“Perry,” said Alice over breakfast. “I think we should have Lois over for dinner. She’s been back from god knows where for a year, now, and I’d like to celebrate. Would you mind?”
“Excellent idea! When?”
“I invited her over for Saturday.”
“You already – “
“I knew you’d agree with the idea.”
He shook his head, laughing. “Alice, darlin, what would you have done if I had minded?”
“Asked Superman for help in finding my husband, since clearly you’d have been an imposter. I know how you feel about her.”
“Uh – Alice – my feelings for Lois… they aren’t … uh – romantic… feelings. I hope you – “
Alice put up a restraining hand. “I know. I admit, when you first met her, I was a bit jealous… it would be hard not to be… but it’s been more than obvious that your feelings for her are platonic. I like her too. It’s hard not to. I think I should tell you though… I – I also invited someone else.”
“Who?”
“Uh…”
“Uh – oh. This can’t be good. Come on, Alice, out with it – please?”
She took a deep fortifying breath, nervous that he would think this a really bad idea. She wasn’t sure she didn’t think it was a really bad idea.
“I invited Clark.”
“Great shades… you didn’t. Please tell me – you didn’t?”
“Perry, please – to be a bit more supportive. I’m nervous enough about it as it is.”
“Then why in tarnation did you do it?”
“I don’t like it when you talk to me like that. I don’t work for you, and I can invite whoever I please to our house – it’s not like I invited Luthor, for Pete’s sake.”
Perry exhaled steadily, trying to regain his sense of balance. Yes dear. Always remember – the correct answer is ‘Yes dear’ “Yes, dear.”
Alice looked at him suspiciously, and then smiled fondly at his transparent attempt at placation.
“It might not be such a horrible idea. We haven’t seen enough of either one of them, and they do seem to actually be getting along. Look at that great article she wrote about him? He gave her the exclusive that every reporter in the world wanted. Why would he do that if thy weren’t getting along?”
“They are getting along, but I still don’t think this is wise.”
“Why not? I never understood why she was out to get him in the first place?”
“Alice, there’s a lot about Lois that you don’t know. And – “
“See that’s the problem, Perry. I don’t know – you need to fill me in.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t give me that Mr. Innocent act. I know for a fact that there’s more going on here than anyone’s saying. I know she didn’t have amnesia, for one thing. That’s too much like a soap opera plot. Something happened that girl – it altered her, it altered her perspective. The Lois I knew would never have launched an all out attack on someone like Clark without making sure she had just cause. Perry – what happened to her? Where was she?” She paused for a heartbeat, and then decided to drop the hammer. “And what did Clark have to do with it?”
“It’s her story to tell,” he said desperately, remembering guiltily that he had grilled Clark about this same subject, and Clark had felt just as reluctant to divulge Lois’s secrets as he now felt. If the man of steel couldn’t stand up to me, how can I expect to be able to stand up to Alice?
“I can tell you that Clark had nothing to do with it. But… I’m guessing you knew that or you wouldn’t have invited…. Is this why you did it? Set this up? To get me to talk?”
“Maybe,” she said with a sly smile. “But I also want to see the both of them. Also… I think they make a really good couple. They have a lot in common, and – what? What’s wrong with this idea?”
Perry had gone absolutely pale, and he was now sitting, staring at her, aghast, his mouth open in shock.
“God, Alice – if you knew…”
“Which I don’t,” she snapped with some amount of asperity. “I don’t like you having secrets with beautiful young women, Perry.”
“So this is your revenge? Set up this dinner of doom?”
“No. I … I really think they have chemistry. Didn’t Lois have something to do with Lana and Clark breaking up? I thought they were … and then she disappeared again, and came back all different. I can’t say it makes sense, but it has seemed that she’s been kind of returning to her old self lately, and so I thought – why not?”
“Because, she can never look at Clark without feeling some amount of fear, Alice. He reminds her too much of someone else. Someone who hurt her very badly.”
“Because he’s a man? A man hurt her, so she’s skittish around all men? Oh come on Perry, I recognize the signs of someone who’s been… shall we say… mistreated? But that’s no reason to live her life out this way – in time, she can overcome anything – “
“If you knew – “
“If you don’t stop saying that…”
Just tell her. Better to have Lois mad at me than Alice. I live with Alice. “Lois was being held prisoner – by Kryptonians, Alice.”
