"Love is
born with solar flares
From two magnetic poles
It moves towards
a higher plane
Where two halves make two wholes
Like a force of
nature
Love shines in many forms
One night we are bathed in
light
One day carried away in the storms"
"The
Speed of Love"- Rush Counterparts (1993)
Lori sat in the reserved reading room at the Metropolis Library, the sunlight streaming in on her from the stained glass window above her. The manuscript before her was old, and it had taken some convincing for the librarian to remove the scroll from it's protective case. Lori traced the illumination at the top of the page with a gentle, gloved hand. The white gloves were the librarian's idea, to protect the ancient parchment from the oils in her fingers. Lori would have worn anything the librarian said to get a chance to study this particular scroll, though. The possibility of staying with Clark forever was tantalizing and Lori was investigating every legend, myth or rumor she could to find a loophole that would allow her to remain on land forever. The dream of Gisela was too real, and Lori knew the prophecy as well as anyone. Lori read the ancient words, her lips moving as she whispered to herself. Steps echoed across the room as Clark walked toward her and Lori looked up to watch him approach. In the almost medieval surroundings of the library Clark seemed slightly off, a warrior amongst clerics, and Lori smiled at him softly. He returned her smile with one of his own, open and uncomplicated, sliding into the seat opposite hers as the hawkish librarian eyed him for potential trouble.
:I got your message: Clark thought at her and Lori grinned proudly. The connection between them had it's uses. Especially now in the monastic library. :Are you ready to go:
:Yes. I just have to return this manuscript to the librarian. I'll be right back and we can go.: Lori rose, rolling up the scroll with a practiced hand. A shrill, almost electronic wail burst through the room, and she looked around, alarmed. No one seemed to hear it. No one, except Clark. He had dropped his head between his hands trying to block the noise out. Face contorted with pain, Clark's eyes met Lori's, full of something Lori could not define other than pleading. Even his thoughts became indistinct and alien. Where Lori heard the sound as merely annoying, it was causing Clark a great deal of pain.
"Clark!" Lori said aloud, breaking the pristine silence around her in horror. The librarian hurried over, clucking about quiet. Lori quickly handed the scroll and gloves to the woman, pushing her away regally. "Are you okay?" She reached for Clark, but he writhed away from her, struggling to his feet.
"Lori, I …" He rose, knocking the chair backwards with a crash. "I have to.." Clark looked around. "There's something here…something of MINE."
"Yours?" Lori put her arm around his waist, trying to steady him on his feet. The sound had grown more urgent and harsh. Clark gritted his teeth against a roar of pain; Lori could feel it strain against his back and ribs. "Do you think someone here is concealing it?" She began to probe the minds of the benign seeming people around them, gently picking through their thoughts. Lori tightened her grip around Clark, and he seemed to collect himself enough to stand upright and begin to breathe more normally again.
"No…the museum.." Clark gasped as the sound suddenly stopped. "You heard that? Did it..hurt you?"
"Of course I did, and no, it was bothersome but not painful. I wonder that they didn't hear it, these others." Lori replied, puzzled as the few people around them shook their heads at the distraction Clark had caused. "The movie can wait. Let's go over to the museum and see if we can find the source of that alarm."
Clark nodded, putting his arm around her shoulders. He looked down at her, admiring her steely determination. "Protecting me?"
"If necessary." Lori grinned at him, her aquamarine eyes sparkling. "You are not infallible or indestructable." They had walked out of the library and into the warm Metropolis afternoon. "What caused that noise, Clark? You said it was yours and at the museum."
"A Kryptonian artifact of some kind." Clark looked around. "When the noise stopped, though, it just disappeared. I have no idea where it came from now."
Lori frowned. "Like hunting for an amphipod in a kelp bed."
"Or a needle in a haystack, yes." Clark grinned at Lori's perplexed expression. "Don't mind looking for this thing instead of going to the movie?"
"Of course not." Lori gazed off in the direction of the Natural History museum. "But are you sure it's here? There are three museums in this area."
