PREVIOUSLY FROM THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE...
Still, Molly hesitated. “No, not now. Charlie seems to have really good hearing and... I just don’t want to take the chance. But I think someone needs to know... I know I swore to his mother never to say anything, but if something were to happen to me, and then Charlie got sick and needed a donor or something... I just think someone else needs to know. His grandparents should be here soon... Will you stay until after they pick him up?”
Clark nodded. He had no idea what could be so serious that it could make Molly this paranoid about Charlie overhearing. But if she thought it was important, so did he.
“Uncle Clark,” Charlie called. “Can you help me put my train set together?”
“Coming,” Clark responded, giving Molly a quick smile before joining Charlie in the living room, certain as he did so that helping Charlie with his train set would be the best part of this year’s Christmas.AND NOW...
The doors had closed behind Sam and Charlie leaving Molly and Clark alone in the apartment.
“What do you say to another glass of eggnog?” Molly asked.
He wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted more eggnog or if she was giving herself more time to figure out exactly what she wanted to say, but he went along with it, accepting a glass of eggnog and taking a seat on the couch as he waited.
She stared into space for a while, as if trying to find a way to begin. Then she surprised Clark by suddenly exclaiming, “Lois’ slippers!”
“What?”
“Lois’ slippers,” she repeated, this time rising to her feet and crossing the room to pick up a pair of fuzzy slippers. “Why would Charlie have brought these out here?”
Clark shrugged.
Molly shook her head. “I’m sorry. Obviously, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” She returned to her seat, seeming to puzzle over the slippers for a moment more before directing her mind to other matters.
“Over the past year and a half, you’ve become... Well, you’ve become part of the family. And since I can never tell his real family... I need to burden you with a secret - just in case something happens to me. But you have to promise me that you’ll never tell anyone else unless Charlie’s life is in danger.”
“I promise,” Clark said.
Molly searched his eyes for a moment before continuing. “When Lois got pregnant with Charlie, she was twenty years of age and in her first year at NTU. She told her parents that she’d had a one night stand with a guy who was visiting from out of town. That’s the official story. And, you know, over the years, I think she almost managed to convince herself that that’s what happened.” She gave her head a shake, as if trying to get herself back on track.
“Her parents wanted her to get an abortion, but Lois refused. I don’t think she ever really understood why, but almost from the first moment she realized she was pregnant, she was determined to have Charlie. It caused the rift between Lois and her parents. It even spilled over in their attitude to Charlie... a rift that wasn’t healed until Lois went missing.
“Not that they were completely wrong,” Molly continued. “It was a hard time, back then. Lots of tears. Lots of venting. But Lois never took it out on Charlie. I wish she could have seen her parents’ relationship with Charlie now... She’d love it.”
She fell silent again.
“You said that was the ‘official story,’” Clark prompted when she didn’t continue.
Molly nodded. “The unofficial story is... Lois didn’t know who Charlie’s father was.”
Clark’s eyebrows rose.
“Oh, not like that,” Molly said, rushing to correct the obvious assumption that Lois had been promiscuous. “Quite the opposite, actually. One night, we had a party at the Alpha Nu Rho house - that was our sorority - and someone slipped a date rape drug in her drink. I was the one who took her home that night and put her to bed. And we didn’t think anything had happened until a couple months later when she found out she was pregnant.”
“What?” Clark gasped.
“She didn’t want Charlie burdened with the knowledge that he was the result of her being raped, so she came up with the other story. But... Do you remember a story in late 1987 about Bob Stafford? It was Lois’ first story in the Daily Planet.”
“Yeah,” Clark said. “It was the first big story about date rape drugs. Lois won her first Kerth for that story, didn’t she?”
Molly nodded. “Well, she never knew if Stafford was Charlie’s father, but... I guess he’s the most likely candidate. Although, I suppose it could have been someone else, just taking advantage of the situation. We never really discussed it in any detail and, of course, Lois never had blood tests or anything like that done because she was so intent on going with the cover story. But.. well, for Charlie’s sake, I just thought someone should know.”
Clark nodded slowly. “She must have loved Charlie a great deal.”
Tears formed in Molly’s eyes. “Yes, she did - and Charlie adored her. Charlie has asked questions over the years, of course, about his father. Lois used to tell him that his father was a wonderful man who wanted to be with them, but just couldn’t.” She studied Clark for a long moment. “You know... I think I just figured out why you looked so familiar to me when we first met.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because... well... you and Charlie... you have the same eyes. Hey, where were you in 1987?” she asked, playfully.
