Hey guys
. Until I get more done, I'm going to have to go to M/TH posting
. Just don't want to risk running out of buffer too soon.
Thanks, as always, to Alisha, Beth, Nancy and CarolynK.
*****
Chapter 3
*****
"What movie are we watching, Aunt Louise?" Lucy asked as she sat on the couch in the suite. Lois and Clark were going out somewhere for her graduation dinner and Lucy was staying in the suite with Aunt Louise so they could have a night 'alone'. Lucy refused to thing about the implications of that.
"Well, the late movie is Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in a Frank Capra film."
Lucy raised an eyebrow.
Louise laughed. "You have no idea what that means do you?"
"Not a clue. Clark Gable's the guy from 'Gone With the Wind' right?"
"Yes."
"He's kinda cute."
"Well, this is a better movie. It's called 'It Happened One Night' and it's one of the great romantic comedies of all time."
"If you say so."
Louise glanced at the clock. "It starts in fifteen minutes, so go put on your most comfy pajamas and warm socks and get back in here."
Lucy hurried to do so, not willing to tell her great-aunt that her bedtime was officially in fifteen minutes too. By the time she made it back to the sitting room of the suite, Louise was setting the tub of ice cream on the coffee table. She held out a spoon and Lucy took it from her, a puzzled look on her face. "What's this for?"
"You can't watch Clark Gable without a tub of ice cream, dear."
"Really?"
"We eat ice cream from the carton then popcorn for the second half if we feel like it."
"Okay," Lucy said, hesitantly. "What kind of ice cream is it?"
"Rocky Road."
"We never have Rocky Road. Lois always wants chocolate."
"Well, chocolate is good," her great aunt said, taking a long pull on a spoonful of ice cream. "But you can always have chocolate. Rocky Road is different and interesting and chunky but chocolate is the one you want to have around for comfort food – you can put hot fudge on it and whipped cream and nuts or make a banana split. You'd miss chocolate if it wasn't there a lot more than you'd miss Rocky Road. Clark Gable is Rocky Road. Someone like Clark *Kent*... he's chocolate."
"Do we really have to talk about Lois' husband?" Lucy mumbled.
"Don't you like him?" Louise asked her.
Lucy shrugged. "I don't really know him."
"You've been living with them for almost six months."
"So?"
"But you still don't like him, do you?" she probed gently.
Lucy just shrugged, taking a big bite of ice cream and paying for it with a sudden brain freeze.
"Do you feel like he's taken your sister from you?"
Lucy didn't answer.
"She's the one person you've always been able to count on. I know what your parents were like and if I ever thought the two of you were in any danger I would have done something more about it, but I think I'm starting to see that maybe the physical isn't the only kind of danger you two saw. And now Clark's taken away the only person who's always been there for you, isn't he?"
"Maybe," Lucy said sullenly as her head cleared.
"Did you stop to think what this could be costing her?" Louise asked gently.
"What? She gets to get married and have sex – legally – and doesn't have to listen to anyone and all that kind of stuff." Lucy turned bright red as she realized what she said and was grateful when Aunt Louise didn't comment on it.
"And, for all intents and purposes, she has a teenage daughter for now. She has bills to pay and has been working while trying to finish high school. She's got to learn how to be a wife while trying to be a mother to her sister. Don't make the mistake of thinking Lois' life is all a bed of carnations because she married a great guy at seventeen."
"Don't you mean bed of roses?"
"A bed of roses has thorns. And if you think long and hard enough about it, you'll know that could be where Lois is right now."
Lucy didn't say anything as the opening credits began.
It was nearly two hours later, as she popped the last piece of popcorn in her mouth, before Lucy spoke again. "Maybe you're right."
"About what, dear?" her great aunt replied as she stood to turn the TV off.
"Lois."
"What about her?"
"That this hasn't been as easy for her as I thought it was." A tear slid down her cheek.
Louise sat next to her, putting an arm around her and pulling her close. "You miss her, don't you?" she asked quietly.
Lucy nodded without speaking. "A lot. I mean, I see her every day but it's not the same. I don't remember the last time we really talked or the last time she told me one of her stories. I know I'm really too old to believe in fairies and princes that sweep them off their feet, but I miss the time with my sister."
