By PeacheZ082
Rated: G
Submitted January 11, 1998
Summary: Lois and Clark's precocious teenaged daughter, Amber, has a knack of falling in love. And into trouble.
***
"I think I'm in love!" 13-year old Amber Kent cried, flouncing down on the couch.
Her father, Clark, looked up from his desk across the room. "Again?" he asked in amusement.
She sat up and glared at him. "No, not again. This time it's for real!" Clark turned back around, and rolled his eyes. 'How many times have I heard that lately?' he wondered.
Just then, Lois Lane-Kent appeared in the doorway that connected the living room to the dining room. "Amber, don't flop on the couch," she said, wiping her hands on a dishcloth.
Amber rolled her eyes. "And a great big hello to you too!" she said sarcastically.
Lois smiled. "How was school?"
Amber stood up and shrugged. "Ok…I guess. Oh! There's a new kid in my class."
Lois sat down on the couch. "A girl?"
>From his corner, Clark snorted. Lois turned to look at him. "Yeah, and you >hate chocolate."
Sighing, she turned back to Amber. "I'm guessing it's a guy?"
Amber sighed dramatically. "Yes…I think I'm in love."
Lois stood up to go back to the kitchen. Walking by Clark, she leaned over and whispered, "Again?"
Two Hours Later:
"Amber! This is the last time I'm going to call you! Get off the phone and get down here!" Lois yelled up the stairs.
Clark winced. Coming up behind her he asked, "How long has she been on that thing anyway?"
Lois started walking toward the dining room. "Too long!" she called over her shoulder.
Fifteen Minutes Later:
"And then Jenna said that Tom was hers, and Elizabeth said, 'Well, I didn't see a name tag!' And then Jessica said that Joe said that Tom said he didn't even like Elizabeth!"
Lois stared at her daughter in fascination. "When do you breathe?"
Amber sighed and Clark grinned. "You know us Kryptonians…we can talk faster than anyone you've ever seen!" Amber was indeed half Kryptonian, and she lived up to her name. She had the longest light brown hair and amber eyes. Since she was half-Kryptonian, she very rarely ate.
"Dad is it OK if I go out with Jordan?" Amber asked Clark, who raised an eyebrow.
"Jordan who? Do I know him?"
Amber smirked. "You mean did you ever save him? No…I don't think so. You do know his father though. His name is Jordan Olsen. Jimmy Olsen's son."
Clark looked at Lois. "Jimmy had a kid?"
Lois said at the same time, "Jimmy had a wife?"
Amber giggled. "Just goes to show you how well you know your friends!"
"Well, after Jimmy left the Planet for that photojournalist slot at Rolling Stone, we haven't really heard from him other than the occasional Christmas card. We lost touch with him. Honey , how long has it been since we heard from him?" Clark asked.
"Ten years. At least!" Lois replied.
As Amber was helping Lois with the dishes after dinner, she looked at her and asked, "So is it OK?"
Lois looked at her. "Is what ok?"
Amber handed Lois a wet plate. "Me going out with Jordan."
Lois dried the plate and put it away. "I don't know. Wait till your father comes back, and then we'll ask him." Just then they both heard that familiar "WOOSH!" that meant that Clark was home.
"Ask him what?" Clark called.
Amber threw down the sponge, and raced over to him. Throwing her arms around him she cried, "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"
Clark smiled. "I love you too."
Lois turned around and walked over to them. "Now ask her what she wants."
Clark grinned. "I know, I know, I've been married to you for 15 years remember?" Lois made a face and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Before I make any fatherly decisions, can I change?" Amber sighed and backed up. Superman quickly spun into Clark. "By the way, have you been practicing with your X-ray vision?"
Amber rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Whatever. Can I go out with Jordan or not?"
Clark shrugged and thought, 'If she rolls her eyes anymore, they'll get stuck in the back of her head.'
"Wait!" Lois cried.
She looked at Clark and muttered, "If this kid is anything like Jimmy…"
Clark grimaced. "I see your point." To Amber he said, "Amber, your mother and I don't want you to go out with this guy. But we trust you, so it's your decision."
The Next Day: (Friday):
Amber was up and out the door before Lois and Clark were up. "WOOSH!" Turning over on her side, she looked at Clark. "If you're here,…oh man! Where is she going? It's only…" she looked at her watch. "8:00! Clark, get up! we're gonna be late!" Clark smiled. To himself he thought, 'She's getting good.'