'I think we can rule out the art museum." Clark said, "and the city museum is just about Metropolis. The Natural History museum might be the best bet."
"Well, I'd like to see the dinosaurs anyway." Lori smiled. "I have been told that they were only imaginary."
Clark laughed, and pulled her closer, kissing her temple. "In that case, even if we don't find whatever it was that was calling out to me, you can see for yourself if dinosaurs were real."
"Mr. Queen, the board and I truly appreciate the work you are doing in Metropolis, but we are in serious trouble here." Oliver listened to his Chairman of the Board sigh deeply. "I've always admired your philanthropic activities, son, really. But Queen Industries needs you. The relationship you are building with Luthorcorp won't amount to much if we have to close down."
"You're right." Oliver nodded. "I'll fly out Sunday. I have some things I need to tie up here first. You can always get me on my cell phone until then. Any relevant documents, email to me, and I'll look them over."
"Of course, Oliver." The Chairman of the Board said. "The news from London was promising today, and now that weather has improved, we can get those ships back out and hopefully this will all be a bad dream next week."
"Works for me." Oliver replied, "I'll go right to the office Sunday, to get myself straight, but let's get together Monday morning to line up our options." He hung up and turned, looking around. Packing was already underway, and the plane was waiting at Metropolis Municipal. The last time Oliver felt this nervous was when he and his father had been shipwrecked years ago. Came through that with a useful skill, Oliver told himself bitterly, looking at his quiver and bow near the door. He slapped his shirts into the suitcase, not really caring much about wrinkles. His thoughts were on his company, his family legacy, and Chloe. Leaving her was really not what he'd had in mind, and the long distance relationship idea was great while he could send a plane for her whenever she wanted, or just surprise her. The situation was hairy though, and the first thing to go would be random trips to Metropolis. Oliver stopped packing and sat down on the bed. He took out his phone again, and dialed Chloe. He'd promised her that she'd get any bad news from him, and he didn't want to deal with this alone. It was a cowardly attitude, Oliver thought to himself, but he finished dialing Chloe anyway, and when she answered, he couldn't help but smile.
"Hey," Oliver could hear her smiling, and he sighed. This was going to suck. Majorly. "Going to meet your favorite journalism intern for lunch?"
"Chloe, can you get here? I have to talk to you about something." Oliver asked. 'I know you are probably busy, but it's Friday. Think Pauline Kahn will blow a fuse if you leave early?"
"It's no big deal. It's dead here today." Chloe looked around her at the activity in the basement. Even on a slow news day, The Daily Planet was humming. "They may not even notice I'm gone." She stood, pulling her bag over her shoulder and looked at her watch. "I'm leaving now."
"Great." Oliver nodded. "See you in a few minutes."
They hung up, and Oliver started packing again, thinking of the past few weeks and how much had gone on. None of it really mattered except for meeting Chloe. It would all make quite the story to tell their grandchildren, though. Oliver grinned at the thought, and finished packing before Chloe got there. He heard her let herself in, and in a moment, Chloe appeared in the doorway of the bedroom, her eyes huge.
"Did you see this?" She held up the Daily Planet Business section. "QUEEN INDUSTRIES REPORTS RECORD DROP IN EARNINGS, MAY HAVE TO CUT BACK 1500 JOBS BEFORE END OF QUARTER." "The article said you were here in Metropolis, but had no comment."
"I don't." Oliver took the paper from her without reading the article and tossed it on the bed. "Not to them. I told you I'd tell you first. The family business is struggling, Chloe. I have to go back…I should have gone two weeks ago."
"But you, are you okay?" Chloe asked, and Oliver nodded.
"I'm solvent, if that's what you mean. I can afford to keep up the house, and with judicious investments, probably never have to work again. I don't even have to sell my yacht. But I owe it to the old men to keep their company going until my son can squander it away." Oliver laughed bitterly and Chloe grabbed his hand.
"No, Oliver. I mean YOU. Are you okay, but by the way you said that, I can see the answer is no." She pulled him close and hugged him hard. "I'm here, Oliver. What ever happens."
