Fic: Superman: Aftermath | DCU/SR | Clark/Lois | PG-13 | 13/56
Title: Superman: Aftermath
Author: Saavikam
Fandom: Superman Returns
Pairings: Lois/Richard, Clark/Lois
Rating - This Chapter: PG-13
Chapter Word Count: 4,670
Summary: In the days following the events of Superman Returns, both Clark and Lois are reeling from events that have changed their lives forever, and the city of Metropolis is in shambles. Things only get worse as Lois's relationship with Richard takes a nosedive, the US government wants to send a survey and potential mining mission to New Krypton, and vast amounts of kryptonite show up in the hands of criminals on the streets of Metropolis.
Chapter Summary: As the G8 summit commences in Washington, Lois deals with the shambles of her relationship with Richard by confiding in Clark. Across town, dealings seem to be set in motion, and in DC, Richard throws himself into his work.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction. Superman and the DC Comics universe are property of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No money has been made or will be made from the production of this work. Darn it.
Author's Notes: First chapter of Arc II: Truth and Intergang. Also, all of Arc I: Secrets and Signals will be converted to PDF as soon as I can figure out how to do it and pretty it up. :)
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Chapter 13
The constant activity in the Daily Planet bullpen had never really bothered Clark until today. Staffers seemed to be rushing even more so this morning, preparing for the G8 summit to commence in Washington. Nearly every monitor was showing the arrival of the heads of state at the White House, while commentators voiced their opinions of where each leader might stand on the the issue of whether to send a manned mission to New Krypton. So far the only thing each commentator had agreed upon was that the Chinese president would be reluctant, considering the good that Superman had done for his country over the last week. They then speculated that his position might further hinder China's future admission to the G8. Clark despised politics, especially when they concerned him.
Over the bustle, Clark kept a keen eye on Lois, who, for the most part, hadn't said a word to anyone since her arrival earlier that morning. She sat stiffly at her desk, typing away at a new story, Clark supposed, resolutely ignoring the up-to-the-minute coverage of the summit. Clark knew she was doing her best to avoid even catching a glimpse of Richard on the monitors, as the cameras routinely swept past the buzzing crowd of reporters that lined the White House entryway. He had seen Richard, Jimmy, and Paul Anderson standing in the front line several times now, eagerly awaiting the opening press conference. They'd gotten there early, he realized. No doubt Perry would be impressed. Clark chuckled silently, realizing Jimmy was probably about to wet his pants with excitement.
Finally, at five after ten, the press conference began. As one, the Daily Planet staffers stopped what they were doing to focus on what was being said on the monitors. The White House press secretary stepped up to the temporary podium, which bristled with microphones from forty different news networks, and he eyed the gaggle of reporters and cameras.
He cleared his throat, then began. “Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.” The sound of camera shutters filled a brief pause, and Clark knew that Jimmy was hard at work. “As you are aware, today's Group of Eight meeting will commence at eleven AM. All eight heads of state have arrived, as has Chinese president Hu Jintao. The itinerary for the meeting will include a discussion of a potential mining mission to the satellite body that has been named K2, or New Krypton. The purpose of such a mission, as you know, would be for scientific study and technological research. The President is confident that such a mission would benefit all of the nations of the world both technologically and economically, and it is his sincerest hope that the nations of the Group of Eight can come together to make such a mission a reality. Without further adieu, ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.”
Clark stole his focus from the monitors and glanced over at Lois, who persisted to tune out the broadcast.
On the screen, the press secretary withdrew from the podium, and the President, flanked by Great Britain's Prime Minister Blair on one side and Russia's President Putin on the other, stepped into the entrance way to the familiar fanfare of “Hail to the Chief.” He took to the podium immediately with a wide grin on his face, as though he had already convinced his contemporaries to make the mission happen.
“Good morning everyone,” he greeted the press with a jovial drawl. “I'm not gonna bore you with any long-winded speeches today. I trust my press secretary has covered the basics, so let's get right to it, shall we?”
A hail of questions rose up from the reporters, all of whom thrust their hands in the air trying desperately to get the president's attention. He pointed off to his right and the camera focused in on an older man with streaks of white hair on his temples. “Allen Griffin, Washington Post. Mister President, by involving only the members of the Group of Eight, along with China, in the study and mining process of New Krypton, are you attempting to maintain or increase the G8's status as the world's most powerful nations?”
The president chuckled, “That's not what this is about at all, son. We're hoping to be able to learn more about an advanced civilization and pass on that knowledge to the rest of the world. Next question.” Hands rose and questions flew. “You,” he pointed to his left.
The camera panned over. “Richard White, Daily Planet. Mister President, so far no one's asked the big question. Has anyone asked Superman what he thinks of all this? We're talking about Kryptonian technology here, so shouldn't he have a say what is done with it?” Richard's eyes flashed with a cold intensity, and Clark realized it must have pained him to no end to have shifted the focus to Superman.
Lois's head snapped up involuntarily, her eyes intently focused on the screen, as Clark turned to see her reaction. Richard had cut to the quick of the issue, just as Lois might have done if she'd been there. Clark wondered if she felt a connection to him in that moment, knowing how much he mirrored her reporting style. He turned back to the monitor as the president gave his answer.
“Well, normally we'd respect Superman's ownership of the remnants of his home planet, but New Krypton is different. It was grown by a human being on Earth soil, so it belongs to the people of Earth. If there's knowledge to be gained from it, then we have every right to that knowledge. So Superman's opinion is completely irrelevant. Besides, if he'd wanted to keep it to himself, then he wouldn't have let a criminal terrorist like Lex Luthor get a hold of it, now would he? Next question,” he snapped, clearly annoyed by having to admit his indifference to the Man of Steel. Another flurry of questions erupted.
