Strange Visitor Revisited by Irene Dutch and Wendy Richards Rated PG Submitted September 2000 _____________ Author's Note: I would like to thank my wonderful co-author, Wendy Richards, for her valuable contribution to this story. I was absolutely thrilled when she agreed to write this with me as I've been her devoted fan since I discovered fan-fiction. Wendy is gracious, intelligent, sensitive and helpful as well as being a fantastic writer. When we suddenly had the opportunity to meet face to face, I was worried. I wondered how this vibrant person would be once I met her in person. Would I be disappointed? How could she be as great as she appears in her emails? It just couldn't be possible, could it? Of course, the answer is a resounding 'yes'! Wendy really is exactly how she presents herself to be in her emails - intelligent, articulate and knowledgeable. Above all, she's an incredibly nice person. As far as who wrote what in this story, there are many sections where neither one of us is sure anymore. I will say that I would take about a week to send Wendy the same amount of words that she could produce in an hour or two! I've never met anyone who can write so quickly and so well at the same time. Writing this with Wendy was an absolute romp. It had to be one of the most enjoyable experiences in writing that I've had. Thanks again, Wendy. I'm glad you said 'yes' when I asked you to do this with me. I could have written this story on my own, but there is no way that I could have done it justice. Irene Dutch *************** Author's Note: Ummm... stop, you're making me blush, Irene!! *I've* been a fan of Irene's since she posted 'Firestorm' on the fanfic list, and I was delighted to be asked to edit it for the Archive. She is a wonderful writer who has produced some wonderfully ingenious and WAFFy premises. And I want to thank her very much for sharing her idea and her story with me. Thanks to this collaboration, we have become good friends. (And when we finally did meet, in August of this year, I was delighted to find that she is as nice in person as she is in email). When Irene suggested this collaboration *I* was immensely flattered that she trusted me to work with her on *her* idea with the same degree of commitment and love as she would herself. It is a great premise, I still think so, and I'm very pleased with what we did with it together. As Irene says, there are places where we're no longer sure who wrote what. I'm amazed at that, but it proves that we were right to collaborate, and Irene has been wonderful to work with: good-humoured, talented and creative. I have collaborated before, on academic writing, but fiction is very different so I wasn't sure how this would work out. But if anyone would like to guess which of us wrote which sections, I'd love to see whether you can get it right! Okay, mutual gushing session over; this is a long ride too, so buckle in, guys! Wendy Richards *************** Thanks go to Sarah Wood for her excellent transcripts of "Strange Visitor from Another Planet" and "I'm looking Through You." Early parts of this story rely heavily, with Sarah's permission, on these well-written transcripts. With her gracious permission, we have begged, borrowed, stolen, twisted, and blended her words with ours in the early parts of the story. In other parts of the story we were fortunate enough to be able to use the original scripts from IGACOY, GGGOH and MOSB; many thanks to Margaret who made these available on her website. Finally, many thanks to Carol Malo for her final editing for the archive. We are both very grateful to you, Carol, for your attention to detail. All standard disclaimers apply. Please send feedback to sirenegold@yahoo.com and wendy@kingsmeadowcr.freeserve.co.uk ________________ - Strange Visitor Revisited - "Climbing to ten thousand, levelling off at zero, seven, zero, mark three," the pilot said into his headphones. Lois and Clark were seated near the rear of the small plane, which was devoid of the standard passenger accommodations. Trask and his men were for the most part busy with their plans, leaving the two alone. Lois had spent some time wondering just why Trask hoped Superman would come to save the two reporters, and didn't like any of the possibilities she had come up with. At length her mind had drifted in other directions, and the grimness of their situation had begun to weigh rather heavily on her. "It's a romance novel," she suddenly told Clark morosely, staring off into nothingness. "What?" "My novel. It's about a woman that dies without ever finding her true love." There was a mournful note to her voice. "That's not going to happen to you, Lois," Clark assured her, instinctively knowing that the story she was writing was based on her own feelings. Although he knew why she'd said it, and he had to agree with her. They were held at gunpoint in a small aircraft, thousands of feet up, and he had a bad feeling about this madman's intentions. Just how he was going to get them out of this without revealing himself as Superman he had no idea. "Oh yeah? Check it out, Clark, those guys look serious." Her voice held a note he had never imagined hearing from Lois: something akin to defeat. "Okay, I told you, now you tell me," she demanded. "Tell you what?" he asked, marvelling at her out-of-the-blue questions and comments. "What really happened between you and Cat the other night. Not that I care," she added quickly. "It's just probably the best secret you've got going. If we get out of this, you have got to raise your standards," she told him. Clark opened his mouth to object, to set the record straight, but Trask interrupted the moment. "I assume the two of you are familiar with the scientific method?" "Advance a theory, submit it to a test," Clark obliged warily. "My theory is that at least one of you knows how to contact this alien creature Superman. Probably by some form of telepathic communication." "Well, how do you plan to test it?" Lois spoke up. "If you suddenly became airborne at, say, twenty thousand feet, without a parachute, I assume you will focus all your energies on contacting Superman." "And what if this theory of yours is wrong?" Clark asked, trying to work out just how serious this man was. Did he really mean to throw them both out of the aircraft? "Pushing back the frontiers of science is not without risk," Trask said lightly. At a gesture, one of his men yanked open the door on the side of the plane, letting in a blast of howling wind. "And what happens if Superman does show up?" Lois asked desperately over the noise. "Does the worm need to know whether the fish is going to be fried or char-broiled?" Trask asked with a laugh. He gestured, and two of his men grabbed Lois. "Wait, wait!" Clark protested frantically. "Leave Lois! Take me!" "No! It's okay, I'll go!" she shouted. "Lois, you don't understand!" he argued, not quite sure what he would have said to her in any case. She ignored him, turning to Trask. "I think I'm entitled to one last request." "Within reason," he grudgingly allowed. "I want to kiss Clark good-bye," she said, turning to her fellow reporter. He looked at her in astonishment. Her eyes were wide with fear, but she was too brave to cower. For a moment the seriousness of the situation they were in was forgotten, as she moved closer to him and he gazed into her eyes. He had thought -- well, he had hoped -- that her brusque nature and caustic words had hidden a secret attraction to him, that she also felt the unnameable connection that drew him towards her. When she had told him about her experience with Claude, the reporter who had stolen her story and abused her trust in him -- perhaps her trust in all men -- he'd realised that she had built up barriers around her heart to protect herself, to prevent people from getting close to her. She was afraid of being vulnerable, but it looked as though now, facing possible death, she had the courage to open herself to him. Her lips touched his, full and soft and sweeter than he had imagined, and her gentle hands cupped his face. It was like being lifted away from all earthly concerns into a world filled only with the smell of her perfume, the feel of her fingers sliding around his neck into his hair to pull him closer, the taste of her on his lips. He was no longer aware of the plane, of Trask, of danger. Lois Lane filled his senses and his being. He slipped a hand to the back of her head, in her silky, wind-blown hair, losing himself in the sensations flooding his body. She ended the kiss and moved her lips over to his ear, whispering, "You take the one on the left." The unexpected words didn't quite sink in until Lois launched herself at Jason Trask with a total disregard for the fact that he was well armed and trained in fighting. She sent him reeling with a vicious right cross. Quickly, Clark followed her plan, but the odds against them were too heavy. Lois was overpowered by other men. One of the men was about to shoot at her, but Trask stopped him. "No, she's mine!" he shouted, not wanting to lose his bait. The man instead turned his aim towards Clark and shot. "No!" Lois cried out, horrified. Clark looked down at himself, astonished; the bullet had bounced off harmlessly. Trask wasted no time, shoving Lois out of the plane. "Clark!" he heard her shriek as she fell. "Lois!" He panicked, not knowing what to do, and the only thing he could think of was to jump out after her. "Lois!" he yelled as he fell, trying to see where she was. He had to find her, catch her before she fell to her death -- he couldn't let her.... "Superman, if you can hear me, drop what you're doing and get over here now!" Lois was still shouting at the top of her voice, feeling the whipping wind created by her descent. That had to be good -- she was still alive, at least. "Superman, help!" he heard her wail; glancing upwards, he saw that he was now hidden from the plane by clouds. Swiftly, purposefully, he started to tear at his clothes. *************** "Superman, Superman, Superman," Lois chanted as her eyes searched the sky for any sign of her hero. She watched the plane as it continued on its way. As she watched it, the figure of a man tumbled out of it. she thought despairingly. At first his movements didn't register with her -- they just looked like her own panic-stricken gestures. But then, as she watched, they became more purposeful, more measured. Her thoughts whirled in her head as she tumbled through the air, frantic and in a panic. It took her a few precious seconds to understand what she was seeing so high above her. "Superman, Superman, Superman," she continued to chant as her thoughts darted here and there, unable to grasp what she had just seen. Superman swooped down to her, and caught her masterfully in his arms. she thought to herself. "You really do read minds!" she gasped as she wrapped her arms tightly around Superman, clutching at him for dear life. "Not really," he replied, seeming amused at the thought. "But I do have good hearing." Clark swept downwards, not speaking, carrying his precious burden gently, close to his heart. That kiss on board the plane had been unbelievable; it had roused passions in him which he hadn't known himself capable of feeling. Her scent, the feel of her had been all around him, and for a brief moment he had even forgotten where they were, what was happening to them. But Lois clearly hadn't, and the kiss, it seemed, had been merely a ruse -- though in that case, why had shemade it quite so passionate? Not that he was complaining, though; maybe it was an indication that her feelings for him were not as she pretended. Perhaps he ought to ask her out again -- after all, the first time he'd asked, she had actually accepted before she'd remembered about her dinner date with Luthor. He'd messed up there too: if he hadn't accused her of using her body to get the interview, she might have been more friendly towards him after that. Lois, for her part, was clinging to the Super-hero and still trying to convince herself that she hadn't seen what she thought she had. Yet that had definitely been Clark tumbling from the plane. It had definitely been his hands pulling at his tie. She had definitely seen the sun glinting off his spectacles. And she had seen a flash of red as he'd pulled open his shirt. There was no other explanation, was there? Was there? Wait a minute... just before she had been thrown out of the plane, she had kissed Clark -- as a ruse, no more, she reminded herself emphatically. And he -- well, he had a crush on her, didn't he? -- had held her very tightly as he had kissed her back. She had inhaled his scent, the cologne he wore.... She brought her face closer to Superman's neck. Same scent. He *was* Clark! The... the *fink*! Making her believe that he was someone else -- making her chase all over Metropolis in search of him! She was about to thump his arm and demand an explanation, when she was struck by a thought. Wouldn't it be so much better *not* to tell him what she knew? At least, not until she was ready. Mr. Clark 'Superman' Kent was clearly getting a lot of enjoyment out of fooling everyone; well, she could get some enjoyment of her own. And in the meantime, she could do some more investigating, now that she had a lead which no one else in town had. This would be one *heck* of a story -- a guaranteed Pulitzer, she thought as he finally set her on her feet in front of the Planet. So the longer he remained in ignorance of her knowledge, the better, perhaps. So, if that was her game plan, she'd better seem concerned for Clark. Composing her features, she raised her gaze to Superman's. "Clark, they still have him, he may be hurt!" she exclaimed in an anxious tone. He gave her a reassuring smile -- how fake is that, she wondered cynically. "Don't worry, I'll go back for him. You'll be all right?" His eyes were concerned, but suddenly her attention was caught by something heading straight for him, out of the sky. Her eyes widened in horror, her anger at his deception forgotten. Superman saw the fear in her eyes, and prompted, "Lois?" She simply pointed, unable to speak. He turned, and saw a large missile headed directly towards him. Checking first to ensure that Lois wasn't going to collapse, he took off swiftly to deal with it. *************** Lois staggered into the Planet newsroom, her hair a mess, her clothes awry and one shoe missing. She was in shock; the sight of the explosion in mid-air shortly after Superman had flown off to deal with the missile had left her barely capable of thinking straight. Suddenly all the events of the past half-hour seemed to overwhelm her, and she felt unsteady. Suddenly Clark's deceit didn't seem to matter so much, with the fear that he might be dead hanging over her. Perry hurried up to her. "Lois, what happened?" In a strangely detached voice, she replied, "Before or after we were thrown out of the airplane?" "Airplane?" Perry gasped, barely able to comprehend what Lois was saying. Lois clutched at the editor's arm: perhaps he'd heard some news. "Superman, is he all right?" "Well, we don't know, we're trying to track down some witnesses. Now do you know what happened to --?" But Lois was no longer listening; she was suddenly shaken out of her stupor by the sight of a familiar figure emerging from the elevator. "Clark! Oh, you're