20 minutes later, Clark was on his way out the door, when his super-hearing picked up something. "There was a melody, locked deep inside of me but now it's free." It was coming form Amber's room. "Honey?" he called to Lois, who was still in the kitchen.
"Yes?" she appeared, heading towards him.
"I think Amber left her radio on again. I'll catch up to you, OK?"
Lois shrugged. "Okay."
As soon as she walked out, Clark zipped upstairs. As soon as he opened Amber's door, he almost fell over. The radio was on full blast. As Clark walked over to turn it off, he realized it was Rigoletto, an opera he used to listen to with Amber when she was little. "I didn't even know she still had it," he thought aloud. He reached over and pushed the stop button on the CD player. Nothing happened. He pushed it again, confused. Clark heard a click, and the music stopped. He turned to walk out the door when he realized, CD players don't click! He walked back to the radio, and looked at the tape player. Pushing eject, he pulled out the tape that was inside. On one side, it said, 'Rigoletto as sung by AK'. "A.K.?" Clark said. "Amber Kent? Amber sang this? Whoa!" Just then his super-hearing kicked in again. "Clark Kent, get over here now!" It was Lois. Pocketing the tape, he took off.
Daily Planet Newsroom, Present Time:
"Talking to yourself again, Lois?" sneered a voice behind her. Spinning around, she was face to face with Cat Grant.
"Shouldn't you be out finding someone to sleep with you tonight?" she asked sarcastically. Cat had a reputation for sleeping with a different guy every night. It was known around the newsroom.
Cat didn't give up easily. "Oh, come on Lois. You can tell me! Is it your new invisible friend?"
From somewhere behind Cat, a throat was cleared. Looking over her >shoulder, Lois saw it was Clark. She shot him a dirty look. "It's about >time!" Sensing a fight, Cat seated herself on Lois' desk. It wasn't everyday these two fought.
Clark glared at her. "Goodbye, Cat." Sticking out her tongue, she stomped away.
"What took you so long to turn off a radio?" Lois asked. Clark sat down where Cat had been.
"Well…I turned off the radio, and I found something amazing." He held out the tape.
Lois looked at it in disbelief. "And the amazing part is…?" Sighing, Clark put the tape in the player on her desk. He pushed play. "There was a melody locked deep inside of me, but now it's free…" blasted from the radio. Lois reached over and turned it down. "I repeat, 'The amazing part is…'?" Clark held up a finger. Ejecting the tape, he showed Lois the title. "Rigoletto as sung by A.K." she read aloud. "Who's A.K.?" Clark just grinned. "Amber? Our Amber?" Grabbing the tape off her desk, she put it back in the tape player. A minute later she turned to Clark. "How come she didn't tell us she could sing like that?"
Just then, Perry White, editor-in-chief, walked up to them. "Great shades of Elvis! That person there has a set of lungs!" he cried, pointing to the radio as Amber hit a high note without cracking.
"Who's that?" asked Mike, a photographer who was standing behind Perry. Lois and Clark smiled at each other.
"Well?" Perry asked.
"Believe it or not, that's Amber," Clark said with a smile.
Perry and Mike looked incredulous. "Wow…" was all Mike said.
Clark opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Lois' phone. Perry and Mike walked away, and Clark was about to when Lois grabbed his arm. "She didn't? I see…maybe she's at home." Clark raised an eyebrow. "Yes, thank you. Bye." Lois hung up the phone. "Clark, Amber hasn't been in school today, and it's almost 11:30."
Clark's mouth fell open. "Do you think she's cutting?"
Lois shook her head. "I have that feeling."
Clark looked confused. "What feeling?"
"That 'Amber has gotten herself into something' feeling," she sighed. "Only this time I don't know what that 'something' is." Lois looked at him. "Could you…?" she made a flying motion with her hand.
Clark sighed, "Ok, but cover for me." With that, he was gone. Lois sat back in her chair and sighed. It was going to be a long day.
Nearby in a Deserted Warehouse:
"I don't believe this! Let me go!" Amber cried. She was tied to a chair in some kind of big, empty warehouse. 'Why, oh why, didn't I practice using my powers?' she wondered to herself. "Superman will find me you know! I'm his best friend's daughter!" she cried. Just then, her captor, Jordan appeared.
