NOTE: Back when I was writing this, I had written out to Chapter 9, and only published to Chapter 6 then got lost on how to end it. I'm not editing it, but here's the first draft from before. Usual disclaimers.
Chapter 7 : The Globe (Foundling)
February 8, 1994
Lois walked out of the Daily Planet, looking up at the globe above. "Clark, I saw Superman sitting once up there, he didn't notice me, but… I wish he knew I was there for him."
Clark barely registered her words, tilting his head before turning back to her. "Lois, I forgot something inside, go on home. I'll call."
Lois shook her head. Of the three men in her life, it seemed, the only one who wouldn't stand her up was the supposed Boss. She sighed and prepared to walk to the street to flag down a cab. Before entering the first that pulled up, she looked up briefly, almost once again glimpsing the colors of the super hero above the globe. She wondered if he watched her from afar. She wished he would come forward to speak him heart, yet once she came forward with the pregnancy... Lois just shook her head to brush away the thought. She didn't want to face life without the hero.
Twenty minutes later she was finishing re-bolting the last of the locks on her front door before kicking off her pumps, and hurrying to change into more pregnancy friendly clothing. Once dressed in loose sweat pants and one of Clark's shirts she'd taken from his dresser two weeks before. She'd been over there after work, and after he rushed off to take out the trash in the middle of a discussion, she'd decided that with her shirts getting too tight, his might do nicely. It was his fault they weren't fitting anyways. And a man who ran off to take care of the trash rather then talk to her, deserved to have his shirts disappear.
She plopped onto one of the couches, too tired to even bother considering food. Turning on the TV, she flipped channels pausing to stop at a news report on LNN. Superman was currently helping with a fire out west. She watched in awe as the man of steel on camera blew out the raging forest fire. She wondered briefly if Clark hadn't gotten in the way what might have happened with the superhero. Clark though and this child were starting to interfere with her dreams of the superhero romancing her. They had kissed twice, both times since her elopement with Clark, yet the reality of this child was starting to glare at her dreams.
She contemplated getting up for food, but instead continued to watch as with the fire put out, the news cast switched to a clip from earlier that day of a speech by Lex about some new donation he was making to help combat computer viruses. A grant for Metropolis University. Clark might run out on her, and she might not know what she thought of him. One thing she'd always known though, she could trust his judgement at work. Just as he trusted hers.
She sat there thinking about that, with the only light coming from the TV. She must have fallen asleep she thought, when awaking suddenly to the front door opening. Turning her head, she saw Clark stepping in, with his arms full of bags.
"I tried to call, but you didn't answer." Clark said, as he set several of the bags down by the door. He turned to begin to lock close the door. "You are tired. I figured you'd be too exhausted to eat. I brought you a burrito"
She raised an eye brow. "Been too tired to eat. Mexican?"
"Yep." He came towards her offering a cream soda and burrito.
She reached up and surprised him, by pulling him down for a hug. Funny, she thought, he smelled of camp fires, the outdoors. Brushing the thought away, she hungrily grabbed the burrito and began to eat.
"So that's what happened to my shirt." He said, noticing her wearing one of his tee shirts.
Lois looked briefly down, then between bites. "I needed some shirts that would fit over my elephant size body. So I took some of yours. I can return if you insist, but mine are getting far too tight. I have to be more and more careful what I wear."
"I wish we'd just tell people."
"No." She held out her hands. "Now give me what you've got."
He raised an eyebrow. "Lois?"
"On the Boss."
"Oh. One minute." He returned shortly with the bags of paperwork. "Lets eat and read."
An hour later, Lois put down the last of the paperwork. "Ok, it fits with your theory, but without looking to prove that Lex is the boss, well…" She paused suddenly, her hand flying to her stomach. "I felt it move."
His eyes suddenly glistened. "Really?"
"Like fluttering. I can't feel it with my hand, but I felt the baby move."
His grin, she thought would have lit the building up for a week. "Lois." He said slowly with a sigh. "You think we could tell my parents in the morning?"
"No." She said quickly. Then taking in his depressed look, she reached out to his shoulder, turning him to face her. "Clark, we cant chance anyone more knowing. Not if we are right and we take down the boss. I know them, they'll be so excited that they might let it slip."
"Forget about Lex."
"Trying." She shook her head. "Clark, I need to do this. This isn't my dream come true. I don't even know how we'll manage to be parents and do our jobs…"
"We'll manage. Together we can do anything."
Lois shook her head. "No Clark. We're not going to be able to do late night stake outs, weeks on end on the chase of some bad guy. I need the ultimate story before I give up my dreams."
"You're not giving them up."
"Hah. You're the man…"
"So?"
"I want that Pulitzer. We'll get the ultimate story before we settle down."
He started to grin at her words… "Kent and Lane."
"Lane and Kent and never forget that. I'm top banana…"
"I think I remember I was on top…" He looked pointedly down at her belly.
Lois flushed. "Alright. Anyways, before we tell anyone, we've got to figure out just how we're going to do this baby thing. Feeding, diaper changing, where the baby will stay. I'm not facing all those questions until we know."
"Alright." Clark set aside the piles of paper in front of them. "Let me get some tea made and then we can chat as I paint your nails."
"What?" She sat up straight. "You are crazy Clark Kent."
"Crazy for you." He grinned. "Of course, if you ever tell anyone I did your nails…"
"They'll comfort me?"
Clark laughed. "Doing your nails will give us something to do while we talk about the future."
Lois shrugged. "So one of those bags includes your secret stash of nail polish?" She shook her head. "I'll have red feet and hands by the time you're done."
Clark laughed putting a smaller bag from the pharmacy on the table. "Nope, didn't get red, and I used to have to baby sit the neighbors. Three girls who loved nail polish… I can do stripes, and really get creative."
Lois kicked off her socks. "Alright toes first, then if you prove I can trust you with fingers…"
They talked for hours about their hopes and dreams. About their ideas for the future, both of them careful to not imply that beyond they were there together for the child that they were there for each other due to simple love.
Lois was dozing off on the couch, when Clark notice her finally slip into sleep. "Lois?" He whispered. "Lets get you to bed."
"Clark?" She woke up. "I haven't even packed."
"I'll pack, don't worry."
"What time is it?"
"One am, we sure stayed up late talking. Come on, bed."
"Bathroom first." She rose on her feet with his help. She turned to him. "Guess you best stay here, rather then wake your folks up…"
"Yeah. Told them I'd stay on your couch…" He turned towards the window that looked in the direction of his apartment. "Didn't really want to be on my couch while they made up in my bed…"
Lois giggled. "Poor Clark, so you came to visit your paper wife… Now I know why you brought me dinner. You weren't worried about baby here getting enough nourishment. You didn't want to listen to senior Kents making goggly eyes."
Clark laughed. "Both, maybe it was an excuse to visit you?"
Lois pushed him away. "I made poor Eugene sleep on my couch but it's far too short for you. Sleep on top of the bed." She took a deep breath. "If we're moving forward, I need to trust my own husband," Lois gulped out the word. She gave him a half smile. "Now, get some sleep Daddy, you're getting all the diaper changes so you need all the sleep you can get."
He grinned as she shut the bathroom door on him. Husband. Daddy. He liked these new identities. Fetching the blanket off the back of the love seat, he threw it on her bed, before slipping off his jeans to climb under it. He thought for a second on telling her about his duel identity, but was stopped when his super hearing picked up her whispering in her bathroom. "Sweet Dreams Superman, I wish you were here with me." He looked briefly, to see her kiss the poster of him in the suit kept behind the mirror in her medicine cabinet.
