Previously...
“Marli?” Kal asked.
“Yeah?”
“That toy Adam had… it wasn’t a…” Kal *really* hoped it wasn’t…
“Oh. Yeah,” she replied, running a hand over her hair. “This is a little embarrassing with you over, but he just got the toy a couple days ago and I couldn’t pry it away from him.”
“So it is a…”
“Yeah,” she winced. “It’s a Superman doll.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Out of sympathy for Kal, Martha laid a hand on the Superman bobble head to stop it from jiggling around. But that still didn’t stop him from playing with the jack-in-the-box he held in his hand that was decorated with a multitude of House of El crests.
“This stuff is all over Metropolis,” Kal commented dully, cranking the handle of the toy which released a few tentative notes.
“Well, I think this doll here is kind of cute,” Martha commented, trying to cheer him up.
Kal fixed her with a serious stare. “Martha, they are buying and selling Superman on the streets.”
“Kal-” Jonathan tried to speak.
“And for what?” Kal complained, throwing up his arms. “For somebody to exploit the people of Metropolis and make a few dollars.” The handle of the toy made another rotation, drawing tinny music out of the box.
Martha patted Kal’s hand reassuringly. She wasn’t sure how to bring him out of this funk. Helping Kal through his transition to Earth was like walking through a minefield. Some problems had surprisingly simple solutions while others were so infinitely complex that she could never quite reach the bottom of them.
“I wanted to help people on Earth, and yet others are using my image for profit,” Kal continued bitterly. “What sort of message does that send to people? They won’t separate me from the toys that are being sold, so I will be associated with this whether I like it or not.”
“Kal, is it the toys themselves that bother so much, or is it the profits gained from their sale?” Jonathan asked suddenly.
“The profits,” Kal replied. “My image is being used to fund the rich, who certainly don’t need it.”
“What if you were to find a way to control how the profits were being used?” Martha asked, catching on to Jonathan’s idea.
Kal shook his head in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“Well, stopping these items from being sold doesn’t seem very likely at this point,” Jonathan explained to Kal. “But it could be possible to demand that all the proceeds of these objects could be donated to those in need.”
“That could happen?” Kal asked, his eyes lighting up.
“Yes,” Martha replied, smiling at the excitement on his face. “You’d need someone to take care of the funds, though. Someone who you can trust to manage it properly so it will go to the areas you want them to.”
“You have had experience with business administration in the past, right, Martha?” Kal asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “I manage all the affairs of the farm, and when Jonathan had back surgery a few years ago, I took a job to help get us through.”
Kal met her with an intense, scrutinizing stare. Although she knew that he wasn’t judging her harshly, she knew that he was evaluating her in some way. It was at times like these that Martha was certain that Kal had once been someone very important on Krypton.
Then, obviously finding something he approved of, he spoke. “Could *you* take care of the funds, Martha?”
Surprisingly, Martha felt herself tear up at this question. Ever since she had married Jonathan, having children had been the one thing she wanted most of all.
That hadn’t happened.
For years, she had born the pain, putting her energy instead into other things. Her paintings took off, the farm’s business affairs were always in perfect order, and she won countless local baking contests. But she knew that something was still missing.
Then Lois had come into her studio that day, and blew life into the dying embers of her dream for children. Lois had reawakened that need for nurturing that had almost disappeared in Martha.
And now she had Kal to look after, too. He didn’t need to ask for her help on this. Unlike when he first came to Earth, he was independent enough to find someone else to take on this project.
But he had chosen her.
Because he knew her.
Because he trusted her.
Because he relied on her.
“Yes, Kal,” she whispered, her voice not strong enough to be any louder. “Yes, I would love to do this for you.”
But she still had to be honest with him.
“But I won’t be able to stay with it forever,” she told him. “If this takes off like I think it will, it’ll be a fulltime job for someone to do in Metropolis. But I’ll certainly get you started.”
Kal’s face broke out into a smile, as if a large burden had just been lifted off his shoulders. “Excellent,” he announced. “Soon, the Superman Foundation will be able to bring help to those most in need.” With a flourish, he held up the jack-in-the-box on display for Jonathan and Martha. Then, he cranked the handle one last time.
A miniature Superman doll popped out of the box, surprising Kal. His fingers fumbled with the object, but he couldn’t catch it in time to stop it from falling to the ground.
He took a breath to calm himself, and then bent down to pick up the toy. He closed the lid on the box, and then laid it carefully on the table.
“Do you think there is any way we can avoid selling those?” he asked the Kents
* * *
There are four stages a reporter goes through on a slow news day.
The first is ‘Optimism’. The reporter in question starts the day brimming with excitement and energy, willing to tackle whatever the day will bring. Of course, that’s how any good reporter starts the day, whether or not there is news. It’s what happens next that changes things.
The second stage is ‘Delusion’. Finding nothing worthwhile on the surface, the reporter searches through the list of story assignments, hoping to find something that has some meat below the surface. Of course, there is nothing there.