"Oh, I'm counting on it." She shuddered. That line sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Besides," Jordan continued, "Why call him 'Superman'? Or 'My best friend's father'? How about daddy?"
Amber's eyes went wide. "W-w-w-hat? What are you talking about?"
Jordan rolled his eyes. "Oh…Amber, Amber, Amber. Has anyone ever told you you're a terrible actress? No? Well, you are." Amber burst into tears. "Do you know what I'm wondering? I'm wondering if you have the same powers as him, ya know?"
Amber stared at him. 'Oh, god, what is he going to do to me?'
Back at the Planet:
"Anything?" Lois asked as Clark flew back in the Planet building.
Clark shook his head. "She's not in Metropolis."
Lois stared at him. "What do you mean, she's not in Metropolis?!"
Clark winced. "I couldn't find her."
Lois began to cry. "Clark, where is she?"
Clark hugged her tightly. "Maybe she…um…oh, I don't know. We'll find her, I promise."
Back at the Warehouse:
Jordan was coming towards Amber with a box. Amber shrank away. "Here. Open it," he cried, throwing the box at her. It hit Amber in the leg, and fell to the floor.
"With what hands?" she asked sarcastically.
Jordan grinned. "Oh, never mind. I'll open it for you." He picked it up, and opened it. Holding it at an angle so Amber couldn't see what was inside, he laughed. Jordan turned back around to face her. When she saw what was in his hand, she screamed.
Daily Planet:
Perry looked alarmed. "Lois, honey, why are you crying?" he looked around. "Where's Clark?"
Lois was in a daze. "Clark,…he…um,…oh, I don't know." she finally said.
He raised an eyebrow. "You don't know where your husband is?"
'Or my daughter,' Lois thought. Out loud she said, "No,…I think he's in the bathroom."
Perry nodded. "OK, now why are you crying?" Someone called Perry's name, and he turned around. Lois wiped her tears away quickly. When he faced her again, she said, "Crying?"
Before he could say anything, Clark rushed up. "Lois I -" he looked at Perry. "Chief, could I talk to Lois alone for a minute?" Perry sighed.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Clark shook his head. "What?" Lois asked.
"Guess what?" Lois shot him her 'I'm not in the mood for games' look. "OK, OK, I flew by Amber's school, and there's no Jordan Olsen enrolled there."
The Warehouse:
"Where did you get that from?" Amber cried. She began to feel sick. Jordan was coming towards her, swinging a chain. On the end of that chain. On the end of that chain was the most deadliest thing to Superman — Kryptonite. Jordan smiled. "I once asked my father how my grandfather died, and he told me how nicely Superman had killed him, and he gave me this."
Amber shook her head. "My father has never killed anyone in his life. Who is…um…was your grandfather?" she asked cautiously.
Jordan rolled his eyes. "Jason Trask."
Back at the Daily Planet:
"What do you mean there's no Jordan Olsen enrolled in Amber's school?!" Lois cried. Clark frowned. Picking up the phone book, he flipped through to the O's. "What are you doing?" Clark sighed in exasperation. "What I do best. Investigative reporting."
In her frantic state, Lois had gone completely blank. "In the phone book?"
Clark stared at her in amazement. "Lois, we can call Jimmy and see if he even has a son!"
Suddenly everything clicked, and Lois went into her full reporter mode. "OK, you do that, and I'll call Amber's school and see if there are any Jordan's enrolled there. She may have lied about his last name." With that, the Daily Planet's best news-reporting team went into action.
The Warehouse:
"Trask? As in Bureau 39?" Amber asked in amazement. Her father and mother always talked about how insane Jason Trask had been. Then of course, there had been his son, Brandon, and now this? 'Jeez, these people don't carry a grudge do they?' she wondered sarcastically.
Jordan nodded. "We used to be. Until Superman shut us down." Ignoring what he was saying, she tried for the hundredth time to pull the ropes that held her hands together off. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jordan said, looking over at her from across the room.
She stopped. "Why not?" When he didn't answer, Amber sighed. "And to think I was actually looking forward to going out with you," she grumbled. Jordan raised an eyebrow.
Turning around, he rubbed something on his face. "Looks can be deceiving." When he turned around and Amber saw his face, she screamed. And screamed. And screamed.
Daily Planet:
"Find anything?" Clark asked his wife, who was sitting at her desk with her head in her hands.
"Does it look like I found anything?" she asked, her voice muffled. She looked up at him. "Clark could you just look one more time?"
