I think the last two calm chapters made everyone a little anxious and impatient. But here we are, picking back up again. I just figured I'd give LnC a little break, as well as myself right before my finals started. But I took my first and hardest final today, and I feel surprising marvelous about it, so here we get back into it. Take that, Mathematical Proofs!
Anyway, enjoy.
Oh. And thanks for all the reviews, everyone!
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Chapter 19: Missing
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It was mid-morning. They had had a quiet breakfast at the breakfast table, and though Clark was had taken the trip over to the table slowly and gingerly, he had walked alone. Or limped, rather.
They had hardly spoken, content in the silence between them for now after another less-than-restful night. Lois finished her eggs—which she had been surprised to wake up to find Superman cooking for her (and it was surprisingly good, too)—and stood.
“I think I’d better call Perry, Kal-El.”
Clark looked at her from his own breakfast. Real food tasted delicious, even after a couple days of being back on it, and he was savoring it. He didn’t think he would ever miss a meal again, even if he did get all of his powers back and no longer needed it.
He just nodded. “No doubt they’re worried about you.” In truth, he was surprised and a little worried that Lois had stayed this hidden even these past two days. Lois was one that you didn’t find sitting around, but the two of them had spent hours just resting, drifting, floating…alone, and trying to forget. It was a testimony of how much she had been shaken that she'd waited this long.
Lois herself had felt defended her fear of drawing attention to herself by calling the Planet or her parents and perhaps picking up the call, so she hadn’t. And no one had bothered them yet, though both of them had started more than once at a growing fear as they looked towards the door. No one had come.
“I don’t want them descending on this place like vultures,” Lois said, chewing on her lip.
“I’m honestly surprised you haven’t called someone before now,” Clark admitted. “What about your parents?”
“I didn’t want to talk to them,” Lois said, her voice a bit hard. “They never see me when I’m well and fine. Why should they worry if I disappear for a few days? It’s not like they would even notice, if it wasn’t on the news or something.”
Clark finished his breakfast and stood gingerly to put his dishes in the sink. Lois watched his careful movements, but leaped to her feet as Superman turned on the water and began rinsing the dirty dishes.
“Do you mind?” Lois demanded. “Must you always be so helpful? You make me feel like a first-rate laze. You’re hurt still, no matter what you protest. Now give me that plate”—She grabbed it from his hand—“and go sit down. In the sun. Go. Shoo!”
Clark surrendered and fled with the remainder of his dignity, but as he lowered himself into the chair he felt restless despite his body’s continued weakness. He knew Lois must be feeling the same way, if not worse. She had never taken a sick day in her life, if the rumors at the office were true (not counting days she didn’t come in due to kidnapping, hostage situations, or other such usual events), and here she was going on her third day without any real work except to take care of a helpless (in her mind) man. Considering that he had spent most of the time sleeping, she must be going crazy.
Though she seemed strangely content, cleaning and tidying and fussing over him. She would make a great mother, Clark mused, no matter how much she protested the fact and worked to protect her mad-dog front.
The two of them were just alike, Clark thought. Both with secret identities. And here they both were together, only Lois was showing her real side, and Clark…well, it was Superman that was there, not Clark Kent. Not in Lois’s mind.
Clark settled back in the uncomfortable couch, which they had dragged into the living room in front of one of the windows. Despite his restlessness, he felt tiredness coming upon him again. It served to frustrate him more, even as his eyes began to droop shut. He had slept more than a baby the last few days. He wasn’t feeling nearly so bad, but there he was.
Lois watched Superman as he settled down at the couch with a sigh. She had no doubt that the man was going crazy. Did a superhero ever get a day off? No holidays, no weekends…accidents just didn’t get put on hold. No doubt he was always getting interrupted in his “normal” life—that he always had something to do, and no time to rest. He couldn’t be use to this, especially having to be taken care of. If anyone was independent, it was Superman—the man of steel.
But Kal-El—the man beneath that man of steel with the firm countenance—had a heart of mush. And he was surprisingly complacent, despite the clear discontent that he was too polite to give voice to. If she were him she’d be going mad.
There were no less than thirty-seven unchecked messages that Lois had chosen to ignore them the last couple days of recovery. Now, Lois decided to forego them altogether. She picked up the phone and rang Perry’s number.
It rang three times before it was lifted.
“Hello. This is Perry White.” His tone was wary, and he sounded as tired as Lois had ever heard.
Lois felt her words stick in her throat and she swallowed.
“Chief?”
There was a silence, then Lois heard Perry swear and beginning shouting at those around him to be shut up to be quiet, go away, and come back later. After a moment he spoke back into the phone.
“Lois, honey, is that you?”