"I'm sure you do. I'd bet money that she misses spending time with you, too."
Lucy shrugged, her head still resting against her aunt. "She's got Clark."
"Yes," Louise said slowly. "She does, but no one can ever replace a sister. Trust me on that."
"How do you know?"
"Well, I'm your dad's aunt. I have siblings. My brother was your grandfather. We had a sister named Jenny. Did you know that?"
Lucy shook her head. "Daddy never talked much about growing up. He never really talked about much at all."
"Well, we had a sister named Jenny. She was two years older than me and two years younger than Tom – your grandfather. We shared a room the whole time we grew up and we were as close as we could be. She told me about her first date with Daniel and I told her about my first date with Joe. We talked about everything. She even told me about her wedding night. Oh, not details or anything like that, but enough to let me know that I couldn't wait to marry Joe. She left Daniel at home with the baby for three days when I found out that Joe had been killed. All I did those days was cry and stare blankly into space. I ate what she fed me, drank when she held a cup in front of me. She took care of me. And when Danny, Jr. was killed on Iwo Jima, I was at her house when the telegram came and didn't leave for over a week. Daniel was off working a government job somewhere and it was days before he could get home. They were both killed in a car accident in the late 1950s. They'd never had any more children, so that left me and Tom and his family.
"Mama and Daddy were long gone by then. Linda – your grandmother – was a wonderful woman, but Tom... Tom was like my father – or how he perceived my father to be. Daddy loved us all, very much, but never knew how to show it, especially to Tom. Hugging, saying 'I love you', things like that were signs of weakness, especially between a father and son – at least in our area in that day and age. On his deathbed, he told me that was one of things he'd regretted. Your father was probably seven or eight when Daddy died and he'd seen how your grandfather was. My father often came off as cold and unfeeling, but he wasn't; not really. He loved my mother and us very much but he didn't know how to show it. Your grandfather on the other hand..." She sighed. "He was what he perceived my father to be. As far as I know, he never cheated on your grandmother, but I wouldn't swear to it. Your father was the next step in the line, unfortunately."
She hugged Lucy slightly tighter for a moment, before relaxing her hold. "I still saw Jenny all the time when she married Daniel, but it wasn't the same. But when I needed her, when I found out about Joe, she was there in an instant. Almost literally. And she didn't leave until I was starting to function again. And I did the same for her when Danny, Jr. died. She told me the same thing I'm telling you now. She loved Daniel with all her heart, but sometimes... Sometimes only a sister will do. I promise you, there will be times when Lois doesn't share things with you that she might have before because she has Clark now."
"That's reassuring," Lucy whispered, sarcastically.
"*But*," her aunt continued. "There's times when she may not be able to talk to Clark about something or things that he can't understand because he didn't grow up in your house. Then she'll need you. And once you find the man you'll spend your life with, you'll understand. You'll love him with all your heart and you'll confide in him things you could never talk to Lois about, but Lois will always be your sister and you two will always have a bond that she and Clark and you and your husband could never replicate."
Lucy sighed and didn't say anything for a long time.
*****
Two weeks later, Lucy bounded up the steps to the apartment, mail in hand.
"Clark!"
He looked up from the couch where he was taking a study break and watching the St. Louis Cardinals versus the Metropolis Monarchs baseball game. Lois was working. "What's up?"
She waved the piece of paper. "Final grades."
He raised a brow at her. "This is a good thing?"
"I got an A in geometry!"
He stood up and she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"That's great, Luce!" He hugged her for another minute before putting her down. "I'm proud of you."
"Well, I couldn't have done it without your help."
"That's what I'm here for, kiddo. And to celebrate, tonight I’m springing for pizza."
Lucy laughed. "You don't have to do that." She paused. "Are you working tonight?"
"Nope. All day off."
"Nice."
"I have to go pick up Lois at ten, but that's the only thing on my schedule today. How about this – I'll call the store and see if they'll call me if they have any screw ups tonight and we'll rent a movie?"
Lucy practically jumped up and down. "Can we get 'Footloose'?! Please! Lois doesn't want to see it..." Lucy trailed off. Clark probably wouldn't want to see it either.
