Part Four
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Lois must have dozed off, because suddenly she was having strange, semi-coherent dreams involving Clark, spaceships over Smallville, and kryptonite gas. She woke up, her heart pounding, and realized that she was lying on the cot with the blankets pulled over her. Jordan was in the kitchen, setting plates and forks on the breakfast table.
He looked up at her and smiled. “Good morning, Grams. You woke up just in time; I got us some breakfast.” He gestured to a bag on the table; some pretty good smells were wafting from it. “Charlotte brought some clothes and things over, if you want to get changed,” he continued. “We had to guess your size, though.”
“I'm sure it'll be fine,” she said as she climbed out of the bed and headed for the bathroom.
After a hot shower and a change of clothes, she returned to the kitchen and helped Jordan dig into the food.
“I called Stephen earlier,” Jordan said between bites of his omelet. “The good news is that he'd be willing to take over as Superman, and both his nephew and kid brother are interested if for any reason he couldn't do it. He says if I can figure out how to hand over the reigns, he'll take them.”
“That's good,” said Lois.
“I didn't talk to him about the secret yet, though,” Jordan continued, looking nervous. “We're going to meet up, later, so we can discuss everything. I'm not sure how he's going to react.” He set his fork down and looked Lois in the eye. “This needs to be done, Grams; but now that it's happening, I don't know if I can go through with it.”
She reached forward and patted his hand. “Just talk to Stephen,” she told him. “If he reacts badly, then we'll take it from there.”
“And if he's okay with it and wants to do it?” Jordan asked.
“Then, we'll take it from there.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Thanks, Grams.” He stood and took their empty plates. “I guess we'd better head over to the planet, if you want to talk to Mr. Byrne about that script. What did you think of it, anyway?”
“I don't know...” Lois pulled a face. “Okay, some of it I wasn't actually there for, like those scenes in the White House and New Krypton; but some of that stuff just didn't ring true. I mean, come on—Clark having to duel Lord Nor to the death with Kryptonian weapons? How over the top is that?”
Jordan suddenly developed a cough.
**********
“We are not changing the copy-room scene!” Mr. Byrne thundered, slamming his fist onto the table with a force that made it shake.
Lois narrowed her eyes at him. “I didn't say change it,” she said, “I said get *rid* of it. It makes me look”-- she caught herself--“at Lois like she's a petty person. And I'm not. ...Going to stand for this.” She folded her hands on the table and gave him a challenging stare.
Mr. Byrne turned pleading eyes to Jordan, who only nodded. He sighed. “Fine,” he ground out through gritted teeth. “Anything *else*, Ms. Graham?”
Lois flicked through the pages that her great-grandson had helped her to print earlier. She pulled a few out and handed them to Mr. Byrne. “This scene has to go, too,” she announced.
“It's a vitally important scene!” Mr. Byrne protested. “It shows Superman's humanity and fallibility!”
“It shows that you don't understand Superman or the things he stands for!” snapped Lois. “It goes.”
Mr. Byrne grumbled.
“Now, this scene--” Lois began, pushing another sheaf of papers forward.
Mr. Byrne's eyebrows flew into his hair upon seeing the pages. “No,” he said immediately. “No, no, no! I am *not* removing that scene! That scene is a masterpiece! That scene is the culmination of over eight weeks and a hundred martinis worth of planning and drafting and reading aloud in order to get the flow just right! It's only two actors and a camera away from being an Oscar! We are *not* *removing* *that* *scene*!”
“Oh, I actually agree with you,” Lois said, calmly. “I don't want to get rid of it at all.”
“Really?” Mr. Byrne blinked at her in surprise, then sagged with relief.
“But instead of Zara and Superman,” Lois continued, “I want to give the scene to Lois and Clark.”
“Lois and *Clark*?” he echoed, one eye beginning to twitch. “You're being ridiculous! Clark Kent is just a minor character who Lois hitches her wagon to in the end. He doesn't need a passionate love scene!”
Lois glared at him. “Look, Mr. Byrne,” she said, “I happen to be a big fan of Clark Kent. Believe me, no matter how few lines you give him, he is *not* a minor character; he's a great reporter, a close friend of Superman, and the only man on Earth who could ever keep up with Lois Lane. He gets the scene.”
