Part 10
An hour later, Andrew finally was able to return from all the assignments. Needless to say, the morning's events had left the Angel of Death completely frazzled. As he came into the newsroom, he could see that Jimmy and Monica were once again hard at work on one of the terminals and Lois was sitting at her desk with a typical look of impatience on her face. She looked as though she had been on the phone all morning and had run into a series of brick walls.
As Andrew reached Lois’ desk, he watched for a few moments as the reporter had once again hung up the phone. When she didn't notice him standing there, he tapped gently on her desk and smiled down at her when she looked up.
“Hi,” he said and smiled once she looked up.
“Good afternoon, Andrew,” Lois said emphasizing the word ‘afternoon’ once she had consulted her watch and realized that it was already after noon. “Where have you been, extended coffee break?” She asked as she rubbed the frustration out of her eyes.
“I had some things I needed to tend to,” Andrew said shrugging his shoulders. “Sorry, they took much longer than I had anticipated.”
“Yeah, I guessed so,” she said softly as she glanced across the room in the direction where Monica was hovering over the terminal with Jimmy. After a few moments, she looked up at him. “Listen, I know I sound a little high strung today, I've been trying to find out what has happened here, and I have had nothing but bad luck in this regard.” She inhaled slowly as he placed a hot cappuccino on the desk.
“Thank you,” she smiled as she removed the lid and took a long, savory sip. As she swallowed, she looked up at him. “How did you know that that was just what I needed?”
“I have my ways,” he said and smiled as he pointed down to a printout that was on her desk. “What's that?”
“It’s a printout about this rave party that is going to happen tomorrow night. I’m going undercover, Perry already gave me the OK on it, as long as I take Monica with me,” Lois said.
Andrew's face paled slightly as he shook his head. “Are you sure that's such a good idea? It sounds kind of dangerous.”
Lois looked at him, with unsuppressed annoyance in her eyes. “Look, you are my friend, you are not my father, nor are you my protector. This is the newspaper business, Andrew, and I'm a big girl. One doesn't get to this level pushing papers and attending news conferences.” Once she took another sip of her cappuccino, she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why is it that every guy who comes into my life thinks that I need to be protected from the rest of the world?”
“I’m not trying to protect you, Lois. It’s not my job to keep you out of danger, you have free will and you alone make the choice as to what you do or where you go,” Andrew said softly as Lois’ face flushed upon the realization that he had actually overheard her.
When he noticed her red face, Andrew immediately tried to rectify things with her. “I know, I may be out of line, but just be careful.”
She took another sip of the cappuccino and once she swallowed, she looked up at him, her eyes literally laughing. “I know what it's about, you are afraid something will happen to me and then I won't be able to take you to dinner.” She nudged him in the side as she spoke, and watched as his face flushed.
“No, that’s not it,” he said all the while releasing a pent-up sigh.
“We’ll be OK, besides Perry wouldn't let me do something if it was too dangerous,” she said.
“No, he wouldn’t, that's why you would sneak out and do it,” Jimmy chided playfully as he came over to her desk and she shot him an angry glare. “I'm kidding, OK,” he smiled impishly trying all the while to lighten the mood and he looked at Andrew. “Lois is probably the only reporter here who can handle just about anything. From what I heard about the rave, it's going to be pretty lame, those kinds of things always are, as long as you stay away from the ecstasy.”
As Jimmy spoke, Andrew nodded unwillingly. He hated this, he knew that something was wrong with all of this, but he was not to interfere any more than he already had done. Instead of speaking any further to his assignments, the Angel of Death's shoulders slumped. He was not happy with this, but there was very little that he could do to change it. As he watched Jimmy going back over to the computer after dropping some more information at Lois’ desk, she looked up at him.
“Andrew, is everything OK?” Lois finally asked.
He nodded. “I’m fine,” he said as he offered her a brave, almost forced smile.
“You don't look fine,” she said and when she saw the concern in his expression, she smiled at him. “If this is about tomorrow, I have been in many more dangerous situations before, and believe me, I’ve gotten out of them.” Before he could respond, she reached over and rested a gentle hand on his. “You know, you're a good friend, and I know that you're worried, but don’t be, I can handle it.”
“You know my job isn't to tell you what you should do, Lois,” he said softly.
“Then don’t,” she said smiling. “Let's just keep our friendship on the level of cappuccinos and Chinese food. OK?”
Andrew smiled and nodded as she reached for the cup. “OK.”
As she took another drink, she reached for the nearby napkin and wiped it over her mouth. “Listen, I just wanted to thank you for talking to me last night about everything, it was really nice of you and I did have a good time.”
