Lois awoke to the memory of a wonderful dream. She didn’t retain much of it, but she did recall that Clark was in it and they’d been having fun. And whatever they’d been doing had made her wriggle with pleasure.
Clark dreams were so very sweet. She hoped there were more of them in her future.
The sweet scent of Clark preparing breakfast, something she’d definitely gotten used to over the past few days, put a smile on her lips and a spring in her step. She made her morning bathroom run, then quickly dressed and walked out of the bedroom. The fresh apples in the bowl on the table widened her smile.
Clark stuck his head around the edge of the kitchen wall and said, “Good morning. Or in your case, good afternoon.”
She rubbed her face with one hand to stifle a yawn. “Yeah, well, I would have gotten up earlier if my partner had shown up last night when he said he would.”
Instead of more banter, she got only a curt “Sorry.”
His tone startled her. She was even more startled when he turned his head away from her and stepped back into the kitchen.
Something was very wrong.
She walked to the kitchen entry. “Clark? Are you all right?”
Without turning his head, he said, “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
She waited for a long moment, pondering her next move. She wasn’t used to dealing with a morose Clark Kent, and she wasn’t sure how to proceed.
Had she said or done something to hurt him? She didn’t think so, since the last time they’d seen each other he’d been smiling.
Had he gotten some bad news? That was possible, but the TV was off and she hadn’t heard the phone ring.
So. It almost surely wasn’t her fault, but she needed to do something to help him.
Lois slowly walked to Clark’s massive back and put her hands under his arms and around his chest, then looped them over his shoulders and pressed her cheek against his spine. “Clark? Something’s happened, something not good. Please tell me what’s going on. I want to help.”
Moving only his arms, he turned off the stove and moved the pan of what Lois thought was French toast to one side. Then he sighed deeply. “It’s – it’s nothing.”
She squeezed a little harder. “It isn’t nothing. Something’s wrong, something has upset you. I want to help.” She waited for a long breath, then whispered, “Is it – is it me? Have I done something to upset you?”
He turned so quickly that she might have fallen had he not wrapped his muscular and supple arms around her shoulders. “No! You haven’t done anything, Lois. Not you. Never you.”
The little catch in his voice convinced her that she wasn’t at fault, but there was still something very wrong. She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Then what? Tell me, please.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then opened his mouth and the phone rang.
He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “That better not be Jimmy.”
She didn’t relax her grip. “Doesn’t matter. Let the machine get it.”
“But – it might be important.”
She shook her head once. “Let the machine get it.” He moved as if to disengage from her, but she held him fast. “I mean it, Clark. Whoever that is, whatever he or she is going to say, this is more important.”
He stared at her as if he’d discovered a new and beautiful form of life growing in his refrigerator. The phone stopped ringing and the answering machine clicked on, and that’s when Lois learned that Clark kept the volume down on his machine. That meant he didn’t use it to screen his calls. It also meant that all those times she’d called him and he hadn’t answered, he hadn’t been ignoring her. He wasn’t using the machine to filter his contact with her. He really hadn’t been home.
Of course, that made her wonder where he’d been all those times she’d called and he hadn’t been here.
But like the lack of gel in his hair, that item would wait for a later time. She still needed to find out what was bothering him.
“We’ll check the message after we talk, Clark. Okay?”
He pulled her close to him as if he were grasping a lifeline. One hand stroked her hair while the other pressed into the small of her back. She felt as if she were moving into the space she’d been born to occupy. And if he wanted to stay like that for a long time, she wouldn’t mind.
He almost surprised her when he did finally speak.
“When I was out last night, I walked up on a convenience store where Superman had just stopped an armed robbery and captured the thieves. No one was hurt, there was no property damage, nothing bad happened at all. I started to talk to one of the responding officers when I realized that I – I couldn’t write up the story and send it in.” His arms tightened and pressed her even closer to him. “It just – I suddenly realized that I wasn’t a reporter now. I was just – just a guy walking around the streets late at night.”
