The paper had been put to bed. The onerous task of writing and editing the story of the attack on one of their own was done. It was past midnight when Clark and Perry stood in the centre of the bullpen.
"I'm serious," Perry said with his trademark grin. "Don't even think about stepping into this newsroom again until you are a married man."
Clark nodded. "Thanks for everything, Chief." Then he turned and walked out of the Daily Planet building. It felt like 'goodbye'. It felt like he was walking away ... closing the book on a chapter of his life ... a chapter that might never be reopened.
Part 63
Clark ducked through the airplane door and stepped into the jet bridge with genuine relief. Twenty-four hours of confinement was a long time.
Particularly when, without the benefit of the flying crate, he could have saved himself twenty-three hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-five seconds.
But that didn't matter. Not now.
He was back in Australia - and he had some time.
Time to be with Lois.
Time to make decisions about their future.
He was here for at least a week. Seven days ... seven nights. They could go out, they could stay in ... they could be together.
His footsteps quickened as he followed the stream of passengers down the wide sweeping hallway. He turned up his hearing, searching through the din for that one special heartbeat.
There it was. Slightly accelerated. Could a heartbeat sound happy? Hers did.
He bounded down the final steps, through the doors, and into the general area of Tullamarine Airport.
And saw her.
Looking around.
Looking for him.
She was beautiful. Like warmth on a cold day. And she was here for him.
Clark couldn't wait any longer. He jogged towards her, and after only a couple of steps, she turned and saw him. She ran to him and threw herself into his arms. He swung her around and then kissed her extravagantly.
"Oh, Clark," she said when he finally released her mouth. She smiled up at him. "Welcome to Oz."
"It's so good to be here."
"Any more news on Mayson?"
"No change." He took her hand and headed for the baggage carousel. He didn't want to talk about Mayson. That would be like smearing slime on a precious painting.
Lois smiled up at him with irrepressible excitement. "I'm so glad you're here," she said. "I've been counting down the minutes all day. I think I would've died if your plane had been delayed."
"How's your arm?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "It's fine."
"Really?"
She grinned and nudged her shoulder into his side. "Isn't that your suitcase?" she said, pointing to the moving luggage. "CK? That's you, right?"
Clark grinned to let her know she hadn't fooled him with her neat sidestep and then bent low to haul both of his suitcases from the moving belt. Lois took the smaller one from him and slipped her hand into his.
"To the car park?" he asked.
She chuckled, her eyes shining. "This way," she said.
They walked through the big glass doors and into the cool evening sunshine. When they came to the walkway that led to the car park, Lois ignored it. A few moments later, she guided them to the front door of the Hilton hotel. She turned to him with an exultant grin. "Feel like a second honeymoon?" she asked.
"Lois?" he said, the possibilities vaulting through his mind.
"It's been two days - after such a lengthy time apart, I figured it would be wise to stay here," she said. Stretching up to whisper into his ear, she added, "There are probably laws against making love as you drive along the freeway." She shot him an alluring smile, raised her eyebrows in unmistakable suggestion, and opened the door into the hotel lobby.
||_||
"Lois, this is incredible." Clark adjusted his position to redirect the jet of warm water to a different place on his back.
Lois smiled at him. "I thought a room with a spa would be fun," she said. "And I wanted you to know how much I appreciate you spending all those hours on the plane so that we can be together openly."
"This is like paradise," he said. "Here ... with you ... in a Jacuzzi. It's perfect."
She flicked at a mass of bubbles on his chest. "In Oz, it's a 'spa' or a 'spa bath', not a 'Jacuzzi'."
He grinned lazily. "I'll remember that."
Lois laid her head on his shoulder, and Clark dropped a kiss on her sweet-smelling hair.
"We've been married a week," she said. "So much has happened - it's time we got back to our neglected honeymoon."
"I have a surprise for you, too," Clark mentioned casually.