Oliver swallowed hard. "I'm glad, Goldilocks, because I can stand losing the company as long as you're still with me." He closed his eyes and felt her mold herself against him. "Come with me."
"To Seattle? Now?" She pulled away a little and craned her neck up to look at him. "I'm in summer classes, and my internship…"
"Come with me now." Oliver said solemnly. "It's still early enough for you to withdraw from your summer classes and get your tuition back. The internship is a matter of a phone call, and you'll be at the Seattle Times like that." Oliver snapped his fingers. "Your dad thinks it's a brilliant idea."
"I know he does." Chloe smiled, thinking of Gabe's disappointment when Chloe had told him she wasn't moving to Seattle. "He has a job offer out there too. But to just leave everything behind?" She put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Do you even realize that the Daily Planet is what I've wanted my whole life? And do you know how crazy it sounds, you asking me to just give that up and go with you?"
"I do. You know what?" Oliver asked her, his voice irritated and cutting. "I do. And that's why I feel like a complete jerk asking you. I'm trying to not take over your life, Chloe. I'm totally capable of being a selfish jerk and I'm trying to be better than that. I want you with me all the time. Not just sometimes. Not just every other weekend if either of us can get away. I want the old fashioned way, you and I together, in the same city. I'd marry you tomorrow if my head wasn't so screwed with all this company business, and I could be sure that it wasn't just because I was afraid to lose you."
"You just said you'd marry me." Chloe said, her hands falling from her hips in shock. "That is what I just heard, isn't it?"
"You heard right, Goldilocks. I know what I said. And I mean it too. I think." Oliver turned away and walked to the doorframe, hitting his head against it twice. "I'm a freaking mess."
"No." Chloe went to him, and rested her head against his back. "I'm sorry, Oliver. Of course you're scared."
"I don't give a crap about the company, in the end of it all." Oliver said, still facing the doorframe. "I'll have more time for the things I really want to do. I just don't want to lose you, Chloe."
"You aren't going to. Let's deal with one thing at a time." She moved around him to slide between Oliver and the doorframe. Smiling, she put her arms around his neck. "Hi."
Oliver smiled down at her. "Hi." There was a long stretch of silence as they stood looking into each other's eyes, and finally Chloe sniffed, pressing her face against his shirt.
"I don't like you going away either, Oliver." She said sadly, and he closed his arms around her. "I'm going to miss you so much." She looked up into his dark green eyes again and Chloe realized that no matter what, she couldn't be far from him right now. To do that would be like not being able to breathe. "Okay." Chloe nodded. "Okay. I'll go with you, just to check everything out. Not forever. "
Lois made her way through the State Senate building in Wichita. The Senate was on a two-week break, but there were still committee meetings and such before she and Martha could head back to Smallville. The two-week break for Lois would be spent on vacation with Lucy, who had come back to the US and was living in the Hamptons with a bunch of friends from school. Lois was looking forward to the sun, sand and time with her sister. Having failed to convince Chloe to come too, Lois had nearly succeeded in luring Lana in for the trip, but a reconciliation with Lex had kept Lois friendless for the trip. Shrugging to herself, Lois went into her office, sat down at her desk and picked up the phone to try again at coercing Chloe to leaving her boyfriend and spending a week on the shores of the Atlantic.
There were voices on the line, and when Lois looked down, she realized that she had opened up someone else's line by mistake. She covered the mouthpiece with her hand, and went to hang up when she paused, listening.
"…the publicity alone is killing her, but once everything falls into place, she's not going to be able to be president of the garden club in that town she's from." A male voice said, and Lois frowned. "She's not going to go easily, though."
"I know. Look, don't worry, okay? When the next session starts, Martha Kent will be in this up to her neck." Lois' eyes widened, and she looked down at the blinking light on her phone. It was Rachel's line, but Martha's secretary was supposed to be gone for the break. "The issue in question is being brought up in the committee meeting today."
'So, I'll go to press, then." The man said, and the woman sighed.