“I wish. I’d love to be his dad. But unfortunately, the first time I ever came to Metropolis was in 1993.”
“Well, genetically, you may not be Charlie’s dad, but in every way that matters... He loves you as if you were.”
Tears unexpectedly clouded Clark’s vision. He wondered if Molly knew what she had just given him. When she got up and gave him a hug, he suspected she did. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been given a better Christmas present.
* * * * * * * * *
June 1997
* * * * * * * * *
“But... that makes no sense,” Clark said, coming out of his memory. Not about the eye thing, of course. That made complete sense now that he knew. But... the other thing. The paternity issue. “Lois would have known... So would Molly, for that matter.” After all, he’d overheard that telephone conversation between Lois and Molly the morning after they’d first made love. Lois might not have told Molly they’d made love, but Molly had certainly known. So why would Molly pretend that...
But then, why hadn’t Molly recognized him the moment he’d shown up at the Daily Planet?
“What did you say?” Perry asked.
“What? Huh?” He finally focused on Perry who was looking extremely worried. “Oh, no, Perry. I’m fine. I just...”
“Zone out completely when you’re not spouting nonsense or making dangerous revelations in the middle of the newsroom. Son, I think something is seriously wrong. And, I gotta tell you, you’re scaring the hell out of me. What the Sam Hill is going on with you?”
“I’m fine,” Clark repeated.
“You just don’t know what the hell I’m talking about half the time. I swear, if I hadn’t known it was impossible, when we were out there in the newsroom, I would have thought that you didn’t know the whole Superman thing was a secret. It’s almost as if you have amnesia or something.”
Amnesia! Yes. Perfect. “Well, I sort of do,” he said. “I mean, I remember parts of my life. But other parts... I guess I’m still putting together the pieces.”
“How did this happen? We need to get you to a doctor,” Perry began wheeling towards the door.
“No!” Clark exclaimed, reaching out a hand to stop Perry’s progress. “No, just... I need your help.”
“Anything, son. You know that.”
Clark marshaled his thoughts. “Can you just... help me by answering a few questions?”
“I can do that. What do you want to know?”
Clark was trying to figure out where to start when his eyes focused in on the wheelchair. “Okay, well, I know you were shot, but... I guess seeing you here, in this...” He gestured to the wheelchair. “How did this happen? Is this a permanent thing. And why are you at the Daily Planet? Aren’t you the Mayor now? And for that matter, why hasn’t Carpenter physically thrown me out of here, yet?”
“Well, to answer your last question first... The only Carpenter I can think of is Preston Carpenter, the editor of that rag, The Star.”
“Editor of The Star? But then, who’s the editor of the Planet?”
“You’re looking at him.”
“But... how... I thought you left the Daily Planet when you became Mayor.”
“You really don’t remember, do you?” Perry asked in concern. Then, instead of waiting for an answer, Perry launched into his explanation. “Well, yes. I was elected Mayor. But between then and the time that I was to take office, I got shot. So they had a new election and elected a new Mayor. I spent the next few months getting up and about. The new editor Olsen had hired didn’t work out so when I was well enough, he asked me to come back to work.”
“Is this wheelchair...” Clark swallowed hard. “...permanent?”
“Hell no! I’m going to be up and on my own two feet in no time.”
Clark finally smiled. Maybe he hadn’t completely managed to destroy Perry’s life. A lot of pain, yes. A lot of grief too. But... maybe things weren’t entirely hopeless.
“Besides, some good did come of it,” Perry continued. “Alice and I are closer than we’ve been in years. I was starting to worry that we were headed towards a divorce. But this near-death experience brought us back together. Now we just have to work to keep things going. Almost losing everything makes you reevaluate your priorities.”
“Hey,” a woman said, sticking her head into the conference room.
Clark looked over and his eyebrows rose. “Cat? What are you doing here?” Or... was it Cat? She looked older, certainly. And Molly had mentioned Cat coming by to see Charlie in 1994. But what really struck him was how professional she looked.
“I was wondering if you boys would like some coffee. After all, you’ve been stuck in here for a long time.”
“That’d be great, Cat,” Perry said. “Any fires out there that you can’t put out?”
Cat shook her head. “Okay, I’ll send someone in with that coffee.” She stopped for a moment and looked at Clark. Then she gave her head a dismissive shake. “You know, it’s crazy, but I still sometimes find myself wondering where I met you before you came to work for the Daily Planet.” With that Cat walked out of the conference room, closing the door behind her.
“Naming her as my assistant was the best decision I’ve made since... agreeing to print Lois Lane’s first story.”