She lifted from his side so abruptly that a frothy wavelet of water splashed up his chest. "You do?" she asked excitedly.
"Uh huh."
She waited - her eyes alight with anticipation. Clark said nothing, prolonging the moment so he could savour her smile.
"Well?" she said with dizzy impatience.
"Perry told me not to go back to Metropolis for at least a week."
"A week?" she screeched. "A whole week?"
"Yup," he said. During his flight, he'd joyfully anticipated the coming week many times, but the moment he'd looked forward to most was when he would share the news with Lois. "*At least* a week."
"Where are you staying?" she asked. "I've only booked this room for one night." She rubbed her finger across his chest. "Please tell me you're not staying with Gazza."
"Where do you want me to stay?"
"With me."
"What about Esmeralda?"
"She seems to object to other men being in my unit - not you."
"I would like to stay with you," Clark admitted hesitantly.
"The alternative is that we're apart for six nights."
"And that would be unbearable."
"I know you would prefer that people know we are married," she said, leaving a track of white foam as she skated across his pec muscle with her fingertip. "But we're not trying to deceive anyone - we're just keeping a secret that is essential for you to have a normal life."
"And you."
"The three people you care about most know we are married," she reminded him.
"What about Ron and Barb? And Seb? I want them to be happy that you're with me. I don't want them to think that I'm taking advantage of you."
"Seb thinks you're great. And all Ron and Barb want is for me to be happy."
Clark smiled down at her and swept a damp lock of hair from her temple. "*Are* you happy?"
"Right now? Deliriously," Lois replied. "We still have some things to work through, but I have faith in us. Whatever happens, we'll be together, and we'll be OK."
"I want to be with you every moment possible during this next week," Clark said.
"What about Superman?"
"I'll do some patrols - and if I hear of an emergency, I'll go. Is that all right?"
She nodded. "It's fine."
"Thanks."
Lois grinned. "I can't believe that we can have a whole week together. It's going to be wonderful." She pressed her mouth to his, and her tongue darted forward. He playfully closed his lips over her tongue, trapping her. Another memory slipped into his mind, stretching his mouth to a wide grin, and she easily slipped from his hold. "What?" she asked, her face a mixture of curiosity and amusement.
"That wasn't all Perry said."
"What else did he say?"
"I think his exact words were, 'And don't even think about stepping back into this newsroom until you're a married man.'"
Lois grinned wider. "I could easily fall in love with your editor."
"He's married," Clark informed her.
"So am I," Lois said. "And I'd really like to make that fact public."
"I would, too," Clark said. "But it might be sensible to wait. Tomorrow, we will know the outcome of the merger. And perhaps the situation with Mayson will be clearer."
Lois ran her fingers through his hair. "You know what?" she said. "I'm tired of being sensible. I'm tired of waiting. And I'm tired of secrets."
Clark winced. "You're married to an alien," he said. "Secrets are part of the deal."
"Not *that* secret," Lois said. "But the secret of how much we love each other."
"You think we should announce that we're getting married?" Clark asked, not able to keep his surprise from his tone.
"Yes," she said. "I do."
"When?"
"Tomorrow. I think we should tell everyone tomorrow."
"But we don't know -"
"The best way to lose a footy game is to spend too much time concentrating on what the opposition will do," Lois said. "It's much smarter to concentrate on your own game. Get that right - and everything else falls into place."
"And our game is getting married?"
Lois smiled. "Sounds good to me, big guy. Let's concentrate on that."
"What about Mayson?"
Lois stared at her hand on his chest for a moment as her expression became serious. "Clark," she said, her eyes lifting to his. "I think we need to talk about what happened at Mayson's."
Little shoots of anxiety surfaced in the calm sea of Clark's relaxed mood, but he refused to allow them a foothold. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked evenly.
"It all happened so quickly," Lois said. "It was a blur; I'm not even completely sure what happened."
