Chapter 11

Getting out of the cab, Lois was not surprised to find herself in front of a large palatial home. The elegance and style of the home was what one would expect for one of the most glamorous couples in the world. "So far away from Clark," she thought to herself before she watched the door open and out onto the portico came the Vice Present and his wife.

Steeling herself for the unexpected Lois stepped forward with her hand out and a big smile said, "Vice President, so pleased to meet you, I'm Lois Lane."

"Lois, please call me Pete," he replied with a smile, before he turned slightly and placed his hand on the small of his wife's back and said, "May I introduce you to my wife Lana."

As Lois shook Lana's hand she couldn't help but stare. Lana was elegance personified with a perfect face and figure that Lois was sure would have men drooling. "I wonder if Clark ever drooled over her," she wryly thought to herself before she mentally shook her head and said "Lana so pleased to meet you."

Turning to face Pete, Lois caught a look on his face that she didn't recognize and she was sure she heard him say under his breath, "he always did have great taste."

"Please come inside, Lois, it's a long flight from Metropolis on those small planes," Lana said and started to walk into the house.

"Let me take your bag and your coat Lois," Pete asked, "would you like to freshen up or would you like a cup of coffee first?"

"I would kill for a cup of coffee," Lois replied with a big smile as she handed her bag and coat to the Vice President.

"Black, 2 sugars coming up," Lana said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"How did she know?" Lois asked with a shocked voice.

"Clark," was all Pete said as he showed Lois the way into the living room.

Lois's mind was racing, why on earth would Clark have told them how she had her coffee. Why did this one fact make her feel so treasured yet bereft of any semblance of understanding? Her reporter's instincts were clicking into overdrive as that clearly showed a level of relationship that was more than just old school friends.

Pete and Lois made small talk about the weather and the state of the Redskin's season as they waited for Lana. Just as Lois was running out of small talk and was struggling to not ask the VP questions Lana walked back into the living room with a tray of hot drinks.

"Thank you," Lois said as Lana passed over her coffee, "how did you know that was how I have my coffee?" she asked with what she hoped was a friendly smile on her face.

"Clark told me, he has told me all about you Lois," Lana replied before she sat down on the couch and asked "So Lois, I am sure that you didn't come all this way for a friendly chat, how may we help you?"

It was out in the open. Lois decided she could grow to like Lana, who in spite of her obvious elegance, was blunt and to the point. Now that she was faced with the issue Lois wasn't quite sure how to proceed. It was obvious that the VP and his wife were very close to Clark but how close was close. She decided that the best way to broach the subject was to just ask and tone it down if she had to. "I am worried about Clark," she said, "and I . . ."

"Why?" came the quick interruption from Lana.

Lois looked at the couple and saw that the VP was sitting back and letting his wife take the lead in this conversation. "Now that is interesting, I thought it would be other way around," Lois thought to herself before she replied, "I saw him not so long ago and he seemed different."

"Different, how?" Lana asked

Lois now knew that this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. Her instincts were screaming that here was a hostile interviewee who was going to protect Clark to the best of her ability. Deciding to change tact Lois asked, "Can I ask how long you guys have known Clark?" in an attempt to include Pete in on the conversation.

Lana answered "We have known Clark since high-school, he was, and is, a very good friend of ours," she paused before continuing, "Lois, let's cut to the chase, what do you want to know? We could fence around this or we could get it out into the open."

Lois looked admiringly at Lana before asking, "Fair enough, how much do you know about Clark before I answer that?"

"Everything," was the answer she received from Pete with Lana nodding agreement.

"So you know?" she asked.

"Yes, Lois we have known about Clark since we were teenagers," Lana replied.

"I have only just found out," she said before she smiled at them "It hurt to be find out the way I did."

"We both found out in different ways but to say we were shocked was an understatement," Pete replied, "but he was Clark, our friend, you know?"

"Yeah, I am starting to see that now," she said before she continued with a frown on her face, "I am so worried about him, as he no longer wants to be Clark Kent."

"What do you mean?" Lana asked.

So Lois recounted the entire story of the last two years. She didn't spare herself in the telling and it felt quite cathartic to talk about it with very close friends of Clark's. Pete was extremely skilled at asking questions to keep her on track and she thought that if he wasn't such a talented politician he would have made a hell of a reporter.

When she had finished her story she saw the look that passed between husband and wife. Pete stood up and excused himself saying he had a call to make and left Lois alone with Lana.

"Lois, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," she replied.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I am worried about Clark and I am worried what will happen if Superman doesn't have Clark and I am just worried."

"Be honest Lois, it's just you and me, why are you doing this?" Lana asked.

In a very small voice Lois whispered, "I don't know. I don't know why I have to do this."

"Yes you do Lois, you just have to open up to it and no one but you can do it," she said before she got up and came and sat down next to Lois and took her hand and continued, "since the day Clark met you he was totally head over heels in love with you. He flew out that night and talked and talked to me about you. I was so happy for him as he was finally in love, really in love."

"Why would he share it with you?" she asked a bit sharply.

"Lois, Clark and I dated during high-school. He was such a caring, wonderful boy and we naively thought that we would get married, have children and die of old age in Smallville," she replied before grinning and continuing, "Oh such simple thoughts and wants from such a long time ago."

"What happened?" Lois asked.

"Superman happened," Lana simply replied before admitting "and I couldn't handle it."

"Superman?" Lois asked

"Oh not Superman as you know him but Clark as he was before Superman. He would be gone and saving someone mysteriously and he would miss dinners and dates and I couldn't handle it. Clark had this whole other thing going on that I couldn't be a part of and it was so much bigger than me and my life," she said.

Lois was quiet as she heard some of her own fears being voiced and she didn't know what to say.

"Clark's destiny was always bigger than I was ready to accept. So we broke up when he left to go do his training and I started to date other men. When he came back he was the most gorgeous untouchable being I have ever seen and I knew then that he would never ever be mine again."

Lana laughed quietly before continuing "Oh Lois, you should have seen him when he came back from his training he was something else, he glowed he was almost incandescent and God he was sexy."

Lois felt a green tinge of jealously pooling in her stomach. She wasn't jealous of Lana but jealous of how much of Clark, Lana had shared. All those feelings dissipated when Lana said "but once Clark meet you, no other woman would ever matter in his eyes, you totally stole his heart Lois."

"I didn't know, he never told me," she whispered.

"Clark would never tell you, unless he was sure you felt the same way. He was always cautious with you, as being rejected by you was his greatest ever fear," Lana answer before she looked straight into Lois's eyes and said, "and his greatest fear has come to pass hasn't it?"

To be continued . . .

Please review as I really liked this chapter.