Well, I'm back!!! Sorry for the long, long, long wait. I started a new teaching job, and if you are a teacher, or know a teacher, then you understand how difficult being a first year ninth grade English teacher can be. Trust me when I say that I've wanted to keep writing, but my 155 students have taken my life away. Your encouragement has been great. So please enjoy and tell your friends to read.

Lois Lane's first crush liked toads and presented her with one during recess in the third grade. At first she had screamed and dropped the box, as all her other female counterparts scattered to the wind. But as soon as the box hit the ground, an overwhelming sense of pity for the creature overtook her, and she scooped up the box concerned that it had been hurt. Her relationship with Ronald, the toad boy, lasted only two weeks. But she and Larry, the toad toad, were companions for years.
In middle school Lois hand made her valentine cards, disappointed with the lack in ingenuity found with the boxed Garfield trinkets the local store offered. She saved the best card for Jonathan, the man of her dreams, for last. Her sweaty hands clutched at the thin paper with anticipation as she walked toward his desk. Little did Lois know however, that Jonathan had partaken in one too many cheap candy hearts. So as soon as Lois came upon his desk, her love emptied his stomach on to her bright new pink dress. They still went to the dance, of course, but what could really grow between two people who had shared the smell of half digested tater tots together.

In high school her prom date got the chicken pox a day before the dance, and no amount of banging on his screen door could get him into a tux (who gets chicken pox at eighteen anyway?). In college she seemed to attract the worst kind of men, users, and abusers. Her therapist said that she liked fixing people and that's why she stayed in these relationships. Maybe that was true, for a reporter, what greater mystery was there then the opposite sex?

And if a woman was looking for someone with issues, it was hard to beat an alien who flies around wearing tights.

What the hell am I doing?

But oh, how good he did tend to look in those tights.

All these thoughts went whizzing by Lois' mind in the instant after Clark left her side. She steadied herself and took a breath before running after the rogue Ferris wheel. She screamed at the top of her lungs for people to run away, but the rolling hunk of metal seemed to be a clear enough instruction for most. Dozens streamed around her.

Suddenly there was a tug at her arm. "Hey lady, whatcha standin' around fer? Can't ya see that the Ferris wheel done gone crazy?" An older man in overall who hadn't seen a toothbrush in too long had her elbow. "We need to git outta here!"

Lois took her extremity back with a sharp pull. "Thank you sir, I can see that the Ferris wheel is a little out of sorts, but I think I'll stick around and watch."

The man shrugged, "Suit yer self." He walked away and said in a low voice, "City people, they don't got no sense."

"Hey wait," Lois called. "How many people are on that ride?"

"Only two teens. The thing had just started up for the day, so they were the first ones on. Lucky us, I guess." Suddenly the sky was displaced in a flash a blue and red.

Lois stopped and gazed at Clark. Even after all these years of seeing him like this it was still a bit of a shock. Humans don't fly around in primary colors, they just don't. And yet here it was, close enough to share air particles with, a reality. And after five long years in space it was a relief to see this happening again.

The runaway, which had initially been rolling away down an empty field, had turned to take on a pack of parked cars. Superman positioned himself at about half the height of the wheel and held out both arms. The hulking mass stopped easily at his touch, as if only a pinky was really necessary. The metal shuddered and began to list to the right. In an instant he was on that side, gracefully and slowly laying the beast on its side. Superman stepped away and waited, but no one emerged. He shifted his weight uncomfortably and called, "Um, hey, you can come out now."

Like eager ground hogs, two scruffy heads popped out of one dented chair. Two teenage boys in black hoodies scampered out as Lois ran to the scene snapping pictures.

"Dude!"

"I know!"

"But dude!"

"I know!"

"It was like crack, and then we were all rolling."

"You were screaming man."

"No way."

"Oh no dude, you were."

"No way."

Not being able to take this illuminating conversation for another moment, Lois spoke up. "Are you two alright."

Both looked over and nearly doubled over in excitement at the sight of Superman, as if just figuring out that their lives had been saved. They ran up to their hero.