Clark groaned. "Well, I'd rather get 'Ghostbusters' or something, but since it's your night, 'Footloose' it is. I'll call the movie place and see if they have it in and go get it when the game's over."
She heard Clark talking to one of his bosses at the pizza place and he turned back to her with a grin. "Donny said that he's almost certain that he's going to mess up a Supreme pizza about thirty minutes after the baseball game ends."
Lucy laughed. "And how is he sure about that?"
Clark shrugged. "He likes me. I work pretty much anytime he needs me and I covered for him twice last week when his wife was sick." He picked the phone back up and reserved the movie before heading back to the couch.
Lucy headed to her loft. It wasn't long before she heard Clark yell up that he was leaving and would be back in a few minutes. He was much nicer than she'd originally given him credit for and was a great tutor. Her grades had gone up – not only in geometry, but across the board. Geometry had gone up the most as it was the one she'd had the most trouble with.
A while later, she heard the door open and Clark called out that he was back and had picked up two movies and a six pack of 'New Coke' to try.
New Coke? She'd heard the commercials and that it was better than old Coke, but they so rarely had soda in the house that she was surprised. She headed down the stairs, avoiding looking at their bed as she always did. "Get the pizza?"
"Yep." He handed her a plate. "Tell you what... it's a special occasion. Let's take our dinner and watch Kevin Bacon get footloose while we eat on the couch."
"Lois will kill us."
Clark grinned at her. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her and she'd have to catch us first."
"You're on." Lucy stood and got cups down while Clark dished up the pizza. "What's the second movie you got?"
"'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'."
"Do I have to watch it with you?" she groaned.
"If I have to watch 'Footloose', you can watch 'Indiana Jones'."
"Can I swoon over Harrison Ford?"
"Sure and I'll even make popcorn."
"Fine."
*****
June 1985
*****
Lucy finally broached a subject she'd been trying to bring up for a week. "Lois?" she asked.
"Yeah, Luce?" She didn't look up from her book.
"Lisa and her family are going to DisneyWorld next month and asked if I could go with them."
"Are they paying for it?"
"For gas and the hotel."
"But not the tickets?"
"No."
"Then the answer's no."
"Why not?"
"We don't have that kind of money."
"You went to prom and even spent the night at the Lexor. Do we have *that* kind of money?"
"No."
"So how come you went?"
"Aunt Louise sent us." Lois shoved her books into her backpack.
"Then maybe she'll send me."
"That would cost a lot more than our prom stuff."
"She also sent you guys to the Lexor for a week and out to dinner and everything."
Lois gave an exasperated sigh. "That's different. She volunteered all of that – we didn't ask for any of it."
"So where were you going to go on your honeymoon?"
Lois glared at her. "We weren't going anywhere."
"So you were going to spend your *wedding night* in the house with me and Aunt Louise?"
"We didn't have the money for anything else, Lucy."
"Well, at least you two are quiet," Lucy muttered under her breath.
"What?"
"Nothing. I'm going to call Aunt Louise."
"No. You're not."
"Yes, I am."
"Lucy, it's not going to happen!"
"You're not my mother, Lois."
"But I am your guardian. And you are not going."
"Why not?"
"Because. We don't have the money for you to go to some amusement park for a week. It's not going to happen."
"What about all the money from the insurance and the sale of the house?"
"We've been over this. It's not all that much and it's for you to go to college."
"What if I don't go to college?"
"You're going to college." Lois grabbed her purse and keys. "We're going to be late. Let's go."
"I want to go."
"We all want lots of things, Luce. I'm sorry, but it's not going to happen."
Lucy grabbed her backpack and stormed out. "I hate you, Lois. You're ruining my life." She slammed her car door shut.
*****
October 1985
*****
"He doesn't even know I’m alive anymore, Lisa," Lucy moaned, watching the brown haired senior across the cafeteria.
"He's still mad you couldn't go to prom with him?"
Lucy nodded. "I said hi to him yesterday and he barely looked at me."
"What were you supposed to do? Lois and Clark wouldn't let you go."
She shrugged. "He thought I should have pushed harder, but I knew they wouldn't let me." She poked at her food. "Oh well."
