Chapter 3
Clark was stretched out comfortably on the couch in his apartment with Lois by his side, watching a movie. Well, kinda. They’d taken so many kissing breaks they’d both lost track of the plot, though neither seemed to care.
“You seem different today,” Lois commented. “More…”
“Relaxed?” Clark filled in. “Yeah, you could say that.” Knowing that the future of their relationship wasn’t hanging by a thread every second had taken the pressure off.
“That’s part of it but…not all.”
“Really?” He’d wondered what she’d noticed.
“I can’t put my finger on it.” She moved closer to him.
“Then I guess it’s not bad then, huh?” He brushed his lips against hers.
“Uh-uh,” she sighed as they kissed again.
Eventually Clark pulled back, not wanting to rush their physical relationship. Looking up, he noticed the VHS tape was re-winding on its own. “Wanna go for a walk?” That would help him cool things down a bit.
“I’d better get home anyway.”
“I’m not trying to get rid of you.”
“I know.” She smiled.
Hand in hand they left his apartment.
Less than twenty four hours had passed since he’d done it. Separated himself into two entities: Clark Kent and Superman. For the most part, he was feeling pretty good. The price had been high but well worth it.
Being late at night, the streets were deserted. They heard a cry.
“Hey!”
Clark darted toward the alleyway. A man was being held up by a robber. A moment of panic gripped him. Would Lois accept his excuse as he ran off to become Superman to save this man? He grabbed his shirt then he remembered that part of his life was over. Clark Kent had no superpowers. He was an ordinary man.
He moved closer, wanting to help anyway.
“Clark! No! He has a gun,” Lois whispered, tightly grabbing his hand and pulling him back.
“We can’t just sit here and do nothing,” Clark fumed.
“By the time we find a phone to contact the police, he’ll be gone. Wait until the robber runs away and then we can see if he’s hurt.”
Reluctantly, Clark agreed.
“Too bad Superman wasn’t here,” Lois said.
The victim hadn’t resisted so he was unharmed. Lois and Clark offered to escort him to the police station to report the crime and describe the perpetrator.
XXXXX
“Where have you been?” Clark asked as he entered his bedroom.
An exact replica of Clark came out of the bathroom, naked except for a towel wrapped about his waist. “Everywhere! I can’t even tell you all I got to do today. I rescued mine workers in China, helped fix a dam in Uruguay, assisted several planes, and prevented five explosions. It was incredible!
And never having to check back in at the Planet? It was fabulous! I got to help so many people. I can barely sit still I’m so excited.”
Due to his former duel identity, Clark was used to thinking about himself as two different people. But seeing his doppelganger in front of him and talking to him was an entirely different situation. It was unsettling. As Superman toweled his damp hair, Clark wondered, did he really look like that? And sound like that?
The men searched the dresser drawers for boxer shorts to sleep in.
“How’s Lois?” Superman asked as they both changed.
Now Clark beamed.
“That good, huh?”
Clark explained, “Even better. No more excuses. No more hiding. I’ve finally gotten rid of the barrier that kept her from getting closer to me. I can see the difference and it’s huge. She trusts me now. She feels safe. She’s not afraid I’m going to hurt her. God, I love her.”
“Sounds great.” Clad in similar trunks, Superman stretched out on the bed then moved over to one side.
“It is.”
Clark circled the bed but didn’t feel right about getting into it with himself.
“I’ll take the couch.” He grabbed a pillow and a spare blanket from the closet. “Maybe we ought to get you your own place.”
“It’s only been one day. Everything is set up for you. The apartment. The job. The money. The girl. It’ll take a little time to figure things out.”
“And you only have super powers,” Clark half-joked. Standing in the doorway between the bedroom and living room, he mentioned, “Lois and I ran into a mugger tonight.”
“Is she okay?” Superman sat up in bed.
“Yeah, we weren’t the target. I would’ve stepped in but…I’m not bullet proof anymore.”
“Call my name. It doesn’t have to be loud. We’re still linked in some ways – can’t you feel it? If I’m in range, I’ll hear you. You’re part of me. I’ll protect you. And Lois too.”
For some reason, that thought wasn’t comforting to Clark. He wanted to be the one to keep Lois safe. He wasn’t used to needing protection.
XXXXXX
“No! That’s not right. It’s four fifty, not three twenty.” Clark argued with the girl at the coffee counter while Lois stood by.
Without super powers, it had taken him significantly longer to shower and dress so he hadn’t had time for breakfast. By the time he’d arrived at the Daily Planet, only crumbs remained in the donut boxes. He was starving. And now this woman was trying to short change him?
“You’re wrong, sir.”
Clark became more insistent, “No, I’m not.”
Lois stepped in. “Clark, it’s no big deal.”
His eyebrow rose. “This is coming from Lois Lane?”