"I heard the noise of the explosion first," Clark said. "That was as we reached Metropolis. I zoomed into Mayson's apartment with my vision and saw her being hit by the debris. Her knees started to crumble, and without thinking too much, I flew into the room and huddled her against me."
"You had no choice but to take me with you," Lois said.
Clark exhaled a long breath. "Later, I realised that I hadn't even thought about what I should do. I just reacted."
"Which is exactly what I'd expect you to do."
"If I were alone, maybe," Clark said. "But I had you with me."
"And had there been any specific danger to me, you would have reacted just as quickly and just as decisively to keep me safe."
"I took you into the middle of an explosion," he said ruefully. "How much more specific could it get?"
Lois smiled, and the little lift of her eyebrow said that they'd been through this and that she wasn't going to back down. "Don't you realise how I feel, Clark?" she said softly. "When I'm with you, I'm safe."
"What about your arm?"
Lois glanced down to where a waterproof dressing covered her wound. "It's fine. If you promise me you won't freak out, I'll think about letting you look at it later."
Clark felt humour touch his mouth and had to work to keep from smiling. "I do *not* freak out," he said.
"Yes, you do," she corrected. "But I love you, and explosions don't scare me at all - so long as I'm with you."
"You trust me *that* much?"
She snuggled back into his chest. "Yeah, I do."
Clark slid his hand through her hair as he reflected that Lois was right. They could spend their lives worrying about what others would do. Or they could enjoy being together. If Mayson woke up and printed her story, he and Lois would find a way to counter her attack.
"Do you think she's gonna make it?" Lois asked.
"I don't know. Perry sends me updates every few hours, but so far, there's been nothing other than 'no change'."
"Do you think there's a chance she'll forget what she knows?"
"I don't know."
"It's hard not to hope that she forgets."
"Yeah."
"Thanks for talking about the explosion," Lois said. "I know you didn't want to."
"We should be able to talk about anything," Clark said.
"Now we've talked about it, we can move on." He heard the smile in her voice, and immediately the gloom brought by the mention of Mayson melted away. "We can discuss getting married. Again."
"I was planning to take you to Melbourne's most extravagant restaurant and go down on bended knee and ask you -"
"Clark, you don't have to propose again," Lois said. "The first time was *so* romantic."
"I want this time to be perfect for you," he said. "I had intended to ask you later this week. I don't think it's fair to expect you to make it public when so much is still unknown."
"If we're going to tell everyone tomorrow, perhaps you should propose now."
Clark chuckled. "Here? In the Jac- Sorry ... in the *spa*?"
She lifted from his chest. "Why not?"
Clark caressed the soft skin of his wife's face. The heat from the Jacuzzi had given her cheeks a pink glow. "Lois Lane," he said. "I love you. Would you marry me? As Lois? Openly? In front of our friends and family?"
Lois smiled at him. "Yes, Clark," she said. "I want everyone to know how much I love you."
He grinned, marvelling again that Lois Lane had accepted his proposal ... twice! "I have a confession."
"You expected me to say 'yes'?" she teased.
"I did," Clark admitted. "But my confession is that I don't have another ring. I thought -"
"You don't have to give me another ring."
"Because so many decisions were made for you in our first wedding, I thought you might like to choose your own ring. Perhaps we can talk to Seb."
"That's a nice idea," Lois said. "Thank you."
"This time, it's going to be perfect," Clark vowed. "No green rock, no Mayson, no spandex suits, no Linda King ... and a honeymoon that isn't squeezed into a couple of hours."
Lois chuckled. "Most of those are what you *don't* want. What *do* you want?"
"I want you to have a wedding day you will always remember with a smile," Clark said. "Nothing else matters."
||_||
"Are you sure about this?" Clark asked as they walked into the Herald Sun building the next morning.
Lois grinned at him. "I have never been more sure of anything."
A minute later, they entered the sports newsroom, and Gazza and Banjo rose from their desks to greet them. "Rubber," Gazza said as he reached to shake Clark's hand. "You *still* can't keep away from us."
