Chapter Three
Diana had left the Daily Planet not entirely disappointed. But when she landed on the Kent Farm and could not find Clark in the house or the barn, her enthusiasm completely vanished and she started to doubt herself. Did she misread him? Did she make a mistake assuming that he would want to see her in person? Not wanting to feel more foolish then she already felt, Diana did not bother to leave a note for Clark and took to the skies.
She did not feel like returning to her hotel suite immediately. And as Diana flew over the town center of Smallville, she decided to drop in and take a walk along the quaint town's main street. There were some people out and about, but they seemed to pay her little attention. Looking around at the shops and eateries, she noticed that the town did not change at all since Clark took her on a tour years ago. And the people who lived there were friendlier than those who lived in the bigger cities. She liked that about Smallville.
Diana came to the doors of the Talon. It was closed but she remembered having her first latte there with Clark. 'I need to stop thinking about him. He's just one of many men.' She sighed and turned away from the doors, only to suddenly stop in mid-stride.
Standing just a few feet away from her was Clark Kent, and he was smiling at her. Diana smiled back.
Clark knew he would eventually find Diana. He was relieved he caught up to her before he missed her again. "I'm glad you're here, Diana," he said as he took a step forward.
"As am I, Clark," Diana answered. She also took a step forward.
"I tried to look for you at the hotel, but you were already gone." At Diana's concerned look, Clark added, "Don't worry. Your guards don't know that you've left."
"You've met them, then. They're not easy to get by, thanks to the Queen's orders."
"They're doing their job well." Still grinning, Clark asked, "Is it okay to greet the Ambassador with a hug? I'm not quite sure what the protocols are."
"Yes, it is definitely okay," she assured him with a small laugh.
They hugged, tentatively at first. Then, almost as an afterthought, they both remembered neither of them would break if they held on a little more tightly. And so they did, reveling in the strength each of them possessed. And both briefly closed their eyes to savor the moment, not knowing that they were mirroring each other.
An older couple walked passed Clark and Diana. They recognized Clark and looked at each other as if communicating in a silent language all their own. That Kent boy was alone too much and they found it sweet that he was dating someone. The girl the Kent boy was with was certainly a looker. And they were already wearing matching colors, too. Well, good for him.
Clark was the first one to reluctantly break off the embrace but he did not step back, and neither did Diana as she looked up at him.
"It's so good to see you, Clark. I certainly wasn't expecting to see you at the conference today."
"Neither did I. Truthfully, I didn't know you were the new Ambassador and I was a last minute replacement."
"So, you're a reporter now. How wonderful. I find it noble that you chose a profession that helps others."
"It's not noble, Diana. I'm not a soldier, a doctor, an officer of the law, or even a teacher. Those are the most noblest careers."
Tilting her head slightly, she asked, "You don't think what you do is noble? To my understanding, a reporter not only relays news that is significant for people to be aware about, but also informs the public on the wrongs that should be righted by providing objective yet insightful information."
"In an ideal world, that may be true. Not all reporters share that philosophy, but I do try my best."
"And I appreciate your efforts. Your question was one I was delighted to answer by the way. No one had ever asked me that before."
"Well, you definitely impressed a lot of people today." Clark broke eye contact and looked around. "We should probably go back to the farm before someone recognizes you."
"But I'm dressed as a normal human being."
His eyes drank in the sight of her as he looked her up and down, sending a small thrill down Diana's spine. Leaning in a little closer to her, he said, "Yes, but you're too beautiful for people to not take a second look at you." 'Whoa, where did that come from?' Clark thought. He himself could not believe he had just said that. He must remember to spend less time with Oliver Queen whenever there was at least one woman in the same room and within twenty feet away from Oliver. His suave demeanor must be rubbing off on Clark.
Diana actually blushed at his compliment. "Very well, then. Shall I meet you there?"
"That sounds like a good idea. It'll give me a few minutes to whip up something for us to eat. You didn't touch your dinner, so you've gotta be hungry."
"How did you…never mind…I am famished now actually. Alright. I'll even give you a few extra minutes."
"Great. I'll see you then." Clark looked at Diana a moment longer, and then vanished as he sped to the farm.
Making sure no one was watching her, Diana lifted off once again to the night skies, very much anticipating the time she would be spending with Clark.