She understood. She knew. And she felt his pain.
Her arms tightened around him. “I know, Clark, I know. I’ve felt the same way.”
He sniffed. “I never quite realized how much I – it hurts more than I thought it would. I miss it. Not being part of the news team at the Planet, I mean.” He took another deep breath and let it out. “I always thought that – that losing you – losing your friendship – would be the worst thing that could happen to me. I never thought I’d feel almost that bad if I lost the Planet.”
She did know. She did understand.
Not going to the office every day. No bad guys to catch. No corruption to expose. No social inequities to correct. No tragedies to be prevented by stopping the bad guys. No dangerous hidden truths waiting to be exposed. Oh, yes, she knew.
Clark gently pushed her away and looked down again. This time he was stricken. “Oh, Lois, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to remind you of what you’ve lost, too.”
She forced a smile. “We haven’t lost it all, Clark. We’re working the ultimate undercover assignment right now. We’re best friends. We trust each other. We still have each other. And we’re going to come out of this on the other side stronger and better.”
He gave her a tiny grin – tiny but real. “You sound so confident.”
“I am confident. You know why?” She waited as he shook his head once. “Because we’re stronger together than either of us is when we’re apart. If there’s an Intergang out there, they haven’t got a chance. We’re still the hottest team in town.” She kissed his cheek again. “Now, how about you finish breakfast while I check the messages?”
His grin grew by half. “That’s a tricky machine. Sure you don’t want me to do it?”
She leaned back and tweaked his nose with one finger. “Only if you want me to finish cooking breakfast.”
He nodded sagely. “I see your point. Why don’t you check the messages?”
“Good choice. I’ll set the table, too.”
She reluctantly slid from his grasp and walked to the machine. The message counter indicated two calls, which piqued her curiosity.
“Hey, youse guys, this is Louie. Kim and I caught your routine tonight and we both think you nailed it. Gimme a call when you can tomorrow and we’ll talk. I know some guys who know some guys who could use some good family-friendly entertainments.”
“You hear that?” she called out.
“Yep. I made a mental note.”
“B-flat?”
“No. A-sharp, of course.”
“Of course.”
The second call made her laugh.
“Hey, CK, this is Jimmy. I tried to call Lois at her place but her number’s disconnected and there’s no other listing for her yet. I need to get some things to her from the Planet. Perry found some of her stuff hidden away in the storage room. Call me with her new number when you can. The Chief says this isn’t time-sensitive but he wants her to have it before the scavengers find it. Bye for now!”
She looked up to see Clark leaning around the kitchen wall. “Your phone’s disconnected?”
“Well – yes.”
“You didn’t renew your lease?”
“You told me I could stay as long as I wanted! Believe me, it’s a big money-saver not paying for two apartments. And I’m pretty sure your rent is cheaper.”
She could see the smile he was trying to hide. “And my couch is more comfy.”
“I wouldn’t know. You won’t let me try it.”
He inhaled as if there was another teasing remark on his tongue, but instead he said, “Breakfast is ready.”
“Wups! I’ll get the dishes. Are we having milk or coffee?”
“There’s no coffee made, but I have some orange juice in the fridge.”
“That will do. I’m hungry.”
*****
Jimmy didn’t understand anything anymore.
First Lois got fired. Yeah, sure, Perry said that Stern had laid her off to save money, but that made no sense. Even if she had been doing Cat’s old job, people would read anything that carried her byline. Lois was a great writer and a great reporter and people would buy a copy of the Planet just to read her stories no matter what they were about.
Then Clark quit. That one he kind of understood, seeing as how CK was so crazy about Lois that he’d run through a brick wall to get her coffee the way she liked it. But he still missed his friend, the big handsome guy with all the headlines but who still treated Jimmy like a regular person and not a personal servant. Jimmy liked Lois, too, but she tended to treat him like an extra pair of legs who didn’t need to eat or sleep when she needed something done that she didn’t think she should do or didn’t have time to do herself. But she also treated him like a real person. At least, sometimes she did.