Clark smiled to himself, after the fire and a quick patrol, Superman had been able to stay absent all night. Not only that, they'd begun and talked about a future beyond their paper marriage. He had only dozed in the night, more content to watch his wife, a concept that made him grin, sleep. What a night.
It felt that each time they took a step forward, there seemed to be something new holding them back. Until that night he hadn't noticed the poster of himself in the medicine cabinet. When Lois, thinking him asleep rose again at four thirty in the morning to use the restroom, he once again heard her sigh as the medicine cabinet was opened and closed before she left the room.
She laid curled up on her side, facing him, slowly breathing in sleep. They'd talked about their future for once the night before, as he'd painted her toe nails burgundy with pink stripes. She'd deemed his work not good enough though to do her fingers. Anyways, by then they'd been so busy discussing their child. It was as though they both were admitting their future and new doors had opened.
Around seven thirty she woke, to his smiling face. "Morning Clark." She laughed softly. "You sure are happy."
"We've got a future." Even his voice, she thought was sappy.
"Yeah, that's if we nail the sucker."
"But we're giving our marriage, our child a chance."
She shoved him over. "This child, of course we are. Our marriage. We'll see. I don't know how to do marriage, Clark."
"Well, with my parents. You're madly in love, best friends, and there for each other. Even when it's hard. Even when the feelings aren't there. it's the choice to love, cherish, honor and obey. "
"Well, I guess one or two out of three isn't bad…" Lois shrugged as she sat up. "Clark, I know you want to tell your parents." She looked down at her belly that had ridden clear of her shirt. "Martha might guess."
"Yeah, I think Mom might. But we have talked, let's tell…"
"Clark," she cut him off. "I've thought about it. Lex is going to wonder why I'm going with your parents to Smallville."
"Mom and Dad are your friends, I'm staying here."
She shook her head. "Clark, he'll wonder why I don't visit Lucy or something."
"I guess you could…"
"If Lucy figured out I'm knocked up, she'd blab it to my folks and then the whole world would know. She can't keep a secret."
"Mom and Dad can."
"Clark…"
"No hear me out. They'll suspect, then be hurt you don't tell them, even if they don't suspect it's mine." He gulped. "Anyways, Mom might be able to help you with clothing to hide the stomach. It might take us a while to nail down Luthor. Anyways, Uncle Wallace knows. Can't I have someone in my family who knows?"
"Alright." Lois took a deep breath. "Then we need to be on the same page." She turned to her night stand, grabbing a pad of paper and pencil. "New paper rules."
Clark laughed. "Fine, what do you propose?"
"1. Only your parents, and those who absolutely have to know for health of child."
"Until we bring down Luthor."
"Once we've written our front page pulizer worthy expose on him, we'll tell everyone else." Lois smiled at him. "Jimmy will have a heart attack."
"He'll be shocked." Clark nodded. "2. Your health and the baby's health come first. We take good care of you two."
Lois rolled her eyes. "Of course. 3. Lex singled me out, of all the women in metropolis, he's pursued me. He's seemed jealous of when Superman's kissed me." She bit her tongue gauging his reaction. "I don't want him to think you're a threat. You're too important to me. Anyways I need you to change diapers, help with homework, and be there. I suspect sometimes he finds our friendship to be a threat."
"Lois. Then drop him."
"No." She shook her head. "I can't Clark. I need to keep close to him, take him down. Us take him down."
"4." Clark smiled at her. "We have secret dates. We start preparing for the future, our future. Soon we're going to nail him. Then we can start our lives, our real marriage."
"I guess." Lois looked up at him. "I can't regret saying that much of why I'm doing this is for this baby. I need to do more soul searching. But time together to talk, sounds good."
"Lois?"
"I feel like I'm loosing me. It's your dream come true, but it's not mine."
He reached up to cup her chin. "We're not giving up your dreams, just adding new ones along side it."
"Clark, we eloped and got pregnant off of some peromone perfume! We were loopy on love!"
"Maybe I don't know what 'love' is Lois, but I think it's spending the rest of your life with your best friend, through thick and through thin."
Leaving Lois's suitcase in the jeep, Lois climbing the steps to Clark's apartment following as her stomach turned summersaults. The baby was likely moving too, but with her stomach threatening to hurl, she doubted she'd notice. She barely registered Clark opening the door, and leading her in as he called out. "Mom, Dad, ready?"
"You stayed with Lois?" Martha asked before he closed the door.
"Sure." Clark shrugged. "Jimmy was doing an all night marathon of the Princess Bride and I don't know if even I could manage it 5 times. So Lois was great and bailed me out. How about breakfast before I take the three of you to the airport. You'll like Smallville Lois, I doubt even you'll be able to find much news there - great for relaxing. And Mom's cooking will bring the color back in your cheeks." He closed the door then behind Lois, locking it.
"Well, I just started pancakes..." Martha grinned. "We'll get that color back in, don't worry."
"Yep, you'll enjoy your time on the farm." Jonathan grinned, clapping Lois on the back. "Wish Clark could come too though..."
"About that..." Lois looked briefly at Clark. "Clark is going to be working on an investigation here, going to dig up some dirt on what could be the biggest scope of the century."
"Mom, we need to let you in on a few things, why don't you and Dad sit down with Lois, I'll finish up the pancakes." Clark, stopped his mother mid pour of the pancakes.
"Alright Clark, nearly done. just a few more. So who are you investigating now?"
"It's top secret." Lois leaned in towards them. "We suspect that Lex Luthor is the boss. Superman gave Clark some evidence, and he's pulled some more of his own."
"Superman?" Jonanathan asked, his eyebrow going up as he looked briefly at his son.
"Yeah." Lois took a deep breath. "Anyways we can't have Lex suspecting us. I've been dating him now and then, and if I'm going to get," She paused, noticing Clark staring at her. "If we're going to get this thing cracked wide open. I've got to keep close to him. And we've got to protect..." Lois took a deep breath, catching Clark's eyes as he flipped the last pancakes onto the serving plate. "someone."
"Who?" Jonanathan asked.
Lois looked down briefly. "I don't know..."
Clark came behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "There's a lot that Luthor needs to not find out. Thankfully some that he could have found out he hasn't seemed to find out yet, but if he ever gets suspicious, it's not just our lives at risk. Lois and I eloped."
"You did?" Jonathan grinned, "Let's toast."
"That was certainly keeping it quiet, you could have invited us to join you... and all your talk about a Princess Bride marathon avoiding... Jimmy will be upset that he missed the wedding. And I'm sure Perry would be willing to give you time off for the honeymoon..."
"Hah." Lois let out a single laugh before shaking her head. "Little late for that. Martha, Jonathan, we're not telling anyone. Not until we nail Luthor. We didn't exactly think it through..."
Clark sat down, taking the seat next to Lois. "There's a lot we haven't figured out yet. And you remember me telling you about that pheromone spray that hit the news room?"
"Last november was it?" Martha asked.
"Yeah... Well we were so loopy we eloped, got pregnant and convinced everyone we were in our right minds..."
"Pregnant?" Martha asked, looking pointedly at Lois.
"Yep, that's right Mom, you're going to be a Grandma in August or September."
"Grandpa." Jonathan shook his head, "You're certain, even with?"
"Yes, even sometimes it only takes one time to get knocked up." Lois rolled her eyes. "Excuse me, pregnant ladies have to use the restroom often." She rose, as Clark also stood up to pull back her chair for her.
Once Lois was in the restroom, "Clark, unexpected, and I'm happy for you. We never knew if you could have children..." Jonathan said.
"But have you told her?" Martha cut in.
"Told her?" he asked.
"You know..." Jonathan made a flying motion with his hand. "About you."
Clark shook his head. "We just got to the agreement this morning to tell you about the baby." He grinned. "I'm going to be a Dad." He sighed. "She's got a superman crush still. Did you know she has a picture of him on her medicine cabinet and wishes it goodnight and kisses it?"