"No, I can't," Clark said with a sideways glance to the reason he couldn't stay away.
"What are you doing here?" Banjo asked. "With the vote happening tonight, I would've thought things would be hectic at Operation Payback."
"They are," Lois said. "We're heading there this arvo." She looked around. "Is Chris in?"
"Nah," Banjo said. "She's gone with Bluey to Princes Park."
Gazza grinned. "So ... have you got another big story? Something that will shake the foundations of football? Perhaps you have proof that the umpires are being paid to ensure the interstate clubs get a charmed run?"
Lois laughed. "No. Nothing like that. We just came to see Browny."
Banjo grimaced theatrically. "Bad idea," he said. "If you value your life, you won't go into his office."
Gazza glanced towards the editor's office. "Since Saturday, when Brisbane slaughtered Carlton by 97 points, we reckon Browny has devoured at least three copy boys."
"Eeek," Lois said. "I forgot about that."
"You *forgot*?" Banjo said. "Do you have a death wish?"
Lois grinned. "We'll risk it - I'm sure Clark will look after me."
Gazza turned to Clark. "Hey, Rubber," he said. "Assuming you survive the cranky Bluebagger, let's get together for a drink before you go back to the States."
"Sure," Clark said as he turned towards Browny's door.
They knocked and entered. Browny looked up from his desk with a scowl. "Have you come to gloat?" he barked.
"No," Lois said lightly. "We've come to tell you we're getting married."
A surprised grin wiped the frown from Browny's face. "You're getting married?" he said. He stepped around his desk and offered his hand to Clark. "Well done, Rubber." He put his hand on Lois's shoulder and kissed her cheek. "And Flinders. Congratulations to both of you."
"Thanks, Browny," Lois said, beaming.
"Soooo," Browny said. "Do I get both of you ... or neither?"
"We haven't decided yet," Clark said.
"If you want to live in Melbourne, you have a job at the Herald Sun, Rubber," Browny said. "In Sport with us, or if you'd prefer, I reckon the General Editor would be happy to have you in his newsroom."
"Thanks, Browny," Clark said. "Thanks a lot."
"Can I make the announcement?" Browny asked with a nod towards the newsroom.
Lois looked at Clark. "Sure," she said.
Browny picked up the crate and led them into the newsroom. He clambered up, and all heads turned in his direction. Lois's eyes landed on Gazza, and he gave her a wild smile and a gleeful 'thumbs up' sign.
"Listen up here," Browny said from the top of the crate. "Flinders and Rubber are gonna get married."
A cheer erupted, and Clark smiled down at Lois as her workmates streamed forward to surround them.
||_||
Clark stood from his seat as he saw Ron and Barb Wilton enter the restaurant. They spoke briefly to the waitress before approaching the table where Clark and Lois were waiting.
He watched with some concern as they greeted Lois. The vote that would decide the future of Hawthorn was only hours away - and it had split the allegiances of this family. To his relief, there was no discernible hesitation in the embrace. They greeted him with warmth, too, and then all four sat at the table. "Thanks for coming," Clark said. "Sorry for the late notice."
Barb smiled. "When Lois called, it sounded like it was important."
There was a moment's silence as Ron and Barb waited for either Lois or Clark to elucidate.
"Is this about the merger?" Ron asked.
"No," Lois said quickly. "We all love Hawthorn. We all want the best for our club, even though we disagree on the way forward. Nothing more needs to be said about that."
Both Ron and Barb looked relieved. Barb smiled again. "Is there a reason you wanted to see us?" she asked.
Clark took Lois's hand in his. "Yes, there is," he said. "I love Lois, and I want to marry her. I know you are both important to her, so I'd like to ask that you give us your blessing."
Their reaction was immediate and genuine. With delighted smiles - and in Barb's case, a few tears - they rose from the table and drew Lois into their arms. Barb wiped her cheeks and smiled at Lois. "We've been hoping for this news," she said. She included Clark in her smile. "We think he's perfect for you."