alive!" she exclaimed joyfully. She launched herself in the newcomer's direction, to be caught eagerly in his arms. She stroked his hair in her relief and delightat his safe return. Clark held Lois tightly to him, murmuring happily, "Seems so." She really must care about him after all, he thought. Perhaps that kiss on the plane wasn't entirely acting? He was tempted to kiss her again, but felt shy in front of the newsroom staff. She broke away from him briefly to call to the newsroom at large, "Hey, everybody! Clark's alive! And if Clark's alive," she continued eagerly, turning back to stare at her new colleague, "that means Superman's alive!" On the surface, her tone was relieved, exultant; some of the Planet's other colleagues raised their eyebrows in a long-suffering way, already a little bit fed up with Lois's apparent crush on Superman. But, as she continued to stare at Clark, her expression was challenging, pointed. As he had held her, she had remembered again the way he had deceived her. Without uttering the words, she taunted him, Clark, who had inwardly groaned at the mention of his _alter ego_, caught Lois's expression and wondered at its significance. Was she trying to tell him something? No... no, she couldn't be! he convinced himself. How could she possibly have found out, after all? Only that morning, she had commented in extremely unflattering terms on the 'differences' between himself and Superman. And a short while earlier, when he had landed with her outside the Planet, she had reminded him to go back for Clark. No, she couldn't have discovered his secret, he reassured himself. He must have been imagining that glare. Yes, he had to have -- she was ignoring him now, turning back towards her desk, calling out excitedly again. Something about this story getting bigger every second. Clark stood stock still, his joy evaporating. He had been mistaken. She was so dazzled by the heroic figure who had rescued her that it was no surprise she could hardly see the man standing before her. For one brief moment he regretted having created a costume, having flown Lois in his arms into the newsroom. Then he let out a sigh. He'd make her see him, if it took the rest of his life. ************ "All right, move in!" The SWAT team swept into the warehouse on Bessolo Boulevard with precision, weapons ready for whatever might await them, spreading out to take control of the area. "All clear!" one reported. Lois and Clark were allowed in, with Jimmy to take pictures of all the spaceships they had found, and Perry to witness the amazing contents of the building. They stopped abruptly. Everything had gone. "It was all here, Perry," Lois said desperately as they looked around the huge, empty warehouse. "Tell him!" she urged Clark. "She's right." "UFOs, unidentified flying objects, only they were all identified. Bagged, tagged, processed, right here!" she insisted. "UFOs?" Perry asked gently. "Yes! Don't you see? It's a cover-up, big time, that's what's going on!" "Okay," Perry agreed, trying to calm her. "This story could be bigger than Superman," Clark added. Lois spun on her heel to face Clark. "Bigger than Superman...." she murmured, echoing his words. Yeah, right! It was incredible how quickly she had forgotten who was *really* standing right next to her. She marvelled again at the depth and complexity of Superman's disguise. If she didn't know any better, she would really have believed that Clark was just a regular guy! And what did he mean, bigger than Superman? Hah! This was a big story, but it sure wasn't bigger than the exclusive that she planned to write! Bigger than Superman? Yeah, right! In the line of fire of Lois's steely gaze, Clark never felt more like squirming. They hadn't known each other long, but her reactions seemed... off to him, ever since the plane... the kiss on the plane. Could it have been the kiss? Could Lois actually be starting to see him as a real person? Lois focused on the job at hand and turned back to Perry. "What we have got here is Cosmic Watergate. I'm going to get back and start writing this right now," she stated vehemently. "Oh, now just hold on. Now look, this is where I've got to get off this bus you're driving," Perry said, applying the brakes to Lois's mad rush at the story. "We know what we saw," Lois pointed out angrily. "Now, you two are the best. You tell me something, I believe you. I can't let you write it though," the editor insisted. "Well, sure you can! Clark and I can corroborate each other!" "Not when you're talking UFOs!" Perry pointed out reasonably. "Lois, your physical evidence is gone, Trask is missing, Thompson's dead, General Newcombe says he never even heard of you. We print this, we're going to look like the National Whisper. You two could kiss your careers goodbye, and take the paper along with you. I just can't let that happen. Sorry." "I believe you," Jimmy said, in an obvious attempt to reassure her, before following Perry out the door. "Lois...." Clark didn't know what to say to lift her spirits. She was really disheartened. "Do you realise what we have lost here, Clark?" she asked, bitterly. For one brief moment, it didn't matter that she had the inside track on the biggest story of the year, heck, of the century! What mattered was that she had lost a big story, and those jerks who had dared to toss her, to toss Lois Lane out of a plane, were going to get away with it! Clark looked around the empty warehouse, remembering the feel of the special emblem under his fingers, the hope of answers to some questions that had plagued him all his life. He still had the globe, but the ship itself, and anything inside of it, was gone. What good was a map of his home planet without any other information about it, about his people... about *him*! The spaceship that had brought him to Earth was one of the few ties that bound him to a planet and a people he couldn't remember, and that he now had so many questions about. It had been within his grasp, and now it was gone. Would he ever find it again? Did it hold any answers for him? Or only clues to a mystery? Would he ever know why he had been sent into space when only a helpless baby? Would he ever know what the planet Krypton was like? Were there others like him somewhere on Earth, or was he truly alone? Would he ever know? Did he realise what they had lost here? His voice was forlorn as he answered Lois's rhetorical question. "Yeah, I do." Lois watched him surreptitiously as she pondered what had happened. She was taken aback by the sad tone to his voice. What did he have to be so upset about? In the great scheme of his life, and of his mission, losing a story couldn't matter to him that much. It wasn't like he really needed to work, did he? As a reporter? No, that had been a stroke of brilliance on his part posing as one. What better way was there for an alien to find out about Earth and its people? *************** Lois sat in the newsroom, apparently focused on work to the exclusion of all else in an attempt to discourage anyone from interrupting her. She wanted to think about Superman and Clark and get things straight in her mind, but she also wanted to be alone first. Sighing, she buckled down and focused on the preliminary planning for her next story -- or at least, her next 'assigned by Perry' story. With any luck, by the time she'd finished that, her colleagues would leave, and she would have the solitude she so desired. She had made a momentous discovery that day: the greatest, most significant discovery since Superman had first appeared -- and she had been the first to see him then, too! There were so many implications, the first being that he was now indisputably *her* story again. Forget all the reporters in Metropolis rushing around like headless chickens trying to catch sight of the Super-hero -- *she* would never have to do that again! She would always know where he was -- hell, she even knew where he lived! To think a Super-hero, from another planet, lived in a run-down apartment in a seedy area of town -- no one would believe it, of course. Again, it was the perfect disguise. Who on earth would suspect that Clark Kent, from Smallville of all places, wasreally the Man of Steel in disguise? Oh, what an effective deception. He had fooled them all -- including Perry White, who for all his Southern drawl and Elvis fixation was no fool. Even she had been fooled by him, had been deceived into thinking that he was no more than a country hick, a gauche boy who wasn't worth her interest. For an instant, she remembered the very first time she had seen him -- as Superman, rather than in disguise. Had he laughed at her disconcertion, her failure to recognise him as her unwanted junior partner? Was he laughing at her still? She brushed those thoughts aside. She couldn't afford to allow personal feelings to get in her way here, although should the time come when she told Superman that she knew his secret, she might well give him a piece of her mind. Or... would she? She sighed; she just couldn't help this attraction she had to him. After all, he was *gorgeous*... and the way it had felt to be in his arms, flying with him, the way he had smiled at her before flying away from the Planet that day.... If there was any possibility that he might return her feelings, then wouldn't she jump at that chance? But he was also Clark Kent -- the man she'd christened Mr. Greenjeans. How did she feel about that? Although if it was just a disguise, it hardly mattered, did it? she told herself firmly. Superman is the story here. Who he really is, where he came from, what he does when he isn't saving people... where he goes. And what a story that would be -- the syndication rights, the TV slots, the awards. This could be that Pulitzer-winning story she'd been waiting for. The inside scoop on Superman! But she needed more than she had so far. Sure, exposing Clark Kent as the Man of Steel would be one hell of a story, but where did Superman come from? Who was he really -- human or alien? Some sort of cyborg? -- maybe she would have to speak to her father, she thought reluctantly. He would know if the technology existed to build a cyborg of Superman's abilities. she thought instinctively. *************** Clark drifted in the skies above Metropolis, trying to come to terms with the events of the day. Leaving aside Lois -- if he could ever leave Lois aside -- he had found his spaceship and discovered where he had come from. But in the same day he had lost the craft again. The only means he had found, in the twenty-seven years of his life, of finding out about his origins and why he had ended up on Earth -- and it had gone. Vanished. And he had no way of finding out where it had been moved. He had already searched Metropolis from the skies looking for Trask, to no avail. He grimaced bleakly; he would just have to resign himself to its loss. He would talk to his parents about it later, he thought; right now, the loss was too recent and his feelings were too raw. Briefly, he contemplated going home, but somehow the thought of his new apartment, which he had been very pleased with only a few days previously when he had done it up, seemed bare and unwelcoming. He wished that he could go and talk to Lois. If he could only tell her the truth; tell her what had really been in that warehouse and what it meant to him.... He needed the comfort she could offer, but he couldn't afford to take it. The price of gaining her comfort would be revealing his secret to her, and that was just not a good idea. The way she fawned over Superman, hero-worshipped him while at the same time ignoring Clark... it was unbearable sometimes. Heaven only knew how she would behave towards him if he ever told her he was Superman. Would she suddenly decide that he was worth knowing after all? And would that only be because of his super-powers? And she was a top investigative journalist, after all. Despite her crush on Superman, she also wanted the big story, the one which would gain her that Pulitzer. Revealing Superman's biggest secret would get her that, all right. So it was entirely possible that it just wasn't safe to trust her with his identity. Yes, Lois was a journalist... and she wanted a story about Superman. An interview with Superman... perhaps he would go and talk to her after all. *************** Lois sat with her feet up on her desk, throwing chocolate malt balls in the air and trying to catch them in her mouth. As she had hoped, she was now alone in the newsroom and, having finished her other story, her thoughts had wandered again to Superman -- no, to the man who pretended to be Clark Kent. How had he chosen that disguise? Was he really from Smallville? The people he called his parents -- Jonathan and Martha Kent, weren't they? Who were they really? Were they Super beings as well? Where was he now? The bomb on board the Messenger, the explosion in the Carlin Building, and the missile had all been unable to hurt him.... Was he invulnerable to everything? How did he get here? Where was he from? When would she see him again, as himself? How could she best use her newfound knowledge to get the story of the century? Would he allow her to get... closer... to him? She frowned. Clark had appeared to find her attractive, when they had first met. There had been that late-night session when he had gone out for Chinese food -- it was no wonder it had been so good, she recognised. It had probably been from China! But their eyes had met, and there had been that expression in his.... And only that day, when she had kissed him goodbye as a ruse, it had been evident that he had welcomed the kiss, had wanted to prolong it. Perhaps he did find her attractive... she thought involuntarily, gleefully, her hope that she might have a chance with him resurfacing. Concentrate on the real task at hand, she reminded herself. Get the story! By whatever means is necessary. A slight rustling sound caught her attention, and the malt ball she had been about to catch in her mouth fell to the floor. It was him -- Superman! As himself -- in the suit and cape. She gaped at him, wondering why he had come to the Planet dressed like that. She was the only one around... it had to be.... He spoke in a deep, assured voice. "I hear you've been looking for me." Oh, confident! she thought. Got to throw him off track.... "All my life," she murmured, trying to make her voice sound like a teenager with a crush. He seemed not particularly surprised by the reply, and perhaps even a little gratified. she thought cynically. She lowered her feet from the desk and favoured him with a more confident smile. "Everyone's looking for you," she assured him. "I know, and I know that you almost died because of that," she heard him reply, concern evident in his voice. "Well it did make that bungee jump I did last year seem pretty tame," she said, making light of the situation. But he was speaking again. "I'm going to find that man and stop him. That's a promise, Lois." She deliberately allowed a thrilled smile to creep slowly over her face, lighting her eyes. "You know my name." She looked him straight in the eyes. "But I don't know yours." "'Superman' seems to have caught on," was his evasive answer. She grinned, a little self-consciously, for it had been her moniker and he was adopting it -- although it certainly meant that he