"No. It's too soon. Don't you get it? This has to break before the Senate resumes. I'm going to go before someone sees me here…" Lois slowly hung up the line and went to her door. Her secretary was at her desk, playing on the internet. Usually, Gayle was busier than that, but since they were going to be off, Lois didn't care. Plus, they were the same age, and Lois felt weird pulling rank on someone she'd gladly have as a friend.
"Hey, Gayle." Lois whispered. "Did Rachel come in today? Someone was using her phone. I wanted to ask her something about Senator Kent's presentation today."
The blonde turned around, frowning. "No, but that new consultant was at her desk."
Lois nodded. "Right. Did you help put together the presentation for the committee meeting today?"
"Yes. I bound them for Rachel. Copies for everyone, and the records. I left yours on your desk." Gayle's frown deepened. "Didn't you see it there?"
"Great, thanks." Lois went back to her desk and picked up the presentation. All of Martha's education proposal was there, and nothing looked out of the ordinary. She leafed through it, and then stopped, coming to the proposed spending for the project. The dollar amount was way out of line and sitting down, Lois took out a pen. She circled just the things she recognized as odd, having gone over this plan for weeks with Martha before time. Dropping the pen, Lois looked back down at the pages. The last half, the part none of the senators would read until they got home, was completely new and out of line with Martha's plan. Lois stood, taking the booklet with her. She stalked out of her office. "Hold my calls, and Gayle, find that consultant. I'm going to see if I can find Senator Kent."
"I'm on it, Lois." Gayle nodded, switching their phones to voice mail and moving in the direction of Martha Kent's office. Lois strode out of the office and out into the corridor, her heels clicking purposefully as she moved down the hall. She found Martha deep in conversation with another senator, just as the committee meeting was letting out.
"Senator Kent, could I have a word with you?" Lois smiled at the other senator, whose eyes, as most of the male senators did, had gone from her face to her chest in record time. "And Senator Johannsen, tell your wife that tip she gave me at the state commission dinner last Tuesday was very helpful."
He cleared his throat. "What was that?"
Lois smiled brightly. "To mention her whenever you decide to not look at my face." Senator Johannsen flushed, and Martha grabbed Lois by the arm, calling out goodbyes over her shoulder as she pulled her chief of staff away.
"Lois, really!" Martha began, and Lois shook her head.
"Mrs. Kent, you have bigger issues. Did you look at that whole presentation?"
Lois opened the booklet to the questionable pages. "Like this?"
Martha took the book and put on her glasses. Her eyes narrowed then widened in realization. "These aren't my figures."
"I know. You've been sabotaged. We have to get back to Smallville and you need to do that interview with Perry White." Lois insisted. "And you need to stay away from Lionel Luthor. All the quotes for services are from Luthorcorp only."
"It looks like I'm serving special interests. Damn." Martha gasped. "I'll call Lionel, he's…"
"Are you listening to me?" Lois asked, her voice slightly shrill. "You have to get back to Smallville. You have to do that interview with Perry White. I'll find out what's going on with this." Lois held up the sabotaged proposal. "Whatever you do, stay away from Lionel Luthor right now. Until we figure out who is trying to do this to you. Please, Mrs. Kent."
"Okay." Martha said after a long pause. "I'll go back to Smallville and meet with that reporter. But you call the minute you find anything out at all."
"Yes ma'am." Lois saluted. "I won't let you down."
Clark and Lori walked up the marble steps of the Natural History Museum hand in hand. When they got to the doors, Clark reached out for the handle and fell forward, the screech blinding him to all sensation except pain. Unable to keep his balance, Lori caught him, and led Clark to the steps, guiding him down to sit on the step. She took her hand in his, and clasped it tightly, focusing hard on his breathing. Carefully, taking great pains to not read anything other than the signal he was receiving, Lori spoke to Clark, seeing the waves of sound as they ripped into him demanding to be heard. It made Lori wonder how long Clark had been practicing at blocking this signal out. The severity was punishing, she could feel it through Clark and could hardly bear it.
