot back, trying without success to hide a snicker.
Lois rolled her eyes in irritation and was about to respond when Perry said, “Never mind that! What headline-grabbing story have you two got for me today?”
Lois sat down at her desk, took a sharp yellow number two pencil, began twirling it around her fingers and said, “You know, Chief, we’re researching sources and checking our facts…”
“In other words, you *and* Kent have nothing. Perry remarked casually. “Come on, kids, I’m not asking for a Pulitzer Prize piece, just enough material to fill six inches of space. Which does *not* include your Uncle’s love life. Get on it. Oh, by the way, Lois, nice suit, but the shoes don’t match!” So saying, Perry ambled over to Steve in the sports section to see what sort of havoc he could raise in that part of the bullpen.
Looking down at her feet, Lois squeaked. “I’m wearing yellow shoes with a *plum* suit? Now I know this whole rehearsal dinner thing is getting to me!” She dived into the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a pair of black pumps. “Wow, Perry’s in a foul mood,” Lois remarked as she kicked off the offending footgear.
“Bet the suits upstairs are giving him a hard time again,” Clark said sighing.
“Nope, not this time. Alice is forcing him to stick with his diet. She wants him to fit into his new tuxedo for the wedding *and* keep his cholesterol down.” Turning to her computer monitor she continued. “OK, the discussion about Uncle Mike and Grace can wait until later. We need to write a story for this evening’s edition. It’s time to contact Bobby Bigmouth.” Lois put the receiver to her ear and asked, “By the way, what are your parents doing today?”
“Mom is shopping and Dad has gone to the Home Station store for lumber.” Clark lowered his voice considerably while saying, “He’s making additional shelves for the ‘special closet’.”
Lois nodded, understanding immediately just which closet in the townhouse would be receiving the elder Kent’s personal attention. “Right. I’m sure Jonathan knows just what to do. Oh yes, don’t forget to tell them they are invited to the Café Americana for dinner this Friday night. Mike wants all of us to taste the food he’s preparing for the reception. Oh, did I tell you last week Martha’s recipe for rosemary biscuits is a definite as well as filet mignon.”
“That’s great! Mom will be very proud; that recipe has been in the Kent family for generations.” Clark hesitated a moment then said, “When are you calling Sam and Ellen to let them know Mike is handling everything?”
“Hmm, right after I contact Bobby. They know not handling the restaurant reservations properly was a big mistake. But they’re still my parents. Mother will probably bring up the subject Friday night at the food tasting,” Lois groaned.
“Right. After what they did to our rehearsal dinner plans, could it be too much to ask for a nice quiet evening as one big family?” His handsome face held a thoughtful expression.
“I’ll see what I can do. But don’t get your hopes up! Maybe Mike can ask some of his old army buddies to stand guard while we eat. Consider it early training in combat…Lane family style!”
A slow, easy smile spread across Clark’s face. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, there is only *one* member of the Lane family I want to have ‘combat’ with. But since we have to wait a little while longer, is there anything I can do to make the rest of Friday night better?”
Lois’ face grew flush with embarrassment. Her eyes darted around the newsroom hoping no one noticed their intimate tête-à-tête. “Well, how about taking me to someplace simply amazing after dinner for dessert? Say maybe – Paris? I always wanted to see that lovely bakery where those sumptuous chocolate croissants are created.”
His eyes sparkled at the suggestion. “Hmmm, that might be arranged…”
Suddenly, Perry stormed pass their desks and barked, “Lois! Clark! In my office! A story has landed in my lap that’s just perfect for The Hottest Team in Town!”
The partners looked at each other with quizzical expressions. “Bobby and my parents will have to wait,” Lois muttered as she put the receiver back in its cradle.
“This can’t be good. Perry has that look on his face,” Clark said as he funneled long fingers through his thick dark hair.
“The one with the toothy grin?” Lois groaned.
“That’s the one,” Clark answered nervously.
“Great. You know what that means.” They filled their lungs with air and simultaneously shouted, “Jimmy!”
He came bounding over to them a questioning look on his face. Placing both hands together and bouncing on his toes, he spoke in a joking tone. “My Lady and Lord, you bellowed?”
“Jimmy, stop playing games. The chief wants to see us in his office pronto. Be ready for *anything*!” Lois snapped as she stepped towards Perry’s office.
