Don't Be Cruel

By cuidadora <cuidadora1717@gmail.com>

Rated: G

Submitted: November 2016

Summary: What if Clark went to Kansas after Lois rejected him in
"Barbarians at the Planet" and before Superman went to her
apartment? An AU for the Season One finale.

Story Size: 32,187 words (179Kb as text)

Thoughts are in italics.

I don't own the characters; they belong to someone else. I just
borrow them. No copyright infringement intended.

Some dialogue in this story is taken from the Lois & Clark
episodes "Barbarians at the Planet" and "House of Luthor"
written by Dan Levine & Deborah Joy LeVine. Some dialogue
directly quoted and some adapted. Comparisons of Clark's friends
with Superman's inspired by dialogue from the Lois & Clark
episode "That Old Gang of Mine" written by Gene Miller & Karen
Kavner.

My thanks to Marcelle, whose gentle guidance and corrections as
GE have improved this story.

***

*Day 1 -- Night*

Clark flew back from Kansas more slowly than usual. He wasn't
sure what awaited him in Metropolis. His heart had already
shattered once today, and he was not looking forward to the
conversation Superman needed to have with Lois.

This was one of the worst days of his life. It started with Lois
giving him a tour of LNN, trying to convince him to join her in
the enemy's camp. She put a happy spin on everything, but he
just couldn't see it. He'd never seen a workplace so sterile
and soulless--it was a perfect fit for the soulless man who owned
it.

Unfortunately the conversation with Lois went downhill after
that.

After convincing her to talk to him privately, he foolishly
poured his heart out to her. And in typical Lois Lane fashion,
she rebuffed his heartfelt declaration of love.

Then she didn't really answer his question about whether or not
she loved Luthor. But she was seriously considering Luthor's
proposal. Giving Luthor much more time and consideration than she
gave Clark, in the process scattering what was left of the pieces
of Clark's heart.

She apparently thought Clark was only jealous of Luthor. And
Clark's declaration probably only added to that image. She had
no concept of the fear he harbored of how Luthor would manipulate
and change Lois. And the danger she faced by staying close to
that monster.

To top it all off, she stomped on the remains of his shattered
heart, reducing him to her personal minion when she requested, no
instructed, him to contact Superman for her.

To pledge her undying love, he suspected.

*Oh Lois, how could you be so cruel?*

*Have I been kidding myself to think you considered me, Clark,
your partner and friend?*

*Was Clark just an underling you could use to get what you wanted
without considering his feelings?*

*Without seeing that he was a man who could love you?*

*Or did you think he was not worthy of loving you?*

*Great! Now I'm having whole conversations with myself in the
third person. Mom will have a fit. That is if I ever tell her.*

He hoped that Lois was not that shallow. That she was confused
and maybe upset. Well, he might just find out the truth tonight.

And maybe that's why he'd been reluctant to face her. He just
didn't want to shatter his image of Lois.

The Lois he had caught glimpses of under her hard exterior.

The Lois he fell in love with.

Not the one he saw today.

That one had crushed his hopes and dreams, and left him hurt,
angry and confused.

So he turned to the two people who'd always accepted and loved
him.

Unconditionally.

His parents had given him that unconditional love since they
found him in his spaceship.

From that moment on, they accepted and loved him. They protected
him. Whether from government agents looking for a spaceship or
speculation about his unusual adoption--which the town gossips
decided was because of his "illegitimate" birth. And they
continually showed their love even recently by covering for him
and nursing him during his first exposure to kryptonite and
helping him regain his memory after Nightfall.

They had always supported him even if his decision wouldn't have
been their first choice, like when he traveled the world or
became Superman.

They were the best parents he could have asked for.

He always knew he was their son.

No matter what.

Forever.

It was to that place of comfort and home that he went today to
nurse his wounds. And once again found unconditional love and
support.

While he believed in fighting his own battles, he was glad he had
decided to fly to Kansas for their advice. They were sympathetic
about his conflicted feelings of love, anger and hurt.

Confirmation that his responses were normal and understandable
soothed him. Even more than the glass of buttermilk and oatmeal
raisin cookies warm from the oven he'd found comfort in since
childhood.

His parents always knew what to say, and what not to say. Their
common sense and wisdom helped him to realize that Superman could
not be cruel or hurtful to Lois. And he needed to remember she
saw him as two different people. She rejected Clark, not
Superman.

His mom told him she thought Lois saw herself in love with
Superman, and unlike her father she was being monogamous in her
love. She thought Lois couldn't see her love for Clark because
she was blinded by the superhero and she saw Clark originally as
a competitor, then later a friend.

*Patience. I can do this.*

Following his parents' advice, he methodically put his own pain
aside. Just like when he methodically folded his laundry,
stacking the folded clothing aside in piles before putting it
away.

And tonight his new mantra became "Don't Be Cruel." If he had
to repeat it every five seconds to keep his cool he would.

So he put aside his feelings, instead focusing on what to do
next.

Only after he finished with Lois would he take out the hurt and
anguish, allowing himself the luxury of venting, probably with
primal screams.

Surely he could do that on a glacier in the Arctic. Or even
better, one in the more isolated and colder Antarctica.

Now he needed to focus, to gently let her know that Superman
could not have a relationship with Lois, or to at least delay
that decision without pushing her into Luthor's waiting arms and
bed.

That very thought sent cold shivers down his spine. He stopped
suddenly over the Appalachian Mountains and found his hands
trembling. He flew higher above the clouds. Here, in the space
between Earth and the stars he could find solace and quiet. No
calls for help reached him here, just the silence his soul
craved.

Lying back as if on a bed, he floated and relaxed, using
relaxation techniques he'd learned in his travels as Clark. He
stayed in his special place until his hands stopped trembling,
and he felt calmer and in control. After all, Superman could
never lose control.

Especially not in front of Lois "Mad Dog" Lane.

While Lois could lose her temper over something as trivial as a
cup of cold coffee or a stale donut, she had no idea just how
much control of his temper and emotions he exercised on a daily,
sometimes hourly, basis.

Especially with Lois Lane.

These thoughts were getting him nowhere. He chuckled to himself
at how appropriate that thought was from the person Lois had
called the "Hack from Nowheresville."

So he repeated his mantra, over and over again.

*Don't Be Cruel.*

*Don't Be Cruel.*

*Don't Be Cruel.*

It became ingrained in his very soul. He could match its
syllables to the beating of his heart. So it became a part of
him. When he finally felt in control again, he headed for the
city he loved and Lois.

Too quickly the flight ended, and he found himself hovering over
her apartment. While he normally wouldn't scan her apartment
without her permission or her being in danger, this was not by
any means a normal day.

Whatever a normal day was for him.

He was reminded again of his parents' advice. Martha's gentle
voice earlier today masked her frustration and anger. He was
floored when she suggested that Lois might try to seduce
Superman. Until that moment he hadn't even considered that
possibility.

Using his super-hearing first, he didn't hear any sounds from
the apartment except her breathing and heartbeat. Lois's
breathing was calm and regular, and although her heartbeat was
slightly elevated, it was not distressed. It sounded more like
anticipation or mild anxiety. And just hearing it once again
soothed his soul.

Wondering what he'd find when he looked, he prepared himself for
the worst. He avoided scanning the more private areas of her
apartment.

Uncomfortable at violating his own code of ethics by using his
senses to see and hear her, nevertheless he recognized its
necessity to get a better idea of what she planned--and to at
least have an inkling of how to respond.

Only Lois Lane could make Superman violate his ethics for love.

Yes, he still loved her. Right now he wasn't sure he liked her
actions very much, but Clark was very sure he still loved her. He
couldn't turn his love off as easily as he could the kitchen
faucet or a fire hydrant.

He sighed and wondered why he was responding so quickly to her
summons. Surely someone somewhere had a job for Superman.

He listened, stretching out his hearing to the surrounding city.

Nope. No such luck. Tonight was quiet.

Well, he thought, he could always take the coward's way out and
hightail it back to the Kent farm for additional comfort and
advice.

What was he thinking?

Why could he calmly face down Jason Trask after becoming
powerless from kryptonite, an amnesia-causing asteroid and
terrorists holding the Daily Planet hostage, but the very idea of
confronting Lois turned him into a mass of quivering red-and-blue
Jell-O?

She held that power. Until he could trust she wouldn't run to
Luthor, she couldn't know that she held that power, or how much
she meant to him.

And there was the other *BIG* issue. He didn't know if his
shattered heart could survive another onslaught tonight.

So he set aside his concerns about ethics and cautiously scanned
her apartment, starting with the living room.

And found her.

Lois was curled up on her sofa dressed only in a thin low-cut
nightgown with spaghetti straps, reading a book.

Clark shook his head and smiled to himself at his mother's
accurate insight. So, consciously or unconsciously, Lois was
going to try to seduce Superman. His first reaction would have
been anger, and he suspected he would have made a cutting remark
he'd later deeply regret.

Instead he blushed, sure that his cheeks matched the scarlet of
his cape.

Turning off his super vision, he took a deep breath. Next he
recited the Gettysburg Address in Japanese, again in Portuguese,
and then counted backwards by sevens from one thousand in Dutch.
When he was sure his face was a normal color, he cloaked himself
further in the cool, aloof superhero persona whose shattered
heart was not hanging together by a thread.

He reminded himself that Lois believed Superman and Clark were
two different people. If she remained close to Luthor and he
discovered she knew how close Clark and Superman were, Clark knew
that her life and those of his parents and friends would be in
danger. He knew Luthor would not hesitate to use any means to
find out his secrets and destroy the superhero.

Clark had one chance to do this right.

He could do this.

More than Superman, he was Clark Kent.

He had always been Clark.

And saving Lois was a job only Clark Kent as Superman could do.

Clark knew Lois better than anyone. He could see the nuances in
her body language and hear the subtle emotions in her
voice--without superpowers.

If things went badly, he could walk or fly away, and Superman
could vanish. Clark, however, needed to survive. Superman could
disappear as quickly and mysteriously as he had appeared to save
the space shuttle, but Clark would be shattered if Lois got
herself more closely entangled with Luthor.

And Clark had family and friends who needed him, and he needed
them.

Superman, on the other hand, was alone.

No family.

No friends.

Superman didn't go to a ball game with Jimmy.

Or listen with amusement to the Chief's endless supply of Elvis
stories.

He couldn't spend an afternoon fishing with his dad. Or help him
fix the tractor.

Superman didn't have a mother who baked him cookies. Or whose
modern artwork he supported.

Nor did Superman watch a video and eat pizza with Lois. Or listen
to her rant on a tangent while secretly loving every word. Or
tease her about creating words to win at Scrabble.

Of course Lois didn't know that, and might never know or
understand. Sharing those truths would require a level of trust
in her he currently didn't have.

Not as long as she was close to Luthor.

And both parts of him would be devastated to lose Lois
completely.

He reminded himself to focus on the next step. Not on what-ifs
and maybes in the future. And stop putting so much pressure on
this one conversation. He planned to keep the conversation going,
and if necessary, continue it another day.

Hopefully Lois would agree.

While the idea of pursing Lois as Superman felt like shards of
kryptonite penetrating his wounded heart, if it was the only way
to prevent her from marrying Luthor, he would save it as a last
resort. If only Lois could understand how much safer she, his
parents and friends would be if she had a relationship with
Clark. Maybe he could stall. Not give her a definite yes or no.
Convince Lois that he needed time, or that they both needed time
to figure out how or if a relationship between Lois and Superman
could work. Yes, he recalled his mom's reminder to not make
decisions for Lois but to include her in decisions.

*Thank you, Mom.*

And he'd have to decide what he could tell her and what he could
not... and when. And that could not be decided on the spur of the
moment, without risking his family and friends.

*Oh, Lois, if only you saw Clark as a romantic interest this
would be so much less complicated! I could have told you
everything.*

Instead he felt trapped, wading through the minefield of white
lies and half-truths that was his life. It was exhausting, even
for someone with super stamina. And if "Mad Dog" Lane decided
to examine his inconsistencies closely, he'd be in big trouble.
She'd latch onto them as a hungry dog holds onto a bone, and he
had no doubt that she'd tear more than his heart to shreds
without kryptonite.

One step at a time, he reminded himself. Don't get ahead of
yourself.

*Don't Be Cruel.*

First, meet Lois.

If she makes a more obvious seduction attempt, well, his parents
reminded him to react as Superman the superhero, not Clark the
man.

*Why did I create Superman again?*

*Oh yeah, so I could stay in Metropolis and grow closer to Lois.
Well, it certainly wasn't working as I thought or hoped it
might. But I could still help people without risking exposure to
the world. So at least that part of it was successful.*

He sighed.

He was over-thinking this.

Again.

No matter what happened, he would let her start talking. Listen
with both his ears and heart while watching her body language.
Don't make decisions alone for this independent career woman.
Good advice from Mom and Dad. Now if only following it was as
easy as listening to it.

And he reminded himself again, remain the superhero. Concerned,
but never angry or hurt. Don't give her any reason to turn to
Luthor for comfort.

*Don't Be Cruel.*

The estrangement of Lois and Clark had shattered his heart.
Thinking about also cutting all ties with Lois as Superman was
more painful than kryptonite.

If that happened all that remained of Clark and Superman would be
an empty suit.

And yet if she married Luthor, he was sure that would happen...
if Luthor didn't kill her first.

Steeling himself for the potential battle ahead, he flew down to
her apartment.

With a whoosh, he entered and stood just inside the open window.
The breeze he generated ruffled her hair, and she turned towards
him. Her face lit up in recognition.

Arms folded across his chest and feet comfortably spread apart,
he struck his best superhero pose and silently waited.

***

"Superman!" Lois softly exclaimed.

"I heard you wanted to see me."

"Yes. Please come in. I'll just put on a robe."

"Either that, Lois, or I'll come back at a more appropriate
time. If you weren't expecting company, I mean."

It was Lois's turn to blush as red as Superman's cape.

*Good. Maybe that will derail her seduction plans. Remember:
Don't Be Cruel.*

"No, I'll just be a moment," she said as she quickly turned
and sprinted towards her bedroom.

He turned, looking out the window at the night sky. And cooled
his emotions by repeating "Don't Be Cruel" over and over--in a
different language each time. He got to 150 different languages
when he heard the sound of her soft footsteps returning. And he
slowly turned to face her.

She was wearing a robe that matched her nightgown. It was an
improvement, although it still highlighted her body's curves and
left too little to the imagination. He decided to ignore it,
focusing on her face.

Lois shyly edged towards him. "Thank you for coming, Superman.
I'm just trying to figure out... well, there've been a lot of
changes going on in my life and I'm trying to make the right
decisions, but I can't until I know how you feel." Lois walked
closer, put her hand on his chest and tenderly asked, "Superman,
is there any hope for us? You and me? I'm so completely in love
with you that I can't do anything else without knowing."

He took a deep breath, exhaled, shook his head and quietly but
firmly replied, "Lois, I do care for you. But there are things
about me you don't know, that you may never know."

Lois interrupted him, looked at him with her soft doe eyes and
said sincerely, "It doesn't matter! I know *you*. And I don't
mean you the celebrity or you the superhero. If you had *no*
powers, if you were just an ordinary man leading an ordinary
life, I'd love you just the same. Can't you believe that?"

*Oh Lois, if only you knew! Why couldn't *your* mantra be Don't
Be Cruel to me? How do I answer you without telling you who that
ordinary man is, without hurting you?*

He shook his head again, clearing his thoughts. As he took a step
back her hand fell away from his chest. He closed his eyes and
then opened them. Looking directly at her he said sincerely,
"Oh, Lois, I wish I could. You don't know how much I wish I
could believe you. But under the circumstances--"

Pausing for a moment, he then continued, "But let's put that
aside for a moment. Lois, what do you want out of a
relationship?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let's start with this. You say you love me. Yet you've been
dating Lex Luthor. And I don't understand. Just how serious are
you about both of us?"

Lois lowered her eyes. "Well, Lex has asked me to marry him. So
I guess it's pretty serious."

Her admission hung in the deafening silence between them.

Lois looked uncomfortable, and Clark wondered just what she was
thinking.

*Don't Be Cruel.*

Pushing aside his irritation and pain, he forced himself to
calmly and quietly ask,

"You guess?"

"To be honest, Superman, I think that Lex is more serious than I
am. I wanted to know how you felt before giving him an answer."

Clark squeezed his eyes shut.

*Did she understand how manipulative that response was? Was it
intentional or not?*

He opened his eyes and asked, "Why Lois? Are you holding his
proposal in reserve if I say 'No'?"

Lois blushed again. "I guess so--"

He interrupted, "Is that fair to either of us? No, don't answer
that. You should know this feels very close to blackmail. And
I've never responded well to threats."

Lois looked at him in horror, her mouth open.

"No, Superman! That's not what I meant!"

Her eyes filled with tears, and she mumbled so softly he
wouldn't have heard it without his super-hearing, "How did I
get to be the bad guy here?"

"I'm not trying to make anyone the bad guy."

Lois gasped and stared at him as she realized he heard her.

"Yes, Lois, I heard that. I'm just trying to understand what is
going on, and hoping we can both see each other's point of view.
The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

He paused, took a deep breath and then continued, "But Lois, the
truth is I haven't been able to figure out how Superman can have
a relationship with any woman. The tabloids and paparazzi would
have a field day. To say nothing of criminals, and anyone who
wanted to control me. My close friends and family would be
constantly watched, and I fear their lives would be in constant
danger.

"And yes, before you say anything I know that you are very
capable of taking care of yourself. That's not what I mean.
There are some very determined people out there who want to
destroy me. You saw that with Trask. How he treated you, Clark
and his parents just because he thought you and Clark knew how to
contact me. What would he or someone like him do to my
girlfriend, wife or children? I don't know if I can live with
that fear."

"Oh. I never thought... I mean, I didn't know how you felt."

"That I have fears and hopes? Yes, Lois, I told once you *I am a
man*. I'm honestly not sure I could continue being Superman in
that kind of environment. And consider this: if it became
widespread knowledge that I was close to you, would it also put
your family and friends at risk? I can't be everywhere at
once."

"I didn't think about that... You must think I'm stupid."

"No, I never thought that! I'm only bringing this up because
I've had longer to think about it and want you to understand the
challenges anyone faces in a relationship with me. Another
consideration is could you do your job as an investigative
reporter if the tabloids, criminals and government followed you
everywhere?"

"Actually, I'm a producer right now. Working behind the
scenes."

"Is that what you want?"

"I honestly don't know. I-I'm just starting the job."

"I'm just surprised. I never pictured you as a producer in TV
news. But if it makes you happy, that's great. There's
something else you need to consider, though. Will your job be
there if you and I are an item?"

"What do you mean?"

"Lois, you work for Lex Luthor. I don't know if your job has
anything to do with his proposal. I am concerned no matter how
you answer him; you may not like the outcome. And before you
decide to accept his proposal we should talk about what I know
about him, but can't prove."

Lois whirled on him, asking angrily, "Are you going to attack
him like Clark does?"

