Catherine Grant sauntered into the Daily Planet elevator and flashed a wide smile at her fellow passengers. She noticed the variety of reactions she got. Cat noticed everything, though she tried not to show it. A ditzy demeanor was an asset in her line of work—it fooled people into being less careful than they should be around any Daily Planet reporter. There were the usual admiring looks from the young men—and from some of the men who should have been old enough to know better. There were the normal looks of envy or disapproval from the women. A few stalwart gentlemen pretended not to notice the tight dress that accentuated those few assets that it didn’t reveal.
Underlying all the normal responses to Cat’s intentionally flamboyant image was a new one—they were all surprised to see her. She smiled to herself as she realized why; Cat Grant rarely graced the office with her presence at this early hour. Well, let them wonder, she thought as she tossed her long hair over one almost bare shoulder. This was one morning staff meeting Cat wouldn’t have missed for the world. For one thing, she wasn’t about to let Lois Lane take all the credit for this week’s Shockwave stories. Cat had been the one to give Lois the lead, and she wasn’t going to let everyone forget it. But mostly she wanted to see the look on all those ‘hard news’ reporters’ faces when she told Perry her big news.
When the elevator reached the bullpen floor, Cat headed for the coffee area. The first thing she noticed was that Lois’s boyfriend, Caleb, was there. He and Lois were involved in some sort of light-hearted debate. As Cat got closer she discovered that the topic of their discussion was the relative merit of chocolate versus cake donuts. The ‘argument’ seemed to have come to a draw by the time Cat had her coffee poured. As she turned around to head for the conference room she was surprised to find Lois and Caleb apparently waiting for her. Something in their friendly expressions made her swallow whatever snarky comment might have popped into her head. Instead, she acknowledged them with a nod and motioned for them to precede her towards the morning meeting.
In answer to Cat’s unspoken question, Lois said, “I…that is, we…just wanted to thank you for giving me the lead on the Shockwave story.”
Cat managed to stifle her natural surprise at this unexpected graciousness on Lois’s part. “You’re welcome,” was all she could think to say in response. How odd. Lois Lane seemed to have had a personality transplant. The only explanation Cat could come up with was that half a week in the honeymoon suite with Caleb Knight had done wonders for Lois’s temperament. Cat was certain that it would have done for hers.
Naturally, she observed the couple closely. After all, curiosity was her stock in trade. Yes, they were definitely giving off the telltale vibe of two people who had recently got very lucky indeed. Then, as Lois preceded Caleb into the conference room, he rested his left hand on the small of Lois’s back. A glint of gold caught Cat’s eye, and she did a double take. Cat had seen the plain gold band that Perry had loaned Lois’s ‘special assistant’ for the undercover assignment at the Lexor, and this was definitely not it. The ring that Caleb now wore bore a distinct pattern of interlocking links. A glance at Lois’s left hand showed a matching wedding band and a new addition that could only be an engagement ring—apparently for the world’s shortest engagement. Oh, my. Cat had the feeling that her big announcement was about to be upstaged, and she couldn’t even find it in her heart to resent them for it.
There were never enough seats at the conference table for every staff member. Because of this, an informal pecking order had emerged, with Perry at the head of the table and the most prominent reporters seated around it. The junior staff members stood around the edges of the room. Lois and Eduardo occupied the choice seats to the Chief’s right and left these days. Cat was usually in the standing room crowd, but this morning she took the seat next to Eduardo. This signaled to everyone present that she had a hot story to announce. It also gave her an excellent view of Lois and of Caleb, who stood quietly behind his new bride.
The room filled up quickly. Perry was the last to enter. He scanned the room as he took his seat, no doubt taking a mental roll call. His eyes rested for a moment on Cat and he acknowledged her unusual seating arrangement with a half smile and a barely perceptible nod before he called the meeting to order.
Laying a notebook on the table in front of her, Cat rested her forehead against one loose fist and let her long bangs hang down over her eyes. As Eduardo briefed Perry on the latest potential kick-back scandal in the City Council, Cat lazily doodled a couple of flowers around the margins of an empty page. Ostensibly, she was bored. In reality, she was observing Lois and Caleb through her veil of hair—not for professional purposes, of course; they were just fun to watch. And subtle, she had to give them that.