“But what about Zara?” whined Byrne. “With all these changes, Julia has hardly any screen time left. You might as well just kill her off half-way through the movie!”
“Of course not,” said Lois. “That wouldn't be historically accurate.” She glanced at Jordan. “Would it?” she asked, quietly.
He shook his head.
Lois sniffed. “Anyway, I'm sure Julia can deal with it. Just put her in the background of a bunch of other scenes, or something.”
“But we need these scenes to build up Zara and Superman's relationship!” Byrne lamented. “Without them, they might as well be just a couple of friends—strangers, even—who happen to be married!”
Lois fought the urge to grin.
“Where's the emotional drama?” Mr. Byrne went on. “Where's the sense of loss and sacrifice when Superman finally has to return to Earth?” At Lois' answering glare, he turned imploringly to Jordan. “Superman, I don't know what the deal is with this woman, but can't *you* see sense? This isn't just some B-movie shlock we're trying to make; this is a ground-breaking epic that will determine how your ancestors are remembered for generations to come!”
Jordan blinked. “I hadn't thought of it like that,” he answered.
Mr. Byrne grinned in triumph.
“Do everything she tells you,” Jordan said, then stood and left the room.
Mr. Byrne's face fell as the sonic boom shook the building.
**********
Out of habit, when Lois finally left Mr. Byrne tearing his hair out and sobbing in Perry's office, her eyes sought out the newsroom's TV screens in order to get an idea of where her descendant was. It took her a moment to locate the non-functioning flat-screen televisions in the wrong parts of the room, and she quickly realized that these would be of no help. Furthermore, this was one more word she would have to have with the props department.
“He went to take care of a traffic accident across town.”
Lois spun around to see Charlotte standing behind her. “Oh! How did you--?”
Charlotte tapped her ear. “I also caught most of your meeting with Byrne. Um, I hope you don't mind my listening in,” she added, looking a bit sheepish.
Lois waved a hand, airily. “Oh, not at all! I'd do the same thing, given the chance.”
Charlotte grinned. “Oh, I know. Thanks for getting rid of those bedroom scenes, by the way. I'm no prude, but I just wasn't looking forward to them.” She sighed. “Especially since Hans keeps bugging me about rehearsing them,” she muttered.
Lois patted her on the shoulder. “Don't mention it,” she said. “Speaking of rehearsals, though, we should probably show Keith his new lines.”
“Are you sure about that change, Grams?” Charlotte asked her, warily. “I mean, Keith is...well, Keith. I don't know if he can pull it off.”
“You think he can't do romance?” Lois asked.
“I think he can't do *acting*,” Charlotte replied. She looked around, hastily, then lowered her voice. “Look, Hans may be a jerk, but he's at least a good actor. Keith is only good at awkwardly walking around in the background, and he can't handle lines more emotionally powerful than 'Madam, we think your son may be a chimp'.”
Lois smothered a laugh. “Still,” she said, “Keith is playing Clark, and Hans isn't...yet,” she murmured, the gears in her head turning.
Charlotte looked at her quizzically.
“I want the world to have a glimpse of what Clark and I mean to each other,” Lois continued before Charlotte could ask. “And besides, it's important that everyone sees the man, not just the hero. They need to understand the man behind the costume.”
“Why?” asked Charlotte. “It's not like anyone knows who Great-grandad really was.”
Lois froze. “Just...trust me,” she said at last. “Now then, where's Keith?”
“He stepped out to make a phone call,” answered Charlotte. “We can look for him after you're done talking to Les.”
“Les?” Lois echoed. “Why would I--?”
“GRAHAM!” Les' voice boomed across the newsroom.
Lois raised her eyebrows at Charlotte.
Charlotte tapped her ear again.
**********
It took some time to convince Les that she wouldn't back down on the changes to the script. He and Mr. Byrne both cornered her in Perry's old office again, and this time, she didn't have Jordan nearby to look intimidating. Of course, if there was one thing Lois Lane could probably out-do Superman at, it was being intimidating. By the time they left the office, five more scenes had been revamped.
Charlotte and Keith were standing by Clark's desk, talking. Judging by the excitement on Keith's face, Charlotte must have just told him about his expanded role. Les called out to them.
“Charlotte! Could you and—uh...” Les snapped his fingers repeatedly.
