S – Fan Fiction – supplemental story line for Season 4, Episode 7 "A Regular Guy". All copyright for Superman and Lois belongs to CW and DC Comics.
Lois is standing by her desk in her home office late in the evening, the dim light casting a quiet glow over the room. She picks up a framed photo of her family, her fingers lingering on the edges of the glass as she gazes at it for a moment. With a soft exhale, she sets the photo down and grabs her phone. Her fingers hover over the screen before she dials Janet Olsen's number.
After a few rings, Janet picks up.
"Hey Lois! How are you?"
"Hi, Janet. I'm good. Sorry to call so late, but there's something that I wanted to run past you."
Janet cheerily replies, "You're welcome to call me anytime. What's up?"
"Superman wants to do an interview, and I want you to do it," Lois tells her.
Janet's voice lit up with excitement. "Wow! I'd be honored, but why don't you do the interview yourself?"
Lois hesitates, her fingers tapping nervously on the edge of the desk. "I'm too close to this story."
After a brief pause Janet says, "Okay. What does he want to discuss?"
Lois takes a deep breath, choosing her words carefully. "He's ready to reveal his identity to the world."
Janet gasps, "What! Are you serious? And is he sure?"
Lois nods, though Janet can't see her. "Yes and yes."
"Lois, this is huge! But wait—how are you too close?"
Lois hesitates, her heart racing. "Before I tell you anything else, you need to promise me you won't be mad at me."
"Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you? Lois, please, tell me what's going on."
Lois closes her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. For a moment, she remains silent, the weight of her secret pressing heavily on her. Finally, she responds with a slight crack in her voice, "It's Clark."
Janet's confusion is palpable. "What about Clark?"
Lois stops for a moment to let her words sink in and to recompose herself. Janet's voice grows cautious as she asks, "Hold on. Are you telling me that Clark—your husband—is Superman?"
Lois exhales slowly, the truth finally out in the open. "Yes."
There is a long, stunned silence before Janet speaks again, her voice barely above a whisper. "And that kid who saved the others from the car crash in Smallville?"
Lois nods, though Janet can't see it. "That was Jordan."
Janet's voice carries an undertone of awe and surprise as she says, "And the kid who Superman helped in that mall fire?"
"That was Jonathan," Lois admits.
Janet pauses before she speaks, the tension between these two is palpable as the gravity of Lois's words hangs between them. "Lois, it's okay. You're a wife and mother before anything else. And yes, I'd be honored to do the interview. When does Superman, er, Clark, want to do it?"
Lois exhaled slowly, relieved by her friend's reaction. "What does your schedule look like tomorrow?"
The next morning, just outside the Daily Planet, Janet gathers the crew together. "Alright, everyone, hand over your cell phones," her tone leaving no room for argument.
"Our cell phones?" Jennie, the wardrobe supervisor asks, confused but complying.
"What's the story and why are we driving all the way to Smallville, Kansas?" Jerry, the boom operator asks.
After she finishes collecting everyone's phones Janet smiles knowingly. "Because it's where we are going to break the biggest story of the year."
Mark, the sound recorder skeptically asks, "What's in Smallville?"
Janet beams brightly, "Superman's house."
"Hishouse?" The crew queries in unison, incredulous.
"Yes. Superman is revealing his identity to the world, and you all get to be a part of that historic moment. But I need everyone to keep a tight lid on things until the interview airs." She shoots a pointed look around. "No leaks."
The crew agrees as they exchanges excited glances.
Janet then calls out, "Okay, everyone pile in. I already put the address in both vehicles' GPS. No stops!"
Once the vans start moving, the crew sitting with Janet immediately begin to question her.
"Are you going to keep us in suspense or tell us who it is?"
Janet's lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "Would you believe me if I told you he worked atThe Daily Planetfor years?"
"No way!" Janet's assistant gasps, wide-eyed.
The director, looking perplexed, leans in. "Wait, why isn't Lois Lane doing the interview? Didn't she move to Smallville a couple of years ago?"
Janet smiles. "Yes, she did."
An older crew member responds, clearly shocked. "Hold on—is itClark Kent?"
