By Claudia Callejas <ccallejas@yahoo.com>
Rated: G
Submitted: September 2002.
Summary: Lois writes a letter to her father, Sam Lane. She expresses all the feelings she has kept in her heart throughout her life, and realizes that Sam is still her hero.
After watching a re-run of "Requiem for a Super Hero", I felt like writing this story. At first it was just the letter, but then I went on and wrote the rest of it. Lois writes a letter to her father, Sam Lane. She tries to express all the feelings she has kept in her heart throughout her life. And she realizes that Sam is still her hero. It takes place in Season 10 or 11. That is, Lois is already married to Clark and they have three children.
Hope you like it. I want to give special thanks to Nina, who kindly beta-read it for me, for her time and hard work. I would also like to thank my cousin Sabrina for encouraging me to write. The characters in this story are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros and December 3rd Productions. Any comments are highly appreciated. ccallejas@yahoo.com
***
As Father's Day was coming, Lois became aware of her feelings towards her own father, Sam Lane. After all these years, there were still some feelings she should deal with. It had been about six years since Sam Lane had returned to his family and started a new relationship with the three most important women in his life: Ellen, Lois and Lucy. So many things had changed since then. Even though Lois had been deeply hurt in the past, she had already forgiven Sam. She loved her father, but she still kept her feelings in her heart.
It was about two a.m. and Lois could not sleep. With all these feelings coming out, she decided to go downstairs and write a letter to Sam. Not wanting to wake up Clark, she tiptoed from the room…
*Dear Daddy,
So long ago I had wanted to say everything I'm about to tell you now. You might wonder why I'm writing this and not talking to you directly. Well, first of all, writing is what I do best, and second, because I don't want to hurt you. You know me, always explosive and impulsive. When I talk I sometimes do not have control over what I say; when I write I can always go back, proofread and correct so that I express precisely what I want.
Daddy, you mean so much to me; it's been such a long time since I said that. Ever since I was a little girl you've always called me "my princess." That expression has always touched my heart and made me feel special, loved. I know that you wanted to have a son, but instead you got two girls. You probably have no idea how my heart ached when I learned that. Besides, you never seemed pleased with my accomplishments, always demanding more of me. Then the more that I accomplished, the more that you demanded. I tried so hard to please you Daddy, but I couldn't. How I longed for encouraging words from you, but they never came. That's when I decided to prove to you what I could do being what I am, a woman.
When you left us, our lives went into total chaos. How it hurt me to see Mom dig herself into alcohol, and Lucy, my little sister, lock herself in her room and hardly talk to us. I tried, God knows how hard I tried, to help them. Then, I discovered that I, too, was broken-hearted. I felt helpless, lonesome, and even hopeless. How could you leave us that way? And for a robot? I thought I would never understand why.
Sometimes I felt the urge to run away and find a better life for myself away from what once was my home. But I couldn't leave them, Lucy and Mom were way too important to me. They were all that was left for me, no matter what. Things were a little smoother when Mom was sober. Lucy even sometimes looked for me when she needed someone. I felt so lonely, but I had to be strong since they couldn't. But those hard times are over.
Daddy, I'm not blaming you once again or condemning you. It's not my purpose to make you feel bad. You've already recognized what you did. You know what? Despite all the pain that it caused me, your absence made me strong, determined, tenacious. And now you're back. Things have certainly changed. You well know that when you came back to us a few years ago I was afraid it wouldn't last. I could not trust in you again. And you proved me wrong this time; God put the miracle of your presence in our lives again.
You have tried so hard to give us what you denied us for years. It's true that you missed out important parts of our lives, but you've started something new. I have no hard feelings for you, Daddy. I forgave you that Christmas Eve when you saved Clark's life. That day I realized that you loved me and that there's still kindness in your heart. Thank you for bringing Mom back into our lives, for supporting her in her recovery. I know it has been hard for you, but believe me, she suffered so much and only your love could have saved her. She's a complicated person, but deep inside she's a wonderful woman.
I would never be able to thank you enough for loving my children, especially C.J. He's a special little boy, just like Clark. Maybe you haven't realized you're one of his heroes. He's just four years old, but he wants to be a doctor just like "Grampie Sam" and save people's lives. Thank you for being there for him and my two girls. I know you love them too. Daddy, when I was C.J.'s age, you were my hero too, but circumstances made my feelings change. Now, many years later, I feel about you the same way I felt when I was four. You'll always be my hero. Daddy, I love you,
Always,
Lois Lane Kent (your princess)*
Lois was finishing the letter when Clark came into the living room. It was almost 3:30 a.m. He tenderly placed a kiss on her head. "What are you working on at this time of the night, honey?"
Without turning around to face him, she responded, "I was writing a letter for my father." She sighed and tears ran down her cheeks.
Clark joined her on the couch and pulled her close into a warm, comforting embrace. She buried her face in her husband's chest and continued crying. He held her tight, rubbing her back and caressing her face with love.