Lois gave every indication of listening to Eduardo in rapt attention, but her left thumb kept toying with the palm side of her new diamond and sapphire ring. This caused the jewels to waggle back and forth in a miniscule see-saw motion. Caleb was only slightly more obvious. He kept his eye on Lois more than on anyone else in the room, but that could have been explained away by the simple fact that she was his girlfriend and his only real connection to the Planet. After all, the two of them were unofficial reporting partners as well as an acknowledged romantic couple. Cat was probably the only person who noticed that Caleb’s gaze kept falling on Lois’s wiggling ring—and that he kept glancing at his own gold band with a mixture of suppressed joy and pride. It was as if he knew a delightful secret and was waiting for just the right moment to spill the beans.
It was just after one of those furtive glances that Caleb looked up and caught Cat watching him. She had to suppress the urge to laugh out loud at his easy blush. Instead, she subtly touched her own left ring finger and raised one eyebrow to let him know that she was on to him. She let one corner of her mouth turn up to show that she approved. He raised his right hand to rub his chin then very subtly placed his forefinger over his lips in the universal ‘mum’s the word’ sign. It was quick, and no one who wasn’t already watching him carefully would have caught it. Cat’s answering wink was just as fast.
When Eduardo wrapped up his briefing, Cat expected Perry to call on Lois next, but he surprised her by turning in her direction instead. “Miss Grant,” he began in teasing mock formality, “it’s only 8:30 in the morning, yet here you are, fresh as a daisy. To what to we owe the honor?” The twinkle in his eye told her that this was his way of making sure every eye was on her for whatever big announcement she must have.
Cat bowed her head graciously in Perry’s direction, playing along with his light tone. Then she straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and said in a clear alto voice guaranteed to carry to the arts reporter in the far corner, “The honor is all mine, Perry. We all know that Clark Kent is going to be back in town this weekend.”
“Yes. He’s the keynote speaker at Lex Luthor’s fundraiser Friday night, and then he’s slated to be at the American Book Awards on Saturday evening.” Perry’s tone said that this was not exactly front page news. There must be something more.
“So he is,” Cat agreed. She paused slightly for effect. “But he’ll be spending Saturday morning with me—in an exclusive interview which his office requested.”
Perry’s eyebrows shot upward, indicating that he understood the significance of Cat’s announcement. Clark Kent did not give exclusive interviews. When he did talk to the press, he did it in brief snippets to every Tom, Dick, and Harry.
“Did he say why?” Perry asked, clearly intrigued.
“His PR handler tells me that he has an announcement to make—one of a potentially delicate nature—and he is relying on the Planet’s reputation for…how did she put it?...oh yes, ‘integrity and discretion.’”
There was a disbelieving snort from somewhere near the arts reporter, as if perhaps some of Cat’s colleagues found the identification of Cat Grant with ‘integrity and discretion’ amusing, but it was quickly squashed by a stern look from Perry. Cat noticed that Lois didn’t give her the kind of smirk that Cat might have expected in this context. No, ever since Cat had given her the Shockwave lead, Lois’s estimation of her seemed to have gone up a notch or two. Either that or she was too happy with her new husband to have the need to put anyone else down. Cat supposed that she might miss their mutual jibes after a while, but for now she was happy with the new respect she seemed to be receiving.
Respect or…nervousness? She looked at Lois again. It made no sense, but all her observational skills told her that Lois Lane was nervous—about what Cat might think of her? Or about what Cat might do? Since when did Lois Lane care about anything Cat did or thought? She wasn’t worried that Cat would spoil her secret about marrying Caleb, was she? Let them have their fun. They were so cute about it. Lois seemed to relax when Caleb laid a hand on her shoulder. Cat gave the two of them a little shrug to show that she wasn’t going to mess up whatever grand revelation the young love birds had in mind. Jeez, it wasn’t exactly front-page news, anyway.
“Well,” Perry said in a voice that immediately quieted the murmur of general speculation as to what Clark Kent’s delicate news might be, “I’m sure that Mr. Kent can count on integrity and discretion from every Planet reporter. There will be no rumors about him emanating from anyone in this room, will there?” When he was satisfied with the chorus of ‘No’s’ and ‘Of course not’s’ he turned his attention to Lois and Caleb.