"Superman, that was awesome! The thing was like bam, and then you were like no way."

"Yeah. I thought it was over for us man."

Lois and Superman looked at each other in an effort not to laugh.

"Yeah, you, like, rock!" Both boys raised their hands for high fives. Superman shifted his weight slightly, a bit of the Clark persona showing through the more polished Superman persona. He didn't, couldn't, respond.

"It's no problem guys. I'm just glad I heard you and could come and help."

"You heard us? See man, I told you that you were screaming."

"Well, screaming would be completely reasonable for this particular situation. But just to be safe, I won't tell anyone." Both teens grinned, and Clark couldn't help responding in kind. "Now, I think I see one of your mothers over with the crowd. Why don't you go to her, I'm sure she's worried."

Both boys waved and began to run off. "See dude, I told you this fair would be cool."

"Yeah dude, best fair ever!"

Thankfully, the rest of their conversation was droned out by the rest of the crowd, which was making a steady pace for Lois and Superman. Quickly, Clark whispered that he'd be back, and lifted off into the sky.

After careful examination of the Ferris wheel, now peacefully settled on the ground, the officials decided that foul play was not involved. A rusty bolt had finally snapped and allowed the day's most exciting event. The men in charge announced soon after that considering that no one was injured, and the day was so unbelievably perfect for a fair, it seemed silly to cancel the rest of the day. So the frame in the field was roped off, and people went back to what they were doing.

Lois went and waited back at the children's area. She curled her thin legs under her body and viewed the photos again on her camera. So much for the fluff piece that Perry had requested to raise the spirits of Metropolis. But he'd be please with this. More then that. In fact, if Lois didn't know better, she'd suspect that her boss had climbed up into that rig and done something to that bolt himself.

A throat clearing caught her attention. Clark stood a few feet away, looking bashful. She jumped up and flung her arms around his neck, knocking both back a step.

"Whoa, that's quite a welcome."

"I was starting to wonder where you went."

Clark released Lois and gave a small shrug. "I decided to land outside and walk back into the fair so it looked like I went out to the car or something."

"Oh."

Clark stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and rocked back on his heels. "Well, I think we might have quite the story going for us today."

"Who knew! I even have some quotes from the people trapped in the 'spinning wheel of death.'"

"Is that what you're calling it now?"

Lois sat down and began to put things into her purse. "Catchy, isn't it?"

"Sure. But about those first person quotes. I'm not sure that our readers are ready for that many uses of the word dude."

"I may have to paraphrase a little."

Clark chuckled to and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, sure. I can see the headline. 'The Dude Saves the Thing: Superman in Another Calamity.'" Lois shifted around looking uncomfortable. "You look disappointed."

She straightened herself out a bit, "I'm not."

"Then what?"

"It's nothing."

"Lois…"

"Clark, just drop it. Please?" Clark didn't want to drop it. If he could have it his way, he'd have Lois talk all the time and tell him everything that came to mind. I the cold of deep space, he played the sweet tones of her voice over and over, and now that he was home, he'd be happy to listen to her order pizza. And he certainly wanted to know what she was feeling when it came to him. But Clark was too afraid that pushing her would only lose her. It wasn't that long ago that he'd found a distraught Lois crying on her back porch in the middle of the night, and he was aware that it probably wouldn't take much to return her to a poor state.

Instead, he took her hand. "Well then, what do you feel up to?"

"If I remember correctly, you are the leader of our day out, so what do you suggest?"

Clark pretended to think hard, "Hmmmm, hungry?"

Lois cracked a smile, "now that you mention it, I could eat something. Those Cheetos from this morning aren't really holding me over."

"I'd think not. Really, your eating habits Lois…"

"Poptarts are a better start to any day." She cut him off. Clark stopped and looked down at her. "Have you tried the ones where you can squeeze the frosting on yourself?" Clark smiled. "I don't understand, they never give you enough!"

He nodded. "Well, how about a hot pretzel then."

"Alright."

Clark kissed Lois, and they walked toward a stand.

It was hard to believe that the day wasn't even half done.

To Be Continued….