*Great, Kent. You've unleashed "Mad Dog" Lane. Just what this
conversation didn't need!*

*Don't Be Cruel.*

He took a deep breath, and coolly met her glare. "Lois, I know
things about him because of my special abilities. And Clark knows
what I know."

Lois narrowed her eyes at him and coldly asked, "What do you
know?"

"That's a separate discussion, but basically that he's
involved in a lot of criminal activities. He's probably the
biggest criminal in Metropolis, and maybe this part of the
country. I really don't know how far his influence extends."

"A criminal? You can't just throw that accusation out there
without explaining. And why didn't you tell me before?"

"As I said, I don't have any proof. I know from what I've seen
and heard, but I don't have recordings of our conversations or
videos of his activities. The proof I've had has disappeared,
sometimes quite conveniently. And I haven't told you for a
couple of reasons. I've thought you were closer to Clark than to
me, and he's tried to talk to you. If you didn't want to hear
it from your partner, why would you want to hear it from me? If I
told you, I was concerned it could put your life in more
danger."

"So you make decisions for me now? Or maybe it's you and Clark.
Do you two talk about me behind my back?"

"What? No, Lois, it's not like that. I'm not deciding things
for anyone, especially you. Actually my delay in telling you was
probably more indecision than a conscious decision. My
relationship with Clark is complicated," he paused and sighed.
"It's one of those things you don't know about. And before you
ask, I'm not going to tell you any more about it tonight. But
you still haven't explained what you want from me in a
relationship. Would you be happy not being able to tell anyone
about our relationship? That includes your friends and family."

"Well, I'm not all that social anyway. I don't have that many
friends I talk to about personal matters except Clark, and I'm
not sure he's still my friend. We haven't exactly been getting
along lately. And my family, well I'm not close to any of them.
So, no, I wouldn't need to tell anyone."

"Lois, you deserve to have your relationship as open or as
private as you want. But not as some clandestine affair that
makes you feel dirty or like a mistress. And wouldn't you feel
that way if you had a boyfriend or husband who couldn't publicly
acknowledge your relationship? Do you expect to go out on dates?
I'm not exactly inconspicuous in this outfit, you know. Before
you answer, I don't want that kind of relationship so it's
probably a moot point anyway. I am willing to consider a
relationship if we can figure out the logistics, but having any
kind of relationship with Superman may not be what you want. You
need to seriously consider this."

"So are you saying there's hope for us?"

"I'm saying there's a lot to consider. Yes, I'd like there to
be hope for us. But I don't know how it would work or *if* it
could work. And the first thing you have to decide is whether or
not you are going to accept Lex Luthor's proposal.

"Lois, no one wants to be second choice. Not me and not him. You
have to decide what you want. Who do you see spending your life
with? With whom can you build the life you both want? Is that Lex
Luthor, me--or someone else?"

*Like Clark? Please?*

Lois stuttered, "I-I d-don't know."

"Then consider taking the time to make the right decision for
you. I don't want to pressure you into a decision, so there's
no time limit as far as I'm concerned. Search your heart for the
answers you need."

He cocked his head, staring out the window and listening. "I'm
sorry Lois, but someone needs me. Can we continue this talk
another time?"

"Sure. Go. I have a lot to think about. Thanks again for coming
tonight."

With a nod and a whoosh he flew out her window.

Lois stared at her open window.

She watched the curtains fluttering long after Superman's
departure. She found herself frozen in place.

She couldn't think, speak or move.

Stunned at what had just happened did not begin to explain how
she felt. She wasn't sure how long she stood there. It was as if
her mind and body had shut down, and needed to reboot like a
frozen computer.

Tonight was confusing. There was something off about Superman
tonight. He seemed distressed with an underlying tension. His
speech was different, hesitantly spoken as if every word was
cautiously calculated.

She stood up again and paced in her living room as she thought
over the events earlier. There was something more there. She was
missing something, but what?

*Where was the superhero, the one who always had a smile for
me?*

*The one who just a couple of weeks ago had teased me about how
special I was because I caught bombs instead of bouquets?*

*The one who seemed to look directly into my heart?*

*Tonight, he wasn't here.*

Instead, she saw someone who was serious and distant. He seemed
tense and uncomfortable. If she didn't know better, she'd think
he was in pain. But he was invulnerable. He was troubled as he
confessed his fears. Obviously, he was vulnerable when it came to
matters of the heart. So maybe he was in pain tonight. Not
physical, but emotional pain.

*Who had dared to hurt him? And how?*

*They'll have to answer to me!*

*How dare they cause that wonderful man pain!*

Would he tell her? Actually she didn't see any reason why he
would confide in her. Not unless he could trust her with his
heart. And he couldn't tonight. It was obvious he couldn't
trust her with knowing everything about him, so how could he
trust her with his heart? She slumped, dropping back onto her
loveseat.

She thought about what else he'd said tonight.

He worried about how his enemies might hurt his potential
girlfriend, wife or children.

Obviously that was a very real fear he carried with him. How long
had he worried about that? Before Trask appeared? Probably. It
sounded as though he had seriously considered it for some time.

Before tonight Lois had no idea he carried such worries. He never
seemed burdened by them before now.

Her perceptions of him seemed wrong. Was she overconfident to
think she knew him so well? Then again, tonight was the longest
conversation they'd ever had. Even longer than her exclusive
interview.

Tonight he never addressed her confession of loving him with or
without his superpowers. That seemed to bother him.

*Why?*

*What about that statement made him change the subject rather
abruptly?*

She thought about exactly what she'd said. "I know you. And I
don't mean you the celebrity or you the superhero. If you had no
powers, if you were just an ordinary man leading an ordinary
life, I'd love you just the same."

And his reply, "Oh, Lois I wish I could. You don't know how
much I wish I could believe you. But under the circumstances--"
And then he abruptly changed the subject.

*What circumstances?*

*What would make him think she didn't love him as an ordinary
man?*

One of her professors in college said to look for the simplest
explanation to a puzzle. That advice had served her well, and her
leaps of logic in investigations often came about after applying
that principle.

*So what was the simplest explanation here?*

*The circumstances that would make him not believe I could love
the ordinary man living an ordinary life would be...*

*Oh. My. Gosh.*

*He must be that ordinary man! It was the only thing that made
sense.*

Somewhere she must have met him as Ordinary Guy living his
ordinary life. Not only had she not recognized him, but also to
her chagrin, she realized she must have brushed him off. Maybe
even in "Mad Dog" Lane mode.

No wonder he thought she couldn't love him as Ordinary Guy! He
might even think she disliked or hated him.

*And he changed the subject because?*

He didn't want to discuss it. Maybe because then she'd know he
was also Ordinary Guy.

*Why?*

Surely he must know how she'd always admired him. And she told
him tonight she was completely in love with him.

She told *Superman*. Not Ordinary Guy.

*And that's important because he thinks of himself as Ordinary
Guy?*

*That can't be right! Why on Earth would Superman, that
wonderful man who could do so many things ever think of himself
as ordinary? It just didn't make sense. Unless... did he *want*
to be ordinary?*

Why? Ordinary is nothing special. Ordinary is what most people
are. Most humans.

Lois had spent her life striving to be extraordinary, and
Superman was born that way.

Maybe she needed to look at this through his eyes. As the only
survivor of his people, he was the lone Kryptonian among billions
of humans. How would that make him feel?

*Alien? Even alienated?*

*Isolated?*

*Different?*

*But in his case, different was great! Didn't he see that? Or
maybe he needed someone to remind him of that fact.*

*Could Superman want to be that Ordinary Guy? He said he was a
man, with a man's feelings. Did he want to be human?*

*To belong? He wanted to belong and be normal?*

*Then why would he fly around as Superman?*

*What did he say when I first met him? He was here to help.* *So
Superman was here to help. Firefighters, policemen, first
responders all need time to recover from their shifts. And isn't
that what he is in many cases? He's a first responder, an
unofficial fireman and policeman, and so much more.*

*So maybe Ordinary Guy lets him recover from rescues and all the
horrors he must see on a daily basis. And maybe he liked being
Ordinary Guy. Could the Superman suit be a uniform so he could
help when needed without exposing himself as Ordinary Guy?*

*What had I thought before tonight?*

*That between rescues he just hovered, in the sky looking for the
next person to help?*

*Or maybe was rescuing someone in the world twenty-four hours a
day?*

Actually, she realized she'd never thought much about it.

And if he was Ordinary Guy, he probably had a job, friends and
maybe a family. Obviously that part of his life he kept under
wraps. With good reason, she realized. If anyone suspected, the
government, tabloids and public would hound him until they
discovered all his secrets. And would indeed use his family and
friends to get him to do what they wanted. Or to destroy him,
like Trask tried to use Clark, Lois and his parents. To her
horror she realized that's what she wanted to do months ago when
he first appeared. Use him to uncover his secrets and get her
Pulitzer.

*Did he know that?*

*What if Clark told him?*

*Or maybe he heard her? How far does his super-hearing work
anyway?*

Something else she didn't know about him.

How she must have hurt him--*both* of him.

*AARGH!*

She buried her head in her hands in embarrassment.

She was wallowing. And Lois Lane did not wallow!

What could she do now?

She had to figure this out and make it right.

*Where do I start?*

*What did Superman say?*

He said the first thing she needed to do was to decide whether or
not she wanted to marry Lex. Apparently he wouldn't do anything
until she decided that.

*Wait, what was it Superman said about Lex?*

Superman had said that he knew but couldn't prove Lex was a
criminal. Of all the possible things she thought she might learn
tonight, that was not on the list. She knew Lex had a reputation
for ruthlessness in business.

*A criminal?*

*Why would the city's biggest philanthropist be a criminal?*

It didn't make sense. But what if... if the opposite were true,
that a criminal was the city's biggest philanthropist? Then it
was a great cover. Suddenly Lex's refusal to rebuild the *Daily
Planet* or to provide for its employees except her took on
ominous possibilities of his underlying motives. She didn't like
where her thoughts were going, but felt she needed to continue.

Jumping up, Lois began to pace back and forth, thinking hard.

She trusted Superman.

She believed Superman when he said Lex was a criminal. But she
hadn't given Clark the same consideration. Instead she'd opted
to believe it was all personality conflict. And after today in
the park, she thought it was jealousy.

Thinking back, she realized Clark and Lex didn't get along. Lex
had even killed at least one of Clark's stories.

*Why? And what did Lex know about journalism? Sure he owned LNN,
but what newspaper experience did he have? Surely he must
delegate. His multiple businesses couldn't succeed if he
micromanaged like he did at the *Planet*. What was different
about the *Planet*? Maybe his recent acquisition of it had
something to do with his hands-on approach. Or maybe because the
fact that the *Planet *was in serious financial difficulties.*

*And what about Perry and Lex?*

Initially Perry seemed to welcome him. Within a day though, Lex
had hired Chip as Perry's supervisor. That's when Perry left
the newsroom, opting to take early retirement. Chip was a kid out
of business school who had no experience in journalism. He may
not have had any previous jobs. No wonder Perry quit! It was
humiliating and beyond insulting.

The loss of her mentor and surrogate father was painful, and she
was still reeling from the shock.

She thought about Lex pushing Perry out as a business decision.

*Why had Lex humiliated and alienated a journalist as experienced
and respected as Perry? Even if he wanted to get rid of Perry,
wouldn't easing him out of his position be a better business
decision? It certainly would have been better for morale.*

*Which raised the question of whether or not Lex wanted the
*Planet* to succeed. Did he consciously or unconsciously want the
*Planet* to fail?*

And then there was Jimmy, whose newsroom job disappeared after
Lex took over. Since then Jimmy had been cautious around her, not
discussing Lex. Jimmy had seen her reactions to Clark's concerns
and accusations. Probably Jimmy didn't want to have her unleash
her temper on him. He was understandably upset about losing his
job.

Moving Jimmy from the newsroom didn't make sense. He was her
favorite researcher, and a budding photojournalist to boot. His
skills were wasted in printing or wherever he had been sent. And
he was like the younger brother she never had. And one of the few
people she could depend on. Just like Perry and Clark.

*Come to think of it, hadn't Lex suggested if Clark wasn't
happy with his editorial decisions he could leave the *Planet*?
At least that was the newsroom gossip. Why had I dismissed it
instead of asking Clark what happened? Lex said that Clark
didn't like him, while he claimed to hold the utmost respect for
Clark.*

*But did he?*

That's not how he acted when they were all taken hostage a
couple of weeks ago. He had dismissed Clark's suggestions, and
acted superior all night. Yet it was Lex who got shot, and Clark
who saved his life.

She wondered if Lex had ever thanked Clark. Not while she was
around anyway. She had thanked Clark, and Perry was impressed
with Clark's skill, she recalled. Jack didn't say much, but his
attitude towards Clark had changed by the end of the night. So
maybe he changed his mind about Clark.

Why had she so easily sided with Lex that night? Was it because
she was on a date? That was scary, if she was actually changing
her personality when around him. Would that last? And what would
be his reaction if she disagreed with him?

Did she side with him that night it because he seemed so composed
and wanted to take charge... to be in control? Clark was also
calm until Lex pushed his buttons too far.

In retrospect Clark's suggestions were safer than either hers or
Lex's.

*Clark was right. Darn it!*

*What had Fuentes said when Lex offered him money? Oh yes, he'd
rather have the police after him than Lex. If Lex were the
businessman and philanthropist he portrayed, why would Fuentes
say that?*

*He wouldn't.*

Fuentes must have known something about Lex she didn't. *Could
Lex's involvement explain why he changed his mind about killing
the hostages? Was refusing to negotiate with Lex and killing the
hostages be a way to prevent retribution from someone who was a
bigger criminal than Fuentes?*

Wow, she really didn't like the way her thoughts were leading.
Still, it was a puzzle that she felt she had to complete.

She thought about Superman's absence that night. He had arrived
at the last minute to save her and Fuentes after they fell off
the scaffolding. Apparently he had watched, listened and waited
for the most opportune time to act. Just like Clark had suggested
they all do in the conference room. Oh, she hated when someone
was more right than she was! And in this case, it was two
people--Superman and Clark.

Losing Perry as editor in chief, moving Jimmy and antagonizing
Clark--the second-best city reporter and the only reporter she
could partner with--didn't make good business sense. At least
what she knew about business. And in the process, she had lost
the three people closest to her.

Lois halted her pacing. A cold shiver went down her back.

*I. Had. Lost. My. Three. Closest. Colleagues.*

*Why?*

Suddenly she felt like she was being manipulated... by Lex.

And then she had an epiphany. One of her leaps of logic. Lois,
her family, friends, colleagues and even the *Planet* were all
pieces on a chessboard.

*Could that be it?*

Did Lex see the *Planet* and those she cared about as pieces on a
chessboard? Was he playing a game of chess, which is effectively
a game of war? Maybe he believed all was fair in love and war? Or
was she reading too much into this? No, she didn't think so. Who
was Lex competing against? Was she the queen, a pawn or his
opponent? How could she play if she didn't know the game was
being played or the pieces? Or was that the way Lex routinely won
business decisions? No, she definitely didn't like the way her
thoughts were turning tonight.

*Pawns. Jimmy and Jack were pawns, as were others in the
newsroom. Who was who?*

Actually, it didn't matter. Continuing this analogy, with a
ruthless player, they were all expendable in pursuit of winning.
She had learned that the hard way in her high school chess club.
She remembered that some of the members didn't care how they
won, just that they did. And humiliating their opponents seemed
to be part of their joy in playing.

Suddenly the Planet's bombing took on a more sinister
connotation. What if... if Lex had somehow been behind it? He
didn't like Jack; that was evident from the confrontation
they'd had in the newsroom. Could he have framed Jack? Or paid
someone to do it, more likely. Would he? That went beyond
ruthless business practices. People could have died if not for
Superman! Jimmy broke his arm and others were hurt. And all those
people lost their jobs. Thinking of the employees with families
who now had no income made her stomach queasy.

*How could anyone deliberately hurt that many people to gain,
what?*

*Could this whole thing have been an elaborate game of chess to
win me?*

*How callous was that? Or am I being ridiculous? Surely Lex was
not that ruthless and cruel to hurt so many people in the pursuit
of one woman.*

*Or was he?*

*What do I really know about Lex?*

Thinking about it, she was amazed to discover how little she
actually knew about him. Did she know enough about him to accept
a marriage proposal? Earlier today she would have said yes. But
now, if any part of this was true the answer was definitely no.

Was she in love with him? *No.*

Did she love him enough to marry him? In all honesty she had
liked and respected him, but now she wasn't so sure. Oh, she was
flattered by his attention. To be honest, she didn't love him.
And she realized with a start she didn't trust him with her
heart.

She sat down with a sigh. This was almost too much to think
about. No, she started this and she would figure it out.

What she really needed was to talk to Clark. But after today, she
wasn't sure he was talking to her, let alone willing to
brainstorm about the man who had asked her to marry him.

So what did she know about Lex from personal experience?

In reviewing their dates and other encounters, she realized just
how secretive he was, and how good at avoiding her questions. He
could change the subject so smoothly she didn't realize until
later what had happened. And she admitted recently she wasn't
even noticing he did that, even afterwards. Worse, lately many of
their conversations had become him asking her questions. He never
gave her an interview with enough information to print.

*What had happened to Lois Lane, the city's best investigative
reporter?* Was she so flattered by his attention that she stopped
investigating? And it was embarrassing to admit she had never
really started an investigation of Lex. Instead she had begun
dating him.

*Were all their dates orchestrated?* Thinking back on them, not
once had he asked her what she would like to do on a date before
he had made plans. When he called it was with an itinerary
already set. The few times she had declined, he made her feel
like it was her fault she had other plans.

Why had she tolerated that behavior? From anyone else, she would
have gone into "Mad Dog" mode and verbally eviscerated him for
making assumptions.

Never had they planned things together. Usually he even
prearranged their meal. Oh, the food was delicious, but it would
have been nice to be asked what she wanted rather than have him
assume he knew. If she didn't know an hour ahead of time what
she wanted, how could he? Was this what she wanted in a husband?

Well, she admitted, it was romantic--every little girl's
fantasy--to be treated like a princess, living the jet set
lifestyle. The truth was, though... she hadn't been a little
girl for many years. Long before her father finally left. And she
did not like being treated like a child.

Why hadn't she stood up to him for his behavior? It was
condescending, insulting and humiliating. And Lois Lane did not
normally allow anyone to treat her that way. It was usually a
surefire way to unleash "Mad Dog" Lane--or worse. Was she so
dazzled and flattered by Lex that she allowed him to make
decisions for her? Or was it something else?

The bottom line was she didn't know why she tolerated Lex's
behavior. And she decided she'd figure that out later--maybe a
lot later. She definitely didn't like it. She wondered if she
was more annoyed at herself for not seeing this before, or at
Lex.

Lex. He enjoyed taking her to the opera. Who else did she know
with season tickets to the opera, let alone box seats? Lois
thought they were probably the best seats in the house. While the
performances were breathtaking and the music beautiful, she had
to admit she hated trying to follow the story in a foreign
language she didn't understand. She often found her mind
wandering less than halfway through the performance. And the
mystery of following the details without comprehending the words
usually gave her a headache. She found the translated synopses in
the program not as detailed as she'd like, and usually felt she
was missing the subtleties of the story. If Lex followed it, he
never offered to explain, and she never asked. Was she too
embarrassed or intimidated to ask? Another thing to consider in
the future...