“I assume that most of you have met Caleb Knight some time in the last few weeks,” he said brightly.
“He sure hangs around here enough!” came a cheerful voice from the back that sounded suspiciously like Jimmy Olsen. Caleb and Lois both blushed, much to Cat’s amusement.
“As I was saying,” Perry continued, “Mr. Knight here is a freelance reporter who’s been helping Lois out on a couple of stories. Given the success of their latest investigation, I’m hoping to convince Caleb to join us on a full time basis. Lois has finally found a partner she can work with, and that would be a terrible asset to waste.” Was Cat imagining things, or did Perry wink at Lois as he said that? “So y’all make him feel at home while he’s making up his mind, you hear?”
Caleb looked like he was about to object, but Perry cut him off with an authoritative, “No need to decide anything right now. You and I will talk privately later. Just try to keep an open mind, okay, son? Now, Lois, besides a large bill from the Lexor hotel…”
“Hey, that was your idea, Chief,” Lois protested.
“…and Lex Luthor’s undying gratitude for saving his defense contract…”
“Thanks to Cat’s lead, we should add,” Lois put in, to Cat’s surprise and delight.
“What have you got coming up?” Perry finally finished.
“Actually, Chief,” Lois began in a tone that implied that Perry might not like what was coming next.
“Wait a minute,” Perry interrupted. “Speaking of bills, you and Caleb are still wearing those rings I loaned you. Assignment’s over, kids, and the $300 for those little bands of gold isn’t coming out of petty cash, so hand them over.” He held out one hand palm up in expectation.
It took all of Cat’s self-control to suppress a smile while Lois reached calmly into a side pocket of her messenger bag and produced a small zip-lock bag containing two plain gold bands. “Here you are, Chief,” Lois said casually, dropping the little package into Perry’s upturned palm. At Perry’s look of shock, all three of them—Lois, Caleb, and Cat—lost the ability to keep a straight face.
It took the editor a minute to recover the power of speech. Finally, he grinned back at Lois. “Why, you sneaky little…” Perry sputtered. “When were you planning to let your old Chief in on this?”
“Right now, of course,” Lois said with an unrepentant smile.
“Knight, you sly dog…” Perry began. Then turning to Cat, he accused, “And you, young lady, look like the cat that swallowed the canary. How long have you known about this?”
Cat held both hands up in a show of innocence. “Not until this morning, Chief. I’m as surprised as you are. And besides, it wasn’t my secret to tell.”
Amidst the general hubbub of congratulatory exclamations, Cat thought that Lois and Caleb exchanged glances of…reassurance?...at her last remark. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on with those two than met the eye, and that they still had a secret or two that hadn’t yet come to light.
***
The meeting broke up and Clark and Lois found themselves surrounded by a crowd of well-wishers. Clark had shaken a lot of hands in his day—both as himself and as Superman. Even so, it felt a little strange doing it as Caleb Knight. He realized with a sort of anticipatory nostalgia that Caleb had become his private persona—someone who belonged to him and Lois alone. After this weekend, Caleb would be gone. He would be Superman or Clark Kent all the time. Well, most of the time, he thought. Perhaps Caleb would join Miguel and Enzo and all those other personas who would make an occasional appearance when he and Lois needed to get away from the limelight. The tricky part would be transforming Clark’s public image to match up more closely with Caleb—to make his true name stand for his true self.
The limelight. Despite her assurances that they could manage it together, he still wished that he didn’t have to drag Lois into the intense scrutiny that was the lot of any public figure. Not that Lois couldn’t stand up under any kind of pressure—she was the strongest woman he knew, and, coming from Martha Kent’s son, that was saying something. He was sure that she could handle it. He just wished she didn’t have to.
Clark’s musing was interrupted by a low rumble in one ear. “See me in my office when you’re finished here.” He turned his head just in time to see Perry White nod to him as the older man headed out of the conference room.
“What did Perry say?” Lois asked as the last straggler made her way back to the bullpen.
“He wants to see me in his office.”
A small frown of confusion creased Lois’s brow. “You? Not us?”