Martha giggled. "I bet she'd love it if she only knew..."
"I want her to love me for me, we've got a start, and I"ll tell her soon, but things are so rocky." He shrugged. "We finally talked last night. Until we realized the baby was coming we'd planned to just quietly end it when we could without attracting attention. Then... She's got enough on her plate for now. She hasn't committed that she's sticking with this marriage, and I"m scared. I don't want him to be the reason she decides to commit to it, I want it to be me."
Martha put her hand on Clark's. "You'll win her Clark." She wore a soft smile that reflected the sunflowers that grew in the front yard of her home, always reminding him of his childhood. "You'll make a good father Clark, and you and Lois a good team."
"Team?" Lois asked, returning.
"I was just telling Clark you'll make good parents. Friendship is one of the most important ingredients in a marriage."
"We're not to the happy families marriage yet." Lois sat down again at her seat at the table. "First we capture some bad guys, write the story of the century, get the pulitzier, figure out how we'll raise this kid, and give it a try. But Priorities."
Clark laughed. "Yep. We give it a try." he sat down. "Pass the syrup."
"Martha, before we go. No one can know about the marriage." Somehow it was less hard to speak each time, she found, "Or the baby. As far as anyone knows, I'm staying with you half a week then going to Kansas City for some shopping... You're welcome to come with. I'll need some more clothes to hide the growing belly. My clothes are getting tight, and if we don't want to chance Lex threatening the baby. I'm still wrapping my head around that one, him the boss, but the evidence points to it..."
"We can't chance Lex threatening the baby, so we're not telling anyone. The only people who know are Lois's doctor, with whom she's signed a confidentiality agreement, her Uncle Wallace, our Lawyer and you guys."
"Hopefully it won't take long to nail Lex down, but just in case..." Lois nodded. "I need to make sure no one suspects."
"I... We didn't." Martha said. "I'd hoped one day..."
"Let's eat, and let Clark and me figure out how we're going to do this. We've been so busy neither of us has had much time to wrap our brains around this pregnancy. So much has happened at work, and I'm only barely into the second trimester. I still fit into my work clothes, but I did raid some of Clark's shirts, their roomier. But I can't have anyone suspect. This is the ultimate undercover assignment."
Clark grinned at her. "It'll all be worth it."
"I hope so." Lois nodded at him briefly. "Because if not, we're in for a mess... look at my parents."
"Your parents?" Jonathan asked.
"Put them in the same room... TNT."
The week was dull, quiet, and perfect in Lois's mind. She spent the week in comfortable clothes, sweats mostly. Her last day would be spent shopping in Kansas City before she caught her flight back, and in all, for once, Lois Lane rested.
She'd met the cow she'd been mistaken for last November and swore to tease Clark that no one in their right mind could mistake the to of them for each other. Certainly not, she didn't have white spots. Martha coddled her, always checking she ate well enough. At any time Lois tried to rant to stop her, Martha would simply remind her of the promise she'd extracted from the Kents, if no one was going to know they weren't going to be able to tell anyone, or give their daughter in law special attention until the story wrapped up.
In all, it was restful and gave her a chance to seriously think about her future, their future. Her's and the baby's. Lex was out, and she'd never seriously considered him once she realized she was pregnant and Clark's comments... She wasn't opening that kettle of fish if she seriously thought about it. She'd remembered some of her father's girlfriends and their attitude towards her and Lucy. No, she'd known she'd likely drop him before the baby was born when she was forced to accept the baby was coming.
Superman was just a dream, a pie in the sky type of dream. Something to day dream about when reality sucked. She'd had that poster of Superman the past several months ever since she'd seen it for sale when Jimmy had come bearing the photograph with pride to work one day having captures the man of steal looking at her non less. He'd caught the photo unknowing that Superman was talking to her, Lois Lane. There was a tenderness in his eyes, and it'd been turned into a poster, with no one knowing that it'd been Lois Lane that he'd been smiling to, not the camera.
She'd tell Superman though, that was one decision that week she came to. She'd ask Clark if they could, to help protect the baby. And it would be best if the hero heard it from them. That and, it still took her by shock, she and Clark were an item. Well they'd been since last November technically, and publicly they still were not, and weren't planning on coming forward anytime soon... Even her thoughts were rambling she realized as she sat in the sunshine on a blanket behind the barn enjoying the indian summer and the relatively warm weather Kansas was enjoying in the 50s.
A noise startled her, looking up she could have sworn she'd seen a streak through the sky over the barn, rising quietly she walked around the barn to investigate. Perhaps Superman had brought Clark for a visit. It was Valentines day after all, and she was flying home the next day. Maybe this year she was getting a decent valentine day, but then with her accepting her pregancy, it seemed her body was starting to catch up with pregnancy symptoms though thankfully her weight gain was only what the baby needed keeping her pregnacy as hidden as possible. No more babbling she thought, investigating why was Superman here in Kansas? Was it to see her, was it just her luck he finally noticed when she accepted she needed to move on?
She slipped as quietly as possible onto the back porch, hearing voices coming from the kitchen. Ducking below the kitchen window, her eyes went wide as she heard the voice.
"I can only stay a few minutes Mom. Where's dad?"
"Want me to get Lois too?"
"No. She was sound asleep on a blanket outside the barn. Just you and Dad." Sound asleep? Where was Superman, looking to declare his heart while she eavesdropped on her husband/ That was right. Technically he was her husband and should have talked to her. Not only that her partner. What ever was so important he'd talked Superman into flying him out..."
"What's going on Clark?" Jonathan asked.
"This is serious Dad. You remember the globe."
"Tell me more about this globe." Jonathan spoke, seriously.
"It was on the ship that brought me to Earth." Earth? Lois wondered at his words. Maybe she had it wrong, maybe it was Superman. But then why'd he call Martha and Jonathan Mom and Dad? "When Lois and I broke into Bureau 39's warehouse, I hid it from Lois." Lois bit her tongue to keep quiet. "I never knew it was anything more than what it seemed: maps of Earth and Krypton. Until last night." Just what was Clark implying? That he, he was Superman?
"But why now?" Martha's voice came out the window. "You've had it for months."
"I don't know, Mom. Except, Jor-El said it was 'attuned to me.' Maybe it and I weren't meant to be separated for so long. Maybe it's taken a while to ... warm up."
"The people, Jor-El and Lara, any memory of them at all?" Jonathan's voice came out over the window. Lois looked down briefly at her stomach. Just whose heritage was she carrying? Once she wrapped her head around this she was going to be marching in that kitchen and giving Clark Superman Kent what ever his name was a piece of her mind.
"Clark," Martha's voice brought her out of her internal rant. "We're glad you've told us, but you've got your own family now. Don't you think that you should be heading out to that blanket where Lois has fallen asleep reading that book of hers? You don't keep secrets from your spouse."
Lois heard Clark sigh. "Soon, hopefully Ma. If I went out there though she'd just swoon. I promise before the baby's born, and before we go public with our marriage to tell her. I'm just scared what Luthor would do to her if he caught on, no only would he be holding my baby, but if he forced it out of her... What if in the end she decides it's the hero she's in love with not me? What if finding out now I moonlight in tights causes her to forget and not give me a real chance? And what can I tell her about who I am? I'm just Clark Kent. Sure I'm super, but besides that and what I've learned today. I want to know more about my past first."
"How do you feel about this, Clark?" Martha asked.