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
Lucy looked up to see a pair of dark blue eyes. "Um, no. Have a seat." She motioned to him and turned back to Lisa, thinking he just needed somewhere to sit.
"You're Lucy, right?"
She turned back to him. "Yeah, do I know you?"
"We're in photography together next hour."
"Right, I remember seeing you, but I'm sorry I don't remember your name."
He smiled and stuck his hand out. "I'm Jimmy. Nice to meet you officially."
She shook his hand and smiled back at him. "You, too."
"Um, listen, are you, uh, busy tomorrow night?"
Lucy mentally reviewed her calendar. Lois and Clark were both working and she had nothing going on. "No. I'm not doing anything."
"Would you like to go to the football game with me?" He looked like he was holding his breath waiting for her answer.
She smiled brightly. "Sure. I'd like that."
He pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of his backpack and scribbled something down. "Here's my number. Give me a call tonight and we can figure it out from there."
"Sure." Clark would be home tonight. She'd have to wait until he left to get Lois. "Um, is ten okay? I have something else until about then."
"Sure. I just won't let my mom answer." He winked at her and stood up. "I have a couple things to do before lunch is over. I'll talk to you tonight."
"Yeah." She watched as he walked off. "Well, that was certainly unexpected."
"What about Jaxon?"
Lucy shrugged. "What about him? He's ignoring me. Jimmy is cute and I've heard he's a nice guy. He is in my photography class. I haven't actually talked to him but Danny said he's a good guy, so... I'm old enough to date now, so I'm going to."
"What's with waiting until 10 to call him?"
"Clark's going to be home tonight and I really don't want him around while I call. He'll have to go get Lois at 10."
"Ah." Lisa grinned at her. "Guess I'm going to a football game this year."
"What? You're not planning on horning in on my date are you?"
"Oh, no. I'll get Jessica to go with me and we'll watch from a distance."
"You're horrible, you know that?"
"And you love me for it."
*****
Lucy couldn't concentrate on her homework that night. When Clark finally called her on it, she was surprised it had taken him so long.
"What's up, Luce? You've been on the same page for about half an hour now."
Lucy sighed. She was trying to figure out when and how to tell her sister and brother-in-law that she had a date. Should she just mention that she was going to a football game? Should she say she had a date? Should she wait until after she'd talked to Jimmy on the phone later? She'd finally decided she wanted to tell Clark first and let him soften Lois up.
"Well, um... a guy asked me out." She refused to look at him as she said it.
"Really? Who? Jaxon again?" Clark put his pen down, his concentration completely on the conversation now.
She shook her head. "No. He's still mad about the prom thing. This is a different guy. He's a junior and his name is Jimmy. We're in photography together and he asked if I would go to the football game tomorrow night."
Clark frowned. "I'm not sure I like that plan."
"Why not? I'm sixteen and we'll be with like eighty-seven thousand other Lion fans."
"I know but Lois and I won't be home to meet him."
She scowled at him. "I figured you'd bring that up."
"Do you have a solution?"
"What if I meet him there? Would that be okay? And I promise not to be alone with him. We won't go anywhere else without appropriate chaperones," she added sarcastically.
He thought for a minute. "Let me talk to Lois about it, but that might work."
"Lisa said she and Jessica were going, so if we go anywhere afterwards, I'll make sure they go with us and if I take the car, then there's no reason for him to have to drive me anywhere and you can be assured that he won't be able to hurt me or whatever."
"Does Lois know him?"
She shrugged. "I doubt it. Lois doesn't know a whole lot of people anymore."
"What's his last name?"
Lucy grimaced. "I'm not sure. It starts with an O or a P, I think. I haven't paid much attention during roll call, but I know it's after Lane and before Tina Rogers." She took a deep breath. "I'm supposed to call him later. Can I tell him I can go?"
"I guess, but if Lois vetoes it for any reason... And you'll have to be home by midnight."
"Fine. I'll let him know it's still not officially approved and I'll have to confirm it tomorrow."
"Okay."
