Strangers and Friends  
By The Hawk and The Wolf
Lote <kestrel@pacific.net.sg> and
Jon Wolff <jon.wolff@juno.com> 
Rated: PG
Submitted: March 2003


Chapter 1 - The Stranger


==========================
September 1959
Alternate Universe
Boston, MA., U.S.A.  
==========================

The cool autumn breeze was helping the trees shed their 
summer leaves, which by now were bedecked in the orange and 
browns of the waning summer.  It was especially cold that 
evening, even for autumn.  But that was the way Boston's 
weather worked.  Someone mentioned that you just have to 
wait for a few minutes for the weather to turn around 
suddenly.  

A lone figure walked quietly along the river front street, 
glancing up occasionally at the setting sun.  She shivered 
a little from the cold wind, not having properly dressed 
for the sudden drop in temperature.  The only thing she had 
on which helped protect her from the cold was her scarf 
which she tied around her head.  She stopped and sighed 
again as she watched the sun dip between the buildings and 
homes along the river.  

It was at this time of the day, at sunset, that she felt 
the loneliest.  Lois was far from her native home of 
England and felt like an outsider here.  She had tried to 
fit in, but her peers at the University did not understand 
her desire to break into a career that was almost 
exclusively populated by men.  It had kept her apart, not 
only from the others in her journalism classes, but also 
from her family.  Neither her mother nor her father 
understood her choice of careers.  Even her best friend 
warned her of the problems of choosing a career dominated 
by men.  

In response, she had erected many emotional barriers, 
keeping her apart from others at the university.  Tonight 
she would spend another evening alone.  She had gotten to 
the point that even when she wanted to break through and 
reach out to others, she found that her self-imposed walls 
were far too high to climb.

The only exception seemed to be with the one friend that 
she never met in person -- her pen pal, CJ.  Lois was still 
amazed at her relationship with CJ.  She never meant to 
develop such a close relationship with him.  But somehow he 
had gradually become the person with whom she shared her 
deepest thoughts and feelings.  She would tell him things 
that she shared with no one else, not even her sister.  It 
had started innocently enough.  She had been part of a 
correspondence club of people from around the world who 
were all fans of her favorite series of romance adventure 
novels.  The Dakota Smith novels had the combination of 
adventure and romance that appealed to her.  Even after the 
author had retired and the series had ended, fans from 
around the world had continued to publish newsletters, 
exchanging ideas and stories about the series and its two 
main characters.  She related to the main female character 
of the series somehow.  The character was strong, 
independent, and smart, but with a sense of isolation.  She 
only felt at home when on some adventure with her secret 
love, Dakota Smith.  

The members of the club would never meet, only 
corresponding by mail and newsletters.  Her friends from 
England, Labette and Wendy, had been faithfully publishing 
the newsletter for the past 6 years.  In her secret life, 
with her fellow fans, she was free to express what was 
truly in her soul.  Her dreams, her desires, her passions. 

Only there, anonymously, did she peak over the barriers 
that she herself had erected.  But, still there was always 
the fear if people would see the true Lois, that they would 
think she wasn't good enough, that somehow she was 
inadequate, and they would be disappointed.  So she 
remained the tough, intractable Lois Lane, never showing 
her vulnerability to the world.

Then she got her first letter from CJ.  He had written a 
letter commenting on a short story she wrote for the "Fans 
of Dakota Smith" (FoDS) newsletter.  Usually the comments 
she got from her stories were either compliments or urgings 
to write more.  But CJ had actually pointed out areas where 
she could improve her story, writing suggestion 
modifications.  She was quite indignant at the time.  How 
dare he!  She was the professional writer (well, aspiring 
professional), not him.  She wrote back, letting him know 
that she didn't ask for a "beta reader" of her writings, 
thank you very much.

After she shot off her hastily written letter to the return 
P.O. Box on the return address, she reread CJ's letter.  
Begrudgingly she had to admit that some of his suggestions 
had some small merit.  Well, actually, reading the letter 
for the third time, she had to admit that some of 
suggestions were very good.  Insightful, in fact.  She 
wrote a letter the very next day, apologizing, and 
admitting that maybe she had been a little hasty in her 
first letter.

The next week she received a second letter from CJ.  The 
very first paragraph immediately teased her about her first 
incensed letter, and her quick retraction in the second 
letter.  He quickly amended his teasing by telling her that 
he believed her writing to be of professional caliber, and 
started to point out all the parts of her writings which he 
liked.

For some reason, which she could not fathom at the time, 
she wrote back to him again.  This time she picked up on 
the teasing demeanor of his letter, and teased him back on 
his perceptive compliments of her clearly superior work.  
She even did her best to draw in a little face with a 
mischievous smile after her comments.

From there the letters between her and CJ become a regular 
occurrence.  It turned out the CJ was something of a world 
traveler.  Her letters from CJ would come from places all 
over the world.  Somehow he would arrange for his mail to 
be forwarded from his P.O. Box in Kansas.  With each letter 
they would share more and more of each other's lives, 
thoughts, and feelings.  Soon Lois found herself running to 
her postal box everyday in hope of another letter from CJ.  
Somehow, against all reason, a man that she had never met 
face to face, had become her dear friend.     

It turned out that CJ was something of a writer himself, 
supporting himself by writing freelance news stories for 
the wire services.  He would send her clippings of some of 
his work from time to time.  The stories never had a name 
in his byline, merely "AP Correspondence".  When questioned 
about this, CJ merely wrote that it was easier for him to 
get stories if his name wasn't known.  And what stories 
they were.  Tales of international criminals being exposed, 
injustices committed by immoral governments, even a couple 
of exclusive interviews with Superman after the Man of 
Steel had completed one of his trademark spectacular 
rescues.

Now in her final year of school, she reflected on where her 
relationship with CJ would go from here.  By mutual 
agreement, they never exchanged last names; they were just 
Lois and CJ.  What would CJ say if she wrote that she 
wanted to take the next step, and meet each other face to 
face.  Her old fear was that if she was seen in the light 
of day, he would find her lacking.  She didn't think that 
she was beautiful, well not the kind of classic beauty that 
men go for.  Her features were too strong for that.  And 
her forceful personality didn't help either.  She didn't 
delude herself in thinking that she was perfect, and in 
fact thought the opposite of it.  Besides her passion for 
journalism, she thought that she had nothing else going for 
her.

Of course, part of her knew that the man who had been 
writing to her these last few years would insist that she 
wasn't inadequate.  He would always complement her and let 
her know that she was special.  But she knew that he only 
said those things because they had never met.  If they had 
met in real life first, they could never have been friends.  
She sometimes wondered what he was like in real life.  He 
often spoke of life with a passion that she was not used 
to, and she would read the narratives of his experiences as 
he traveled around the world.  In their letters, they would 
often tease each other mercilessly and then within the same 
letter write of serious things, such as life, God, love, 
the universe.She often wondered what he was like in real 
life?  Was he really the confidante that she had come to 
depend on?

Looking back, he was the one person she had kept connected 
to in the world.  The one who always encouraged her in the 
pursuit of her dream to be a journalist.  That was unique 
especially in her world where friends would tell her that 
journalism was too competitive for a woman.  He was the one 
person who encouraged her to believe in her dream and to 
persevere even if the whole world seemed to be against her.  
She took strength from his encouragement and shelter in 
their correspondence.  Would she be disappointed if they 
were to meet, just as she feared that he would be 
disappointed meeting her?  Lois shook her head for she knew 
the answer to that.  She could never be disappointed at 
meeting CJ.  How could she when at times it seemed that he 
was the only person that kept her sane.

But now she hadn't heard from him in over a week, since he 
said he had some business to attend to with the government.  
She missed him, the regular, almost daily letters from him.  
She imagined that he might sneak a surprise and try to meet 
her.then she shook her head.  It felt good to imagine him 
doing it, but she doubted he would.  He wouldn't do such a 
sneaky thing to her and besides neither of them had ever 
met before.  That made her wonder if she would know him if 
he passed by her on the street someday.  She ruefully 
thought that if they did meet, he would be the one who was 
disappointed.  

She suddenly realized that she had been brooding by the 
river too long, and it had grown dark.  She usually did not 
like to walk alone in the darkened streets of the city, but 
now she had to finish her journey by street light.  She 
needed to get to store or she wouldn't be eating tonight.  
`I guess I worry too much, the store is just around the 
corner, and this is a pretty safe neighborhood.'  She 
continued her walk toward the store, looking over her 
shoulder every so often.  

Two blocks from her destination, she turned once again to 
look behind her.  As she faced forward again, she suddenly 
ran into a man standing in her path.  He was too old to be 
a student and looked to be a little on the drunk side.  
With him were two companions who looked equally inebriated.  
The man she bumped into yelled at her, "Hey! Watch where 
you're goink,. gominig,. um, walking." 

"I'm so sorry," she replied.  She really didn't want to 
deal with these men, so she quickly started walking toward 
the store again.  Before she could get past the men, one of 
them grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face 
them again.  "Where are you going honey?  Maybe we want to 
say hello and talk for a while." 

Lois was now starting to panic a little.  All three of 
these men were large, and her rudimentary self defense 
training would be no match for all three of them.  The man 
she had collided with pulled her closer.  "Now what's this 
scarf for?  You need to take this off for us to get a good 
look at you, baby." 

The man holding her reached up and yanked her scarf off her 
head, revealing her short, dark hair.  She tried to scream, 
but one of the other men had come up next to her and 
clasped his hand over her mouth.  "Now that's not very 
friendly.  We just want to play for a while.  Don't you 
want to play with us?" 

Her eyes were wide with anger and fear by now.  She 
couldn't believe that these men were attacking her here, 
this close to the University.  Her mind frantically 
searched for a way to escape the men holding her.  She 
struck her foot out and struck the man holding her in the 
shin.  He howled in pain and backed away a couple of steps.  
Seeing her opening, Lois made a move to run away from the 
men.  

But the man she had kicked was too fast for her and he was 
able to grab her before she got away.  She was struggling 
and planning her next move when she heard a sound behind 
her attackers.  She hoped that it was someone coming to her 
aid.  A policeman or maybe even that hero, Superman.  But 
after a moment she recognized the sound as that of a single 
set of footsteps moving closer to her and her attackers.  
The men seemed to be oblivious to the soft noise.  As she 
looked around for the source of the footsteps, the men 
started dragging her to a darkened corner of the street.  
"Time to play," the man holding her arm sneered.  

Just as he started to lean in closer to her, an arm 
appeared out of the darkness and grabbed the man by the arm 
and spun him around.  The attacker was shoved back against 
the other two men by a man who had appeared out of the 
darkness.  

Lois got a good look at the stranger who had come to her 
rescue.  He was tall, with dark hair.  He wore jeans and a 
plain black leather jacket.  As he came into the light, she 
could see a look of controlled fury in his dark brown eyes.  
His face was strong, with a two-day growth of stubble, 
which added to his menacing look.  Even through the leather 
jacket she could tell he was strongly built and he had an 
imposing demeanor.  He faced the trio and growled, "I 
believe this young lady would like her scarf back." The 
voice was low, with a tone that matched his eyes.  Lois now 
forgotten, the men turned to face the stranger.

The first man shouted an expletive at the stranger, and 
launched at him in an attack.  The stranger, with a minimal 
of movement sidestepped his opponent, struck him squarely 
in the solar plexus with his fist, causing the attacker to 
double over.  He then brought the edge of his hand down on 
the on the base of the attacker's neck, knocking him the 
ground unconscious.  By this time, Lois had forgotten the 
cold and paid rapt attention to the movements of her 
rescuer.  Though not a fan of violence, she couldn't help 
but admire the ease with which he had dealt with the 
attacker.  

The second attacker was now upon the stranger and tried to 
punch him in the face.  Lois could have sworn the man 
actually connected with the stranger's jaw, but seeing the 
stranger unfazed, thought that the blow must have missed.  
Without pausing the stranger snapped his arm up, and struck 
his attacker in the nose with the back of his fist.  His 
assailant crumpled to the ground.  The stranger then turned 
on the third man.  The third man looked into the eyes of 
the stranger, frozen in fear.  After a few seconds the 
attacker turned and ran off into the darkness.  

Lois could see the stranger was now standing still, trying 
to compose himself.  After looking up at the sky for a 
moment and sighing, he turned to her and asked, "Are you 
all right Miss?"  His tone was still low, but now much less 
menacing.  All she could do was nod her head.  

The stranger looked around the ground, then went over to 
pick something up.  He seemed to pause and study the object 
in his hands for a moment -- it was her scarf.  He walked 
up to Lois, holding her scarf out to her and said, "I 
believe this is yours."  She instinctively backed away from 
him, still unsure what to think of him.  

He winced at her instinctive retreat before schooling his 
face to project a calming demeanor.  "Don't worry, you 
don't have to be afraid of me.  I know that I must have 
looked a little scary to you for a moment, but I didn't 
have time to deal with those men any other way.  I'm sorry 
if I frightened you."  

She didn't know what to think at this point.  The stranger 
didn't appear to want to hurt her, yet he had just easily 
defeated three large men with a minimal of effort.  Did she 
have the right to be scared?  She looked up into his eyes 
and saw that the fury was gone.  Now only gentle, brown 
eyes looked down at her.  She even saw a hint of 
apprehension in his face.  `What did he have to be 
apprehensive of?' she thought.  

"Sorry," she said.  "It was just a reflex.  I guess I'm 
still a little jumpy." 

She reached out her hand and accepted the scarf from him.  
She inspected it and decided that it was completely ruined.  
She was heartbroken -- the scarf had been a present from 
CJ.  It was too dirty to put on now.  Having lost her 
motivation to go to the store, she decided to head on home.  
She looked at her rescuer again.  He seemed to be waiting 
for her to say something.  `Oh yes, I probably should thank 
him,' she thought.  