"Scared, excited, overwhelmed." Clark's words seemed to reflect Lois's, as she quietly slipped away to think on it, returning to her blanket behind the barn. Somehow, despite her warm clothes she was freezing and she wrapped herself more snuggly in the blanket once she returned. Taking the book she'd brought out with her she stared at it as she tried to wrap her brain around the bomb shell she'd just received. Emotions whipped through her alternating between shock, rage, anger, hurt, joy, and in the end she simply lay there glazing at her book wondering why he wouldn't trust her with the truth.
Lois woke, mid afternoon from what she thought must have been the strangest dream her hormones had produced so far. She'd dreamed the perfect Valentines day surprise had come. Superman himself had flown out to surprise her, only he'd gone looking for her in the house, and as she slipped towards the house to surprise him she'd been surprised. Her dream had decided he was actually Clark Kent. Not even her subconscious would let her fantasy about a decent Valentines day surprise. He'd just talked to his parents in her dream about a globe, and information about his birth parents. Crazy dream, she thought.
She wrapped up the blankets and worked to warm up her cold limbs, wondering just how much Clark would lecture about her health and sleeping in the chilly afternoon sun. Lois shrugged, took all the blankets and hurried back to the house to get some of that warm Tea that Martha kept brewing for her. Clark Kent as superman, that was the funniest dream she'd had in months. She'd best hurry up and pack up to meet her redeye flight that night.
Lois returned to her apartment late that night, thinking that that valentines day had been the oddest so far. Checking her voicemail, there were three messages from Lex asking for a last minute valentines date as his business trip had returned him back to metropolis a few days earlier then expected. She'd call him back the next day, when she'd be ready to act. There were no messages from Clark, just a small flower on her pillow and a note by the fish tank.
"Lois, the fish was dying when I arrived. Been reviving it and cleaned the tank. Work has slowed down, even Perry thinks you timed it well, and is hoping you return with a story. Our ongoing story, have some new leads, but nothing concrete. Tell you when you get to work. Get a goodnight's sleep. Clark."
Not even a happy valentines day, she thought. She was married to him, carrying his kid. The least he could do would be to do something special for her. She was hungry too. Marching over to the fridge to find something edible, she laughed finding another note taped to a bowel inside the fridge. "Salad with chicken - don't order take out."
Alright, for returning from a trip, she thought it wasn't the end of the world. He made certain she had healthy food to eat, and with trying to keep the pregnancy hidden she couldn't take on any more pounds then needed to keep the baby healthy.
Clark walked into the news room, excited to see Lois back for the first time in a week. He'd watched her sleep for nearly an hour while she stayed with his parents, making sure she stayed warm enough as she lay in the indian summer sunshine behind the barn after he'd talked with his parents. He'd made a point to stay away from Kansas the whole week, but the excitement of the globe. He'd tell Lois one day, soon, but not yet. He sighed, quietly this was not the way Married life was supposed to go. Leaving messages in code, acting as though they were only partners at work and friends. Yet, in a way that was the truth still.
Looking about the bullpen as he returned from his morning appointment with a possible source for information on the boss, he laughed to see Lois talking with Jimmy and Cat. Even across the room, he could hear the conversation as the three contemplated whether Cat and Jimmy could possibly be related. Striking a deal, he almost smirked as Lois lead the two to a deal as they shook on it. He tried to catch Lois's eye, but she was too busy laughing at the idea of Jimmy painting Cat's apartment from top to bottom Pink fades.
His attention was suddenly captured by Perry, standing not far from them, bellowing at the top of his voice, obviously exasperated about getting their attention. "Your editor-in-chief has an announcement to make to anyone currently employed by the Daily Planet and about to undergo their quarterly salary and expense review."
They all froze, turning to face Perry. "Much better…" Perry then raised his voice even higher. "Everyone!" Now having the entire news room captured just as Perry White liked, he grinned. "It is my pleasure to announce that this year's candidates for the Meriwether Award for Journalistic Excellence have just been released and the Daily Planet's very own writing team of Lois Lane and Clark Kent are among the nominees."
Clark gave a half grin, wishing in his heart, it'd been the writing team of Lois and Clark Kent. Lois, he thought looked like a chestier trying to hide she ate the cream.
"C.K.! You're the man!" Jimmy came up to him, hand outstretched to high five Clark. Both men turned to see Lois glare at them. "And you're the woman…"
"More or less." Cat shook her hair at Lois before returning to her desk. Only Clark though caught Lois catching her tongue, as she closed her jacket closer to her, the boxier style did make her less feminine to most he assumed, yet to him it was the beautiful reminder of just how extraordinary she was. He'd win her for real, then some how, break the news to her… he wasn't just adopted, his adoption had been a bit more then international.
"All right, all right, back to work. It's an announcement, not a national holiday." Perry broke up the crowd. "Lois you had your holiday so back to work. And Good job you two. Just don't expect to rest on your laurels." He nodded at the two of them. "Lois, how you coming on that piece on the recent risei n crime in Metropolis I assigned you this morning?"
"You know… gathering information…"
"Lois, you just got back from vacation, I expect you top form not with your head still far away."
"Just give me some time Chief." Lois snarled. "I've only been at it for three hours. So this is what it's like to come back from vacation without a headline. Next time I'll make sure I am the headline."
"Angles just don't drop from the sky. We have to create them." Perry nodded. HE turned to Clark then. "And that research you were doing all week Clark that I let you do instead of bringing me in stories all week?"
"Still digging up leads. This is a tough one to crack." Clark spoke lighter then he felt.
"The committee vote on the Meriweather Award is only a couple of days away. Be nice to show them a strong finishing kick."
"Already feeling one." Lois mumbled."
Clark shook his head, as he turned to his phone ringing. Not just for the meriweather, but for his family he'd like that story wrapped up and already on the front page with the expose leading to the man in question behind bars and no longer a potential threat to his family. "Clark Kent." He spoke into the phone.
Lois tried to find a way to get comfortable, finding that her week of not needing to hide the pregnancy had spoiled her, not only in not having to hide it, but finding ways to be comfortable. She turned to Clark, who speaking into the headpiece of his phone; "I'll be right there." He rose, with shock and frustration written on his face.
"What?" Lois asked.
"My apartment's been robbed." He grabbed his coat, slipping his arms absently into the sleeves inside out. "I've got to go."
"Clark, how awful. I am so sorry…" She rose, placing a hand to stop him, pulling his coat off. "Inside out." she whispered. "To be violated like that, to have absolute strangers pawing through your personal belongings to endure…" Handing him his coat now right side out, she grabbed her own. "Wait I'm coming with you."
Lois had insisted on them driving her jeep over to his apartment, and they'd argued the whole way over. This, she thought was what she knew married life to be like, her parents were a prime example. "You really should head back to the news room, with you on vacation last week with my folks and me researching we haven't had a headline in over a week. I can take care of the break in just fine Lois." He said for the fifth time as they parked the Jeep in front of his building.
"Sorry buster, I"m coming in."
He sighed, pushing the door with the door open. THey'd picked the lock, who ever had violated him. His only thought were of his secrets, and sadly with Lois there he could only check on one them. The place was a mess. Books tossed from the shelves out of the careful order he'd placed them by subject and author. Clothes were tossed about as though someone had exchanged a food fight for a clothes fight. Everything was overturned. He knelt to pick up a book he'd bought of poetry from his travels in his early twenties. It was signed by the author himself, and quite valuable…
"Clark, don't touch anything! This is a crime scene."
"It's My crime scene." He carefully ignored her and righted the book. He'd hoped to give her that very book, the romantic poems might, he thought just speak of his heart… the secret longings.
"How do you expect the police to catch whoever did this…" Lois stood akimbo glaring at him.
"I don't."
She just continued, ignoring his comment, as usual he thought. "… if you insist on tainting the evidence? The safe should be fine right?"