:Love, can you hear me: Lori's voice cut through the pain Clark was feeling enough for him to nod. :Concentrate. I'm going to follow your thoughts to where this object is. Can you help me:
Again, Clark nodded through the pain that twisted itself around his brain. The object did not come to him as an image, but it's energy signature was plain to him. Lori felt the energy and leaned her head against Clark's, gently bringing her free hand to his forehead. Her mind translated the energy to an image instantly. It was a cylindrical blue crystal, stored in a lead box, which had been opened by a geologist inside the museum. The noise was coming from vibrations within the stone itself, and Lori reached out, trying to decipher the pattern of the vibration. As soon as she could recognize a translatable pattern, the crystal stopped transmitting. Lori backed out of Clark's mind, shaking off the remnants of his pain as she went. She was no healer, as Gisela was, but this kind of trauma she could do something about.
"Did you see it?" Clark asked weakly, and Lori nodded, kissing his hand. "So what do we do?"
"A blue crystal. It's a dark blue crystal, about so long." She illustrated the distance with her hands. "It's not what wants you, Clark. It's calling to you like a beacon, but it's only a relay." Lori said, going over the information in her mind. "What ever has been trying to reach you is tired of being ignored."
"Jor-El." Clark dropped his head into his hands. "He wants me up at the Fortress."
"Your father, who is dead, can speak to you from the afterlife?" Lori whispered reverently. "He is powerful. You cannot defy him."
"I've spent a lot of time defying him." Clark stood, helping Lori to rise too. "I'd better go see him. You can come with me, if you want. "
"I'd love to." Lori began, and then she frowned. "I think I should not go, though. I have no wish to be disrespectful."
"Why? Oliver has been there." Clark smiled, and Lori hugged herself, eyes wide.
"Then I should definitely NOT go." Ever a princess of her race, Lori straightened, pushing her long hair from her shoulders. "I will not disgrace you."
"Lori." Clark touched her cheek softly. "Never. You could never disgrace me. I have to remind myself every day why you are here with ME." He smiled. "Why are you?"
"You are…" Lori's eyes pulled him closer, making Clark feel pleasantly dizzy. Her voice was magic, filling him with warmth and confidence. "everything wonderful and fine to me. Wholly good and beautiful." She raised her hands to his face. "And all in the world I'll ever want or need. How could I not desire to be near you?"
Clark felt his heart race and he put his hands on her waist, drawing Lori closer. She smiled, and he felt the words that took him forever to say to Lana burst from him as naturally as the breath that carried them out to her. "Lori, I love you…"
"Clark." Lori kissed him four times, once for each word he had said. "I know. I've loved you from the very first moment I saw you." The world around them seemed to vanish, traffic noises, the people walking up the stairs, the approving smiles of other couples who remembered that first heady moment, and the giggles of the schoolchildren. It was all gone. All Clark knew was the girl in his arms, the taste of her lips on his, and the silken rose-gold of her hair that blew in the early summer breeze around them like wings. Anything else just faded to the background of this moment Clark would remember forever.
Lionel Luthor looked at the petite young woman before him in shock. Lana Lang, hesitant and shy, had handed back the token of their agreement with a resolution that Lionel had seen rarely in men twice her size. Lillian would have been very, very sorry to see this girl get away, Lionel thought, covering his mouth with his hand.
"Miss Lang. I know you've been at a loss since I haven't explained fully what the purpose of you staying with my son was. I understand completely your hesitancy."
"It's not just hesitancy." Lana replied, swallowing. "I can't act against my conscience, Mr. Luthor. Lex is not the man I thought he was. I have to protect myself a little. I know you have a plan, and I'm sorry that I can't help you with it." Her face was solemn. "I'm going back to Smallville now to talk to Lex."
"No need, my dear. He's here, in his office." Lionel said, gesturing to the door. "Perhaps the timing is not so bad at that." He picked up the necklace and offered it to her. "This belongs to you."
Lana looked at the necklace as if it were a snake, coiled to bite her. "NO. I never want to see that kind of jewelry again." She shuddered, but held out a hand to Lionel. "I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor."
