Telling

Day 18, Friday, 5:15PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

Lois Lane tried to stifle a yawn as she raised her hand to mouth. She was still sitting in the empty 'hotel' office to the left of Perry's office, usually used for visitors or discreet interviews with certain sources. Today, it had been set up as a makeshift television studio as Lois made appearances via satellite with the major cable news networks, the topic being Lex Luthor's financial network and his hunt for kryptonite. Most of the interviews had been prerecorded earlier in the afternoon. However, she'd agreed to a live interview with MSNBC, and was scheduled for the second and possibly third fifteen-minute segment of the show.

As the interview began, Perry looked on through the glass of his office like a proud papa while listening to the slightly delayed sound from the television in his office. She definitely had her head back in the game after her domestic distractions earlier in the week. Though he'd been sorely disappointed at her breaking off her engagement to his nephew, she was still like family to him and one of his best reporters. Perry felt no guilt for his continuing professional support of Lois Lane, confident in his belief that the story they'd run that morning would earn her a second Pulitzer, and Clark Kent his first. Richard would simply have to learn to cope with working with her in the office as he dealt with his pain.

Perry thought back to the call from Clark at 10:30 PM Tuesday night, explaining what he and Lois had uncovered, which seemed to be as big as blowing open the Watergate scandal had been in the 1970s. He thought he was going to have a stroke when Clark had insisted that they sit on the story a couple days to give law enforcement agencies a chance to act on their information. Holding the story had been the right decision, however. Not only did they have to run two special editions to keep up with demand at the newsstand, the rapidly unfolding events that the story had precipitated would keep the papers flying off the shelves for days to come. Clark and Lois had already filed three follow up articles that day, both on the money trail and on the newly discovered Baton Rouge safe house that Lex Luthor had apparently hidden in.

Perry saw Clark walking toward the 'hotel' cube, and stepped out of his office door, waving him in. "We can spy on her from here," Perry told him. "You two have done a hell of a job, by the way."

"Thanks again, Chief," Clark replied meekly. "It's a good thing that this is the last interview. I think Lois has about had it."

"Maybe we need to train you in public speaking, so you can share the burden next time," Perry suggested.

Clark shrugged his shoulders at that, quietly telling Perry, "She'd still do a much better job at it, and present a much better image for the Daily Planet. I'm… I'm better behind the scenes." Both men remained silent as they watched the interview.

As they approached the end of the segment, the news program's host began his next question, "…one more question, one that I know everyone's dying to know the answer to…" Clark noticed Lois' jaw clench as they both realized what was coming. "…what's Superman really like?"

"I'm not sure I can really answer that, Norman," Lois answered, reciting her prepared answer. "He intentionally keeps himself at arm's length."

"But you've had so many exclusives with him. Surely you have some insight into the man?" the host persisted.

"He liked what he read in the Daily Planet and felt he could trust me to give him fair coverage," Lois replied from another rehearsed answer. "I know that he hasn't liked everything I've published, but he knows I'll be fair. I suspect that it's the same with the other reporters that he's spoken to. And as far as insight goes, I can't claim that I've got him figured out."

Once the interview concluded, Perry and Clark both approached Lois as she was getting untangled from her earplug and microphone. "Nice job," Perry praised her. "And that was a pretty slick plug for the Planet on that last question."

"Just once I'd like to get through one of these without the Superman questions," Lois complained.

"It's a bit much to expect when we're talking about Lex Luthor and kryptonite," Clark pointed out. "At least it's over now, and you can get some rest." Lois nodded, and she made a hasty retreat, stopping only briefly to gather her things from her desk on her way out.

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Day 18, Friday, 5:30PM (Central Time), Smallville

Clark, Lois and Jason walked out the back door of the Kent house after dinner as Shelby excitedly ran ahead before circling back and dropping his ball at Jason's feet. As his parents sat on the steps and slipped their hands together, Jason happily obliged the dog and tossed the ball through the yard, which had become an after dinner habit during the past week. After several tosses the old dog had tired, and Clark let him back into the house.

"Are we going play catch at the quarry?" Jason asked his father. It had also been a habit over the last week for Clark to help his son push his abilities after dinner, and it seemed that the boy grew stronger and faster with each passing day. After Jason had thrown the wrecked car nearly a mile the previous night, Clark had decided that they'd have to find another exercise to push his strength, one that was less likely to be observed. Tonight, however, they had other plans.

Clark looked over to Lois, unsure of his role in the coming conversation. She told their son, "Not tonight, honey. I need to talk to you about something. Come here."

Once Jason walked over to his parents on the stairs, Lois pulled him onto her lap, and asked him, "Jason, honey, do you remember what we talked about last week at Superman's Fortress? When I told you that Daddy, Richard and I would always love you no matter what?"

"Uh huh," Jason answered warily.