"Someone call a cop?" Bill Henderson stood in the open doorway, limiting even more what it was possible for Clark to do to figure out just what of importance was missing.
"Finally. Okay Henderson, what's our first move?"
"You live here Lois?" Henderson said deadpan.
"No." Lois crossed her arms in front of her, pulling her briefcase closer to her.
"Then our first move is for you to butt out." He turned to Clark, not hearing the soft muttering of Lois about all her rights… "'Morning, Clark. Anything missing?"
"Yes, Inspector. I mean I haven't checked everything…"
Bill pulled out a form from his breast pocket and handed it to Clark. "Fill this out, bring it down to the station."
"What is it?" Clark asked as he took it.
"Inventory of stolen items. Don't forget serial numbers, something turns up, we'll call you." Bill shook his head. "Don't hold your breath. We've had a lot of these type of break-ins in this neighborhood lately."
Lois glared at Bill as he turned to leave. "That's it?" That's all? Don't you look for clues? Dust for prints?"
"Waste of time." Bill shook his head.
Lois glared at him, only catching a look from Clark as he glanced towards his bedroom where the safe sat beat up in plain sight. "Fine. Thanks for the help Henderson."
Bill Henderson left the apartment, closing the door behind him as the two partners began to shift through Clark's things to find just what the loss was. The station had a running pool of just what the outcome of that partnership would be in five years. The bets ranged from both of them dead from an investigation, Lois Lane marrying Lex Luthor whom they said she was dating to the partnership not lasting a year as Lois Lane sought the solo bylines again. Even some in the Daily Planet had learned of the station's bets and had pitched in. Of course, if you wanted the greatest odds, you bet where Bill Henderson placed one dollar. The bookie had laughed when he'd told the man $20 dollars on Clark Kent and Lois Lane being married with kids within the next five years. IT'd been one to two hundred odds. That would be the easiest four thousand dollars Bill Henderson ever made. He new an old married couple when he saw one. Now the pregnancy bit, there he might not win out. No one else ever saw a chance of Lois Lane giving Clark Kent the time of day besides as her quiet body guard that made the police force breath more easily. Why Bill Henderson thought it did him better to sleep at night with Clark Kent in town keeping an eye on Lois Lane then that Superman kept watch over the whole city.
Lois and Clark glared at each other briefly as the door closed behind Henderson. "Go back to work Lois, I'll take care of it."
"Ha, yeah right. For all the jerks we bring in for Henderson you'd think he'd be more helpful."
"Calm down Lois, this is my problem." He walked towards the bedroom.
"Hey, I'm sympathetic!" Lois threw down her briefcase and followed him. The bedroom was equally trashed.
"It's gone." Clark stared at the room in shock, as he did a quick scan with his x-ray vision.
"Clark, what's gone? What's missing, not our paperwork?"
Clark shook his head. "Just some… personal things." He sighed, looking for what he could tell her. "Trophies, keepsakes, irreplaceable."
Lois shook her head. "That'll be the angle for Perry's article. Not bad really. Forget the monetary loss: it's steeling parts of a person's past. The sense of vulnerability, the sense of invasion. Urban angst You feel. The important stuff's not gone, so don't worry partner." She put her arm around his waste as she stood next to him. "We'll get your stuff back. Maybe the police can't help, but I know who can."
"Lois, what if it was your place, took your Kerths?"
"That's why you have better security Clark." She patted his arm. "Anyways even I know what your most important items are and they weren't stolen." He raised an eye brow. "So lets make a list and I know who can help us."
"Just what is my most important items?"
"The safe has the files on Lex and our documents right?" She glared at him.
"Yes, of course."
"Just to put you at ease, I'll double check it. You start making that list." She slowly eased her way to the floor. "Anyways I know your most important thing you keep in your wallet." She smirked at his confusion.
"What?"
"I saw you put it behind your license before I left. The ultrasound…"
Once Lois had verified that nothing in the safe was lost, she sat on the floor despite Clark's instance that she return to the office to get something for the two of them into the chief. "Nope, not moving. Anyways, nothing to do at the office anyways. She was busy refolding his laundry and putting them away when she suddenly saw Clark busy sorting through books freeze as he stared at the wall before him. Pregnancy brain, she thought was supposed to happen to her, not him. He shook his head briefly and began to put away the books faster.
"That's about it, lets quickly eat and turn in this list."
"They didn't take food did they?" Lois asked.
"Yep, I'll order don't worry." Clark rose to walk to the kitchen.
"Get me an asparagus sandwich." Lois called out from his bedroom.
"What?"
"So I'm having cravings and since I'm not in the news room I can indulge, so an asparagus sandwich, with honey mustard…"
Clark shook his head. "As you wish."
"Yep, that's what I want."
They'd walked into a pool hall at one thirty quietly arguing over whether or not one of them should head back to the news room. "IT's no good. Not even Henderson could help me." Clark whispered.
"Ha, this guys better. Fine, go back and give me the list."
"I'm not leaving you, unless you return to the news room…"
Lois rolled her eyes. "Clark, don't be recidivous." She spoke up to one of the players at the pool table. "I'm looking for Louie."
The player ignored her, leaning down for his next shot. Clark shook his head, "He's not here, let's go."
Lois ignured Clark, picking up the cue ball and tossing it to Clark, ignoring how quickly the distracted Clark caught the cue she glared at the player. "Louie. Tell him it's Lois Lane." The player put his cue down staring at Lois and Clark for a minute before quietly going into a back room.
"It's a mistake." Clark said, as he tried to distract himself with the game before him.
"What are you so nervous about?" She leaned in close. "Scared someone might dig deep and find me at the end of the trail?"
"Where do you know this guy from?" Clark lined up a shot, doing everything he could to distract himself from the duel beautiful heartbeats before him.
"Around. I'm a reporter Clark. It's my business to know the people who know what's going on in this city." She glared at him, silently challenging him to deal with just how much their lives were going to change.
"And?"
"And, his daughter was my tennis doubles partner in college." Lois turned then as Louie, walked in carrying his pooling weight to a table where he sat down, smiling at Lois. Lois smiled at Clark before walking confidently towards Louie, holding her stomach in as she wondered if she'd have abs of steel by the time this kid came with her constantly holding it up, of course with the support garment she'd found in Kansas City for supporting the belly and the baby… Her thoughts were brought back to Louie who reached up for a hug, careful to keep her belly out of reach she greeted her old friend's father.
"Don't mind if I eat as we talk do you? Course not." Louie said as he pulled out a Hero Sandwich. "Now tell me all about it Kid." He listened through bites as Lois and Clark filled him in. Finally he responded. "Kicked in the door?" When Clark nodded, Louie continued. "Amateurs." They'd discussed the situation, Louie was vague whether he'd find the loot, but for Lois, he'd try. "I'll need a list. Anything special I should watch for?"
Lois stared at Clark, he seemed to pause with a look for a split second like he wasn't telling it all, she doubted Louie would catch on, but she'd seen that look before. When he'd found the marriage certificate for one… He spoke even toned though. "No, look the police have all the information. Maybe we should just leave it to them."
Louie shared a look with Lois. He started to speak, but Lois cut him off. Of all the nerve to get cold feet she thought. "Clark this is great stuff… If nothing else for my article." She glared at him, daring him to read in her eyes that if they were going to learn to trust each other and give their marriage a chance he needed to trust her judgements. Louie would be their best bet.
"Uh, Lois," Louie cut off her internal rant. "These guys I know don't exactly like to read their name in the papers."
Lois rolled her eyes for a second. "Louie, this is Lois."
Clark sighed. "So, if you do this, what are we supposed to do for you?"
"For the kid?" Louie pointed at Lois with his sandwich. "It's a freebie. What a backhand she had."