Lois smiled radiantly, and elation swept through Clark. "I think he's perfect, too," she said.
||_||
"Are you OK?"
Lois looked into Clark's troubled face. "Yeah," she said, although her stomach had coiled to rigid knots, and the tightness across her neck was ramming fiery rods into her brain.
"I didn't know what to expect."
"Me either," she said. "But ... this ..." She glanced around the main hall of the Camberwell Civic Centre. "I don't know if this is good or bad."
They had arrived at the merger meeting early and waited in the foyer for Lois's turn to vote. By the time she had slipped the piece of paper into the box, the queue had extended out the door and onto the footpath.
Even then, the atmosphere was rife with desperation. Many members were dressed in their Hawthorn jumpers. Many carried signs protesting against the merger. Many wore the mantle of resentment like a badge of honour.
Initially, Lois had welcomed the passion and the realisation that the overwhelming sentiment was anti-merger. She had begun to hope that maybe ... *maybe* Hawthorn would be saved tonight.
But now ...
Lois and Clark had moved into the hall - which, over the past hour, had swelled to a rumbling, agitated sea of brown and gold.
A couple of board members appeared briefly at the door next to the stage. A howl arose from the crowd - an angry, defiant howl that simmered on the edge of control.
Lois's stomach felt like she had swallowed a handful of tacks.
The level of nervousness reminded her of the hours before a Grand Final ... but the tone was different ... worse ... because this wasn't Hawthorn preparing for battle against another club - this was Hawthorn against Hawthorn.
One family member against another.
Lois's thoughts skipped to Ron, Barb, and Seb. She glanced around the room for them - and was glad that she couldn't see them. During lunch earlier that day, they had pushed aside their differences. That would not be possible in the frenzied aggression that prevailed as the crowd waited for proceedings to begin.
Around her, scraps of conversation carved through the atmosphere. There was bitterness. And shock. And disbelief. And bewilderment. How could a club that had won five flags in the past fourteen years be facing extinction? How could it have gotten this bad this quickly?
And there was fury. How *dare* they try to take our club?
This was war.
Civil war.
And the predominantly anti-merger army looked in no mood to back down.
Unconditional commitment and refusal to give up had always been the Hawthorn signature. Now, the very characteristics that had shaped this club were turning inwards.
Lois glanced to Clark.
His face mirrored her apprehension.
This was going to get ugly.
The hall had filled to beyond capacity, and the officials were turning back people wanting to enter. Had the board not realised how many members would be here? Had they not anticipated this reaction?
Lois clasped Clark's hand, and he gave her a tense smile.
The realisation dawned with icy reality. This was no longer about the vote. This went deeper - this threatened the core of Hawthorn. The damage done tonight might never heal.
From the midst of the mayhem, the Hawthorn theme song arose, gaining momentum with each word.
Lois couldn't sing. The opening line - 'We're a happy team at Hawthorn' - brought hot spurts of tears that stung her eyes. Clark nudged her gently, and she saw that he was offering her a clean handkerchief. She took it with a wobbly smile and wiped her eyes.
The song - *their* song - continued, but it wasn't sung in triumph, or in joy, or in unity, as it had been sung so many times before.
This time, it was the war cry of the warriors who had come to fight for their club.
The song finished, and as the final notes died away, a chant resounded - "No Merger! No Merger!" It grew louder and louder as it echoed around the room.
Lois swallowed down her rising nausea. Hawthorn couldn't end like this. The very fabric of her club was being torn and mauled - by its own people.
Finally, the chant faded, and a few minutes later, the board - Hawthorn people, past players, men who had loved and served this Club - took their seats on the stage ... to the thunderous and unbridled boos of the people who had cheered them so many times in the past.
They looked shocked at their reception. Lois was sitting amongst the crowd, and the noise was like a living monster, circling its prey with brutal intent. She could only imagine what it must feel like to be the target of such unchecked rage.