Clark sighed. "Sweetheart, I'm sure she's not in Metropolis. Besides, I would have heard her, you know."
Lois stood up and looked him straight in the eye. "Please?"
He sighed again. "OK, OK, but this is the last time. Tell Perry I went to the bathroom." With that, Clark was gone.
Somewhere in the Sky:
Why do I torture myself? Clark thought. I know she's not here. Just then, his super-hearing picked up someone screaming, "Daddy! HELP!" At first, he thought he was dreaming, but then it occurred to him that he really was hearing Amber. As quick as a flash, he followed the sounds of her screams until they were abruptly cut off. By that time, Clark had traced the screams to a deserted warehouse on the outskirts of Metropolis. When he tried to look inside, he realized it was lead-lined. 'Well, that explains how I didn't find her before,' he thought dryly. "Drat," he muttered. Now what was he supposed to do?
Inside the Warehouse:
"Daddy! HELP!" Amber screamed as loud as she could. Now she understood what Jordan had meant when he had told her that looks could be deceiving. Amber guessed when Jordan had turned around he had wiped off some sort of makeup, because when he turned back around, he had a huge scar on his face. It was gross.
He smiled. "Like it?" She squeezed her eyes shut. Jordan snorted. "Guess not." She heard him walk away, and she carefully opened one eye. She saw Jordan heading for the door. Pausing a minute, he yanked it open. "How nice of you to join us."
Outside the Warehouse:
Before Clark could decide what to do, the door in front him was yanked open. In the darkness, he could see a boy, maybe 13 or 14, standing in front of him. "How nice of you to join us," he said sarcastically.
Clark made a face. "Who are you?"
The boy laughed. "Boy, you don't know your friends well, do you?" he paused. "Whoops! I mean your enemies."
Clark raised an eyebrow. "You didn't answer my question, who are you?" he demanded.
The boy laughed again. "Why don't you come in and find out?"
Suddenly Amber's voice rang out, "DADDY! DON'T COME IN, IT"S-" her voice became muffled.
Ignoring the boy he put on his best Superman pose. "No thank you, where's Amber?"
Grinning the boy said, "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Amber kicked and struggled, but whoever had a gag over her mouth was holding on tight. Suddenly, Amber remembered the one power she had perfected. Her heat vision. She shut her eyes for a minute, and when she opened them, she focused on the ropes that held her hands together. "BUZZZ." With that, the ropes snapped. She jumped up, and spun around. With one quick movement, she punched the guy behind her in the nose. "OWWW!" as he bent over, she chopped him in the back, karate-style, and ran away, leaving him on the floor, groaning. Walking to the door quietly, Amber looked over Jordan's shoulder. She saw her father standing there in his Superman pose. For a minute, she forgot about what was going on and rolled her eyes. Just then, Clark saw her. He kept his face normal though, so Jordan had no idea what she was about to do. She picked up an old chair, lifted it up, and BAM! She brought it down over his head. Clark saw Jordan's eyes roll back in his head, and saw him slump over. Then Amber appeared and threw herself into his arms.
A Few Hours Later:
"Trask? Trask had a kid?" Lois asked Clark in amazement. They were sitting in the Daily Planet, at Clark's desk. Amber stood up off of her father's lap. She stretched.
"Yup."
Lois was still amazed. "Jeez." was all she could say.
Before Clark or Amber had a chance to react, Perry came up to them. He had a boy, about 15 or 16, standing behind him. "Lois, Clark, I'd like you to meet Jonathan, our new copyboy."
Lois smiled. "Hi. Nice to meet you."
Clark smiled too. "Hi."
Jonathan smiled back. He then looked at Amber. "And you are,…?"
Amber's eyes went wide. "Oh, I'm Amber. These guys…" she said, motioning to Lois and Clark, "…are my parents." Jonathan smiled again.
Perry cleared his throat after a minute. "Uh,…I think we should go, son. I have to show you the rest of the office." Jonathan nodded. After a chorus of "Nice to meet you", they were gone.
Lois pushed play on the tape player. Amber's voice came out. Clark asked Amber, "Is that really you?"
Amber had this faraway look on her face. "What's the matter?" Lois asked, sighing.
Amber grinned. "I think I'm in love." Clark and Lois sighed, and Amber knew they were sharing the same thought, "AGAIN?!"
THE END