"I guess I should thank you for your help.  I don't know 
what would have happened if you didn't show up."  She 
didn't know what else to say to him, she wasn't use to 
depending on others for help.  The barriers of a lifetime 
were still firmly in place and prevented her from showing 
him the gratitude he deserved.  "I think I better be 
getting home."  She turned to go back to her apartment.  

"Wait!" he said as he ran to catch up with her.  "Why don't 
you let me escort you to your destination, just so you 
aren't nervous about walking in the dark alone?"  She 
looked at him a mildly suspicious expression.  He then 
added, "I assure you, I only have honorable intentions.  I 
only wish to see you get safely to where you are going." 

She couldn't believe it; he hadn't taken the hint and left 
her alone.  He seemed oblivious to her protective barriers.  

"Listen," he said, "it's just that since I rescued you, I 
feel kind of responsible for your safety.  At least for 
tonight.  So actually it would make *me* feel better if you 
let me escort you to your next stop."  She looked at him as 
he spoke, and could see him pleading with her with big 
brown puppy eyes.  `Puppy eyes.Why does that sound 
familiar?  Oh well, I might as well let him have some peace 
of mind.  After all he did save me from those guys.' 

"OK," she said hesitantly.  "Since it seems important to 
you, you can walk me home."  With that, Lois started off in 
the direction of her apartment, her rescuer keeping pace 
besides her.  

"So where were you going?" he asked.  

"Well, I was on my way to the store to get something for 
dinner.  But now, I just want to go home." 

"So how are you going to get dinner then?" 

"I guess it's a bowl of cereal again for me tonight," she 
replied with a small laugh.  

"That doesn't sound appetizing at all.  Hey.how about I 
show you a little caf‚ I know around here.  Five minutes 
walking, tops.  They have great food and since it's really 
more of a lunch hangout, it won't have much in the way of 
customers at this time of night." 

"Thank you, no.  I'm afraid that I'm on a tight budget.  
But that was very kind of you to offer."  Lois was now 
getting afraid.  What did this stranger want from her?  He 
did rescue her, but did he have something else in mind?  It 
couldn't just be because he was being nice.  That wouldn't 
be possible, would it?  

"Then it's my treat."  He had a warm smile on his face now 
making Lois completely baffled.  He wanted to treat her to 
a meal?  She didn't know what to say.  She could feel 
herself running deeper into her inner barriers, hiding away 
from the man next to her.

"I couldn't possibly let you buy me dinner." 

"Because????" 

"Because I hardly know you.  And it would be unfair of me 
to take advantage of your generosity like that."

`There, that should do it,' she thought.  

Still looking straight ahead as they walked, he said, "You 
know I'm not a homicidal maniac.  And I don't kidnap 
unsuspecting college students and sell them into secret 
slave markets.  And the restaurant is a fairly public 
place.  I happened to have made an extra bonus at work this 
week, so I have plenty of money.  So the only reason that 
you can't go with me to dinner is that you don't like me." 

She could see the teasing grin on his face.  Again she was 
astounded.  He just met her and he was actually teasing 
her.  She could see in his face the twinkle in his eyes as 
he spoke to her.  This was the kind of exchange she had in 
her letters, but never face to face.  She was so amazed 
that all she could say was, "I didn't say that I didn't 
like you.  I really don't know you enough to say if I do." 

"If you do what?" 

"Um. like you." 

"So maybe you could like me, despite the fact that I could 
be a maniac." 

"Hey!  I never said you were a maniac!" 

"So you can't possibly be afraid to go to dinner with me 
then, right?" 

"Of course not!" 

"OK then, this way."  He pointed her towards another street 
and he led her down to the riverfront.  

`Wait a minute,' she thought.  `What just happened?  How 
did I agree to dinner?  Oh my.I just agreed to go to dinner 
with a complete stranger!  How did he trick me into doing 
that?'  She tried to retrace the steps that led her to 
agreeing to have dinner with him.  When she got down to it, 
she realized he did it by being nice and by kidding around 
with her.  Just like a friend would.  CJ would sometimes do 
things like that to her, but no one she met face to face 
had ever done that to her.  How did it happen?  

She shook off the suspicion that he could be a stalker.  
Granted that he had mentioned about her being a college 
student but that could be just a good deduction on his 
part, he seemed to be very intuitive.  Besides, stalkers 
didn't rescue their victims and offer to treat them to 
dinner.  Perhaps he was just a very kind and friendly 
person, if not a little playful given the way he maneuvered 
her into accepting his invitation.  

True to his word, within five minutes they were standing in 
front of a small Italian caf‚.  He opened the door for her 
and she entered in front of him.  The inside of the caf‚ 
was small, but nice.  A jukebox in the corner played soft 
music and each of the tables was lit by a single candle.  
The proprietor greeted them and showed them to a table in 
the back.  The stranger pulled out the chair for her and 
helped her get seated.  After removing his jacket and 
putting it over the back of his chair, he seated himself 
too.  

She couldn't believe that she was actually here.  Who was 
this man?  She didn't even know his name.  How could she 
relax?  Why was he really here with her?  It couldn't be 
only because he wanted her company.  If that was all, he 
would be soon disappointed.  

"Clark," he said, breaking into her thoughts.  

"What??" 

"My name is Clark." 

"Just Clark?" 

"Well I hate to think I'm `just' anything, but yes I do 
have a last name."  His gave her a little grin which made 
her forgot her question for a moment.  "So what is yours, 
Miss?" 

"Lois," she said back to him.  

"Just Lois?" 

She thought about how to answer him.  Perhaps it would be 
better for him not to know too much about her.  "For now, 
just Lois."  



"Well, you see, we already have something in common, we 
never give out last names to people we've just met.  We'll 
probably be old friends by dessert."  His mischievous grin 
showed again on his face as he handed her one of the menus.  
"By the way, you are not allowed to look at the prices of 
anything on the menu.  It's an American tradition that a 
guest never looks at the prices on the menu." 

Lois gave him another suspicious look.  "There is no such 
tradition.  I didn't just fall off the boat you know."  She 
was surprised to realize that she was smiling a little as 
she made that comment.  "And just why would you think I 
wouldn't know American traditions, maybe I was born here." 

"I didn't say you just fell off the boat.  Besides you 
probably flew here.  And it's your accent that gave you 
away.  It's subtle, but I can tell you're not from around 
here.  Hmmm..  I would guess. somewhere in England, 
probably London.  And as far as the tradition.well if it 
isn't one, then I'm starting it tonight." 

"Actually I'm from a little town south of London," she 
said, a little amazed.  "That was a pretty good guess."  
She was right; he was very intuitive.  Then after a beat 
she added, "And you are not allowed to start your own 
traditions.  Traditions are things that are started by. um. 
well you just can't do it!" 

"Is it that the rule?" 

"Yes it is," she said with a satisfied look on her face.  
"That's it exactly." 

"Doesn't matter to me, I was never very good with following 
rules anyway.  So the new tradition stands, now look at 
your menu so we can order before breakfast time."  He 
follow suit to his words and picked up his own menu and 
began to examine it.  

"Humph.  Just for your information, you didn't win our 
argument."  She was grinning now as she picked up own menu.

From behind his menu she heard him say, "So that's what we 
were doing?  Does that mean we have to make up later?"  
Lois looked over her menu with a shocked looked on her 
face.  Before she could say anything, he held up his hand 
and said, "I'm just kidding.  Sorry.  Now pick what you 
want to eat."  He had such mirth in his eyes that she 
couldn't really be mad at him.  Shaking her head she looked 
at the selections on the menu.  

After a while, the waiter took their order and they were 
left alone at the table again.  The uneasy feeling was 
coming back, and she knew that the barriers were beginning 
to move in front of her.  

"So how about them Red Sox?" he suddenly asked.  

"Huh?" 

"You know Red Sox.  Baseball.  The season is coming to a 
close.  I'm trying to start a conversation.  Feel free to 
jump in whenever you're ready." 

"Oh, sorry.  I don't know much about baseball." 

"Then talk about something you like.  Anything will do.  I 
happen to be very versatile myself, so any topic that 
tickles your fancy will suit me.  Here, let me get you 
started.  What's your favorite color?" 

"My favorite color?" 

"Yes, your favorite color.  And if you don't answer quick 
enough I'm going to. hog all the breadsticks." 

She said, "Blue".  And then quickly grabbed one of the 
breadsticks out of the basket in front of her.  

"Hmmm. good reflexes.  I better watch out for you."  His 
mischievous grin was infecting her, and she felt herself 
begin to relax.  

"Favorite movie?" he asked.  



"Oh, let me see.  Too many, really.  How about `Robin 
Hood'?" 

"Really?  Interesting. a fan of adventure and romance.  
Favorite popular singer?" 

"That's easy, Frank Sinatra." 

"Now that really interesting.  A girl from England is a 
Sinatra fan.  Well you can't go wrong with him.  Let me 
see.favorite time of the day?" 

"Sunset." 

"I should have guessed.  Let me see.what else?  Oh yes.  
Favorite flavor of ice cream?" 

"What?" 

"Hey this is very important.  It's an indicator of your 
true personality.  So answer this very carefully." 

She was almost scared to answer.  "Chocolate?" 

"Was that a statement, or a question?  You know there's no 
right answer.  Only the answer that's right for you." 

"I'm sorry.  I guess it was a statement." 

"Good, so what does that say about you?"  He appeared to 
think about it for a moment rubbing the stubble on his chin 
thoughtfully.  "So you like chocolate ice cream and your 
favorite color is blue.  That means you want to enjoy the 
richness of life, but prefer simplicity.  You want to be 
adventurous and deep down, you're a closet romantic.  You 
probably would gravitate to books that combine romance with 
adventure.  You're shy, though inside you can be quite 
articulate, so you probably like to write.  Also, you are 
probably a student, and studying something in the writing 
arts.  And in your eyes, I see that sometimes you are very 
sad because you here alone, away from your family, and feel 
isolated." 

She was flabbergasted.  How could he have guessed that from 
those few simple questions?  It was astounding.  She was 
starting to feel a panic build inside her again.  She heard 
something from his side of the table and realized that he 
had just asked her a question, but hadn't really heard him.  
"I'm sorry, what did you ask me?" 

"I said, how did I do?  Was I close?" 

"I.you were.it was.how did you do that?" 

He lost his playful expression and started to look 
concerned.  "I'm sorry," he said softly.  "Did I do 
something that bothered you?" 


"No!  Well, maybe a little.  I'm sorry but I just not used 
to doing this." 

"Doing what?  Talking to someone?" 

"Yes, no, I mean.I mean I usually only express personal 
feelings in my writing.  This is different for me to talk 
like this, so openly, face to face with someone." 

"Well I could arrange to sit at another table with my back 
to you, and we could exchange notes all evening." 

That made her laugh.  She looked at him through her 
eyelashes and said, "No, I don't think that will be 
necessary."  He was such a paradox.  He came to her rescue 
like an avenging angel.  She saw no fear in his face during 
the fight, only contained fury.  Now the fury was gone, 
replaced by the gentle, teasing man in front of her.  And 
he seemed to be enjoying her company.  Without her 
noticing, a couple of her carefully erected barriers had 
crumbled away inside of her.  

"Wait here a second," he told her.  He got up from the 
table and deposited several nickels into the machine.  
After punching a few buttons, he returned to the table.  
Just as he sat down, she could hear the voice of Frank 
Sinatra coming from the jukebox singing `Fly Me to the 
Moon'.  She rewarded his sweet gesture with a grin.

Looking at him smiling back at her she thought, `Damn, a 
smile like that should be illegal.' 

"So tell me about your studies," he said, interrupting her 
thoughts.  "Was I right about guessing that you are 
enrolled some kind of writing program." 

"Oh, you don't want to hear about that, it'll bore you to 
death," she said.  


"No really, tell me.  I have very diverse interests." 

"Are you're sure?" 

"You know, you really don't have to question everything I 
ask you.  If I promise only to be honest with you, would 
that make you fell better?" 

"O.K., I'm sor."  Before she could finish he held up his 
hand and said, "If you apologize to me one more time, 
you're not getting any dessert.  And I happen to know that 
it's chocolate." 

"No!" she said in mock horror.  "Anything but that.  Very 
well, I agree to your terms you evil man".

A couple of more barriers fell within her as she laughed 
with him.  

For the next 15 minutes she went though the work she was 
doing at the University and her dreams of becoming an 
international journalist.  Surprisingly he was genuinely 
interested in what she said, and did not even question her 
choice of careers.  They were so engrossed in their 
discussion, that they barely registered the fact that the 
waiter had put their food and beverages in front of them.  

They both ate their food slowly, taking frequent breaks to 
talk about the things that interested them.  Two hours 
later they were picking at the remains of a piece of 
Chocolate cake, and in middle of a lively discussion.  

"So let me get this straight," he said.  "A bunch of people 
from around the world write their own stories based on this 
series of novels.  Novels which haven't been published in 
over four years.  And you all write to each other and 
exchange these stories.  And you even have a contest of 
sorts every year by mail?" 



Lois looked at him indignantly and replied, "Yes.  What's 
wrong with that?  It's a lot of fun, and some of my best 
friends are part of this group.  Do you have a problem with 
that?" 

"No no no, not me, I was just curious."  His tone was 
purposely a little sarcastic and Lois knew it.  

"Don't give me that `I'll just humor her' tone.  You just 
don't know what you're missing.  Just for that I get the 
rest of the cake."  She then grabbed the plate between them 
and pulled it close to her.  