Cat was back in the newsroom, at least for a while. Perry had said that when Clark left, it created a job opening, and Mr. Stern had offered Cat a more serious reporting position on a six-month probationary basis. She was, at that moment, covering the opening of the new convention center downtown, one of the few high-dollar projects in the city which hadn’t had Luthor’s name and fingerprints slapped all over it. Jimmy didn’t think Cat could ever replace Lois at the Daily Planet, but he had to admit that she’d been totally professional in the few days she’d been back.
And she still dressed hot. Not as hot as before, but still hot. That was always a plus.
The Chief – well, that was a different story. Before Lois and CK had left, there had been times when Jimmy and Perry would discuss real-life things, personal things, not-work things, and Jimmy got the impression that Perry thought of him as a surrogate son who Perry wanted to succeed as a photographer and reporter. Other times, Jimmy got the impression that his boss thought of him as a personal slave who Perry wanted to work to death as quickly as he could.
But ever since CK and Lois had left, Perry had acted differently. He’d give Jimmy an assignment without looking at his eyes. The morning meetings were dull now. Cat wasn’t dressing as provocatively as before, even though no one would ever call her plain or straight-laced. Without Lois there to antagonize her, Cat rarely flashed her claws, even at the other women on the floor. And even when Perry yelled at Ralph, Jimmy could tell that his heart wasn’t in it.
The office dynamics were all different, too. The building was upgraded and redone, the computer systems were top-notch – that part he liked – the reporter’s desks were arranged differently, the chief’s office was bigger and cleaner, but without Clark and Lois around, there was a sense of missing energy. Most of the other reporters still did their jobs well, but none of them had that sixth sense that Lois had about where to dig for better dirt on people, and no one else had the touch with others that CK had for getting information from interview subjects when they wouldn’t so much as meet with anyone else.
And now Jimmy was in charge of a box of Lois’ stuff.
This didn’t make sense either. There were things in here that were Lois’, sure, but there was a small lockbox that he’d never seen before, one that was too new and clean for Lois to have owned for long, given the way she treated inanimate objects or people she didn’t like. There was a notebook with some odd markings on the first few pages, and the notes on the later pages didn’t make sense to him. They were incomplete sentences which didn’t fill out the entire line, and only some of them began with capital letters. Not only that, it didn’t look like Lois’ usual chicken-scratching.
And Perry’s instructions had been weird. “Give this box to either Lois or Clark. No one else. And don’t tell anyone but them that you have it.” Totally strange, as if he’d fallen through a wormhole into a parallel universe and found himself working for his father’s spy agency.
Jimmy sighed and folded the top shut. He’d follow instructions whether he understood them or not. And he’d think about that offer to work at the photography studio. It seemed that the Daily Planet had lost a big part of her spirit since the day Luthor had turned himself into sidewalk pizza.
Jimmy didn’t want to work for a company that didn’t have a good spirit.
*****
After their breakfast-at-lunch-time, Lois sat down with her partner and helped him sift through more of the classic material they’d decided to use. The attorney Louie had consulted assured them that if they gave full credit for their routines to the original authors and/or performers and paid whatever public performance fees might be legally required, then they could use whatever sketches they wanted.
Today they’d picked out a couple of old Jack Benny routines, but Lois wasn’t sure about them. Part of the Benny charm was his slightly bumbling and hesitant delivery, and neither she nor Clark felt comfortable trying to copy it. So they decided to put Benny on the shelf for the time being and look at some other classic duos, deciding at last to try a Lewis and Martin routine about Jerry trying to sell Dean a song which Dean turned down, but less than a minute later he heard it on the “radio” sung by Frank Sinatra. Lois thought it held promise as long as Clark didn’t actually try to sing. Assuming, of course, that they could afford to pay a singer performance rights for a fragment of a song played back during the bit.