"Well, try to remember that as I tell you this… We can't stay with Daddy like we have been this week and with Richard like we were at the same time. Things are going to have to be a bit different back in Metropolis."

"Different? How?" Jason asked, as his brow furrowed with worry.

"We can't live with Richard anymore, but—" Lois began.

"No! I don't want Richard to move out!" Jason complained.

"Richard's not moving," Lois explained. "We are: You and me. But you'll still be able to see Richard and do things with him. It's just that we have to live apart now."

"I don't want to move," Jason whined.

"We know you don't, sweetheart," Lois told him, "But our old house is just a place. It's the people that make a house a home. You and I will both be at the new house, Daddy will be there a lot, and Richard will get to visit, too."

"When are we moving?" Jason grumbled.

"I don't know," Lois admitted. "We still have to find a new house. Until then, we'll be staying here with Grandma, and flying back and forth to Metropolis."

"I miss him," Jason told her quietly.

"I know you do, and you'll get to spend most of the day with him tomorrow," Lois told her son. "We'll work something out so you still get to see him when you want to."

"Can I see him now?" Jason asked hopefully.

Lois pinched her lips together as she considered her son's request for a moment. After briefly glancing over at Clark, she suggested, "Why don't we try calling him first?"

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Richard White leaned over the masonry fence behind the patio as he took another gulp from his second beer of the evening and remembered how Lois had loved this view of the river. The evenings since she left had been difficult for him, as everything in the house reminded him of her, despite the fact that none of her belongings remained. His heart also ached for his lost son, whom he still thought of as his son despite the recent evidence to the contrary.

This night, like the others earlier in the week, had found him on the couch surfing through television stations once he got home. However, seeing her frequent presence on the cable news stations tonight had been too much for him – to see her image and hear her voice, knowing that he would not to know her presence in the house again. The few discussions he had with her during the week only drove that point home. She wanted Jason's bedroom furniture and everything from the kitchen, including the dinette set. He'd keep the living room, master bedroom and office furniture. Those were the only things that they had bought together, and the house was his.

He had turned off the television and taken refuge out on the patio with his beer, as he reflected on how good his life had been just a few weeks earlier, and how quickly it had gone to hell. The same question repeated itself in his mind: Who did she leave me for? It seemed to Richard that once his rival returned, Lois had never seriously entertained the possibility of staying. The writing had been on the wall for two weeks before she finally made her decision. Why doesn't she want to tell me who he is? What's the harm now?

His thoughts were disrupted by the phone ringing inside the house. Richard peeled himself off the wall, sauntered back inside the house, and picked up the cordless phone from the coffee table. He recognized Lois' cell phone number in the caller ID, as he brought the phone up to his ear. "Hello?" he answered.

"Hi, Richard, it's Lois. Look, we… I just broke the news to Jason. He's a little upset, and wants to talk to you. Would that be alright?"

She said 'we,' Richard thought. So he's there with them. "Yeah, I'd love to talk to him," he told her.

After a moment, he heard Jason fumbling with the phone. "Richard?" he said tentatively. "Can I come ov—" Richard heard Lois' voice in the background as the boy was interrupted. After a moment, Jason told him, "Mommy says I get to come over tomorrow."

"Yeah, squirt, we have a full day planned," Richard told him. "We'll be going to the aquarium and then to see the clowns at the carnival in the plaza."

"Will that funny clown that was at my birthday party be there?" Jason asked excitedly, as the smile returned to his features.

"No, I think they're a different group of clowns, but they should still be good," Richard assured him. "Have you had a fun time with your Grandma this week?"

"Uh huh," Jason answered. "We did crafts." Jason knew that he wasn't supposed to say a lot about what he did with his dad at Grandma's house, but there had still been a lot of fun with Grandma, too. "Um, what are you doing tonight?"

"I'm just staying home tonight," Richard told him. "I need to be ready for you tomorrow."

"Well, can I come ov—"Again, Jason was interrupted by Lois. Richard heard her in the background. "Um, Mommy says it's too close to my bedtime to come over tonight."

"Well, maybe it is," Richard told him. "But I'll get to see you all day tomorrow."

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed. "Um, Richard?"

"Yes, Jason," Richard answered.

"Um, I miss you," the tyke told him.

"I miss you too," Richard told him, as his eyes glossed over with unshed tears.

As the call ended, Richard hung up the phone and dropped on the couch as he dropped his head into his hands. How did it all slip away so fast? he wondered.

Author's Note:

Yes, things are a bit tough on Richard right now. One doesn't just shrug their shoulders and say "Oh, well," after getting dumped from a five year relationship, especially given the how suddenly it happened for him. He'll recover in time, but there's still some pain ahead, though I think that this is probably the worst of it.

Again, many, many thanks again to htbthomas for the beta.