Clark shrugged. “He didn’t say specifically, but I think so.”
“Huh.” Lois looked a little surprised, but not really worried. “He probably wants to sweet talk you into letting him put you on the payroll. He’s been after me to talk you into it for a while now.”
“Yeah, probably,” Clark agreed. Privately, he wasn’t sure whether he was about to face a smooth talking salesman or a protective father figure. Either way, it was time to face the music.
***
The door to the editor’s office was open. Clark rapped gently on the frame and waited for Mr. White to look up. The older man finished the last paragraph of whatever he had been reading and set it aside before beckoning Clark into the room. “Come in, son.” As Clark stepped into the office Mr. White said quietly, “Shut the door.” The editor stood up and walked around to lean on the front of his desk. He motioned for Clark to take a seat in one of the guest chairs, then crossed his arms over his chest. This left Clark at a disadvantage, looking up to meet the older man’s eyes as they bored into him. Mr. White was clearly reconsidering his appraisal of the younger man in light of recent events. It seemed that passing muster as Lois’s boyfriend and being welcomed with open arms as her husband were two different matters.
A few years ago, this kind of scrutiny might have intimidated Clark, even flustered him. But he was no longer the naïve farm boy who’d left Kansas so long ago. Clark knew exactly what Lois’s self-appointed guardian was looking for, and he looked right back at him with an open, friendly, and confident expression. He knew where he stood with Lois, and Perry White had no real power over him. He didn’t need this man’s approval—but it wouldn’t hurt to give him the reassurance that he was looking for.
After a minute or two of this silent sizing up, the older man seemed to decide that the soft touch was in order. Still, he seemed to feel it was his duty not to let Caleb off without at least a little interrogation. Uncrossing his arms and planting his hands on the edge of the desk, he began with the obvious. “You’re a very lucky man, Mr. Knight.”
Clark tried to let all of his love and admiration for Lois show as he answered truthfully, “I can’t imagine there’s a luckier man on the planet. Lois means the world to me, Mr. White. I’ll do everything in my power to make her happy.”
The editor gave a noncommittal nod in response. “She certainly seems happy since you’ve been around.”
“But…?” Clark prodded.
“But she’s been fooled before by charming, handsome young men. I love Lois like a daughter, but I don’t trust her judgment in men.”
“And you don’t know me well enough to trust me,” Clark finished for him. “I don’t know what to tell you, Mr. White. You and I both know that Lois isn’t asking for anyone’s permission.” Clark’s direct gaze carried the unspoken words ‘and neither am I.’ “She’s a grown woman…and my wife. If you keep an open mind I think your concerns will be eased with time. I don’t know what else I can do to earn your confidence.”
“Well, now that you mention it,” Mr. White said, making his way back to his desk chair and reaching for a file folder, “you could start by explaining why none of my editor colleagues has ever heard of Caleb Knight and why there’s not one paragraph under that byline in any database that I can find.”
Clark couldn’t help smiling, which was obviously not the reaction that Perry White was expecting. “You find this amusing?” the older man questioned.
“I’m sorry.” Clark tried to clarify, “I’m just glad to see that Lois has someone like you looking out for her. You ran a background check on me?”
“Don’t be so surprised, son. I wouldn’t be in my position if I went around making job offers willy-nilly to men who lied to me. I hope you haven’t been lying to Lois as well.”
Clark straightened in his seat and met the accusation head on. “Mr. White, I haven’t lied to you.” Well, except for about how Lois and I met, but that’s not really important, a voice in his head amended. “As you’ve realized, Caleb Knight is a pen name. I couldn’t do the kind of investigations I do if I used my real name everywhere I went. I really am a writer, and I really have published free-lance stories, though under other names. I really was working on an investigation in Metropolis. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere. I don’t know whether it ever will, but I’m going to keep trying. Lois is helping me with it, which is good since she’s a much better reporter than I am. I’m sorry if my secrecy offends you, but I’m sure you understand that the fewer people who know a secret, the better the chances of keeping it. And, for what it’s worth, I have never lied to Lois. She knows everything there is to know about me, and she loves me for who I am.”