He looked at her was a grin that bordered on evil.  She was 
having the best time that she had ever had with someone.  
It felt strange and wonderful at the same time.  He never 
made her feel self-conscious and had treated her as an 
equal the whole evening.  She couldn't wait to write CJ 
about what had happened to her.

Why did writing to CJ about tonight suddenly make her feel 
a little guilty?  `Well anyway, he will be pleased that I 
had finally taken his advice about trying to meet someone,' 
she thought to herself with a smile.  `Even if it's 
entirely coincidental and I had no hand in it.' 

Actually, now that she thought about it, it was more like 
she was tricked into taking CJ's advice by the man across 
from her.  Maybe she did worry too much about how people 
reacted at her.  CJ said it was a waste for her to only 
show her `real' self to her pen pals through the mail.  She 
smiled at the thought of him telling her `I told you so'.  

Clark then interrupted her thoughts.  "You know you should 
use that thing more often." 

She looked at him confused.  "What thing?" 

"That smile.  It helps light up the room." 

Now she was embarrassed.  She tried to think of something 
else to change the subject.  "So you never told me if 
you're from around here." 

"Actually, I'm not, I just passing through.  I have to get 
to New York by tomorrow." 

"Really?  It's going to be pretty difficult to get through 
all that traffic tomorrow.  I saw in the newspaper that 
Superman will be making his big announcement about those 
visitors from space.  I heard rumors that he even might be 
going with them for a while to help them out.  It's going 
to be a madhouse trying to get to the city with all the 
reporters there."  She thought about it for a moment and 
then said, "I wish I could get an interview with Superman 
before he had to leave.that is if he was leaving.  Just 
think of the story I could write.  I wonder if he has to 
go, if he's leaving anybody special behind here on Earth?" 

"I think he is," Clark whispered softly.  

"So you really have to go?" she asked him breaking out of 
her reflections.  It just didn't seem fair to her that 
finally she had finally met someone she felt. comfortable 
with, and he had to leave already.  

"I don't have much of a choice.  I made a commitment to 
go.to go back into the service and they're shipping me out 
tomorrow." 

"Do you know when you're coming back?" 

His eyes looked very sad for a moment as he said, "I'm not 
sure." 

Trying to cheer him up a little she said, "Well it sounds 
very exciting.  What exactly will you be doing?" 

"Nothing I can talk about.  Anyway, this was my last free 
night for a long time." 

"And you spent it with me," she said in a soft voice.  

"Sure, I had a great time.  I thought that I was going to 
be alone, but instead I got make a new friend.  And as a 
bonus I got to beat up a couple of idiots.  What more could 
I ask for?" 

She shook her head and laughed at him.  He was really a 
strange one.  But that was all right.  

"I guess I should be escorting you home.  I have a long 
trip ahead of me, and you probably have class tomorrow." 

"I guess so."  She realized that she was sad that the 
evening had to end.  She knew that tonight would always be 
special to her.  She had learned that she didn't have to be 
afraid of people seeing the real Lois.  Even though this 
man was very different from her, and came from a different 
country, they were now friends.  

"So, will you be able to write to anyone where you're 
going?" she asked hopefully.  

"Unfortunately, no.  I'm afraid I'll be out of touch for 
quite some time.  I'm glad that I got to meet you Lois.  I 
hope that. everything works out for you."  She could see 
the sadness in his eyes as he spoke.  She still couldn't 
believe that she had made friends with this man-- that she 
had connected with him like an old friend.  He even seemed 
sad at the prospect of their parting.  

"Time to take you home, Miss."  He got up and retrieved his 
jacket.  They both noticed that they were the last people 
to leave restaurant.  As they exited the restaurant, Lois 
felt the cold wind cut through her clothing.  She hadn't 
brought a jacket, since she didn't realize the adventure 
she would have tonight.  

Suddenly she felt a heavy coat placed over her shoulders.  
She began to protest his gallant gesture.  "I can't take 
your coat, you'll get cold." 

"I'll be fine, the cold really doesn't affect me that much.  
Besides, this is definitely a registered American 
tradition."  She gave him a smile of thanks.  

They walked in relative silence back to her apartment.  He 
walked her to her door and waited for to unlock it and step 
inside the threshold.  As she opened the door, turned to 
him and said, "Lane." 

"Huh?" 

"My name is Lois Lane.  Just in case you get back someday 
and want to find me again." 

"And mine is Kent.  Clark Kent.  Just in case I can get a 
letter to you some day." 

They stood there for a couple of minutes, neither one of 
them knowing what to say next.  Finally Lois broke the 
silence.  "I guess this is goodbye then."  She felt like 
she was losing something precious at this moment.  

"Yes, it is.  Good luck with everything.  But before I go, 
I need to perform one more American tradition.  This one 
has been practiced for centuries by soldiers before they 
are shipped out for duty."  Before she could react, he 
leaned over and softly kissed her on the lips.  He touched 
her gently on the cheek and said, "Goodnight Lois.  Be 
happy".  

With that he turned and walked off into the darkness.  She 
touched her cheek where he had placed his hand, and smiled 
sadly.  She entered the house the rest of the way and 
closed the door.  As she entered her bedroom she realized 
that she still had his coat.  She rushed to the front door 
and looked outside, only to discover that he was nowhere in 
sight.  She went back inside and returned to her bedroom.  

Would he realize that he left it here and come back?  She 
decided to look in his coat pockets to see if she could 
find an ID with an address.  If he didn't come back, she 
could mail it back to him.  

She searched through the outer pockets first, then tried 
the inner pocket, finding an envelope there.  Taking it 
out, she looked at the front for an address.  Instead, she 
saw that it only had her name on the front.  She was 
curious and afraid at the same time.  How had he got this 
in here?  He was with her the whole time and she didn't see 
him write anything.  That would mean that he knew her name 
before she told it to him.  So he must have known her from 
before, but she knew that she never met someone like him, 
she would have remembered that.  She knew that she should 
be apprehensive, but just couldn't generate that feeling 
towards her new friend.  There must be some explanation.  

She held the envelope in her hand, unsure of what to do.  
Curiosity got the better of her and she ripped it open and 
took out the folded piece of paper from the inside.  It was 
a letter addressed to her:
~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Lois,
Since you are reading this, then I know that we have met.  
I was just going to write you and let you know that I would 
be leaving and wouldn't be coming back for a long time.  
But somehow it seemed too impersonal.  You always told me 
that if you ran into me in the street, we would never 
become friends.  I decided to put that to the test.  

If we have become friends again tonight, then you will now 
be in possession of my coat and this letter.  I knew you 
would never agree to meet me, even though you may never 
hear from me again.  So I decided to take on a `secret 
identity' so you wouldn't be self-conscious.  Now you know 
that we could be friends no matter what.  It also proves to 
you that you don't have to stand behind those barriers 
you've erected for yourself.  

Don't be afraid to spread your wings and soar.  You can do 
anything you set your mind to, I can feel it from the words 
you have written to me these past few years.  

This will be my last letter to you for quite some time.  I 
have volunteered for some duty which will isolate me from 
normal society for a long while.  Take care of yourself, 
and don't be afraid to show other people the girl I know 
I'll see tonight.  