“Assistant?” Clark asked, his head spinning.
“Well, she was getting bored with doing the gossip column so when I needed some help after the shooting, I thought I’d give her a shot. In fact, she’s working out so well, I’m thinking that even once I’m back on my feet again, I’ll keep her on. It will give me more time to spend with Alice and maybe I’ll even start grooming Cat to take over when I retire eventually. Why? Don’t tell me you don’t remember Cat.”
“I remember her, but... I didn’t even know she was working here. I thought she went to work for one of those Hollywood gossip shows - you know Entertainment Tomorrow or something.”
Perry laughed. “Cat... leave the Daily Planet? Not a chance. I think she might have been tempted when she was younger, but at the time she, Lois Lane and Molly Flynn were like the three musketeers. There was no way she was going anywhere. And later... Well, I think she felt like this was home. And with Lois missing... I think she worried that Charlie didn’t need to lose another person from his life.”
Clark’s eyebrows rose. Huh. He hadn’t seen that one coming.
“Does Linda King still work here?” Clark asked.
“Who?” Perry responded. “Wait! The name is vaguely familiar, but...” He shook his head, unable to figure out where he’d heard that name before.
Clark smiled. That was one change he couldn’t say he was going to mind. “No one important, I guess.” Speaking of no one important, Clark suddenly found himself lost again in the past.
* * * * * * * * *
March 1995
* * * * * * * * *
Clark slapped the papers down on his desk in frustration. He’d finally managed to get all the paperwork after... what? Almost two years. And it told him nothing. In a country in the midst of a civil war, there was no record of Lois Lane ever getting off the plane in Brazzaville. But given the shape these records were in, that wasn’t exactly surprising.
Reaching over, he picked up the picture of Lois and Charlie sitting on his desk. A snapshot of Lois, wearing a halter top, looking at the camera and laughing while a much younger Charlie kissed her cheek. Clark couldn’t help but smile in response. He had to admit, he loved this picture. He wished he had known her. That this could somehow be the picture he had placed on his desk. To be part of that happy family...
“What the hell are you doing?”
Clark quickly placed the photo back on the desk and turned towards Lana. “Hi, Lana. What are you doing here?” he said, feeling guilty about where his thoughts had taken him.
“What am I doing here, he asks,” Lana said in disbelief. “We were supposed to be meeting with my parents tonight. They want to talk about the wedding. You know - the wedding you never seem to want to talk about.” She let out a breath. “Clark, you know how Daddy hates it when you’re late. Yet here I am, having to track you down. And what do I find you doing? Mooning over a picture of a dead woman and her bastard son.”
Clark sprang to his feet, grabbed her arm and practically marched her into the conference room, slamming the door behind him. “Don’t, Lana. Don’t ever say anything like that again!”
“Why not, Clark? I don’t know why you insist on spending so much time with him! What’s he to you?”
“He’s an orphan, Lana,” he responded. “I know what that’s like. I guess I just feel... some sort of connection to him. I can’t explain it.”
“Really? The way you act, you’d think you were his father.”
“Now you’re being ridiculous,” Clark said. He was sick of this. Sick of fighting with Lana over the fact that he cared about a six year old child.
“Ridiculous? Really? What happens if we have children? If you can even give me children, that is - given that you’re not exactly normal. Will you be there for your children or will you still be traipsing off after some other woman’s child? What will you tell your own children when you are running off to watch Charlie play some stupid baseball game or something?”
“I’ll take them with me,” he said, disregarding her crack about his differences. “It’s not a matter of either/or, Lana.”
“I’m sick of it, Clark,” Lana said, ignoring his response. “Sick of it. You proposed two years ago; yet you never want to talk about wedding plans.”
“I wanted us to get settled first,” Clark said, even knowing as he did that she was right. The excuse was getting a little tired.
“It’s not even as if you’re prepared to move in together. Or... to even make love.”
“I want to wait until...”
“...we’re married. I bet you say that in your sleep. Not that I would know, of course.” Her views on his position on waiting could be heard in the sarcasm in her voice. “If you were having to fight against your desire for me, maybe I could buy that. But you don’t. It’s like you’ve put us on hold. All your time and energy is spent fathering a boy that isn’t even yours or looking for his mother who is probably worm food in Africa...”
Clark flinched, hating that thought.
“This is it,” Lana continued. “Daddy was going to talk to you about this tonight. But I’m not waiting for him to talk to you. I’m putting my foot down. It ends now.”
“Wait! What are you saying?”
“It’s either him or me, Clark. You can’t have both.”
