By Tank Wilson <TankW1@aol.com>
Rated G Submitted
September 1999
Summary: What if … the episode "The Ides of Metropolis" had taken a different turn? A short and sweet alternative take.
The following was posted on Zoomway's boards in two parts a while ago. I'm sure most folks will recognize my opening scene as being from the Ides of Metropolis. I just decided to take it in a slightly different direction. As always with these fanfics, all characters are copyrighted and trademarked to their owners. Any and all feedback is welcome.
***
Clark Kent let Lois Lane drag him into the conference room. She shut the door behind them and turned toward him. Her face was flushed with excitement.
"Quick, tell me your deepest, darkest secret. The one you'd never tell another soul." She looked at him expectantly.
"What?"
"Come on, I need to tell you a big secret I'm keeping and I need blackmail material to protect myself."
The corners of Clark's mouth turned up slightly and without missing a beat he answered.
"Okay, I'm Superman."
"Wha, What?" She just stared at him.
"You know, the guy in blue tights, flies around the city doing good deeds. That's me."
"Clark, I'm serious here."
"So am I."
Lois waved her hands about and let loose an exasperated sigh as she launched into a classic Lane rant.
"Fine! Don't tell me!" She headed for the door. She stopped and turned as she grabbed the knob. "You're still my partner, and I still need your help with this, so meet me at my apartment in one hour." Lois took a deep breath and gave Clark a mischievous smile.
"I think you might be surprised with what I have to show you."
Clark watched her as she stormed up the ramp toward the elevators. He shook his head and smiled.
"So will you be, Lois. So will you."
***
Lois paced the floor of her apartment nervously. How was she going to explain this to Clark?
He was such a boy scout. He'd probably demand she go directly to the police.
"Lois? Is there something wrong?"
Lois turned and gazed at the innocuous looking fellow that was sitting on her couch. Eugene Lattimer was a confessed murderer. He had escaped and Lois and had found him hiding in her jeep. Lois knew he was innocent and had agreed to hide him, for awhile, until she could uncover the real murderer. This Lois knew she could do if she could just convince Clark to help her. She knew that even bending the law a little, like harboring an escaped felon, would go against Clark's oh so moral ethics but she was confident that she could persuade him to give them some time to get to the bottom of this.
She just knew there was more to this murder than met the eye. It was going to be a great story.
Her thought babbling was interrupted by a very familiar knock at her living room window. What's he doing here now! She looked at Eugene in near panic. She grabbed the mystified guy by his collar and propelled him toward her bedroom.
"Shut the door and don't make a sound!" She hissed at him. "Better yet, lock yourself in the bathroom." As she pushed Eugene she turned her head to shout back over her shoulder.
"Just a minute Superman." She gave Eugene a stern look, and being no dummy, he gave her a nod of acknowledgement and headed into the bathroom.
Lois turned back and opened the window allowing Superman to glide in.
"Superman, what a unexp,- er pleasant surprise." She placed her hand on his arm and gave him one of her most dazzling smiles. "What brings you around here, no bad guys to catch?" Lois almost bit her tongue as she thought, Stupid Lane! Really stupid. She never thought the day would come when she didn't want to see Superman but the uppermost thought in her mind was how to get rid of him, fast.
"You told me to come, remember."
Lois was confused. She hadn't seen Superman in a couple days. Not for lack of trying, they just never seemed to meet up lately. Of course she hadn't been thrown off any buildings lately either.
"No, I haven't talked to you in…"
Then it hit her. "Oh my god!" She sank slowly to the couch holding her hand to her forehead as if she had a headache. He had said he was Superman but she figured he was just teasing her. Clark… was… Superman? A few stray tears started to slide down her cheeks. She looked up into his concerned face.
"Lois? Are you all right?" He sat down next to her.
She just stared at him. He told her! She had asked for his biggest secret and he had actually told her! She reached up and stroked his face.
"It is you, isn't it."
"Yes, it is." He smiled and returned her gesture.
"Who knows?"
"Just my parents, and now you."
"Why me? And why now?"
"Because I trust you, Lois.
I know you are an honest and caring person and that you'd never knowingly do anything to hurt me. I am putting my fate, as it were, in your hands. I know how big a story this would be but I trust you wouldn't ruin my life for a headline. Bottom line is Lois, I have deep feelings for you and if I ever hope to get beyond *just* being your friend I realize I have to remove all the barriers, and all the lies. I can't ever hope to get you to love me if you don't really know me."
Lois was crying fully now. She felt unclean and unworthy. Here was the man of her dreams and her best friend telling her he trusted her with his life. That she was honest and caring yet here she was hiding a wanted criminal. She shuddered as she knew that there was more to discuss with Supe,- Clark, but she realized that first things had to be first. She still needed his help with Eugene. She wiped at her tears with the backs of her hands.
"Superman." Her voice was soft and hesitant. "You'll probably regret what you've done when you find out what I have done."
He gave her a quizzical look. "Please, use your vision gizmo to check out my bathroom." He was really confused but complied with her request.
"Lois! That's Eugene Lattimer. He's a wanted, escaped murderer!"
Lois grabbed his arm to prevent him from immediately going in and dragging poor Eugene to the police.
"Stop, you can't! He's innocent, I *know* it. I need your help to prove it!" He gave her his Superman look.
"Lo-is."
"Please, trust me on this." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "You trusted me with your greatest secret, please, *please* trust me now." His look softened and he stroked her cheek with his hand.
"Okay. I'm going now. " Now it was his turn to whisper. "But I'll be right back as Clark. And you and I are going to talk about this Lois." Tears returned to her eyes.
"Okay, we will talk about this. We will get to the bottom of this, together." She reached up and planted a quick kiss on his cheek and whispered into his ear. "And then we will talk about us. Deal?"
Superman just smiled and shook his head.
"Deal, Lois." With a familiar whoosh he was gone.
Lois heaved a deep sigh as she turned her attention back to her bathroom door. She had to stifle a girlish giggle. Nobody ever said Lois Lane led a dull life.
(Fade to black)
THE END