“True,” she sheepishly admitted. “For me, it would make complete sense to get uptight. I’d be fighting for every penny. But it’s not like you to get so worked up. Normally you’d be telling me to lighten up. That everybody makes mistakes.”
Ignoring her, he focused his attention on the counter girl again and managed to convince her that he was correct. Finally he received the correct change, two coffees, and a muffin. As they left the store, he handed a cup to Lois.
“We have any more leads on Cicone?” He took a sip of coffee and immediately burned his mouth. “Ow!”
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” He took a huge bite of muffin. With his mouth partially full he asked, “Think this source is valid?”
“I hope,” Lois replied. “We’ve heard rumors for months that Cicone construction is dirty. Maybe this will help us prove it. Maybe it’s just the tip of the iceberg which could lead to a front page expose for us.”
“Didn’t they build the Emporium Theater that collapsed last year?”
Lois paused, looking at him oddly. “No. That was the Palace.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
A moment passed.
“I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure Cicone built the Emporium,” Clark insisted.
Lois sighed. “Let’s check our facts later. Look, I was thinking. Superman visited me this morning-“
“What?”
“Yeah. Well, you know. He does that, sometimes.” Lois replied, surprised by the harshness of Clark’s voice.
“What did he want?” Clark struggled to mask his annoyance.
Did he suspect Lois was in danger?
Or did he have other intentions?
“Nothing in particular. Just checking in. Anyway, I was thinking, maybe we could ask him to use his super powers to inspect some of the newer Cicone projects. With his x-ray vision, he might detect issues that safety inspectors missed or were paid to miss.”
Clark was so preoccupied wondering about the cause of Superman’s visit to Lois that he could barely concentrate on her words. “We’ll see.”
XXXXXXX
Once again, Superman was in top form. After finding some lost hikers in the Rockies, then putting out an electrical fire in Chicago, he returned to Metropolis to apprehend some bank robbers. Arriving at Metropolis First National, he was told that the felons were driving a grey van. Although they had a head start, he flew in the general direction and caught up within minutes. He landed on top of the vehicle and then simply lifted it and flew it back to the bank. When he released the vehicle, it contacted the ground with a resounding thud.
The police rushed over to the van while Superman checked in with another officer.
“Everything under control?”
“They left one behind, but we caught him,” the officer replied.
“We surrender!”
Noise from the crowd captured their attention.
Superman looked around to see several overweight middle-aged men with long hair wearing brightly tie-dyed T-shirts slowly stumbling out of the van, waving their hands in the air.
“We give up! Take the weed!” the men cried.
What happened? Those weren’t bank robbers.
Upon closer examination, the back of the van had a neon yellow sun painted on it. The vehicle wasn’t even grey, it was white. How could he have missed that? How could’ve he have grabbed the wrong van?
Sensing his confusion, the officer assured him. “We’ll call out an APB. A witness noticed the license plate. Don’t worry, we’ll get them.”
Anxious to correct his mistake, Superman was quick to volunteer. “What’s the license plate number? I can locate them.”
“That’s okay. Maybe you need a break.” His face was slightly flushed as if embarrassed.
“What?”
The man had trouble looking Superman in the eye. “Look. It’s no big deal. Really. We’ve all had those kinda of days. We still really appreciate your help. Don’t get me wrong. Maybe you’ve been working too hard, Superman. I’ve seen the news. You’ve been all over the world. Maybe you just need a break.”
XXXXXX
“C’mon, Clark!” Lois hissed, motioning to him with her hand.
He hurried across the dark construction site towards Lois, bumping into a board along the way.
Had Clark always been so clumsy?
Once he was by her side, she was about to ask if he was okay. Then she caught his irritated expression. Better not to mention it.
This morning she and Clark got a tip from Loose Lips Louie that inspectors were being paid off for the Towers luxury condos which were being constructed in mid-town. He mentioned specific areas in which substandard building materials were being used. Tonight they were making their way through the construction site towards the office trailer hoping to find documents which might authenticate Louie’s accusations.
Once at the trailer, Lois picked the lock while Clark acted as look-out.
“Okay, we’re in,” she said.
Keeping their flashlight beams low so as not to attract attention, they searched files on the desk and in the drawers.
Lois glanced up, watching Clark intently riffling through files. With his black t-shirt, worn blue jeans and black leather jacket, he looked amazingly handsome. Her eyes lingered on him much longer than they should have. Then she chided herself. Business before pleasure. There was a reason she’d come up with her rules in the first place.
Minutes later, she found what they were searching for. “Bingo!”
Clark rushed over, looking over her shoulder.
“It’s the supply invoice. Just like Louie said, the code calls for steel reinforced beams--”
“But they ordered much cheaper beams which are not in accordance with code,” Clark completed her sentence.
“We’re finally gonna nail this guy! Meriwether award, here we come!” In her excitement, she leaned towards Clark and kissed him. Forgetting their surroundings, he soundly kissed her back. One kiss lead to another until a voice startled them.