As Always, 
Your Friend, 

Clark Jerome Kent
~~~~~~~~~~
She clutched the letter and covered her mouth with her 
hand.  She could feel her eyes glistening with unshed 
tears.  Her friend had broken all the rules to give her a 
last goodbye.  But as he said, he was never very good at 
rules.  He did it to let her know that she was special.  
She smiled as she thought of the gift of friendship she had 
been given this night.  She vowed not waste this gift.  

Carefully she folded the letter and placed it on her desk, 
then took his coat and hung it up in her closet.  After 
performing the mundane tasks of getting ready for bed, she 
lay down under her covers and said a short prayer for his 
safety, wherever he was sent.  

After turning off her light, she looked at the moon, its 
light streaming though her bedroom window.  Thinking again 
about the letter and CJ's -- Clark's -- gift, she decided 
that tomorrow, instead of the sunset, she would watch the 
sunrise and look forward to the new day.  With that final 
thought she drifted peaceably to sleep.  

______________________


Chapter 2 - Lois's Story


===================
October 1959
Alternate Universe
Boston, MA., U.S.A.
=================== 

It had been a month since he left.  The weather had turned 
chilly in Boston and some of the trees were now bald.  From 
the vantage point of her apartment, which overlooked the 
river, Lois could see the sun slowly setting.  The world 
seemed so calm, so peaceful.  So at odds with what she 
felt.

For Clark, her Clark, was far away, and she knew that 
whatever he was facing was neither calm nor peaceful.  Just 
like every other time that she thought about him, she said 
a little prayer for his safe return.  She knew that he said 
that he would be gone a long time, and she accepted the 
fact that there might be a chance that he might never come 
back, but hope sprung eternal within her.  After all, 
Ulysses spent almost twenty years lost in the world, yet he 
overcame great obstacles to return to his wife.

She knew that she wasn't CJ's wife, nor was she even his 
girlfriend.

`Clark, not CJ,' she reminded herself.  It was not easy to 
think of him as Clark instead of CJ, her pen pal of many 
years.  They had a formed a bond, CJ.Clark and her.  Even 
before he had appeared out of nowhere that day to save her 
life, and meet her for the first time, he was one of the 
closest friends she ever had.  With him gone, it was like 
something was missing from her life.

The first week was the worst; after so long of looking 
forward to his almost daily letters, she went into a form 
of withdrawal without any of his letters in her mailbox.  
She started to reread all of his earlier letters to her as 
part of her self-defense against depression.  She 
remembered one he sent her with Tennyson's poem of the 
story of Ulysses.  It was one of his favorite stories he 
wrote.  He sent it to her just before she left England for 
the U.S., in the hope that it would make her look upon her 
trip as an adventure.

What he didn't know was that she too was familiar with that 
story.  With a smile on her face she recalled the letter 
she wrote back, explaining her sometimes obsession of 
ancient societies and cultures.  Their friendship had 
blossomed in part because they had so many things in 
common, almost as many as the differences that they had.

She realized that her mind had wondered off track again.  
If Clark had been there, he would have teased her for 
letting her thoughts ramble on like that.  He could always 
tease her out of any mood that she was in, even though it 
was only through the letters.  They had a special 
relationship, one that neither had asked for when they 
started corresponding, but one that both had cherished.  Or 
so she'd like to think.  It was this bond that she held on 
to this past month.  This bond had helped her keep her 
hopes up that he'd do his best to stay alive and come back 
to her.

The sun had now set, the temperature had fallen even 
further.  Lois shut her window and then turned around to 
head off into the kitchen.  It was time to prepare dinner.  
She brought out the cookbook that adorned her tiny shelf 
above the sink.  It was a birthday gift from CJ.Clark, 
which he sent her after she had written to him describing 
what a disaster she was in the kitchen.  Lois smiled as she 
read the note he had written on the inside of the front 
cover.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lois, 

If you follow these recipes faithfully...(no deviations, no 
substitutions, mind you <grin>) maybe you won't be a total 
disaster in the kitchen.  Someday I'll send you some of my 
own special recipes.  Good luck and have fun trying these.

Your friend,
CJ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later, he did send her three original `CJ specials'.  They 
were so simple to make that she cooked them often.  She 
especially loved his `penne pasta ala CJ'.  She didn't mind 
him teasing her for being a disaster in the kitchen.  At 
least, she could be honest with him.  Most men would have 
been horrified.  After all, they seemed to have this 
impression that every woman was born knowing the inner 
workings of the kitchen.  She hoped that the men of later 
generations would learn not to assume such things.  In that 
sense, Clark was quite forward in his thinking.  He was 
special. one of a kind.  After all, who else had encouraged 
her to pursue her dreams of becoming a journalist.  None.  
Not even those closest to her.  If not for Clark's support, 
she wouldn't have traveled across the Atlantic and worked 
to support herself as she attended classes in journalism.

She made the simple dish and sat down to eat on her own.  
Friends had asked her to join them for dinner, but she had 
declined.  Today, she needed time to herself.  This past 
month, she had become more outgoing and tried her best to 
overcome her barriers.  She knew that she had to so not to 
belittle Clark's efforts in proving to her that she didn't 
need to hide behind her self imposed barriers.  It was not 
easy, of course.  After all those years, the barriers had 
become habitual and instinctive.  Still, putting in the 
effort, she had slowly, but surely, began to lower those 
barriers.  Now she wasn't afraid to go after what she 
wanted.  She attacked her studies with renewed vigor.  She 
joined the campus newspaper and started bringing in real 
stories.  Already one of her stories had exposed a member 
of the book store staff who had been cheating the 
university out of money and there was an offer from the 
Globe for a junior position once she completed her courses 
in December.  

After the story was published, she thought that perhaps the 
men in her journalism classes would start getting defensive 
about a "mere woman" bringing in a story like that.  
Surprisingly, she found that she didn't need be so 
defensive about her dreams of being a journalist.  The guys 
in her class were not really ogres.  Many congratulated her 
on landing her first scoop.  She discovered that it was her 
old defensive attitudes that had put them off in the past.  
Now more open, she had started to make new friends in her 
class.  And she found that the most of the men were decent 
and shared some of her interests.


Unfortunately, none of those guys were Clark.  Without 
realizing it, she seemed to compare each one with Clark, 
and they all came up short.  It was today that she finally 
realized this, so she needed time to think and understand 
how this had happened.  What made her compare all other men 
to Clark?  Why was he constantly on her mind?  Everything 
seemed to remind her of him.  It was not easy for her to 
even read the fan club's newsletter without remembering 
that he was gone.

So where had her introspections led her?  To the 
realization that he had been the something that made her 
life complete, the one thing that had enable her to `soar' 
- to be herself.  With him, there was no need to wear 
masks, and she was free to express herself.  There was 
never any fear that he'd ever reject her because of 
something that they disagreed upon.

And they did disagree upon a lot of things.  A number of 
the letters that she reread were actually heated 
`discussions' on various topics.  That was the way their 
relationship was, and they could agree that is was alright 
to disagree about some things.

A smile crept on her face when she remembered asking him if 
he appreciated her benevolence, allowing him to hold on to 
his obviously wrong opinions from time to time.

But as soon as it came, the smile quickly disappeared.  
Now, not having him around, it was like a part of her was 
gone.  She felt incomplete without him.  She suspected that 
her feelings for Clark had gone beyond mere friendship.  It 
scared her to think that she could feel that way, even for 
Clark.  But at the same time, her feelings to him warmed 
her heart more than anything.anyone else had.  She wished 
she could have made him stay.

But even if she could have prevented him from doing his 
duty, she wouldn't have.  He wouldn't be Clark if he didn't 
feel the tug of duty towards a just cause.  If he didn't 
answer that call, he would not be happy.  Through their 
correspondence, she knew that he had a noble soul.  One 
that wouldn't let others suffer, not when he could do 
something to prevent it.  He'd rather sacrifice himself 
than let another die in his place.

He used to talk passionately of a utopia, a world where 
hate doesn't exist, where strife is a thing forgotten, and 
where truth and justice reigns.  She knew that he couldn't 
refuse when asked to serve. to fight for a just cause.  It 
was the chance for him to try to make this world a better 
place.

The last knight in shining armor, she once teased him.  He 
was a little embarrassed and denied the title.  She then of 
course teased him that maybe he was right since a knight 
wouldn't tease a lady so. In his answering letter, he 
mentioned that it was because he liked her that he teased 
her the way he did, and not worse. Some kind of American 
tradition. She laughed again when she remembered their 
dinner a month ago, where he promptly made up an 'old' 
American tradition about menus. It made him even more 
adorable, just making her lo... No, she couldn't go there 
right now.  

Now, because of his sense of duty, he was off somewhere and 
she had to wait patiently.  And she didn't do the `patient' 
thing well.  She knew that it was one of her weaknesses, 
but the situation had her straining what little patience 
she possessed beyond anything she had ever faced before.  
It was killing her not to know where he was and what he was 
facing.  Still, her sensible self told her that she should 
not let whatever that she imagined affect her hopes.  Only 
God knows when a person will die.  As long as she heard no 
news of him, she would continue to carry a hope that he 
would come back.  She couldn't imagine a life without him, 
her friend who cheered her when she was down, and teased 
her when she got too serious.

Soon, Lois finished her dinner and washed the dishes.  She 
then settled down on the sofa and started to read the 
newspaper, looking over the headlines.  As usual, one of 
the top stories was the speculation on how long Superman 
would be gone to help his people.  Her mind once again 
drifted to thoughts of Clark, as it often did when she was 
alone.  It was ironic that the world lost its hero the same 
time that she lost her personal hero.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts.  She really 
needed to start going out more with friends.  Being alone 
just made her thinking about Clark too often, and it was 
driving her crazy.  Not that she wanted to forget, but 
every time she remembered him, she nearly always cried.  
She hated the fact that he could affect her that way.  She 
had always prided herself for being in control of her 
feelings.  How had he made her lose that control?  She 
suspected she knew that answer, but was unwilling to face 
that answer right now.

`Clark, where are you now?' Lois thought as she gazed out 
of her window into the clear night sky.  The stars were 
twinkling and the moon shining into her bedroom window.  
She wondered if he was out there looking up at the same 
moon and stars.  If he was, was he thinking about her?  Or 
was he too busy staying alive?  Was he hiding from the 
enemy or planning an attack on the enemy's camp?  What was 
he doing and thinking? 

"Stop it, Lois," she snapped aloud.  "Thinking that way is 
getting you nowhere." 

She quickly got up and put the newspaper away.  Maybe some 
music would make her feel better.  She walked over and 
switched on the radio.  As her little radio warmed up, the 
song "Someone To Watch Over Me" began to drift into the 
room.  Lois began to cry softly, remembering that Clark had 
introduced her to that song.  It described Clark so well, 
for he had truly become that someone who had watched over 
her.  Which was probably why she felt so lost without her 
guardian angel.

`Lois, you're hopeless.  Clark wouldn't want you to cry 
like this.  He wanted you to be out there, trying to 
experience life to the fullest.  Just like he did, through 
all his travels,' the sensible part of her scolded.

`I know.  I know.  Don't you think I want to stop being 
such a crybaby?  It's definitely not like me to cry at 
anything.  What ever happened to `Mad Dog Lane'?  I didn't 
cry when my parents divorced.  I didn't cry when my father 
didn't even remember my birthdays, or when my mom beat me 
up when she became drunk.  So why am I crying now?  So just 
go away and leave me alone.' 

`Lois, he'll come back one day.  Meanwhile, you have to get 
on with life.' 

`Of course, I'm getting on with life.  I've made some new 
friends, haven't I?  I'm still working hard for my classes 
and making time to go out and experience new things.  What 
else do you want me to do?' Lois asked, frustrated at 
herself.

`Accept that there is nothing your worries can do to change 
anything.  If you and Clark are meant to be together, 
you'll meet once again.  Until then, you have to prepare 
yourself for what lies ahead.' 

Lois sighed.  She knew what her sensible self said was 
right.  Even though it was a difficult thing to do.  But 
nothing good comes easily.  `This relationship has taught 
me and is still teaching me a lot.'

`You better be worth it Clark,' Lois said softly to 
herself.

Lois walked to the bedroom and prepared for bed.  As she 
lay down beneath the covers, she said her nightly prayer 
for Clark.  Now it was time to sleep, so that another day 
would come. another day closer to the day when Clark would 
return.  As she started to fall asleep, she once again 
remembered his goodbye that night a month ago.  She could 
feel his lips on hers in that bittersweet kiss.  `Next 
time, I won't be so scared.  Next time I'll tell him .'

But she never finished her thought, as she drifted off the 
sleep.

__________________


Chapter 3 - The Return


======================
September 1960
Alternate Universe
Boston, MA., U.S.A.
====================== 

Autumn had arrived once more.  The red and gold leaves 
decorated the trees and the ground along the riverside.  A 
lone figure sat on a bench underneath one of the trees, 
facing the river unmoving.  Many who passed her by wondered 
if she was real or a lifelike statue.

It was a year ago, today, that he had came to her rescue 
not far from where she sat.  Since then, she hadn't heard 
from him, not even a letter.  In her hand was his final 
letter which he had left in his coat on that fateful night.  
She had read over so many times that she could recite the 
contents in her sleep.  She kept every piece of 
correspondence he ever sent her, but this letter was the 
most precious.  It was a symbol of their friendship.  A 
symbol of hope.  Hope that he would return to her one day.  
She carefully refolded the letter and placed it inside her 
coat pocket.

She had taken his advice and flew like the angel he teased 
her to be.  She had been more open with people taken more 
time to enjoy life, and to pursue her dreams, just as he 
had encouraged her.  Still, through all those times, she 
would wonder where he was, what he was doing.  He was 
always in the back of her mind.  Every time she saw a 
sunset, she would pause to say a prayer for him.  Sunset 
was a time they both enjoyed and written about in their 
letters to each other.  But he taught her to enjoy the 
sunrise too, so she didn't forget to pray for him then 
also.

She never realized how much he meant to her until he was 
gone.  Someone said that you'd only realize how important a 
thing is to you after you no longer have it.  So it was 
with him.  There wasn't anyone to kid around with her 
anymore, or to discuss the serious things in life, the way 
she used to do with him.  There was no one to tease her out 
of her moods, to calm her when she felt frustrated.  The 
new friends she had made had not been able to replace him.

Today, on the first anniversary of their one and only face-
to-face meeting, he was on her mind again.  Hoping against 
hope, she retraced her steps from that night to the river 
front, illogical though it might be to her normally 
practical mind.  But she guessed that some things just defy 
logic.  Feelings are notorious that way.  It was an impulse 
that led her here, to this the bench.  So here she sat, 