“You don’t mean that. Lana. He’s just a little boy.”
“Him or me?” she insisted.
He stared at her for a moment, flabbergasted that he was being presented with this choice. One had nothing to do with the other. Or... did it? Suddenly, he wasn’t sure.
“Him or me?” she repeated.
“Him,” he responded, almost more on instinct than conscious thought - almost as if it wasn’t even a choice, he realized suddenly.
Lana froze for the briefest of seconds, seeming as startled as he was by his proclamation. Then she was moving.
“Fine!” she said, removing her ring and throwing it at him. She stormed out the conference room, slamming the door behind her.
* * * * * * * * *
June 1997
* * * * * * * * *
“Clark?”
Clark blinked when he saw Perry snap his fingers in front of his face.
“You zoned out on me again. Are you sure we shouldn’t call a doctor? Maybe he could...”
“No, Perry. I just... I’ll be fine. Once I get things straight... in here.” He tapped his head.
“So what happened to cause these gaps in your memory?”
“It’s... complicated.”
“I’m pretty good with complicated.”
Clark stared at his friend for a moment. He really did need to talk to someone, but... “I don’t want to end up being carted off by men in white jackets,” he said. “Because, believe me when I say the story is pretty unbelievable.”
Just then the door opened and coffee was delivered to both Clark and Perry, along with a half box of donuts. They worked on fixing their coffee until the door finally closed, leaving them alone once again.
“Is your story more unbelievable than a mild-mannered reporter masquerading as a flying superhero?”
“Well... Maybe.”
Perry’s eyebrows rose.
Clark pondered the situation for a moment more. “What would you say if I told you time travel is possible?”
Perry stared at him for a minute. “I’d say... go on.”
“Okay,” Clark said before launching into his tale.
* * * * * * * * *
Perry leaned back in his chair, silently contemplating a nervous Clark as he digested what he’d just been told.
“Say something?” Clark begged.
“I’m not quite sure what you want me to say. I can tell you believe this, but...” Perry shook his head. “I’m sorry, son. I just can’t.”
“What if I told you that I was waiting for Lois outside the Daily Planet when you bought her first story? It was a story about women on the NTU campus being in danger from someone who was drugging women. You paid her one hundred dollars for that story.”
“You could know about the story and the amount I paid for it because you happened across it during your search for Lois years ago.”
“But would I know that you originally offered her seventy-five dollars? She accepted and you told her she should have held out for more, but then you paid her a hundred dollars anyway.”
“How...”
“Or that you congratulated her for her story about the football players who were cheating on their exams? The story that was stolen from her by Linda King.”
“That’s why that name was familiar,” Perry said. “I heard that King dropped out of school the next year. Never heard what happened to her after that.”
“Really? So she never became a reporter?”
“Not that I ever heard. Of course, if she ended up at some small weekly, I might not have heard of her.”
“Huh,” Clark said, before giving his head a shake to get them back on track. “Then, if I hadn’t gone into the past, how would I know about Linda King? Or how would I know that you insisted Lois call Molly for a direct quote about her behavior while under the influence of the GHB. Or that you yodeled when you walked back into your office.”
Clark could tell that Perry was struggling to remember that last one.
“How do you know all this?” Perry finally asked.
“I told you... I was outside the Daily Planet, waiting for her. She was excited when she left the Planet and talking a mile a minute.” He smiled wistfully at the memory. Their first kiss had come after that. “Cat!” he suddenly said.
“What about her?”
“I met Cat in 1987. It was only once. But you heard her. She really thinks she met me before I came to work for the Daily Planet. That’s because she did. Back in 1987. Although, I don’t understand why Molly didn’t recognize me. I only met Cat once, but I spent quite a bit of time with Molly. But... Henderson. When I first met him in 1993, he seemed to think he’d met me before, too.”
“You really did go into the past, didn’t you.”
Shocked by Perry’s sudden acceptance, Clark couldn’t help asking his question. “What convinced you?”
“Everything... but most of all that you gave me all the information - even those things that don’t back up your claim.”
“Then tell me something... When I got here, you asked about me shaving my beard off.”
“Right.”
“Why the heck had I grown a beard in the first place?”
“If you went into the past to the time Lois submitted her first story...” His voice trailed off and he seemed to be thinking hard for a moment. “Wait a second... are you Charlie’s father?”
Clark nodded, not entirely sure how Perry had made that leap. The timing perhaps. Or maybe it was just the way he’d spoken about Lois when telling Perry about his adventure. “But I didn’t know until now.”
“Obviously, since until you went into the past, you wouldn’t have had a son... Am I the only one getting a headache here?”