Janet nods. "I just found out last night, and I still can't believe it."
Penny, the script supervisor looks perplexed. "Who is Clark Kent?"
The director answers, "He used to be the Editor-in-Chief at the Planet, and he's married to Lois Lane."
Janet nods in confirmation. "We're heading to their home, so I expect everyone to be professional, respectful—no paparazzi behavior. Got it?"
All nod, the excitement about their trip growing by the minute.
The crew arrives at the Kent farm, a charming farmhouse surrounded by acres of crops. Lois Lane, along with the twins, Jordan and Jonathan, step onto the porch to greet them.
The crew quickly file out of their vehicles, staring at the scene in front of them — most of them awestruck. Lois carries herself in a sharp, confident, and effortlessly elegant manner. The twins are the spitting image of their parents, though a little more reserved.
"Lois!" Some of the crew embrace her with a hug, while others offer a handshake. She greets each of them warmly.
"Welcome to our home," Lois said graciously. "These are our boys—Jordan and Jonathan."
The twins smiled shyly. "Hi," they say in unison.
The director steps forward, nodding appreciatively. "Thanks for trusting us with this interview. Is it alright if we take a few photos of the house?"
Lois nods, gesturing to the open door. "Sure, go ahead."
"Did you find some family photos for us to scan and share with the audience?" Janet asks. "It'd be good to superimpose them during key points of the interview."
Lois nodded again, leading them inside. "Yes, come on in. I'll show you some options for staging. Clark's upstairs, getting ready."
Inside the Kent house, the crew are finishing setting up while Janet and Lois continue to discuss the interview questions. Lois reminds Janet, "Clark trusts you. He'll try to answer as many questions as he can."
Janet's face lights up with a genuine smile. "I truly appreciate you trusting in me for this, Lois."
Lois puts a hand on Janet's arm, "I wouldn't want anyone else."
The director approaches with a courteous nod, saying, "We're ready to begin whenever he is ready," as he glances at his watch.
Lois smiles at him and Janet warmly. "I'll go get him."
Janet and Clark are sitting for the interview. After asking Clark to introduce himself and discussing why he decided to come forward now, Janet decides to dig deeper:
JO: Let's back up. Who were your parents?
CK: Their names were Jonathan and Martha Kent. They were very kind, loving people who happened to be driving home one day when a the space pod that brought me here crashed into their field. [A photo of the Kent farm and pictures of young Clark with his parents are transposed over the interview feed.]
JO: You were just a baby then, correct?
CK: Yes.
JO: What was your childhood like? [There's a brief shot of the kitchen wall where Clark's growth is charted in pen and pencil.]
CK: In many ways, it was idyllic. I grew up here in this community. I have a lot of fond memories of spending time with my friends and my parents here. [A few school photos of Clark are transposed.]
JO: How did they manage having a son with powers?
CK: Obviously, they knew that I was not from this planet, but to them I was just their son. And for the first few years, I was no different from any other boy. Then, when I was 4 years old, I started developing powers.
My parents became frightened that if anyone found out about my powers, I would be taken away from them and turned into a weapon. So, they were adamant that I hide my abilities. My parents taught me how to blend in, how to control my powers, and did everything they could to allow me to have a normal life. I feel very fortunate to have been their son.
JO: What led to you becoming Superman?
CK: When I was 14 years old, my father died of a heart attack right in front of me. When that happened, I began to question why I had all these powers, yet I couldn't save him. I started to push back against my parents' insistence that I hide who I was. I told my mother that I had been given these powers for a reason, and although I couldn't save my father, I needed to start saving other people. But my mother continued to be adamant that I do everything possible to not draw attention to myself.
Then, when I was 16, I was in a car accident with a few friends. I couldn't let them get hurt, so I saved them. But I was also able to hide how they were saved without drawing any attention to myself. That made me realize that I could be a force for good in this world while keeping my identity a secret.
On top of that I was asking more and more questions, questions my mother couldn't answer about the circumstances that led to my becoming an orphan, why my biological parents didn't keep me, what happened to them that they couldn't come with me, where I was from, why I was so different, and why I was sent here.