They also decided to make a try for a solo bit for Clark as a punch-drunk fighter who tries to sing in a night club. Lois thought that Clark’s lack of vocal talent would fit in well with the premise, and she could come on right after and “rescue” him from the angry “fans” who hated his vocalizations. It would also give Clark a chance to wear a tux and show off his shoulders a bit, and she was surprised at how much she had to argue for the bit to get him to agree to try it.
Clark excused himself to start some laundry, so she took the opportunity to call Louie back.
“Lois! Glad you called. Me and Kim been waiting for youse guys to wake up. Lissen, I got a guy on the hook in Gotham who’s willing to give you two full weeks next month. He’s a good talent scout and he knows comics, been doin’ this for over forty years and worked with his uncle back before TV got so big. You want I should talk to him for you?”
“Is he going to pay us in real money?”
“I asked him that very question, and he made some noises about how nobody knows you as comics and you ain’t got no history in the business. I told him that anybody on the Coast who reads newspapers knows your names from the Planet and they’ll come out of curiosity and stay to laugh and come back a second time and bring lots of friends. I think I can get you a really good deal here.”
“You aren’t going to lean on him, are you?”
“Course not! I don’t do that kind of stuff. I know some guys who know some guys, but I never even threatened nobody.”
“Really? Then how did you find that kid Jack who broke into Clark’s apartment?”
“Him? Nah! No rough stuff at all, babe. I just asked questions till I got the answers I needed. Kinda like you used to do.”
She hesitated, surprised by her reaction to the phrase “used to do.” She was reminded anew how Clark had described his feelings from the night before.
She didn’t like the feeling any more than Clark did.
“Hey, Lo, you still there?”
“Uh. Yeah, sorry, I’m here. Look, you go ahead and talk to this guy, but don’t commit to anything until Clark and I have a chance to hear his terms. And make sure he knows we’re both going to be fully dressed at all times.”
“Ha-ha-ha! No problem. Hey, Kim says that Clark should think about wearing a tux onstage. Every guy looks classy in a tux, and the ladies really like him now. Anything you can do to make people come look at you is a good thing. Up to a point, of course.”
“That’s a funny thing, but Clark and I were talking about that very same item a few minutes ago. Thanks for the help, Louie. And tell Kim I owe her lunch for the tux tip.”
She glanced at Clark, who was walking through the living room with an empty laundry hamper, and saw him raise a questioning eyebrow. “No prob,” Louie said. “Hey, I gotta go. I’ll get back to you tomorrow or the next day about the Gotham thing.”
“We’ll be here. Bye.”
Clark put the hamper inside the bedroom. “Good news, I take it?”
“Yes, actually. Louie may have a gig for us in Gotham next month. Two weeks at a real club with a real salary.”
He eyebrows lifted again. “Sounds promising. Do you want to look at more material or do you need a break?”
“I need to go to the Planet. Jimmy has that box of stuff I left there.”
“I thought you got it all the other day.”
“So did I, but I guess I missed something.” She stood and picked up her purse. “You want me to pick up anything while I’m out?”
“No, that’s okay. I need to go down to Mr. Okoya’s market and do some shopping. You have your key with you?”
She smiled. “On my key ring.”
“Then I’ll see you when we both get back.”
“Okay.” Lois put her hand on the doorknob and stopped, then turned and smiled at Clark. “That was nice.”
He gave her a cautious smile. “What was?”
“I don’t know, really. That little exchange just felt very – domestic.”
“Yeah, it did.” He nodded slowly. “Is that a good thing?”
Her smile widened. “Yeah. Yeah, I think it’s a very good thing.” She opened the door and breezed out. “See you later.”