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At the Daily Planet, Lois was working on her new piece about the Red-Blue Blur saving Metropolis from a nuclear disaster, discarding her investigative piece on the alleged gambling ring by some of Metropolis' favorite ball players. According to Lois, anything that involved the Red-Blue Blur took precedence over all other news.
Jimmy walked by her desk holding a folder in his hands. "Hey, Lois, have you seen Clark?"
Glancing at him, she replied, "No, Jimmy. Can't say I have."
"Man, I really wanted his input. I have some of the photos from the Amazon press conference that I want to show him. See which ones we should use to put with his coverage." He looked seriously bummed out.
Her curiosity got the better of her, so Lois asked, "Amazon? Oh, well, why didn't you say so? I'd love to help out. Here, let me take a look at them." She reached out and took the folder from his grasp before Jimmy could politely decline. "Wow. That's the new Ambassador?"
He was not entirely sure why, but Jimmy started to feel a little uncomfortable with Lois' reaction. "Uh-huh. She's quite amazing."
"I bet," Lois remarked. "She looks familiar. I'm sure I've seen her before."
"Well, she has been featured in TV reports and in other papers lately. That's probably why you think you know her," Jimmy offered.
"I don't think so. You know I don't forget a face." Lois looked at the last photo of the bunch. A crease between her eyebrows formed. Pointing out the image back to Jimmy, she asked, "What's this?"
Gulping saliva, Jimmy replied, "Oh, that's just a picture of Clark asking the Princess a question."
With an exasperated sigh, Lois retorted, "I know that's Clark and the Amazon in the picture. What I meant was, is he actually smiling like he just found some long lost treasure, or is the picture a little out of focus because it's too hard to tell from the distance? Don't you have a close up so I can see better?"
Jimmy shook his head. "No, I don't have any more of Clark and the Ambassador. Just that one. I wouldn't think too much of it if I were you. I needed one photo to show that Clark is really good at his job."
"Hmm…okay…" Lois seemed somewhat placated. "I guess if I was a guy and I was there too, I'd consider myself lucky to be in the same room with someone who looked like her. Besides, it's not like she'd be interested in someone like Smallville. How boring would her love-life be when she can have a prince or a billion dollar tycoon, right?"
The phone at Lois' desk rang, and she picked up the receiver. "Lois Lane here. Oh, hi… It's so good to hear from you, too...of course, I wouldn't mind…"
For Jimmy, this was his welcomed cue to leave Lois to carry on her telephone conversation with whoever was on the other end of the line.
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Clark had just plated the omelets when Diana knocked and entered the house. "Your timing is perfect. I hope you don't mind having breakfast for dinner. Please, have a seat."
Diana sat down in the seat at the dining table where one of two place settings was set. "Oh, this smells delicious, Clark," she said as he put a plate of buttered toast, bacon strips, and an omelet made with onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese in front of her.
Clark was about to sit down and join her until he remembered the glasses of orange juice still sitting on the kitchen counter. "Oh, excuse me. I almost forgot our drinks."
She waited for him to come back with their drinks and sit down before taking her first bite. "I'd forgotten you were such a good cook."
As they enjoyed their dinner, they took turns catching each other up on events of the past few years. While continuing their conversation, Diana helped Clark with the dishes once they were done with their meal. They sat down together on the couch in the living room, still taking turns talking and listening to each other with earnest interest. They were so comfortable with each other that it seemed like they had known each other all their lives.
"Speaking of your mother, where is she?" Diana asked.
"Oh, she's a U.S. Senator now so she doesn't live here with me anymore," Clark replied.
"I wonder if I get to meet her again tomorrow. I'm supposed to meet with one of this state's Senators."
"Unfortunately, she's not the one you're scheduled to meet with. And my mom would've called me before today."
"What a pity. I really like your mother."
Thinking how much he missed his mother, Clark looked past Diana, and finally noticed the blinking light on the answering machine that sat on the console behind her. He must have been very preoccupied if he just noticed that there was a voicemail waiting for him.
Diana looked behind her to see what he was looking at. She told him, "I won't be offended if you need to listen to it for a moment. I know that messages can be important."
Clark turned his attention back to Diana. "Thanks. But most likely it's just one of my co-workers bugging me about work stuff. It'll just be a moment."