replaying the scenes of their meeting over and over again, 
hoping that if she waited long enough for the sun to set, 
he'd appear before her once more.

The sensible side of her tried to wake her up to reality.  
`Lois, you are just wasting your time.  Clark is not going 
to appear.  If he had been able to, he would have written 
long ago.  Don't set yourself up for disappointment.'  
Lois, of course, knew that the sensible part was correct 
and she'd just be disappointed later, but still there was 
another part of her that still dreamt of what could be.  
Clark once sent her a song on a 45 about wishing upon a 
star from some old Walt Disney animation.  He wrote how he 
would wish upon one for her sometimes, relating his 
experience in the desert of Arabia, where he had the 
opportunity to see the stars so clearly.  How did he 
describe them?  Oh yes, `the stars are so bright that you 
can read by them'.  He had wished upon one just for her 
happiness.  A dreamer he was, amongst other things.  And he 
had taught her how to dream.  If only he could be around to 
see how good a teacher he had been.  She thought that maybe 
he would be proud of her.

As she watched the sun set, she remembered one of the first 
letters he had sent her.  He had described his adventure on 
the mountain tops of Colorado, where he'd witnessed two 
sunsets while climbing near the tall peaks of the Rockies.  
The sun would first set behind the peak, before it would 
disappear below the horizon.  He described to her how, at 
the moment before the sun would dip below the peak, all the 
animals, even the insects, would become absolutely still.  
It was as if nature had paid homage to the setting of the 
sun.

It was one of the things that they shared in common.  She 
had seen a similar view from the Blue Mountains of 
Australia while on vacation with her family.  Today, the 
clouds took on a beautiful hue of pink set against the 
darkening blue of the sky.  The clouds swirled around like 
wisps of cotton candy.  She wondered what it was like to be 
able to be up there amongst them.what was the poem Clark 
had once sent to her? 

Oh, yes, it was the poem called `High Flight' which went 
something like.

"Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth, of 
sun-slit clouds, and have done a hundred things you have 
never dreamed of.." 

He must have been a pilot at some point in his life.  Clark 
was a man of many dimensions.  Adventurer, writer, and an 
explorer, with the soul of a poet and a philosopher.

After he was gone, she rarely read the newsletters of the 
fan group anymore.  She still kept in touch with the 
friends she had made there, but it would seem her heart 
wasn't in it any longer.  It wasn't that she was no longer 
a fan of the books, it was just that it reminded her too 
much as to who was missing.  A few of the regulars in the 
club did ask her what happened to C.J.  Unfortunately, she 
could say little about it.

Before she knew it, the sky had darkened and the light on 
the horizon was no longer visible.  Night had fallen and it 
was time to call it quits.  He wasn't going to appear.  
While the sensible part of Lois nodded matter-of-factly, 
the less sensible part of her couldn't help but be 
disappointed.  It made her reluctant to move, as she slowly 
got up and turned to leave.

When she turned, she came face to face with a man standing 
in front of her.  She gasped as she locked eyes with a 
scruffy looking stranger.  He was tall, a full grown 
mustache and beard covering his face.  But what made her 
gasp was the look in his eyes.  The dark brown eyes were so 
sad and haunted.  They reflected a look of a person who had 
seen too much evil and little else for a long time.  Her 
heart slowed down once again as recognition set in, helped 
by the sad grin that emerged on the man's face.

"Clark?" Lois asked hesitantly.

He nodded his head in acknowledgement, then said, "I 
thought that you had turned into a statue until you finally 
moved.  Reminded me of the legend I heard once in the Malay 
Peninsular about a statue coming to life."

The grin was now mischievous and it infected her as she 
started to grin back.  "Oh really, something you've seen 
yourself?" she teased back.

He burst out laughing.  "I've missed you, you know." 

"You could have sent me a letter or something, if you truly 
did miss me."  Lois tried to sound angry, but couldn't stop 
the teasing tone in her voice from the happiness at seeing 
him once again.

And yet, it was still a serious question.  Why hadn't he 
contacted her before now? 

Clark was perceptive enough to recognize the seriousness of 
the remark even though spoken with a lighthearted tone.  
"Lois." 

She sighed, "I'm sorry.  I had no right." 

"You had the right.  I wish I could have sent something, 
but I had no way to get word to you.  Besides, I don't know 
if I could have exposed you to what I had to experience 
this last year.  I know you worried, and I came as soon as 
I could.  Even if I hadn't made it back, I had made 
arrangement so you would have known what had happened to 
me.  I didn't want you to always wonder. if something did 
happen to me."  Lois could see the haunted expression 
darken his face once more.

"But you did make it back," Lois whispered softly.  She 
reached out to touch him before, but he had turned away 
from her, trying to recover himself.  What in the world had 
he been through?  Had the experience changed him so much?

No, that couldn't be.  Somewhere buried in this stranger 
before her was her friend Clark, the man who had taken time 
to get past her barriers with his gentle, teasing ways.  
She was determined to find him and bring her friend back.

She decided to start right now.  "So how long were you 
standing here, watching me?" she asked, changing the 
subject.

He turned back to her, the mischievous grin slowly 
returning.  "Let me see, I saw the sail boats in the 
afternoon, then I noticed the cloud forming over the river, 
and then setting sun.  A long time I suppose.  I didn't 
know if I.how I."  He stopped, seemingly at a lost for 
words.

She smiled and said, "It's O.K.  Clark, all that matters is 
that you're here.  With me.  So, how would you like to be 
treated to dinner by a living statue?"

Her comment broke his gloomy expression and in mock horror, 
he said, "You can't break an American tradition, and you 
know how strongly I believe in traditions.  No, sorry 
angel, I have to treat you." 

"What did I say about making up traditions?" she scoffed, a 
devious sparkle in her eyes.

"I'm definitely on firm ground here," he said, with a 
genuine smile growing on his face.  "It is traditional that 
the man pays for dinner."

"Oh come on Clark, get with the twentieth century.  Do you 
think I follow such archaic traditions?  You treated me the 
last time, so it's my turn to treat you now."

"Fair enough.  How about the same place?"  He smile grew as 
he stepped closer to her.

She wondered what he was up to, but soon found out as he 
closed her coat for her.  The coat was the one he had left 
with her when they met a year ago.  She had worn it in 
remembrance of that night a year ago.  She looked into his 
eyes as he zipped up the coat and saw the pain in them.  
"Clark." she whispered.

For a while, both were stood there, silently getting lost 
in each other.  Clark was so close, that Lois could feel 
his warm breath caress her lips.

At last, Clark broke the silence.  "There!  Now you're 
set."  He took her arm and led her down the street.  After 
a few minutes walk they arrived at the Italian restaurant 
they visited last year.  The same proprietor greeted them 
and led them to the exact table they had the previous year.  
Something seemed suspicious to her as Clark helped her to 
get seated.

"Clark, do you happen to know the proprietor?"

He smiled, mysteriously.  "Maybe." 

"I knew it!  You know him and you set this up.  We wouldn't 
have gotten the same table by sheer coincidence."

"Another brilliant deduction," he said with a grin.  "I 
told you, you were smart.  You just didn't want to believe 
me." 

She snorted in reply and picked up her menu.  Behind it, 
she was thinking, `It's surprising how comfortable I feel 
with him.  Granted we'd been friends for quite some time, 
but we've only met once before and that wasn't even a true 
meeting since I didn't know who he was at the time.' 

Lois stopped herself from analyzing things too much, 
instead refocusing her attention on how to draw Clark out 
of the silence he had fallen into since his return.  The 
haunted look had returned as he pretended to study the 
menu.

"Clark?" 

"Yes?" 

"Would you say that our friendship thus far is based on 
honesty?" 

He seemed to contemplate her question for a moment.  In 
fact Lois could have sworn that he briefly looked guilty in 
response to her question.  Finally he said, "Of course.  
I've never lied to you.  I may have not told you 
everything, but I've never lied to you.  And I believe 
you've done the same for me." 

She nodded her agreement.  "And can we say that we've been 
able to confide in each other so far?  About anything, no 
matter how bad it is."

He was silent and turned his gaze away.  Finally, he 
sighed.  "A lot of it, I can't tell you.  It's.classified.  
But I guess there are things I can tell you.  Do you really 
want to hear them?"  A hesitant note was evident in his 
voice.

"Yes I do.  You should know by now that I'm not some 
porcelain doll.  Keeping all this inside you will just tear 
you apart, and it would kill me to see this get to you 
Clark.  I want your happiness above all else." 

She could see the appreciation in his eyes as he spoke.  
"OK, but stop me anytime you want to."  He started to tell 
her about what he had witnessed and done that burdened his 
soul so much.  His narrations were only interrupted by the 
waiter taking their orders and later delivering their food.  
They were tales of fighting men so evil that life had no 
meaning to them.  Woman and children slaughtered for not 
giving in to the enemy, or simply for being in the way.  
Finally after a victory, if it could be called that, 
picking up the pieces of what was left to start to rebuild.

Through it all, Lois sat quietly and listened, despite her 
shock at what she heard.  What she really wanted to do was 
to wrap him in a hug and rock him as she used to do for her 
sister when she was in pain.  But the need for him to tell 
his story stopped her.  So she listened quietly, 
sympathetically, trying to absorb as much of his pain as 
she could.

When he finished, he finally looked up to her, as if to 
gauge how much she was revolted by what he had described.  
What he found instead was a pair of eyes brimming with 
tears at how much he had had to endure.  "Clark, it wasn't 
your fault.  You had to do your duty." 

"Yes, but." 

"Shhh., it's over now."  Lois got out of her chair and 
knelt besides him, wrapping her arm around his waist and 
laying her head against his chest.  "It's time for you to 
live again.  You did nothing to be ashamed of, so don't 
allow yourself to feel guilty.  You've so much to offer the 
world." 

"Do I?" he asked, almost bitterly.

"Remember what you told me in one of our letters about God 
wanting us to make the most out of this life with the gifts 
He has given us.  This is the time to do so again.  You 
have such a gentle soul.  It's the reason you're feeling 
this guilt.  Don't let this one guilt overshadow what you 
can give the world.  That gentle soul is still inside you 
Clark."

"I'm not sure what I can give the world anymore," he said 
sadly.

"You have so much to give, even if you're out of the 
military.  You are such a terrific writer, almost as good 
as me," she grinned at him.  Then after a beat she asked, 
"By the way, how did a journalist get involved with the 
military?"

"It's a long story.  A very long story."

She released him and looked straight into his eyes.  "I've 
got all night."

"Please Lois, not tonight.  Later, I promise, but no 
tonight."

Reluctantly she relented.  "I'm going to hold you to that 
promise buddy."  She punctuated her statement by poking her 
finger into his chest.  Returning to her chair, she quickly 
switched topics.  "Well now that you are back, at least now 
you can go back making the world a better place through 
your writing.  Maybe even write a book or two.  You can 
give a lot to the world through your writing."

"You know, Lois, talking to you has been the best thing for 
me," Clark said smiling at her enthusiasm.

Lois blushed, not used to being complimented.  "All I did 
was lend a sympathetic ear." 

"Perhaps that's just what I needed." 

"Any time you need one, you know where to find me." 

"I do."  He grinned mischievously.  "Though you might get 
sick of me eventually." 

She grinned back.  "No way!  Though you might get sick of 
me sticking my nose into your business." 

He shook his head, denying it, and turned serious once 
more.  "I thought I might have scared you off with my 
confessions."

Taking the cue from him, she replied seriously, "No Clark.  
You could never do that.  Never.  I.I care a lot about 
you."  The last was said in a somewhat hesitant voice.

"Thank you," he said softly.  "Your friendship means a lot 
to me.  I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize what 
we have together. that we can share with each other and 
tease each other.  I thought that perhaps you would somehow 
change your image of me by telling you all of this.  I'm 
glad that it didn't." 

"Your friendship means as much to me," Lois replied.  "I 
missed your letters, for the past year.  I was hoping that 
you'd turn up today just like you did last year.  Crazy, 
huh?" 

"No, not at all.  I did turn up," he answered with a shrug.

"Yeah, but watching me at the river like that without 
telling me you were there is not exactly the act of an 
officer and a gentleman," she teased him.

"Hmmm, well it's not like I saw much, after all, all you 
did was to stare at the river."  He gave her an evil grin.  
"What was so fascinating about the river anyway?"  

"OK, so I was doing a lot of introspection.  I do that from 
time to time, you know." 

"So tell me what you were thinking about." 

"Too much to tell you in one night.  Right now I was 
thinking that we'd better leave, everyone else is gone." 

Clark looked around.  It was true, they were once again the 
last customers.

"I guess we won't be able to have that chocolate cake like 
we had before," Lois sighed.

"Sure we will," Clark replied.  Calling the waiter over, he 
ordered a piece to go.  After the cake was delivered to 
their table, Lois paid the bill.  She protectively took 
possession of the bag with the cake as they got up to 
leave.  She looked at Clark in wonder as he engaged the 
proprietor in a conversation in perfect Italian on their 
way out.  After leaving the restaurant, they strolled along 
the river again, neither wanted to end this night so soon.

"Shall we sit somewhere and share this cake?" Lois asked, 
almost timidly.

"Sure.  You're the native Bostonian now, you get to choose 
the place."  There was a note of relief in his voice.

"Let's go to my favorite place, Killion Court." 

"Oh, yeah, I remember your descriptions from your letters.  
Lead on," Clark said.

They arrived there after a few minutes' walk.  The dome at 
Killion Court looked majestic, illuminated by dim lights 
from either side of the courtyard, casting shadows into the 
yard.  The overall effect turned the ordinary court into a 
magical garden.  At this late hour, Lois and Clark were the 
only ones there.  During the last year Lois would come here 
at night to sit watch the stars.  Tonight, the clear autumn 
sky was filled with them.  The clouds had drifted away and 
were no longer obscuring the view of the heavens above.

Always the gentleman, Clark took off his jacket and spread 
in on the ground as a mat.  They made themselves 
comfortable and started to eat the cake in easy silence.  
At last, Clark said, "You know you never answered my 
question about what you were thinking about at the river." 

"And here I thought I had managed to dodge it," Lois 
grinned mischievously.

"You can't escape that easily."  He grinned back.

"Hmm, what should I say?" 

"How about the truth?" 

"OK, OK. I was remembering our last meeting," she said, 
embarrassed.  Clark said nothing but waited for her to go 
on.

After a while, she continued, "You weren't being fair, you 
know.  I mean, you knew who I was but I didn't know about 
you.  By the way, how did you manage to know who I was?  
We'd never seen each other before then." 

Clark grinned at the sudden switch in her thought process.  
He knew he had better explain, or she wouldn't let it go.  
He knew she could be very stubborn when she wanted to know 
something.

"Would you believe we had a metaphysical connection?"  He 
saw her raised eyebrow and said quickly, "I didn't think 
so.  Well, truthfully it was the second night I was 
wandering around river getting up enough courage to look 
you up.  I had your address from when I sent you your 
birthday present a couple of years ago.  But then I heard 
your cry for help.  I didn't know it was you until I picked 
up your scarf.  I knew it was you the moment I touched it."

"And the letter?"

"Well I wanted you to know that we could have been friends 
if we just met on the street, so I had prepared it before 