"When do you think…" Lois asked as they rose.
"I'll call ya." He turned to Clark. "You need help on the insurance claim? I know guys who know guys…"
Clark shook his head. "Uh, no thanks."
Louie looked puzzled at Lois. "Straight arrow, huh?"
Lois took Clark's arm and rolled her eyes at Louie. "Tell me about it. Come on."
They left, with Louie shaking his head at them. Word on the street was she was dating Lex Luthor, some hot shot that wouldn't be caught playing pool. Too bad she couldn't see what was right in front of her, of course, with a back hand like hers, you couldn't fault her anything.
Lois busily typed away as Clark read through documents the next morning. She talked as she typed. "Perry will be happy with this, get him off my back for today anyways. Let me read it to you the last paragraph. 'And so the cycle repeats itself. Stolen goods traveling from owner to thief, to fence, to wholesaler, to retailer, and finally to a new and unsuspecting owner…'" She turned to look at him. "You think it's too wordy?"
Clark rolled over to her desk, looking over her shoulder. She took in his exhausted self, a side she'd rarely seen. She wondered just how hard he'd chased down leads the week before while she'd relaxed on the farm, even had a heart to heart talk with Betsy the cow on how painful milking could be. That she certainly wasn't looking forward to experiencing it again, but then, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much when a baby milked her vs a crazy man… His presence though brought her out of her thoughts, and she saw him yawn as he shrugged looking at the page. He tried to rub his neck, causing her to shake her head.
She rose to dig into his shoulders, to try to relieve the tension, he after all hadn't had a vacation. "You're so tight." She said. "You're like iron."
"Steel." He said, his eyes closed, almost half asleep.
"What?"
"Still… trying to recover. You know, from my loss."
"You poor sensitive baby." Lois laughed. "I bet you hardly slept."
"Not a wink." Clark nodded.
"Clark, it happened, but it's over. Snap out of it. Put it behind you."
He leaned closer. "Can't. What if it's I'm digging into you know who, and that's why I was messed with? I couldn't sleep."
"Did you finish that inventory list? You know the one that you said you'd give both Louie and Bill?"
"Uh, no."
"Clark, why are you stalling on this?" She leaned closer to him, so others wouldn't hear. "Talk to me. We're a team remember? So give me the list."
"Lois, I'm taking your advice and putting this behind me. I want you off the case. I appreciate you wanting to help but, as I said before, it's my problem.
"You can't do that." Lois leaned in. "What about Louie?"
"There's no way that guy will come up with anything." The phone rang as Clark's words died off. "Clark Kent." he said into his phone.
"Kent, it's Louie, you and Lois come down here, the guys I know found the thief…"
"Where is he?" Lois marched into the pool house, the henchmen in the middle of the game only paused long enough for one of the m to point with his cigarette towards the back where Louie stood watching a teenage boy sitting against the wall.
"Are you sure he's the one?" Clark asked putting his hand on Lois to prevent her from rushing either towards the pile of items returned, or the youth sitting tied up on the bench.
"That your stuff?" Louie pointed towards the table with the loot.
Clark quickly sorted through the open bag of items. Several CD's a trophy, some movies, his VCR, but no globe. He bit back the disapointment, not wanting to show Lois that he might not have been completely truthful. Maybe his parents had been right he should have told her. But then, that was a kettle of fish he wasn't ready to face. "Most of it."
"kid tried to move it through a guy who knows a guy I know." Louie explained. He held up a wad of money. "Had this on him too, yours?"
Clark shook his head. "no."
Clark walking towards the youth, both obviously scared and trying to be as tough as the henchmen in the midsts of their pool game. Lois shook her head, taking the money from Louie, no doubt, she thought what ever Clark wouldn't tell her was lost, her, his wife she spit out in her mind, mother of his child, his work partner, supposed best friend… where else would the kid had gotten the money, unless it was left over from another break in, but with her article, she doubted that.
"That's my money, Lady." The kid said.
"You robbed this man's apartment?" Lois raised and eyebrow at the boy.
"I found that junk in a dumpster. I should have left it there."
Clark sighed. "How old are you?"
"How old are you?" The boy shot back. "Look, I don't know anything. Just let me go."
Lois noticed then, the handcuffs holding him down. "Louie?" She glared.
Louie nodded at one of the pool players who tossed Lois the keys. "Careful." Louie said. "You got yourself a real rabbit there."
Lois paused, until Clark's words shook her out of her hesidentcy. "We're not the law Lois. He's just a kid."
Fine, she thought, leaning down to uncuff him. The boy glared at Louie. "Yeah, I could sue you for kidnapping."
Lois glared at the boy. "I'm waiting for an answer. Did you rob this man's apartment?" The boy didn't answer, only darting his eyes about the room. "Where'd you get the money?"
They all stood there staring at the boy for a few minutes, until Clark, no longer taking the silence broke in. "Look, this doesn't have to go to the police. I just want to ask you some questions about… some personal items that are still missing. One in particular." Lois registered that the boy quickly looked up at Clark only to dart his eyes back down again.
"You could save yourself a lot of trouble…" Lois leaned down, only to to be knocked back as the boy grabbed the money and bolted out the door. Clark ignored the money and boy only to focus on helping Lois regain her balance. Not even the Henchmen were quick enough to grab the boy. "Clark, grab him." Lois pushed him back. "Clark!"
"I'll go after him." Clark nodded, leaving to rush out the door after the boy.
Lois bushed herself off, as Louie and the henchmen watched. Throwing her hands up in frustration she walked towards the pile of stuff, only half hearing Louie chuckle as he said, " a real rabbit."
She absently shifted through the pile, wondering just what it could be that Clark wouldn't tell her about. Just what was so important. Her hands suddenly paused on a few Polaroid photos thrown in the mix that seemed out of place. An older man in strange white garments with a familiar symbol on his chest in one photo, almost looking as though the photograph caught him as a reflection in the air. The second one was of a ball of some sort, like a small globe she thought…
"Problem, sweetheart?" Louie asked, walking towards her.
"Clark's been holding out on me." Lois spoke, too shocked to mask her shock.
"Figures." Louie looked towards the door that the man had just rushed out. "You want him tossed around a little? I know guys who know guys…" Lois shook her head. It all came back to her, that wasn't a dream. She'd been wide awake, and he'd talked about a globe, Superman's globe his globe. She shook her head at the thought of Louie's men even trying to toss him around. Good luck even trying.
"He sold it." Clark said into the phone to his parents. "He didn't know to who. The globe spoke to him, I saw it too." He sighed. "His name is Jack, he's just a kid. I let him go."
"You believed him then, that he didn't have it or know who did?"
"Yes, I believed him." Clark sighed.
"Which doesn't change anything." Martha spoke. "You've got to get the globe back before it gives up any more information about your past."
"I know." Clark said.
Martha continued before he could say anything more. "And you need to tell Lois."
"Mom, not now. She's got enough right now on her plate. The investiation, you know, and well.."
"Truth is important son, being honest with each other." Jonathan spoke.
"I've never felt so exposed, Mom." Clark said, changing the subject. "And if I'm exposed, you and Dad, and Lois, and everyone else close to me are too. I want to prove I'm just an ordinary guy, not the hero she worships."
Martha sighed. "You just concentrate on finding that globe, and getting things straightened out with Lois."
Clark colapsed onto the couch. "No luck so far, and I"m spending every moment I have looking, but it's a big city and neither the globe or proof, can I find. Assuming the answer is in the city. I'll keep you posted."
"Good luck son," Martha nodded.
"Bye." Clark took a deep breath before hanging up the phone, to stare again at the map before him, where all the clues over the past week he'd found. It would be another night of all night research he figured.