was hiding something. "Where are you from?" she asked, taking advantage of his seeming willingness to talk. "I mean, you're not from Kansas, that's for sure," she joked. she thought with satisfaction. He didn't. Instead, he smiled. "I'm from another planet. A place called Krypton." He really was an alien! "Do you mind if I write some of this down?" she asked quickly, thinking that if this was meant to be an interview she should at least go through the motions of taking notes. Not that this would form the basis of her *real* story! "No." She quickly got out a notebook, glancing back at him. Remembering his admission of being from another planet, she began awkwardly as she remembered her fear that he might have been a cyborg, or unlike a human male in other respects. "Um.... You seem, uh, to have all the... parts of a man," she murmured, giggling in embarrassment as she glanced at his strong physique. He seemed amused by her question, and he responded instinctively to her. "Oh, I am a man, Lois. Just like you're a woman." She flushed. Why was he flirting with her? But then, she had already established that he found her attractive; and she knew that she found him attractive as well. Momentarily, she felt a little off balance by his sheer presence, and found herself forgetting that she knew his secret. "I'm really glad you're here," she said, trying to remind herself what she was doing, "but, um, *why* are you here?" The brevity of his response surprised her. "To help," he pronounced. "To help?" Lois repeated. She could just imagine Perry's southern accent deepening, laden with sarcasm, as he gave her his opinion of such an inadequate statement in no uncertain terms -- replete, no doubt, with a long speech about one of Elvis's famous quotes. "I need a little bit more of a quote than that," she explained to the superhero standing before her. "Something like, 'I have not yet begun to fight!' or 'Damn the torpedoes!', something like that. I mean, if you said 'I am here to fight for truth!' or 'justice'..." "Well, truth, and justice, that sounds good," he agreed after a moment's thought. "You can use that." She flashed him a brilliant smile and scribbled it down, while thinking to herself that Superman had disguised himself as a reporter -- not just any reporter, but someone who thought he was good enough to work with *her,* and yet he couldn't even supply a decent quote for the best story in town! Clark watched her, glad that he had taken the opportunity to come to see her. It had served a few purposes: to start with, it had certainly taken his mind off the disappearance of his ship, and it had also allowed him another glimpse of this fascinating, maddening, beautiful woman. It was too bad that she was only interested in Superman, not in the real person, Clark Kent. It had felt good to be able to tell her where he was from: he'd done so proudly, letting the name of his home world roll off his tongue. For the first time in his life he knew the answer to that question, and it gave him a sense of inner peace, of having roots. But at the same time, remembering Lois's careless reference to Kansas... little did she know! As he wondered what else he could say to her, in the distance he heard a woman's voice crying, "Help!" Lois saw him tilt his head to one side, listening to something although there was nothing she could hear. "What is it?" she asked him. "Someone's in trouble." "This is a job for Superman, right?" she suggested with a smile. Clark knew it was foolish to treat her in a special way, that if she harboured romantic fantasies about the superhero she wouldn't spare a glance for the ordinary guy she worked with... but he was powerless to stop himself. "I'll be seeing you," he promised, giving her a long, meaningful look before floating up and out the window. she thought *************** Lois was never more relieved to reach the safety of her apartment than she was that evening. She had some pretty intense thinking ahead of her still, and she had found the newsroom just too distracting. After locking the door, and putting away her coat, she crossed to the couch and sat down. She rummaged in her purse, and triumphantly retrieved her notepad, a pen and two Double Fudge Crunch bars. Brain food! she said to herself, She drew a vertical line down the middle of the page and headed her two columns simply. One read "Superman", the other "Clark". She paused, and tapped her pen lightly against her teeth. she thought, Hmph! What stood out the most in her mind right then and there was the trick he had played on her. It wasn't often that Lois Lane was fooled but he, and of course, Godzilla had done it! What a rotten, stinking thing to do! It sure didn't seem like a superhero thing to do! Getting even was wrong, wasn't it? Even if you were getting even with a person who had stolen your story, and Eduardo's lead, and Jimmy's idea... she faltered. She had been obsessed.... But it had been really important.... It was the story of the century.... She had been completely out of line, hadn't she? Maybe she needed to backtrack and start at the beginning. She didn't much like thinking about her behaviour after 'Superman's' first appearance. She thought about the first time she met Clark. He hadn't looked like much sitting in Perry's office. Okay, if she were going to be honest with herself, he had been kind of cute the way he had stood up when she entered. What had she learned about him in that brief encounter? What was the gist of their first meeting? She pondered for a long moment, and then finally wrote down one word in the second column. 'Gentleman.' What had she learned about him when they worked on the Messenger story together? He had a sense of humour. She flushed as she remembered his quick rejoinder to her 'top banana' comment. "You like to be on top. Got it." 'Funny,' she wrote next. Hmm, what had happened after that? Oh, right, they had gone to see Dr. Platt. He had understood everything that Dr. Platt was trying to explain to them. 'Smart' went on the list too. And then Lois hadn't felt very comfortable when Clark had seemed to admire Dr. Baines. Could she have been jealous, she asked herself. Of Clark? No. If she had known he was really Superman, it would have made sense to be jealous, but of Clark? She forced the thought back out of her head. He had admired Dr. Baines, though, and yet he also seemed to have feelings for Lois. What did that say about Clark? Her pen and notepad were forgotten as she found herself dwelling on Clark, his possible feelings for Lois and his possible feelings for Dr. Baines, the righteous anger he had shown at the lack of respect the cop had shown to Dr. Platt's corpse, his discomfort at Cat's advances on him, his flirtatiousness at Lex's ball, his jealousy of Lex. she thought, She sprang to her feet in an excess of nervous energy and paced back and forth. An errant thought brought her to a halt. Lois remembered suggesting that Clark bring a change of clothes to work. She sat back down on the couch. Oh, and what about when Superman had seemed to disappear for a while? Clark had seemed so depressed. He must have stopped saving people when Monique Kahn had said he was being tested. Her words to Clark about Metropolis needing Superman had new meaning now that she knew she had been talking to Superman all along. He had listened to her. 'Superman' had reappeared shortly after that. He obviously did value her opinion. She snorted. But he hadn't seemed so smart when he had come barrelling through the doors at EPRAD! She giggled. In retrospect, it was really funny although it hadn't seemed so at the time. She had been furious with him. Oh, no! She had told him things when they were chained together that she had never told anyone before. Why had she done that? She flushed in embarrassment. She had told him all about Claude! He had been sweet though -- non-judgmental and understanding. What had he said to her? Oh, yes. "When you're in love with somebody, it doesn't matter how smart you are, or how many rules you set for yourself, you're still vulnerable." Vulnerable? Vulnerable to her attack... if she wrote her exclusive? She couldn't take her personal feelings into consideration. But he had saved her life, and Jimmy's life too. A missing link to the chain that bound them? What a coincidence! And he had saved her life twice more. Once by swallowing a bomb, and just today, by catching her when she had been thrown off the plane. Three times in less than two weeks! Maybe she did owe him for that. Maybe she shouldn't write the story. It was hard to decide. Maybe the best course of action might be to find out more about Clark... Superman, she pointed out to herself. Clark was really Superman. Why was she having such a hard time remembering who was the alter ego and who was the original? Anyway, her decision was made. She was going to get to know him better, in both his guises and see what happened. She got up from the couch and headed to the bedroom. It was really late, she was tired and she was more than ready for her bed. She stopped dead in her tracks. *************** Lois's worries about facing Superman the next day were temporarily laid to rest when she attended the ceremony welcoming him to Metropolis. She felt safely anonymous and well hidden in the midst of the raucous crowd. As the Super-hero slowly glided down to the ground, Lois watched as the excited onlookers around her pushed and shoved their way close to him, trying to touch him, or shake his hand. She forced her way back, out of the melee and watched, smugly amused. she thought. She listened attentively as first Lex and then the deputy mayor mouthed appropriate platitudes, watching Superman intently the whole time. Funny, he looked a little uncomfortable, and very self-conscious. She smirked to herself for a moment. It seemed to her that anyone willing to dress the way he did should be beyond feeling self-conscious. The Spandex certainly didn't leave... anything to the imagination, did it? She eyed him appreciatively once again as he stepped up to the microphone. "Uh... I... You've all made me feel very welcome here," he blurted out. "Thank you." That was it? That was all he planned on saying? This verbal awkwardness didn't match with his innate self confidence. He hadn't sounded like the competent Super-hero. He had sounded more like the farm boy from... where was it again?... oh, right, Smallville. Feeling more than a little bit confused, Lois watched Superman as he hurriedly evaded his eager fans. She was having a lot of trouble reconciling the hero and the hack. She needed to go back to the Planet and spend some time with the alter ego. *************** Lois and Clark sat side by side in the conference room waiting for the daily staff meeting to start. Lois felt a bit... awkward and off-balance and, uncharacteristically for her, kept her mouth shut. Clark too was silent. He couldn't stop thinking about the festivities earlier in the day -- all those screaming people eager to get a piece of him. They all looked at him, but none of them, not one, saw him for the person he truly was. He was grateful to the Suit, really, he was. But he had never envisioned that the Super-hero he had created would start to take on this life of its own. It would be so easy to put the Suit on, go out in the world and see what the world handed him -- adulation, power, money, women. He flushed, thinking of the screaming crowd of teenage girls who had pursued him into the alley. But none of that would mean anything. It wouldn't really be aimed at him -- at who he really was. None of it would be earned. No. He had different goals than that, and anything good in his life, he wanted to earn himself. Respect, both for who he was and what he did with his life; money -- oh, not some inordinate amount but a decent salary in exchange for hard work; and, not women, but one woman -- one woman who shared all his secrets and yet loved him, respected him and supported him. Was that too much to ask? He had a horrible feeling that it could be. He sat, thinking, brooding, not focused on the people or the room around him. Cat threw herself into his lap with a jolt, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him over-enthusiastically. "Morning, hot cakes," she purred as she got back off his lap. Clark glared at Cat as he roughly wiped her lipstick from his mouth. Here was another person who didn't see him for who he truly was. She saw him as a man with a capital M, as a... as a trophy or as... prey. This was new to him, and he didn't like it. Lois watched in irritation as Cat made her play for Clark. She was quick to notice Clark's annoyance. "What's the matter, Cat? Left your professionalism at home?" Clark shot Lois a grateful glance. At least she was starting to see that there was nothing between him and Cat. As if he would be interested in someone like her! "Okay, kids. Let's get started." Perry looked briefly around the room. "Clark?" "Right here, Sir." "Oh, Kent. I didn't see you. I take it you and Lois are on that 'Superman gets the Key to the City' story?" "Yeah, on it," Lois replied off-handedly. This little exchange with Perry didn't help to bolster Clark's ego. Sitting right in front of the man, and Perry didn't even notice him in the room. Obviously, 'Clark Kent' didn't exactly form a strong presence in a room like 'Superman' did! He mentally shook himself, trying to shake this sombre mood. Picking up on Lois's lack of excitement, he turned to her and lightly said, "What's the matter, Lois? Bored with Superman already?" "Um, no. Not at all. Just... keeping my distance, maintaining my professionalism." Lois shot a pointed glance at Cat. "Unlike some I could mention -- or maybe I just work in a different profession from someone else in this room." Cat took advantage of Perry's back being turned to pull a face at Lois, sticking out her tongue. "At least I know what to do with a man," she murmured throatily, and Lois flushed, ducking her head down to stare at her notes. Clark grinned in amusement. His amusement fled quickly, however, as he glanced out the window and noticed a small plane in trouble. Black smoke poured from it as it headed rapidly towards the ground. Lois's every sense was completely attuned to Superman sitting beside her. She was more aware of him than of anything else in the room. She felt him shift in agitation. Glancing quickly at him out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that his attention was no longer in the small conference room. Following the angle of his gaze, she saw the small plane outside the window. He needed to leave! Right now! "Look!" Lois stood up and pointed, drawing everyone's attention to the drama unfolding right outside. "Come on, Kent. Perry, we're on it. Clark, you take the stairs; I'll take the elevator. One of us should make it outside fast enough." Clark didn't waste any time talking but ran for the stairs. Lois followed behind and stopped at the elevator. As she watched him disappear down the stairs, or maybe up the stairs, she thought to herself Lois emerged from the building in time to see Superman land the small plane in the street. He darted into the cockpit and emerged with one person gently cradled in his arms. An Emergency Services vehicle arrived, and Superman turned the injured pilot over to the medical response team. He shot straight up in the air and rapidly disappeared from sight. Only a short moment later, Clark also emerged from the Planet building, and ran, huffing and puffing, to Lois's side. He surveyed the scene proudly. That had gone smoothly. "I guess I missed all the action." "Guess so." Lois almost choked on her words but managed to restrain herself. She too was pleased at how well her prevarication had worked out. She turned to re-enter the Planet building only to have Clark rush to her side to hold the door for her. He had such old-fashioned manners. The Kryptonese? Kryptench? Kryptonian, yes that worked, the Kryptonian who had scouted ahead and done the preliminary research on Earth must have arrived quite a few years ago. Not many men of her generation were so courtly. They were both silent in the elevator on the way up. On re-entering the conference room, Lois held up her notebook. "Don't worry, Perry. I got everything right here, and I'll write it up as soon as this meeting's over." "Good, Lois. Okay, everyone, let's get back at it. Uh, where was I?" Perry looked down at his notes. "Teacher's Pet," Cat hissed. Perry looked up sharply. "Cat, now, anything new on Councilman Addis' arrest last night?" "I'm on my way to the house of ill repute to interview the, uh, 'lady' in question," Cat answered. "Aren't those also known as Cat Houses?" Lois asked with a smirk. "Lois made a joke!" Cat retorted, her claws out in defence. Clark grinned. Perhaps he should take a lesson from Lois in how to deal with Cat and her unusual sense of humour. "Hey, anybody get a load of today's National Whisper?" Jimmy asked in amusement. Lois took the paper from him as Perry admonished him. "Oh, come on, Jimmy! Don't bring that trash in here. Sorry excuse for a newspaper." Jimmy defended his choice of reading material. "Chief, it's really smooth. This invisible guy breaks into the safe of the city's most notorious slum lord, takes the cash, and then he hands it out to the tenants in one of his buildings." Lois grimaced as she pointed to a different article on the cover. "Did you happen to notice the headline right next to it? 