arriving in Boston."

"Hrmph.I still think it was unfair," she said with a mock 
pout.  "If I had known it was you, I could have properly 
said goodbye."

"Our kiss goodbye wasn't proper?" he shot out, an evil grin 
on his face.

Her heart started to race a little at his comment, but she 
managed to get out indignantly, "Clark!  Stop it.  I'm 
being serious.  You didn't give me the opportunity to say 
goodbye while you managed to sneak one yourself.  But I did 
appreciate the letter and for proving to me how wrong I was 
to hide behind my barriers."

"Did you actually take some of my advice?" 

"Yes, I took your advice.  I think I've been more open now 
than before.  And I've pursued my dream to become a 
professional journalist.  It's not always easy.  There are 
still times I feel those barriers coming up on me, but 
those times are fewer and fewer, thanks to you." 

"You know it's not necessary for thanks.  We are friends, 
aren't we?" 

"Yes we are Clark.  The best one I ever had," she said very 
softly.

She stared at his face for a few moments before continuing, 
her eyes misting up a little from emotion.  "For many a 
night, I wondered where you were.  I prayed for your safety 
every night before I went to sleep.  There were times last 
year that I imagined you dead or somewhere where I wouldn't 
hear from you ever again.  That was the toughest part, not 
knowing." 

"I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to scare you like that." 

"I know, you couldn't help it.  And I'm not blaming you, 
but you asked me what I was thinking about today." 

"Thanks for caring," he replied softly.

"Friends don't keep track of things like that, someone told 
me once," she replied, as she grinned through her watery 
eyes.  "Anyway, enough about what I was thinking.  What 
made you stand there and watch me nearly the whole day?" 

He gave a sheepish grin.  "I wanted to.no reason." 

"Clark," she warned, knowing that he was about to forego 
the explanation.

"Lois, lets just leave it at that." 

"You know, you're not being fair.  I spilled my guts and 
shared my thoughts.  Yet, you clam up the minute I ask you 
your thoughts.  I thought that friendship was a two way 
street." 

"Lois." 

"Clark, finish it or I'm going home."  She rose up, nearly 
upturning the cake.

"I'll walk you home, then."  He followed her up.  This 
time, the unfortunate cake crashed to the grass.

"No."  Now she was upset.  Usually, she could be a 
reasonable person.  OK, maybe not usually, and when her 
temper flared up, it was a *little* hard for her to calm 
down.

"Lois, please." 

"Finish it, Clark," she demanded.

They stood there facing each other, Lois struggling to 
control her anger and Clark looking undecided.

"Well?" 

"Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"I'm sure." 

"I wasn't trying to spy on you, and I did want to see you.  
I just didn't know whether you were waiting for me 
or...Well I was also feeling apprehensive, I guess.  I 
didn't know whether it was the right thing to try to meet 
you again.  Lois...I..."  He paused, trying to recollect 
himself.  "It wasn't an easy decision the first time round 
and it was even harder this time.  It's dangerous for my 
heart to see you like this.  I almost decided to go away 
without disturbing you." 

"Why?" she asked.  "Why was it difficult to decide to meet 
me?" 

"I had doubts; you might have been disappointed when you 
met me again." 

"I thought I was the one who always said that?" 

"You don't hold the monopoly on doubts." 

"Clark, just like you had proven that we could be friends 
when we meet on the streets, I think I've proven that you 
didn't disappoint me, right?" 

He nodded and looked down at the upturned cake.  "You did, 
but there are parts of me that you don't know.  That you 
may never know.  You may not be able to understand my 
doubts." 

"Maybe I can't know everything about you right now - and I 
emphasis for right now - but I know your heart.  And 
believe me, I know all about having doubts.  I was at the 
river today waiting for you.  Did you know I was battling 
the sensible part of me all day?  My logical self was 
convinced that I would never see you again, and that I was 
wasting my time.  I felt very foolish."

He looked up to find her staring at him.  "Not as foolish 
as me.  I stood there the whole time staring at you.  A lot 
of the people passed by giving me very strange looks," he 
said with a sheepish smile.

"I bet!"  She smiled back, her temper was gone now and her 
good humor had returned.  "We are a hopeless pair, aren't 
we?" 

"I'd say."  They both started laughing as they resettled 
down on the ground.  The conversation took on a less 
serious tone as they started comfortable bantering once 
again.

At last, they realized how late the hour was.  Both hated 
to give up the companionship they've found, but it was time 
to go.  "I'll walk you home," Clark told her.

Lois nodded and together they walked slowly to her 
apartment in silence.  When they reached it, Clark waited 
for her to open the door.

"Clark." "Lois." They spoke at the same time.  Clark 
indicated for her to go first.

"Will you stay in touch, this time?" she asked.

"Yes.if you want me to." 

"Please, I've missed you so much." 

"Me too." 

"Oh boy, is this awkward."  Lois was exasperated with 
herself.  "I don't want for us to lose touch, and part of 
me doesn't want you to go now.  I know this sounds crazy, 
but I think that you're my best friend.  I've missed you.  
I missed seeing the little 'mischievous grins' you would 
draw in your letters and the way you would tease me.  I've 
missed the smile I saw that night a year ago.  I spent the 
whole year not knowing if I would ever hear from you again, 
and I don't want to go through that again." 

"I know.  I've missed you too.  I'm glad that you want to 
stay friends, because I want to keep this friendship too." 

"Then, this is not goodbye.  Just `till we meet again' kind 
of thing."  She smiled almost shyly.  She looked down at 
the ground and softly asked him, "Do you have to leave 
Boston again?" 

He looked sadly at her as he said, "Yes, I do.  It would be 
too dangerous for you, and for my heart to stay here close 
to you.  There's still something left undone.  After that I 
have to find a way reenter, um.civilian life again.  I'm 
not sure I have the heart to go back to my 
previous.occupation.  I need to find myself, and to make 
sure I can be fit on this world again." 

"I'll be here for you, whenever you need me," she told him 
breathlessly.

"Lois, I can't ask you to wait for me to get myself 
together.  It's not fair to you.  I have a lot of scars 
that need to heal right now.  I won't be good to anybody 
for a while." 

Lois, the ever practical woman, stood there considering his 
words and agreeing with his logic.  He would be no good for 
her at this point, she could see that.  So she did the only 
logical thing she could think of to do -- she flung her 
arms around him and whispered near his ear, "Don't go.  
Stay with me, let me help you find your way back.  I need 
you Clark.  I need you more than life itself.  Please, 
stay.  I.I.love you." 

She could feel his arms envelope her body.  They stood 
there, unmoving, each wrapped around the other for a long 
time.  Finally Clark drew back and said to her softly, 
"Lois, I can't stay, not until I finish what I started a 
year ago.  You would be in too much danger.  But I will be 
able to write to you this time.  When it's all over 
someday, I'll be able to come back to you.  But for now, I 
have to leave." 

Lois was trying to hold back the tears, if not for her, 
then for his sake.  "Promise you'll write or call.  If you 
disappeared again, I would die inside." 

"Of course.  As often as I can.  Will you be staying here 
for a while?" 

"Yes, I'm with the Boston Globe, so I'm not going anywhere 
for a while." 

"All right then, my angel, I should go now.  Good night and 
sweet dreams." 

"Good night, Clark.  I'll be waiting for your first 
letter." 

He reached up and touched the side of her face with his 
hand.  They each looked deeply into the other's eyes, 
memorizing what they saw there, as if it would be the last 
time they would have this chance.  This time, unlike a year 
ago, they both move slowly toward each other, until their 
lips touched.  They took their time to start softly, before 
they each deepened the kiss.  The kiss was one of first 
love, of longing, and of a last goodbye.  At the same time, 
it was a promise of what could be, of what tomorrow could 
bring their hearts, and what their souls could someday 
share.  All of that in this single kiss.  It was only a 
moment in time, but for them it needed to last an eternity, 
for they were uncertain what the dawn would bring.

Finally, they broke their kiss, and looked at each with all 
the love they could express with their eyes and Clark 
whispered softly, "I think I've fallen in love with you 
too."  With that, he released her from his arms, turned 
around to walk off into the darkness once more.

Instinctively, she reached out to hold on to him, only to 
let her hand fall back to her side.  For a long while she 
stared after him even though she couldn't see him anymore, 
unwilling to let go of the connection they had made.  At 
last, she turned to go inside, sadness and joy warring 
within her.  It was not the ending she had dreamed of for 
the past year, but because of what they had shared here 
this night, it was beautiful nevertheless.  Once again they 
had connected to each other, and this time she had been 
able to ease some of his pain and remove the haunted look 
in his eyes.  And even though he had to leave tonight, she 
knew that, this time, they would not lose contact.  Their 
friendship. their love had survived this past year, and she 
hoped that she had become stronger because of it.  Perhaps 
one day soon, he could come back to her, and next time fate 
would allow them to remain together. 

_________________


Chapter 4 - The Dawn


============================
Boston, MA., USA
Alternate Universe
Dawn, September 12th, 1960
1 hour after Chapter 3
============================

"Damn, that was stupid!"  Clark said out loud to himself as 
he flew back toward the transport ship.  Of course, a year 
ago he would have been more worried about flying out in the 
open without his Superman suit.  But now he didn't really 
care enough to bother with it.  `Why did I make promises to 
her that I'm not sure I can keep?  Damn!'

He landed in the secluded area next to where the Kryptonian 
transport ship was hidden.  He spoke his Kryptonian 
password into the speaker at the side of the ship, and an 
entry hatch opened giving him access to the interior.  As 
he entered the ship, the hatch automatically sealed itself 
behind him.

"Ching!"  Clark shouted out as he made his way toward the 
ship's command center.  As he entered the control center, 
he saw Lt. Ching closing a service panel behind one of the 
control consoles.

"Lord Kal-El, welcome back.  Was your. meeting with Lois 
Lane successful?"

Clark just glared at Ching and plopped himself down into 
the large command chair without responding to his question.  
He was not in the mood for Ching's differential treatment, 
and frankly he was fed up with the whole aristocracy thing 
a long time ago.  To top it off, he was in an especially 
sour mood after having to leave Lois again.

Finally after a few moments, Clark sighed and said, "Listen 
Ching, I told you that I want you to drop the `Lord' stuff 
around me.  I'm not Lord anybody these days, I thought I 
made that clear.  As soon as we find Nor, I'm shipping him 
back with you, and I'm staying here.  So you might as well 
just call me Clark.  Or if you can't bring yourself to 
saying an Earth name, then just Kal will do."  The dejected 
tone in his voice matched his current state of mind.

"Lor. Kal.  I realize that you have expressed your desire 
to stay on this planet, but can you truly leave your people 
after you fought so hard to help preserve us?  Think of 
your people, how much they have come to depend on your 
leadership."

"Bull!  You know as well as I do that most of the council 
just humor me half of the time.  The only thing I was good 
for was leading men to their death in battle.  Some 
justification for me staying!"

"My lord, you don't really believe that, do you?  I know 
that our people would have never survived the war without 
you.  You have been a hero."

"Don't!  Don't you dare say that word to me.  I can't even 
remember what it was I was fighting for.  Your whole system 
and outlook is so distorted, I don't even know what was 
right and what was wrong.  Except for a few "noble" 
families, most of *our* people live out their lives in 
drudgery.  Most of them didn't even know why we were 
fighting this idiotic war."  Clark had gotten up by this 
point and was pacing the control room in an agitated state.  
"Why did I ever listen to you?"

"Kal," Ching said softly, "you and I both know that Nor is 
a monster and has to be stopped.  He would have made all of 
our lives a living hell, both noble and commoner alike.  
Then he would have come here to try and conquer this 
planet.  You helped save us from that."

"You want to know what I helped you to do?  I helped send 
thousands of men to their death for a war they didn't start 
or even understand.  Do you know what it was like telling 
the wives and mothers of those men that their husbands and 
their fathers were gone, and would never return?  I 
couldn't even lie anymore and make their deaths sound 
noble.  You people should have never let Nor get as far as 
he did before doing something."  Clark grabbed Ching's 
shirt with one of his fists and shouted, "It's your fault 
that that stupid war was fought.  If you hadn't clung to 
those brainless rules of your make-believe nobility, I 
wouldn't have to go to sleep every night with the screams 
of those men in my head."  He then shoved Ching back, and 
turned away from him.  He put his hands on the back of the 
command chair and hung his head trying to regain his 
composure.

Ching remained silent, unsure of what to say to the man in 
front of him, who in many ways he had come to admire over 
the last year.  While he did not understand the emotions he 
displayed, Kal-El had never acted in any way less than the 
most noble of men.  He knew that the values of the culture 
in which Kal-El was raised differed significantly from his 
own native Kryptonian culture.  But those differences had 
been the key in the victory over Nor.  Kal-El's concern for 
every member in the army of the House of El, had made those 
men fiercely loyal to him.  In the end, the soldiers of Nor 
simply abandoned him, leaving Nor little choice but to flee 
New Krypton.

"What about Za-ra?" Ching asked quietly.  "She is your 
wife.  Will you be able to leave her?"  There was a 
hesitance in Ching's voice as he asked the question.

Clark shook his head and replied, "Ching, Za-ra and I don't 
love each other.  She was a good friend these past few 
months, but we were never in love, even after a year of 
being together.  I never believed in that arranged 
marriage.  I only remained with her to keep the stability 
of the council during the war."

Ching looked at Clark, shocked.  "You mean you could share 
a bed with a woman for a year, and then just walk away?  I. 
I'm shocked that you could think so little of Lady Za-ra!"

Clark turned to look at Ching and gave him a small, sad 
smile.  "Ching, we didn't really share a bed.  We agreed 
never to consummate our arranged marriage."  The tenseness 
in Clark's face subsided as his smile turned into a sly 
grin.  "Besides, the Lady Za-ra is in love with someone 
else, someone she might be able to be with, after I release 
her from her commitment to me."

Ching's eyes turned from shock to embarrassment.  "I am 
sorry, my Lord.  I should have known better."  Then after a 
beat, "Lady Za-ra is in love with someone else?"  The 
apprehension in his face was unmistakable.

"Why should you have known better?  Is it because noblemen 
are supposed to be above that kind of behavior?"  Clark 
asked him, slightly amused.

"No, because I should have known the man I have come to 
admire better than that.  The man I would consider my 
friend."

This elicited a genuine smile from Clark.  He walked over 
to Ching and placed a hand on his shoulder.  "Just as I 
should have known better than to take out my frustration of 
this war out on you."  After contemplating something for a 
few seconds, he looked at Ching and said, "So, my most 
trusted Lieutenant, I must ask you a favor regarding Lady 
Za-ra."

"Of course, anything."

"Za-ra has been in love with this man for a long a time.  
Long before I met her.  She couldn't share her true 
feelings with him because of her duty to her people, and to 
my family.  I want you to make sure, after I'm gone, that 
she has the chance to tell her true love the feelings that 
she has held back for so long.  Could you do that for me?"

Clark could see the hesitation in Ching as he answered.  
"Of course my Lo. Kal.  May I ask who this person is?  
Someone on the council?"

Hearing the sadness in Ching's voice, Clark started to feel 
guilty and decided to end his friend's misery quickly.  
"No, no one on the council.  Not a nobleman according to 
Kryptonian tradition, but the most honorable man I have met 