Why had she pretended to enjoy herself at the opera? Was she
trying to impress Lex? Or was she, as Clark had proclaimed once,
a snob?

While Lex's penthouse was furnished beautifully and
professionally, it often seemed cold and impersonal to Lois. Was
that the latest in interior design? Or did it reflect his
personality? Or maybe both?

And she had become part of Lex's social circle. Well, sort of.
She didn't feel like she belonged. They had other interests than
she did. And when she had attempted to talk about topics she was
interested in, including their jobs, Lex smoothly changed the
subject. Too often she was either at Lex's side while he led the
conversation, or was left to chat with the wives and girlfriends
while the men went into another room to discuss business. Lois
had little in common with the other women, and found their
discussions boring, inane or both. She was never left one-on-one
with any of Lex's friends or business associates. So she
couldn't develop either social relationships or cultivate them
as sources.

How could she ever consider doing that her entire life?

She couldn't.

Did she really want to be part of LNN? Broadcast journalism
really held no interest for her. Lex offered her the job of
producer, saying it was a promotion from reporter or even anchor.
She would work behind the scenes but get no on-air recognition
for her work. Maybe she'd get her name in the credits at the end
of a program. Credits that no one ever looked at. More
importantly, she'd be giving up her chance at a Pulitzer. She
would no longer be an investigative journalist, and likely would
not qualify for a Kerth or Meriwether either. With a start, she
realized she still wanted her Pulitzer.

Then she realized something amazing. She saw Clark winning that
Pulitzer with her! When did that happen? When did she begin to
think of them winning joint awards? When had Clark Kent become
that important to her? From the start, he had gotten under her
defenses. And even though it was only a few hours since she last
saw him when he had left the park with hurt feelings... she
missed him.

Was she really a part of LNN? More and more she felt isolated.
Cut off from the *Daily Planet* and her friends. Her family was
scattered, with Lucy in California, her father buried in his work
and her mother in rehab once again.

Lex had saved her from Max Menken when she and Clark investigated
those cyborg boxers. He also didn't blow her cover at the Metro
Club. Unlike Clark, who had. But did she really hold that against
Clark? That was early in their partnership, and he was afraid for
her. It was her idea to go alone into the Metro Club. And she
never did ask Perry if it was Clark's idea to go undercover. Or
maybe Perry had suggested it and let Clark take the blame? Clark
had taken responsibility when he left the *Planet* to go
undercover at the *Star*, and she never found out whose idea it
was first.

She had to admit that it was because Toni Taylor went to Clark's
apartment that Lois followed her and got the information on the
Metros and Toasters. And grudgingly she admitted, to Clark's
credit, he hadn't tried anything remotely similar since.

Then there was that weird copy of her apartment in Lex's bunker
during Nightfall. She hadn't dwelled on that, but in retrospect
it was creepy. How did he make an exact copy of her apartment,
unless someone broke into her apartment without her knowledge?
While Lex had seen her living room a few times, the details in
that apartment reminded Lois of profiles she'd read about
stalkers. Why hadn't she seen that before? Another sign she'd
missed that Lex was dangerous.

Even if he wasn't dangerous, she realized earlier that she
didn't love him, and right now she didn't trust him. She was
flattered by his attentions. And while that would be enough to go
out with him in the past, it wasn't enough for her to marry
him.

So she couldn't marry Lex. Or continue seeing him.

Should she turn down his proposal? Tomorrow?

What should she do? Go undercover? If she did, she'd be going
alone into a situation she didn't understand. Clark wouldn't be
there, and she wouldn't have the resources of the *Daily Planet*
behind her. And worse, if Lex had fooled her so far how could she
trust her instincts where he was concerned? Would she even know
if she were in danger? Too many ifs, and this time she would take
the time to check the water level before jumping in.

With a shiver, she realized she was cold. And her current outfit
was not comfortable. So she went to her bedroom and changed into
a soft cotton knit shirt and pants. She blushed as she thought
about her aborted attempt to seduce Superman. Well, if he came
back tonight, he'd find her in a different outfit and maybe
they'd both be more comfortable.

She decided she needed some tea. Clark had given her a jar of
loose-leaf herbal tea that was supposed to help clarify thoughts.
Lois felt tonight she needed it, and was grateful to Clark for
his thoughtfulness.

As she waited for the water to boil, she thought again about her
meals with Lex and those with Clark. How different were her meals
with them! While Lex determined the place and food, Clark was
more interested in what she wanted. Even the first time, when
Clark brought that amazing Chinese takeout, he brought a
selection rather than assuming she'd like a certain dish. Since
then, he always asked her what she wanted. With chagrin, she
realized she'd rarely asked him what he wanted. It was almost
always her choice, whether pizza, Italian, Chinese or something
else. The most independent decision he ever made regarding food
was bringing her takeout coffee fixed the way she liked it and
surprising her with French pastries. Well, she could change that.
Assuming he still wanted to be her friend after today.

After the water boiled, Lois steeped her tea. Just like Clark had
shown her. As she did, she realized Superman was right that she
didn't know him very well.

*Did he like tea?* She had no idea. She didn't know what he
liked to eat, or even how often. He'd told her once he didn't
have to eat, but that didn't mean he didn't ever eat. And just
because he didn't have to eat didn't mean he didn't enjoy
eating.

*What did Superman like to do to relax? What was his taste in
music or videos?* She had no idea.

She already knew Lex's preference for opera in a foreign
language; any language other than English she suspected. Whether
or not she was interested in it made no difference to him.
Actually it often seemed immaterial, she fumed.

Unlike Lex, Clark seemed happy to watch a video with her in one
of their apartments. He always asked what she wanted to see and
where. If she had no preference or told him to choose, he'd
usually bring a selection for her to make the final choice. Once
he brought that Italian movie they both wanted to see. Clark
spoke Italian from his travels. He would stop the video when he
disagreed with the English subtitles. They laughed at the
differences that his knowledge of Italian made. He amazed her
with not only the ability to listen to the audio while reading
the subtitles, but also with his thoughtfulness to explain the
discrepancies. For Lois, even with the delays of translation, the
time flew. That was in contrast to how it often dragged at the
opera.

Lois poured herself a mug of tea, and sat down. She realized that
despite his urbane exterior and sophisticated tastes, Lex could
not hold a candle to Clark for manners and genuine
thoughtfulness.

Clark liked lots of different music, and had a fairly extensive
collection of recordings. His apartment was furnished in an
eclectic blend of things he'd picked up in his travels and
mementos, with both new and old furniture. It worked and made a
comfortable home, much more so than either her apartment or
Lex's penthouse. And he had done an amazing job of repairing and
painting the apartment. The glimpse she'd seen before he moved
in showed it had been an absolute wreck.

She didn't know Clark's Metropolis friends outside of work. But
most people at the *Planet* had been his friends, and apparently
everyone in Smallville liked or loved him. Even though he hadn't
lived there in several years.

*Did Superman even have any friends? If he was Ordinary Guy did
they know who he was?*

While she considered him a friend, she definitely knew less about
him than she did about Perry, Jimmy or Clark.

Her thoughts turned to Ordinary Guy. *Was he lonely? Did he have
friends?*

While one of her fantasies was to be Superman's friend, she
apparently wasn't Ordinary Guy's friend. Had she totally blown
it? And did he more than care for her as a friend? Just because
she felt a connection didn't mean he did.

A single tear silently ran down her cheek.

If she had accepted Lex's proposal, she knew she would have lost
the two most important men in her life... Superman and Clark. And
right now she wasn't sure which one was more important.

Did that make her shallow? Earlier this evening she had
proclaimed her love for Superman, now she was focused on Clark.
And until a few minutes ago she'd been seriously considering
Lex's proposal.

*What did all that mean? It was so confusing.*

Of course, her actions may already have caused her to lose Clark.
She remembered the anguish on his face as he abruptly turned and
walked away from her in the park.

*No! *She couldn't lose Clark. She'd have to find some way to
be his friend again.

And Superman. She had hurt him at some point as Ordinary Guy. Or
maybe how differently she had treated both of him hurt him more.

*Who was he?*

*Superman or Ordinary Guy?*

*Or some combination of both?*

She'd have to find out if they were to become closer.

Then she remembered a quote from somewhere. **Love is not whom
you can see yourself with, it is who you can't see yourself
without.**

While she'd been comparing how different her life was with Lex,
Superman or even Clark, which one did she see herself not living
without?

She thought about the last few months. She remembered her
encounters with all three men. How upset she was that Lex had
tried to turn her interview into a date. What really upset her
though about that interview was that Clark was right about Lex.
And she had failed to see it! Did that confirm that Clark knew
other things about Lex, and she'd missed them too?

Worse, had she dismissed his concerns only because he was from a
small town and less experienced? Well, he'd certainly proven
himself on investigations. Why couldn't she accept his
suspicions as easily as he accepted hers?

Maybe she was really a snob.

Or was it because she hated to admit she was wrong?

Or maybe it was because she had to be tough to deal with
difficult men all her life. She was a woman in a man's world,
and they did not readily accept her or her ideas.

Except for a very few.

Perry.

Jimmy.

Clark.

And Superman.

From that first day, Clark had accepted her. He listened to her
ideas, and more often than not, after expressing his concerns or
doubts he would still follow her lead. She wondered if he would
follow her to the ends of the Earth one day. Yes, she could see
him doing just that if he could.

Superman said he always read her work. He never seemed to lose
his temper with rescuing her, no matter how often. And if anyone
could follow her to the ends of the Earth, it would be him. Heck,
he'd probably beat her there!

Except for tonight, her encounters with Superman were during
rescues or interviews. He had ignored her during the Bachelor
Auction, although Clark had been there to comfort her later.

It was Clark, not Superman, who rescued her from Mr. Make-up
disguised as Mr. Tracewski. And Clark held her when she was
upset. *Why was it so hard to see how good it felt to be held by
Clark?*

And she had to admit it felt great to hold Clark after Trask
tried to kill him at the Kent farm last fall. And she loved
dancing with him at the Corn Festival, and yes at the White
Orchid Ball. Although she wasn't ready to tell him she enjoyed
their dance at the ball. No use in him getting conceited.

So who was it she saw herself unable to live without?

The answer was clear.

She could live without Lex. So why had she thought of accepting
Lex's proposal? Actually, she hadn't been thinking, just
reacting for a while now.

Lois was both surprised and embarrassed to recognize that the one
person who would make her life incomplete by his absence was...
Clark. As soon as she realized the truth, she knew what she had
to do. She needed to apologize to him and tell him how she felt.
She didn't know if she was "in love" with him, but she did
know she loved him as a close friend--her best friend--and he was
a big part of her life.

But maybe she was just a teeny tiny smidgen in love with him? She
had fallen hard for him after being sprayed with Miranda's
pheromone potion. She shuddered to remember her behavior,
including the Dance of the Seven Veils, although she still
didn't clearly remember dancing it. The pheromone was only
supposed to work if there was already an attraction there. Could
her subconscious have known what she consciously denied? That she
felt more for him than the love of a friend or brother? And he
was so gentlemanly and understanding. Anyone else would have
taken advantage of the situation. After all, she did when
Superman was sprayed with the one hundred percent solution!

And there was no question that Clark was telling the truth today.
As she thought about it, he showed how he loved her every day.
Whether asking her choices of movies or dinner, bringing her
coffee just like she liked it, respecting her as a work partner
or just in being her friend, his caring was obvious. And no one
else could make her laugh over something as silly as recalling
the names of the seven dwarfs or Santa's reindeer. She smiled at
the memory of all those trivia games he graciously won, yet never
collected their bets. When she won, she would be sure to collect!
And his teasing was always gentle, not unkind.

She remembered she had told him shortly after they met not to
fall for her because she didn't have the time. Apparently he
didn't follow that advice... or was she really telling herself
not to fall for him?

And the kisses they shared. Wow! No one had ever kissed her like
Clark. Especially the only one she was sure wasn't a cover--the
one when he left during the heat wave. Gentle kisses that spread
heat down to her toes meant something, didn't they?

What did she really know about being in love--lifelong
love--anyway? Her parents were not good examples. And her past
relationships were federal disasters. In retrospect, what she'd
felt in the past seemed more like crushes or lust. To her
embarrassment, even her love of Superman seemed more like a
schoolgirl crush than a lifelong commitment to love and be
loved.

Thinking about Clark always being in her life made her feel
content, comforted and complete.

And Superman was right. She didn't know him well at all.

She didn't notice as another tear trickled down her cheek.
Suddenly the stresses of the last week overwhelmed her. Instead
of unleashing her anger, the floodgates opened. She dissolved in
a deluge of tears and sobs.

At first she cried for the *Planet*. She cried for Perry's
retirement, and how she would miss her mentor and surrogate
father. Then she cried about missing the clues about Lex and
Ordinary Guy. And even how blind she'd been to Clark's caring
and--yes--love.

As her tears continued, she realized that she wasn't crying just
for her own pain caused by someone else or for a fictional
television or movie character's pain.

For the first time she could remember, Lois Lane was also crying
for those *she* had hurt.

The two men she had hurt deeply.

She was crying both for Ordinary Guy--the man who wore
Superman's suit--and for Clark.

Overwhelmed with that realization, her torrent of tears
continued.

An hour later, Lois slowly stopped sobbing, drying her tears.

She realized she had needed that emotional release. Now she felt
tired, but renewed. Taking some deep breaths, she felt the
overwhelming need to take charge of the situation.

So what could she do to fix this?

Well, first of all, she could apologize to Clark. She realized
she had been out of line to ask him to contact Superman for her.

How? Clark was always very forgiving. She could explain that she
was surprised and once again jumped in without checking the water
level. He knew she did that regularly. She would also tell him
her epiphany that she needed him in her life.

She hoped that Clark would agree to do what she should have
suggested the first time Clark told her that he was uncomfortable
about Lex. Together they would investigate Lex and find out his
secrets, and if there was anything illegal in his life. With the
*Planet* gone, they'd find a way to get the evidence and figure
out where to publish it later.

Lois switched on LNN, where they were saying that Superman had
left the scene of an apartment fire some time ago. He was amazing
in the video they showed of him rescuing a child. He cradled the
child as if she was the finest antique porcelain. It looked as
though he was softly whispering to her, probably words of
comfort. Then he gently turned her over to her parents and the
paramedics. When the LNN crew tried to get a quote from the
child, there was a momentary flash of anger on his face before he
resumed the neutral mask of Superman.

Was that the key? That, Superman not Ordinary Guy, was the mask?
No wonder he was hurt when she confessed her love to Superman
after having brushed off Ordinary Guy in the past!

If Superman were coming back to her apartment, he probably would
have already arrived. Lois asked herself if she wanted to face
him tonight. No, she realized she didn't think seeing him
tonight would help.

Did she need to see anyone tonight?

She wasn't ready to face Lex. What about Clark? Yes, she needed
to talk to him about both today and Lex as soon as possible. She
had to try to make things right between them.

Lois washed her face, re-applied her makeup, brushed her hair,
grabbed her purse and keys, called for a cab and then headed out
the door to wait in the foyer. She needed to face a certain
mild-mannered reporter tonight. This wouldn't wait until
tomorrow.

***

The Superman emergency when he left Lois was a fire in an
apartment building. He rescued everyone, including two firemen
who had been trapped. There were no deaths or serious injuries.
The fire seemed to have started from faulty wiring, although
arson could not be excluded. Superman's findings were
inconclusive, so he left the investigation to the fire
department.

Speaking with the fire chief, he made sure there was nothing more
he could do at the scene. He told the chief that he needed to be
elsewhere, so wouldn't be speaking to the press.

With the *Planet *gone, it was just too painful to talk to
reporters right now. And after his emotional roller coaster with
Lois as both Clark and Superman, followed by his efforts fighting
the fire, he was exhausted physically and emotionally. The press
would just have to deal with his absence. He had no patience for
the LNN crew rudely clamoring for his attention. They were the
only press there anyway.

And because Luthor owned LNN, there was no way they would get an
exclusive from him.

Ever.

He gently lifted off until he was out of camera and human sight,
and then changed direction to rocket towards Lois's apartment.
Hovering over her apartment, he scanned it. She was still in the
living room, but now dressed in a shirt and slacks. She was
sobbing, and it looked like she was going through an entire box
of tissues.

His fatigue immediately forgotten in his concern for Lois, he
quickly scanned the rest of the apartment, hallway and areas
surrounding her building for hidden dangers. He released a breath
he didn't realize he was holding when he found no immediate
threats. His fear for her safety diminished.

So what was bothering her?

Had he unintentionally been harsh and, despite his best efforts,
been cruel?

*What'd I say?*

He reviewed their conversation quickly, but couldn't be sure
what might have caused her to cry. He hoped he hadn't been
unintentionally cruel or unthinking.

Hearing her cry so desperately tore at his heart. How could he
help?

Then he heard her whisper, "Oh, Clark, I'm so sorry."

*What?*

He started to lose altitude from shock, and then quickly floated
back into position. She was apologizing to Clark even though he
wasn't there? Why?

He knew he wouldn't get any answers floating out here. But he
also knew Lois. She didn't like to show her vulnerability. He
doubted she'd want Superman to see it. Clark on the other hand,
had seen her vulnerable before, and she had accepted his
comfort.

And he was covered in soot and fumes from the fire, which *Clark*
couldn't explain. So a shower and clean clothes were needed
first.

As he headed towards his apartment he heard a cry for help. A
woman was being mugged and it looked like her assailants had more
in mind than simple robbery. He quickly subdued the assailants,
found a policeman to arrest them and flew the woman to the
emergency room. He then gave the police his statement.

Next he flew home and showered quickly. He spun into a clean suit
and casual Clark clothes. Then he spun back into Superman, locked
the balcony door behind him and headed towards Lois.

Pausing in mid-air, he realized he needed a reason for Clark to
show up at her apartment tonight. Well, if nothing else he could
express regret for his earlier behavior. While he wouldn't
apologize for or take back his declaration of love, he could
apologize for not easing into it more gently. For trying to go
from friends and partners to something more, which was unexpected
and too abrupt. She probably felt like she'd been pole-axed,
especially with everything that had happened in the last
week--the Planet bombing, Luthor's proposal and his own
behavior. He could tell her had been an idiot or a lunkhead. She
would buy that at least. And maybe even laugh with him.

That might work. It was certainly better than some of the lame
excuses he'd given her on the fly when Superman was needed. Or
maybe he'd come up with something better later. Or not. Or maybe
she wouldn't ask why he stopped by.

Who was he kidding? This was Lois Lane! He couldn't be so
lucky.

With at least a plan, even if it wasn't a brilliant one, he
headed for her apartment. Out of sight and hovering above her
apartment, he was surprised to see her in front of the building
getting into a cab. Had he taken that long?

Where was she going? He sure hoped it wasn't into Luthor's
arms. He felt the need to discreetly follow her. Metropolis and
the world would have to wait tonight. Superman and Clark were on
a mission to protect Lois.