'Benjamin Franklin is Alive and Well and Living in My Electric Blender.'" Perry threw the tabloid in the trash. "Aw, come on kids, come on. Let's settle down now. All right. Let's see. Friaz, are you doing a follow-up on the escape of that armed robber from the state penitentiary, um, what's his name ...?" "Barnes. Big man-hunt started last night. They think he may be headed for Metropolis. These wanted posters go up today." Friaz handed out samples to his colleagues. *************** Lois exited the conference room ahead of Clark and the others, anxious to get down to work. Her way was blocked, however, by a man in a very loud checkered jacket and even louder tie, who demanded her attention. She was less than interested to discover that he was the manager of a talent agency and that he wanted to represent Superman, and was even more underwhelmed to realise that he expected her to help find the Man of Steel. Her disgust at the idea was obvious from her expression as she prepared to tell the man, who had introduced himself as Murray Brown, to get lost. she noted. Her thought processes were interrupted by Jimmy calling to her from his position by the banks of television monitors. "Lois, CK! Check this out!" She glanced back at the talent agent, contemplating giving him a piece of her mind for his presumption, but then decided he wasn't worth it. Ignoring him, she walked off to see what had caught Jimmy's attention. He was listening with rapt attention to Linda Montoya's report. "If you're not seeing what I'm not seeing, then you may be witnessing a miracle. Captured earlier today on home video, a catering truck loaded with fancy treats for a political fund-raiser was hijacked by an invisible man." The video showed the driver of the truck being flung from his seat onto the pavement, although there was no sign of anyone else. The apparently driverless truck then drove off. Yes, an invisible man. That truck ended up at the Fourth Street Shelter in downtown Metropolis..." As Lois listened in disbelief, a short middle-aged woman crept up to her. "Excuse me, Ms. Lane?" Lois didn't even glance around. "One second." She continued listening to the report. "... where homeless families feasted on goose liver pate and cold lobster salad... many thanks to the invisible man. No one as yet has any clue to this unexplained phenomenon. Is it real? Is it an illusion? We'll all just have to wait and see. Up next..." Lois turned to the woman waiting to speak with her. "Yes, can I help you?" Her visitor replied, "You spoke at my women's group last October. 'The Weaker Sex: Fact Or Fiction?' It was a terrific speech." Lois smiled. It was always good to receive positive feedback, and she enjoyed being seen as a positive role-model for other, less successful, women. "Well thank you, I'm really glad that you liked it." She began to walk away, considering the discussion to be at an end. The woman and Clark both followed her. "I need to speak to you about my husband, he's disappeared," the sweet-faced woman said. Lois rolled her eyes. Clark looked concerned, immediately wanting to help. Superman really was a Boy Scout, wasn't he? Lois mused wryly. "Uh, first floor, try missing persons," she suggested dismissively. "No, no! He's really disappeared!" The two reporters both stared at her. "I'm the invisible man's wife," the woman explained. Clark raised his eyebrows, unsure how to take this. He turned to Lois to see what her response was. Lois was incredulous! She covered up her annoyance at being bothered by loonies, and smiled politely. "Ah, could you just wait over there for just a moment? Jimmy?" She guided the woman towards Jimmy with a gentle push. Unlike Lois, Clark was intrigued, and it surprised him that she wasn't going to follow up on the woman's story. "Come on, let's talk to her," he urged. "Why are you so interested in this?" "I'm fascinated by the paranormal." She rolled her eyes. "Ugh! Why doesn't that surprise me?" "Oh come on!" he said persuasively. She gave in and linked her arm through his to lead him toward the woman. "Who knows. Maybe she'll introduce us to Casper the Friendly Ghost," she joked. Clark laughed. *************** This was one *weird* story, if it even was a story and not just a waste of time, Lois mused later. She and Clark had duly spoken to Helene Morris, and afterwards had accompanied the woman to her home in one of Metropolis's suburbs. Helene had shown them the laboratory in the basement where her husband worked, protesting in the face of Lois's continued scepticism, "But I'm telling you the truth, my husband is invisible!" The laboratory was crowded with all manner of scientific equipment and supplies, complete with unidentifiable liquids bubbling through spiralling glass tubes. Nothing, however, to add any credence to this woman's fantastic claims. "So, what makes you think that your husband is invisible?" Lois asked as she looked around, not believing it for a moment. "Because I saw him... or rather, I didn't see him, leave," Mrs. Morris replied confusingly. "When is the last time you *did* see him?" Clark asked sympathetically, trying to make some sense of the situation. Lois, who by now was getting bored, idly picked up a wedding picture. Helene and Alan Morris looked like an ordinary suburban couple. It was barely credible that they should invent a crazy claim to have discovered invisibility. "In the flesh?" Helene asked. Clark nodded. "Monday a week ago, I think." "You don't remember?" Lois asked. This was getting crazier all the time! She felt some sympathy for the woman, but she really didn't seem to be all there. "Well to be perfectly honest, we don't see much of each other anyway. For the past several years he's practically lived down here. He'd come upstairs late, and I'd just leave his dinner in the oven on warm. You know how it is." While Helene tried to explain her disintegrating marriage, Clark began to wander around, looking at all of the equipment and experiments in the lab, letting Lois take charge of the interview. "So, you and your husband were having marital difficulties?" Lois clarified, thinking that this explained his 'disappearance.' she asked herself. "No, not really. I mean, we never fought, we just sort of stopped talking to one another. Slipped into a pattern. I guess he just lost interest in me. We've been married twenty-something years." "What happened the night that he left?" "Well, he hadn't touched his dinner so I came down here looking for him and... well, he wasn't here, but then that door suddenly opened and I heard him say, 'Goodbye, Helene, see you around.' And then he walked out." Her voice grew tearful. "The door closed behind him." She began to cry in earnest, and Lois hesitatingly stepped forward to put her arms around the woman in an awkward hug for a moment. "What is it that you would like us to do?" she asked Helene, her impatience disappearing as she began to feel sorry for the woman. "I want you to write an article about him. I want you to find out if he's ever coming home. I want you to tell him that I miss him." She sobbed miserably. On leaving the house, Lois had still been unconvinced that there was a story there. She shook her head and commented, "Poor woman. Her husband's probably got something going on the side, he walks out on her, she thinks he's turned invisible." "Well how do you know he isn't?" Clark challenged. She stared at him. Was Superman some sort of idiot? "Are you serious? We're talking about a figment of somebody's overactive imagination." "Does everything in life have to have a perfectly reasonable explanation?" Clark retorted. "Everything," she told him with a superior smile. "All grounded in clear scientific reason?" he asked. "Of course," she replied confidently, not seeing that she was being set up for a fall. "No magic left in the universe?" "There's no werewolves or vampires loose in the city either," she assured him sarcastically. "What about Superman?" Clark asked triumphantly, playing his trump card. "Huh?" "There's a man living somewhere in Metropolis who *flies,* Lois!" Clark reminded her, enjoying himself. It wasn't easy to score a point off Lois, but that made it all the sweeter when he did. Lois reflected smugly. But she wasn't about to concede his point, and she swiftly found a distraction. "Oh no, not him again!" she exclaimed, seeing a plane in the sky. It was sky-writing a message: 'Superman, call M. Brown, 555-I-REP-YOU.' "Who?" Clark asked, confused for a moment. He knew she couldn't be talking about *Superman*! He followed her gaze upwards. "He is unbelievable!" Lois exclaimed. "Well, he's persistent," Clark said with a shrug, somewhat amused. "He is a smarmy, money-grabbing opportunist! They all are! Everyone wants a piece of Superman. Keys to the city, telethons, benefits.... What's next, a guest shot on A.M. Metropolis?" She sighed heavily as she gazed at the words Superman couldn't help but see. "When is this all going to end?" "Are you worried this is all going to go to Superman's head?" "No. I'm worried he'll forget about me," she retorted sarcastically. But she wondered, all the same, whether the attention and adulation would affect the Super-hero. Would he decide to throw off the Clark Kent disguise? And if so, perhaps she needed to get to work on her story as soon as possible, and *not* waste any more time on ridiculous wild-goose-chases such as non-existent invisible men! **************** That very much reflected her viewpoint when they had arrived back at the Planet; Jimmy had immediately cornered them to ask how the interview had gone. "Dead end," Lois informed him. "I don't think so," he replied, gesturing at the television. Helene was speaking to a group of reporters from the front of her house. "He worked very hard to make himself invisible," she was saying, "and I guess he finally figured out how. He was in that laboratory day and night. All I really want to say is... Alan, if you're listening, please come home." "Her nosy next door neighbour sold the story to the wire services," Jimmy said. "It doesn't matter, there's no story anyway," Lois stated firmly. "There is no such thing as an invisible man." She walked off, leaving Clark to shake his head at her stubbornness. But she was forced to change her tune later when she and Clark were sent to the scene of a robbery in a jewellery store. As was her usual practice, she demanded information from the police officer in charge of the investigation, only to be told that there was no evidence, nor any witnesses. "Has everyone in the city lost their mind? There is no such thing as an invisible man!" Lois exclaimed impatiently. "At what point are you going to start believing in this, Lois?" Clark asked her, getting exasperated. "When I don't see it with my own two eyes," she returned with a smirk. Just then a police officer handed her a message. She thanked him and read it in surprise. Helene Morris wanted to meet with them! She briefly showed it to Clark, then led the way out of the store. At the Morris house, the laboratory was a mess. There had clearly been a break-in, and items had been smashed and thrown everywhere. However, what amazed Lois was that Helene Morris was now claiming that *another* invisible man had caused the damage. Was she seriously expecting two reporters from the top newspaper in Metropolis to believe that there were *two* invisible men, Lois wondered? Although, she thought disgustedly, she had clearly succeeded in convincing Superman/Kent. Just how gullible was that man? On the way back to the Planet, Lois tried to persuade Clark to her own point of view, suggesting that it probably had been Alan Morris who had injured Helene and done the damage. Clark was sceptical, arguing that Helene's husband hadn't sounded like the violent type. "Fine, we write the story," she agreed at last. "But admit it, Helene could be wrong. After all, nobody really knows anybody," she said cynically, folding the visor back up and putting her lipstick back in her satchel. "That's not true," Clark protested. "We like to think we do, but we all wear disguises, don't you?" she taunted him. Lois couldn't help but ponder, was she using her knowledge of Superman's secret identity against him? No, no, no! She dismissed the thought as quickly as she could. This was business. "Well --" he began uncomfortably. But Lois had no intention of pushing for an answer, and she continued. "I mean in order to let somebody really know you, you have to let them see you as you really are. So --" she continued at a rapid-fire rate. "So as soon as you let them see you as you really are they wind up using it against you." Finally Clark managed to get a word in edgeways. "But marriage is about sharing everything you have, even when you don't feel like it." "So is divorce; ask my mother," Lois retorted with finality, then stared moodily out the windshield. That brought the exchange to a sudden halt, and for a moment the only sound was the swish of the windshield wipers. Clark couldn't comprehend such a cynical view of marriage. His parents had a partnership, and he hoped with all his heart that he would be so lucky as to find what his parents had: someone who could make him feel complete, who