"Miss Lang." Lionel took her hand and bowed over it a little. Lana drew her hand back and left. She looked down the hall at the large mahogany doors, and then to the bank of elevators. Taking a deep breath, Lana walked to the doors, ignoring Lex's secretary, and walked into his office.
Lex was standing at the windows, back to the door. "I wondered how long it would take you to leave my father's office. What did he want?"
"I needed to speak to him." Lana replied, fighting the ice that ran through her veins at the sight of him standing there like that. He reminded her of the dark days when that Zod looked out at her from his cool grey eyes and Lana could not shake that violated feeling now. "But I also need to talk to you. It's about us…"
"Really leaving this time?" Lex asked, no trace of irony at all in his voice.
"Yes." Lana said, unwelcome tears in her eyes. "God, Lex. I'm so over my head in your world. I don't belong here. It's not right. Maybe if I were from your world, I'd understand more, but I'm just a simple person from a small town. I wanted to help you, to give you something to fight for…"
"Fight for? Do you have any idea how many years I've played lap dog to your whims? Buying the Talon so you could stay, helping you go to Paris, giving that half-wit Teague a job so he wouldn't have to leave Smallville? I did that and more, for you. To give you a chance to thrive in my world."
"You wanted me because Clark once loved me." Lana said, blinking away the sentimental tears. "It was never about me, Lex. I was just a symbol, an avatar for something else." She sighed. "I care about you so much and I am so grateful for every kindness you've shown me. But you are going some place I can't follow and I can't stop you."
Lex turned and stared at her for a long time. "If that's what you want."
Lana nodded. "It's what I want." He walked toward her and stopped at his desk. Lana closed the distance between then, stopping an arms length away. "Goodbye, Lex."
He blinked and smiled a little. "Gave your necklace back to my father, didn't you?"
"Yes." Lana's voice was small. "I should have never taken it. I told myself that you would have given it to me if you had thought of it."
He reached out to take her hand. "Goodbye, Lana." His hands were cool, and the delicate pressure was gone before Lana could register that Lex had even touched her at all.
"Goodbye, Lex." She kissed his cheek quickly and left the office, not looking back. Moments after Lana was gone, Lex's secretary appeared in the doorway.
'I called the jeweler. He said…" She began, and jumped against the door as everything on Lex's desk crashed to the floor. Rage twisted his handsome face, making Lex monstrous.
"Did I ask you to make that call?" His voice echoed in the sparsely decorated office. "DID I?"
"N..n..no, Mr. Luthor…I'm sorry.." she replied, hands over her face. Seeing her, Lex straightened and forced himself into a restrained pose.
"Call my lawyer. Tell him that I want to sign over some property." Lex said calmly. He picked up his briefcase. "Have him meet me out at the Smallville house to sign the papers." He walked past her and she cringed, afraid to let even the hem of her sleeve come into contact with him. Lex stopped, and looked into her face, studying her. "And take off Monday."
"Yes, Mr. Luthor." The secretary nodded, resolving to use her day off to find a new job.
Martha walked into the Talon fifteen minutes before her appointment with Perry White. For the most part, she liked to get to meetings early. Being the first one there helped give an authoritative air and that much Martha had known before she'd ever met Lionel Luthor. Apparently, Perry White also believed in being early, because Martha saw him, sitting as promised, at the table most likely to be completely ignored by the wait staff. She paused taking a minute to study him. He was leaner than she remembered, his hair a color Martha had always thought of as mousy brown, combed back and away from his face. He was wearing city clothes, a tweed sports coat with a collared shirt and jeans that had never seen a day of hard farm work. When Martha had first seen him, Perry White had reminded her of nothing more than a bloated ferret; now he seemed keenly on his game, and he seemed neither bloated or ferrety. She backed away, wondering if her nerves over today's turn of events would be glaringly obvious.
