Chapter Two

One week earlier...

It was as if Gary had taken one step forward and three steps backwards in his relationship with Brigatti. Sadly, this was after it had taken such a long time to cultivate trust between them. They had exposed their vulnerabilities and had allowed the other into their hearts, tentatively at first; then the trust between them grew stronger with each passing day. He had shared with her his secret about the Paper. But instead of rebuffing him along

with the kind of life that he led, she had willingly become a part of that life giving him the help and support that he needed.

Now, a lie had threatened to undermine the very foundation of that trust.

He never wanted to lie to her, but he had no choice. When he received the early edition of the Daily Planet, the telling missive revealing Superman's secret identity, he felt a powerful connection to Clark Kent. Yet, he was in a bit of a quandary. There was a part of him that questioned why any of this was his problem. His own paper gave him enough problems to handle every day in Chicago without him having to travel all the way to

Metropolis. Tomorrow's edition of the Sun-Times had failed to appear. He was nursing a sore leg from previous night of too much salsa dancing. He wanted a day off. No, he deserved a day off. But his conscience (and Marissa's urging) wouldn't allow him to rest and do nothing.

He could have told Brigatti the purpose for his trip, but he reasoned that the less people who knew, the better. So, he lied telling her that he needed to go to Hickory for the day to help his parents out with a problem.

It should have all been so simple. The early edition of the Daily Planet said that an amateur photographer would snap a photo of Clark Kent changing into the Superman suit as the hero rushed to prevent a child from falling into a well. All he had to do was to

arrive there before Superman, save the kid, and then fade into the background. Except nothing went as he had planned. Curiosity got the better of him and he made the mistake of visiting the Daily Planet newsroom hours before the mishap to sneak a peek at the award-winning reporters. A few more close calls followed and soon, Lois and Clark suspected that he was stalking them. They had investigated him and during the course

of that investigation had contacted Brigatti and told her that he was in Metropolis. Fortunately, in the end, the child was saved and he told the reporters his real reason for coming to Metropolis. They knew his secret. Clark had even offered to explain the situation to Brigatti.

However, on the plane back to Chicago and the subsequent cab ride to McGinty's, Gary pondered how he would make things right again with Brigatti. He had violated her trust. Would she be able to forgive him?

It wouldn't take long for him to find out the answer to that question. When he walked into McGinty's, he found her waiting for him.