could accept him for what he was and love him with all the compassion, humour, and understanding that his parents gave one another. What had Lois' family life been like that she had such a diametrically opposing vision? "So where are we off to?" he asked. "Home. I have to get dressed." "Hot date?" "Uh-huh," she confirmed with a smug smile. "With who?" "You," she said cheerfully, looking at him to see what his reaction was. Clark's eyebrows quirked. "What?" Lois giggled. "Okay, not a hot date. But I thought you might like to accompany me to the Charity Auction. It's an annual event. Cat's going to cover it for the gossip column, but I'm going, too, to cover Superman's appearance on the auction block. And who knows, Clark? Maybe next year, after you've become better known, you might volunteer to be uh, sold also." Wicked thoughts ran like quicksilver through Lois's mind at the possibility of purchasing a date with Superman at the bargain price that Clark would bring. She flushed slightly. Could she help it if she found Superman attractive in both his guises? she reminded herself for the umpteenth time that day, Lois forced the litany of Superman's many attributes out of her head. Damn. She was having to work harder and harder at maintaining the right attitude here. Clark couldn't help but notice Lois's complexion redden a bit, and her breathing speed up somewhat. Her physical reaction coupled with the invitation to accompany her this evening couldn't help but give him hope that she was starting to find him attractive. *************** Clark and Lois stood on the sidelines watching the 'beautiful people' of Metropolis mingle. Hors d'oeuvres were plentiful; champagne flowed, and the rich and famous postured fatuously for each other. Clark was having a great deal of trouble keeping a straight face as Lois told him snippets of useless, yet highly amusing information about many of the guests. He was disconcerted when he saw Lex Luthor pass by. And he wasn't pleased when Lois didn't have anything negative to say about the tycoon. Clark didn't feel ready to share his knowledge as to Lex's true nature with Lois however. He didn't have proof, or at least, Clark Kent didn't have proof. And he couldn't share Superman's knowledge with her without sharing a different kind of secret. He didn't feel ready for that. He snorted with disgust as Lex took his place on the 'auction block.' He wasn't impressed when Lex shared his status as the 'third richest man in the world' with the crowd. Clark glanced sideways at Lois and was pleased that she evinced no interest in bidding on Luthor. He took a second look. She really did look lovely tonight. Her simple black dress was more elegant than all the designer gowns in the room. Or maybe it was the fact that she was wearing it. Clark had the feeling that Lois would make a potato sack look like an attractive garment. As the bidding continued for Luthor, Cat Grant oozed over to stand pointedly between Clark and Lois. Lois did a double-take when she saw what Cat was almost wearing. "Couldn't you afford a whole dress?" Cat glanced pointedly at Clark. "Less is more, darling..." She surveyed Lois coolly from head to toe. "...sometimes." Lois flushed in embarrassment. Clark had been enjoying the repartee until he became aware that it was time for Superman to make his appearance. He excused himself hastily and hurried out of the room. Lois was amazed when literally only seconds later, Superman appeared on the balcony. How fast could he move, she wondered in amazement. She watched intently as Superman faltered when the spotlight was turned on him. He looked ill at ease with the attention, and for one moment, Lois's heart went out to him. She also didn't miss the unspoken animosity between Superman and Lex Luthor. They positively glared at each other when they passed. Lois had every intention of watching the auction coolly and calmly until a blonde got into a bidding war with Cat. "Whatthe heck are you doing, Cat?" she hissed. "You're not bidding, Lois. Didn't want to lose to me?" "Hah. Just not as hard up for a date." Up on the stage, Clark felt a laugh bubble out of his throat. In the nick of time, he turned it into a cough. Lois smiled smugly at Cat's chagrin when both she and the blonde were outbid. Fifty thousand dollars! Lois was proud of Superman for raising that kind of money. Proud like she would have been of any of her friends who had achieved something momentous. Her smile faded as she watched Superman surrounded by fawning sycophants. There was something very depressing about watching the men hang on his every word, and the women hang on him, period. She turned away, and moved to the bar. What made her think that he had feelings for her? There were so many people in the world, women in the world who could offer more. Why would he want to be with her? She glanced back at the crowd surrounding Superman. Look at him. Look at how well he fit in. She sighed and sipped her wine, suddenly feeling very alone. "Hello, Lois. A pleasure to see you." Lex looked very handsome and dashing tonight. "And you, Lex. I'm sorry that I had to cancel our lunch. It's just that Superman was such a big draw." Luthor glanced in wry amusement at the crowd that still surrounded Superman. "Yes, and apparently not only for you. I thought you might like to reschedule." Lois looked at Superman again. He looked so comfortable. She felt like such a fool. She turned back to Lex. At least he seemed genuinely interested in her. She didn't feel like he had a hidden agenda. "Yes, Lex. I'd like that very much." He smiled warmly at her. "So would I." After Lex had sauntered off, Lois sat back down at the bar and sighed again. **************** Clark moved out onto the balcony, relieved that he had divested himself of most of the hangers-on. He was anxious to get back to Lois. She was worth more than any of them. He did manage to be polite to the brunette who had "purchased" him. As she disappeared back inside, a couple of things seemed to happen simultaneously. Clark started to take off, and Murray Brown reappeared like the proverbial bad penny, and accosted him. Didn't the guy know how to take no for an answer? Clark couldn't help but be amused as the loud man in the garish suit proceeded to answer the question. He obviously had no idea what 'no' meant. At least he had an advantage in that he was able to take off and escape the agent's clutches. Clark wondered how many others weren't that lucky. *************** Clark re-entered the charity auction and found Lois sitting alone at the bar, sipping champagne. "I thought you would have bid on Superman," he said with a grin. Lois glared ferociously at him. "Frankly, Clark, I don't find Superman all that attractive," she spat out angrily. Clark slipped onto the bar stool beside her. "You don't?" He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. He didn't want her to obsess over the Super-hero any more but for her to not find him attractive.... That didn't bode well. "No, I don't," Lois snarled. "I mean, I thought Superman had standards, but he obviously doesn't if he feels comfortable with... with all these phoneys, and with all this crass materialism." Lois gestured vigorously around the room, nearly falling off her bar stool. Clark reached out and steadied her. "I don't know about that, Lois. Maybe Superman just wanted to be polite. Maybe he was grateful for the opportunity to help raise money. I, uh, I don't exactly know the guy, but he strikes me as having better values than just being interested in money." "Hah! Why would someone not be interested in money?" "Well, if Superman was only interested in money, or power, or prestige, don't you think we would have already seen signs of it? I mean, he wouldn't be helping people and not asking for something in return." Clark smiled at her. "And he wouldn't eat bombs, or catch people when they're tossed out of planes -- unless he wanted to, of course." All of Lois's anger drained away, as she acknowledged the truth of his words. He was right. There was something else on her mind though, something that, the haziness caused by the excess of champagne aside, she knew she *needed* to know the truth about. "You know, Clark, I had the feeling that, that Superman might be um, interested in me. But then I looked around tonight, at all the beautiful women who made such a fuss over him, and... oh, maybe it was stupid of me to think that he cared." Her voice trailed off. She waited with bated breath for his response. "Did you ever think that maybe Superman was afraid to reveal himself? His... true feelings?" Clark responded softly. "Really?" she murmured as she lifted her eyes to his, her voice very slightly slurred, "Do you think so?" "Well..." He faltered under the weight of her gaze. "If I had... feelings for someone special... like you, I would be afraid too." She felt like she was drowning in those gorgeous deep, rich brown eyes of his. Lois could feel the blood rush to her head, her face heating up. "You shouldn't be afraid." His eyes widened. Lois hastily backtracked. "I mean, if you did feel that way about someone special, which you don't, or at least if you do, I don't know who you feel that way for, because you haven't told me, although why you should feel like you have to tell me, I don't know..." Clark started to laugh. "Uh, Lois, exactly how much champagne did you drink tonight?" Lois grinned in spite of herself, her good spirits magically restored. "I'm not going to dignify your question with a response, Clark... but maybe I shouldn't drive home." "Come on, I'll put you in a cab." He helped her get down from her bar stool. *************** The following day at work, the plot seemed to thicken. "Another robbery last night," Jimmy reported to Lois in the newsroom as he passed by her, carrying an empty box towards the elevator. "The invisible man?" she asked, following him eagerly. This 'invisible man' story was getting more and more intriguing! How had someone -- Alan Morris, if it was him -- managed to fool everyone into thinking that he was invisible? "You got it, House of Rare Coins. Owner's in the hospital; crushed windpipe." "Where're you going?" "I got to go to the Hall of Records to pick up some stuff for Clark. I'll catch you later." Jimmy dashed into the elevator. Just then Clark came in, carrying his coat over one arm and some files in his hand. He had just returned from STAR Labs, where he had taken the silvery scrap of material from Alan Morris' lab to be analyzed. They swapped notes on their investigations so far: Lois had visited Morris's employer, but discovered that the place was so impersonal that Morris's boss barely knew who he was. STAR Labs had told Clark that the material was a type of fibre optic, which was designed to reflect visible light as ultraviolet. "Come again?" Lois demanded. Clark grinned. "Ultra violet light is an invisible part of the spectrum," he explained. "Are you saying that it's possible for somebody to be invisible?" "Think of it as the next stage of stealth technology," Clark explained. "If you wore a suit made out of this kind of material you could appear invisible." Lois smiled triumphantly. "Well that makes sense! The appearance of invisibility is completely different from *real* invisibility," she argued with some semblance of logic. "You know, Lois, it must be tough being right all the time," he said, giving up in amusement. "Yes, it is." She laughed and bounded back to her desk. Clark followed with a smile, enjoying seeing her so happy after her misery the night before. However, the rest of the day was not so profitable, and by the end of the day Lois was only too glad to pack up and go home, especially when the latest in a long line of fake invisible men turned up. She sighed in exasperation and appeared not to hear Clark when he called 'goodnight' to her. *************** It was a stereotypical dark and stormy night. Perhaps the chaotic sound of the thunder accounted for the tenor of Clark's nightmare. It wasn't a nice way to wake up, with visions of Lois, Cat, Perry and Jimmy zooming around the Daily Planet newsroom, all wearing variations of his suit. Clark lay on his bed, staring pensively at the ceiling. It wasn't fair that his alter ego was starting to take over his dreams as well as his waking hours. Clark sighed, thinking of all the people who wanted a piece of Superman -- his date from the charity auction, Murray Brown, the persistent talent agent, the rich and famous who fussed over him, those women, who like Cat could only see the external, Lois. He paused. Somehow Lois was different from the rest. She cared about Superman. Look how she had defended him from Murray Brown. What he would give to have Lois see him for who he really was, to see all of him. He groaned. Judging from her comments last night at the Charity Auction, she did still have feelings for Superman that she didn't have for him, Clark. Why else would she have been so upset, thinking Superman didn't care for her? Clark rolled onto his side, closing his eyes once again. Would he ever be able to reveal himself to Lois? He was afraid that it would never be possible. *************** It had been a relief to Clark when Lois called him in a tizzy. His apartment had never seemed so claustrophobic as it had in the wake of his nightmare. He focused on what Alan Morris was saying, about how he only wanted to help those less fortunate and that the current spate of crimes must have been committed by a second invisible man. Somehow Clark couldn't even bring himself to question the meek and mild little man's words. Lois was acutely conscious of Clark, of Superman sitting beside her. Self-consciously, she tugged her robe a little tighter around her body. She felt so dowdy, so unattractive. How could she have possibly thought that Superman might be interested in her? As Alan continued speaking about his life, as he described how he became more and more invisible over time, Lois could almost sense her partner becoming more and more despondent. Lois was supremely unconscious of the irony inherent in her private thoughts. Alan offered Lois the hood to his suit to try on. She placed it on her head, turned on the switch, and judging from Clark's reaction, partially disappeared from view. Clark still looked somewhat depressed, and wanting inexplicably to lighten his mood, Lois joked, "I told you it wouldn't work." She was pleased when both men chuckled. To Alan's credit, he did get very upset when he found out that someone had broken into his home. Lois quickly reassured him that Helene was okay and hadn't been injured. "Will you help me stop whoever's doing these things?" Alan asked plaintively. "Well, it's not going to be easy. Invisibility is an incredible advantage," Clark responded. Lois was swept with a surge of unreasoning anger. She decided to goad him. "And the person who could really help, Superman, is probably off signing a deal to star in his own television series by now." "Superman on TV?" "I don't think so! Look, Alan, maybe you'd better stay at my place until this whole thing is resolved." "Well, I'll see you guys in the morning." Lois got up to lead them to the door. Her robe slipped open, revealing a pair of Superman pyjamas. Clark groaned in disgust. "Lois, not you too." Lois looked down at herself. What had possessed