Martha stared at her son from across the table as he practically inhaled his food.
"Clark! Slow down! Why are you in such a rush?" she exclaimed.
He politely wiped his mouth and then mumbled something about wanting to take a nice walk along the pier. She deduced quickly that her son had not suddenly taken up an interest in taking midnight strolls, and pressed him further.
"Clark, does this have something to do with Lois?" Martha was the only one in the world who knew her son's other weakness: Lois Lane. The spunky brunette reporter who had captured her son's heart. Clark had told her and Jonathan all about how much she had picked on him when he first started working for the Daily Planet, but she knew this was all an act to hide his true feelings for her.
"I'll take that as a yes." she continued in response to his silence. "You can't keep this up you know."
"Keep up what?" he said as he looked up from his plate.
"You can't keep stealing moments with her as Superman. Clark, if this woman is going to be the love of your life, she deserves to know all of whom she loves." Clark looked back down at his plate. They had this conversation many times before, but he had always insisted he was waiting for the right time to reveal himself to Lois.
"Mom, you don't understand. It's complicated. She's with Richard now, and I told her I wouldn't stand in the way of their happiness. If I can't tell her how much it hurts every day to think of her with another man, then I don't think I can reveal the identity I've hid from her for years." He then began to twirl his fork around on his plate.
Martha took another bite to ponder this for a moment and then said simply "If you want to stay out of her life, why are you so eager to meet her at the pier?"
He stopped twirling the fork as if to think of a suitable reason to justify his meeting Lois. When he couldn't, he dropped the utensil and stood up to clear the table. Martha decided not to say anymore, and joined Clark in the kitchen to finish washing the plates.
A few minutes later, Clark changed back into his Superman costume she had made him years ago. He kissed her lightly on the cheek and thanked her for dinner. He had been flying over once a week claiming to miss her home cooking, but she knew he secretly wanted to check in on her. She never said anything, though, because she enjoyed their dinners. As she watched him disappear among the stars, she silently wished him luck on his midnight meeting with Lois.
Clark quietly let himself in to the storage room window at the Daily Planet. He had an hour until he had to meet Lois, and decided to finish up a piece he had begun writing this afternoon. He knew Perry was aggravated with him and thought that turning in some of his reports early might soften him up again.
He found his suitcase that he had placed in the room upon his return to Metropolis. He still couldn't believe how hard it was to find a decent-priced apartment. He changed back into his usual work clothes, and then took a moment to listen if anyone was still on the floor that would see him emerge from the room. When he decided the coast was clear, he opened the door and walked over to his desk.
"Hey Clark!" Jimmy yelled from the copy machine.
Clark nearly jumped back at the sound of his voice. The hum of the copy machine he had mistaken for the air conditioner, but since the storage room was so close to the elevator, Clark realized Jimmy would not figure out where he had really entered from.
"Jimmy! You scared me for a second. What are you still doing here?" he asked as he watched him fumble with some papers.
"Ugh. You know Perry. He wants to see everything as soon as possible. I got a few shots of Superman flying over the city earlier, and Perry demanded that he checked them before I sent them off to the printer for Lois's article "Superman, Back in Action." Jimmy flashed the few photos at him and then returned to the copier.
"Oh. Well, I just came in to finish that article on the morning's bank robbery. Good thing Superman was there to catch those thugs." He hated talking about Superman as if he was another person, but it helped to make comments like that every once in awhile to keep people in the dark about his alter ego.
"Yeah." Jimmy called from the copier. "It's nice to see his strength has returned. I still can't believe he survived that fall."
"Me neither." Clark said under his breath as he sat down.
Just then, the elevator door sprung open and Richard stepped out.
"Hey Kent. Have you seen Jimmy around?" he asked as he made his way towards Clark's desk.
"Richard! What are you doing here?" Jimmy said surprised to see his friend at such a late hour. "Is something wrong?"
"Can we talk in the conference room?" he said meekly and then glanced at Clark and added "No offense, I just need to ask him a personal favor."
"None taken." Clark responded quickly, knowing full well he would be able to hear every word.
He watched as the two men sat down in the conference room. Richard then sighed heavily as he struggled with his explanation.
"Lois and I…We're…It's over." Clark almost fell out of his chair at this news, but tried to keep up the appearance that he was busy writing. After all, the conference room was mostly made out of glass, and Jimmy and Richard were only 50 feet away.
Richard continued before Jimmy could respond. "I was wondering if I could crash on your couch tonight. I'm gonna fly out to London tomorrow so I'll be out of your way."
Jimmy knew better than to try comforting his friend. Richard was obviously too exhausted to discuss it further. He just said lightly "Sure. Whatever you need. I'll just put those photos on Perry's desk and then we can leave."
"Thanks Jimmy." Richard then stood up and walked back towards the elevator. "I'll wait by the car." he called.
Jimmy said a quick goodnight to Clark, and then followed Richard outside. Once he was alone, Clark leaned back in his chair and put his arms behind his head as he breathed out.
He couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Lois ended it with Richard for me." he thought. Then he paused for a moment when he realized it wasn't for him. She had done what she did for Superman.
He heard his mother's voice in his head again.
"Clark, if this woman is going to be the love of your life, she deserves to know all of whom she is loves."
It was in that moment he decided it was finally time to reveal the truth to Lois. He rushed to put his article away, and then ran back to the storage room to change. As he began taking off his shirt, he had an idea.
"Why tell her when I can show her?" he said aloud to no one.
He buttoned up his shirt and rushed down the stairs. He knew it would be faster than the elevator.
He began to go over his plan in his head as he raced towards the pier. He would wait on the single bench at the end of the walk, and when she asked him what he was doing there, he would take her on another incredible flight. This time not as Superman, but as Clark Kent, the reporter she had overlooked so many times.
Clark slowed his pace as he approached the pier. He glanced at his watch.
"11:45. Fifteen minutes until I will hold her in my arms again." With that thought, he settled himself on the bench and listened to the lull of the waves as he waited for Lois.
Lois turned over in bed and stared at the clock. She knew she was already late to meet Superman, but she couldn't seem to make herself go. The night had been emotional enough, and she wasn't sure she could handle anymore. She only hoped Superman would understand when she explained herself later. 12:36. That was the last time she saw before she closed her eyes and let sleep take over.
12:36. "Where is she?" Clark thought. Lois was not one to be late. He stood slowly, and glanced out over the ocean.
"Maybe this isn't meant to be." he said softly, and then turned back towards the city.
Note: I will be gone for the next week or so, but expect multiple updates upon my return. Thank you all for your nice comments )