It was her turn to be shocked. Sputtering denials, she shook her head. “It – it can’t be! I mean – he’s the only one. The last… last son. I – isn’t he? And you just said he had nothing to do with it!”
“Here he is. And yes. He had nothing to do with it.”
“Here? So … somewhere else? There are others? She was taken to another planet, then? By whom?”
“Another dimension, Alice.” He looked at her with a pained expression, fully expecting to be on the receiving end of more anger.
She looked at him in confusion for a few long minutes and then shook her head in total denial. “Come on, Perry – don’t’ fool around. I really want to know.”
“Alice. I’m being 100% honest with you here, and if you don’t believe me, you are more than welcome to call Clark. Go ahead. Call out for him – ask him to come here – and he’ll confirm. “
“But that’s… No. I can’t do that.“
“It’s the missing piece. The other Lois you saw came from yet a different universe… she needed Clark to get home, to her own world, to her own – life. She and her Clark are in love. They were making a life together. Our Lois was kidnapped by a evil human from the future… yes – I said future… and taken into an alternate world where… where Clark was a vicious leader of a vicious species, Kryptonians, who had invaded and enslaved the earth. His name wasn’t even Clark – he’d never been raised by humans.”
Alice was slowly shaking her head, not so much in refusal to believe, but rather, refusal to accept. Clark? That kind, gentle wonderful man that made her wish, sometimes, that she were many years younger, and prettier, and single. How could Perry’s story possibly be true?
“So – “ she said in a small voice, “Do you think Clark would have been that here, if he had come to earth with his people, instead of alone? Do you think he has it in him to be this vicious leader?”
“No,” said Perry emphatically. “Clark’s a good man, through and through. I think that alternate worlds are just alternate. I think it’s possible for any one of us to wear vastly different personalities in other worlds. I could be a Hitler-like man, somewhere or when. You just don’t know. And you can’t drive yourself thinking about it. Clark sure has done a lot of bitter reflection on the topic, and it all comes back to the truth that you can’t worry about an infinite number of alternate worlds… worry about the one you’re in. That’s hard enough.”
“Oh, but Perry – oh – god – I better do something about Saturday. Cancel on one of them. It’s… no wonder Lois felt and acted as she did. I feel so badly about all the rotten things I said to her – “
“You said rotten things to her? Alice, please – tell me you didn’t…”
“Oh – I’m sorry – I should have been more clear– I said them to her in my head. I never could broach the topic with her. She looked too frail, too hurt, too haunted. Looking into those eyes of hers, you just can’t hurt her in any way. So now – it all makes sense. This evil Clark…”
“Kal.”
“Come again?”
“Clark was the name the Kent’s gave him. His alien name is Kal-El, and that’s how she knew him. As ‘Lord Kal’.”
“Lord.” She shuddered. “That sounds so… powerful. Remote. Scary.”
“Alice. She was his slave,” he said, wincing at the word. “In every way. He treated her very poorly. He did it on purpose – with great enjoyment. She – she doesn’t talk about it much, but what’s slipped out has been very telling – very ugly.”
Alice sat in silence for a few moments.
“Do her parents know?”
“Yes. She finally told them. Lucy knows as well.”
“Did she tell you first? I know you’re like a father to her … sometimes I think Sam is jealous of you.”
“Actually… it was Clark who told me. He told me right at the very beginning.”
“How in the world did Clark know about this, and – “
“He found out about where she had been the day she returned. A friend of his who travels dimensions had decided to see if he could find this universe’s missing Lois in a different universe. Don’t ask me how – I have no idea how any of that works… but he ended up finding her, and he brought her back home. He, himself, is a human being, so it was a rather extreme act of bravery. We all owe him a lot.”
“Oh.”
I can’t tell her he’s H.G. Wells. She’ll throw me out. “So – now you see?”
She took in a deep fortifying breath. “Oh god, do I ever. Oh – that poor woman. How did she ever get to the point where she could stand to cope with his existence? You would think that would be impossible. And yet – they seem to have gone beyond all that.”