her to put *these* on tonight! It was bad enough that she couldn't get *him* off her mind. She flushed as she realised that Clark, Superman might read something into her choice of intimate apparel. "Good night, Clark." Lois firmly closed the door behind them, sank down to the floor and rested her head in her hands. She shook her head in disgust at herself. The thought came to her out of nowhere. Lois got up slowly and headed back to bed. *************** After getting Alan settled down for the night, Clark had headed to the familiar comforts of home. At the moment he didn't feel very comfortable as he surveyed the mound of Superman paraphernalia that covered the kitchen table. "Can you believe this stuff? It's all over Metropolis." Clark was incensed. "And not just Metropolis, but at gas stations, and Harley even has a section at the feed store," his dad helpfully pointed out. "Although I do think the doll is cute." Martha couldn't help making this observation. "Mom, they're buying and selling Superman on street corners! Lois has a pair of Superman pyjamas!" The words burst out of Clark as if under pressure. "You saw Lois in her pyjamas?" Martha asked in amazement. "No! Well... yes, but it was an accident, when her robe came undone," Clark replied defensively. "The point is," Clark continued, trying to make his parents see the problem, "they're selling Superman off like a piece of meat!" Why couldn't his parents understand? He felt as if his identity, his life, just wasn't his own any more. "Fifty thousand dollars to help blind children, there's nothing wrong with that!" his mother pointed out reasonably. "Mom, I know it's for a good cause, and I want to help, but... Superman has become this superstar, and I don't know if he can keep it up." "What do you mean 'he'? You speak as though Superman were someone else! You are Superman, Clark!" Clark looked at her helplessly. How could he make her understand? How could he tell her, and tell his father, that the only people in the world who knew him, really knew him, were sitting in this room with him. It helped, oh, it helped so much that his parents were there for him, but he wanted more. He needed more. "I guess I just feel like I'm losing myself to the man in the red, yellow, and blue suit." His father gripped his shoulder supportively. "Son, it's the man beneath the suit that we care about." His dad's words were meant to be reassuring but somehow, they didn't make him feel better. The Jack-in-the-box finished playing, and the little Superman figure popped out of it. Clark sighed in frustration. *************** It had started out as a very frustrating day. In the morning at the Daily Planet newsroom, most of the staff had been gathered in front of the television set, watching Linda Montoya's breaking story. "The city is gripped with fear this morning after last night's breakout at the Metropolis Penitentiary. The invisible man freed an entire cell block of some of the nation's most vicious criminals. The Police Commissioner is urging the people of Metropolis to remain calm, but he has ordered a 10:00 p.m. curfew for tonight. He is also urging all citizens to lock their doors and windows securely." "Great shades of Elvis!" Perry exclaimed. "An army of invisible criminals!" "Something even Superman can't fight," Lois added, turning away in depression. What could he do in the face of men even he couldn't see? Clark stared after her and sighed, wondering what to do. Later, they had searched the files in search of any clues to the identity of the invisible thief, and Lois was feeling frustrated as they each took an armful of folders back to their desks. "This is impossible. Even after eliminating all the armed robbers still in jail or accounted for somewhere else there're still over a hundred suspects!" she thought in frustration, conscious of the man standing beside her. Clark, who Lois was beginning to realise also counted patience among his attributes, said calmly, "Let's go over it again. First of all he robbed a jewellery store, then he robs a rare coin store." "Jewels, collectors items, precious metals," Lois guessed. "Yeah, but not all precious metals." Lois checked the list of items stolen from the jewellery store. "Gold rings, diamond stone, gold chains, gold brooch..." A pattern was beginning to emerge here.... "Gold!" Clark said triumphantly. "He steals gold!" "Jimmy!" Lois hollered, an excited gleam in her eyes. She had them! ************ "Golden Boy Barnes and his gang all went down for the last job they pulled," Jimmy reported. The desk before him was covered with newspaper clippings he had dug up on Henry Barnes's arrest and trial. "Several of them were in the bust-out they had the other day." "We got 'em!" Lois said triumphantly. "Yeah, but how do we find them?" Clark asked. "Well he's bound to strike again," Jimmy said. "But where?" "I know exactly where," Lois said confidently as she spied a particular clipping. She held it up and showed them. It was the article Jimmy had found about Barnes's arrest. The headline read, "Robbery At The Metropolis Gold Repository Foiled -- Golden Boy Barnes and His Gang to Serve Time." *************** That night Lois and Clark went together to Clark's apartment to tell Alan Morris the happy news, that they knew the identity of the dangerous thief using his suit, but he was fast asleep on the sofa. "Sh," Clark warned, putting a finger against his lips as he quietly closed the door behind them. "Poor guy hasn't slept in a week," he murmured sympathetically as they came down the stairs. "We'll let him be then, wait a while. I don't know if he can help, anyway." "I'll make some tea," Clark suggested. When it was ready, they took their cups out onto the balcony so as not to disturb Alan. "Nice," she said, after having a sip. She stole a glance at him. How Linda Montoya and the rest of Metropolis's finest would envy her if they knew that she was alone with Superman, drinking tea with him on the balcony of his apartment! It was dark; there were stars in the sky above and they were alone apart from Alan asleep in the next room. The atmosphere was cloaked with intimacy. "Lapsang souchong," he told her. "My mother used to make me tea and raisin scones when I was feeling bad. Years later I had them for tea at the London Savoy, but they never tasted as good." She smiled along with him, wondering at this glimpse into his personal life. His mother... was this on Krypton? Or was he referring to Martha Kent -- was she really his mother? Just for an instant, she was tempted to tell him what she knew. How would he react? Would he be alarmed, guard his privacy jealously, or would he confide in her? She decided to drop the subtlest of hints. "When I was a kid, Lucy and I used to play this game. We'd ask each other, what would you rather be able to do, fly or be invisible." "And you chose...?" he prompted. She sighed. "Invisible. I wished I could walk through all those closed doors. I guess I still do." "And what do you think you'd find there, behind all those closed doors?" "Hmm, I don't know. Something different... wonderful... something I don't have, can't have." She smiled wistfully, then issued the challenge. "So what about you?" "What?" he asked, lost in her wistful words. "Invisible or fly?" she asked, and laughed. "Fly," he said with certainty. "Really?" "Yeah." She turned to him, a deliberately friendly smile on her face, as she prepared to drop yet another subtle hint. "You know, I never thought I would say this, Clark, but you and I have something in common." "What's that?" he asked, daring to hope. "Superman," she said on a sigh. "You want to fly like him, and I want to fly with him." She gazed dreamily up into the sky and leaned her head against Clark's shoulder, sighing. On the other hand, she reminded herself more prosaically, what chance her story if she did tell Clark? She wasn't ready to write it yet, and once he knew he was bound to make it difficult for her. And after all, it was the story which was important... wasn't it? And yet... the more she got to know this man, the more she *wanted* to know him, to have him think of her as a friend -- and how could she expose her friend? Especially as once she'd done it, he would probably never speak to her again. Clark could only gaze up at the sky with her, the yearning in his heart so clear to see on his face and in his warm brown eyes, if only she would look at him. Superman, Superman, Superman... it was always his alter ego. He didn't stand a chance with Lois; even now, in the intimate atmosphere of the starry night, she was standing with her head on his shoulder... and she was thinking about the man in the Spandex. Of course, he knew very well that he could simply tell her the truth, and he briefly wondered how she would react if he just scooped her up in his arms and flew off with her. Of course, he wouldn't do that, he knew. It was a bad idea... a very bad idea. *************** A beam of early morning sunlight shone relentlessly on Lois's face until she had no choice but to wake up. As she looked blearily to the side of her, she noted that Alan was still sleeping peacefully on the couch. Blech! Her mouth tasted awful, stale and gummy, and her back was stiff from her uncomfortable position on the floor. A small sound alerted her. She turned her head to survey the rest of Clark's apartment. "Superman!" "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I ran into Clark at the court house, and he said..." Clark felt guilty as he saw how disoriented and confused Lois looked. It was a shock to Lois's system to have to play-act first thing in the morning. She prevaricated as best she could. "Clark? Did he leave? What's he doing at the court house?" "The Hall of Records. He said something about researching the past activities of Barnes' gang. He said you could use my help." Lois frantically tried to straighten her clothing, and rearrange her hair. She felt completely off-balance. She had shown Superman her worst side before, but that had been before she knew his secret. She flushed angrily as she reminded herself of what exactly she had looked like when she had returned from the dump with Godzilla in hand. Forcing the angry, insecure feelings back down inside her for the moment, she plastered on a smile. "Oh, we can." Clark returned her smile, automatically, without having to think about it. She was so beautiful, even first thing in the morning. What he would give to wake up and see her beside him every day. He felt guilty though. He should have moved her to his bed and slept on the floor himself. Mom and Dad would have been ashamed. They had brought him up to be more gentlemanly than that. "I saw you at the auction, Lois." "You did? I didn't think you noticed. I thought that I was just another face in the crowd." "You will always be special to me, Lois." He reached out and gently touched her cheek. "I will?" Lois felt her anger melt away and vanish when he touched her. "You're the first woman who ever..." Clark stopped himself. What was he doing? He wanted her to see Clark as a worthy person, not Superman. "...interviewed me," he continued lamely. Lois thought in wonder. She gazed tenderly into his eyes until she felt she was losing herself, drowning in unfamiliar emotions. At that moment in time, it didn't matter to Lois that he had deceived her, or played a trick on her, or confused her completely. "I can't believe my eyes. Is that really Superman?" Alan's words shattered the spell that had kept Lois and Superman motionless. They both couldn't help but smile at his genuine delight at seeing the Super-hero in person. "Good morning, Alan. I need some information from you." "Anything," he replied eagerly. The phone rang and Clark automatically answered it. "Hello?" He glanced at Lois. Oh, this was awkward! "Oh yes, Clark... It's Clark Kent... Yes, they're both here. Yeah, they're fine. Okay, I'll tell them. Thank you." Boy, would he ever have a lot of explaining to do to his very puzzled mother after that conversation! Lois couldn't help but chuckle inside. It must have been a wrong number. She couldn't help but picture the reaction of whoever had been on the other end of the call. They must have thought they were talking to a crazy person! Clark then proceeded to quiz Alan about his invention. Continuing to play along with the whole secret identity thing, Lois filled him in about the Barnes gang. They continued discussing the problem of making invisible light visible again when Clark had a thought. He turned to move to the balcony. "Where are you going?" Lois asked. "To turn on the lights!" As she watched him fly away, Lois realised that Superman must have figured out a plan of action. Lois turned back to the couch, and eyed the spare invisible suit. She had no intention of sitting calmly at home waiting for her big, strong, Super, man to fly off and save the day! Alan took one look at the expression on her face, and realised exactly what she was thinking. "Oh no, not without me you don't!" he insisted. "Do you have a spare?" "Sure! One size fits all," he replied as he scurried after her. ************ Lois glared defiantly at Barnes with Alan cowering behind her. It had been such a *good* plan! If only she and Alan hadn't been quite so noisy when they had spied on the gang. "This should work out perfectly. I can just see tomorrow's headline. 'Invisible Man Found Dead, Along with Hostages, Daily Planet Star Reporter.'" Barnes grinned triumphantly as he turned to leave the bank vault. "Oh by the way, did you know this room is airtight? With the door shut, I'd guess there's about two minutes air here so if I were you, I'd say my prayers." "I'll say one for you, but it won't help," Lois replied defiantly, trying valiantly to hide her fear. "I'll be seeing you," Barnes said with a laugh as he slammed the door. Lois rushed to it, but it was firmly closed. There was no way out. "Danger is my business," Lois muttered to herself in disgust. Her thoughts turned to the one man who could save them. Where had he gone in such a hurry? She was flooded with irrational anger. If only he had told them his plan. If only she had told him that she knew his secret. She wasn't being fair to Superman, but she didn't feel like being fair. If they had been able to talk openly, she wouldn't be in this predicament. Oh, if she could only get out of this, she would clear the air, she promised herself recklessly. ************ Clark arrived at Fort Metropolis carefully cradling the bag of chemicals he had obtained from Jackson Phosphorus. He could see the police below him, exchanging gun fire with unknown targets. He grinned to himself. 