And then his super-hearing kicked in. Lois gave the cabbie his
address! For the second time, he lost altitude from shock.
Gathering his wits, he realized that since he was here, he could
still follow her cab and make sure she arrived safely.

***

Lois climbed into the cab and gave the driver Clark's address.
She settled into her seat. The cab's radio was on, which was
unusual. The driver sheepishly explained that there was a
marathon of Elvis tunes on this station, and this hour they were
playing his and his wife's favorite one. Lois said it was fine.

A commercial ended and the DJ said, "Next up is one of Elvis's
most popular songs. Originally recorded by Elvis in 1956, it was
released as a single with 'Hound Dog.' Both reached number one,
the only time in history both a single and its backside song
reached number one. He sold over six million copies of the song
by 1961. It became a staple of Elvis's live performances until
his death in 1977."

Pausing dramatically, after a moment he asked, "Are those enough
clues for you to recognize 'Don't Be Cruel'?"

The song began and Lois found herself listening--really
listening--to the lyrics. She soon was quietly humming along.

After the song finished, the cab driver turned off the radio.
"Thank you for indulging me in that trip down memory lane.
'Don't Be Cruel' was my wife's favorite song."

"Was?"

"Yeah, she died a few months ago."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. After hearing that song as a teenager, she took it
to heart. She made it her life's mission not be hurtful or
cruel. She was the only person I knew who had people like grocery
clerks and receptionists go out of their way to help her. We had
twenty-five years of wedded bliss because of it. She insisted we
follow the Biblical edict to not go to bed angry, and we never
did. I'm so grateful she was that way. When she passed in her
sleep there were no harsh words or thoughts between us. Only
love."

Lois found her eyes tearing as she softly said, "That's a
beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it." She thought that she
also knew someone who people went out of their way to help
because he was kind and cheerful first--Clark.

"You're welcome. It's the best instruction I ever received.
Well, here's your destination."

Lois paid him with a generous tip. Tipping generously was
something she rarely did, but Clark would do automatically. When
she had first watched him leave a generous tip, she thought he
was naive. To her surprise, she found that his smile and kindness
plus a generous tip actually got him better service the next
time.

She looked at the cab driver's name and made a mental note to
ask for him next time she called for a cab. Then she got out of
the cab and climbed the steps to Clark's building. The driver
waited for her to get safely inside. A bit of old-fashioned
chivalry she didn't often see in Metro cab drivers. With a wave
of her hand, she acknowledged his kindness as she entered
Clark's building.

Once inside, she paused and reflected on what happened in the
cab. *Was the key to lifelong commitment forgiveness and working
together, never staying angry at each other overnight? Could it
be that simple?*

Lois thought about her mother who held onto hurts, her temper and
hard feelings for years, as if they were badges of honor. And
what did that get her? A broken marriage, two estranged daughters
and a never-ending battle with alcoholism.

Was that who Lois had become? Someone who was unable to forgive
and forget mistakes in others and herself, learn from them and
move on? Someone who had forgotten how to show kindness to
others?

Thinking about other mothers, she couldn't imagine Martha Kent
holding onto grudges like Ellen Lane. Although she thought even
Martha would likely make the exception of people who threatened
her family. She would bet if Jason Trask were still alive, Martha
would not easily forgive him for nearly killing Clark, Jonathan,
their neighbor Wayne and Martha herself. She smiled to herself at
the vision she suddenly had of a furious Martha defeating Trask
with farm implements. She'd bet on Martha any day.

She shook herself and determinedly headed for Clark's
apartment.

As she stood in front of his door, she became more anxious.

Would Clark want to talk to her? What if he wouldn't even let
her explain?

This was Clark. He always listened. She had to believe he would
listen and hoped he could forgive her.

After taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and knocked.

***

She heard movement in the apartment followed by footsteps coming
closer. The door opened, and Clark was there. He wore a black
polo shirt and dark trousers with rumpled hair. He had a
quizzical look on his face.

"Lois?"

After swallowing she replied softly, "Hi, Clark. Can I come
in?"

"Sure," he cautiously replied. Moving out of her way, he
ushered her into his apartment, then closed and locked the door.

She took careful steps down his stairs, and slowly turned towards
him. She seemed to lose her voice, and suddenly began to shake.

"Lois!" In an instant Clark was by her side, ready to support
her. He wasn't sure if he should touch her or not, so stood next
to her. He quietly asked, "Would you like to sit down? Do you
want something to drink?"

She nodded yes, and let him steady her by taking her arm, guiding
her to the sofa. As Clark went to get her a glass of water, she
thought only he would be the perfect host just hours after she
had broken his heart. She blinked back tears as he handed her the
glass of water.

Clark sat down in the chair. In this seat he was close enough to
be supportive, but still kept some distance between them. He
sighed inwardly as he realized a few weeks ago he would have sat
next to her, gathering her in his arms.

As she got closer to Luthor, they lost their closeness until the
final remains were shattered this afternoon in the park. As he
watched her sip her water her shakiness decreased gradually. She
took some deep breaths, and focused on her glass. Her heartbeat
was racing when she came in, and after a few minutes it was only
slightly faster than normal.

He had no idea what to say at this point, so decided patience was
the answer. If necessary, he would find out if super-patience
could be another of his powers. He sat back in the chair, and
adjusted his body language to be as non-threatening as possible.
And as Clark quietly waited, he mentally recited his mantra
"Don't Be Cruel" in multiple languages.

After a few minutes, Lois found her voice. "Clark, I'm so
so-sorry!" She looked at the floor, not able to face him.

Clark gently replied, "Lois, I don't understand. What are you
apologizing for?"

Lois took a steadying breath. "I was selfish and unthinking to
ask you to get Superman like that, and well, I hope you can
forgive me. I didn't realize how hurtful that was, but I do
now.

"I asked you to get Superman because it's the easiest way to
get a hold of him without screaming for help in an emergency.
He's never told me how to contact him for non-emergencies. I
guess that should have been a clue that he isn't as close to me
as I thought. I realized afterwards how inconsiderate I was of
your feelings."

Clark was surprised at her insight. He didn't know what to say
about that. He certainly couldn't tell her how close Superman
was to her right now. Now was not the time to divulge that
secret. He was afraid if he said anything, it would be a smart
remark about how she never seemed to care about his feelings
before. No, he wouldn't go there. That would anger her. After
all, she had come to him.

He took a few deep breaths. When it seemed as though Lois had
nothing more to say just now he decided to respond. He gathered
his thoughts, and then softly said, "Lois, I believe you're
sincere and accept your apology. I will do my best to forgive and
forget."

Lois winced as the implications of his words sank in. This was
not something that could be fixed tonight with a simple apology.
She then tentatively asked, "Are you mad?"

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I was. Not now. Now I'm
disappointed, and hurt."

"Oh. That's worse than mad, isn't it?"

"Lois, I don't know. For the first time in my life today, I
confessed my love. And you told me you want to just be friends.
I've never done this before, so I don't know what to expect. Do
you understand I need time to work this out?"

"I guess so."

Suddenly needing more space between them, Clark got out of the
chair and walked to his balcony door, looking out at the balcony.
He took a few deep breaths before steadying himself.

He turned to Lois. "I want to apologize to you, too. This
afternoon I was abrupt and took you by surprise. I realized
afterwards it came out of the blue. And maybe you felt ambushed
or cornered. That was never my intention, and I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "Yeah, it was a surprise. Maybe we've both been
reacting to events. Thank you Clark. I forgive you."

Clark nodded. "Before you came over, I decided I was going to
apologize to you. So I am glad you're here." He paused and then
asked, "Would you like coffee? I also have cream soda, or can
make tea if you prefer."

"Coffee is fine."

Clark went into the kitchen and started the coffee maker. He
steeled himself for whatever Lois wanted to discuss. His mother
had sent some chocolate chip cookies home with him this
afternoon, so he put several on a plate to serve with the
coffee.

While the coffee brewed, Clark put the plate of cookies and a
stack of napkins on the coffee table. Turning towards Lois, he
said, "Those are Mom's chocolate chip cookies. Help
yourself."

He went back into the kitchen, poured two mugs and fixed them the
way each of them liked. He brought them back, set them on the
coffee table and sat down.

Lois took a bite of her cookie, "Mmmm, these are wonderful."

Clark just nodded, and sipped his coffee.

"I came over to apologize, and because I need your help,
Clark."

Looking into his coffee mug as if it held the answers to the
universe's puzzles, he quietly replied, "Lois, I'll help you
if I can."

She stood up and began to pace. "Clark, I did a lot of thinking
tonight. Superman made me realize a few things, and I thought
about how little I know about either him or Lex. Then I began to
think back about my encounters with you and both of them. And I
realized I felt manipulated."

She saw Clark grimace and then quickly elaborated, "Oh, not by
you. By Lex. I've been reacting to events instead of doing my
job. Will you tell me everything you know about Lex?"

He sighed. "Lois, I'll tell you. The problem is, I don't have
hard evidence to back up much of what I have to say. Evidence
against him seems to conveniently disappear. Much of Superman's
evidence is in conversations that were not recorded, and he
can't confirm them with, as Perry is fond of saying, 'Hard
Facts!' Superman and I have combined our information, so some of
my information is mine and some is Superman's."

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind."

Clark took a long sip of his coffee and gathered his thoughts.
"It all started at the White Orchid Ball..." He described every
encounter with Luthor and each suspicion both Clark and Superman
had, starting with Luthor greeting Clark with Alexander's sword
at his throat during the White Orchid Ball and ending with the
bombing of the Planet. Not only did he describe the events, but
he also described why he believed that Luthor was responsible for
multiple deaths starting with Commander Laderman and also for
injuries and destruction of lives and property.

She sat in stunned silence for a few minutes, processing what she
had heard. Shaking her head, she said, "And I thought I was the
city's best investigative reporter. How could I miss so much?"

"Lois, you can't blame yourself. Luthor is very good at
protecting and cultivating his image. Perry was fooled. And he
was an investigative reporter before either of us was born. Think
of all the employees, legitimate business associates, reporters,
detectives and others who were and are still fooled. The only
reason I was initially suspicious was because he confronted me at
the ball with that sword, which got my attention. He let down his
guard with Superman, because he was a rival and an obstacle to
his evil empire. And he's made a special effort to court you and
to hide his nefarious dealings from you."

"Is that everything?"

"I think so, although most of it is without proof. I have a file
on Luthor, although because it's late I suggest we don't start
on that until tomorrow."

Lois sat mulling over everything he'd said. She realized it was
not only the things he said, but also the way he said it. Never
had she heard such vehemence in his voice. If anyone could find
the good in someone, she thought it was Clark. Yet in his
description of Lex's involvement, it was clear that Clark
believed Lex was a criminal mastermind and evil. She shuddered,
wondering just what Lex had done to evoke such a response in
Clark. Was it the culmination of months of interactions and
events? Or was there something more personal involved? Before
tonight if anyone had asked, she would have said she knew Clark
better than anyone else. And one thing she knew was that he
didn't hate anyone. Apparently, he did hate Lex. She hadn't
seen the depth of his feelings until tonight.

"Clark, why didn't you tell me about your research? Never mind,
I probably wouldn't have listened. Well, I'm listening now. Why
is this so personal to you? What has he done?"

He realized this was dangerous territory. It was personal, but
mostly because it was personal to Superman. That made it personal
to the man under the suit, but Lois didn't know he was Clark. He
took a moment to think about his answer. Maybe he could make it
personal if he approached it right.

"The hardest thing for me is the children he's hurt. You
remember Amy Platt don't you? Now she'll grow up without her
daddy. Not because he died in an accident or from an incurable
disease, but because Dr. Platt was murdered for trying to save
the space station. He died a hero, yet his killers tried to
discredit him and make it look like the suicide of a drug
addict!

"Superman and I believe that Dr. Baines was behind his death and
that she was working with Lex Luthor. He had his space station
all planned and ready to go if Space Station Prometheus failed.
Do you recall when we were chained in the hanger what she said to
us about 'seizing the high ground'?"

Lois nodded yes.

Clark continued, "He said almost exactly the same thing to me
when I met him in his office at the White Orchid Ball. I think
you were out of the room and may not have heard him.

"Luthor admitted in front of Superman that he knew Metamide was
dangerous and probably deadly, yet he still tried to convince the
kids to take it. Lois, he was involved in experimenting on
innocent children! There was no one looking out for those kids.
At the very least there should have been informed consent by a
legal guardian, even if court appointed.

"And what about the clone? He was child-like in many ways. It
was Superman not the clone's 'father' who was with him when he
died. He was in pain and there was nothing Superman could do. His
so-called father knew about his suffering.

"Superman is convinced the clone was created to destroy
Superman, to kill him and then probably destroy his reputation.
Who had the money, the access to technology and the hatred of
Superman to do that? Lex Luthor is the only one that comes to
mind. How could anyone create a child even if he physically
looked like an adult and then stand by while he suffered without
trying to help?

"If he's responsible for the Planet bombing, think of the
families of all the employees now out of work. Maybe I feel for
these kids partly because I'm adopted, and my biological parents
died when I was a baby. I know the pain of not knowing who your
biological parents were, and worse, why they left you.

"I don't trust Luthor. And frankly it scares me to think about
how close the two of you have become, and whatever he really has
planned for you. You're one of my closest friends. Yes, Lois, I
take this very personally."

He got up from his chair, took his mug to the kitchen and
carefully placed it in the sink before he shattered it in anger.
Then he stalked over to his balcony door. He stared out tensely,
opening and closing his fists. Never before in one sitting had he
unburdened himself with the events of the past few months. He
could feel the anger coursing through his body. He needed to get
control. When he felt the heat going to his eyes, he slammed his
eyelids shut. And pretended to continue staring out at his
balcony with his back to Lois.

He concentrated on his mantra, reciting *Don't Be Cruel* over
and over in multiple languages. Gradually he felt the tension
left his muscles, and then he cautiously reopened his eyes.

Lois looked at Clark. His anger was palpable, coming off him in
waves. He kept his distance from her, and his body language was
also protective, distant. After helping her to the sofa tonight,
he made no further effort to touch her. Sitting in the chair
instead of next to her on the sofa, she could feel the distance
between them. In his eyes she had seen the depth of his pain. She
longed to hold him, to share his pain.

*What?* She did?

Yes, she admitted.

To her shame she realized again how she had hurt him today. In
his body language, if not his words, he projected that he was
protecting himself from further hurt by her.

How well she knew that feeling! Her father, Paul and Claude had
each in his own way broken her heart and then stomped on the
broken pieces.

And hadn't she done just that to Clark? Unintentionally maybe,
but the results were the same. He had been the one to get under
her barriers, to reach the real Lois. And she had repaid him with
arrogance, barbs and breaking his heart today.

She took a swallow of her coffee, gathering her thoughts. This
was more urgent than investigating Lex. And she was the one who
needed to fix this. Up until now Clark had always been the one to
make things right between them. Lois Lane never apologized or
backed down. She didn't want Clark to turn into the cold
impersonal workaholic she had been when she first met him. No, he
was too compassionate, too full of life. After all, he made even
boring stakeouts fun. She needed to fix this, and find a way to
start healing his heart.

She was the only one who could do this.

She would fix this.

How?

Lois puzzled over what to do. Finally, she got up and stood next
to Clark. Gathering her courage, she softly said, "Clark, we
need to talk. Not about Lex, but about something else I
discovered tonight. Will you come back and sit down so we can
talk? Or do you need some more time?"

Clark looked at her and replied, "I'll be there in a bit. I
just need a few more minutes."

"Okay." And Lois quietly walked back to the sofa.

It took Clark those few minutes to compose himself. When he was
ready, he walked back to the living room and sat in the chair
again.

"Go ahead, Lois. I'm ready to talk."

She turned and faced him, looking sincerely into his eyes.

"Well, tonight I thought about what you'd said, and also what
Superman had said. I thought about how my future could look, and
made a startling discovery. Clark, I don't want to marry Lex.
Actually, I'm not sure I'm ready to marry anyone right now. I
can live without Lex and Superman, but I realized I want--no
need--you in my life."

Clark was stunned. "You do?"

"I don't know if that means love or not, but I'd like to find
out. If you're agreeable that is, and can wait for me to figure
it out."

"Lois, I have waited my whole life for you. Right now I'm not
ready for marriage either. I think we both need to discover
things about each other and ourselves before we make that
commitment. I'll wait for you if you wait for me. We can go as
slowly as we need. Just don't shut me out of your life."

She shook her head. "I won't." Then with a tremor in her
voice, softly asked, "Can we start with a hug?"

Silently he nodded, stood up and opened his arms as she
simultaneously stood, launching herself into his waiting arms.
She clung to him as he gently enfolded her. Once again tonight
tears silently tracked down her cheeks. While she couldn't
verbalize what she felt, it felt right and her heart sang,
recognizing him as her lifeline.

Initially startled with the intensity of her embrace, Clark
relaxed in the moment. He gently held her, rocking back and forth
while slowly rubbing circles on her back. She relaxed into his
embrace and her tears slowed until they stopped.

They forgot the pain of the last weeks, giving each other
comfort. Lois felt and Clark heard their hearts beating in
synchronization.

Both recognized how right it felt.

Like coming home.

Only better.

***

 After a few minutes, they separated. They sat next to each other
on the sofa in silence until Lois spoke.

"Wow."

Clark chuckled. "That's what I thought. For two reporters who
make our living with words we sure don't seem to have much to
say right now."

Lois sat thoughtfully for a few minutes. Then suddenly she jumped
up and began pacing. Clark silently watched her until she spoke.

"Clark, have you ever felt like your life is being played on a
chessboard?"

Without waiting for him to answer she continued, "That's how
I've been feeling. That Perry's retirement was to get him out
of the way. That Jack and Jimmy were pawns and were removed from
the newsroom and my life. I'm even questioning whether Jack was
framed. And I never trusted him! When the *Planet* was destroyed
my job, colleagues and friends were all gone. My family is
scattered, with Mom in rehab in the Midwest, my father buried in
his research at Lex Labs upstate and Lucy in California. I felt
lost, and still feel in shock. Thinking about all that has
happened, I feel my life is out of my control. And worse, it
feels like someone else is in charge. And that makes me angry.
So, it feels like I'm on a chessboard. And the worst part is I
don't know who the players are, or even who is what piece. Other
than the pawns, which could be everyone except Lex."

Clark sat stunned, realizing Lois had spoken without seeming to
take a breath. Then a slow smile spread across his face as he
watched her get more and more animated and agitated.

Lois turned to look at him, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you
think this is funny?"

He just quietly said, "No, not funny. I'm not amused. I'm
happy. You're back."

She paused mid-rant and said, "What? I've been here the whole
time."

"No, you haven't. You haven't been yourself since the Planet
was bombed, maybe even before. This is the real you. The woman
who can take leaps of logic and put together clues no one else
can. This is the three-time Kerth award winner who wants a
Pulitzer before she's thirty. I missed you."

Lois just stared at him. Then she returned his smile. "So what
do you think of chess?"