“She’s a strong woman and he’s a good man. He gets under your skin – it’s hard to dislike the man. Downright impossible, unless you’re someone like Luthor.”
“Luthor is threatened by Clark. He doesn’t like anyone to be more powerful than he is.”
“Exactly. And he’s a dangerous control freak. If Luthor had super powers, we’d probably have Lord Luthor in charge of everything.”
“Horrifying thought.”
“So – so – while she seems to have come to grips with his existence, she’s not ready to … well – to be romantically involved with anyone. If she hadn’t been taken, they probably would have fallen in love, like in the other world – the one where that other Lois came from. But … “
“This is just so unreal.”
“More unreal than a man who can fly and bend steel?”
“I guess our entire existence seems ridiculously unreal at times. Okay. Perry. I get it now. You know – if you’d just told me all this in the beginning…”
“It wasn’t my story to tell. Clark told me – And Lois was angry when she found out that he had done so.”
“Oh dear. I’m thinking she’ll be angry at you too – “
“I don’t know. She’s mellowed out a bit about it. About who knows, that is – the experience itself continues to haunt her on a daily basis.”
“So … so – Clark – how does he feel?”
“Alice, he loves her.” Perry shook his head sadly. “He loves her in a way that indicates to me that he’ll always love her.”
“Oh no,” she exhaled sadly. “So his only hope is…”
“That somehow she’ll be able to get over this, and start to have feelings for him. Clark’s not a fool though. He knows how impossible this is. He said he would never ever declare his feelings for her – what would be the point? Why make her uncomfortable needlessly. Anyway - who knows – maybe he’s been dating – the tabs sure seemed to think so. And if he can find some level of happiness with a beautiful super model, or even if he decides to just play the field… then who knows?”
“Yeah,” she said dubiously. “Who knows.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I think I’ll call them both, and cancel. Suddenly I don’t feel like – “
“Actually. You know- it’s not like she minds him being around. She might be okay with it – I’ve actually seen them in each other’s company, seeming to enjoy the encounter. So maybe – maybe your idea isn’t such a bad one.”
“Should I tell her he’s coming?”
“Just level with her and tell her you know. I hate lying. You can ask her if it’s okay. If not, we can just reschedule one of them.”
“Okay…”
“I promise, she won’t bite.”
“Then you tell her.”
“Alice…”
“No, no. Just kidding. I dug myself this hole, I’ll dig my way out.”
45 minutes later, she came into the living room where Perry was reading a book.
“How did it go? You look no worse for the wear.”
“I’m fine. And she said… this s the craziest thing. She said it’s okay with her. Perry, honestly, she sounded kind of eager to see him.”
“Really? Did she say so?”
“Not in words, but I could tell… do you think there’s any hope?”
“I’d have said no – but I’m more than aware of my cluelessness in these types of things. I didn’t even know you were interested in me, until my friends told me it was more obvious than the ugly nose on my face.”
“You were hard to convince. That’s one of the endearing things about you, love.”
“Do you think there’s a chance for those two?”’
She smiled. “You know… just maybe there is. I’m hoping that we get some kind of hint of things when we see them here together.”
“Well, are you planning on telling Clark?”
“Nah. Let someone get surprised. I’d love to see how he reacts when he sees her. That will be very telling.”
“But – we know he loves her.”
“Yes, but still won’t have a chance to modulate his response. So he’ll probably show more pleasure at seeing her than he would show if we gave him a chance to prepare. It’s how she responds to that , that will give us our clue.”
“Alice, you sound kind of diabolical here. You’d be a match for Luthor, I’m thinking.”
“I’m a mother. You learn that skill on the job.”
“But…”
“Now what?”
“I think you should tell him. I’m not terribly thrilled with playing mind games with Clark. He’s my friend, and he never plays any sort of mind games himself. I think we owe it to him to be as honest with him as he is with us.”
“Did I ever tell you that you’re a party pooper?”
“Does that mean you’ll tell him?”
“This time, I’d rather you did it.”
“You always leave the hard jobs to me.”
“That’s what husbands are for.”
She got up, kissed him on the cheek as she handed him the phone.
[tbc]