“And you wouldn’t consider continuing this investigation under the auspices of the Planet? You know, I’m not exactly a stranger to investigative reporting, or to the occasional pen name. And we have resources that no free-lancer can hope to muster.”
Now it was Clark’s turn to be surprised. “You’d still consider hiring me?”
“The key word in that sentence is ‘consider.’ I’d want to know who you really are first, and I’d need to see some writing samples and talk to some references. I wasn’t only joking earlier—a reporter who can work with Lois Lane is a rare find. She’s the best investigative reporter I’ve seen in a very long time, but she’s a handful.”
“Tell me about it,” Clark agreed with an affectionate smile.
“So? Would you like to formally apply for a staff position?” the editor asked.
“I don’t know, Mr. White. I’ve never seriously considered it. There are…complications…that I’ve always assumed would make it impossible. I do have to admit that the prospect of working with Lois is appealing. And I know I want to do less travelling than I have been. I just don’t know whether it would work out given some of the other things going on in my life. Lois and I haven’t really talked about what I’m going to do now that we’re married.”
“Well, you think about it and talk it over with Lois. You can get back to me next week.”
“Oh.” Clark could feel a sheepish blush creeping up his face. “Lois started to ask you in the staff meeting, but she got interrupted…”
“Ask me what, son?”
“Well, not to speak on her behalf, but I’d really like to take my wife on a proper honeymoon. We were hoping to leave on Sunday.”
“For how long?”
“Through Christmas? That’s only a couple of weeks.”
The editor flipped a couple of pages on his desk calendar. “All right. She’s certainly earned enough leave over the last few years. I’ll tell her she’s on vacation until Monday the 27th.”
“Thank you, sir,” Clark said, standing up to go.
Clark wasn’t sure which of them put a hand out first, but the two men shook hands over the desk. Clark wondered briefly whether he should have just told Perry White the whole truth—about Clark Kent, that is, not Superman. But he consoled himself with the thought that the whole world would know soon enough, and that silence until then really was the best way to keep a secret. He was about to let go and turn to leave when the older man pulled him back.
Looking the younger man straight in the eye, Perry said in a husky voice, “Take good care of my girl, you hear?”
Clark returned his gaze with a mixture of reassurance and gratitude for being given the chance to prove himself. “I will, sir, with everything I have.”
*****
The next 24 hours came and went in a kind of happy blur. Lois was still working on follow-up stories for the Shockwave case, and when she wasn’t busy with that she was clearing up loose ends so that she and Clark could get away for their honeymoon. Wednesday evening was spent gathering a few of Lois’s things to move into the Hyperion Avenue brownstone, then having dinner in Smallville with Jonathan and Martha. Luckily, Clark’s parents were much happier about the marriage than Ellen Lane had been. Of course, they’d had the benefit of watching the young pair together on several occasions, so, although the timing might have surprised them, the actual marriage didn’t. There was some talk of planning a hometown reception for the happy couple—after the honeymoon—and speculation about whether they could get away without a more formal East Coast Publishing World reception. In the end the four Kents decided to bounce that idea off of Lana, but they were definitely leaning toward the skipping it option.
Thursday was another busy workday, and Lois hadn’t seen much of Clark. She’d been trying to clear the decks at the Planet, and he’d been in Smallville working out some last minute details for Luthor’s fundraiser Friday night. It was 6:00 when Lois walked through the front door of her new home—she smiled to herself at that thought—and dropped her shoulder bag on the front table. She kicked off her work shoes and checked her watch. Clark wouldn’t be home for another hour—boy, was she looking forward to that honeymoon without work commitments for either one of them.
Carrying her shoes, she padded up the stairs to the master bedroom. What her aching feet needed was a hot bath before dinner. Stepping into the attached bathroom, she started the hot water then went back into the bedroom to divest herself of her clothes. As she was heading back into the bathroom her eye landed on the copy of “Little David” which sat on Clark’s—or, rather, her—nightstand. For a moment she wondered what had possessed her to even keep a book on her nightstand now that she had Clark in her bed every night. It wasn’t as if she’d gotten any reading done since their wedding, she thought with a wicked little smile. But now that she was getting ready for a long soak, the last two chapters of “Little David” seemed the perfect accompaniment.