It took a few minutes, but eventually the pandemonium of fury settled to a fragile truce - and the meeting began.
The first three speakers represented the board and put forward the case for the merger.
One of them was Allan Jeans. Allan Jeans - who had coached Hawthorn through the glory years of the eighties. Allan Jeans - 'Yabby' - a man who was loved and revered by the Hawthorn faithful ... but even that mountain of shared history couldn't save him as the lash of the crowd's anger turned on him.
Having said his piece, Jeans sat down. The look on his face churned Lois's stomach. These people loved Yabby - now they were turning on him like a wounded viper.
As each speaker advanced the cause of the merger, so the crowd's reaction intensified. Something had to give. Clark put his arm across Lois's shoulder and drew her closer to him. She could feel the tension emanating from him.
There was a pause in proceedings, and it seemed as if the outcome of the meeting hung precariously in the balance. Not the vote ... but whether the hostility would erupt into violence.
Clark leant low against her ear. "Lois," he said. "These people are going to riot."
"No," she said desperately. "That can't happen. That won't happen."
Don Scott - the instigator of Operation Payback - came to the microphone. The tone of the crowd changed - still combative, but now in support of the man they saw as their hero.
He waited for silence. "These gentlemen deserve a little more respect than you're giving them," he said in calm counterbalance to the unchecked ferocity. "This is not Hawthorn-like.'
The tide turned. It was palpable. Lois felt a small release in the tension strung through her body.
But then Scott spoke, and he spoke with all the fervour of the captain who had led this club to two flags. He spoke of the Hawthorn they loved. He spoke of a club that stood for something. He declared that the merger wasn't an equal merger, but a takeover - and that to vote for the merger would be to sign the death warrant on their club.
He lifted a footy jumper to the crowd. It was a combination of Melbourne and Hawthorn. The boos rose again, loud and rebellious and unrelenting.
Don Scott ripped the Velcro gold hawk from the jumper and held it up - now recognisably Melbourne and with nothing to represent the brown and gold of Hawthorn. The crowd erupted in reaction to Scott's gesture that had so forcibly demonstrated that to merge would be to surrender.
All the ground he had gained with his conciliatory statement was lost in the surge of rage at the sight of the Melbourne jumper. People lurched to their feet, pointing, screaming in protest. Clark's arm closed around Lois's shoulders.
It took time, but order was finally restored and question time began.
Hawthorn heroes from the pro-merger side were loudly heckled as they attempted to justify a merger that, in the eyes of the majority of the crowd, couldn't be justified.
Lois watched as the framework of her club unravelled. Her head throbbed, her neck ached, and her throat constricted against a choking bundle of emotion that pushed higher and higher. She could no longer take in the individual questions, and the answers had become a distorted blur. Unless the board had managed a masterstroke with the proxy votes, it was going to be a resounding win for the anti-merger side.
But at what cost?
If this were victory, it felt like defeat.
Don Scott took the microphone again, and the noise of the crowd slowly died down. "Tonight," he said. "Tonight, it is 'us' against 'them'. From tomorrow, it is 'we' - from tomorrow, we move forward, we rebuild, all of us ... together."
Lois looked around the hall - into the reddened faces still contorted with anger - and hoped that - somehow - it might be possible.
||_||
Glossary
Bluebagger - Carlton supporter.
Notes
The Merger Meeting from 'One For All - The Story of the Hawthorn Football Club'
http://www.hawthornfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/4742/newsid/82913/default.aspx Don Scott quotes -
"These gentlemen deserve a little more respect than you're giving them," he said in calm counterbalance to the unchecked passion.
"This is not Hawthorn-like.'This is a direct quote from 'One For All'.
"Tonight," he said.
"Tonight, it is 'us' against 'them'. From tomorrow, it is 'we' - from tomorrow, we move forward, we rebuild, all of us ... together."This is paraphrased from my memories.