on New Krypton.  And a true friend."  He looked straight at 
Ching as he said that.  "Take care of her, Ching," Clark 
finished with a grin.

Ching stared at Clark, perplexed for a moment.  Then the 
light finally dawned on him.  "Oh. Ohhhh.  Really?  For a 
long time?  Then it wasn't just me having these feelings?"

Clark chuckled at Ching's reaction.  "Ching, I could tell 
that Za-ra was in love with you the first day I met you 
two.  My last official act as the head of the council will 
be to dissolve Za-ra's marriage with me, and make it 
possible for you two to be together by declaring you as my 
replacement after I'm gone."

Lt. Ching was left speechless.  It was unheard of for a 
nobleman to act in such a way.  A year ago, Ching would 
have been shocked at such an action.  But after knowing 
Kal-El for the past year, he had come to expect such 
things.  Ching had slowly come to realize the advantages of 
Kal's caring attitude.  Right now, what his Lord and friend 
had just done for him made him feel. good.  Like he was 
special to him.  And most surprising of all was that Kal-El 
genuinely felt that way.

When had the Kryptonians lost thought ability to care for 
one another in this way?  In the short time Kal-El had been 
with his people, Ching knew that he had forever changed the 
way they would think and feel.  They would reexamine the 
mistakes they had made, that had brought them to the brink 
of destruction.  Kal-El had showed them the... nobility of 
caring for every person.

When they had first met, Ching had scoffed at Kal-El for 
taking on the role of this planet's hero and protector.  
What he didn't understand at first was that the powers Kal-
El had developed under Earth's yellow sun were not what had 
made him the true hero that he had become.  It was the 
strength of his heart, and the depth of his caring for all 
people, both Earthling and Kryptonian.  This one man, with 
or without his powers, had made a difference, both here and 
on New Krypton.

Ching looked at him, truly grateful, not only for saving 
New Krypton, but for the gift Kal had given him, allowing 
him to be with the woman he loved.  Making a decision, he 
looked at his friend and very deliberately said, "Thank 
you. Clark."

Clark looked back at his friend with a smile of 
appreciation.  "I guess we better start looking for Nor 
then, so I can get you on your way as soon as possible.  
Did you get the ship running again?"

"Unfortunately, no.  The stabilizer is still out, so 
there's no way to power up the main engines without 
destroying the ship.  We'll just have to wait until the 
other transport ship gets back to the star cruiser, so they 
can ferry the replacement parts back here, and I can repair 
the damage."

"Alright then," replied Clark.  "I guess I'll just take a 
spin around the neighborhood and recharge my batteries."

Ching looked at him quizzically.  "Ka.Clark, why would you 
want to spin in this area, and what batteries are you 
recharging?"

Clark shook his head, amused.  "Sorry, it's just an Earth 
expression.  I meant I'm going flying where I can find some 
daylight, so I can recharge my powers in the sun."

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so then?"

"I did say. Never mind, I'll see you in an hour or so."  
With that, Clark left the control room and headed toward 
the exit hatch.  After exiting the ship, he shot quickly 
into the air, heading east to meet the rising sun.  Of all 
his powers, this was the one he missed the most.  Nothing 
could clear his head more than soaring through the sky.

As he flew toward the sun, his thoughts drifted back to his 
time with Lois once again.  He didn't know if it had been a 
mistake or not to go see her again.  It was a miracle that 
he had found her so quickly after getting back to Earth.  
She still affected him the same way as when they had first 
met, that long year ago.  Actually, more so now.  That 
first time he went to see her, it was really to say 
goodbye.  He was completely convinced that he was never 
coming back to Earth, and he would die on that other 
planet.  But he didn't, and had returned to Earth.  And 
something inside of him led him to seek her out again.  
When he had found her, he couldn't help himself, he had to 
see her again.

He smiled as he thought about their long friendship.  Their 
long distance friendship, meeting only on the pages of 
their letters to each other, was so unexpected.  He had 
been a vagabond for most of his adult life.  But, wherever 
he would go in the world, Lois would be with him.  He had 
carried her in his heart to whatever remote corner of the 
globe. now the universe, he found himself in.

He thought about how it all had started.  Traveling around 
the world and writing for the National Geographic had 
allowed him to remain fairly anonymous as Clark Kent, not 
getting too close to any one person.  It helped him 
maintain the double life he had chosen to pursue.  When 
helping out with his super powers anonymously had become 
too difficult, he had created the Superman persona.  As 
Superman, he was able to remain the aloof superhero, 
separated from everyone else.  It eliminated the chance of 
any criminal or group holding someone hostage over his 
actions.  Not being tied to any one place had allowed him 
to keep separate from the rest of humanity, both as Clark 
Kent and as Superman.

But then Lois came along.

He had picked up the fan club's newsletter that fateful 
day, purely out of amusement.  Jack Ranger, a friend of his 
Dad's, had been writing that adventure series ever since he 
could remember.  He was astounded that people still wrote 
about the series, even after Jack had retired.  When he 
would visit Jack, he would look though some of the 
newsletters just out of curiosity.  Most of them were the 
usual fan stuff, but one letter caught his eye.  It was a 
"fanfic" using Jack's characters which was eloquently 
written.  The story and the characters were expressed in 
such a way that it had drawn him to send a critique of what 
she had written.  She in turn sent a very indignant 
response to his letter, followed the very next day by a 
letter apologizing for being so abrupt in her first letter.

He was amused by her paradoxical nature, and immediately 
wrote her back, teasing her about her letters to him.  Of 
course he also filled it with sincere praise for her story.  
Soon, they exchanged post office boxes, and their letters 
became frequent contacts between them.

After the first few letters, without intending to, they had 
started to share very personal things with each other.  
Soon, he became anxious for every letter that came from 
her.  Wherever he was in the world, he would make time to 
fly to his post office box in Kansas to get any letters she 
had sent him.  Happiness was found in the pages of her 
letters that often he would reread several times.  
Sometimes, when he was feeling particularly lonely, he 
would write down his feeling in free form.  Not really a 
letter, but more an introspection of his emotions and 
thoughts.  He would send them to her unedited, just for the 
sake of sharing them with her, so she could come to know 
him better.  Soon, the passing of time for him became 
defined by the moments between her letters, and the day was 
not bright if he did not hear from her.  Every letter she 
had ever sent him was now etched into his heart.

That was why he had been afraid to meet with her in person.  
Not even knowing what she looked like, or how her voice 
sounded, he knew that the moment he would meet her face to 
face, he would be in danger of falling in love with her.  
In fact he was pretty sure that, before he had even met her 
on that day a year ago, he had already started to have some 
of those feelings.  Feelings he couldn't afford to have, 
given the life he had chosen to lead.  But the day before 
he left the planet, thinking that he would never return to 
Earth, he couldn't keep himself from trying to meet her 
just once and saying goodbye.

True to his prediction, from the first moment he had looked 
into her dark eyes, and saw how her smile could light up 
the whole room, he had fallen the rest of the way in love 
with her.  And then last night, when they had kissed, he 
almost didn't have the strength to leave her again.  Only 
the threat of that maniac Nor, walking around the planet 
somewhere, could get him to walk away from her a second 
time.  He knew the next time he met her, he would not be 
able to leave ever again.

Even though he had told her that he would come back 
someday, he knew that he couldn't offer her any kind of 
normal life together.  He didn't even know what he was 
going to do when this was all over.  He thought that he 
could never return to his previous life, such as it was.  
Not after what he had seen and experienced.  Which meant, 
of course, that if he really loved her, he should never see 
Lois Lane ever again.

_______________


Chapter 5 - The Search


=====================================
Boston, MA., USA
Alternate Universe
Early Morning, September 12th, 1960
(Morning after Chapter 3)
=====================================

Lois woke early the next morning, her alarm blaring in her 
ear.  "Urgh." She slammed down one of her hands onto the 
buzzer, finally causing it to become silent.  "That's 
better," she murmured as she struggled out of the swathe of 
blankets and quilts.  Unlike the other mornings, this 
morning seemed brighter.  Last night was a godsend.  To 
have Clark appear once again had raised her spirits like no 
one else had been able to in the past year.  To be able to 
share her innermost thoughts as well as playful banter with 
him was wonderful after such a long absence.  She drew her 
large pillow close and hugged it wishing it was Clark 
instead.  

She couldn't believe it.didn't want to believe it, but it 
was true.they finally voiced their love for each other.  
How did that happen?  For the last year, she had tried to 
deny her feelings, only to blurt it out last night.  Was it 
a dream that he returned her feelings?  Did he really say 
it or did she just dream his whispered words?  She wished 
he was here, now.  

`But Lois, why did you let him go then?' a part of her 
asked.  The sensible side knew that it was not only the job 
he had to go and finish.  No, she knew that he needed time 
to face his demons before they could go further in their 
relationship.  Somehow, he had to believe that the 
obstacles could be faced together.  She wished that she 
could have convinced him of that last night. 

The biggest obstacle was Clark's experience in the past 
year.  While he had poured out much of it to her, she knew 
there were much more that he had not shared... could not 
share with her.  What conflict in the world could possibly 
have given him such pain and hurt?  Was he involved in the 
war in Vietnam?  Of course, he never really mentioned that 
it was war that he experienced.  She deduced it from the 
descriptions and hints he gave last night.  `That's 
strange.  Where had he disappeared to this past year?  Was 
it so covert that it never made it into the news?' Lois 
thought, her curiosity aroused.

She swung her feet off her bed only to trip over his 
jacket.the jacket he had left with her a year ago.  As she 
picked it up, her mind strayed back on the past two 
meetings and their endings.  The two kisses they had were 
vastly different in nature.  The first was chaste, a 
goodbye kiss between two friends.  But the second was 
entirely soul shattering for her.  It was an 
acknowledgement of what they felt for each other.  She had 
always known through the long years of their friendship 
that what they had with each other was unique.  The soul 
baring letters that they've exchanged, sharing so much of 
their dreams and hopes, their disappointments and 
difficulties with each other.  He was, even before she met 
him, one of her best friends whose opinion mattered to her. 

At what point, she wondered, had their innocent exchange 
blossomed into something more.  She hadn't realized it 
until a month after he left.  `No, Lois.  You know that's 
not true.  You know that the feelings were there long 
before you two met,' the honest part of her corrected.

It was true; she had always felt a connection with him that 
she found with no one else.  She found herself confiding in 
him things that she told no one else.  His letters were 
amongst the things she looked forward to.  Not a day passed 
that she would check her post box for a letter from him.  
Little notes and long letters.all were cherished by her, so 
much so that she would get worried if she didn't hear from 
him after more than two days.

That thought made her wonder if she would hear from him 
soon.  He had promised to stay in touch.  Already she was 
worried about him.  He did mention that there were still 
things left to be settled, meaning that he was probably 
doing something dangerous.  She tried to imagine what he 
could be doing, but it seemed almost impossible, since she 
had no experience with war or battles.  She just prayed 
that he was going to be all right, and that whatever little 
good their meeting last night had done to him, would not be 
eradicated by whatever he had to face.



`OK Lois, time to stop brooding and get your tush to work.  
You wouldn't want Jim to be mad at you again, would you?' 
She smiled at the thought of her editor being mad.  He was 
one of the best newspaper editors in the business.  He was 
a growling bear of a man, but Lois knew that underneath he 
was a pussycat.  At times it seemed that the only people he 
wouldn't yell at *all* the time was herself and Perry, the 
young copy boy.  She secretly knew though that Jim 
considered Perry to be his surrogate son.  When Jim thought 
no one was watching she would see him throw an arm around 
Perry, probably to relegate another war story about being a 
journalist during WW II.

She quickly finished her morning rituals before stepping 
out of her townhouse.  She loved her new place since it 
overlooked Charles River and was near to Boston Common.  
Sometimes in her mind, she tried to relive the events of 
the War of Independence.  English though she might be, she 
couldn't help admiring those early Americans for their 
indomitable spirit and their willingness to sacrifice in 
the fight for independence.

Like most days, she decided to walk to work instead of 
hailing a cab.  It was a long walk, but Boston was a great 
place for long walks.  As she traveled through the Common, 
she saw a group of people with placards.  They were a group 
of protestors against the government's stand about Vietnam.  
Lois marveled at how peaceful this protest rally was.  She 
had heard and reported about some of the more violent 
protests in the last few months.

Being a British citizen, she had no real attachment to the 
U.S. in general.  However, she could understand these 
people's protest against their government's policy.  The 
war in Vietnam was a political war.  There was no reason 
for the lives of American soldiers to be lost.  It would 
seem that the government was trying to enlist civilian men 
into the arm forces for the war.  That would mean even more 
lives could be lost and families affected.  Lois didn't 
understand the motivation for it at all.  



Why couldn't there be less war and more cooperation in the 
world?  Why was injustice so prevalent?  Injustice imposed 
on people by their own governments.  Injustice imposed on 
the poor by the rich.  Injustice imposed on one people by 
another just because they were of different races, creeds 
or faiths.  While Britain had always prided herself on 
being civilized, Lois had no illusions about her people's 
history of supporting regimes that were beneficial to them 
even though those regimes were doing injustices to their 
people.  It was the way of many governments all over the 
world.  She hoped that her articles would help change all 
that someday.  As a reporter, she did her best to expose 
the injustices and evils committed by people to others.  
She had not bowed down to the pressures of those in power 
to carry their propaganda for them, like many of her 
colleagues had done.

She soon arrived at the lobby of the Boston Globe.  Signing 
in at the front desk, she exchanged a few words with Will, 
the security guard who had been working there for ages.  
Like any other day, he would have an anecdote ready for 
her.  This time, it was about one of his grandkids who 
decided to be Superman and tried to jump out of the second 
story window. 

"Luckily, there was this young man who was passing 
underneath the window.  He managed to catch hold of J.C. 
before anything could happen to the lad.  He gave J.C. a 
good scolding.  Of course, J.C. still hasn't learned his 
lesson," said Will to end off his story.

"Well, I'm glad that J.C. is O.K.  So did you catch the 
name of J.C.'s rescuer?" Lois asked.

"So you can write about a good Samaritan rescuing a little 
kid?"  Will grinned.  "He didn't really say much or give 
his name.  He had this strange look in his eyes, and didn't 
look like he'd seen the inside of a barbershop in a while.  
But he didn't strike me as a vagrant.  Yet those eyes of 
his.  He looked... I guess the word I was looking for was 
`haunted'.  That's it.  He had a haunted look in his eyes."

Will's description had Lois thinking about Clark once more.  
In fact it sounded a lot like him.  Well, if it wasn't him, 