*****
Lucy stood nervously outside the outside the main gate to the stadium. She was fifteen minutes early to meet Jimmy, but she couldn’t handle sitting around the apartment anymore waiting. Her first real date and it almost didn't feel like one. A real date would have the guy picking her up at her house, her dad – or Clark at least – giving him the evil eye; mom – or Lois rather – taking pictures and stuff. Clark had actually given her the camera and told her to make sure someone took a picture of the two of them at some point during the evening. She hadn't decided if she was actually going to go through with that or not.
Their conversation the night before had been short, consisting of her telling him she had tentative approval, but that she'd have to meet him at the game ten minutes before kickoff. He'd agreed to that and said he'd talk to her today as his mom yelled at him to get off the phone. At lunch, she'd seen him start to walk her way, when he got waylaid by a girl. He kept glancing at her and looked uncomfortable the whole time. The bell had rung ending any hope of a conversation. There hadn't been an opportunity in class either, though they were told that they'd be picking partners the next week. She'd turned down offers from two guys already, saying she wasn't going to think about it until Monday. As they were cleaning up near the end of class, he'd managed to catch her eye and mouthed 'Tonight?' She'd nodded and couldn't help smiling as a big grin split his face.
And so here she was, waiting for him. Lisa and Jessica were clearly visible inside the gate and had agreed to go with them if they wanted to get a bite to eat afterwards or whatever. She looked around, but saw no sign of him.
"Hey," came a near whisper behind her and she almost jumped.
She turned to see Jaxon standing there. "What do you want?"
"Your company during the game tonight."
She took a step back as he reached out to run his hand along her arm. "Sorry, no can do. I'm meeting someone."
His eyes narrowed for a second and she grew increasingly uncomfortable as he looked her up and down. "You'd have more fun with me. Besides, you owe me for prom."
"I don't owe you anything. I couldn't get permission to go. End of discussion. Now, do you mind?"
"Not at all. I'll just wait and make sure you don't get stood up."
"She's not getting stood up." A new voice entered the conversation. "Hi, Lucy," Jimmy said.
She couldn't believe what she was about to do, but Jaxon was scaring her. She reached out and grabbed Jimmy's hand lacing her fingers with his. "Jaxon, this is my boyfriend, Jimmy." She pleaded with her eyes for him to play along.
"I thought you weren't allowed to date."
"Not until I was sixteen. My birthday was almost three months ago." She felt Jimmy remove his hand from hers and she cursed inwardly, until she felt his arm go around her shoulders.
"Nice to meet you, Jason. I'd love to chat but me and my best girl have a game to go to."
"It's Jaxon."
Jimmy smiled and gentle pressure on Lucy's shoulders told her they were moving away. Neither one said anything until they were inside – Jimmy had bought her ticket – and settled on the blanket Jimmy had spread on the grass to one side of the football field.
"I'm sorry about that, Jimmy, but thank you."
"Hey, no problem. Rescuing a damsel in distress can only boost my appeal, right?" He grinned at her.
She smiled back. "He was giving me a hard time and I didn't think he'd take the hint any other way."
"What happened?"
"Oh, he asked me to Junior Prom last year and I couldn't go because I wasn't sixteen yet. He's ignored me all year so far then said I owed him for not going to prom with him."
"That's ridiculous."
She shrugged. "Hopefully, he'll leave me alone now."
Jimmy leaned back on his elbows. "I hope so."
"Um, by the way, what's your last name?"
He laughed. "Olsen. Why?"
"Oh, Clark asked me and I had to tell him I didn't know. I figured I better by the end of the night because he's sure to ask again."
"Who's Clark? Your step-dad or something?"
Lucy sat still for a minute. "I'm sorry; I'm used to everyone knowing. My parents died right after Christmas. My sister got married a few days later and she and her husband, Clark, are my legal guardians."
"Wait a minute. Your sister is Lois Lane?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I remember hearing about it and I know who she is – she wouldn't know me – but my dream is to be a news photographer so, of course, I know who the editor of the school paper was. I don't know why I didn't make the connection." He reached over and took her hand gently. "I'm sorry about your folks."
She shrugged and noticed how well their hands fit together. "It's okay. I don't miss them too much. They weren't great parents. And Clark's a good guy. That's why I had to meet you here. He wasn't about to let you pick me up until he'd had a chance to meet you and he and Lois both had to work tonight."