“What have we here?” a sturdy bearded man with a pistol asked.
Clark tried to run with it, leaving his arms around Lois. “Just looking for a warm place with a little privacy.”
“Nice try. But I’m not buying it. Does Mr. Cicone know you’re sticking your nose in his business? ‘Cause he wouldn’t like that – at all. Take my advice, walk away. No – run. Don’t go near Cicone in any manner. And I’ll let you live.”
Lois fumed but she saw no other way out of there. She discretely stuffed the invoice beneath her jacket as Clark made as much noise as possible gathering their flashlights as a distraction. “Okay. Let’s go.”
When they reached the doorway, the man hadn’t budged.
“The papers.”
Lois tried to look innocent.
“Lois…” Clark warned.
“Okay.” She removed them from her jacket and grudgingly handed them over.
“If I hear about either of you again, you won’t live to tell about it. Understood?”
XXXXX
“Superman?”
Lois approached her window, recognizing the familiar silhouette.
“May I come in?”
“Sure.”
Lois sat on her couch, still wearing her black ops clothing from their failed mission. Almost automatically her hand moved to her hair, to try to tame it.
“You’ve been awfully busy around the world. Don’t you like us in Metropolis anymore?” she teased.
Crossing the room towards her, he replied, “I wouldn’t say that. I’m just trying to branch out. What are you and Clark working on?”
“Investigating Cicone construction. We’ve suspected he’s been paying off inspectors and using substandard building material for some time now but we finally got a solid lead to prove it,” she explained.
Of course, that proof didn’t exist anymore. Rather than sleeping, she’d been wracking her brain trying to think of alternative means to substantiate Louie’s claims.
“Let me know if you need my help.”
He sat down beside her on the couch.
Something seemed different about Superman. He was usually so confident, so cheerful, and - professional. Right now, his shoulders were sagging as he studied the ground. Usually he’d keep his distance too. At that moment their knees were practically touching.
“Are you okay?” she cautiously asked.
He sighed. “I made a mistake today. I didn’t even see it coming.”
She’d heard the story about the bank robbery over the evening news.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. It could’ve happened to anyone. Maybe you’ve been working too hard and you just need a break.”
“No! Oh, I don’t know.” He covered his face with his palms.
Her heart reached out to him.
His proximity was sending conflicting signals to her body. Maybe she’d been suppressing her sexual nature for so long that once Clark had re-awakened it, it was in overdrive? After all, she’d always been attracted to Superman. Who wasn’t?
It was more than his firm body or brilliant smile. She admired him for who he was and what he stood for. So many people in her life had let her down. So many that she’d become disillusioned. She could always count on Superman to do the right thing. She admired his high moral principles.
“I’m not allowed to make mistakes,” he mumbled.
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
“It’s the way things are.”
Wanting to reassure him, she promised, “I…I won’t write an article about the bank robbery for The Planet.”
“I know. I hope that won’t cause trouble with Perry.”
Was he holding her hand?
His fingers wrapped between hers. It felt good. Her heart was racing. But…this wasn’t right! Although she was attracted to Superman, she was dating Clark.
What was wrong with her?
She tried to focus her attention back to Superman and his problems.
“Do you think you’ve been exposed to some virus? Was it a single occurrence or have you been making any other mistakes?”
The flush of color in his cheeks and the fact that he turned away from her suggested that he had. Yet he wasn’t about to admit it. He was almost as stubborn as Clark.
The Man of Steel changed the subject. “Want to fly with me?”
She adored flying with Superman. Yet as tempting as his offer was, she remembered Clark’s odd reaction that morning when he’d heard about Superman’s last visit. Clark was an even bigger fan of the superhero than she was. Yet, she supposed his recent irritation made sense. Clark knew she idolized Superman and even had a bit of a crush on him. Now that Clark was dating Lois, of course he’d be jealous of Superman – who wouldn’t?
Clark hadn’t been acting like himself. True to his promise, there had been no mysterious disappearances for the last two days. It was amazing how much peace of mind that had brought her. She’d been so frightened that Clark wouldn’t be able to commit to being in a relationship with her since he’d disappear every time the subject came up. It had been driving her crazy.
Now she was noticing other things about Clark. He was forgetting details and was suddenly - accident prone? His typically mild-mannered disposition seemed to have altered as well. Maybe he was catching the flu? Most people were grouchy under those circumstances. That could explain it.
Or maybe there were other factors she didn’t know about?
She rapidly dismissed that thought.
“Maybe another time.” She feigned a yawn. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Anything, for you.” He leaned tantalizingly closer.
If she moved ever so slightly, they could be kissing. It was an appealing thought. She’d kissed Superman before and enjoyed it immensely. Yet, she had a boyfriend now that she cared about. With effort she backed away.
“Can you keep an eye out for Clark? He doesn’t seem like himself. I’m worried about him.”
TBC