'Unmasking' these guys was going to be fun! As Clark sprinkled the phosphorus down onto the ground below, Barnes and his gang slowly became visible. Most of the criminals quickly gave up but Barnes made a dash for it. He didn't get too far though. Clark had to laugh at the expression on Barnes' face when he fired at Clark only to see his bullets bounce off the Super-hero's chest! And it was fun grabbing the gun and twisting it into a piece of junk that would never hurt anyone again. Sometimes being a Super-hero was definitely worth it! After turning Barnes over to Detective Burke, he asked, "Where's Lois Lane?" "Lois? Is she here?" the detective responded. Oh, oh! There was no way that Lois would have sat home waiting. She had to be here. He listened hard, tuning in to a thin thread of sound. Inside the vault, Lois knew that it was only a matter of time before she succumbed to the lack of oxygen. "Superman... where are you?" she gasped. As if in answer to her question, the Super-hero came crashing through the wall of the vault. She was so pale! Clark hurried to her side, his arms automatically going around her in support. Was she all right? He felt helpless, and worried. Lois felt better as she drew fresh air into her lungs. He had come! And she had nearly died. As this realisation sank in, her legs started to wobble. Slipping her arms around his neck, she slumped gratefully against Superman, thankful for his support. Clark scooped her gently into his arms and tenderly carried her out of the vault. Moving to a different location didn't make a difference to the highly charged atmosphere, and the connection between them. He had never felt this way about anyone before in his whole life. As they emerged into the sunshine, Lois was able to make herself focus on her work. "How did you know how to make them visible?" Clark came back to himself with a start. "Fluorescent light. In a fluorescent light bulb, invisible light becomes visible when passing it through a coating of phosphorus." He carefully set Lois to her feet. "That's the fourth time you've saved my life," Lois murmured softly, still resting her hand on his chest. "Glad to be of service." He smiled as he prepared to take off. "Supe! You were terrific!" Lois groaned as she realised it was Murray Brown interrupting them. Clark couldn't help but smile as he listened to the enthusiastic agent spell things out. "...Now I'm talking movies, I'm talking mini-series, I'm talking music videos, comic books, action figures! But you call all the shots. Quality control, that's Murray Brown's middle name. If you don't like it, kid, we don't do it. Now how could you turn down a deal like that?" "I can't," Clark replied, pleased with himself. He had finally figured out a partial solution to the problem of everyone wanting to cash in on his name. "You can't?" Lois couldn't believe it. She was disgusted. Had she heard him right? How could he do this? "But all proceeds go to charity," Clark pointed out with a grin. Lois sighed in relief. "Great touch!" Murray gushed. Clark turned in mid air to take off when something Lois had said ran through his mind again. What had she meant? "Actually, Ms. Lane, there's something more I'd like to discuss with you. Would you mind flying with me?" "Are you kidding? I'd love to!" The idea of soaring through the sky in Superman's arms put colour in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eye. Clark scooped her up into his arms, and took off once again. "That doesn't include my commission, right?" Lois started to giggle as she heard the pushy talent agent's last plaintive question. Clark grinned at her. They flew in silence for a few minutes. "Uh, Ms. Lane, you said I saved your life four times. I can only think of three." "You did save me four times. Today of course," Clark nodded in agreement, "the other day when Trask threw me from the plane..." "And I ate that bomb on the shuttle," Clark pointed out. "But what else did you mean?" Lois looked at him anxiously. It took a major effort to force her words out of her throat but she persisted. "You saved both Jimmy and me at EPRAD..." Her voice trailed off. Clark looked at her in shock. "You know!" "Yes, Superman, or Clark or whatever your name is, I do know." "How? How did you figure it out?" Lois couldn't help but laugh at the expression of shock on his face. "I could tell you that it was obvious to a reporter of my calibre, but to tell you the truth, it was an accident. I saw Trask throw you from the plane. And I saw Clark Kent suddenly transform himself into Superman. You know, I have to hand it to you, Superman, disguising yourself as some farm boy from the middle of nowhere was a stroke of genius." "What?" Relieved that the truth was finally out in the open, Lois ignored the shocked and irritated tone of his voice as she rushed to share her thoughts with Superman. "You know, the glasses are a great touch. They give Clark Kent just the right 'don't notice me' look! You sure had me completely fooled." Lois smiled happily. "What a great story!" Clark couldn't believe what he was hearing. She thought he, Clark Kent was the disguise? And that Superman was real? He was aghast as the meaning of her final statement sunk in. "A great story? Lois, this is my life!" Lois was taken aback by Superman's sudden anger. "I know, Superman. I didn't mean..." "You'd be hurting people I care about! I can't let you do this!" Lois twisted in his arms to look him in the eye. "Unless you plan on dropping me, Superman, you can't stop me! Once I'm ready to write it, this expose should win me a Pulitzer!" Clark stopped in mid-air, in shock at her words. A little of his anger drained away, leaving him feeling very helpless and panicky. "No, Lois, of course I would never drop you, but please, can we talk about this?" Lois forced herself to calm down. Suspended in mid-air might not be the best place to have this kind of conversation. "Okay, Superman. We can talk about it. But I'd like to suggest that we file this story first, if that's okay with you." Clark nodded, turning in the direction of the Planet. Maybe it would give him a chance to collect his thoughts and marshal his arguments. She couldn't write this story, she just couldn't. *************** A few hours later, back at the newsroom, Lois finished going over their story. She took the pages over to Clark. "I think we should lead with this," she informed him, handing them to him and perching on the edge of his desk. She hadn't spoken about the other matter since they'd got back to the Planet, and he'd realised that she wouldn't until she was ready. So he just had to be patient, difficult though that was in the circumstances. Was she really going to expose him to the world? But he was determined not to be the one to raise the subject; he would act as if they'd never had that conversation and see how long she could avoid the subject. Just as long as she kept her word and *did* discuss it with him first.... Clark scanned the articles quickly, and his eyebrows went up. She had done a very good job, and he was impressed. He smiled up at her. "Nice work!" She beamed, pleased by the compliment. Then her face took on a teasing look. "You know, Clark, not that I'm one of those people that revel in saying 'I told you so'..." "Uh-huh," he said with a grin, not believing that for a second and letting her know it. "But I hope you learned your lesson. There's no such thing as an invisible man," she reiterated, a smug expression on her face as she walked back to her desk. Clark gazed after her, his smile fading. He thought of her passionate responses to him when he wore the costume, her warmth and humour, the glow that brightened her eyes when she gazed at Superman. Why couldn't she understand that the hero she admired was no less a hero as Clark Kent? Why did she persist in believing that Superman, the outfit, the cape, the powers, was all there was to him? And what was she going to do about his secret, anyway? That now-familiar yearning sensation made him ache inside again. "Yes there is, Lois," he said softly, watching her get back to work with a wistful expression on his face. "Yes there is." Lois's head jerked up. Had she heard him correctly? What had he meant? What did that yearning note in his voice mean? "Superman...?" she whispered, knowing he would hear her. Clark met her gaze, and his lips twisted. Even now, in the newsroom when they were working together on a story, she still saw him as Superman, couldn't use his real name. He stood up and walked slowly over to her desk. "You want to know what I meant, Lois?" She stared at him, seeing the pain and need in his eyes. "Yes, I do," she murmured, knowing it to be true. His expression was sceptical. "Is this part of your... investigation? More material for your story?" Something in his expression was compelling her to meet his gaze. "No. I really do want to know -- you seemed so sad, Sup... Clark," she amended, seeing his quick frown. He appeared to make a decision. "Then come with me," he said abruptly, turning away before she could reply. She had to hurry to catch up with him; he was already half-way up the ramp leading to the stairwell. "Where are we going?" she asked breathlessly as she followed him up the stairs. "The roof," he told her briefly. Not very informative, she thought, as she trailed along behind him. But once up on the roof he stepped away from her, gesturing to her to give him some space. Then, to her shock and amazement, he began to spin. A kaleidoscope of colour met her as she watched him: grey and white and silver to begin with, then red, blue and yellow. As he came to a halt, he was dressed as Superman. He held out a hand to her. "What... now?" she asked tentatively. This was a side of Superman she hadn't seen so far; as Clark he was usually pretty easygoing, and as Superman he was strong but kind. Now, he seemed cold and distant, uncommunicative. "We're going somewhere we can talk," he replied firmly. "I don't want to have this conversation in public." "Flying?" she asked him, excited despite herself. Nodding, he scooped her up in his strong arms, balancing her against his hard, broad chest before beginning to drift upwards. She clutched at him, wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself. "Where are you taking me?" she yelped as the wind began to rush past. But she realised the answer to her question very quickly; they were flying in the direction of Clark's apartment. In a matter of minutes he had gently touched down on the balcony at the rear of the apartment and was lowering her to the ground. "Come on in," he invited, his tone marginally more friendly than it had been back at the Planet. The balcony, where only a couple of days earlier they had stood drinking tea, led back into the kitchen; Superman gestured for Lois to precede him, but when she glanced back at him once she was in the kitchen she saw that he was now dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, and Clark's glasses. She gasped. "You've got to let me know how you do that!" He raised an eyebrow sceptically at her. "It depends why you want to know." She glared at him. "Look, Superman... Clark, whatever your name is, I wish you'd stop acting like everything you say to me is going to end up on the front page of the Planet!" His sceptical expression clearly said, "Isn't it?" "It is *not*!" she insisted angrily. "Look, have I printed one thing so far apart from what you told me I could?" He visibly inhaled deeply, then shook his head. "You're right, you haven't. But you told me, when I asked you, that you were planning a full expose when the time was right." Lois lowered her gaze, remembering that she had indeed told him that, despite the fact that she'd already known she was having second thoughts. "Yes, I know I did. But think about it, Su... Clark, if I'd still been going to do that, why would I have told you I knew? You're not exactly someone I'd want to get on the wrong side of, are you?" But that seemed to be the wrong thing to say as well, Lois quickly realised; his expression turned dark and forbidding again, and his fists clenched. "Why -- what the he... just what do you think I'd do to you?" he demanded furiously. Lois took an involuntary step backwards, which she noticed only seemed to infuriate him further judging by the tiny muscle which jerked near his jaw. "Look, all I meant was that... well, you are the most powerful man alive, after all. I'm not suggesting you'd hurt me in any way, but if you didn't want me to talk, you could make sure I didn't...." Clark sighed heavily; this was going from bad to worse. Just what did she think of him? In an effort to give himself time to calm down, he strode to the fridge. "Want something to drink?" he asked abruptly. "Got any cream soda?" Lois asked, relieved that he seemed to be changing the subject. He shook his head. "Coke or root beer." "Diet?" she asked hopefully. He shook his head again. "Oh yeah, you wouldn't need it, would you?" she rationalized aloud. "Okay, Coke then." Carrying a couple of cans, Clark led the way into his living area and indicated the sofa to Lois; he sat opposite on the armchair. Handing her one of the cans, he spoke quietly. "Look, there are a few things I'd like to get straight. First off, can you please call me Clark? I'd prefer Superman when I'm in the Suit, obviously, but Clark is my name -- that's who I am." Lois nodded, assimilating what he had said. So Clark was his name... but since when? He was from Krypton -- was it a Kryptonian name? Or was it an assumed name, given that his parents' surname was Kent and therefore he must have adopted that, unless they were also from Krypton? "Second, I don't know how anything I've said or done has led you to believe that I would use violence of any sort against you to stop you publishing your story about me. That is *not* the way I do things. I thought my behaviour had made that pretty clear by now." His expression as he spoke was again forbidding, with no hint of the friendliness or concern he had exhibited earlier when he had rescued her from the vault. "No... I mean, I guess I knew that," Lois said awkwardly. "I just... I don't know how important this is to you, keeping the secret, I mean." "It's very important," he replied, the softness of his voice driving the point home with more emphasis than a forceful reply would have done. "But if you wrote the story, Clark Kent would simply leave Metropolis, and Superman would never be seen again. I would just start again somewhere else, the other side of the world perhaps, maybe even with a different name...." He shrugged. "I've done it before, I can do it again." Lois's jaw dropped; she hadn't expected that. "Look, I really don't want to drive you away. You're doing a terrific job here, you must know that. Metropolis needs you -- and you've just been voted Man of the Year! You must see how much you're wanted here!" "How much Superman's wanted, you mean," he countered, a cynical twist to his mouth. "But I don't understand... you *are* Superman!" Lois protested. "No, I'm not," he insisted quietly. "That's what you don't understand -- that's what I meant by the invisible man thing. I'm Clark Kent, but ever since I invented Superman I've felt that I'm steadily being taken over by him, until one day I won't even exist any more. Superman will have won." Shaking her head slowly as she tried to assimilate what he was saying to her, Lois objected, "But *you* are Superman. You're talking as if there's two of you!" "Sometimes it feels that way," he murmured, so quietly she could barely hear him. "Look, I was Clark first -- I've always been Clark. I created Superman so that I could use my powers to do good, while still having a normal life as Clark." He paused, and Lois frantically tried to assimilate what he was telling her. What did he mean, he'd always been Clark? *Was* it a Kryptonian name -- or had he been on Earth longer than anyone suspected? But he was continuing, explaining what was worrying him. "I don't mind Superman getting attention from the media -- I'm a reporter, I should know what to expect. What I didn't expect or want was that Superman would be turned into some sort of celebrity! I hate all the posters, the toys, the clothing...." Remembering her Superman pyjamas, Lois flushed. He glanced at her, and she realised that he was also remembering. "I suppose I was probably naive to think that Superman could just fly in, do the rescue, give one or two journalists a quote, then fly away again and that would be it." He paused, then caught her gaze again, giving her a direct stare. "But tell me, Lois, was it too much to ask that people would just accept Superman for what he seemedto be? Why does everyone want a piece of him?" The question seemed genuine, as if he really wanted her opinion. Lois leaned forward in her seat, her expression serious. "Look, you must realise that you're the biggest story in town. It's not just a question of reporting on your latest rescue, it's bigger than that. Everyone wants to know where you're from, why you're here, how come you can do the things you do, what you want, what you're going to do next, and where you go when you're not out saving people. Then the tabloids and the cheap TV shows want to know about your love life, and your sex life, and whether you look like a human in every way...." She trailed off as she noticed he was beginning to blush. she realised in amazement. He sighed. "I guess you're right. And Jason Trask is probably not the only person who suspects I'm only part of an alien invasion which is going to take over Earth.... I'm not, and I hope my behaviour has convinced people of that." Lois nodded. "I've never thought that anyway. But you see why people are interested?" His gesture was impatient. "Of course I do. But all the merchandise, the hounding, the rewards for 'kiss and tell' stories.... I hate it, Lois." Her expression was wry as she took in what he was saying. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have that happen to her. Suddenly, she reached a decision. "Look, Clark, I can't do anything about the cheap toys, though that deal you reached with the Brown guy might help you there. But what I could do is work with you to write some stories to answer a few of the questions, and maybe put people off track in other areas." Clark stared at her. "You mean you'd write something which isn't true?" She grimaced; that was what she had said, but she always prided herself on searching for and printing the truth. "Not exactly -- just that we wouldn't tell the whole truth. I mean, I already know things about you..." no, she realised, and corrected herself, "about Superman, I mean, which I haven't printed." Clark noticed her correction, and his heart lifted. She was beginning to see the distinction between himself and the Man of Steel at last -- and she realised that he, Clark, was the real person. He smiled warmly at her, his eyes thanking her. "You do, of course. And... I guess, from what you've just said, that you're not going to." Lois shook her head. "I think I'd almost decided not to write the story about you being Superman even before we had this talk, Clark. I guess... well, I think I was coming to realise that maybe there was a greater good to protect, something more important than the people's right to know. And now that I understand you a little more, I know it would be wrong to print it." Clark leaned forward and gripped her hand with his, squeezing briefly. Their eyes met again, and the warmth and gratitude in his surprised her. Suddenly, for the first time since she had worked out that Clark Kent and Superman were one and the same, her heart as well as her mind recognised the man in front of her as both the Super-hero and her Planet partner. The attraction she had felt for Superman began to grow within her again, and something was compelling her to lean forward further, to press her lips to his, to beg him to take her in his arms.... Abruptly she broke the eye contact, taking a long sip of her Coke in order to moisten her suddenly dry mouth. In a deliberate attempt to break the intimacy of the mood, she spoke crisply. "But don't assume, Clark Kent, that that means I'm going to ignore who you are! You've got a lot of abilities which would really put us ahead of the competition, you know." Clark was disappointed when she pulled away from him; he had felt that in that brief moment when their hands were clasped and they were gazing into each other's eyes there had been a silent declaration of friendship... and perhaps something more. But he accepted her lead, and smiled at her again. "You want me to cheat to get the story?" he teased, then added as another thought occurred to him, "Does that mean you want to carry on partnering me? I thought I was just a hack from Nowheresville!" Lois flushed slightly; she was well aware that her initial summing up of Clark Kent had been mistaken. Quite apart from his Super identity, he was far more intelligent, and a better reporter, than she had given him credit for. Sure, he was relatively inexperienced still, and lacked a harder edge to his work, but that could be taught. He had a quick brain and was good at putting complicated pieces together; he was also very adept at getting interviewees to talk. There was just something about him: that quiet, confiding manner, that sympathetic tone of voice, his good looks and charming smile; it encouraged people to open up. Yes, even without the added advantages of his Super-powers, she might well have been persuaded to keep him as a partner. She threw him a challenging stare. "Just remember you're the junior partner, Kent, okay?" *************** Later that evening, Lois sat at the table in her apartment, her lap-top computer open in front of her, adding to the file she'd started on Superman -- no, Clark, she reminded herself. Just because she'd promised him she wouldn't write the story didn't mean that she couldn't continue to compile notes for her own benefit! She felt chagrined that shortly after he had teased her about her reference to him as a 'hack from Nowheresville,' he had been called away on an emergency. One minute he had been about to offer her another drink, then the next he was staring off into the distance somewhere, before turning back to her and saying abruptly, "I'm sorry, Lois -- I have to go. Someone's in trouble." He had escorted her to the door first, still the gentleman, before closing it behind her; immediately afterwards she had heard a rushing sound, then a sonic boom from just behind the apartment building. Okay, she supposed that he had to go and help if someone needed him, but she wished that she'd just managed to ask a few more questions first! For instance, she still had no idea when he'd actually arrived on Earth. At first, she had assumed that Superman had only just arrived; then once she'd realised that Superman and Clark were the same person, she had wondered whether Superman had been on Earth for longer than anyone suspected, but in disguise. The way Clark had talked, of always having been Clark, of having created Superman so that he could continue to have a normal life... all that seemed to suggest that he was no recent arrival. And he had on other occasions talked about growing up in Smallville, with the Kents. So that question remained to be answered, as did the question of what he was doing on Earth anyway. He was from Krypton -- where *was* Krypton, anyway -- so why was he here? Was he the only Kryptonian on Earth? And what else could he do? She knew, so far, that he was strong, that he seemed to be invulnerable, that he had super-hearing -- and also apparently could see through things. *And* he could fly. What other fantastic powers did he possess? Could he read minds? Presumably not, since he hadn't known she was aware of his secret. And what were his intentions? Okay, he had put up a reasonably convincing argument that *Clark,* rather than Superman, was the real person; but why would a powerful Super-hero want to live his life as an averagely-paid reporter? Living in a loft apartment in a crummy part of town? If Superman wanted, he could be as rich as... as Lex Luthor! But then... she reconsidered that thought based on her knowledge of him so far. Superman only seemed to be interested in helping people, and in doing good. If he was corruptible, he hadn't shown it so far. He had, after all, turned down all the offers Murray Brown had thrown his way, until he'd seen that agreeing to the deal presented him with an opportunity both to control what merchandising was done and where the money went. And... Clark didn't seem to be particularly interested in material things. He lived the way he could afford. No short-cuts to fast riches as Clark Kent either, although if he chose to, by using his powers in secret, he could certainly make a much more comfortable life for himself. So was Superman really content living as Clark Kent, ex-farm boy, reporter? It seemed so. So many questions, she thought; but would Clark answer them? He knew now that she wasn't going to expose him, so he had no reason not to. And he must realise the favour she had done him by offering to use their temporary partnership to control what got written about Superman. He owed her, for heaven's sake! She sat back in her chair, mulling over what she now knew about Clark Kent/Superman. He was still an enigma in so many ways; so many of the conclusions she had jumped to after learning his secret were being challenged. Remembering the story they had worked on together, she frowned suddenly. It was no wonder Clark had been so sympathetic to Alan Morris's predicament. What was it the man had said? 'I became so invisible in my own life...' Clark had told her that *he* felt invisible, that since he had invented Superman he had felt as if he, the *real* Clark, was being submerged under the hero-worship of his own creation. Her thoughts drifted back to that moment at the Planet, his expression when she had taunted him with her assertion that there was no such thing as an invisible man. She hadn't understood his reference to himself then, not until he had taken her to his home and explained it. But now she wondered whether he had also been making a more personal point, aimed at her. Was he also suggesting that her own behaviour, her automatic assumption that Clark, not Superman, was the disguise, had hurt him? That in her focus on the Super-hero, he felt that she had been overlooking the man? Acting as if he didn't really exist? She grimaced. It would make sense, she thought. And he had been very pointed in asking her to call him Clark. The thing was, the story had been Superman.... She stopped abruptly. The story! Had Clark been trying to suggest, in some subtle way, that she seemed to be forgetting that he was a person, not just a story? It was possible, she supposed. And he *was* a person, a... well, okay, a Kryptonian if not a human; he was certainly someone with feelings. Perhaps it was time she tried to get to know him as a person, not just a story. *************** "Clark, what do you mean, someone knows you're Superman?" Jonathan Kent's agitation was clear as he faced his son across the kitchen table in the family farmhouse. "She knows, Dad!" Clark tried to explain. "She...?" Martha enquired, excited despite her anxiety. "Is this Lois?" "Yeah," Clark confirmed. "She -- " "Lois knows you're Superman? Does that mean you're... dating?" "Martha!" Jonathan interrupted his wife. "This is serious -- our boy could be in trouble!" He turned back to Clark. "But how did she find out? We thought your disguise was pretty good." Clark shrugged helplessly. "It wasn't the disguise, Dad, it was me. She says she saw me change from Clark into Superman. But I couldn't help it -- she'd just been pushed out of a plane and I had to go after her, and I didn't have time to find somewhere safe to change." Jonathan heaved an anxious sigh. "What are you going to do, Clark?" He returned his parents' stares, deep in thought and more worried than he was daring to admit. "I'm not sure. She says she isn't going to tell anyone, and I think I believe her. Oh, I know she's a reporter -- well, I am too -- but she says I can trust her." He sighed heavily. "I don't know. I hope I can... but everything I've heard about Lois tells me that she's entirely motivated by her desire to get the story and be the best. And this one would be a major scoop." "Apart from whether or not she writes the story, how do you feel about her knowing, Clark?" Martha asked her son, her voice soft, concerned. "I don't know, Mom," Clark replied honestly. "There was something about Lois which drew me to her the second I met her, but... well, Lois is... unpredictable. She's dedicated to herjob. From what I can see, she doesn't seem to have much of a personal life, and other people at the Planet told me she doesn't seem to date. Her last boyfriend was... oh, three or four years ago. I don't know whether she has many friends outside work either. She's close to Perry -- Jimmy told me he's a bit like a father-figure to her. And she seems to like Jimmy, sort of. But she's a workaholic who doesn't seem to be very good at personal relationships..." "Poor girl," Martha interrupted. "She must have had a very unhappy childhood, Clark." Clark frowned, surprised at his mother's analysis of Lois's personality. Could she be right? Could that explain the hard shell Lois seemed to have constructed around her, her reluctance to allow herself to care about anyone or anything? Though that wasn't strictly true, he reflected thoughtfully. She did seem to have some interest in Superman which went beyond 'the story,' or a desire to find out about the man under the Suit. It was hard to recognise sometimes, but it was as if she had a crush on him... which only seemed to manifest itself when he was in the Suit, not when he was Clark Kent. Was she disappointed now that she knew Superman was really Clark Kent? "Maybe," he replied with a shrug. "I don't actually know that much about her, Mom. She's a very private person. But like I said, I hope I can trust her. She sounded as if she meant it, when we talked earlier. And I think it might actually help to have someone else around who knows -- I mean, the day before yesterday she created a diversion to let me get away and save someone...." He trailed off, realising that he was really not sure how he felt about Lois's knowledge. It did feel as if she held a lot of power over him now, and he didn't think he liked that one bit. Sure, he did feel a little better now that she had given him her word that she wasn't going to use the information. But since he was still trying to figure Lois Lane out it wasn't altogether comfortable knowing that she knew so much about him. Her initial behaviour once she'd told him that she knew hadn't been reassuring, either: her insistence on believing that Superman, not Clark, was the real person and her assumption that he would make use of his powers in ways he certainly considered to be unethical. As he flew home later, he resolved to be extremely wary around Ms Lois Lane for the foreseeable future. Just because he had fallen in love with her the instant he saw her, he mused gloomily, didn't necessarily mean that she could be trusted. He'd do well to try to keep her at arm's length. **************** A little over a week la