“Keith,” Lois supplied.
“Right,” said Les. “Could you and Keith come over here?” He turned to Lois. “I still think this is a mistake,” he muttered, as the two came over to join them just outside of the office.
“Yes, Les?” Charlotte asked.
“Charlotte,” said Les, “we're tentatively discussing some possible changes to the script.” He shot Lois a glare. “Before we start shooting again, I'd like you two to take a moment to read through these lines.” He handed them each a few pages of the script. “It's a tender love scene—well, it *was* a tender love scene between a renowned hero of noble birth and his faithful wife. However, some of us want to see it played out by two ordinary reporters, instead.”
They began flipping through the pages, Keith silently moving his lips as he read. Finally, he looked up. “Um, I'm kind of confused,” he said. “What's my motivation supposed to be?”
“It's a love scene,” said Les. “You're in love. In fact, let's practice that right now: look at Charlotte like you're head-over-heels in love with her.”
Keith thought for a moment, then turned goo-goo eyes onto Charlotte. Lois and Les both groaned, and Mr. Byrne went back into the office to bang his head against something. Charlotte tried and failed to smother a laugh.
“I said *love*!” Les shouted. “Look at her like you love her, not like you're a fourth-grader playing Romeo in the school play!”
Keith blushed. “Sorry, Mr. Donner. I just—I don't get it. Lois is really in love with Superman, right? So, what is Clark actually feeling, here? Wistful? Hopeful? Jealous of Superman? Does he actually think Lois has fallen for him?”
“She *has* fallen for him,” Lois answered before Les could speak. “It's like I told you all before: Lois and Clark were engaged when all this happened. She was the center of his world, and even when Superman came between them, he was always hers. I think he knew that,” she added quietly, almost to herself. “Maybe not always consciously, but he must have known or sensed how important he was to her, even in the beginning, because after she nearly married the biggest scum-bucket of all time, he was willing to put his heart aside and be the best friend she needed him to be. He was her pillar, and he wasn't going to let her fall, no matter what the cost to himself.”
Les shrugged. “Well,” he said, “that's your opinion.”
Lois glared at him. “It happens to be a very well-informed one,” she told him.
“So, they both love each other, then?” Keith asked.
“Yes!” said Lois.
“Sure, why not,” said Les. “Let's play it like that just to see how it goes. So, Kevin--”
“It's Keith,” Keith corrected.
“Right,” said Les. “Have you ever been completely hung up on a girl, like that?” He paused. “Or a guy?” he added.
“My wife,” Keith replied, a dopey smile taking over his face. “We've been married eight years, and I'm still crazy about her.”
Lois smiled. “What's her name?” she asked.
“Mildred,” he answered with a soppy sigh.
The way he said that name, as if it were the most beautiful word in any language, told Lois that they'd hit pay-dirt. Even Les seemed to realize as much as he stared at Keith in utter surprise. “That's great,” the director said at last. “So, just look at Charlotte the way you look at Mildred.”
“Um...” Keith stammered. “I don't know if—I mean, I couldn't—I mean--”
“Keith,” Charlotte said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder, “it's acting, remember? Just pretend I'm Mildred.”
Keith nodded, looked down at his shoes, and took a deep breath. He glanced at the pages in his hands and exhaled slowly. Finally, he looked up at Charlotte with a gaze so deep and intense that Lois' breath caught.
Charlotte gasped. “Wow,” she breathed. “The last time a man looked at me like that, I got pregnant with twins!”
The spell broken, everyone's stunned gaping turned to sputtering laughter.
“Not bad,” said Les, patting Keith on the shoulder. “You've got potential, Kiddo.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Keith mumbled sheepishly.
“That was amazing!” Byrne shouted from somewhere behind Lois, causing her to nearly leap out of her skin. “I can see it all so clearly, now: a love triangle—quadrangle? Man loves woman, woman is torn between man and hero, hero is torn between mistress and wife—yes, I think this can work!” He dashed back into the office, closing the door behind him.
Lois rolled her eyes. Clearly, she still had a long, up-hill battle to win before Wells showed up to take her home. Still, she supposed this was some kind of progress. After a moment's thought, she followed Mr. Byrne into the office, ignoring the man's cursing and protests.
To Be Continued...