After a few minutes when she felt more comforted, Lois looked into his eyes and said, "Oh, Clark, what would I do without you?"
"And what would I do without you, Lois? We were meant to be together. I'm here for you, for whatever it is that's troubling you," he responded.
She looked deeply into his eyes and added, "I've been feeling that there are some things that I needed my father to know, and I thought this was the best way to express them. I don't want to hurt him, Clark. He has tried to build a new life for us, to right all the wrongs, and he has made a great effort. I feel so proud of him. But still, I felt the need to say everything I haven't said before. Here, read it and tell me if there's anything I should change."
She handed the letter to her husband. Clark read it silently, while he hugged her tight. When he had finished, he kissed her forehead and looked at her with deep love and said, "I'm proud of you, Lois. This is something that you should've done a long time ago. But I guess this is the right time for you, and the right time for Sam to listen."
"You think so?" she asked.
"Mmmhh. Don't worry. I don't think he'll be hurt; he loves you, Lois. You better give it to him as soon as possible."
"Thank you, honey. Your words always make me feel good about myself," she added. Clark caressed her face and smiled at her. He got up, scooped her into his arms, and took her to their room.
***
The following morning, Lois decided to send the letter by mail instead of giving it to him personally. She wanted to avoid questions. Sam got the letter the following day. As he saw the envelope, he wondered why his oldest daughter had sent him something in the mail, since they saw each other every day. As he read it, his eyes filled with tears. He felt sorry for hurting his "princess," but at the same time he felt loved by her. Sam decided he would talk with Lois that same day when she came to pick up her children.
***
Later that day, Lois and Clark reached the Lane's house. As they rang the bell, the heard the pitter patter of tiny feet running towards the door. Ellen opened the door and two tiny voices said loudly, "Daddy! Mommy!"
C.J and Marty hugged their parents, who carried them lovingly in return.
"Look what I colored today," said C.J., showing his parents one of the pages of his coloring book.
"Wow, that's beautiful. You're an artist," Lois responded to her son with a proud look on her face.
"Whoa, let me see that," Clark added.
"Mommy, Mommy, look I did it!" Marty said, holding a rugged sheet of paper filled with lines of all colors.
"Marty! This is a masterpiece. I'm so proud of you!" Lois said, hugging and kissing her two-year-old daughter.
"Good evening. How was work today?" said a male voice. Lois felt butterflies in her stomach as she heard her father's voice.
"Hi, Daddy," she said timidly.
"Just fine," Clark added, "How about you?"
"I've had one of the best days of my life," Sam responded, looking at Lois with a warm smile. "Princess, I need to talk with you. Do you mind?"
"No, not at all," she said with a hesitant voice. She looked at Clark who looked back at her reassuringly.
Lois entered Sam's office. She looked at him nervously. He broke the silence. "Lois, princess, I got your letter in the mail today."
"Daddy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you or make you feel bad about all this. I—"
"Princess, it's OK," he interrupted her babbling. "I want to thank you for everything that you said. You know that I will never be able to erase all those bad memories and horrible times you had because of my stubbornness. But, you're right, I'm here for you now and that's what counts from now on. And I also wanted to tell you that I am proud of you, of who you are, what you've done with your life. I was never able to tell you that before. Maybe I was too hard, but I wanted you to be the best in everything, and you are. You have a bright career, a husband you deserve, wonderful children. What else can I ask of you? I am proud of you, Princess. But I still don't understand how a horrible man like me can be your hero. I don't deserve it," Sam said with a trembling voice.
Lois hugged Sam tightly. "Daddy, thank you. I thought you were mad at me. I thought I had hurt you. Thank you. You don't know how much I needed to hear all this from you. And don't punish yourself anymore. You're my hero, you still are. I love you, Daddy!" said Lois as she burst out crying.
They embraced each other for a few minutes in silence. Sam let go of her and said, "This is a new beginning, Princess," and kissed her on the forehead.
"Yes, Daddy," Lois said.
She was about to say something else, but they heard small but insistent knocks on the door and Marty's voice saying, "Mommy, where are you? Mommy! Open up!"
Sam and Lois looked at each other and laughed. "She's just like you," Sam concluded.
Lois opened the door, carried Marty in her arms and said, "Marty, what's wrong with you? You almost knocked the door down."
"I found you," Marty responded with a triumphant and beautiful smile. Marty indeed looked like Lois and was as demanding as her. Clark just laughed from the living room.
Before leaving Sam's office, Lois turned around and said, "Daddy, thank you." Sam responded with a wink of an eye.
When Lois reached the living room, Clark was holding baby Laney. Lois put Marty down and took Laney into her arms. "Hi, sweetie. You thought Mommy wasn't here?" And she placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
When they had said good-bye and picked up all of their belongings, the Kents left the Lanes' home.
In their jeep Lois said, "Clark, why don't we eat out tonight? I feel like celebrating. It was great; I'll tell you all about it tonight."
Clark grabbed her hand and placed a tender kiss on it. Then, asked his children, "Hey guys, do you want some pizza?"
THE END