"I think it is a brilliant analogy. I also think that Lu-Lex
forgot that the most powerful piece on the board is the queen.
What do you think our next move is?"

"The queen, huh?" Lois smiled, "Lex has no idea what he's
done and who he's messing with. It's not just the queen. I'm
hoping it will be Lane and Kent, the city's best investigative
team."

"I'd like that very much."

"Well, I think we need a game changer. We need to play a
different game. I don't know about you, but I don't like to
play a game that I don't know the rules to and can't see the
board. If we were at the *Planet*, we'd get Jimmy to do some
research. Maybe we should work backwards, starting with the
Planet's bombing."

"Lois, I've been doing some digging. I think you're right
about Jack. I'm planning to talk to him tomorrow. That bomb was
complex. Jack wouldn't have the funds--"

"Or the knowledge to make it. What about motive?"

"Jack's newsroom job was eliminated in so-called 'cost
cutting.' He quietly took the demotion to printing because he
needed to get Denny out of foster care when Jack turns eighteen.
He needed--"

"His job and good references. He seems to love Denny and-- "

"Would do anything to protect him."

"So he's the scapegoat, not the bomber."

Clark continued, "I found hints there may be more than one
insurance policy on the *Planet*. If so--"

"Lex lied to me! And it's likely there was more than enough to
rebuild the *Planet*."

"Assuming all the policies pay and that Luthor Corporation or
Lex Luthor is the beneficiary. And I have that file I started a
few months ago on him if you want to see it."

"You bet I do! Tomorrow or the next day. I don't think I could
focus tonight. But Clark, if this is true why would Lex buy the
*Planet* and then turn around and destroy it?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Lois, it's a military strategy. Lu-Lex is a student of Sun Tzu
and other historical military strategists. Isolate the enemy, and
then you can defeat him."

"I'm the enemy?"

"Maybe. The question is, are you the enemy due to your
investigative skills? Or are you really a romantic interest? Or
maybe both?"

"What?"

"All is fair in love and war. Could he be viewing love as a game
of war?"

"Maybe."

"Lois, do you remember the tests that Superman went through when
he first arrived?"

"Tests? No, I don't think so--"

"The dual jumpers, the bombing of the Carlin building?"

"Those were tests?"

"Testing speed and invulnerability. Luthor as much as admitted
to Superman they were tests. Superman disappeared when Luthor
told him if he stayed more people would get hurt. And when he
first met Superman he said, 'Let the games begin.'"

"That's awful!"

"Yeah, it is."

"Do you think I'm responsible for the Planet bombing?"

"NO! Don't ever think that! Whoever bombed the Planet is solely
responsible. What I'm trying to say is he thinks of everything
as a game to win. And you're right, we don't know what game is
being played. We don't know the players, and we don't even know
what the endgame is."

"So Lex's goal could be to marry me and control the stories I
write, or don't write. I'm in an office at LNN that is away
from the action, and basically I have no authority or
responsibility. I'm not doing investigative work--"

"And are isolated. Cut off from the *Planet*, your colleagues,
your friends, your family."

"And Superman. This may sound conceited, but I wonder if Lex
asked me to marry him because he loves me, wants me out of the
way or because he can take me from Superman? Although I'm not
sure Superman ever really had me."

"What do you mean?"

"Just something he said, that he's not sure he can have a
romantic attachment to anyone. How sad is that? He must be so
alone, the last of his kind with no friends or family from
Krypton. And he can't publicly have a family or friends. Too
dangerous for them, and he'd be at risk to be manipulated to
keep them safe."

"When you put it that way, it is sad and lonely."

"Clark, we've only talked about part of what I wanted to say.
Before I came over tonight I realized how little I know about
Lex. When I ask him a direct question he rarely answers, changing
the topic or giving an evasive answer. In answer to your question
from this afternoon, I realized tonight that I don't love Lex.
If even a fraction of what you and Superman suspect is true,
he's much worse than I thought. I can't marry him. And I want
to work with you to find out. If he's dirty, we'll bring him
down."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"That's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I
thought about going undercover, working at LNN and maybe
accepting his proposal or delay answering him."

After a pause to remind himself of his mantra, Clark chose his
words carefully. "Lois, tell me what you want me to say. I
don't want to fight with you. I feel like I'm walking a fine
line here. Do you want my opinion, or do you need a sounding
board first?"

"I don't know. I guess I need to work through this without
judgment or prejudice. Can you do that?"

"Lois, I don't know. All I can do is try. You know how I feel
about him, and it's scared me to think how close you've become.
If you need to talk without me saying much, I'll do my best.
Please let me voice my opinion though before you make any final
decision."

"I can do that. The thing is, I'm also afraid that if Lex has
been able to manipulate me without me seeing it, he may be able
to continue to do so. And he keeps his business dealings from me.
I'm thinking my job at LNN would be a distraction. I'm not sure
I'd learn much from either him or LNN. I need help deciding what
to do."

Lois listed several options and Clark made occasional
suggestions. Over the next hour they discussed the pros and cons
of each. Finally, they decided the best plan was for Clark to see
Jack as planned the next day. Lois would go to work at LNN and
look at her job and workplace from her fresh perspective before
making a final decision.

"Clark, tomorrow night is Perry's retirement party."

"You're still going, aren't you?"

"Yes, of course. We both need to go. Lex is sending a car for
me, and I'll be able to take Perry, Jimmy and you home. We'll
have a designated driver, so if we have too much to drink or are
just too emotional to go home alone, it will be a safe ride. You
can come too. Although..." her voice trailed off as the germ of
an idea grew.

"What?"

"Clark, do you think there might be a spy at the party? Someone
reporting to Lex?"

"I hadn't thought about it, but why not? It could be someone
who is getting paid, for information or someone who thinks the
information would be of value for a job. Technically we're all
his ex-employees, so someone might feel loyalty to him,
especially if that person were annoyed with you or me. Or both of
us."

Lois outlined her plan for the party. Together they made some
adjustments, and she called a cab. Clark walked her to the cab,
and then went back into his apartment while listening to her
heartbeat. He walked inside, locked the door then spun into his
suit and took off from his balcony. Superman followed her
discreetly to make sure she got home safely.

She did, and once inside her apartment got ready for bed. She
fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

***

Day 2

The next day started out with Lois in her new office. She really
had nothing to do, so started looking through her clippings,
especially those about Superman. A disturbance in the newsroom
brought her out of her office. Worried about a possible CNN
scoop, the news team had been frantic and contemplated going on
air without confirmation of the facts. Perry would have been
appalled! Lois used her sources so they were able to go on air
with additional accurate details. Afterwards she basked in the
praise of her colleagues. Yet she couldn't help but compare it
to the *Planet*--when she had written the stories that eventually
led to her three Kerth Awards, when she had uncovered the ring of
car thieves by going undercover, and more recently when she
shared the investigating and limelight with Clark.

Here at LNN she would get the respect of her colleagues, but no
public acknowledgement that she did all the work for others to
take the credit. Unless the story won an award and she was listed
as the producer. That was unsettling, and Lois realized that
wasn't her. She wondered for a moment where "Mad Dog" Lane had
gone. And could Lois survive without "Mad Dog" in her
professional life? The LNN celebration also paled in comparison
to Perry's celebrations. Today there was no acknowledgement by
her immediate supervisor that she had gotten a scoop for LNN and
beaten the competition. With a start, she recognized there was
also an emptiness that hurt her heart without Clark by her side.

After work, she hurried home to change. Lex was providing the
limo for her to get to and from Perry's retirement party, which
was tonight. The last thing she felt like was acting happy and
upbeat, yet she would do it for Perry. She was going to miss him
and everyone at the *Planet* terribly. Lois didn't even realize
how on edge she was as she headed out to the party.

After seeing Lois home and making a patrol rather than going to
bed, Clark had showered at human speed in his apartment then
traveled to Kansas for a home-cooked country breakfast. His
parents welcomed him with open arms, and were pleased with how he
handled himself with Lois the night before. They thought he did
well, and were delighted about how he and Lois planned to work
together. Knowing Lois's tendency to go undercover and throw
caution to the wind in the heat of an investigation, they
cautioned him about the dangers if Luthor became suspicious.

He shared his concerns about who had really bombed the Planet.
His parents agreed it was awfully convenient for the evidence to
turn up in Jack's lunchbox and apartment. And even if Jack were
a serious suspect, how did a former street kid working as a gofer
have the knowledge or resources for the bombing? Jonathan and
Martha reiterated their belief in Clark and his instincts. After
hugs and promises to keep his parents informed, Clark returned to
his apartment to nap before going to see Jack after lunch.

Luthor had hired Jack's lawyer. Jack was convinced the lawyer
wasn't interested in helping him. Clark offered to find an
honest lawyer, and promised to keep digging into who really blew
up the Planet. Jack was relieved that Clark believed he was
framed, although he did ask Clark if Superman could spring him
from "Juvvie Hall." Clark told him no, and left with new
determination to bring Luthor down for destroying the *Planet*
and so many lives.

The party started off harmless enough, with Perry reminiscing.
After awhile he sang "Lonely Teardrops" and regaled the group
with a new Elvis anecdote. Then a belly dancer drew him away from
the table dancing. Everyone chuckled, and expressed their
pleasure that Perry was enjoying himself.

The atmosphere changed when Jimmy turned to Lois and asked, "So
how's the new job, Lois?"

She replied, "Great! Broadcasting is a whole new world. It's so
exciting."

There was an uncomfortable silence at the table as if no one knew
what to say.

Clark bit back a sharp retort. "How does it compare to the
*Planet*?"

"Oh, nothing could ever replace the *Planet*, but I for one am
not sitting around obsessing about it."

"Well, I'm *trying* to figure out how the *Planet* failed. What
we know is only the tip of the iceberg."

"Clark, can I have a word with you in private?"

The rest of the table remained quiet and gave each other
uncomfortable glances as Lois and Clark got up and moved to the
hall of the restaurant.

Lois whispered, "This is perfect! We can stage our fight here.
Keep your eyes open so we can see if anyone is watching us
carefully or getting close enough to listen."

She sounded angry as she turned on Clark. "You're ruining
Perry's retirement dinner!"

Looking astonished, he retorted, "Me?! I'm not the one gloating
over my new job. To a roomful of people who are *out* of work by
the way."

"Gloating?"

"All you've talked about is your new job and your new life at
LNN."

"And all you can do is sit around whining in your beer."

Clark shook his head. "I can't believe you'd say that. What
about how bragging about your new job makes those who worked
longer than you at the *Planet* feel? Or how about those who now
find themselves unexpectedly without a paycheck to support their
families?"

"They're not my problem."

"Well, I care about what happens to them. The *Planet* was the
best place I ever worked."

"Maybe it's time to move on. Have you thought that maybe I'm
showing them how to move beyond the *Planet*?"

"I can honestly say that didn't cross my mind. Lois, how many
other *Planet* employees now have jobs thanks to Lex Luthor?"

"I don't know."

"I do. None. Zero."

Lois gasped. She really hadn't thought about anyone else's
jobs.

Clark continued, "That's how the 'Great Philanthropist of
Metropolis' treats those who work for him. Is that the kind of
man you want to be your employer... or your husband?"

"Clark, *that* is none of your business. I know why you're
doing this."

"Oh you do, do you?"

"Yes. You told me your feelings and you were hurt. I'm sorry
about that Clark, but all this is just sour grapes."

"What? You don't know me very well if you think I am more
concerned about my hurt feelings that the welfare of those
unemployed *Planet* employees and their families. Lois, what if I
find evidence--"

Lois snapped, "Just stop! You're talking about a man I trust
and admire."

She took a deep breath then continued, "If you really cared
about me, you'd let me--no, you'd *help* me be happy. I've
gotten a good job working for a man who wants to spend the rest
of his life with me. What's wrong with that?"

Clark stared at her. Taking a deep breath, he forced his voice to
be soft and gentle. He didn't want this fake argument to
escalate. Although he was beginning to wonder how much of it
reflected real hurt and anger.

"I don't even know how to reply to that. Apparently you trust
Luthor more than me, and I'm sorry you feel that way. All these
changes have happened so fast, it's almost as if someone were
pulling the strings to keep us off balance. And--"

She interrupted, "I suppose you have someone in mind for pulling
those strings?"

Clark heard the anger in her voice and saw it in her face. Either
"Mad Dog" Lane was making an appearance tonight or Lois was
acting perfectly. He continued in character to speak softly and
gently.

"As I said, I'm looking for evidence. Lois, I do not want to
fight with you--especially not tonight. I may not see some of
these folks again for a long time--maybe never again. I don't
want to add strife to the pain of losing the *Planet* and the
Chief's retirement."

Haughtily she replied, "Well, it's too late for that. You
crossed the line when you told Superman about your feelings and
Lex's proposal."

Clark gaped at her. "Lois, what are you talking about? Who told
you that?"

"No one. I figured it out"

"Well, you figured wrong. Unless you hear it from the person I
spoke to or me, don't tell me what I did or did not tell
someone. That conversation never took place," he sharply
replied.

Which was technically true, Clark thought, because he didn't
actually talk to Superman as Clark. Or vice versa.

"Then how did he know?"

"Lois, Superman has his own sources, including super-hearing."

"Does he listen in on private conversations?"

"Will you listen to yourself? It sounds like you trust Luthor
more than Superman! You were just upset thinking that Superman
and I talked about you, and now you want to talk about him."

"Fine!"

"Lois, we should get back to the party."

She sarcastically replied, "And have a really good time."

As she turned towards him away from the crowd, the hint of a
smile started. She whispered, "Good job." Relief flooded
through him as he realized it was an act. When he caught her eye
out of the line of sight of anyone else, he winked quickly and
silently followed her back to the party.

The rest of the party was uneventful. There were too many people
to determine which one or two might be informants. Perry
continued to dance with the belly dancer and seemed to enjoy
himself. Clark left the table and mingled, while Lois stayed at
the table next to Jimmy.

They left together, with Perry obviously inebriated. He sang
"Lonely Teardrops" on the way. Jimmy poured him into the
limousine.

Jimmy commented, "It must be nice to have a free limo at your
disposal."

Staying in character, Clark clenched his teeth as if he was
preventing himself from offering a sarcastic comment. He
couldn't help thinking that with Luthor nothing was ever free.

Lois noted the tension in Clark's face, and was surprised when
he remained silent. When the silence stretched for several
minutes, she turned to him and asked, "Are you coming?"

He bit out, "I'd. Rather. Walk." Then he abruptly turned on
his heel and stalked towards his apartment.

Lois stared at him as he walked away. She remembered how bereft
she felt when he kissed her goodbye and walked out of the Planet
during the November heat wave. She'd almost forgotten how that
was the Luthor Nuclear Plant's fault. Amazingly, she felt worse
as she watched Clark walk away tonight, even though she knew
their fighting was all an act. Who knew Clark was such a good
actor? She was astonished to see him raise his head when she
whispered, "Clark." He kept walking, though. She stood
transfixed until he was out of sight. When Jimmy and Perry
diverted her attention, she silently slid into the seat next to
Jimmy.

The limo driver took Jimmy and Perry to Perry's house. Both
Jimmy and Lois helped him out of the limo and into his house.
Jimmy was going to stay the night. Lois then had the driver take
her home. The stress of the last few days was exhausting.

When she opened her door, there was an envelope inside on the
floor. She opened it and found a card with the Peanuts gang on
the front and inside simply said, "I'm glad we're friends."
And it was signed "Still your friend, Charlie King." Lois
smiled as she recognized the alias Clark had used during their
investigation of the Metros. She hugged the card to her chest as
she realized he once again knew exactly the right thing to say,
or in this case, to write.

***

Day 3

In the morning, Clark had a leisurely breakfast. He knew Lois was
going to see Luthor late this morning, and he planned to have
Superman available watching and listening. He left about thirty
minutes before her appointment, and flew high above her
apartment.

He carefully listened and heard her steady, mildly elevated
heartbeat. He was relieved it was consistent with anxiety or
excitement, not fear.

*Good.*

He patiently waited until she left and then followed her from a
distance high above the clouds. A lifetime of practice had honed
his patience, although Lois frequently tested those limits.

As her cab approached Lex Tower, he found a spot on the roof of
the nearby Seigel Building, which had no cameras installed for
surveillance. Spinning into a black polo shirt and pants, he
retreated into the shadows of the roof's machinery and ducts. He
could clearly see and hear Luthor in his penthouse. Even if
Luthor came out onto his balcony, he would not see Clark. And
both media and police helicopters also would not spot him in the
shadows. If anyone did spot him, with Superman's slicked back
hair and without his glasses in his black outfit, it was unlikely
they would recognize him as either Clark or Superman.

He followed Lois's progress up the penthouse's elevator. When
the doors opened, Mrs. Cox coolly greeted her and escorted her to
Luthor's den.

As she stepped off the elevator, Lois took in the penthouse
surroundings like she hadn't before. She felt the coldness of
the impersonal yet professional decor. She couldn't help but
compare it to the homey feeling of Clark's apartment. Even her
own apartment with its uncomfortable loveseats held treasures
that an astute observer could use to discover parts of the real
Lois Lane. The penthouse showed no such personal touches. No
doubt Lex had hired the best interior designer. She wondered if
the added chill in the air reflected Mrs. Cox's feelings or if
it was due to her new knowledge of Lex, and what she planned to
tell him.

Lex stood up as she entered and with a smile exclaimed, "Lois,
my dear! I'm glad you're here. So, how was the retirement
dinner?"

Lois sighed and said, "Painful."

She studied him as he replied, "I'm sorry. I wish there was
something I could do to help."

If she hadn't been looking closely she would have missed the
fleeting smile and look of triumph that passed over his features
before his face took on the appearance of concern and dismay.

He took her in his arms. Surprised, she stared at him.

"What is it, Lois?"

"Nothing. It's just, do I really know you? Know enough about
you?"

"My life is an open book. Shall I read it to you?"

Lois nearly burst out laughing at the banality of his words. For
the first time she heard the insincerity and arrogance in his
voice. She swallowed, and then quietly replied, "Only the parts
you wouldn't want anyone else to know."

"Okay. I started with nothing because I became an orphan at age
thirteen."

"It must have been terrible."

"Yes, but it made me strong." After pausing dramatically he
continued, "I'm no saint, Lois. I've done questionable things
in pursuing success. Unfortunately, that's the nature of big
business.

"Sometimes out of jealously or frustration, I've over-reacted.

"I've been ruthless towards my enemies.

"But as God is my witness, I swear to you, from this moment on,
I will change. I no longer want to hurt anyone."

He walked over to his desk, took out the engagement ring box and
brought it back to Lois. He got down on one knee and proclaimed,
"Lois, I'm ready to devote my entire life to you, utterly and
eternally. Will you marry me?"

Lois stared at him, thinking back on Clark's declaration of love
in the park and the conversations she had with Superman two
nights ago and with Clark later that night. All she heard was the
insincerity in Luthor's voice, which she couldn't reveal to
him.

Taking a deep breath she slowly replied, "No, Lex. I can't
marry you. You deserve much more than me."

"Lois, why? Is there someone else?"