“Sure. Photography no problem. Story sidebars no problem. Doing research…big problem! The chief wants me to sharpen my skills as a photojournalist. So research is out. It’s kinda like a promotion! But feel free to use my protégé, Jack.”
“Jack?” Clark said. “No offense, he’s good, but he’s not in your class.”
“Lane! Kent! Get a move on, you two! The colonel didn’t have this much trouble getting Elvis into the studio!” Perry roared from his office.
“No time to discuss this now. Just tell Jack to get his computer warmed up!” Lois said as she followed her partner.
***
“Now maybe dropping this project in your laps this close to the big day is asking a lot, but what would you two say to a juicy case? This will be a great story. Guaranteed,” Perry said as he paced the cramped office and rubbed his hands in anticipation.
“Any chance of sharing the gist of the case with us - this century?” Lois asked as she made herself comfortable on the plaid covered couch.
“Oh sure, sure. You kids have been so busy with your wedding; I haven’t had the heart to disrupt the plans with any story that required mountains of research and hours of time. In any case, there has been a series of jewelry store robberies in the Topaz district of Metropolis. The robber’s MO is always the same; he uses tear gas to subdue his victims then proceeds to steal the loose stones since they are easier to fence. Both of you work with Inspector Henderson and his people turn over every stone to bring this crook to ground. Those golden throated sources of yours have to know *something*.”
“Funny, we were just getting ready to call one when…”
Jack knocked on the door, and then stuck his head inside the office. “Hey Lois and Clark! I’ve got some dude on my phone looking for you two. He says his name is Bobby…”
“Bigmouth!” The partners said together.
“He must have ears to match his stomach!” Perry said. “Well, don’t just stand there. Answer the phone! There could be a Kerth award on the other line!”
Jack jumped out of the doorway as the two reporters raced past him.
“No matter how long I work here, I’ll never get used to those two!” Jack said as he made his way back to his tiny cubicle.
Racing back to their desks, Lois set the call to conference mode so Clark could listen in. “Bobby, tell me you have the goods on this guy robbing the Topaz district.”
“Oh yeah him,” Bobby said in a tone bordering on respect. “Don’t know his name, think he’s new to Metropolis. But I’ll tell you what, he doesn’t use a gun. There is a partner who’s only there to help carry the loot. He’s pulled four jobs, all as smooth as silk and perfectly timed. Kinda like a good soufflé. Word is there’s going to be another big loose gem shipment coming into the district probably in the next couple of days. It’s a sure bet he’s going to pull another job.”
Clark jumped into the conversation and said, “Great, Bobby! What do we owe you? A large pizza with all the works?”
“Nah, consider this my wedding present,” he said. “After all, you guys – at least Kent does – provide the best tips!”
Lois worked hard to keep from laughing. “Bobby, speaking for both of us… that’s sweet.”
“Think nothing of it. Just have a great time on your honeymoon. Gotta go. I smell a tuna fish salad that’s just dying to be my new best friend!” Without further ado, the snitch ended the phone call.
Clark joined Lois at her desk and said, “Great, we now know this guy isn’t interested in hurting anyone, he just wants loose gem stones. It should be easy to track him down.”
“This has been a great day so far!” Lois looked around the newsroom, looked at her fiancé and whispered, “Farmboy, what else does this fantastic Paris bakery of yours specialize in?”
Clark’s mind went back to his early days of backpacking through Europe. He remembered the scent of freshly baked breads and pastries which had just emerged from ancient stone ovens and how those aromas tantalized the nose of a lonely young man far from his homestead. How the taste of the hot crusty breads made him yearn for the simple Kansas farm and all its familiar comforts. There were an assortment of pastries, breads, and delicate sweets to satisfy anyone’s fancy; he choose chocolate croissants for Lois because of her penchant for the flavor.
After describing the shop he said, “Honey, it will be a treat, especially after dinner at Mike’s.”
She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the nose. “Considering we are less than two weeks away from getting married, my parents have botched our rehearsal dinner, Mother will probably attend the tasting - only to change the menu, Perry’s dropped this ‘juicy case’ in our laps… it better be!”
He stood up, smoothed his tie and said, “Look, I’ll get the conference room set aside so we can do some research on this guy – maybe ask Jack and Stacy to help. At least we don’t have to worry about your Uncle’s love life right now.”
The brunette’s head snapped up quickly, she smiled and said, “Oh yes we do!”