Clark smiled.
“So then before you went into the past, Charlie wasn’t here...” Perry continued, suddenly putting some pieces together for himself. “Of course you didn’t know about the beard! No wonder you shaved it off.”
“What does that mean?”
“Clark, do you know anything about your relationship with Charlie? I mean, before you realized he was your son.”
“I know I’ve always felt... a connection with him. Why?”
“Well, his class at school had a charity fund raising event that required that each child’s father grow a beard to raise money for underprivileged children.”
“You say that people don’t know I’m Superman, right?” Clark waited for Perry to nod before continuing. “If people don’t know I’m Superman, how could I have volunteered to grow a beard?”
“You couldn’t say no to Charlie,” Perry said, finding that fact amusing. “He’s had you wrapped around his little finger since you met.”
“Then how did I deal with the Superman issue?”
“Well, since you couldn’t say no to Charlie, Superman decided that he just had to be part of this charity fund-raiser, too.”
“But the association that would make between Superman and Charlie...”
“Superman claimed he was there for all the children. He had apparently learned about it from reading an article Clark wrote for the Planet and thought it was a great cause.”
“And now I have to explain why both Clark and Superman shaved off their beards?” Clark asked in distress.
“You could always claim you both got lice,” Perry said with a laugh.
“You’re a lot of help,” Clark groaned.
“Don’t worry. We’ll think of something.”
Perry fell silent for a minute, lost in contemplative thought. “I know Lois went missing before you came to the Daily Planet, but wouldn’t she have told Molly or... someone if you were Charlie’s father? Told them that there was a man out there named Clark Kent who should be notified if something happened to her.”
“I don’t understand it either. I mean, I told her that I would be coming to work at the Daily Planet in 1993. So she should have told someone. But she must not have. Molly couldn’t possibly have kept this a secret all this time.”
“Well, so then why did you go into the past? You wouldn’t have met Lois since you came here after she died. There was no Charlie for you to want to help. So what motivated you to go into the past?”
Clark took a deep breath before launching into his story about alternate dimensions and an alternate Lois Lane, expecting that this final story would convince Perry that he was crazy even if the story about time travel hadn’t. When he finished, he looked at Perry, waiting for his reaction.
“That’s not how I remember it,” Perry said.
“What?”
This time, Perry was the one telling a story and as he did, Clark’s memory caught up to him.
* * * * * * * * *
January 1996
* * * * * * * * *
“Clark!”
Clark glanced up from the papers he was studying to see a woman practically flying across the room and... into his arms.
“Oh, Clark, I’m so glad to see you. You and Superman,” she added on a whisper before kissing him dead on the lips.
Gently, he pushed her away. “Who are you, Miss? And why are you...” His voice trailed off. “Lois Lane?” he finally asked. “Is that you?”
Lois looked at him, appearing dumbfounded, almost as if she’d expected immediate recognition.
Lois Lane... Suddenly, the significance of this really sank into Clark’s mind. “Lois, it is you, isn’t it?”
“Uhh... yeah. I just...”
“This is great! Does Charlie know yet? He must be beside himself. Where have you been? I swear, I looked for you everywhere. I really didn’t think Charlie was right, but he has always maintained that you were coming back. He never gave up hope.”
“Uhh... Charlie who?”
“Charlie... your son.” Her eyebrows rose but otherwise she just stared at him. “You remember Charlie, don’t you?”
“I have a son?” she asked. Suddenly, the ramifications of this development seemed to sink in. “Oh, god... It’s one thing to let Perry believe that his Lois has returned, but I can’t let her son think she has risen from the dead.”
“You’re an impostor?” Clark gasped. “What’s your game? What type of fraud are you trying to perpetrate anyway?” He stepped away from her. “I’m calling the cops.”
“No, wait. At least hear me out... And Perry. We need Perry, too. And Jimmy Olsen. After all, if they don’t know, I suspect it’s possible that they might say something to... What was his name again? Charlie?”
Clark nodded.
“Please. Just... hear me out.”
He stared at her for a long moment before nodding.
* * * * * * * * *
“It’s not a ski suit,” Lois said, pulling the blue ski suit out of a bag. “I mean... it is. But it’s more than that. It’s a symbol. You’re making yourself into a beacon.”
“Are you always like this?” Clark asked.
“Sorry. I’m a little high-strung.”
“Lady, you’re a Stradivarius.”
“Maybe this will help,” Lois said, pulling out her wallet. She opened it and passed it over to him. “That’s what I’m talking about,” she said while he stared down at a picture of himself in a pair of blue tights with a large ‘s’ symbol on his chest, red briefs, red boots and a cape.