After that comes the ‘Realization’. The reporter admits that nothing worthwhile will be accomplished that day besides a phone call to the Border Collie Lover’s Association to ask how their show went.
The last and final stage is ‘Surrender’. The reporter spends the remainder of her day backing up her files onto floppies and performing other ponderous office chores while secretly hoping that something exciting will happen.
Lois had just entered into stage three, although she had already called the BCLA and sent that article to Perry. And her *riveting* article on fruit flies had been finished yesterday. There was, of course, a blanket demand for Superman articles, but she knew that Kal was visiting the Kents today, and would unlikely be performing any rescues unless there was a serious emergency of some sort. Of course, she wasn’t about to tell anyone that.
“Slow day, huh?” Jimmy commented, resting a hand on Lois’ desk.
“Yeah,” Lois replied moodily. “I don’t suppose you have any hot news ideas, do you?”
“Lois, this is Jimmy Olsen the office grunt, not Jimmy Olsen the oracle of story ideas.”
“Right. Sorry.” Lois cast her eyes around the newsroom, looking for some form of inspiration. What she found wasn’t exactly a story, but it would provide her with at least a few moments of entertainment. “Hey, Cat!” she called. “Is that Arthur Chow coming out of the elevator?”
Cat dropped hastily to the floor, crouching beneath a desk.
“Hand me the jacket by my desk!” she whispered frantically. “I can’t let him see me dressed like this.”
“Relax,” Lois told her. “He’s not there.”
“Lois! That wasn’t funny!” Cat huffed, brushing herself off as she stood.
“When are you going to give up on the charade?” Lois asked her. “You can’t keep hiding your true nature from him.”
“That’s what you think, Lois,” Cat replied haughtily. “I’m doing just fine, thank you very much.”
“Yeah. That’s why you hid under a desk at the mention of his name.”
“Well, if he was there, he wouldn’t have seen me, now would he?” she spoke smugly.
“Hey, Cat, do you have anything to do today?” Jimmy asked Cat. “We were just saying that it was a slow news day.”
“Slow news day?” Cat’s eyebrow rose questioningly. “Jimmy, this is the kind of day that gossip columnists like myself dream of.”
“Do we have a pair of adulterous celebrities in the copy room?” Lois asked dryly.
“No, Lois,” Cat replied with disdain. “Who needs to go the copy room when we’re having celebrities coming into this very newsroom?”
“Huh?”
“The perfume photo shoot,” she spoke with impatience. “Marketing’s allowing the newsroom to be used as a backdrop for the launch of this new fragrance called ‘Exclusive’.”
As if on cue, the elevator dinged and a swarm of people entered. Some pushing trolleys full of equipment, others walking with an entourage of willing assistants. They immediately began to set up lights and prop pieces, touch up make-up on snooty-faced models, and circulate the room, passing out perfume samples to seated reporters.
“We’re never going to get any work done,” Lois spoke with despair, viewing the scene before her.
“Oh, relax, Lois,” Cat waved aside. “Two minutes ago you were complaining about the slow news day, so this shouldn’t be a problem for you. And it happens to be a great opportunity for me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get an interview with April Stephens.”
Cat was just about to step away when a woman carrying a perfume bottle walked past them.
“Would you like a sample of this one?” she asked. “Guaranteed to make you find your true love.”
Before any of them could reply, they were all doused with the foulest smelling concoction that Lois has ever experienced.
“What died?” Jimmy choked.
“That stuff’s probably three hundred dollars a quarter ounce!” Lois declared, disgusted. “This is exactly why I was complaining about this kind of thing happening at the Daily Planet. ‘Find true love’ indeed…”
“I don’t know what that was, but it definitely wasn’t ‘Exclusive’,” Cat told Jimmy and Lois. “Maybe some independent perfumer trying to gain some exposure here. Too bad she going to need a major formula overhaul before anyone would even at a look at that stuff.” She sniffed her wrist, and wrinkled her nose. “But it did cover up some of the *real* perfume I had on. I’ll need to go freshen up before I try to talk to April,” Cat decided, walking over to her desk to get a bottle of her own fragrance.
“While she’s getting ready, I think it’s time for me to make my move on some of the ladies here,” Jimmy announced. “I’m the office gopher, so maybe they need some… coffee or something.”
“Good luck,” Lois called, shaking her head. She knew Jimmy wouldn’t get very far, but she also knew that at least he’d be courteous.
While Cat and Jimmy were distracted by the models, Lois stubbornly continued to try to get some work done.
Really, she should be backing up onto floppies more often. After all, she did have her novel on this computer. What would happen if it were to crash for some reason? She would lose everything. It was best to be safe, and being organized couldn’t hurt, anyway.
She smiled to herself as she inserted the disk. She was starting to sound like Kal. Just the other day, she caught him organizing the dishes *before* he ran the dishwasher. That idea had never even occurred to her before, and she was still a long ways away from actually summoning the energy to do it.