As she started the Jeep and checked traffic, she thought about how safe she felt in Clark’s apartment. It was as if that very nice place in that somewhat run-down building in that lower-class neighborhood were an oasis from the pain and shame and harshness of her real life. To Lois, Clark’s place was an island retreat where she could rest and relax and be herself, and where she knew that Clark would never judge her or condemn her. Oh, he’d argue with her about her actions and attitudes, and they’d clash over which routines to look at next, but while he would often take a position opposing hers, he’d never oppose her personally. He might say, This is bad, but he’d never tell her, You are bad. It was the difference between being wanted for what she could do and being loved for who she was.
Maybe she should have let him tell her that he loved her.
*****
Lois walked out of the elevator to the oddly unfamiliar familiarity of the news floor. She stopped at the top of the interior balcony and bitterly remembered Lex Luthor standing there above everyone else on the floor. Luthor’s words when she and Clark had gone snooping at the White Orchid Ball came back to her.
“I must confess a certain pleasure in knowing that everyone in the city has to look up in order to see me.”
No one was looking up to him now.
She shook herself out of her momentary funk and strode down the ramp to her right, looking for Jimmy. He didn’t appear, but Cat Grant did, suddenly popping out of the supply room with two fresh notebooks, a box of number two pencils, and the most modest dress Lois had ever seen on her aside from the time she was trying to entrap Arthur Chou.
Cat lifted her eyes and spotted Lois. Both women snapped to a halt about five feet from each other, each staring at the other in shock.
Cat broke out of the trance first and lifted her hand. “Lois! It’s good to see you again. What brings you back to this pressure cooker?”
Lois took Cat’s hand and shook it gently. “Jimmy has one last box of my stuff I have to pick up. Have you seen him?”
Cat frowned and glanced around the room, then shook her head. “No, not for almost an hour. I think Perry has him doing something down in the photography lab.”
“Okay. Maybe I can find him myself. Thanks.”
She turned to leave the area, but Cat called out. “Lois! Wait – wait a minute.”
Lois turned, frowning slightly. “Yes?”
Cat stepped very close and lowered her voice. “Look, I want you to know that I had nothing to do with – with what happened to you. I didn’t even know you were gone until Perry called me and asked me if I wanted to come back.”
Lois gave her a wan smile. “I know. You weren’t even in town when Stern cut me loose. And I don’t blame you a bit for hanging on to a job here. It’s a great place to work.”
“Thanks. It is a good place. And you helped make it one.”
Lois’ lips parted in surprise. “Do what?”
“I mean it! I always looked up to you. I saw how hard you worked, how many chances you took, how many headlines you brought in. I always wanted to do that, but every time I talked to Perry about it, he told me that he already had one Lois Lane and there wasn’t room for another one.” Cat reached out with one hand and grasped Lois’ elbow. “But I’m going to do my best to keep up the good work you were doing. I’m not the same person you are, probably not as good a person or as good a reporter, but I’m going to bust my butt to make my time here worthy of mention.”
A tear threatened to well up in Lois’ eye, so she looked down and nodded. “I’m sure you will. And thank you, Cat.”
Cat smiled wide, almost as wide as she once had, and released Lois’ arm. “We’ll have to have lunch one day soon. My treat! Call me later this week and we’ll set it up.”
“I’ll try, but Clark and I will probably be working on our routines and we—”
“What? What routines? Are you an acrobat now?”
“No. Clark and I – we’re working on standup comedy.”
Lois could see Cat’s jaws working hard to stay together and her lips being crushed between her teeth. It was a monumental effort for her not to laugh out loud. Finally Cat licked her lips and said, “Standup comedy?”
“Hey, that severance package won’t last forever. I think we have a good shot at making a living at it.”
Cat’s smile softened from mocking to thoughtful contemplation. “Yeah. Yeah! You know, I think you’re right! You two had gotten to the point of finishing each other’s sentences, you always worked well together, and Clark does what you tell him, so yeah, you two have a lot of potential in that area.” She stepped back and tilted her head. “You know, I think I can do something with that. With your permission, of course.”
Lois frowned again. “What are you talking about now?”