“That’s... what I’m afraid of,” Clark said, looking at the photo. He flipped to another photo and stared at it. “Is that... us?” he asked, seeing a photo of Lois with a man who was identical to him.
“Well, it’s me and him”
“Are we...?”
She held up her hand, showing him the sparkling engagement ring on her finger.
“Oh, wow,” he breathed. His heart’s desire. Him and Lois Lane. Not this Lois Lane, of course. But the one whose picture he looked at every morning when he sat down at his desk. The one he had gotten to know by talking to her friends and reading her work. The one whose son, Charlie, he loved as if he were his own child.
Suddenly, things came into sharp focus. “Okay, I understand what you’re saying, Lois. I really do. And I can see the value of it. But I need to think about this before I reveal myself to the world.”
“But you wouldn’t be revealing yourself to the world,” Lois objected. “People aren’t going to associate the mild mannered reporter with the world-famous superhero. Trust me.”
“You may be right. But I can’t just jump into this without thinking it through. I won’t let Tempus kill Perry White. But I still say we call the police, get them involved.”
“But, Clark...”
“I can’t, Lois. I have responsibilities here and I have to think through them before doing something this drastic.”
“What responsibilities?”
“Charlie.”
“Lois’ son?”
Clark nodded. “Since his mother died, I’ve been... well, like a father to him. If I put on a costume and start flying around putting bad guys behind bars, and if anyone ever found out that it was Clark Kent doing these things, Charlie would be in danger.”
“But, Clark...”
“I’m not saying I won’t do it,” Clark said. “I’m saying. I need to think this through. For now... I say we use the police.”
She studied his face for a long moment before reaching into her wallet to remove the picture of Superman. “For when you decide that you’re ready,” she said, placing the photo on his coffee table.
“Thank you,” he said. “Now... as for stopping Tempus...”
* * * * * * * * *
June 1997
* * * * * * * * *
“I remember,” Clark said, suddenly understanding why no one knew that Clark Kent and Superman were the same person. He hadn’t put on the suit when the other Lois had first asked him to and as a result, hadn’t walked right into Tempus’ plan to expose him. Without that, they’d been able to discount the video of Clark catching Lois when she’d fallen off that building and the world had become convinced that Tempus was crazy with his talk of aliens living amongst them.
And then, when Clark had been ready, he’d put on the suit, taking to the skies in a way and manner that had preserved his civilian identity.
That had changed other things, too. Spending time with a real, live version of a Lois Lane had only consolidated his feelings for Charlie’s mother. So when Wells had left the blueprints for his time travel machine in Clark’s apartment, he’d felt he had no choice but to go back, for Charlie and for himself - even if it were just to meet her, to know if he’d built her up in his mind or if she truly was his soulmate the way the other Clark was the other Lois’ soulmate. Even if he wasn’t, he would do anything to give Charlie’s mother back to him.
“So your memories... what?” Perry asked. “They readjust to fit the present reality now that you’re back in your own time?”
Clark nodded. “I still have my old memories, but I’m starting to get the memories of the things I’ve changed, too.”
“One thing I don’t understand.... If you went into the past and got close enough to Lois to have a son with her. And if you were able to change things... Why didn’t you tell her not to go to the Congo?”
“I did, Perry. She promised me that she wouldn’t.”
“So what happened?”
Clark reached into his pocket, withdrawing the letter Lois had written and handing it to Perry.
“So...” Perry said soberly when he finished reading the letter. “She really is gone.”
Clark nodded, fighting against the feeling of finality Perry’s words evoked.
* * * * * * * * *
April 1993
* * * * * * * * *
Lois settled back into her seat on the plane and relaxed. The seat next to her was empty now - the passenger who had occupied it having exited the plane in Rome. She was grateful. If she’d been forced to listen to one more story about that woman’s grandchildren, she’d have been compelled to take drastic action. The woman had talked non-stop about them almost from the moment they had departed Metropolis.
Letting her mind drift, she saw again the face of the man who had tried to prevent her from boarding this flight. What had been his problem, anyway?
But there was something about him... Something about his eyes that seemed familiar to her. Her eyes popped open as it suddenly occurred to her why those eyes had looked so familiar. He had the same eyes as Charlie.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when someone began to move into the free space next to her. Damn. She had hoped that she’d have this space to herself for the next leg of the journey. Well, maybe she could avoid conversation.
“Uhh... yes. I believe this is my seat,” the man said.