Finally, my mother told me that it was time for me to go and find answers to my questions. She gave me the sun crystal that was in my space pod, hoping that it be useful and guide me.
JO: What's a "sun crystal"?
CK: In essence, it's a form of Kryptonian technology that can be used to hold holograms and to build a Kryptonian home, of sorts. It led me to a remote area of the Arctic.
JO: Who or what was the hologram of?
CK: It was my Kryptonian father as well as a sort of library of Kryptonian knowledge. Through that, my Kryptonian father told me who I was, where I was from, and about my powers. He taught me to hone my abilities. After a few years of training, he sent me to rejoin human civilization so that I could be the beacon of hope he and my Kryptonian mother sent me to Earth to be.
JO: Does you still have that suncrystal?
CK: Unfortunately, it was destroyed.
JO: How was it destroyed?
CK: Morgan Edge destroyed it.
JO: So, after you left that place, what led you to Metropolis? And what led to you working at The Daily Planet?
CK: When I realized what I was destined to become, I thought it would be best for me to move to a large city where I could easily blend into the crowd. I studied journalism and started working at The Daily Planet so I would be aware of everything that was going on in the world. Plus, it was a job that allowed me to fly away on a moment's notice.
JO: And that's where you met your wife, Lois Lane.
CK: (Smiling) Yes, that's where I met Lois.
JO: Full disclosure for our audience, I'm friends with Lois who also worked at The Planet for years. But for our viewers, please tell us about how you two happened.
CK: When I first started working at The Daily Planet, Perry assigned me to work with Lois. [A few photo of Clark among other Daily Planet journalists and staff is transposed over the interview scene.]
JO: I want to let the audience know that Perry White was our managing editor at The Daily Planet.
CK: I think I fell for her the minute I saw her. We started dating after a few months of working together. (Shrugs) We fell in love. I told her who I really was. I proposed. We got married, bought a house together. Then the twins came.
JO: Let me back up a second. How did Lois handle learning who you were? And did that change your relationship?
CK: (Smiling) She was definitely shocked. She never suspected that Superman and I could be the same person. She didn't say anything for nearly an hour. I was worried that she was angry with me and might never speak with me again. But 17 years later, here we are. [Photos of Clark and Lois's wedding, a photo of them from her Pulitzer prize award ceremony, and a photo of them sitting together on a sofa laughing are transposed over the interview scene.]
JO: You sons are twins, correct? Jonathan and Jordan. [Photos of the twins as babies, young children, and current are transposed over the interview scene.]
CK: Yes. Fraternal twins.
JO: Are your sons the superboys that keep showing up in the news?
CK: (Pausing) Yes, they are eager to help wherever they can. We are working on finding the right balance for them to train to be superheroes while living their lives as teenagers in high school.
JO: What made you move to Smallville from Metropolis?
CK: My mother was worried about how much my being Superman kept me away from my family, especially my sons. Just before she died, she asked for us to move here so our lives would be simpler and we could spend more time together as a family. Around that same time, Jordan started developing powers. So, moving to a more remote area of the country made sense.
JO: You've had to face some incredible challenges. What would you say was the most difficult scenario you've had to face?
CK: (long pause) Watching my wife get sick with cancer was more difficult than anything else I've ever faced. I never felt so helplessness and was worried that I was going to lose her. When the person you love is that sick – well, it leaves an indelible mark. And it made me even more amazed by my wife's strength and courage. In her own way, Lois is much stronger than I am.
JO: What kind of cancer did Lois have?
CK: She had Stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer.
JO: How is she doing now?
CK: She is done with the chemotherapy and the surgery. Her doctors are hopeful about her prognosis.
JO: I think I speak for the world when I say that we will keep Lois in our thoughts and prayers.
CK: Thank you.
JO: What message do you have to our viewers who now know who you and your family are?
CK: Lois and I have tried to give our sons as normal a life as possible. We have shared my identity with the world with the hope that people will respect our privacy.
JO: Thank you for allowing us into your home and sharing so much with us today.
CK: Thank you for coming.
JO: I'm Janet Olsen, signing off from Smallville, Kansas.