"No, there's no one else. Lex I've never considered marriage
as an option. My parents bitterly divorced. I've spent my adult
life concentrating on my career. And now that's gone."

"Surely not. You're a producer at LNN."

"That's the other thing I came to tell you today. Lex, I'm
very grateful that you gave me the opportunity at LNN. The truth
is, I don't fit in there. I'm a print journalist and--"

Lex interrupted, "With these changes, why not start over with
someone who loves you?"

Immediately Lois thought of Clark, but pushed those thoughts
aside. Brusquely she said, "Lex, let me finish. This is
difficult enough for me to say without the interruptions."

Startled to see her dare to speak to him in a sharp tone of
voice, anger crossed his face before his mask of concern
returned. Both Lois and Clark from his vantage point noticed.

More gently Lois said, "What I'm trying to say is that I need
time to decide what I want to do with my life. I've lived my
whole life in Metropolis, and I never considered living anywhere
else. Now with the *Planet* gone, I'm not sure if the memories
will allow me to stay. I'm resigning my position at LNN and
going to take my time to decide what I need. I suppose the phrase
seems almost trite, but I need a clean break from everything to
'find myself.'"

"I see. Are you sure there's no one else affecting this
decision? Superman, perhaps?"

Lois knew that her next words were among the most important
she'd ever spoken. She needed to protect all her family and
friends, including Superman.

"Superman? No. I admit I had a crush on him. He explained to me
that he couldn't have close friends or loved ones. I'm sorry to
see him so alone, but that's the life he's chosen. And I need
to respect that.

"My family is scattered, with Lucy on the west coast, Mother in
rehab and Daddy busy with his research. Perry is retired and my
other colleagues from the *Planet* are searching for jobs all
over the country."

"What about Kent? Isn't he still here?"

A chill went down her spine as she looked into Lex's icy eyes.
Her voice trembled and her eyes became tear-filled as she
hesitantly replied, "Clark... Clark and I have had major
disagreements over the past few weeks." She looked down, paused,
took a deep breath and continued, "It came to a head last night
at the dinner. With the *Planet* gone, we're no longer partners.
A-after last night we're n-no longer friends."

No one could tell from her body language, facial expression or
voice that she was lying. Only Clark knew by listening to her
heart.

Lois watched carefully as various emotions fleetingly crossed
Lex's features. She realized he wasn't at a loss for words, but
rather like a chess master was calculating his next moves before
he replied, "I'm sorry. The loss of friendships can be as
painful as divorce. Perhaps I've been too anxious. Let's
continue to see each other as friends. More informally, we'll
get to know each other better. You'll see how I can change. With
time, I'm sure you'll see how devoted I am to you. And how much
you have changed my life."

Steadying herself, she said, "No, Lex. I appreciate the offer
and your feelings. I need time away. I don't want to hurt you
but I don't love you like you need to be loved. And as I said
before, I don't want to marry anyone. I'm not sure I'll be
staying in Metropolis. I've been saving for a trip to Tahiti,
and this may be the perfect time to take it. Please show how much
you care by honoring my decision and not contacting me. When I'm
ready to talk to you, I'll let you know."

"Of course I'll respect your decision. Allow me to show you to
the elevator?"

"Thank you, Lex. You respecting my decision means a lot to
me."

With that, they walked to the elevator. He called for it, and
kissed her hand before she stepped into it and descended to the
lobby. Once there, she caught a cab outside and headed for her
apartment. Seeing how he had tried to manipulate her today and
realizing how she'd allowed it in the past both humbled her and
made her furious. She felt dirty after such close contact with
Lex, so decided she needed another shower.

Once the elevator doors closed, Luthor's countenance clouded and
he turned to Mrs. Cox. "We have work to do. Come into my
office." Turning on his heel, he briskly entered his office as
Mrs. Cox followed.

Clark followed Lois's heartbeat as she returned to her
apartment. He continued to monitor her heartbeat for distress or
danger as he watched and listened with growing horror and anger
as Luthor and Mrs. Cox conspired.


They discussed...

     That Mrs. Cox's informant confirmed Lois and Clark had had
a serious fight last night, and they were not speaking to each
other, now barely tolerating each other...

     How Lex had acquired the *Planet* through a combination of
bribery and blackmail of the board of trustees...

     How they'd framed Jack for the bombing and planned to
"neutralize" him...

     That Luthor knew Superman came to Earth as a baby and that
he determined to find out where and when in order to kill his
family, with Superman's full knowledge and when powerless to
prevent it so he would suffer...

At this point, Clark had to close his eyes and calm down while
consciously preventing his heat vision from vaporizing Luthor. He
turned more and more pale as he heard Mrs. Cox and Luthor calmly
discussing...

     "Series K," in which Lex Labs was creating a cage made of
kryptonite to trap and torture Superman. Luthor was uncertain at
this point whether his ultimate goal was to keep Superman
imprisoned and weak, torturing him physically and emotionally for
years, or if he just wanted to kill him quickly and painfully...

     A test of kryptonite to be sure of its potential before
finalizing the cage and also the backup of making kryptonite
bullets...

     Ordering full surveillance of Lois, including tailing her
and installing surveillance cameras and microphones throughout
her apartment. Tracking devices were to be installed discreetly
in her purse and shoes...

     Doing a full background check on Clark Kent to find out any
weaknesses or vices for potential blackmail material. Luthor
remained undecided as to his fate, believing that Lois still
cared enough for Kent that it could be advantageous to threaten
to hurt him if she didn't do as Luthor wished.

Clark realized how conveniently Luthor forgot or never
acknowledged that Clark had saved his life when the terrorists
invaded the Planet building a few weeks ago. He also realized
with increased horror whom Jack had sold his globe to, how close
Luthor came to learning about Kansas and how the globe's theft
might be contributing to Luthor's plans to kill Jack.

He shuddered to see and hear the callousness in their discussion,
ordering killings and the destruction of lives as routinely as if
they were ordering lunch.

He was almost glad when Luthor realized he had forgotten to
activate the room silencer. As Luthor strode onto his balcony,
Clark moved further into the shadows and remained inhumanly
still. After a few minutes, Luthor returned inside and activated
the room silencer. Mrs. Cox went to her desk. Apparently their
meeting was over.

Remaining in the shadows, Clark pondered the list of atrocities
Luthor had committed and planned in the future. There a
transformation came over Clark. Under normal circumstances, this
would not have happened for another two years. Instead, here on
the roof of the Seigel Building in downtown Metropolis, Clark
Kent--mild-mannered investigative reporter who was also the
superhero Superman--added a third aspect of his personality to
the mix.

His body language changed. He stood taller than Superman, and
acquired a regal presence.

In that moment, his revulsion and rage at this discussion he'd
monitored had awakened his dormant military Kryptonian persona
that could one day become--

Lord Kal-El, Supreme Commander and Ruler.

Of course Clark didn't know this. He realized he was suddenly
thinking more like a military strategist but didn't know why. He
thought maybe it was a new superpower. He knew that he and Lois
needed all the help they could get. So, having experienced
developing unexpected superpowers in the past, he simply calmly
accepted and worked with the changes.

After making sure that Mrs. Cox and Luthor had completed their
meeting, Clark spun back into his suit and flew to the 12th
Precinct. Superman spoke with Inspector Bill Henderson about the
hit being ordered on Jack. The inspector promised to get Jack to
a safe house. Superman offered his services if there was any hint
that Jack would not be safe. They made arrangements that should
Superman be needed, Henderson would contact Clark Kent.

Next he flew off in one direction, then when out of sight turned
towards his apartment. There he called his parents. Clark told
them of the probability of a background check by Luthor's
people. Martha and Jonathan promised to alert Sheriff Rachel
Harris. They'd explain that a dangerous criminal masquerading as
a businessman was looking to stop Clark's investigation of him,
without giving any additional details. Between Rachel and his
parents the entire town would know that any requests for
information should be viewed as suspicious, and go through
Rachel's office. Smallville would close ranks to protect the
Kents.

After the call, Clark decided to check on Lois. He spun into the
suit and flew to her apartment. He spotted the driver of a black
sedan watching her apartment house from across the street. He
also noticed a couple of other suspicious people sitting on the
bench across from her apartment.

Flying unseen onto the roof, Clark spun into his black clothes
without his glasses. He left his hair in Superman's style, and
headed from the roof access to Lois's apartment. Scanning the
hallway and finding nothing amiss, he walked up to her door and
knocked.

Lois came to the door, and looked through the peephole. Not
recognizing the tall dark-haired man, she asked, "Who's
there?"

"It's your friend, Kal."

Puzzled, Lois was about to ask further questions when Clark
realized her confusion. He said, "Lois, I'm the friend you met
on the space shuttle. The one you went with back to the
newsroom."

"Oh!" she exclaimed and quickly opened the door. "I didn't
expect you--"

"Lois, can we continue this inside your apartment? I need to
talk to you privately."

"Oh, sure. I'm sorry. Come in. Can I get you something to
drink?"

"No, thanks."

He walked into her apartment, and she closed and locked the door
behind her.

"What can I do for you?"

"Is it okay if we sit?"

"Sure!"

After waiting for her to sit, Clark scanned the apartment then
seated himself. "Lois, I wasn't sure if you'd recognize me and
I didn't want to give my full name as Kal-El. I'm glad you
recognized me and understood who 'Kal' is."

"It took me a minute since I'm used to you dressing differently
and using the window."

He nodded. "As you and Clark asked, I followed you to your
meeting with Lex Luthor. I stayed after you left and heard some
disturbing plans you need to know about. I just scanned your
apartment for bugs and it's clean. Before I leave I'll check
the phones also. If you leave the apartment, assume that bugs
have been placed while you were gone. And the safest precautions
would be to consider keeping your door and windows locked, with
the chain on the door."

With that, Clark filled her in on what he'd learned. He told her
about the watchers. And then he explained that he didn't come to
her window as Superman to prevent the watchers from knowing he
was there. The only thing he didn't share was the information
about his arrival on Earth as a baby and the risk to his parents.
Instead he explained it as the risk to his friends. He also
suggested that she not visit Clark as Lois, since Lois and Clark
were supposed to not be speaking to each other.

"Oh, I have a solution. I won't visit Clark, but his male
cousin will."

"Lois, you'll be disguised as a man?"

"Yup. That's how I broke the car theft ring before you came."

"That's impressive. I, um, wouldn't think that w-would work,"
he stuttered as he blushed.

"That's the main reason it will work. Who would expect Lois
Lane to be dressed as a guy? We need to work out the logistics.
Maybe I can stay with Clark. I may need to leave town and
Clark's cousin not arrive for a few days to shake the tail. I
hate being out of the loop, even for a few days. It may be the
safest alternative."

"Do you have somewhere to stay?"

"No. I do have my vacation money, so that's not a problem."

"Lois, I'm sure Clark's parents would put you up for a few
days. Why don't you consider talking to him or them about it?"

"That's a good idea. And no one would suspect I'm staying at
my former friend and former partner's parents' farm. It would
only be a few days, right? I'm not much of a country person."

"Yes. I can give you a lift there and back if you like, so there
won't be a trail. You could get on a train and look like you're
traveling elsewhere. Then I'll help you disappear from the
train."

"You'd do that?"

"Sure. I'll even ask the Kents if you can stay, if you like."

"That would be nice. Thanks."

"Do you have something to eat? I'm suggesting you don't want
to go out right now, and a delivery person could also be a
risk."

"I hadn't thought of that. This stinks, you know?"

"I know. And I am sorry. I assume it'll be hard on you because
you're used to investigating on your own. I strongly suggest
that you consider not going out alone and not meeting Luthor
alone again. I didn't like what I heard. I've never been both
that fearful and furious as I was listening to Luthor and his
assistant gloat and laugh about their crimes. It's awful the
people they've hurt without a thought for the damage they
caused."

With anyone else, Lois would become defensive and her first
reaction would be an angry retort that she could take care of
herself. With Superman or Kal-El, she realized he was genuinely
concerned about her. And she'd never seen any sign of him acting
superior to women. So she replied, "With what you've told me,
I'll agree on one condition. That you, Clark and anyone else we
involve in this investigation do the same. At least as far as not
seeing Lex alone."

He paused before answering, and Lois continued, "Is kryptonite
really dangerous?"

"Unfortunately, it is. The first time I was exposed to it I
blacked out. I didn't know what it was. I lost my powers for a
couple of days. And if exposed long enough, I could probably die.
I don't think I need to ask, but I will anyway. Please, Lois
this information must remain between you and me. Oh, Clark also
knows so you can talk to him about it."

"As far as anyone else is concerned, it's a mythical rock. And
thanks for trusting me with that secret."

"Lois, I do trust you. My life is full of secrets, and I'm not
ready to share most right now. I don't know if I should
apologize for that or not. I'm not sorry I'm keeping the
secrets, but I am sorry it means excluding you. Does that make
sense?"

"Yes, it does. And knowing how dangerous kryptonite is and that
it exists changes things. It makes it even more imperative that
you not see Lex alone."

"Why?"

"Lex has contacts in the military. Remember Shockwave and the
tsunami? It would not surprise me that he learned about
kryptonite through those contacts. Bureau 39 was an offshoot of
the military. And maybe the military has a weapon that has the
potential to harm you. Or maybe that 'Series K' is not limited
to a cage and bullets. I still can't believe he'd want to cage
you like an animal."

"Believe it. I do."

"Are you taking other precautions?"

"Yes, but I don't want to discuss them now."

"Still, I think you need to be vigilant. Can you feel kryptonite
from a distance?"

"If it's not in lead. Lead blocks radiation and I assume the
radiation from kryptonite."

"You know, I wonder if it has any long-term dangerous effects on
humans. Trask seemed to think it was safe, but maybe some of his
paranoia was from handling the stuff."

"Could be."

"And you need to be sure you're not in a situation where
you're alone with Luthor or someone who works for him."

Thoughtfully, he replied, "That makes sense, although it may be
nearly impossible in some rescues. I'll definitely be more
vigilant. And I can scan people for lead containers. From what
Luthor said, I'm concerned about everyone in this investigation
and those close to us. And in the spirit of equality of the
genders, what's good for you should be good for the guys,
right?"

"Yes!"

After pausing, Lois shyly asked, "Can I ask you a couple of
questions?"

"Sure. I'm not prepared to answer all questions though, so I
may not answer or give you the complete answer you want."

"Fair enough. This is just between us. When we're alone, can I
call you Kal?"

"Sure."

Taking a deep breath she then asked, "Are you Ordinary Guy?"

"What? Who?"

"Oh, did I say that out loud?"

"Loud enough for me to hear it anyway."

"Um, can you forget I said anything?"

"On one condition Lois."

"Condition?"

"Yes." Clark stalled to figure out what to say to her. He was
so surprised at the sudden turn in conversation that he didn't
know what he felt about her question, let alone how to answer
her. Should he be outraged? Angry? Confess all? In his mind's
eye he saw a gloating Trask lighting a match to burn his parents
and Wayne Irig while alive. Then Trask morphed into Luthor. No,
this was not the time or place for *that* confession. And he
really wanted to do it as Clark, not Superman.

He took a deep breath and then stood up. Looking out her window,
he focused on the roof and building across the street. He stayed
away from the window so no one on the street would see him, and
in scanning saw no microphones or cameras aimed at her windows.
He paced in back and forth, trying to figure out what to say.

Continuing his mantra over and over. *Don't Be Cruel.*

The silence stretched on for several minutes as he thought of
possible responses, then discarded them. Finally, he stopped, and
turned to face her. Standing tall and straight with his arms
across his chest and even though he was out of uniform, there was
no doubt that *Superman** *was about to speak.

Then he cautiously spoke, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes! Of course I trust you."

"Then prove it. Promise me you'll drop this line of thought and
don't even think about researching it. It's a distraction,
possibly a fatal one. Trask almost killed Clark, his parents and
neighbor thinking Clark knew that information. I know Luthor
would do the same. And both of them would consider torture a
reasonable way to get that information. There can be no
distractions or we will lose this war. And it is a war. After
what I learned today, I'm convinced we're dealing with a
sociopath who is likely also a megalomaniac. And he's hiding as
the city's philanthropist."

Lois had been thinking how she could research who Ordinary Guy
was. She realized with dismay that Lex with all his resources
could very well find out if she did make any inquiries, online or
off. And she desperately wanted Superman to trust her. She bit
her lower lip and said, "You're right. I promise to drop this.
I do reserve the right to ask you again in the future."

She saw the gleam of humor in his eyes as he responded, "Now,
you wouldn't be Lois Lane if you didn't."

Nodding her head in the affirmative she then asked, "Should we
make a list of those we can trust? Who else can help?"

"Sounds like a plan. Who do you suggest?"

Thoughtfully she replied, "Clark, of course. And Perry, Jimmy
and Henderson. Jack is probably on that list, but he's in
custody."

"Good start. I think we should assume everyone else is
potentially compromised unless we've all agreed they're okay.
If anyone has a suspicion, that should be enough to not trust
that person for the time being. Why don't I ask Clark to ask Mr.
White, Jimmy and maybe Inspector Henderson to meet as a task
force with you? I may need to meet with one or more of you
separately. Since I'm not exactly inconspicuous in my uniform,
and I'd rather not share this disguise with anyone else. You'll
keep this disguise confidential, won't you Lois?"

"Of course. You didn't even need to ask."

"You and Clark at least should meet tonight. His apartment may
be the best place, if you can get there in disguise. Do you need
anything else? Food? Something for your disguise?"

She shook her head no. He checked her phones, and found them
clean. They made arrangements for Clark to call her when a
meeting was finalized, hopefully for that night. She and Clark
would think of how to get her to his apartment without discovery.
They'd discuss it when he called. She promised to stay in the
apartment until then.

***

When Clark left Lois, he flew to S.T.A.R. Labs. There he met with
Dr. Bernard Klein, a new researcher who was helping Superman. He
picked up eight of their supersonic Superman watches that he had
previously commissioned. The Superman Foundation would reimburse
S.T.A.R. Labs for them. He planned on giving one each to the task
force members and his parents as added insurance in case one of
them needed super help. For appearances sake, Clark would also
get one.

"Thanks. I really appreciate this."

Dr. Klein replied, "It's my pleasure. After all you do each
day, including saving the world from Nightfall, it's the least
we can do to show our gratitude."

He took off from S.T.A.R. Labs and flew to Kansas.

Landing behind the barn, he spun into jeans and a plaid shirt and
then headed for the farmhouse.

Inside, he found his parents having a snack in the kitchen.
Martha stood up, came over and gave him a hug. They exchanged
greetings.

"What brings you here, son?" Jonathan asked.

"I have some special watches for you. Remember the one that
Jimmy had when Lois and I were in Smallville?"

"Yes, you said that was how you knew your powers were back."

"Well, I have enough watches for each of you to have one, and
for everyone that will work with us on nailing Luthor."

"Us, huh?" Martha asked.

"Yes, Mom. Lois and I are forming a task force," Clark replied.
Over warm oatmeal raisin cookies and buttermilk he then proceeded
to fill them in on their plans. He also demonstrated how the
watches worked. While he didn't think Luthor would do anything
to his parents, he had decided that he'd rather be overcautious
than overconfident.

