Chapter One

Destiny's Children Chapter One/?


Author: Juliet

Email:  Sweetvalley99@aol.com

Summary: Seven Years after Superman/Clark's death; can a miracle heal Lois Lane's heart. *Keep in mind this story begins in fall of '99*

Disclaimer: ABC owns Lois and Clark. DC Comics owns Superman. I don't.

Chapter One

Dawn of an anniversary


Antonia "Toni" Beaulac walked into the offices of the Daily Planet with a smile on her face. She was in a good mood, feeling like nothing could bring her down to Earth on this unusually warm Fall day.

"Morning," she said to the snack vendor on her way to the elevator that would take her to the Planet's newsroom. She'd been working at the Planet for about five years, starting with a prestigious internship during college, earning her reporter's strips when she'd stumbled onto a drug smuggling network funneling money through the Mayor's office. She felt proud to be apart of the Planet's team.

"Morning Toni," Jody, a research assistant pounced as Toni stepped off the elevator into the newsroom. "Here's the research on Xanatos you wanted."

"Thanks Jody," Toni said. Toni had recently decided to investigate multi - billionaire tech mogul David Xanatos. She felt there was more to the man than just an eccentric who bought a castle and placed it as the highest point in Manhattan.

Just as Toni was putting the files and coffee she'd gotten on the way in down on her desk, a pair of strong arms snaked around her waist and pulled her to them.

"Hello, beautiful," a husky male voice replied.

Toni smiled. "Hey yourself," she said, "But you do know that if I'd hadn't put my coffee down, you'd be responsible big, hot, brown stain on me," she teased turning around and facing her fiancé Scott Reynolds.

Toni and Scott had been high school sweethearts, being practically inseparable through college and thrilled when they'd both gotten jobs at the Daily Planet: Him as a photographer, her as an ace reporter. They got engaged last year and planned a millennium wedding to start their new lives together.

"Your always hot to me, Scott growled, making Toni blush.

"Toni!" Perry White's unmistakable growl came bellowing across the newsroom, forcing the two lovers to separate from each other. "Where's your partner?"

Perry White paired up Toni with Lois Lane, who returned to work a year ago after spending two years in a sanitarium following a third suicide attempt on the fourth anniversary of Superman's death and Clark Kent's disappearance. It was Perry's hope that Lois, the veteran journalist could impart some of her experience on the younger woman and that Toni's drive and optimism would help to keep Lois from going over the edge again.

"I don't know Perry, I just got in," the younger reporter responded crisply.

"Jimmy!" Perry roared as senior photographer James Olsen passed by the Daily Planet Editor in Chief.

"Yeah Chief?" Jimmy halted in front of the Planet Editor.

"Have you heard from Lois today?" Perry asked concerned.

"Um, Chief," Jimmy spoke nervously to his editor, "do you remember what today is?"

Aw hell. He had forgotten. "Never mind then, Jimmy. Hopefully Lois will be ready to work tomorrow," Perry told Jimmy gently. ' Damn'

'Seven years, Great Elvis has it been that long?' Perry thought sadly.

Seven years since the man who'd been both one half of his greatest reporting team and one of the world's greatest superheroes died in his lover's arms.

"Hey Chief," Jimmy called out to Perry again. "Ralph just heard over the police scanner that a body's been found near Superman's tomb.

"Great Shades of Elvis," Perry White muttered knowing full well that, given the date, the dead body was going to predominate the headlines all day long. "Toni, you and Jimmy go and check it out. And if it's nothing more then some vagrant dying of exposure or some other senseless random act, then hand it off to Ralph and the city desk when you get back. The Planet is not going to be part of some media frenzy just because some poor SOB's body is found in a particular area on a particular day! Got that?"

"Got it Chief, we're on it," Toni said as she went to grab her purse and Jimmy snatched up his photography equipment.

"I'll be back later," Toni said kissing her fiancé and heading out to join Jimmy in the elevator.

As Perry White watched the duo go, he sighed. Like every other anniversary over the last seven years, this was going to prove to be a very long day.

TBC.