it must have been someone a lot like him.  She smiled at 
Will and said, "Well, he sounds like a true gentleman.  
I've got to go.  Have a nice day."

"You too."

She smiled and waved at him, before entering the elevator.  
After she exited the elevator on the third floor and 
entered the newsroom, she couldn't help but smile at the 
organized chaos.  This was where she felt most at home.  
This was her family, even though she didn't quite like a 
few of the people in that `family' and could barely 
tolerate others.  Still there were more that she liked and 
got along famously with. 

One of them was moving in her direction.  It was Jim's 
personal secretary and Society columnist, Catherine Grant.  
"Lois, where have you been?" Cat asked her.  "Haven't you 
heard?"

"Haven't I heard what?" Lois asked puzzled.  She had never 
seen Cat so excited as long as she knew her.  She was 
usually cool as a cucumber, a lady in every sense of the 
word. 

"Superman's back.  There had been sighting of a man flying 
rescuing people out of a burning building.  He wasn't 
wearing his usual suit, but who else could it be?  After 
all, how many people can fly like Superman?" 

Cat had this dreamy look on her face that didn't surprise 
Lois.  After all, she'd seen too many such looks on other 
women's faces when they mentioned Superman.  What surprised 
her was the news. 

"Superman's back?  Are you sure?" Lois asked, just to be 
sure she was hearing right.  Superman was big news.  After 
his leaving last year, no one expected him to return at 
all.  There are many questions to be asked.  Where had he 
been?  Did the aliens return with him?  Why was his return 
so low keyed? 

"Yes," Cat replied.



"Did anyone get to interview him?"

"Not yet.  Jim is chomping at the bit to get an exclusive."  
Cat gave a grimace.

"What does Jim expect?  Superman's going to swoop down and 
pick up one his reporters for an exclusive interview?  It's 
not like Superman appeared here in Boston. or did he?"  
Lois finally put the two comments together.

Cat only shrugged and said, "He's been asking for you.  I 
think he wants you to track down Superman."

Lois wrinkled her nose, to show what she thought of Jim's 
expectation.  Cat grinned in reply and turned back to her 
desk.  Lois made her way to Jim's office, thinking of how 
much Cat's support had helped her when Lois was first 
hired.  Cat had taken Lois under her wings and taught her 
the tricks of the trade.  Cat was a good journalist, with a 
flair for drama.  Her column on the Boston Society was 
definitely a hit.

"LOIS!!  In here!  Now!"  Jim's voice could be heard all 
the way to the other end of the newsroom. 

"Coming, Chief!" Lois shouted back, as she hurried to his 
office.  "You bellowed?"

He looked up from whatever he was reading and waved her in.  
"Lois, did you know that Superman is back, and has been 
spotted around town?"

"Cat just told me," Lois said.

"Well, then what are you standing here for?  Why isn't my 
top reporter already out there, trying to get some answers 
and an exclusive interview from Superman?"  He glared at 
her.

"That's because your top reporter just got into work after 
a long weekend off and had just heard about this only a few 
seconds ago."  Lois leaned forward in her chair and smiled 
reassuringly.  "But I'll get right on it, Chief."

"I told you not to call me `Chief'!"

"Whatever you say Mr. Olsen," Lois replied in a purposely 
sickly sweet voice.

"Grrrrr," he growled at her.  "Never mind, I prefer `Chief' 
over that voice.  Not `git and bring me back a Pulitzer."

Lois gave a mock salute before leaving his office.

"Perry!"  Lois bellowed from her desk.  Within two seconds 
Perry appeared.

"You bellowed, my queen."  Perry White was Lois's best 
information gofer, and a friend.  He was still in high 
school, but knew where to dig up the most obscure facts.  
His father was some kind of agent for the federal 
government, and just by looking over his father's shoulder, 
Perry had gotten Lois some of her best information.

"Yes, I did.  I need you to compile all the sightings of 
Superman since yesterday, with a list of the people who 
reported the sightings.  And I need it an hour ago."  She 
grinned to soften the force of the demand.

In return, Perry bowed regally to her, his eyes twinkling, 
and dashed off to fulfill her request.  An hour later he 
handed her the list she needed and she spent the next few 
hours on the phone with the people on the list.

She decided to break for lunch, after a fruitless few 
hours.  No one was able to answer her questions, other than 
affirming that Superman, or someone like him, was back.  He 
seemed to have spotted a beard and seemed a little gaunt.  
There was, from most accounts, an air of sadness about him, 
probably due to whatever he had experienced in the year he 
had been away.  It would seem that there were more 
questions than answers about Superman's reappearance.  
Funny how Clark returned about the same time.

`About the same time...'  A growl from her stomach turned 
her attention away from the coincidence to the subject of 
food.  A favorite topic of hers.

She decided on a sandwich from her favorite deli, and 
walked to the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade.  As Lois sat 
there enjoying the free noon concert (a trend started way 
back in 1910) her thoughts drifted back again to Clark. and 
Superman.  Where had he been?  Where had they been?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts.  `Clark is going 
to say that I'm a workaholic since I can't get my work out 
of my head, even for a short lunch,' she laughed inwardly.  
She couldn't wait to hear from him.  She didn't get a 
chance to tell him last night, but she had written him tons 
of letters in the last year.  She wondered if he'd be 
surprised if she sent all of them to him.

The jazz music drifted through the air as she switched her 
thoughts back to Superman.  His reappearance was a puzzle.  
There was an air of mystery surrounding it, unlike the time 
when he left.  When he left, he had given a press 
conference stating clearly his destination, his intentions 
and more.  Why had he come back unannounced?  Did he think 
the people would reject him?  Or was there something else 
going on? 

The descriptions of Superman she had gathered earlier 
didn't quite fit into the picture that she had of the 
superhero.  She had reviewed the articles written on him 
and the photos taken of him.  In fact, if truth be told, it 
sounded more like Clark, rather than Superman.  The gaunt, 
haunted look.  The beard.  The air of sadness surrounding 
him. 

`Hmm.that's such a coincidence.  Clark came back at the 
same time as Superman did,' she thought idly.  `And in the 
same condition too.  Not only that, he left around the same 
time that Superman did.'  She toyed with the idea that 
Clark could be Superman but dismissed it almost instantly.  
Her CJ was nothing like Superman.  Superman had a 
reputation of being aloof.  While he helped out so many 
people and did heroic feats, he hadn't the human touch that 
was characteristic of Clark.  But then again, who'd expect 
it of him.  After all, he wasn't human.

Clark, on the other hand, was very human.  In fact, too 
human.  He had felt too much.  Last night's outpouring was 
typical of CJ.  He cared a lot about the people he met in 
his travels, describing them in a manner that brought them 
to live to her as she read his letters.  She knew that he 
tried to help some of the poorer families financially, as 
much as he could.  When he was unable to do something about 
the injustices he saw around him, it frustrated and upset 
him.  Many times, in his letters, he voiced the feeling of 
helplessness to help.  That was the reason she knew he left 
to serve his country, wherever it might have been.

But then she went back to the reports of Superman.  The 
haunted look.  J.C.'s rescuer had a haunted look.  But 
Superman never displayed much emotion before.  What had 
happened to him out there?

"Hello, stranger.  Why are you sitting here all by 
yourself?"

She turned towards the speaker, shading her eyes against 
the sun's glare, and saw her partner grinning at her.  
Sighing, she motioned him to sit.

"So you never answered my question.  If not for Perry, I 
wouldn't have known where you disappeared to," her partner 
said, sitting down beside her, and tried to steal what was 
left of her sandwich.

She snatched it away before he could pick it up.  "Hey, 
Claude!  That's mine.  Get your own," Lois protested.

Claude flashed her an unrepentant grin.  "Aren't you 
supposed to be nice and share?"

"You're on your own buddy." she retorted.

"Hey you're supposed to be nice, I happen to be the senior 
partner, you know."

She stuck her tongue out at him, all the while marveling at 
the ease with which she was relating with Claude.  A year 
ago, she would not have been so open with anyone.  But 
Clark's appearance that night changed things and made her 
more open with people.  It also meant that she was able to 
develop friendships, just like the friendship she had with 
Claude.

When she first started at the Globe, she was immediately 
partnered with Claude who took her under his wings and 
taught her what she needed to know to survive in the world 
of journalism.  He had been a good mentor, and they had 
written many great articles together.  Soon though Lois 
started to grow beyond the need for his mentorship and 
their partnership became more equal.  She became tenacious 
and single minded in pursuing the stories.  She would not 
rest until she exposed the facts and brought them to the 
light of day.  Beyond all expectations, Lois became one of 
the most respected journalists within her first year at the 
Globe.  

Claude had been attracted to her at first.  But she 
couldn't return that attraction, for the simple reason her 
heart was already taken.  Lois spoke to Claude about it, 
and he was surprisingly understanding.  She soon saw him as 
an older brother, something she never had before.

Claude studied her for moment.  "There's something 
different about you.  What is it?"  After a moment of 
thought he asked, "So, he came back, didn't he?"

Lois glanced at him before turning her gaze on the band 
that was playing.  "Yes," she answered softly.

"So, what happened?"  Claude was surprised that Lois wasn't 
acting happy.

She sighed.  "Sorry, Claude.  I'm not ready to talk about 
it.  Thanks for asking anyway."

"You know that I'm here for you if you need anything."

She smiled at the sweet offer.  "Yeah, I know."

For a while, neither of them talked as they listened to the 
music playing.  Each was absorbed in their own thoughts.  
Claude wondered what this guy who had stolen Lois's heart 
was like.  While she had shared a number of things with 
him, this mystery man was not part of those things.  All he 
knew was that he had been her friend for a long time, but 
had only met him face to face once.  On Friday, before they 
left work, Lois told him that she was hoping that this guy 
would turn up this weekend.

"Jim wanted me to search for Superman.  Did he say anything 
to you?" Lois asked suddenly.

"Yes, he did mention it.  But I think it's an impossible 
task.  How do you find a superhero who doesn't want to be 
found?"

"You don't.  What you do is make him find you," Lois said 
smugly.

"You have a plan?" Claude asked skeptically.

"Not at the moment.  But I'm going to do some more research 
on the guy and will let you know if anything turns up."

For the next few days, Lois did her research on Superman's 
activities in the past few years.  He first appeared on the 
scene about six years before he left for New Krypton.  She 
took note of the rescues he had carried out, the criminals 
he had put away, and treaties he had endorsed, especially 
the Arab-Israeli Peace Accord in `56.  She shuddered to 
think what might happened if Superman hadn't been there to 
avert the war.

Lois was impressed by the superhero's deeds even as she was 
amazed at how little they actually know of him personally.  
Questions like where he lived in those years, why he had 
traveled from New Krypton, or was he really from New 
Krypton at all had never been asked.  But as Lois gathered 
her information, those questions occurred to her.  If he 
had not been from New Krypton, where was he from?  Could he 
have lived amongst the population of Earth all the while?

That question made her look for mysterious rescues and 
other such activities.  She wasn't surprised to find so 
many events around the world that fit into the realm of 
"guardian angel" stories.  It was especially apparent that 
many of those events were actually focused in the U.S.  She 
began to discover a pattern that emerged approximately 10 
years ago.  She wondered exactly when Superman came to 
Earth.

Jim and Claude were amazed at her tenacity.  She tracked 
down every rumor of a Superman sighting, no matter how 
small.  Jim had begun to think that those rumors were just 
that, rumors, and nothing more.  He thought that Lois was 
wasting her time when she could be more productive pursuing 
other news.  When he told her that, Lois quietly accepted 
his instructions to stop her research.  She bundled up all 
the notes she had and took them home.  She knew that she 
was on to something, and she wasn't about to let Jim's 
opinion sway her.  Instead, she used up her vacation time 
to do the research.  After all, she had nothing better to 
do.

She had waited for Clark's letter patiently.  But she hit 
her limits when, after a week, no letter came.  She didn't 
know what to feel.  Hurt, angry, betrayed...  He had 
promised her that he'd write, hadn't he?  And he had never 
broken a promise to her yet.  Then, why hadn't any letter 
arrived?  Was he too busy to even send a brief note to 
relieve her of this anxiety?  Where was he?  What was he 
doing?

`That does it!' she thought to herself after one week of 
waiting.  She knew that she couldn't let him go, so she 
took the other option.  She would track him down.  `But 
how?' she asked.

`Duh, Lois.  How else?  You're supposed to be becoming the 
best investigative reporter in the business.  You've been 
trying to find Superman, right?  Well, it should be a cinch 
to find someone who can't fly.'

But by the end of the night, she found that her Clark was 
almost a ghost.  No permanent address except for his P.O. 
Box in Kansas.  His parents had died four years ago, and he 
had sold the family farm.  She could track Clark's 
movements only through the articles he wrote.  Then a year 
ago, he simply disappeared without a trace.  No government 
agency claimed him.  No military service had a record of a 
Clark Jerome Kent.

`Who are you, Clark Kent?  What were you running from?'  It 
was only through contents of the frequent letters he had 
sent that made it possible for her to know the places he 
had been to.  The desserts of Arabia, the plains of Africa, 
and almost everywhere in America.  What had he been doing 
in those places?  Furthermore, she found no record of any 
major conflict the U.S. had been involved in over the last 
year.

But what amazed her most was the fact that they had been 
friends all those years and she had never thought to 
question what he did, or other basic things even 
acquaintances would know about each other.  Now she had two 
mysterious men to track down.  And her instincts told her 
that somehow they were connected.

_______________


Chapter 6 - The Debut


=======================
Boston, MA., USA
Alternate Universe
September 19th, 1960
=======================

For all his indecision, Clark couldn't stop from helping 
when he saw the need.  Now a week later since his return to 
Earth, he had performed at least 40 rescues, caught a 
sundry number of muggers, stopped three bank robberies, and 
of course had brought two cats down from trees.

But still no sign of Nor.  Nor must have learned how to 
blend into Earth's culture already.  If that was so, Clark 
had little hope of finding him until it was too late.  
`Thank God he doesn't have my super powers', Clark thought.  
It would take at least 8 years for Nor's body cells to 
adopt to the yellow sun, and start converting solar energy 
to super powers.  Clark shuddered to think what would 
happen if Nor laid low for eights years, then emerged with 
super powers, bent on enslaving the Earth.  He had to find 
him long before that happened.

Ching was still trying to get his small craft operational 
with the repair parts that were delivered yesterday.  But 
with no sign of Nor, Clark was beginning to think that 
there was no hurry at all to finish the repairs.  Poor 
Ching was getting very anxious about getting back to New 
Krypton, and of course, Za-ra.  Clark definitely needed a 
better plan to find Nor.

He landed in the alley behind a diner in north Boston and 
spun into his jeans and t-shirt.  After the second day of 
appearing at rescues, he decided it was best to don the 
Superman suit again.  It was much easier performing the 
change now that the New Kryptonian scientists had showed 
him that trick with hyperspace displacement.  What amazed 
him the most was the fact that his clothes were always in 
the same place, as long as he vibrated at the same exact 
frequency each time.  In the past, having to find hiding 
places for his boots had been a real pain in the neck.

Clark checked his w