“You have no reason to thank me,” he said with a smile. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
“No, actually it’s more than that, I just wanted to apologize to you. I need to do so with Monica too, I know that I haven't been overly nice or helpful to either of you, but I realized one thing last night,” she began, her voice somewhat sad.
“What's that?” He asked, and when he saw a shadow cross her face, he could not figure out for the life of him what it was that made her seem so unhappy. Instead of asking, he waited for her answer.
“I really have to get back into the swing of things, and put the past away and find out what is going on around here. I realized this morning when all these things started happening that the news isn't going to stop happening just because Lois Lane is having relationship problems,” she shrugged her shoulders, but after a few moments, instead of elaborating, she looked over her shoulder and called out across the room. “Hey Monica, come over here, I think we might have gotten a few more leads regarding what has been happening around here.”
Andrew looked at her with raised eyebrows. Hidden in his concern for Lois was a sense of confusion as to what had transpired while he was away. Lois seemed to have reconciled with the idea of working with Monica. It was not a mistake, he had seen her talking somewhat civilly with Monica, but he wondered what had happened that had brought this on. After a few moments, he glanced up and his eyes met those of his fellow angel. Somewhere in her brown eyes, he could see that she was just as surprised by what was happening with Lois as he was.
“Did the information prove to be a little bit more helpful?” Monica asked once she had come over to Lois’ desk.
“Yeah, somewhat anyway,” Lois said. “Andrew, there's going to be a news conference in about an hour, the chief of police is going to give us some low down on what's been happening since this morning. The four of us need to get over there for it, and then afterwards Monica and I have some other work to do.”
“We do?” Monica asked her expression a depiction of confusion.
Lois nodded adamantly. “OK, let's rehash everything that we know. Since early this morning, there have been more break ins, more attempted homicides, and more petty criminal activity in the city, and nobody really seems to knows why, but I'm guessing that based on the information Jimmy provided earlier, that it might tie into the youth drug culture here. The police seem to have a number of theories about what has been going on, but they have no confirmations. They have a bunch of dead or dying kids, but no reason why and I intend to find out just what is going on with all of this. The police chief is supposed to take matters into his own hands, but for the last four hours, nothing's been done as of yet except arranging a press conference in order to sit around and talk about it. That’s politics in motion, but I guess, in all fairness they are at as much of a loss about it as we all are. It seems to have taken the entire city by complete surprise.”
“You think we can find out what is going on?” Monica asked.
“Well, let me put it this way, we have to find out. This is the biggest crime-wave since…” Lois said and her voice trailed off, simply because she could honestly not remember a bigger one. “Anyway, that's why I wanted to know about the rave,” she paused taking a deep breath before looking back over in Monica's direction. “Are you busy this afternoon?”
Monica shook her head and looked at Lois and then at Andrew. “No, there’s not any sort of news conference happening any time this afternoon, so I had planned on staying here and doing some more research.”
Lois shook her head. “I think you and I need to get out of here for awhile.” She eyed Monica's conservative beige sundress and blazer jacket. “You don't happen to have a leather mini-dress and spiked boots do you?”
“No,” Monica said.
“Then you and me need to go do some shopping, because you need to have some flashy killer-clothes by tomorrow night. They're not going to let you into a rave in sandals and sundresses,” Lois said matter-of-factly all the while ignoring the strange look that crossed the angel's face.
“Killer clothes?” Monica mouthed the words and looked at Andrew who was still standing next to Lois’ desk. He could not help but smile when he saw the completely horrified look that crossed his fellow angel’s pretty face.
For his part, Andrew seemed to be enjoying this scenario as it was playing out, not necessarily out of spite, but simply because he had never seen his friend in a mini-dress and spiked black leather boots before, and he found the concept more funny than anything else.
Monica, still seeing the look of determination on Lois’ face, looked to Andrew for some sort of help, but when she made eye-contact with his normally compassionate green eyes, she could see a flint of mischief lurking in them and when he offered her a lopsided grin she came close to loosing it. As she continued to study the Angel of Death's face, the color suddenly drained from her own. Like it or not, she knew that she would have to put on what Lois dubbed as ‘killer clothes’ and go through with whatever plan Lois seemed to have in mind.
As her and Andrew’s silent communication continued, all she could do when he did not let up with this was give him a look that clearly said: ‘Don't even think about it’.
Eventually, she glanced back in Lois’ direction. “Must we do this?” She finally asked.
“Yes, we must,” Lois said all the while oblivious to the look of horror that had crossed Monica’s otherwise cheerful face.