An hour later, he was suddenly startled from his deep studying by a vision in his mind that appeared before him of Jor-El, a vision that filled his mind. "This is the second of five times I will appear…"
"No! Not the globe!" Clark cried, before falling back into the vision discovering along with the captor of his globe, his history.
The newsroom was alive, though not everyone was working. "Good piece." Perry said to Lois, ignoring the groan of horror as Cat and Jimmy poured over their family trees to discover that through distant bazar connection they were related. "I loved the personal angle."
"Yeah, my robbery came in real handy." Clark said, pushing past them.
"I thought you got all your things back?" Jimmy patted him on the back. "No harm, no foul."
"I guess so." Clark sat down at this desk.
Lois leaned on his desk towards him. "Everything? You're sure?"
"Most everything." Clark refused to look at her.
"I mean, there wouldn't be some totally unimportant item, some nicknack, some momento still missing, would there? Because if there is, we should keep looking. Leave no stone unturned. No matter how long it takes." She leaned into whisper. "I thought we agreed to trust each other…" She raised her voice so even Perry heard her as he walked back to his office. "Just so you get your useless, valueless keepsakes back!"
She glared at him. That night before she'd marched straight to her apartment refusing to return to her desk. She'd gone straight to her bathroom to tear out the photo of Superman only to stop when her hand touched the photograph. She wasn't going to give him any clue anything had changed, she'd decided that night. She'd think on things, because obviously he didn't trust her, and that meant, could she trust him? So she glared at him, letting him think that she was just talking about some item that the kid stole.
"Lois, what are you talking about?"
"Obviously nothing." Lois took his croissant, no doubt she thought straight from that little french bakery he liked… the one she thought, no doubt was in France.
Perry had walked back towards them. "You okay, Lois?"
"No." Lois shook her head, following his unspoken command to follow him towards his office, shutting the door behind her. She crossed her arms in front of her, careful to not draw attention to her stomach. Suddenly it occurred to her, just what did she have in store with this kid? "Okay, lay it on me."
"What?" Perry's eyes went wide. "Oh I suppose you expect me to pry into what's bothering you, then tell you a story relating what's going on in your life to some obscure event in the life of Elvis Presley. Well, I'm not going to do that."
"you're not?"
"No. For one thing, any connection I made would probably be vague and not particularly useful. For another, if I did that it would seem like I cared more about telling my story then helping you with your problem."
Lois stared at Perry for a moment before uncrossing her arms, leaning forward on her chair. "I'm not sure I can trust Clark anymore."
"You want to tell me why?"
Why? She thought, many reasons, but few she could share. "He lied to me."
"You never lie to him?"
"Of Course I lie to him. All the time."
"I… think I'll leave that one alone." Perry shook his head. "So what do you want to do about this." Perry shook his head, to think he was giving relationship advice… there were days he felt he was running a kindergarden not a news room, but then, Lois, she was like the daughter he never had. "Have you faced him?"
"You saw! I gave him every opportunity."
Perry spoke slowly. "Have you told him you know he lied to you?"
Lois recrossed her arms. "No."
"Then maybe there's a good reason."
"How could there be?" Lois asked. Her mind searching just why Clark wouldn't tell her, he was Superman, that she was married to the hero that flew in the sky… that he'd lied to her…
"Ask and find out. Trust shouldn't be abandoned without a fight. Especially between you two." Lois stared at him, her mind rushing through the possible reasons why…
She gave him a wan smile. 'I think I like the Elvis stories better."
"Next time." Perry patted her knee rising. "I got a million of them." He left the office, letting her a few minutes of privacy to fix her make up and appearance before returning to the news room, confidant single Lois Lane who ran overall men, not heart broken, scared, wife, who now was worrying just how was she going to parent the world's next super hero?
Clark had followed Louie's directions finding the boy, Jack and his brother hiding in an abandoned building that threatened to collapse at any moment in suiside slum. He'd tried asking why they didn't try foster care, someone to take care of them… But Jack had just brushed them off. Finally getting to the heart of why he was there, Clark asked them just who the men who bought the globe look like. "Please. The truth."
"I only saw one. A tall, skinny English dude. Never saw him before, or since."
"I can help you, both of you." Clark said, including the younger brother Danny as he returned from the walk Jack'd sent him on at Clark's arrival. "if you'll let me."
"You want to help?" Jack asked. 'Leave us alone." Danny nodded, standing next to his brother, until Clark sighed and backed out of the building.
Clark returned to the news room after hours, to dig through the morgue of old stories for any clues that might link Lex Luthor to the Boss when he suddenly staggered, clutching his forehead as another vision of Jor-el began to his groaning. The person was learning more about him again. He staggered for any seat, finding himself collapsing into the vision as he sat at Lois's desk, her faint perfume still present on the chair calming him from the hyperventilation as he watched his parents talk of the impending doom of their planet, seeing his mother with his father preparing a new home… speaking of a planet they'd found one that the inhabitants called earth. Tears fell down his face, knowing for the first time, he hadn't been abandoned, he'd be saved.
"Clark Kent, you and I are going to talk!" Lois said marching towards her desk. Clark looked briefly at her. "I want the truth."
"About what?" He stared blankly at her, his mind still replaying the vision of his parents talking of how they did everything to save his life.
"About why you had in your apartment some mysterious globe that projects an image of a man wearing Superman's 'S'. Why you never told me about it before. And why after it was stolen, you lied to me." She slammed the polaroid photos on the desk. Sitting down on her desk she glared down at him, leaning in close. "I thought we were a team. I want an explanation and I want it now. What's going on?" She spoke slowly, nearly six inches from his own face.
Clark looked down briefly at the photos and then back at her face, tempted to kiss her as he hadn't in months. She was his wife after all. But he gulped. This wasn't the time. "I thought it was for the best. I guess you deserve the truth after all." He rose from the seat. "I guess you'd better sit down." He offered her the seat, then kneeling beside her to look her in the eye."
He told her briefly how he'd come by it, simply leaving out that he himself was Superman.
"Bereau 39? She cried. MY Bureau 39! I was right there and you didn't tell me? You just picked it up, put it in your pocket, took it home, and kept it?"
"Yes"
"knowing full well that it probably has some connection to Superman," She wasn't going to let on that she knew, save that for later. "And that I your partner, would kill to know about it."
"We weren't partners then." He placed his hand on her forearm.
"'Then' Clark, Try 'never again." She held up her fingers counting off. "You lied, you stole, you…"
"Betrayed?" He supplied. Knowing full well, when she found out about his side job she'd really hate him, likely never forgive him, loose all ground he'd made to make his paper marriage a real one.
"Don't edit my tantrums, Clark. I won't be responsible."
"And you never lied to me?"
"You grew up on a farm in Kansas." She poked him. "I grew up in Metropolis."
"So?"
"So, there are totally different standards."
Clark shook his head leaning back, "That's ridiculous."
"Well," She grabbed his tie pulling him back towards her. "What if it belongs to Superman?" Too close to home she thought, but she charged on. "What if it's something he needs?" She glared at him, inches from his face in the empty news room. "How did you feel when your things were taken, he has feelings, you know."
He tried to pull back, "I know." Trying to un-grip her hands on his tie, he asked. "So this is about Superman?"
"No." Lois yanked him closer. "This is about us. How am I supposed to ever trust you again? Know that on other stories you're honest with me, in our you know." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Marriage." His phone begun to ring. "Don't pick that up." Lois glared at him.
"Well," He said, now only an inch from her lips, "Guess we could make up…"
She parted her lips for a second, closing her eyes before releasing his tie. "Get the phone." She pushed him away.
"Clark Kent." He spoke into the phone, still distracted by his near kiss with his wife. His mind reeled, as the younger boy told them his brother Jack was kidnapped, scared he'd called for help. Clark calmed him down, telling him how to find Inspector Henderson while he himself would find Jack.