"He's apologized." Lana's voice startled Martha and the older woman jumped, turning sharply around. Lana stood there, holding a small box of what looked like personal belongings. Lana smiled and nodded toward Perry. "When he came in. Walked right over to me and said he wanted to be on the good side of the person who made the best coffee in town. He seems like he's changed."
"I have an interview with him…" Martha's eyes darted back to where Perry was sitting. He was reading notes and seemed to not notice her at all.
"He said." Lana peered up at Martha, her face full of concern. "Are you okay, Mrs. Kent? Do you need some water? You're all flushed."
"No, no." Martha smiled, "Thank you, honey. I'm fine. Just some tea, please."
"Lemon, right?" Lana nodded and moved off, carrying her box of things to the back. Taking a deep breath, Martha turned to walk to the table and nearly collided with a man standing in front of her. She looked up and found herself face to face with Perry White. He grinned a little and stepped back, giving her some room.
"You looked lost. I found the most secluded table, and when I saw you standing there, I thought maybe I did too good a job at being invisible." He extended a hand. "Senator, it's a privilege."
"OH, please." Martha smiled. "I'm only Martha here, Mr. White." She shook his hand.
"Well, in that case, I'm just Perry. Only Martha and Just Perry." He winked and Martha couldn't help but smile. "Won't you sit down?" He led her to the table. "I don't see your loyal Chief of Staff. Didn't she come with you?"
"Lois? No. She stayed in Wichita to do some work she had piled up. She'll be back in Smallville." Martha told him. "Did you need her for the interview, because I can call her..."
"Please, Martha...no." Perry said, waving a hand. "Don't be all nervous, either. This is strictly a meet and greet. I'm holding out for banana bread lessons tomorrow." A waitress came, carrying Martha's tea and a plate of pastry. Martha looked up and the waitress, a girl she vaguely remembered being called Colleen, grinned.
"Lana said you needed lemon squares." The girl said, nodding at the plate. "And Mr. White, she said that the cookies are on the house." She walked away, tucking her tray under her arm and left Martha and Perry alone.
"Well, Perry, I'm flattered that you want to interview me, but there really can't be anything that this town needs to know about me that they don't already know." Martha said, sipping at her tea.
"Think so?" Perry asked. "I think they may want to know what it's like for a woman who has so valued her privacy to all of a sudden be in public life." He picked up his coffee, looked at it and set it back down, reaching for his note pad instead. "You used to work for Lionel Luthor, didn't you?"
"Yes, ages ago..." Martha began, and Perry put on his glasses, squinting through them at the hastily scribbled notes. He looked up at her over the glasses. "I stopped working for him when my husband asked me to. He and Lionel never agreed on anything."
"Uh huh." Perry nodded. "And you don't think anything about being privy to those two very opposite points of view is interesting to anyone? I think it's damn interesting." He took off his glasses. "You should have been in every newspaper in the country when your husband died, Martha. It's happened before, but a farmer's wife taking his hard-won state Senate seat for him after his death is a pretty big story."
"I'm not really comfortable...with the press." Martha squirmed a little in her seat, and Perry nodded.
"Right, right, I remember. Kent family – very private. Should be proud of your boy, quite the football hero around here." This time he picked up his cup and sipped the coffee. "Don't remember why I thought he was odd. Guess it was the booze and stress." Perry looked back down at his notes, and put his glasses back on with a grunt.
"This can't be about Clark...' Martha said, and Perry shook his head.
"Not at all. This is about –'Who is Senator Martha Clark Kent?' 'How she did get there, why she took the seat, what will she do to counter her new image as a society darling?'" Perry rattled the questions off in the staccato of an old time radio announcer. He set his pad down. "The people do definitely want to know."
Martha laughed. "In that case, I couldn't possibly disappoint them, could I?"
"Well, you could." Perry took his glasses off, sliding them into his jacket pocket with a sad expression Martha doubted was sincere.
"How?" She made her eyes wide, and watched him smile.
"By not letting me be taste tester tomorrow. It would have given the interview the human angle to put it over the top." Perry shook his head despondently. "I could just do a straight forward, boring interview with the state senator from Lowell County, I suppose.."