Glancing over at him, she gave him a polite smile, but one that she hoped didn’t invite further discourse. She did a double take when she noticed his well tailored suit and puffy tie. So old fashioned. He looked as if he’d stepped out of a movie set from the late 1900s. And that bowler hat... Where had that come from?
“Oh, dear. I’m really not sure what to do with this,” the man said once he sat down.
Lois glanced over at him, curious about what had him so baffled. The seat belt? Who didn’t know how to operate a seat belt? Maybe he was the guy the flight crews were addressing when they gave their stupid seat belt demonstration at the beginning of every flight.
“You just...” Lois said, in spite of her resolve to avoid conversation. Instead of explaining with words, she demonstrated with her seatbelt.
“Oh, quite ingenious,” the man said, attaching his seatbelt. “Someone really should patent this invention. I can see it could have lots of wonderful uses.”
Lois glanced over at him, his bespectacled face, his dark moustache - who was this man? “I’m sure someone has,” she said, again unable to stop herself.
“Oh, quite. Of course. Still, wonderful invention. Wonderful.”
They were silent as the crew went through its normal routine and the airplane began taxiing down the runway. As it sped up to take to the air, Lois heard the man next to her.
“Oh my. Oh my. Oh my. Oh my,” he said as they left the ground. He took a moment to catch his breath before speaking again. “That was quite an adventure. I didn’t imagine it would be like that at all. Being pushed back into my seat. And then, sort of this floaty feeling.”
Lois turned to look at him. “Who are you?” she blurted out.
“Herbert George Wells,” the man said, taking off his bowler cap and, after looking around for a moment as if expecting to find a hat rack, laying it on his lap. “We’ve met before, Ms. Lane. Although I doubt you remember.”
She glanced at him again. Now that he mentioned it, there was something familiar about him.
“I’m going to tell you a story. And as I do, you will begin to remember, like a dream recalled. So close your eyes and let the images unspool,” he said before launching into his tale.
As he spoke, the memories of those days in November 1987 came back to Lois, one after another, starting slowly and then faster and faster in rapid succession. And with the memories came the feelings. Excitement. Wonder. Trust. Loss. Pain. And most of all... Love.
“Clark,” she breathed as her head started to spin. She leaned forward, putting her head down in hopes of fighting off the threatening darkness.
“Miss...” Wells called.
Lois didn’t know if he was speaking to her or not. Not that it made much difference. She was in no condition to respond.
“Could we get a wet cloth, please?” Wells asked.
“Certainly,” a woman said.
A moment later, a cool cloth was being pressed into Lois’ hands. She dabbed her face with it, still lost in thought. Clark. How could she have forgotten? Meeting Clark. Making love to Clark. Marrying Clark.
And then there was those photos. Those ones she still looked at occasionally, wondering why she’d kept a picture of a black streak across a clear blue sky and the corner of someone’s face. The ones she still couldn’t bring herself to throw out.
Her guardian angel...
Charlie...
Suddenly, understanding flooded her. Clark was Charlie’s father. She never had been raped. It all made sense now. The reason she’d never even considered abortion. Her love for her son had been a natural extension of the love she had for his father.
She smiled slightly when she remembered how his name had come to her when she’d first seen Charlie after his birth. Or how she’d never had the least bit of desire to date. Her conscious mind might not have remembered, but in her subconscious mind she was married to a man she adored. Her husband. A slow smile lit up her face. Her super guy was out there, just waiting for her. She could hardly wait to tell Charlie about his father.
The smile faded as the rest of it came back - the reason she’d agreed to forget. But she had agreed to that before Charlie. Now that she had him, how could she... But how could she not? After all, the stakes were so much higher now. If she didn’t do this, Charlie’s world would be destroyed too.
For him to live, she had to die. She suddenly wished she could go back to blissful ignorance.
“Why tell me now?” she demanded, finally looking again at the man seated next to her. “Why let me remember when I’m on my way to the Congo where...” She felt tears congregate in her eyes. “If I have to die anyway, why tell me now?”
“You don’t have to die,” Wells said. “You just have to stop living in 1993. Today, in fact.”
Today. The word hit hard. The last day of her life. “Isn’t that what I just said?”
“Not exactly,” Wells said. “You can’t continue living in 1993 because if you do, you will create a paradox. But I can take you somewhere where you won’t create a paradox.”
“Where?” Lois asked.
“The future, Ms. Lane.”
Lois’ heart started pounding. “When?”
“1997.”
“But I thought...”
