Chapter 3 – Superman

Lois arrived at the Daily Planet office just as the sun pushed over the horizon. It was Richard's day to take Jason to school, and then he was going to be out of the office all day in meetings. She was glad; she didn't want to have him watching her all day as she wrestled with the questions buzzing around in her head.

The Planet building had weathered the earthquake fairly well. Aside from the globe at the top of the building rolling off – which would have been almost funny if it hadn't been so dangerous – the only damage to the building was a lot of broken windows. And of course a fantastic mess inside, but a solid day of cleaning and straightening by hundreds of janitorial staff had soon fixed that. Old buildings like this one were hard to bring down.

The newsroom was dark. The Planet had a small staff that worked through the night to cover any events that might come up, but their offices were in a different area. Lois flipped the light switch and headed toward her desk. Some time alone in this place, the room that was more her home then any other, was just what she needed.

"Good morning!" Or not. Lois turned around and saw Clark by the coffee machine, setting it up to brew the industrial strength beverage that was the blood of a newsroom.

"Why were you standing in the dark?" Clark stuttered for a second; he couldn't very well explain that he didn't need light.

"Um… I just hadn't gotten to the light switch yet." Lois didn't press the point; she was too tired. Also her stomach had just started hurting, the feeling she always got when she was nervous. She knew that she would never get a better time to talk to Clark privately, but she wasn't sure she was ready. She sat down at her desk and switched on the computer. She typed in her password … Superman … and thought, better just do it.

"Clark, I need to ask you a question." He strolled over and sat in a desk chair near hers. She looked around; the room was silent. There was no one else here. Clark was looking her expectantly. Now or never. But, really, she was about to puke. Did it have to be now? Yes, now!

"This is going to sound nuts, but…" She gulped in a deep breath. "Are you Superman?"

Clark looked at her carefully. He didn't answer as he studied her eyes, the curve of her chin, the rapidly spreading blush on her cheeks. He felt like his chest would explode if he didn't grab her and hold her tight. He knew that for his own sake, not to mention Jason's, he had to tell her the truth.

"Yes."

Lois gasped. She had half-expected that Jason was right, but to hear it confirmed took her breath away. Clark! Clumsy, aww-shucks-gee, Mid-Western, corn-fed farm boy Clark Kent was Superman! She bent over and placed her forehead on her knees; she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. But suddenly her stomach felt a lot better.

Clark gently caressed the back of her head. "Are you ok, Lois? … You haven't fainted, that's a good sign."

Lois sat back up suddenly. "I do not faint! Well, I mean, I have fainted, but those were two very extreme circumstances!" Clark unsuccessfully tried to hide a small smile.

Lois sighed and looked away. Where did she want to lead this conversation now? The elevator door was opening; if they were going to continue talking, it would have to be somewhere else. She looked back at Clark. "Would you go for a walk in the park with me?" He nodded and stood. They greeted Jimmy as he got off the elevator with excuses about breakfast and planning their stories and then fell into silence as the doors slid shut. Clark and Lois looked at each other steadily as Lois slowly held out her hand.