Chapter Five - The Solace Of Fortitude

Krypto didn't know what he'd done wrong.

He remembered returning from outer space the previous month only to notice that his master was no longer himself. After deciding that this wasn't due to a new color of kryptonite, he'd set off on a course of investigation that had led him to the no-longer-himself Dr. Swann and from there to the no-longer-herself Chloe Sullivan. It was then that he made his big mistake and confronted Chloe. The next thing he knew he was stuck in Chloe's body and watching himself soar off into the sky.

Since then he'd been leading Chloe's humdrum life as a journalist which, since there was a lot of digging involved, wasn't that much of a chore. Still he longed to see his master and finally, today, his wish had come true as his master, looking slightly different with longer hair and a swelling of the chest, had turned up while he was sleeping. Oh what joy filled his heart as he licked his master's face, looking forward to picking up where they'd left off, but he didn't realize the rejection that was to come.

It was the fault of the human called Lois Lane (who was dressed up completely as the human called Lana Lang). She'd looked at his master coldly as he'd become transfixed by the swelling on Chloe's chest. Apparently, according to what was said, the real Lana Lang, whilst inhabiting the body, must have paid a surgeon to increase this swelling and whilst this swelling seemed to please his master, it had the opposite effect on his master's companion. When Krypto had tried to rekindle his relationship with his master by asking him to stroke him and give him a bath, his master's companion had become even more unreasonable and dragged his master away to find that female dog called Lana.

Krypto would never understand humans, even with his super-intelligence. He wondered if even humans did. And then he got bored philosophizing and felt like a drink (that was the one good human invention - toilets).

In order to find Krypto they first had to find Superman.

"It's your turn to jump," reasoned Clark, looking down from the high rooftop.

"Great. I'll be in Dr. Swann's strong arms again," said Lois with a smile.

"What?" said a shocked Clark.

"Surely you're not jealous of Superman, Smallville. Why, it's just like the good old days."

"I'm not jealous," lied Clark. "If anyone's jealous it's you. Dragging me away from Chloe like that."

"It wasn't jealousy. I just got bored of watching you and Chloe slobbering over each other. If she wasn't licking you, you were drooling over her. She must have had more silicon in her than Brainiac and Dr. Swann's computers combined."

Clark had had enough of Lois' possible exaggeration. "Talk about making mountains out of molehills," he started, and then, seeing Lois' change of hue, added "Bad choice of words ... sorry."

"Don't apologize, Smallville. You obviously preferred Chloe to me, even with my Lana coating."

Clark put his hands on Lois' shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. "Lois, it doesn't matter what anyone looks like, I'll always prefer you. Even when Lana was inside you and I didn't realize you were missing I missed the things that I thought you'd lost - your scathing sarcasm, your cutting comments, your inept spelling ... your inner strength. For almost the last year I've been directionless without you, and now you've been back a matter of hours and I've been jumping off buildings and entering volcanoes. They say behind every great man there's a great woman, and behind this Superman there's a super -"

Lois put a finger over Clark's lips. "Oh Clark," she said, moving her body next to his.

Clark knew she only called him Clark, rather than Smallville, in their more intimate moments and closed his eyes waiting to feel her lips on his.

"You can be so sappy at times," she added as she pushed him off the roof.

Out of Clark's earshot Lois continued speaking: "Sorry, Smallville, but I didn't want to be rescued by a Superman who wasn't you."

Lois Lane could be sappy too.

"Clark, we've got to stop meeting like this," said the Dr. Swann version of Superman.

"Sorry, Doc, but we're looking for Krypto. We think Lana's inside him."

"He doesn't care what he eats," joked Dr. Swann much to only Dr. Swann's amusement.

"Do you know where he is?" asked an unamused Clark.

Dr. Swann nodded. "I suppose you want me to take Lois as well."

Clark nodded and one minute later he and Lois were being flown towards the Fortress Of Solitude.

"Let me handle this," requested Clark.

"Sure thing, Smallville. Just remember that's a killer dog you're messing with."

Dr. Swann looked on from a distance as Clark pulled out his box of kryptonite, still closed, and approached Krypto's kennel.

"Krypto, it's Clark," said Clark, kneeling down in front of the kennel.

Krypto sauntered out of the kennel on his hind legs and barked at Clark.

"What is it, Krypto? Are you Lana?"

Krypto waved a paw at Clark and shook his head in disgust.

"Hi, Lana," Clark said, waving back.

Looking at Clark in disbelief, Krypto raised a paw to cover his eyes. It looked like Clark needed a clue (but didn't he always?)

Krypto, still standing on his hind legs, started spinning around on the spot.

Clark smiled. "You're spinning around. I get it - you're dizzy - you ARE Lana."

Krypto gave a small yelp, and then traced the letter W twice in the air with his paw.

Clark's smile got even wider. "WW - that must stand for Wicked Witch. You're definitely Lana."

Lois watched Clark in disbelief. She found it very disconcerting to watch somebody who appeared to be herself acting so stupidly. Meanwhile Krypto started barking angrily at Clark.

Clark was getting exasperated. "You're mad. You're barking. You're barking mad. Okay, Krypto, you're Lana. How many times do you have to tell me?"

Krypto trotted back into his kennel and then brought out a message that he'd just typed.

Clark took the message off Krypto and read it aloud.

I'M WONDER WOMAN, YOU DOLT!

"That would have been my second guess," Clark said, turning back to a despairing Lois and Dr. Swann.