Forty-five minutes later, Clark stepped through the front door and—in a cliché he couldn’t resist—called cheerily, “Honey, I’m home!” He got no answer in reply, but he could tell that Lois was in the house. Some sixth sense always told him when she was near these days, even without consciously using his super senses. He made a quick detour into the kitchen to put the carry-out bags he was holding on the table and went to look for his bride. Taking the stairs two at a time in an easy lope, he popped his head into the bedroom.
His smile widened into a delighted grin at the sight that met him. Lois, wrapped in a terrycloth robe, a towel turbaned around her hair, was sprawled diagonally across his bed—their bed. She was lying on her stomach, feet kicking the air lazily and elbows propping up her head and shoulders—affording him a tantalizing view down the front of her robe—her head bent over the last pages of a book. A second glance with his enhanced vision confirmed that the book in question was, in fact, his own. His beautiful wife was so absorbed in her reading that she hadn’t heard him come in. Not wanting to spoil the tableau, he leaned casually against the door jamb and waited for her to finish.
A few minutes later, Lois closed the book and looked up. He’d been right; she hadn’t known he was there. “Clark!” she said with a startled little jump, “What are you doing just standing there?”
He let his smile blossom slowly, still savoring the moment. “Watching you,” he said warmly. He watched an answering smile bloom on her face, followed quickly by a double take.
“You cut your hair,” she remarked in surprise, “and you’re wearing new glasses.” Still holding the book in one hand, she performed a surprisingly graceful move that ended with her sitting up, her feet dangling over the edge of the bed. He took that as an invitation to sit next to her.
“Well, you said the hair mousse had to go, and I’m all for that. I left the top long enough to slick back for Superman.” He bent towards her for a long-overdue welcome home kiss, then continued, “And I figured darker frames on the glasses would change my look a little more—give more of a contrast between Clark Kent and Superman. Besides, maybe the new Clark Kent look will help people adjust to the new Clark Kent persona.”
“Or the fact that Clark Kent isn’t just a persona any more,” Lois mused, her right hand caressing his cheek.
“Exactly,” he agreed. Something in Lois’s smile made him curious. “What?” he prodded with a little smile. Lois looked down at the back cover of “Little David.” In a gesture that Clark couldn’t quite interpret, she brushed her fingers lightly over his publicity photo. In a moment she looked up at him again.
“I was just thinking about that interview at the Jade Inn.” She kept looking back and forth between the jacket photo and her husband. “I was pretty sure that there was more to Clark Kent than you or Lana wanted anyone to see. I almost wrote up an article to that effect.”
He raised one brow in surprise. “What stopped you?”
Lois gave a little shrug. “Lack of evidence. Oh, and an annoying little thing called a preview agreement.” Her twinkling eyes showed that she was only teasing. “Actually,” she amended in a more serious tone, “I had a half-baked plan to get you away from Lana’s protective clutches long enough to convince you that you were hiding your lamp under a bushel.”
Clark was taken aback. “You’re serious? You weren’t completely turned off by the play-boy front?”
His wife game him a wicked grin. “Well, that is my job, you know, looking beyond the external.”
Clark laughed out loud. “Well, you’ve certainly done that with me. Twice, as it turns out.” He reached one hand around the back of her neck and pulled her close for another kiss.
Soon his fingers slipped under the collar of her robe and followed the edge of the fabric across her smooth skin. He traced a tantalizing line from the nape of her neck across one smooth shoulder and down her chest to where the lapels met right between her breasts.
“Hmmm…no fair,” Lois mumbled against his lips.
“What’s not fair?” he whispered against hers.
She broke their kiss and pulled back just enough to run her eyes up and down his body in mock disapproval. “I’m half naked and you’re fully dressed.”
“Oh, and how do you propose that we restore equity to this situation? Please don’t tell me that you want to get dressed,” he grinned.
“Oh, no, that would definitely be moving things in the wrong direction,” she purred, working her way down his shirt buttons. Her lips followed behind her fingers, kissing every inch of his chest as soon as it was exposed. Clark’s last coherent thought was that he’d been exactly right when he’d decided that a married man should not wear spandex under his clothes when he’s at home.
***