“If you go to the future, to a time after Clark returned to 1997, it won’t change his past. Tempus would still have brought me to this dimension. Clark would have gone into the past already. The paradox would be avoided.”
“But then... why not take me to the future with Clark back in 1987?”
“Because of the damage it would have done to the past if you’d left in 1987. No, you had to live those six years - and to live them without any knowledge of the future - if we wanted to ensure the stability of the time line. So, Ms. Lane, what do you say? Will you allow me to take you to the future?”
“Yes. Absolutely. We just have to get Charlie and...”
“He can’t come.”
“But... I can’t leave Charlie behind.”
“You have no choice. Charlie is Clark’s son, I assume.”
Lois nodded.
“Any changes his birth made to the past have already worked their way past Clark’s time. He survived that. We can’t know what repercussions could come from removing him from the equation now.”
“But...”
“Besides, Ms. Lane, it is one thing for a twenty-five year old to go four years into the future. After all, there’s not much difference between a twenty-five year old and a twenty-nine year old. Taking a four year old four years into the future... There is a world of difference between a four year old and a eight year old. His birth certificate will say he’s eight. How will you get him into the right class in school... or are you going to put him into third grade when he should be going into kindergarten? He’s a bright kid, but he’s not ready to be in third grade.
“And how would you explain to everyone you know the fact that he disappeared in 1993, only to reappear four years later without aging a day? We can’t allow the world to know about time travel. Think how dangerous time travel would be if it fell into the wrong hands. And if they thought they could get that knowledge from you, do you really think they would hesitate for a second to use Charlie to get that information?”
“I can’t leave him.”
“What is better for him? To lose you for four years or to lose you permanently?”
Tears formed in Lois’ eyes. “You’ve been to the future, right? Seen the way it will be if I disappear today?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me... will Charlie be okay?”
“He misses his mother. But he has a lot of people who love him. Perry. Molly. Cat. Lucy. Your parents.”
“My parents?” Lois’ eyebrows rose.
“Quite so. It seems that when you went missing, it caused them to reevaluate... certain things. The relationship they will establish with Charlie will become that of attentive and loving grandparents. I think they see something of you in Charlie. Having him around makes the pain of your loss... slightly more bearable. And... in a couple of months... Charlie will meet his father.”
“Clark’s in his life? But... if Clark hasn’t been to the past yet, how does he know he’s Charlie’s father?”
“He doesn’t. But it’s the most remarkable thing. Clark doesn’t know, but he senses something... kindred about Charlie. Charlie senses it, too. They’ve bonded. Clark has become his father in all but name.”
“So he’ll have Clark during the years I can’t be there?”
“He will. So... will you come with me?”
The plane touched down in Casablanca, jolting them both out of their discussion.
“Ms. Lane, you have to make up your mind now. If we are going to do this, we have to do it in Casablanca. Clark will be waiting when this plane arrives in Brazzaville. And if you get off the plane there, he won’t let you out of his sight.”
“I...” Lois’ attention was distracted by the sight of someone a few rows in front of them, standing up to get his things out of the overhead rack. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him. He turned in her direction and for a moment, their eyes locked. He quickly looked away, keeping his head down and pushing past people in an effort to get to the exit.
Lois sprung to her feet, intent on following.
“Ms. Lane. What are you doing? Are you coming with me or not?”
“That was Ryan Wiley,” Lois hissed. “He’s supposed to be dead. So what the hell is he doing on this plane?”
She grabbed her carry-on from the overhead compartment.
“Ms. Lane, please. What are you doing?”
“I’m following Ryan.”
“You can’t. We have to go to the future.”
“I have to know why Ryan is pretending to be dead. And what the hell he is doing on this plane?”
“Have you considered the fact that this might well be how you got in trouble in the first place?”
Lois turned to look at him then, a question on her face.
“When Clark and I originally came back to 1993, Clark met your plane in Brazzaville. You weren’t on it. We had no idea why you would have gotten off the plane. But you were never heard from again. Have you considered that originally you might have followed Mr. Wiley and he killed you?”
Lois stopped, thinking about that for a moment. “You think Ryan killed me?”
“Can you think of another reason you would have gotten off the plane before Brazzaville?”
She couldn’t. “Still, I have to know. Why is Ryan here? Why is he pretending to be dead? Why did he send Molly that horrible letter? I have to find out. For Molly, I have to know.”
“But, Ms. Lane...”
“Besides, this time is different. This time I know I’m in danger and I have you for backup.”
“I really must advise against this,” Wells said when Lois grabbed his arm and began dragging him towards the exit. “This is not a good idea.”
TO BE CONTINUED...
ML