"Were you ever a used car salesman, Perry?" Martha asked brightly.
Perry laughed and nodded. "In college. For two months. Made enough money to buy my own car, so I could go to my internship. But hey, who's doing the interviewing here?"
"You are. Tomorrow." Martha stood, her dark red hair swinging over her shoulder. "You remember where the farm is?"
"Absolutely." Perry stood as well. "It's been good to meet you." He held out his hand, and Martha smiled, seeing the glint of white gold on his left hand.
"And you. You should bring your wife with you. I'd love to meet her." Martha told him as she shook his hand, and Perry sighed, all trace of glibness vanishing.
"Alice died some years ago. Cancer. We never saw it coming." Perry held up his hand. "Things all went downhill from there. Started drinking, lost my desk at the Daily Planet, worked for X-Styles, which doubtless you remember…" He rolled his eyes. "At least I'm on a comeback trail now, right?"
"Right. I am so sorry about your wife." Martha said sympathetically. "It doesn't get easier, does it?"
"Well…" Perry shrugged. "Some days yes, some days no. That's something we both know a little bit about." They walked to the door of the Talon, and he pushed open the door for her. "See you tomorrow. I'll come hungry."
"I'm here." Clark said, standing at the console. The hologram of Jor-El appeared, and he smiled tolerantly at his son. The Fortress glowed around them, the glacial walls generating their own light. Clark had long since stopped seeing the beauty of his Fortress, though. So many difficult moments had been spent here, that Clark wanted to leave the minute he stepped foot inside. Today, his primary goal was to return to Lori as soon as he could.
"I'm sorry, Kal-El, for having to resort to such extremes to get your attention. Where is the Atlantean empath who translated the message?"
"She stayed behind in Metropolis. You wanted to see me, so here I am." Clark heard the bitterness in his voice and regretted it. "I'm not used to it being, well, you…"
"I understand." Jor-El nodded. "I won't keep you from her for long, Kal-El. She would be a worthy choice for a life mate for you."
"Would be?" Clark asked. "It sounds like you have something else in mind."
"Destiny requires self sacrifce, Kal-El. Zod wanted you for a conqueror, to be the perfect Vessel for his spirit to inhabit. This was not the purpose your mother and I envisioned for you. We hoped that you would be a protector, a guardian for this small, vulnerable planet."
"Why do I have to do that? Why can't I just have a normal life?" Clark asked and Jor-El sighed.
"The questions you ask I cannot answer. I only know that the day you landed on Earth, the wheels of your destiny were set in motion. The Atlantean empath you love has a destiny of her own that she is trying to escape. You can both hide from it for a time, Kal-El, but eventually, one will have to choose to take up their role in the larger world. The other will either take up their destiny as well, or sublimate themselves and diminish. The question I ask you is, what will your choice be?"
Clark felt a breeze blow through the Fortress, and he looked up at Jor-El's hologram in disbelief. "I'm going to have to let Lori go?"
"Choosing between one path and another is part of life, Kal-El. If you choose to follow her path, you must relinquish yours." Jor-El replied, "I cannot choose for you, and I cannot force you to choose the past that is wisest."
"And the consequences?" Clark asked, looking around. "What part will you play in those?"
"None. I bear no burden in them. I can only advise you. I have no power outside of this place." The hologram said. "The manifestations of power that Zod accomplished were through his own force of will. It is not my purpose to interfere with humanity."
Clark took this information in. "If I choose to stay with Lori, and she chooses to stay with me…"
"Will set in motion a chain of events that will reshape the events of both of your societies."
"If I go with her?"
"The same…"
"And if I do what you want me to do and give her up?" Clark could barely say the words.
"The grief will pass. And the challenges will continue to be many. Life will not be simple, by any means. But you will see that you have made the best and wisest choice. For all concerned."
"I choose her. I choose Lori. I want to be happy." Clark said, his voice rising.
"The time for choosing is not now, Kal-El. You are not alone in this…" Jor-El said calmly. "When the time comes, you will recognize it."