Before he left, Martha surprised him with a new suit. Dr. Klein
at S.T.A.R. Labs had created the fabric that was tougher than
normal spandex. The colors were identical to the blue and red
that was world famous. The fabric was bulkier because included in
the threads were lead filaments to give him some protection
against the deadly kryptonite radiation. Preliminary testing at
S.T.A.R. Labs was promising, although he hadn't shared his
exposure to kryptonite with his parents. Martha had also made a
pair of gauntlets for him, also made of the blue fabric with the
cuffs trimmed in the red. She was unsure if he would or could use
them, but wanted him to have the option.

Additionally, Jonathan had bought lead foil, and they had lined a
pair of boots for Clark with lead. And they gave him extra sheets
of the foil that he could fold and carry discreetly. Clark spun
into the new suit, boots and gauntlets, which Martha pronounced a
satisfactory fit. They said goodbye with hugs, and then Clark
flew to his apartment.

Superman was able to get Lois out of her apartment and onto
Clark's balcony after dark without the watchers suspecting
anything. The meeting went well, with Jimmy and Lois planning to
work on the board of directors angle. Lois would work from the
Kent farm for the next few days, then return as Clark's cousin.
Perry would use his contacts to look into how much the *Planet
*was insured for before the bombing. He also planned to talk to
the circulation manager and former *Planet *executives to find
out what exactly was the extent of the financial woes of the
paper. And when it had started. Plus, he would be talking to
possible investors about buying the *Daily Planet*. The media
mogul Franklin Stern was at the top of his list of potential
investors to contact.

Henderson was assembling a trusted task force in the MPD and
DA's office to have warrants and teams ready to search and
arrest when needed.

Clark would be looking into the shadowy figure called "The
Boss" who seemed to be responsible for the crime in the city.
Clark suspected Luthor worked with "The Boss" or was him.
Superman would be available for whatever the team needed. Clark
distributed the watches and explained how to use them. He
cautioned everyone that Superman could become annoyed if the
signals were abused.

Lois would be reviewing their research and looking at the whole
picture, initially from Smallville and after a few days from
Metropolis. Her leaps of logic and insights would prove
invaluable. In her role she actually would be in charge of the
directions the investigation would take. That appeased her since
her instincts were to be involved in the collection of evidence.
Due to her association with Luthor, everyone including Lois
realized that wasn't practical, safe or in the best interests of
the investigation.

***

Day 5

Lois slept better than she had in days. She awoke to the smell of
coffee and breakfast. Looking at the clock, she realized it was 6
AM, which was 7 AM in Metropolis. She stretched and felt rested.
Changing quickly, she ran a brush through her hair and headed
downstairs.

Martha greeted her pleasantly. She offered Lois a cup of coffee,
and told her to fix it as she liked. When Lois expressed surprise
to see her favorite artificial sweetener and creamer, Martha
explained that Clark had told her. It reassured Lois to know that
Martha and Clark cared enough to see she had this small comfort
of home. Over breakfast, Lois told Martha and Jonathan about her
part in the investigation. Since she had nothing specific to do
today, she asked if she could help with anything.

Jonathan's morning chores were done, and he was headed out to
town for some errands. He suggested that Lois stay with Martha
today. It would be easier for Lois to remain unseen inside the
house. Lois found herself agreeing, feeling she needed time to
decompress from the stresses of the past few days.

When Martha shooed her out of the kitchen, Lois found herself in
the living room. She looked at the pictures of Clark at various
ages. She noticed there were no pictures of him from several
years, which she guessed were in junior high school. She asked
Martha about it when Martha entered the living room.

"Oh honey, that was a difficult time for Clark. The pictures of
him are too sad to show."

"Really? I rarely see him sad or upset these days. What made him
so sad, if it's not too personal?"

Martha invited Lois to sit. They both sat on the couch. Martha
sighed. "What has Clark told you about his childhood?"

"Not much. He said he was adopted, and I guess I always assumed
it was a happy childhood. He certainly seemed loved by the people
we met in Smallville, welcoming him home."

Martha weighed her words, honed by years of practice with not
telling a blatant lie while preserving Clark's secret.
"Clark's adoption was a private adoption. To protect him, we
had the records sealed. And the gossip mill in a small town...
well, this was the 1960s, and that kind of adoption usually meant
that the child was born out of wedlock. At least that's what the
town's gossips decided.

"In junior high, at the same time he started puberty with all
the changes that entailed, his friends became aware of the
gossip. He overheard cruel comments about his biological parents,
and he couldn't refute them. You see, we didn't know who his
parents were, and there was no way to trace them. The kids he had
defended and befriended since kindergarten suddenly turned away
from him. If they didn't talk about him, most of them didn't
support him either. It was a very lonely time for Clark. We
don't display pictures of that time because it brings back too
many sad memories. And I mean memories for Jonathan and me. Clark
never mentions it, but I get so angry just thinking about the
cruel way the gossips treated Clark."

Lois found herself with tears in her eyes. Suddenly she knew
exactly why Clark had never engaged in gossip at work. And any
lingering doubts she harbored that Clark might talk about what
she confidently shared with him disappeared forever as she spoke
with Martha.

Uncharacteristically for Lois, she replied, "Martha, please.
Don't say anything you don't want to say. And don't share more
than you think Clark would want you to share. I can see how awful
that time was, and in this one instance even though I'm an
investigative reporter, I don't want to discover more
information." And she bit her tongue to keep from asking the
hundreds of questions that jumped to her mind. But this was Clark
they were talking about. She had already hurt him at the park,
and no way would Lois hurt him again, at least not intentionally
or this soon.

"Thank you, Lois. I know how curious this must make you. And I
love you for not pressing me for more. Let me finish, though.
From the time he was a small child, Clark always stood up for the
smaller kids or those who others singled out to tease or torment.
Suddenly, when he needed someone to support him he found himself
alone. And many of the kids he thought were his friends also
seemed to enjoy the stories and teasing him.

"The only one who supported him quietly yet steadfastly was
Rachel Harris, who's now the sheriff. I think that's the real
reason they went to their senior prom together. Clark was her
friend when the most popular girls in school made fun of her.
Both of them supported each other in good times and bad. Jonathan
and I had always taught him not to respond in kind with cruel
words or with violence. Clark honored that, and never retaliated.
He would walk away from provocations and became known as a
loner.

"He did find solace in writing and joined the school paper. Even
became the editor his senior year. In the paper he worked with
other kids who the most popular kids ignored or tormented.
Together they found strength. That's where he learned first-hand
the lesson that meekness is not a weakness.

"In Sunday school Clark had learned that there is strength in
meekness. I think initially he found it was a lesson that was
more theoretical than practical. Jonathan often quoted Swami
Sivananda, 'Humility is not cowardice. Meekness is not weakness.
Humility and meekness are indeed spiritual powers.' And Clark
adopted this. He can explain it better, but during his world
travels he discovered that meekness is a universal strength many
spiritual advisors seek and teach.

"I don't know what you see when you see the meekness and
humility in Clark. I can tell you what I see though. I see the
underlying strength that others miss. And more than that, I see
Jonathan. You see, Jonathan is exactly that kind of man. And if
Clark were his biological son I don't believe he would act any
more like Jonathan than he already does."

"Oh, Martha, I had no idea. I always thought Clark had, well
kind of a perfect childhood. Maybe a little like a Norman
Rockwell painting. He almost always seems so positive and upbeat.
You'd never know that anyone had ever hurt him."

"Lois, no one has a perfect childhood. That's part of life, I
think. Everyone copes differently with what happened. Some people
get angry and irritable, while others respond to the same events
by becoming gracious and kind. Would you like some tea and a
scone?"

"I'll take the tea, Martha. But if you don't mind, Clark
shared with me how much he loves your tea and scones. And the
first time I try one I'd really like it to be with him. Do you
mind?"

"Of course not, honey! I think that's lovely."

Martha excused herself with tears in her eyes and retreated to
the kitchen. She knew Lois was special the first time she met
her. Now if Lois would only realize how much she loved Clark.
Martha suspected Lois was in love with Clark, but didn't yet
realize it. Or couldn't admit it either to herself or to anyone
else.

A few minutes later Martha brought them both iced tea, and then
pulled out her scrapbooks and photo albums. Together she and Lois
spent the next few hours poring over them as Martha shared happy
stories of Clark's childhood.

Lois enjoyed learning more about Clark. Even more than when she
was in Smallville the first time, she came to see new depth to
his character. And she was falling more in love with him the more
she learned. What surprised her most was discovering the
loneliness he felt as a child. Her respect for him and her shame
at her own behavior towards him grew.

Over lunch, Jonathan asked Lois about her planned disguise. Lois
explained it, and Martha volunteered to help. Lois had seen the
Halloween costumes Martha had made in the past for Clark and was
impressed with Martha's skills. Especially when Jonathan relayed
that Martha often made them without a "store bought" pattern,
instead making her own. He also proudly told Lois about Martha's
costume designs for the local community theater.

While Martha looked through Clark's old clothes for ideas and
possibilities that could be altered to fit Lois, Jonathan and
Lois headed to the barn. Lois was introduced to the barn cats and
to the two milk cows. Jonathan promised to show her how to milk
the cows with the evening milking. He mucked out the stalls while
she was there. And to her surprise, the smells weren't as
annoying as she thought they would be. She could smell hay and
earth mostly.

Jonathan showed her the farm machinery and explained the purpose
of each one. He calmly explained how the farm was actually a
small business, and not only included farm machinery but also the
fax machine, computer, cell phone, other office equipment and
supplies. When in town, Jonathan had also bought a copy of the
*Metropolis Star* for Lois to read. Lois was touched at his
kindness in bringing her a Metropolis paper. He told her stories
of Clark and the farm animals.

And asked her if she'd like to take a walk around the farm.

"Jonathan, I thought I needed to stay near the house and
barn."

"Oh, we'll be out of sight of the road. Just thought you'd
like to see there's more to the farm than the barn and house."

"Okay, let's go!"

He showed her the pond where Clark had caught his first fish. And
as they toured some of the fields, he shared more stories of
Clark as a boy. As they were walking back, they passed Clark's
tree house.

Lois looked up and asked, "Is that a tree house?"

"Yes, Clark and I built it when he was around ten years old."

"What does the sign say?"

"Fortress of Solitude."

"When did he name it?"

"Shortly after it was built."

"What a sad name. And a mouthful for a ten-year-old child! But
how is it accessed? There aren't steps, and the branches look
too high to reach from the ground."

He winked and said, "Well, Lois, that's why we have ladders."

"Can I see it?"

"Sorry. That's Clark's private place. Without his permission,
no you can't. I think, though, he'd like to show it to you
himself. And it would mean more to you for him to share that part
of his life with you."

"Clark has more secrets than I ever guessed!"

*Lois, if you only knew, *Jonathan thought. He winked and said,
"Well, maybe someday if you're lucky he'll share all of them
with you."

They laughed together and walked back to the farmhouse.

As promised, Superman arrived that evening with a stack of
research for Lois to review. There was a long note from Clark
included, and Perry had included one as well. Superman reported
that Perry, Jimmy and Clark were working hard and looked forward
to Lois joining them in a few days. Lois told them she'd decided
on the name "Logan" for her identity as Clark's cousin.
Superman suggested that she use one of the family surnames. Kent
and Clark were the two most closely associated with Clark, with
Clark being Martha's maiden name. Lois promised to talk it over
with Jonathan and Martha and get their input. She thought Clark
should approve the final decision.

***

Days 6 -- 8

The rest of her visit to the Kent farm was spent in learning more
about Clark and his parents, going through the material Superman
brought and working with Martha on her disguise. Lois felt the
contrast between her parents and Clark's even more acutely, and
grew very fond of Martha and Jonathan. Martha often referred to
Lois as "honey." Lois surprised herself by finding it
heartwarming, not condescending. Tears would come to her eyes
when she thought about how they had accepted her into their home,
and freely given her the love and acceptance her own parents
rarely did. She enjoyed Martha who was quietly efficient without
being overly aggressive. And Lois found comfort in Jonathan's
quiet strength and dignity. Lois thought she could learn much
more from both of them, and hoped she'd have the opportunity in
the future.

Before she left, Martha and Jonathan took her aside. They told
her they couldn't predict the future, but as far as they both
were concerned she was now family. If she ever needed anything,
she should call. And they hoped she'd visit again under more
pleasant circumstances. Lois stood speechless with her jaw
dropped when they told her that.

***

Evening, Day 8

When Superman arrived to take her back to Metropolis, he was
surprised to find Lois as "Logan Kent" waiting for him. He was
impressed with the disguise, and generously complimented Martha
and Lois/Logan. After a few minutes they flew back to Metropolis.
Superman dropped Logan off in an alley next to the bus stop. From
there Logan arrived at Clark's apartment via cab to avoid
suspicion.

He followed Logan above the clouds until Logan safely reached
Clark's apartment. Perry and Jimmy greeted Logan, and heartily
approved the disguise. After Superman stopped a nearby mugging,
he changed into his Clark clothes and arrived at the apartment
shortly after Logan. Over the next couple of weeks both Jimmy and
Perry met with Clark and Lois during the day and for dinner at
Clark's apartment before spending nights at Perry's house.
Alice was still in Florida, and remained safely there during the
investigation.

Clark gave Lois his bed, and he slept on the couch. That allowed
him as Superman to come and go without disturbing her. Although
Metropolis and the world remained unusually quiet so that his
unexpected disappearances were few and far between.

***

The Next Two Weeks

The investigation proceeded. Some days were slower than others.
Often one member would become frustrated at a dead end, and
another would be excited about a lead. They worked together like
a well-oiled machine. Two weeks after Logan's arrival in
Metropolis, they had enough solid information that Perry was
satisfied in taking it to Henderson. Jimmy and Logan would take
it early the next day.

Clark as both himself and Superman surprised the task force with
the military precision he used when discussing plans and
objectives. He was wholly focused on the daunting task ahead, yet
as Clark still retained his good humor. Clark organized the steps
needed to accomplish each task, checking them off as they were
successful. He refused to concede failure or defeat, instead
taking what seemed to be a loss and turning it into a win. The
rest of the task force thought Clark was behaving more like a
football coach than a reporter. The truth was it was the Lord
Kal-El aspect of his personality peeking through.

***

Two Weeks After Lois Returned to Metropolis as Logan 

Late the next morning, there was a call from Mrs. Cox asking
Clark to contact Superman to discuss Lois Lane. Clark, Jimmy,
Lois and Perry all heard the call when Clark replayed it back on
the answering machine. Everyone agreed it was likely a trap, and
Superman should not answer it. Lois said it best when she asked,
"Since when is Superman at Luthor's beck and call, anyway?"
Perry, Clark and Jimmy all silently wondered when "Lex" had
become "Luthor" in her mind.

Everyone decided the next step was up to Henderson, as they
awaited word of his warrants. The only thing that made their
investigation bittersweet was Perry's inability to entice an
investor to buy the *Planet*.

That afternoon, there was a fire in an apartment building on the
edge of Suicide Slum that raged out of control. When Superman
arrived, he sought the fire chief, asking what he could do to
help. Evacuating the living was a priority, so Superman helped
the firefighters do that. After almost everyone was evacuated, he
heard a child's cry and heartbeat in an apartment. Following the
sounds, he arrived in a bedroom of the apartment. Searching for a
child, what he found instead was a doll in a bed with a tape
recorder playing. Turning around to exit, he suddenly found
himself surrounded by six firefighters. Opening his mouth to
explain, the firefighters all opened lead boxes they carried,
exposing him to kryptonite.

Making a split-second decision, he used his super-speed to
activate a hidden button on his belt before he collapsed. A
moment later, one of the faux firefighters put a lead-lined hood
over his head. He was grabbed and strapped on a gurney. The
kryptonite pieces were placed next to him. Covering him
completely with a sheet, the thugs moved the gurney to a waiting
ambulance. Unseen by the real firefighters, the ambulance took
off and headed for Lex Tower. The faux firefighters also left
unseen in the ambulance and an accompanying paramedic vehicle.

The underground parking at Lex Tower was deserted when they
arrived except for the security guard, who expected them and let
them in wordlessly. They pulled next to a special elevator only
for VIPs where Mrs. Cox met them. She used her key card to escort
the men with their captive to the wine cellar. The gurney had to
be left outside the cellar door, so they unfastened the straps
and grabbed Superman, partially carrying and partially dragging
him down the stairs. The kryptonite pieces were carefully
collected, returned to their boxes and placed in a bag, which was
handed to Mrs. Cox when she exited the wine cellar.

Once in the wine cellar, the thugs dropped him into a cage
leaving the hood on his head. They locked the cage, handing Mrs.
Cox the key. Superman was alone in the cellar. In less than five
minutes, Luthor arrived.

Luthor went to a remote control device and turned on the glowing
green bars of the cage. He stepped up to the door, asking, "And
how are we feeling today?"

He was rewarded with a groan from Superman.

With false sympathy Luthor cooed, "Oh. A little green around the
gills?"

He laughed, never having been in a better mood. "I, on the other
hand, am feeling wonderful. Today is the first day of my new
life. I am going to marry Lois Lane and no one will stand in my
way. 'She's beautiful and therefore to be wooed. She is woman,
therefore to be won.' Since you are from another planet and
simply muscle without brains, you wouldn't know that's from
Shakespeare's *Henry the Fifth*.

"This must be hard for you. Knowing I'm outside this cage, free
to marry whomever I choose and live my life fully while you only
lie here helplessly and suffer."

Stepping into the cage, Luthor pulled off the hood. Superman
didn't move but stared at him. Triumphant at his enemy's
defeat, Luthor proclaimed, "Lois is a bit too independent,
don't you think? Don't worry. I'll fix that. I will be meeting
her soon and convince her that her future lies with me."

The only response he got was another moan from the superhero on
the floor.

Then Luthor broke out into song, singing "Tonight" from *West
Side Story*.

With that, he dropped the hood back on top of Superman's head
and left the cage, relocking the door as he left. Leaving the key
on a wine barrel he gleefully announced, "So near and yet so
far." With that he climbed up the steps with a spring in his
step still singing to return to his penthouse office.

***

Once he was sure he was alone, Superman peeked out from under the
hood, which no longer covered his eyes. Clark scanned the wine
cellar and identified the cameras in the room.

*Only Luthor would record the agonizing death of an opponent, and
probably spend the next few years watching it over and over,* he
thought.

Not dwelling on what Luthor planned do with the tapes, he quickly
fried the cameras with his heat vision. Then he carefully and
silently stood up, looking at the cage door. With a blast of heat
vision, he cut through the lock mechanism, and then the cage door
swung open.

He found it more difficult to use his heat vision, so quickly
found the remote and turned off the power to the kryptonite bars
before exiting the wine cellar. He didn't want to completely
lose his vision and hearing by exposing his head to the deadly
radiation more than necessary. He cautiously used his super
senses to check for surveillance, including electronic, human and
canine. Once safely outside the cellar, he moved at super-speed
to the nearest stairwell where he found the exit. As soon as he
cleared the exit, he looked around and seeing no one and no
cameras rocketed into the sky for direct sunlight. He avoided
Luthor's balcony view and traveled just slowly enough not to
leave a sonic boom.

