Chapter 1.
Old acquaintance.
She looked like a rare and precious flower. Long red hair, emerald green eyes, black dress that enveloped her figure as a second skin, revealing fantastic body and beautifully long legs.
"So, Mr. Elliott, are we going to see your new masterpiece soon?" red-haired beauty smiled mischievously.
"Don't be so sure".
"Let me guess – troubles with love scenes again?" Great Rao, is she a psychic?
"I've heard even Shakespeare had the same problems, Miss Lang".
Lana just couldn't stop teasing him about his new name. At first "Jonathan Elliot" was just a penname. After "Brave New Metropolis", as Vicky Vale from Gotham Gazette called Luthor's short rule, return to the life of investigative reporter wasn't an option anymore, so Clark became a writer. But you can't stay faceless writer forever, and he asked Bruce to forge new papers for him. He felt completely safe – nobody outside Metropolis could recognize mild-mannered Clark Kent in charming, a bit old-fashioned gentleman Jonathan Elliot. Even better, as Jonathan Elliott he never needed ridiculous excuses to escape the newsroom.
But for Lana Lang new name and changes in appearance wasn't a disguise at all.
He never had a chance to win Pulitzer as Clark Kent. Probably because he was in shadow of Lois Lane since he started working for Daily Planet. But "Jonathan Elliott" was more successful; he won a Pulitzer for his latest novel "Road to Nowhere". As surprised as he was for actually winning, he didn't expect Lana's arrival at the award ceremony.
"Congratulations", she gave him her best smile, "and don't you even dare to think that you didn't deserve Pulitzer".
"Thanks, Lana. It meant a lot to me".
"Why don't we find some nice place to celebrate it properly? Just you and me?"
And now they were sitting in Lana's favorite restaurant in Florence, enjoying wine and meat steaks. And chatting endlessly, remembering old times.
* * *
Lana Lang. They were dating in Smallville High, she was his first love – or he thought that she was. Clark hoped to marry her one day, but his powers and Kryptonian legacy effectively killed schoolboy's dream. Clark left Smallville, passed Jor-El's training, travelled across the world, settled in Metropolis, and started working in Daily Planet while saving people as Superman. Lana Lang was a part of the past, and Clark didn't want to look back.
Besides, Lana left Smallville too and became world-renowned fashion designer. With the world's most rich and famous men fighting for her attention, she clearly couldn't be still interested in Clark Kent, farmer-turned-journalist from Smallville. When he accidentally met Lana Lang again, her date was Lex Luthor, of all people. Clark's suspicions were confirmed, but still he felt it was necessary to warn her about Luthor.
But he underestimated Lana. First thing she asked after Superman rescued her from kidnappers was "By the way, Clark, how are the folks?" She even proposed to spy on Lex for him. But near-death experience taught Lana to leave crime fighting to professionals. Clark was glad – Lois and her habit of constantly getting into trouble was more than enough, he didn't want to keep an eye on Lana too.
I should have been keeping an eye on Lana. I wish I knew it back then…
After Brainiac killed his parents, and Lois died in car explosion, Lana Lang was his last link to the past. And the only person outside superheroic business who knew his background.
Surely she could talk some sense into him… if only Lex Luthor didn't get to her first.
Lana's capture was one of Luthor's deeds he knew nothing about. Lex kept his ex-girlfriend in secret underground bunker, treating her as a princess in crazy hope to win her heart back, but golden cage is still a cage, and Lana was extremely happy when Superman freed her. Of course, Lana was a fashion designer by vocation and she couldn't miss his new costume.
"I almost didn't recognize you, Clark. Black uniform, black gloves, black boots and the red lightning bolt emblem? What were you thinking? You look like SS officer! If you aren't planning to change your name to Ubermensch, you'd better destroy this ridiculous outfit!"
He was adamant about not using Red and Blue again. Lana wasn't impressed. And judging by the evil glint in her eyes, Clark knew that she is up to something.
After few months she needed to reestablish her agency, Lana presented him two dozens of sketches for the new suit.
"Black and white. You see, simple, elegant, but not too grim".
He had to agree with Lana. Black suit with a white cape, slightly changed emblem of House of El – little details, but he felt different in new costume.
"So, Clark, what do you think?" she looked nervous. Clearly Lana never designed super-suits before and it was uncharted territory for her.
Clark assured her "You may not be my Watson or Batgirl, but I think you are wonderful Edna Mode", and was rewarded by flashing smile.
* * *
"Do you want to know my opinion on your writer's block? I think you need to find a muse. How are you supposed to write about feelings if you didn't date since High School?"
Clark sighed, "It's not my fault that no woman in Elliot's life was interesting enough to ask her out".
"You never considered going on date as Superman?"
"No. It means drawing a target on the back of some poor woman".
"What about women in your life-saving business? Like this living fireball, Volcana, for example? I saw you and her in the news, and she clearly has a thing for you".
Clark rolled his eyes. Lana is playing matchmaker. Not again.
"Lana, Volcana is attractive, but too blunt and aggressive for my taste. If she wasn't grateful to me for saving her, she could easily went on rampage and become supervillainess worse that Livewire. Batgirl is too young for me, not to mention than she is head over heels in love with Nightwing. And don't even start asking about Maxima. Comparing to her even Volcana is a nun".
"Volcana is blunt and aggressive? I thought you liked it in women…" seeing a changed face of her companion, Lana understood that she touched the forbidden theme. "Oh, I'm, sorry, Clark, I didn't mean to hurt you".
"It's okay, Lana. I learned long ago to live with it".
Thinking about Lois was painful, but Clark decided to use the moment of silence to change the theme.
"Why do we always talk about my love life? What about you, Lana? "
"Most of the men I tried to date were looking for another notch on a bedpost. Or even worse, they were looking for a trophy wife".
"Most of them?"
"Ok, there was one exception. Bruce Wayne".
Bruce and Lana? Now that's interesting.
"Bruce Wayne? I didn't know you dated him".
"Only for two month. Before…" Lana shot him a quizzical look. "What's the matter, Clark? Are you jealous?"
Clark chuckled, "Not exactly. I just was surprised. Five minutes ago you were complaining about not-so-fine qualities of men, and then you are telling that Bruce Wayne, bread and butter for gossip columns, is an exception".
Don't take it too personal, Bruce. I was just helping you to maintain your image of playboy.
"Since when you started to believe everything you've read, Clark? Trust me; Bruce isn't as shallow as yellow papers pictured him. He is a good man; he just doesn't want to show it. So he acted like a cliché of billionaire playboy", mistaking an expression on Clark's face for disbelief, Lana fiercely continued, "Clark, did you know that his parents were murdered when he was eight? They were shot in dark alley; he saw everything and was unable to stop the killer. You know how painful is to lose both parents – and you weren't a child when it happened".
Touché. I wonder how close Lana came to figuring out his secret.
"You two are very much alike, you and Bruce. You were always afraid to be close to people because of your secrets. And Bruce was afraid of closure because he didn't want to lose people he cared about again. I tried to reach for him, but without success. I mean I had more chances to nail you. And now, because of stupid car crash, he is bound to wheelchair till the end of the life. It's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair, Lana", Clark knew everything about so-called "car crash". He also knew that Bruce Wayne wasn't as helpless as Lana thought. But he had to keep his mouth shut.
Maybe I should pay a visit to the old friend…
A/N: I know that Volcana was a supervillain in STAS, but that's a different world, so don't be surprised.