Despite herself, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes at the sound of his voice. “It is, Perry.”
“Where in Elvis’s name have you been?” he demanded. “Are you all right? Is—”
“I’m fine, Chief. Just a…a little shaken.”
Perry’s tone was concerned. “What happened?” he asked. It was not like his mad-dog reporter to admit such a thing—even if it was true. “Where are you?”
“At home,” she said, hesitantly. “I…just ran into some trouble, but everything’s fine now.”
“Is Clark okay?”
Lois was stopped in her tracks at the question, and she stood silently, taking in the implications of it.
“Lois?” The chief’s tone was tense—he took her silence to mean the very worst.
“I haven’t seen him,” she said. “Not since last Monday.”
Perry swore. “Okay, Lois. We’ve got some police coming over to talk to you right now. We’ve had every man and dog out on the street looking for you—but Superman’s gone MIA.” There was a trace of a question at the end of that—it was a common belief that Lois knew the superhero better than anyone else—but Lois intentionally pretended not to hear it.
“No! I mean…Perry, I’d rather not talk to the police right now.” Who knew what their true intentions were, and if they found Superman here… “You know it’s…been a hard past couple of days.” She hated playing the pity card, but there it was.
“Lois, we need a statement. Clark’s been missing as long as you. We all figured he’d gone with you.”
Oh no. Superman had had stronger ties with Clark than even Lois had had. What if Bureau 39 had caught him as well? What if he was still somewhere, locked in a white room, alone…Lois swore, paling. The innocent farm boy would be helpless against these monsters.
“Don't bother sending those officers, chief,” Lois said, her tone suddenly grim, though her grip was white and shaking on the receiver. “I’ll be at the Planet in fifteen minutes.”
She didn’t listen to his protests, but hung up the phone and sped to her room, grabbing the first pair of (non-heel) shoes and a comfortable blouse and dressier pair of work pants before going to the bathroom to change. In record speed she was back in the living room, combing out her hair quickly.
Clark hadn’t moved from his place by the window, his body almost glowing in the light of the morning sun. He had been listening and watching, but as he saw her dressed for work and began to rise. He winced at the reminders of unhealed wounds and bruises.
“No—don’t get up,” Lois said, grabbing a spare purse and set of car keys. “I just called Perry White, and it turns out that Clark Kent went missing around the same time we did. I can’t think anything but that Bureau 39 must have taken him as well.”
Clark lowered back fully onto the couch, looking pale again. He swore.
Lois looked at him in consternation. It was the first time she had actually heard him swear, besides his pleading cries amidst horror and pain…but no. That was a different world, a different darkness in his eyes. No doubt he was worried for Clark—he had considered him a friend, after all, even if Kent had been a pushover and kept his distance for his own selfish safety.
That made her mad all over again, but the paleness and fear that Superman couldn’t hide pushed that to the back of her mind.
Lois hesitated. “Will you…be okay?” she asked, suddenly doubtful of her plan. Physically, Superman was recovering at a mind-boggling and miraculous rate, though he was still far from 100%. But to leave him alone…
And she didn’t want to have to be away from him, either, she realized. So even while Superman gave a careful nod that he would be all right, his eyes far away, she felt her own fears rising.
She didn’t want to leave him.
Lois came forward and hugged him—giving and taking comfort for a too-short minute before she pulled away.
“I’ll be back at four, no matter what,” she promised. “My number’s by the phone—you do know how to use it, right?”
Clark just nodded again. Lois resisted the urge to hold him again and instead just reached up to brush his cheek—his hair was once again slicked back in his normal style, so there was no need to brush it from his eyes that any longer, even though the style was slightly mussed from his lounging on the couch, and the curl was sticking out at a funny angle.
There was a faint hint of stubble on his cheek once again. Not much, as Superman had assured her that his hair grew slower than a normal man’s, but as Clark hadn’t wanted to cut himself with the razor again—the nicks hadn’t hurt much, but those little cuts bled like nothing else—he hadn’t bothered to shave since the last time. Lois wondered for perhaps the millionth how he usually shaved, invulnerable as he was, but now was not the time. She’d have to put it aside for later…again.
“Don’t open the door for anyone,” she said. “If you need anything—anything at all—just call me. Try…try to hide your voice a bit, but…I’ll be there.”
Superman nodded one last time, wordless, but his eyes were overflowing with his thoughts.
Lois tore herself away from his soulful eyes and turned to go.
“Thank you, Lois,” he said suddenly. Such small, short words carrying a world of emotion, experience, and memories of loneliness and anguish kept back by hope.
Lois smiled at him. “I’ll see you later. Make sure you get plenty of sunlight. And don’t you dare touch those dishes in the sink.” And with that, she left.
TBC...
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