Of course, the pleasantness could also have had something to do with the fact that Lois had told him that Luthor would be out of town for the entire month.
Sounds like she neglected to tell him she refused Luthor's Christmas gift.
Without Luthor in Metropolis, it actually felt like Clark had more time to spend with Lois and less time needing to patrol the skies.
Clark is spending time with Lois.
Clark spent his free time, what little of it he had, flying to Brazil and searching each town and village of that region for the Jaguar. Weeks passed, blurring into the previous ones and still Clark found no sign of the man with his face. He was beginning to wonder if the Jaguar knew Superman was looking for him. Had he, too, seen the resemblance between the two of them?
It would be pretty surprising if he didn't.
January ended with a bang, which to Clark announced that Luthor must have returned to town. The CostMart chain, the biggest rival to LexDrug,
Although, if he does have to leave this will make it much sadder. He finally has a real friend, and will loose her.
He had started telling her stories of his childhood, from before his parents died. The characters had no names in his stories.
Well, as long as he just says "Mom" and "Dad" this might not be too troublesome.
The locations could have been in the clouds for his lack of place names.
I guess it is better than giving the place names and having her accuse him of lieing.
Still, Lois ate them up ravenously and begged, at least with her eyes and her whole expression, for more.
She still thinks this will help her in Italy.
She had stopped calling him ‘liar’ to his face, which he appreciated; although, ‘Smallville’ slipped out more regularly than he liked. He continued to search for an endearment that captured her whole essence.
At least if she calls him Smallville, it will make it easier when he tells her the truth.
Clark (after he tells her he is SM, which seems unlikely to ever happen, but I can hope): Lois, I let you call me Smallville, because I really did grow up there. Just not the one you visited.
On the other hand, should Clark discover he was in the free and clear, nothing would stop him from claiming Lois as his own. Well, except Lois, that was.
I think if he tells her the truth, she will eventually forgive him.
If Clark hadn’t met the Jaguar himself, he would have thought him a myth as well. He had best try the local paper for Manaus.
Sounds like a good plan to me.
It was coming on lunchtime, at least in Metropolis. Though Clark didn’t require sustenance to fuel his energy that tantalizing smell begged him to take a break. If no other reason was needed, Lois loved being introduced to new cuisine.
Lois:
it has taken me long enough to get this Clark to eat reasonable foods instead of his health-food limited. His food habits were so wrong when I first met him. I think we are moving him towards right though.
Within twenty minutes, Clark was sitting at a table at an outdoor café eating a delectable fried pastel, a chicken-filled pastry pie, and drinking a black coffee. The air was sweet, fresh, and not too hot, despite the season and humidity. He loved this little village hidden the forest, with its colonial style buildings, and good food. He would really have to bring Lois back here someday.
He still has hope.
His shoulders hunched, and he dropped his head into his hands. Once again, he had let himself forget, just for a second, that Lois wasn’t his to have a future with. Anguish once more washed over him.
Well, not much.
“You speak Portuguese very well, Clark. Are you from the United States or Canada?” Padre Jaco asked.
I'm surprised he did not think he was from Sao Paulo or Porto Algre. Although maybe Clark's Portuguese is not that good.
“We don’t meet many ‘Clarks’ around here,” Jaco said with a wink as they turned towards the church at the end of the street. “What do you do?”
Actually, I would not be surprised if there are people in Brazil named Clark.
They walked on in silence a minute before Jaco spoke again, “Is she here or back home, this woman who makes you miserable?”
I really like Father Jaco. It is good for Clark to have another friend.
That was a good question, to which Clark had no answer. In this timeline ‘no’, but ‘maybe’ in her true timeline. On the other hand, it was entirely possible that Lois wouldn’t have married or dated her true Clark yet in her true timeline, but in the future. Although, it seemed almost inconceivable that any version of himself could work so close to Lois and not try to ask her out.
Especially since in canon he hasn't. Well, I guess he tried in the Pilot, but she rejected him so firmly he did not try again for a long time.
While being best friends was better than just friends, which was an improvement over acquaintances, which was miles above her despising him, it was still nowhere near as wonderful as dating her had been.
Thus, his despair. He knows what he wants, but with the deadline, it seems to just be a recipe for more despair.
“No! No, thank God. We’re both single,” he rushed on. “I mean I’m available, and I just don’t know if she is.”
And again he speaks the truth, but not the full, truly complexed truth. Of course if he did that he might be heading into Dr. Carlin's care.
“No, I can’t do that. You see, she doesn’t know,” Clark explained, and rather badly at that.
I hope the priest has a good response.
“I’m just passing through,” Clark said, also moving to English, as Carlos’s words sunk in and brow furrowed at the strange coincidence. “This town’s name is ‘small town’?”
I just love it.
He shut his eyes, only now replaying the last real kiss under the mistletoe with this Lois, and how it had been a thousand times better.
At least he has no confusion about which Lois he loves.
Taking a quick look around the room to make sure that they were alone, Clark lifted his shaking fingers to his glasses. “I know another vigilante who also doesn’t exist,” he said softly, lowering his hand and taking his glasses with it. “I know, because in a former life the Jaguar used to be me.”
“Then how do you explain this?” Clark asked pointing between them. “I’m you from another dimension otherwise I couldn’t be here talking with you. You were me…” He lowered his voice to a low whisper. “— Superman in your previous life, Carlos. Someone went back in time and killed you off as an infant. Otherwise, you’d be living my life. You’d be Clark Kent in Metropolis in love with Lois Lane.”
I just knew Carlos would be the Jaguar. I am less convinced that Clark and I are right about him being Clark retruned.
“No!” Carlos said. “This whole discussion is preposterous. I am not this woman’s soul mate.” Once more he switched back to English. “She is not minha… mine.”
I have to say Carlos is being the more reasonable of the two. He is happy where he is at, and doing things he loves. I do not think he and Lois would ever be able to be happy together.
“I know this is whole lot to take in all at once, but believe me, it’s true.
I think that should be "a whole lot".
“How do you know that’s who I was meant to be? You don’t even know me!” Carlos argued back. “You’re telling me that I, Carlos, don’t matter.” He lowered his voice. “If you remember what I told you in the woods, Superman, I have people who depend on me. If you go back in time and change it, so that the current person I am today doesn’t exist, what will happen to all the people who depend on me?” He flung his hand out towards the door. “Do you think there is a line of people out there to take care of and teach these children? Those children need me. This community needs me to protect it, and the rainforest. I am asking you not to change time, even if you can.
Finally someone is talking in reasonable terms. This universe is here. There is no reason to end it. And with Superman here, Mr. Fences and neo-Noah won't destroy it.
Go home, marry the woman who you love, and have many children. I give you permission to take my place as father of Utopia,” he said, walking to his desk and taking off his scarf to reveal his clerical collar. “I, on the other hand, am already a father; I’m Padre Carlos. I have given my life to the Roman Catholic Church, senhor. These people may not need me to create Utopia, but they need me all the same.” He picked up his cassock from the back of his desk chair and put it on. Then he started to button up the front of his clerical robes. “If you’ll excuse me, my children are waiting for me to join them for lunch.” He marched out the door.
Well, hopefully Clark will accept this as the ned of any need to hook up Lois with Carlos.
Clark stood in the empty classroom with his jaw hanging open. This conversation hadn’t gone at all as he had thought it would. He was at a complete loss at what to do next.
Good, finally someone is causing him to think twice about making decisions based on very narrow goals.