When Lois’ snappy answer emerged, Monica self-consciously glanced skyward, all the while hoping that the Father could bail her out. She was not exceedingly comfortable dressing in a black mini dress and spiked boots. Is this really necessary, Father? The questions seemed to be running amuck in her mind, but instead of being able to wait for an answer, Lois had interrupted her train of thought once again.
“Monica, don't worry about it, it really is no big deal, and by the time you go home afterwards, you'll probably not mind wearing them. That's what happened the first time I went undercover, but you're not going to fit in at a rave in that kind of outfit. So, the way I see it, we’ll spend the afternoon doing some shopping. Don't worry though, you can write it in as a job related expense. Now then, once we get the clothes, I will go online and download the directions to where the rave is going to take place.”
Monica cringed. “Is it really necessary to dress in these ‘killer clothes’? What I mean is, isn’t there another way to get the information for this story?”
“First of all, yes, it is necessary, and no there is no other way that I can think of,” Lois said releasing an exasperated sigh. “Let’s just say that tomorrow night is going to be a rather intensive crash course for you on how to get the nitty-gritty for a story.”
“The nitty-gritty?” Monica asked.
“Sometimes, you have to sit around here on the phone waiting for the news to hit, and sometimes, like right now, you have to go out and find the scoops. So, I have to go with a partner, and I figure you're as good of a choice as anyone.”
“Why couldn’t you go with Andrew?” Monica asked as she cast a sideways look in the direction of her fellow angel.
“In this business you have to understand that guys, in general, are little too overprotective with things like this, so I figured that this was an easier solution, besides, Perry already said that either I work with you or Clark, and since Clark isn't here, then I have to work with you.”
Monica nodded, but when Lois got up to go speak to Perry about some extra business related expenses for her, she shook her head as she looked at him. “Andrew, I can't do this.”
“I think you’re going to have to,” he said gently. “Besides, now that I think about it, Perry wouldn't approve it if he thought it was dangerous. I think that Lois really knows what she's doing.” But, silently he added that he hoped she did, because he still did not have a good feeling about either their assignment or one of his fellow angels going into this kind of environment. He could not help but remember events passed when he had to go there and take countless kids Home who had overdosed. This literally broke the compassionate Angel of Death's heart.
“Perhaps, but Andrew tell me truthfully, based on what you found out in Permanent Records about Lois Lane, how many times has she gotten into trouble doing stuff like this?” Monica reasoned, but when Andrew didn’t speak further, she slumped back down in the chair. “I rest my case.”
Andrew looked at his friend. “The Father knows that you are doing your best, Monica, and now that you are helping Lois with this, I’m going to see if I can help Jimmy, he’s still part of this case, and right now, I think he's going to need to know that he's a significant person in all their lives.”
Monica nodded and after some moments passed, Lois reemerged from Perry’s office and she had a Cheshire cat grin on her face. “Everything's approved, let's get going, we've got a press conference to cover.”
*****
Back in Smallville, Clark had a chance to talk to the editor of the paper and as he came out of the office, he met up with Raphael, who had been trying to cover his stories while he was in Metropolis trying to help with everything there. “Hey, Amigo, you look exhausted,” Raphael said once Clark had come out.
“I suppose I am a little bit,” he said honestly. “You know, I thought about what you said about Metropolis and I decided to go back. I guess I was pondering this decision for a while now, but this morning, I decided that I missed my life there just too much.”
“That's really great, Clark, because I really think that you do belong there. I know that the Press is going to miss you terribly, but you're a fixture in Metropolis and at the Planet. I've read a lot of your articles, and I have to tell you that they are really awesome.”
“Thanks, Raphael,” Clark smiled weakly as they headed out through the lobby of the small paper. As they walked in the direction of the cafeteria where Clark had met Tess the first time, he smiled weakly. “Why don't I treat you to something to drink before I take off. I really would like to say good-bye to Tess and thank her before I go back to my parents’ house and start packing my things for the trip back to Metropolis.”
“That sounds really good, it’s pretty warm outside, and I could use something cold to drink.” Raphael said and smiled all the while grateful that Clark was offering to treat.
As the two of them walked towards the glass door leading inside, Clark had managed to block the morning’s events in Metropolis from his mind. He knew that even Superman needed a break, and after his latest confrontation with Andrew still buzzing through his mind, he was at a loss as to what he should be doing next.
The cafeteria was, as usual, empty when they came inside, and Tess was wiping the counter off all the while was humming the melody to the song ‘Amazing Grace’. She carried serious, but serene look on her face as the music emerged and Clark found her voice to be melodious.
Seconds later, when she spotted him and Raphael coming into the cafeteria, she stopped humming and smiled brightly as she made eye contact with the two of them.