Cat put her arm through Lois’ and began walking her toward Perry’s office. “I think I can give you a boost in your new career and get some stories out of it at the same time. Let’s talk to the Chief.”
“Huh?” Lois barely avoided knocking down a girl so young she had to be a new intern. “Wait a minute – I have to talk to Clark—”
“Of course you do, honey, but he’ll see right away what a good deal this is! Just think: Lane and Kent, The Hottest Comedy Team In Town! You two will knock ‘em dead! And I’ll get the credit for introducing you to the readers of the Daily Planet! I’ll tell people, ‘Yeah, I knew Lane and Kent way back before they got so famous!’ It’s a guaranteed invite to all the best parties!”
Bewildered by the sudden shift, Lois stopped while Cat, who was still laughing and talking, flung open Perry’s office door. Some free publicity would be nice, and getting a strong audience for their shows wouldn’t hurt the club owners’ opinions of them either.
As long as we’re not the ones who get knocked dead, she thought.
*****
Lois tried to speak, but Cat overrode her with enthusiasm and energy to the point where Lois stopped trying to interject her thoughts. Besides, what she was hearing was very interesting.
“—and the Planet could give them a big boost at the same time we bring in more readers who want to know about The Hottest Comedy Team In Town! What do you think?”
“Cat, honey,” Perry drawled, “that’s a very good idea. Why don’t you write the first review for them?”
Cat bounced in her chair. “As soon as I see them perform, Chief. I’ll talk them up like nobody since Elvis!”
Lois laughed with Perry, then said, “I don’t think we’re anywhere near his level right now, Cat, and probably not for a long time, if ever. We’re still feeling our way.”
“What kind of material are you working on now?” Cat bubbled.
“Well, we’ve got a baseball routine we’ve put together, plus that Nichols and May sketch about the funeral home—”
“Funeral home!” Cat burst out. “You’re going to do a funny funeral?”
Lois grinned as Perry chuckled. “I think Perry knows the routine I’m talking about. I think you’ll like it, too. We’re being respectful. Our manager thinks we need to stay family-friendly, and so do Clark and I.” She looked at her watch. “Oops! I’ve got to meet Clark for rehearsal in twenty minutes and I don’t want to be late.”
Perry stood with the two women. “Break a leg, Lois. Oh, don’t forget that last box of your stuff. Have you seen Jimmy yet?”
“Not yet. I’ll find him before I head for the bus stop.”
“Perry, could I take Lois back to wherever she and Clark are meeting? It’ll save time and bus fare.”
Lois grimaced. “Are you still driving that pregnant roller skate?”
Cat tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I’ll have you know that strong men weep when they see me driving my red Porsche 911. And I’ve never had a wreck in it.”
“So you’re still accident-free?”
An impish smile spread over Cat’s face. “I never said no accidents, just no car wrecks. Meet you outside the lobby?”
“As soon as I find Jimmy.”
The door closed behind Cat before Perry could say anything. “Doggone it,” he muttered, “I’m going to have as much trouble with her as I had with you. Just a different kind of trouble.”
Lois chuckled. “Maybe that would be a good thing.”
“Aw, she’s not as good as you were. I mean, as you are.”
She shrugged. “Too bad Mr. Stern doesn’t see it that way.”
“Sure wish I could give you one more assignment, Lois. I think you could ‘cover’ it very well.”
Lois heard the emphasis on the word “cover” and nodded. Then she caught his eye and slowly replied, “I ‘under’ stand.”
“Good. Now you and Clark be sure to look over that notebook. I think you could get some real use out of it.”
She almost asked “what notebook?” before she saw the twinkle in his eye. “Thanks, Perry. Clark and I appreciate any help we can get.”
“Hey, the best thing you two can do now is be funny. Oh, wait, there’s Jimmy now. You’d better catch him before he gets pulled away again.”
“Will do. Thanks again.”
“Stay safe, Lois. Clark too.”
