Lois Lane was not the type of woman with regrets. Every day, she went to work and put everything she was into her job. Oftentimes, she jeopardized her life for a story, usually only to be saved within seconds of death by her amazing husband, Superman. No, Lois Lane did not have many real regrets in her life, but she did have one that was more than enough for one lifetime.
Amelia woke with a start one crisp, October morning, realizing that, once again, she was running late for school. Faster than a speeding bullet, she brushed her teeth, straightened her hair, put on the first pair of matching clothes she found in her closet, and applied her makeup.
As she sprinted past her mother, the middle aged-woman chuckled, "Late for school again?" Amelia just glared at her mother and pulled a piece of toast off her plate, then ran out the door. Just before she was out of earshot, her mother called, "Don't forget about ballet today after school." Amelia merely waved behind her in acknowledgement, walking as fast as she could without embarrassing herself.
"Morning, Amelia," The one of the attendance ladies smirked at her. "What was it this time, did you discover million-year-old dinosaur bones under your back porch this morning?"
"Oh, Mrs. Hudson, you know I don't have a back porch. We had to tear it off after the whole giant spider fiasco." Amelia shook her head laughingly with the women around her. "Today, though, as I tried to pour my cereal down the garbage disposal, I realized that one of the pipes was clogged. Obviously, I couldn't leave a sink full of food and milk sitting in my kitchen all day, so I took a wrench out of my dad's tool belt and disconnected one of the pipes. Luckily, I picked the right one right off the bat or there's no way I would have even made it to school at all."
"Oh, well thank goodness for that!" One of the other women chirped in from the back of the room.
"You're telling me!" Amelia exclaimed, "So, anyway, I pull out the pipe and reach my fingers up as far as they can reach, and I could feel something hard and sharp poking my fingers. Intrigued, I grabbed a wire and jimmied it up the pipe until I could feel it hook around the object. As hard as I could, I wrenched the wire out and you'll never guess what fell into the palm of my hand."
"A wasps' nest?"
"A diamond necklace?"
"The keys to a brand new Mercedes from the president himself." The young woman smiled as she boldly finished her story. "He wanted to personally thank me for my undercover work in the Irish Mafia, but, of course, I couldn't accept, so I had to personally deliver the generous gift to one of his most trusted agents, who just happens to live nearby." The attendance ladies erupted in applause as Amelia bowed gratefully. "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here 'till June."
"Nicely done, Amelia." Mrs. Hudson nodded, handing her a pass, "Have you ever thought of going into a career in writing?"
Amelia shrugged, "Eh, I guess it just depends on what I'm in the mood for. And that, of course, is if my career as a movie star doesn't work out."
Grinning ear to ear, Mrs. Hudson handed her an envelope before she made it out the door. "Just do me a favor and give this a shot. Please."
"Oh," Amelia sighed dramatically, "If I must!"
"Cameron, I want those medical records of Mr. Solomon on my desk by the time I get back."
"Yes, Ms. Lane, I'll get right on that." A nerdy young man replied, picking up papers as he dropped them on the floor.
"Lois! Where's that article on the bank robberies?" The editor-in-chief called across the newsroom.
"Clark out researching a lead now, Jimmy," Lois reported, taking her coat and a brief case as on her way towards the elevator, "We'll have it on your desk in time for the morning edition."
"Good." Jimmy called back as the elevator doors shut behind her, then turned to the nerdy young assistant, "Baldwin, get me some coffee, and tell Melinda Abbott in Entertainment to meet me in my office in a half and hour."
"Yes, Mr. Olsen, I'll be right in sir." Cameron darted across the room nervously in response.
"And don't be so jumpy!" Jimmy complained under his breath as he watched the young man shakily pour his coffee on the other side of the room.
"I would put down those bags if I were you," Superman advised a few bank robbers in a confidant, deep voice.
"Oh, yeah, old man?" One of them challenged him, "What're ya gonna do about it?"
"Well," Superman strode powerfully over towards the young men and put his hands on their collars, as if about to lift them off the ground, "I may be old, but I'm still—" Superman paused, unable to lift the robbers, "I'm still—" He tried again, but still was to weak to carry even their meager weight. Suddenly, one of the young men punched Superman across the face and he fell to the ground and began nursing a bloody lip.
Satisfied, the young men took the bags and walked over the defeated Superman to get to the door, kicking him on the way out. When Superman finally was able to muster up his strength to get up and walk out, he was stormed by reporters. Stumbling, he took a few steps back, then took one great leap and was in the air.
"Clark," Lois said when she heard him fly in through the front window, not taking her eyes off her computer, "Good news. Cameron gave me the criminal records on Gregory Solomon and it turns out he served two years in Green Hills. But get this, while he was in prison, he was cell mates with James Cherney." For a second, Lois was silent as she waited for Clark to respond. "You know, the guy who was arrested a couple years ago for drug trafficking and selling kryptonite on the black market." Again, Clark was silent. "Clark?"
Lois tore herself away from the computer to check on her husband in the living room, where she heard him land. "Oh, Clark!" She exclaimed, rushing to his side when she saw his bloody, bruised body lying pathetically on their cold, wood floors.