Clark was looking a lot better, his expression seemed tired, but something deep inside of her said that he was going to be OK, that he was finding the courage to face the things that were often hard for him to cope with.
“Good morning, babies,” Tess said with a smile.
“Hi Tess,” Clark said smiling. “Can I get a cappuccino?” He turned to Raphael and smiled. “What would you like?”
“The usual, a coke and a bag of chips,” Raphael smiled and once Tess handed him a bottle, a glass, and the small plastic bag, he looked at Clark. “I’ll save you a seat.”
“Thanks,” Clark said, but instead of immediately going over to the table where Raphael was seated, he sat down at the bar not far from where Tess was preparing the cappuccino. “You know, I've been thinking a lot about what you said the last time I was in here.”
“And?” Tess turned around and looked at him, her eyes filled with understanding, but there was a hidden sternness in them as well. After a second, she turned back to the task of preparing his drink.
“I’m going back to Metropolis,” he said softly, but his voice was loud enough for her to hear him. “I’m going to try and resolve things with Lois. I mean; I’ve talked to her once since I was here last, but it wasn't really about us, it was, more or less, about this other guy.” He took a deep breath. “I guess I'm overprotective of her, but this Andrew joker, I don't know why it is, I just don’t trust him.”
“You don’t trust him, or you don’t want to trust him?” Tess asked and smiled slightly upon hearing the name of her ‘Angel Boy’ emerging from the assignment. As she put the drink into a mug, she turned back around and faced Clark.
“I guess, I don’t want to trust him, I mean; some of what he says makes a lot of sense, but…” his voice trailed off and he shook his head as Tess placed the cappuccino mug on the counter in front of him.
“Clark, sometimes you need to look beyond what your senses might be telling you,” Tess said gently. “Are you seeing Andrew as a potential threat or maybe you’re just angry and upset because he's just trying to be a friend to Lois? Not every emotion of love is going to be a depiction of romance, and not every friendship means that the green eyed monster should emerge. Sometimes, people just love each other as friends, confidants, and in all honesty, there is really no place for jealousy.”
“Maybe I was jealous of him, but there’s something else. Tess, you may think I’m crazy, but I can sometimes see things that other people can't and what I saw this guy do was not normal or natural. I saw him in an empty alleyway disappear into thin air. I thought I was cracking up, so I started following him, and he was doing all kinds of weird things. Anyway, later, I saw him hanging around with Lois, and I got scared for her. I mean; what if he tries to hurt her?”
“Some people might say the same thing to her about her sharing a friendship with Superman,” Tess said.
“That's different, everyone knows that Superman is a good guy,” Clark said almost defensively.
“Not everyone, baby, Jason Trask didn't know this, he had his own theories about Superman, and he thought that was trying to save the planet from an alien invasion,” Tess said. “Think about this, Clark, are you responding to Andrew in the same manner that Trask responded to Superman? Andrew may not be this bad-guy you have judged him to be, he may be in Metropolis for the exact same reason Superman is there; to help the people.”
Clark took a deep breath and instead of responding, he added two heaping spoonfuls of sugar to his drink, stirred it, and took a sip. Once he replaced the cup, he looked at her, the words still were not coming, and instead of waiting for him to speak, she continued.
“Clark, you know that God made a lot of people, and gave people gifts to overcome all these things that seem to take hold of their lives. Have you talked to Him about this; have you tried to find the truth, not through your eyes, but through your heart? There is not one path that will take you directly to the Father, but there are thousands of ways, some widely traveled, some with underbrush on either side.”
“You’re speaking in imagery,” he interrupted.
“Yes, I am, but there are lots of ways to God, Clark, and God hears you when you talk to Him. It doesn't matter what you say, or how you say it, what matters is that you said it,” Tess smiled. “Sometimes, God will whisper to you and give you an answer in the simplest and the smallest of things, but sometimes, He will send someone to help you find that answer, or guide you. Now, that may very well be why He created you and Lois in the first place.”
“You really do believe this?” He asked. “When we first met, I told you that I didn’t want to get into a religious debate, but this isn't really about religion, is it?”
Tess shook her head. “Lois is your soul mate, Clark. God made you with her in mind, and He created her with you in mind. There’s no question, a soul mate is defined as a connection between two spirits, yours and hers. Thus, there is no room or place for jealousy. You asked about religion, but this is not about religion, this is about listening to that still small voice inside of you, and getting over being afraid of those external things. You need to get over being afraid of a lot of things, Clark. Get over being afraid that Andrew is bad for Lois, of telling Lois how you feel, but especially that because someone is different from you, that they are bad news. If you keep holding these things in, you will ultimately destroy yourself. God doesn’t want you to do that, He wants you to be happy, and He wants you to tap into His wisdom now and again without being afraid or dragging your feet about it.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Experience, Clark,” Tess said and smiled. “I know that this may be hard for you to believe, but Raphael and I are here to help you with that. We’re angels, baby, and we were sent here to help you find your way back home.”