Clark had to lean forward and reach behind Diana to turn on the voicemail.
A bleep sounded as the message began. "Hi, honey. It's your mom. I tried calling your cell but you haven't picked up any of my calls all night. I hope everything is okay. I'm sure you've heard by now that an old friend of yours is in Metropolis, and I know how much you liked her."
"Gee, thanks mom," Clark muttered while Diana giggled.
"There's been a change of plans for tomorrow's meeting with the Themysciran Ambassador. Senator Bailey can't make it, so I'll be flying in tomorrow to meet Diana, and I want you to be there with me as my guest. Meet me at the airport, okay? My flight arrives at 10am. Love you. Bye."
"Well, it looks I don't have to find an excuse to see you tomorrow. It seems my mom took care of that." Clark grinned.
"There are advantages to being a Senator's son. At least I don't have to sneak out again."
A different bleep sounded, so once again, Clark leaned forward towards Diana to turn the answering machine off. She smelled like orchids, he noted, as he inhaled her scent. He knew her eyes were on him. All he had to do was turn his face slightly and their lips would meet. What would it be like to kiss her? It suddenly dawned on him that he wanted more than friendship from Diana. He regarded her as a good friend. But being this close to her was making it very difficult for him. No, he was not going to jeopardize that friendship, and he did not want to take advantage of her innocence of men. He needed to sit back at his spot on the opposite side of the couch, but he could not bring himself to do so.
His face was so close to hers that she took a breath and enjoyed the scent that was all his. She had often wondered what it would be like to kiss a man. To kiss Clark. And not the feathery kiss she gave him when she left him. Diana had met so many men since coming back to Man's World, yet she did not think of any of them the way she thought of Clark. None of them affected her emotions the way Clark did. And her heart almost skipped a beat when his eyes rested on hers.
The sound of an open door and the voice that followed broke the spell of the moment.
"Hello?! Clark? Hey, I told your mom…Oh, you have company." Lois could not see the woman face's whose back was to her. But she did see the annoyed look on Clark's face when he saw she had come in through the back door. She could see that she interrupted Clark and his friend as they were sitting too close to each other on the couch to be anything more than platonic.
Clark quickly got up and walked towards Lois who was still standing by the doorway. The woman with the black hair stayed where she was seated. Lois was miffed that she did not bother to turn around and introduce herself.
"Lois, what are you doing here?" The irritation in Clark's voice gave Lois a little bit of satisfaction.
"Awe, am I interrupting your date? This is a date, right? Aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Really, Lois. What do you want?" Clark folded his arms in an effort to make Lois see that she was invading his privacy and space.
"Oh, alright. I just came here as a favor to your mom to make sure you got her message. She's coming to Metropolis tomorrow to meet the Amazon Ambassador. And if you don't want me to come looking for you while your mother is trying to reach you, then I suggest you don't forget your cell phone next time. You left it on your desk." Lois hoped Clark felt the daggers she was throwing at him with her eyes as she handed him his phone. "You should really work on your social skills, Smallville. It's rude not to introduce people to one another. See you tomorrow." Peaking over Clark's shoulder, she called out sarcastically, "It was nice meeting you, too," and walked out the door to get to her car.
Clark watched Lois drive off to make sure she did not linger to spy on him and his guest.
Diana came up behind him and gently touched his shoulder. "I remember her. I hadn't noticed before when I met her. Has she always been like that?"
"Lois? What you saw was only half of what she can do to aggravate people." Seeing that she had her blazer back on, he asked, "You're leaving already?"
With almost a sad smile, Diana answered him. "I think it is best that I do. I had a wonderful time with you. And I'll see you again tomorrow, with your mother this time."
"Oh, okay. I had a great time, too, Diana. And what my mom said earlier on the voicemail was true."
Diana started to walk away before she changed her mind about leaving. As much as she wanted to stay, she still had so much to learn about the social interactions between a man and a woman in this society. And she did not want to make a complete fool of herself with Clark if he was not as attracted to her as she was to him. "Good night, Clark."
"Good night, Diana." And Clark watched as Diana flew up into the sky and towards Metropolis until he could not see her retreating form. As disappointed as he was to see her leave, he was content to know that he would see her again the next day.