"I see."
She gave him a half-smile. "Yeah. He's more than a bit overprotective. And if we want to go anywhere after the game, we have to take Lisa and Jessica with us – or at least meet them there."
He laughed. "I was kind of hoping we wouldn't need chaperones but if that's the way it has to be..."
"I'm not trying to assume you might want to go somewhere afterwards but..."
"I was already thinking about asking you if you wanted to grab a bite to eat once the game's over. How do we find our keepers?"
"Oh, I'm sure they'll walk by before too long. Lisa said the only reason she was coming was to spy on us."
"Great."
She looked contrite. "I'm sorry. I'm sure this isn't a very good first date. You unexpectedly get a girlfriend and are getting spied on and have to have a chaperone."
"Hey, if that's what it takes... I'm sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk to you at lunch today. Angela stopped me and she's impossible to get away from. We went out like twice last year and she insists on talking my ear off every time I'm within ten feet of her. I try to steer clear, but she caught me by surprise."
They chatted through halftime only paying a little bit of attention to the game. Lisa and Jessica wandered by and plans were made to meet after the game. Jimmy bought them some popcorn to share and a soda for each of them.
The game ended with the Lions beating the Pirates from neighboring Pittsdale High by a touchdown. Jimmy held her hand as he walked her to her car, having decided that they didn't want to risk the wrath of Lois or Clark by riding alone after Lucy had promised they wouldn't. Lucy thought he might try to kiss her, but he didn't. Well, the date wasn't over.
After a frustrating fifteen minutes waiting to get out of the parking lot, Lucy sped to Arby's. It wasn't nearly as busy as some of the other fast food restaurants after a football game which was why they'd chosen it. Lisa and Jessica had promised her earlier that they'd be in the restaurant, but not too close, allowing them to live up to the letter of Lucy's promise. Unfortunately, it was fuller than they'd anticipated and the four of them ended up together, chatting about teachers and fellow students.
All too soon, Lucy glanced at her watch and announced that she had to get going if she was going to make it home on time. Jimmy cleaned up the rest of their trash and her friends made themselves scarce. He walked her back to her car and they talked for a few more minutes.
"I had a good time tonight, Lucy."
"Me, too. I'm sorry about all the rules Clark insisted on."
He smiled at her. "I'm glad you have someone looking out for you. Can you imagine if they'd let you go out with Jaxon last year?"
She shuddered. "After tonight, I don't think that couldn't have ended well."
"Can I call you tomorrow?"
"I hope you do."
"I have to work until six, so it'll probably be seven or maybe later."
"I'll be home all day."
He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Drive safe."
"I will."
He opened the door for her. "You better get going if you're going to make it by midnight."
Lucy said good-bye again and waved as she drove off.
Twenty-five minutes later, she parked in front of the apartment building and ran up the stairs. 12:02. Great. Maybe they were asleep already. The windows were dark and she let herself in, being as quiet as she could. She tiptoed towards the bathroom when she heard Clark.
"You're late," he said quietly.
She looked over and saw Clark leaning up on one elbow. Her sister was sound asleep. Thank God for small favors. "I know. By two minutes. I hit every red light between here and Pittsdale. Hey – the car started to steam when I was almost home." Maybe she could distract him with car problems.
"I'll look at it. We'll talk tomorrow. Lois has a double shift but I don't work until tomorrow night."
"Okay." She watched as he laid back down, curled up next to Lois. She wondered what that would be like, to have someone like Clark hold her like that. Safe and protected was her guess. Someday... but not for a long time. *She* wasn't going to get married until she was at *least* twenty-five. Oh, she understood why Lois married so young, but she didn't – and wouldn't – have those kinds of pressures when she was seventeen.
She quickly removed her make-up and brushed her teeth and climbed quietly to her bed. As she stared at the ceiling, she relived every moment of the night in her head, starting with Jimmy rescuing her from Jaxon. In some ways, she wished he'd kissed her, but in other ways it was kind of nice that he didn't seem to be after one thing, like her friends had mentioned to her about other guys at school.
It was some time before sleep overtook her and she settled in for peaceful dreams.
*****
TBC