As she spoke she started to glow, and when he turned around, he could see that Raphael was glowing as well and he shook his head in profound disbelief. “Angels?”
“Yes, and God loves you, Clark Kent,” Raphael said and smiled, his brown eyes shining brightly.
“God loves me?” Clark looked at Tess.
She nodded. “Yes, He does very much, baby, and He knows that you are Superman, but He also knows, more importantly, that you're Clark. You were right when you said that Superman is what you do, but what's in here,” she reached over and tapped his chest, “is Clark Kent; son, reporter, friend, and confidant. He knows that having this secret identity is very difficult for you; He knows that you want to be loved for you and not for what you can do. But, at the same time, He is so proud of you for using your abilities to help others. He knows it's hard for you to see injustice, but if you trust Him, He will help you find the balance between the two.”
“I don’t believe it,” Clark said softly.
“It’s the truth,” Raphael said gently. “You are an amazing person, Clark, but now that you’re going back to where it is you belong, you won’t need us anymore.”
“You’re both leaving?” Clark asked and he looked at Tess. “I kept hoping as you were talking to me, that you would want to come with me and help me with this.”
Tess shook her head. “No baby, now it is time for you to use that courage that the Father gave you. You have strength, Clark, but as I said before, strength is not just a physical attribute, strength is a spiritual asset and now is the time for you to demonstrate the extent that it exists in you.”
Clark nodded and instead of getting up to leave, he reached across the bar and took her hand. “Thank you, Tess, I don't know what I would have done without your help.”
“Don't thank me, thank the One who sent me,” she said and squeezed his hand. Seconds later, Clark shook hands with Raphael before he left the cafeteria for the last time.
Once outside, he glanced towards the heavens. “Wherever You are, thank You.” Feeling at least ninety pounds lighter, Clark Kent raced back in the direction of his parents’ home at super speed.
When he reached the small farmhouse, he could see that his father was sitting outside on the porch. Jonathan had been working outside, and was taking a break, a large glass of iced down lemonade in his hand.
“Clark, what are you doing here, you’re supposed to be at work?“ Jonathan asked as he took a sip of the lemonade. “You want a glass?”
He shook his head and sat down next to his father. “Dad, I'm going back to Metropolis, I decided to try and reconcile everything with Lois.”
“When are you leaving?” Jonathan asked.
“I was thinking about leaving tomorrow morning. I figured I would call Perry tonight at home and see if I can come back in a couple of days. I figured that by Saturday morning, my ‘leave of absence’ would be sufficient.”
“You’re going to try to face everything,” Jonathan said and nodded approvingly. “I'm proud of you, son.”
“Well, it wasn’t me, Dad, you're probably not going to believe it, but I saw an angel. Actually, there were two,” Clark said softly.
Jonathan smiled and nodded. “After seeing an alien spaceship back when you arrived, I would be willing to bet that anything is possible in this world, and maybe God does send angels to help us out a little bit when things get a little too hard to take. What did this angel tell you?”
“That facing the truth is hard, but it is what God wants,” Clark said as he shook his head. “You know, I always had this idea that an angel would tell us what a preacher would say, but that didn't happen, she told me the truth, but not from a point of view of a church, but rather a universal perspective. She said that Lois is my soul mate, that we were made for each other.”
“Then you have to go back and try to resolve this with her,” Jonathan said. “Your mother flew to Metropolis last night and she called me this morning after you had gone to work and said that Lois and her had had a heart to heart talk last night. Maybe Lois will be ready to listen to you when you get back home.”
Clark smiled weakly. “If you want to know the truth, I'm still a little scared, Dad.”
“I know, I was so scared when I asked your mother to marry me that I could have done the entire fall harvest with these two hands. Being afraid is completely normal; it’s how you handle that fear that will define whether or not you're a man. Does that make any sense?”
“Two days ago, I would have said no, but now, I think it does,” Clark said and smiled as he and his father stared out in the direction of the pasture. “I still think I will stick around till later tonight. Besides, in this heat, I think you could probably use an extra pair of hands.”
Jonathan smiled, because he knew at this moment that Clark was not staying as a means to run away, but rather to help, and in his own way, of thanking his parents for being there for him through all of this.
TBC