"You can't leave. I'm not finished with you yet." Lois glared at him akimbo as he pushed past her forgetting his coat.
He paused only a minute. "Could you go down to the 12th and stay with a kid named Denny. He's 13 or 14. I'll check in with you there."
"I will not.." She crossed her arms over her belly, allowing for once the movement to showcase the reminder to both of them how deep they were in.
"Lois," he glanced down briefly. "I admit I haven't been truthful okay? But I can't talk about that right now. As my partner and my friend, leave it there, for now. Will, you? This one time?
"Okay." Lois nodded after a beat as she took in his distracted expression. "This one time." She spoke under her breath as he rushed towards the stairs. "But I don't have to like it."
Superman flew, searching for the boy, trying to pick up any sounds of a kidnapping. Suddenly his head throbbed as the fourth vision began. Nearly tumbling out of the sky he struggled for equilibrium as his mind fell into the projected vision.
He saw his parents on Krypton, announce they were ready, yet have so much unknown. He watched them pick up the same missing globe and pace it as the navigational computer on his ship. He snapped out of it then at the sight of his parents eyes as they looked on him as a baby, perhaps their last sight of him. He knew where to go, he couldn't explain it, but he know how to follow the transmitted light, so keeping the image the continued to unfold of his parents on Krypton in the back of his mind he sped towards the source.
He watched in the back of his mind, as his mother swaddled him in blankets placing him in a capsule on the ship. Jor-El's final words rang threw him as he sped towards a building on the west side. "He is the last son of Krypton."
Superman dove down through a skylight into an underground museum.
"Incoming." he heard a muffled voice far below.
"Activate Defenses." another equally muffled voice spoke.
Doors crashed solidly before him, but he ignored them, flying through them down the underground building. "Level one breached." One of the voices said.
"It can't be!" The other one said.
"Level Two."
"It's him." He crashed through another bolted door to the next lower level.
"Level Three." The calm accented voice said, he would file away for later their voices.
"Emergency evacuation, on my count… now."
He was almost through, perhaps only a few more doors.
"No, leave it," the second voice again. "leave everything."
"The boy?" The first one. They did, Superman thought, have Jack.
"Him too, there's only one thing I want." He crashed through one more door as he heard muffled cursing.
"Level Four, Sir."
Superman heard another door slam shut as worked his way past the next level. Each door had been set to delay him as much as possible. Rigged, wired, everything possible. Kicking open the door, he stepped into the room finally deep underground where he quickly confirmed Jack though dazed was alright. Then with superspeed he rushed to the timer he noticed connected to a bomb on a panel. reversing the switch achieved nothing, quickly switching to freezing breath he froze the bomb, stopping it at the last second. Walking over to the globe, floating in the air, he took it into his hands as it gave im the final message from his father. He watched his parents send him off, then from the ship he watched his birth planet with his parents explode in a flurry of heat only to be filled with a flash of greenest light, leaving little behind.
Setting it down he began the task of reviving Jack and alerting the authorities to the most incredible private collection he'd ever seen. There was something about it all though, something that pointed to the Boss. He'd be looking into the building and anything he could that night. He thought briefly of flying out to share it with his parents or Lois but shook his head at either idea. His parents would tell him to tell Lois and she'd, well he didn't know, likely never speak to him again. He smiled at Jack, he'd do everything he could to help him, maybe help him with a job. The boys hadn't been as forcenont as he had to find such amazing parents.
It was early morning when Lois, glaring at him for refusing her coffee, argued over with him on the finishing paragraph for their article for the treasure trove that Superman found when he'd rescued Jack. The treasure trove of famous art work with no clear owner had been donated that night to the metropolis Art Museum, with the lack of any clear owner. Finally satisfied, she sent it to print, looking over at her partner, who looked as bleary eyed as she did. Superman tired. Her world was completely flipped over. The man she daydreamed about, had a crush on was her husband, whom no one knew about, with whom she was expecting because though alien, was quite potent. Their one wedding night had proven that. They were investigating his hunch about Lex… They'd argued briefly when they'd met up at the news room on how to write it up. He'd told her he'd been in the morgue. As if, she'd only been dropped off by him five minutes before, or how ever long it took her to use the restroom and take the elevator up, he'd joined her on the third floor. Of course with his super speed, maybe he had been in the morgue.
It was her article though he helped as usual. "Superman tell you what he thought of it?" He asked.
"Only that he heard two voices, but that it wasn't for print. Not now anyways. One had an english accent but it was too muffled to identify."
"Could it have been Luthor and Nigel?"
She tilted her head in thought. "It is possible. If we prove it's true that he's the boss. IT would be like Lex with his love of art, and opera and other high class things to have a secret museum of famous lost art pieces." She shook her head. "We still need that hard proof though."
His mind was brough back to the moment as Perry walked towards them carrying the article he'd picked up at the printer. "Increadible piece of journalism, Lois." Perry smiled at Lois who smiled back. "Too bad about the Meriwether Award, though. Maybe next year."
Lois glared at Clark, as if she'd have the chance, then quickly pasting on a cheerful look. "Thanks, Chief."
"Well, I" Cat joined them, for once early to the office, or perhaps late. "for one, am not satisified."
"Bs surprise there." Lois muttered.
"We still have no idea where the art works came from, or who was keeping them in a secret vault underneath the museum." Cat pointed out.
Perry rubbed his hands together in glee. "I hear questions, but I see follow-up stories. Lots of them." He stopped a passing copy boy. "Hey! How 'bout some coffee here?"
"I don't do coffee." Jack said, for once cleaned up, in new clothes that Clark had gotten him. "IT's not in the job description. Read the manual, Gramps."
"Who is that kid? Hey, you!" Perry ran after Jack.
"I love it. I no longer occupy the bottom rung of the food chain." Jimmy grinned. Slapping Clark on the back, "Thanks for bringing him on C.K., but you better hide the silver." Turning towards Cat. "So… When's the big night?"
"I've been meaning to talk to you about that." She shrugged. "I think I'm going to have to declare the bet null and void."
Clark shook his head, drowning out the rest of the conversation between Jimmy and Cat by the beautiful duel heartbeats of his two favorite people, if he ever could admit it.
Lois leaned forward over his desk, in a posture he'd noticed she'd taken to lately to help hide her growing belly, though with her more boxy suit stile of late he doubted any one would notice. The tweed suits though out of fashion by Cat's standards, had only gained the comment. "Channeling Chanel now Lois?" by the gossip colonist who believed that less is more.
Lois gulped for words to speak that would keep them on a safe subject. "You know, you didn't have to give me the whole story. I would have been glad to share… some of the credit with you."
"No." Clark shook his head leaning in. "I owned you one. I just hope that this gets us even, helps you trust me… again."
"Partner…" Lois held out her hand.
"Partner?" Clark took her offered left hand, wondering just what she was symbolizing, just what she was allowing him to hope about.
"Yes partner." Lois nodded. "I've decided to forgive you."
"Thank you, Lois." He said slowly. "Why?"
"We need to build trust somewhere." She sighed then. "I wish I knew what the globe really was. Superman wouldn't say. All he said was that it was his and he was glad to have it back. I wonder where it is now."
"I'm sure Superman has it someplace safe."
Lois sighed, wishing he'd tell her, help her figure out their mess. "I guess." knowing him, even after all this, his idea of safe was likely between his underwear and socks.
Clark smiled as he watched Lois walk towards the doors, glad he'd flown the globe back to Kansas that morning with instructions for his Dad to put it in his childhood fort, where such childhood momentos belonged. It was time for him to do everything he could for the future.n