Thinking of her roommate caused her smile to spread. She had been a little nervous, initially, about the arrangement. Even with a sisterly bond, she had gotten into plenty of fights with Lucy while they were living together. But with Kal, things seemed to fit more naturally. After a few days of working out routines, they had managed to fall into a rhythm that worked for both of them. There was something almost natural about living with Kal. It made her think that they were really meant to be together.
Lois snapped her head upwards, shaking it a little. Where had that thought come from? There was nothing romantic about their relationship. Kal was from Krypton, and although Lois could certainly see why someone would be attracted…
She paused to fan herself a little. Was the heating system malfunctioning again? Her face seemed flushed for some reason. And the image of Kal’s (admittedly attractive) body would not leave her head for some reason. It was a shame, really, that he didn’t wear the Superman costume around the apartment more. Everything had so much more… definition in that costume. Of course, even when he dressed as Clark, he was still attractive. The sport jackets he wore emphasized his broad shoulders, and occasionally he would leave a few buttons undone on his shirt. That gave her more of a glimpse than she had ever gotten. It was really a shame she had never stumbled in on him shirtless before.
But Kal had never shown any desire to have that kind of relationship with her, or anyone else here. Maybe he just wasn’t attracted to humans. Or maybe, the tragedy he had gone through on Krypton was too much of a burden for him to think about romance.
She saw that burden in his eyes, sometimes. It was a dark weight that he carried with him constantly, and although he hid it well most days, there were times when his eyes clouded over completely with memories. Sometimes, she would hear him muttering in his dreams, speaking in a language she didn’t understand. Kryptonian, probably.
She wished that for once, at least, she could just make him forget all of the terrible things he went through.
And why couldn’t she? They were obviously meant to be together, and maybe it was her job to show that to him. He was gone for now, but he would be back later today, which gave her more time to prepare.
Her mind made up, she stood and collected her things, making her way to the elevator. She heard Cat talking to Chow on the phone as she walked past, and saw Jimmy talking with that model as well.
Lois smiled to herself as the elevator door closed in front of her. It looked like there were a few people in the newsroom who were going to find love today.
* * *
Kal flew over Metropolis feeling lighter than he ever had here on Earth. Jonathan and Martha’s idea to use the proceeds of Superman merchandise to fund various charities gave him a solution to two problems he had faced. Not only did he regain control of his image, but he found a way to help those unable to afford basic human needs.
He couldn’t wait to share what had happened with Lois.
But when he stepped through the window of her apartment, he noticed something strange.
The lights were off.
Candles were lit instead.
Kal thought that was odd. The rest of the building seemed to have power, so why did Lois have to resort to candles to light her home?
“Lois?” he called once he closed the window. There was no immediate response, so Kal took the time to spin into his ‘Clark’ clothes. He had taken to dressing as Clark whenever he was out of the Suit. Tonight, however, the tie seemed too irritating to bother with. Kal still wasn’t used to the idea of dangling something around his neck as part of his wardrobe.
Removing the tie, Kal walked towards his room to put it away. Once he had opened the door, the mystery of where Lois had gone was immediately solved.
She was sitting on his bed.
And wearing his shirt, it appeared.
“I’ve been waiting for you to get home,” she spoke in a husky voice.
“Oh. Well, here I am. Lois, why are all of the lights turned off?”
“To help set the mood,” she murmured, drawing a finger along the collar of his shirt. The one she was wearing, of course. Not his own. “Do you like it?”
“Well, it is nice, I suppose. Although electric lights provide a steadier source.”
“You and your practicality,” she waved aside. “The candles are supposed to be *romantic*.” She lifted her arm in the air, striking a pose. “Don’t you ever do anything for fun, Kal?”
Her pose had caused the shirt to fall open, and Kal dropped his gaze quickly once he caught a glimpse of the little amount she was wearing underneath.
“Lois, do you think…” He swallowed dryly. “Do you think you can button up the shirt you are wearing?”
“Well, I guess I could.” She played with a button. “But that wouldn’t be as fun, would it?”
She uncrossed her legs, and Kal’s eyes were automatically drawn to the skin she was showing. The light from the candles danced across her bare thighs and suddenly, Kal understood why the candles were considered to be romantic.
“You can’t deny the attraction between us, Kal,” she breathed, rising up from the bed and taking a step towards him. “I feel it all the time. And I don’t know why you won’t act on it.”
“I think…” Kal could hardly form any words in his head.
She was slowly gliding closer and closer to him, and finally stopped, a mere breath away. She tipped her head up, and he automatically tipped his down.
“Maybe it’s time you stopped thinking,” she murmured, her breath tickling his lips. “Maybe it’s time for you to just… act.”
He wanted to say something. He wanted to ask her why she was doing this.
But everything seemed to be blocked out by her smell, her touch, and…
Those lips. So close to him, he could almost taste them. What would that be like? he wondered.
There was only one way to find out…