Meanwhile, Luthor basked in knowing Superman was dying in a cage
in the wine cellar. He stood on his balcony, smoking a fine cigar
and looking down on the city that was one again "his." Smiling
like a Cheshire cat, he inhaled deeply and knew that he had
defeated his greatest foe. He reveled in the thought that his
next big decision was whether it would be more pleasurable to
keep the superhero around for a while and continually torture him
or to kill him quickly. His thoughts were interrupted by a
commotion in the office.

His office doors were thrown open, and Inspector Henderson burst
in with a group of MPD's finest, Perry White, Lois Lane and
Jimmy Olsen.

Stepping back into the office and surveying the group with fury,
Luthor asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

Before Inspector Henderson could say anything, Perry replied,
"The meaning, Luthor, is that you're through. We have all the
evidence we need against you."

Inspector Henderson added, "I have a warrant here charging you
with arson and other crimes too numerous to mention."

An infuriated Luthor replied, "You're out of your minds. All of
you."

Henderson began to read him his rights. "You have the right to
remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot
afford an attorney--"

Luthor interrupted, "Will you stop that! I can afford a
*thousand* attorneys. I'll have your head... badge for this.
Someone get the Governor on the phone! Wait, make it the
President, make it--"

Henderson grabbed Luthor's arm, but Luthor twisted free, using
karate moves on two nearby policemen who tried to restrain him,
and headed for the balcony.

Firmly, Henderson said, "It's over, Luthor. You have nowhere to
go. Give yourself up."

Mrs. Cox was brought in handcuffed.

Luthor turned to her and said, "Et tu, Mrs. Cox?"

She shrugged at him.

Next Luthor looked at Henderson and then looked over the balcony
ledge. He climbed up on the ledge, shouting, "Lex Luthor will
not live in a cage!"

Henderson cried, "Luthor, no!"

Luthor calmly replied, "Did you know this is the tallest
building in Metropolis? Top of the world!" With that he threw
himself over the edge.

Henderson reached for him, but missed. Before he could look over
the edge, Superman appeared, carrying a very angry Luthor like a
sack of potatoes, and landed softly on the balcony. Superman
turned to Inspector Henderson. "I think this is yours."

Almost cracking a smile Henderson replied, "Thanks. Your timing
is perfect."

Luthor sputtered, "I thought kryptonite is poisonous to you!"

As he turned Luthor over to the waiting policemen who promptly
restrained and handcuffed Luthor, Superman deadpanned,
"Apparently not."

Henderson turned to him and asked, "So we should add attempted
murder to the charges?"

Superman nodded, "Yes, and assault, unlawful imprisonment and
interfering with emergency services to start."

Facing the superhero, at that news Henderson did break into a
rare genuine smile that only Superman could see. Then he
whispered, "By the way, we're here because your signal
worked."

Superman whispered back, "Good to know. I'll be sure to thank
Dr. Klein and tell him his modified GPS worked."

The next few hours were spent giving statements to the police.
Superman had given his statement and was getting ready to leave
when Lois approached him.

"Are you really okay?" she asked in a whisper. "You had me
scared."

He looked around, saw no one was able to overhear them and
quietly replied, "I'm fine."

"But Mrs. Cox said you were exposed to you-know-what."

He leaned close to her and whispered, "Game changer. Special new
suit. And Luthor's thugs covered my head with a lead hood so I
couldn't see. What they didn't know was that it protected my
vision and hearing from exposure."

"Did you really fall unconscious?"

"No. That was an act. All this is off the record."

"Of course! I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, Lois." With a wink he left by the balcony, flying into
the sky. Unseen, he flew in a circle before checking Lois's
apartment. The MPD and FBI had just finished removing
surveillance equipment planted by Luthor's hirelings. They
cleared her apartment of surveillance equipment, which was
confiscated as evidence. After that she was allowed to return to
her apartment. Clark in both personas would continue to routinely
scan both of their apartments for hidden surveillance equipment.
His diligence was at least partially due to his Lord Kal-El
persona. He returned to Luthor's penthouse as Clark, who
escorted Lois to his apartment.

Lex Luthor was arrested and placed in isolation on suicide watch.
Jack was released the next day from protective custody. Lois
moved back into her own apartment. Jack and Jimmy stayed
temporarily with Perry.

Henderson made sure that the kryptonite cage and pieces were
recovered and destroyed. Additional kryptonite was confiscated
with a search conducted simultaneously at Lex Labs.

***

One Week After Lex Luthor's Arrest

Lois, Clark, Perry, Jimmy and Jack met on the sidewalk in front
of the Daily Planet building. The front entrance was boarded up,
the area cordoned off with "BUILDING CONDEMNED" signs on the
entrances.

Jimmy spoke with a sigh, "I wish they'd get it over with and
tear down this old place."

Perry replied, "Yep, too many memories."

Lois quietly added, "Most of them good."

After a moment, Perry brightened and said, "There's a lesson to
be learned here."

Jack grumpily replied, "Why am I not surprised?"

Ignoring him, Perry then said, "We ought to appreciate what
we've got when we've got it."

Lois looked at Clark, who was looking at the building. He felt
her stare and turned to her. Quickly she changed the subject.

"It's my fault. All of it. If Lex hadn't wanted me so badly he
never would've destroyed the *Planet*. Why me?"

Clark answered her, "Because Lex Luthor always wants what he can
never have."

In a near whisper, Lois said, "He almost did."

Clark passionately replied, "No, he didn't. You said 'No.'
You didn't accept his proposal. And even if you had, you never
would have gone through with the wedding."

Lois looked gratefully at Clark, tried to reply, but couldn't
speak. Clark stepped towards her and she stepped into his arms
for a hug.

Perry interrupted the silence saying, "I know I've said this
before, but I hate the idea that Lex Luthor got his way--"
Pointing to the condemned building, he continued, "Even in this
one thing."

The booming voice of Mr. Stern was heard. "He didn't." Coming
closer, he pointed and exclaimed, "Look!"

A flatbed truck pulled up to the building. Workmen removed a tarp
covering a large object on the truck bed: the *Daily Planet
*globe. Then, a crane began to move it into position.

Everyone was astonished. Perry was the first to find his voice,
saying, "Great Shades of Elvis!"

Mr. Stern informed them, "We start on the building next week,
but first I thought we'd announce to the world we're back in
business." Turning to Perry, he continued, "I reconsidered your
proposal. I agree with you, Mr. White. Metropolis needs the
*Daily Planet*. Besides, resurrecting what he tried to obliterate
suits me fine and will annoy him for years. I can just see him in
his lonely cell being aggravated at what he's lost, and that
what he tried to destroy has found new life. I wonder if I should
arrange for him to get a subscription delivered daily to his
cell..."

Perry chuckled. "He'd likely claim that was cruel and unusual
punishment."

"Oh, and I had some ideas about modernization."

Perry warily asked, "Modernization?"

"Yes, improvements, expansions. Would you like to see the
plans?"

Mr. Stern headed over to the plans with Perry, Jimmy and Jack
following him. Perry added, "Mr. Stern! Now wait just a doggone
minute!"

Lois and Clark were left alone.

Looking at the globe, Clark said, "I've never seen anything so
beautiful in all my life."

Lois looked at him and saw him in a newfound light.

"You never gave up. On the *Planet*, on your friends, on me."

Clark looked at her. "I couldn't. You've just named almost
everything in the world that's precious to me."

"I don't think I've ever, *will* ever meet anyone quite like
you."

Clark grinned and thought, *You don't know how true that is*.

Then Lois and Clark simultaneously started to speak. She said,
"Let me go first, please."

He replied, "Okay."

"Clark, I'm sorry... about a lot of things. But most of all
that I didn't tell you what I decided after I spoke with
Superman after we spoke in the park. I've been afraid. Afraid of
being hurt, and that you'd changed your mind about me... about
us.

"I haven't wanted to admit it to myself, but Clark I more than
need you in my life. I love you."

"Like a brother?"

"No. I love you like a woman loves a man. Her man. I am *in
love* with you. And it scares me that I'm going to mess this
up."

"Lois, I love you. I've loved you from about three seconds
after I met you. I loved you when you were considering Luthor's
proposal. I love you today. I'll love you tomorrow and I'll
love you forever. That won't stop."

"How do you know? My parents thought that when they got
married."

"Lois, we are not your parents. I don't know how I know, I just
do."

"What do we do next?"

"Well, I'd like to date you. But before we make any plans,
there's something I need to talk to you about. Privately."

"Is it a bad thing?"

"Not necessarily. That's up to you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Come on. Let's go somewhere private. Your place or
mine?"

"Mine is closer."

"And if you're mad at me afterwards, you won't have to
leave."

"You're scaring me. Can you give me a hint?"

"I'm adopted. And I want to tell you about my biological
parents. But not here on the street..."

Lois took his arm, and they silently walked to her apartment.

When they reached her door, she unlocked all her locks and they
went inside. Throwing her purse on the side table, she turned to
him and asked, "Do you want something to drink or can we discuss
this now?"

"I'm fine. Why don't you sit down?"

Lois sat on one of her love seats while Clark nervously paced in
back and forth in front of her. Gathering his thoughts, he turned
and faced her.

"Lois, I told you I'm adopted. What I didn't tell you is how
my parents adopted me, and that until recently I knew nothing
about my biological family."

She nodded yes, and uncharacteristically said nothing, allowing
him to continue.

"My parents found me when they think I was around three months
old. They found me in a neighbor's field."

"What! Why would anyone abandon a baby? I'm sorry, please
continue."

He smiled and sat down. "Actually, they were driving home and
thought they saw a meteor. My mom, well you've met her. She's
as adventurous and inquisitive as you. She and my dad had just
received the news that they were turned down as adoptive parents
after they had been told they couldn't have a child of their
own. They were devastated.

"Anyway, as they were driving Mom and Dad saw this streak of
light in the sky. And Mom convinced Dad to stop and check it out.
They thought it was a meteor. Instead they found a small
spaceship with a baby inside. Me. They took me home, and Dad hid
the ship. When some government men came around a couple of days
later, they pretended not to know anything about a meteor."

"Wait. Your parents found a baby in a space ship, and they just
took care of you? And there were government agents looking for
you?"

"Well, yeah. You have to understand my parents. The major reason
they were denied adopting a child was because they had been
arrested in peaceful civil rights demonstrations. So their
opinion of overly aggressive government types was already pretty
low. They told everyone that I was the illegitimate child of
Mom's cousin. Or at least that's the story that ended up in the
Smallville gossip mill. And they never disputed it, preferring to
not say anything rather than lie outright.

"And Mom and Dad... well, Mom told me that they didn't care if
I was a government or Russian experiment or a Martian, I was
*theirs*. And that was that."

Lois took his hand in hers and with tears in her eyes softly
said, "Oh, Clark."

"I couldn't have asked for better parents. They loved me as
their own, and protected me fiercely. When I was old enough, they
had a talk with me about my unusual adoption. And they instilled
in me the need to hide my origins, and eventually my abilities.
Dad said they were concerned someone from the government would
discover me, take me away and dissect me like a frog."

"That's awful!"

"Lois, you have to understand. They were petrified of losing me,
and what could become of me. I wasn't always invulnerable, and
of course they never were. I never really understood how right
they were until Trask tried to kill us. He had my ship, you know.
The globe I took was from it."

He continued his story, filling her in on growing up, his travels
and what he knew about Jor-El, Lara and Krypton. He explained how
the idea of Superman came from her comment about bringing a
change of clothes to work. She wanted to hear everything and was
patient. She understood why he hid his abilities and his second
job from everyone, including her. If she were in his shoes she
would not have trusted Lois Lane so quickly.

And to her chagrin, she realized in stealing Clark's story, she
had actually stolen *Superman's* *story*. Of course Clark had
Superman's globe! It was *Clark's globe*. She also cringed
inwardly at how she had dismissed or belittled Clark over the
past year. Mostly she was quiet, although she did ask an
occasional question for clarification.

She even amazed herself in that the famed Lane temper never
emerged. She was not angry with him. Maybe she was a little hurt
and definitely embarrassed at how she'd treated both of him.
Fawning over Superman while ignoring and belittling Clark. As he
talked, she fell deeper in love with him.

When he finished, she said, "So I was right."

"You figured it out?"

"That you were Superman? No, I meant that you think of Ordinary
Guy, that is you--Clark--as the real person and Superman as the
disguise."

"That's what you meant when you mumbled about Ordinary Guy?"

"Yeah. I did get it right, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

"But you know you're wrong."

"What?"

"Clark, I don't know the real you. Yet. The Clark Kent I know
can't fly without an airplane or bend steel in his bare hands or
any of the other things you can do. And Superman doesn't have a
job, family or friends. So you are a combination of them, and yet
different. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah. That's something else I love about you, Lois. You
understand me better than I understand myself."

"Well, I am Lois Lane. And I think I told you once that my job
is to look beyond the external. The flashy suit and pair of
glasses may have blinded me, but I still saw beneath both
disguises. Even when I didn't know they were disguises."

"I guess you did."

"Will you let me see the real you now?"

"Lois, I have no secrets from you. Yes, I'll give you all the
time you need to know me if you'll let me see the real you,
too."

"I will. Clark, why tell me now?"

"I trusted you to not look for Superman's identity, and you
didn't. I don't think it's fair to continue this without you
knowing everything."

"I don't know what to say."

"Lois, I owe you a lot. You accepted Superman when he first
arrived. It's thanks to your articles that he was accepted so
easily. If LNN had gotten there first, I'm sure the perception
would be completely different. And although you've protested at
times, you accepted a greenhorn partner as a full partner. I
wanted to show you how much I trust you. And my parents do too,
by the way. I discussed telling you with them."

"You did?"

"Sure did. They both thought it was time."

"How about a hug?"

"Absolutely!"

They both stood and stepped into each other's arms. Lois tipped
her head up and Clark looked into her eyes. They saw the love in
each other's eyes. Cautiously, he bent towards her and gently
kissed her lips. She memorized the feel of his lips on hers, the
smell of him, the gentle sound of his breathing, and how safe she
always felt in his arms no matter what clothes he wore. Then she
initiated a kiss filled with all the love and passion she could
muster. Momentarily stunned, he soon returned the passion-filled,
toe-curling kiss.

She sighed as she leaned her head against his chest, hearing his
heartbeat. And Lois knew she was right about something else. She
was in love with Clark Kent. She couldn't live or even visualize
living without him. And she knew without him saying a word that
he felt the same.

Coyly she looked at him and asked, "When's our first date?"

He laughed and replied, "Tonight?"

She nodded yes.

"I've said it before, and I'm going to continue to say it
until long after you believe it. Lois, I've loved you from the
beginning, and I'll love you forever."

"Clark, I think I loved you from the first, too. I was scared to
admit it until I saw you as Superman on the shuttle. I love you
now and will love you till the end."

And they did.

***

Epilogue

Eight months later, Lex Luthor escaped from prison a few days
before Lois and Clark's wedding. He had some bizarre plan to
kidnap Lois from the wedding, substitute a clone and transfer
Lois's and his souls into new clones so they could start new
lives in Switzerland. Unfortunately for him, Lois was so
distraught about the last-minute wedding changes insisted on by
the wedding planner her mother Ellen had hired that Lois and
Clark had quietly eloped.

Superman and the MPD recaptured Luthor, who was placed in
isolation in a maximum-security prison cell. Five years after
that he was found dead in his cell. Cause of death was unclear
until the coroner revealed a brain tumor. Subsequent search of
his cell revealed hidden kryptonite in the binding of his
handwritten journal. His journal showed he was convinced it would
protect him from Superman's wrath. He never understood that
Superman was satisfied justice was served because he was in
prison for life with no hope of release.

Further study at S.T.A.R. Labs showed that long-term exposure was
a health hazard to humans. As a result, the kryptonite was
classified as extremely dangerous to humans and was stored only
in the highest-level biohazard lab at S.T.A.R. Labs. Luthor's
body was cremated after the coroner finished with it. By special
request of all the proper authorities and government officials,
Superman hurled the urn containing his ashes into the sun after
experts confirmed the ashes were not contaminated with
kryptonite.

After getting released from jail, Jack stayed with Clark and went
back to school and got his G.E.D. Thanks to a scholarship from
the Superman Foundation, he was able to go to college at Met U.
He and Jimmy shared an apartment until Jack graduated from
college. When Jack turned eighteen, he was granted guardianship
of his brother Denny thanks to the intervention of Perry White,
Inspector Henderson and Superman. Denny moved in with Jimmy and
Jack. Jack studied business and after college got an internship
at the Superman Foundation. He earned his M.B.A. part-time while
working. Eventually he became the Superman Foundation's Chief
Financial Officer (C.F.O.), and eventually its C.E.O.

Denny followed in his brother's footsteps, going to college and
later getting an M.B.A. He became the C.F.O. and eventually
C.E.O. of the charitable organization in Gotham City, the Thomas
and Martha Wayne Memorial Foundation. He worked closely with its
founder, Bruce Wayne.

Perry, Jimmy, Lois and Clark went back to work at the *Planet*
when it reopened. Perry stayed as editor in chief until his
retirement at age seventy, when joint chief editorship was passed
to Lois and Clark. He and Alice had a brief separation and
divorce. They reconnected after about a year and remarried, and
then remained happily married.

Jimmy became a world-famous photojournalist, earning multiple
awards as Jim Olsen. He met Angela the Christmas after the
*Planet* reopened. They had a brief courtship, and then went
their separate ways. After two years apart, they found each other
again and eventually married. When Lois and Clark became
co-editors in chief, Jim became the *Planet's* online editor. He
never forgot his early days at the *Planet*, and the friendships
Lois and Clark extended to him. Those just starting out would
find a kind word, an understanding ear and sage advice from Jim,
who often served as both official and unofficial mentor for
newbies.

Inspector Henderson went on to have a distinguished career, which
included a memorable tenure as the chief of police. He retired
with many accolades and honors, including the key to the city
given to him by Superman. It was the only time both Superman and
Henderson were noted to simultaneously be emotional enough to
have their stoic masks slip with moist eyes.

Dr. Bernie Klein became a great friend of Superman, Lois and
Clark. Eventually he was let in on the family secret when Lois
unexpectedly became pregnant. Typically humble, Bernie said he
was never so glad to be so wrong about his findings than when he
had determined that a Kryptonian man could not have children with
an Earth woman. He went on to distinguish himself with multiple
inventions benefiting mankind, the profits of which made
financial status of S.T.A.R. Labs stable. And also secured his
own job and financial future.

Shortly after their first date, Clark told Lois all about his
"Don't Be Cruel" mantra. They both adopted it, promising to
never go to bed angry just like Martha and Jonathan had promised
each other about thirty-five years before. Their professional and
personal lives were never dull or boring. Martha, Jonathan, Lois
and Clark all had long happy marriages with their houses filled
with love and laughter, often supplied by additional generations
of Kents.

THE END