The pit of Clark's stomach fell like a boulder he just couldn't catch. He turned for a glimpse of Lois, only to see her abruptly pushing past the still staff members in a mad rush for the doors, her coat and purse in hand. Forgetting his own issues, Clark dashed after her.
Outside the newsroom door, he caught up with her at the elevator as she jammed a finger at the 'down' button, and placed a hand on her arm. “Lois? Um, are you okay?” he asked quietly.
She spun to face him, shaking off his hand. “God, Clark! Of course I'm not okay,” she spat. She was trembling like a leaf as she looked up at him. “I just need to get out of here for a while. I can't deal with all of-” she waved a hand toward the bullpen, “-this.” Lois wanted to scream. She'd done everything she could to keep her cool and ignore the G8 coverage, only to be drawn in by Richard's voice over the monitors, and she couldn't stand it. He just had to ask the president about him, didn't he?
Clark gazed down at her. He hated to have to ask her in view of the entire Daily Planet staff, but... “What's wrong, Lois? What happened? Is there anything I can do?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Clark... I-” The reality of what had happened over the weekend threatened to strangle her the longer she held onto it. Richard was gone, as far as she knew, for good. After all they had been through together, he was just gone, and it was her fault.
She hadn't told a soul yet, but she needed to tell someone. Better Clark than Perry, she thought. She could confide in Clark... Her eyes opened and she looked up at him again, her expression lifeless. “He left, Clark. Richard left.”
“I'm sorry, he left?” Clark replied, careful to keep up the pretense of ignorance, and pushed his glasses up into place.
Lois nodded, and Clark noticed her dark eyes were beginning to glisten with unshed tears. “He's gone, and I don't think he's coming back. He said he wants to go back to London.”
“Oh, Lois, I'm so sorry,” he replied, his voice low and gentle. He'd thought Richard had been good to her, and had at least partly hoped the man would be strong enough to handle the truth about Jason, but he had been proved wrong. How could anyone just leave her? How could he have left her? She deserved so much better. Despite the guilt that welled up in him, all he wanted to do was gather Lois up in his arms and hold her, but he fought down the urge, knowing it would be too much, too soon.
Lois choked on the sudden desire to laugh. Sorry? She wasn't even sure she was sorry. “Don't be sorry, Clark. It-” she paused, searching for the right words, “It was inevitable, I think. I just - I have too many things and too many people to deal with right now. Work, surprisingly enough, is the last of my worries.”
As she stared up at Clark, Lois felt the frustration and anger she had been feeding for several days begin to ease. She had stored up so much pain, and she just couldn't hold onto it any longer. She looked at Clark's eyes, and thought of the last time she had looked into Richard's eyes. They had been pale and cold, empty. Unwittingly, she thought then of the last time she had looked into his eyes, and they had burned with a fire that five years hadn't lessened one bit. Clark's eyes, on the other hand, behind those geeky glasses, had always been kind and sweet, concerned, if a bit intense. He'd always had a soft spot for her, she knew, and he'd always been there when she needed someone. Except for those five years you went AWOL, you big, doofy jerk...
And she just couldn't hold onto the pain any more, a rogue tear slipping down her cheek. God, but it was embarrassing to be crying in front of a third man in as many days. Mad Dog Lane didn't cry, dammit. Oh, who cares? she grumbled to herself, unable to summon the energy to give a crap as her chest tightened with the feeling of failure. This was Clark, for Pete's sake.
Clark, still gazing down at her, let a wave of guilt wash over him. How much more pain would he have to put her in before it was all said and done? Too much. And now she was starting to cry again. Dammit. She'd never been so fragile before, but then, she hadn't been torn in two like this back then either, he realized. All my fault, he cursed himself.
Taking a slow breath, he managed to find his voice. “Listen, Lois, how about I buy you some coffee? Everything here can wait.”
Lois nodded up at him as she wiped away another errant tear, her mouth clenched shut tightly. “Okay,” she said finally, her voice cracking around the lump in her throat.
The elevator chose that moment to open for them with a loud chime. A few people filed past them on their way out, and the pair found themselves alone once again as they were carried down to the first floor.
Clark waited for her to say something, anything, during the long, silent trip. Part of him wanted her to tell him how cruel Richard must have been to her, while the rest of him threatened to throttle himself for even entertaining the notion; he knew things had not ended well, and they were both suffering. Guilt stabbed him with a pang of nausea for it.
On the opposite side of the elevator, Lois chewed on a fingernail as she collected her wits and started to calm down, trying not to sob openly - really, it was beyond embarrassing at this point, in front of anyone - or say anything she might later regret letting slip. She couldn't tell Clark anything about what had happened, he just wouldn't believe it, and it was too dangerous a secret, even for loyal-to-the-end, puppy dog Clark. But then, why was she even considering telling Clark, of all people? She'd kept it all hidden from Richard for five miserable years. Clark had no place in her mess and there was no reason to draw him into the crossfire. No, it was best to just keep him out of it all.
But even with all those reasons to keep it to herself, Clark was still the closest thing she'd ever had to a best friend, wasn't he?
At long last the elevator dinged and they exited the building, passing through the revolving doors on their way. Lois still didn't say anything as Clark hailed a cab for them with a deafening whistle. Just how does he do that? she thought as a cab screeched to a halt immediately in front of them.
Clark followed her into the back seat of the cab, gave directions to the cabbie, and they rolled out into traffic. They sat in uncomfortable silence as Lois continued to debate exactly what she could tell him. She could probably get away with telling him generally why Richard had gone. She'd just have to omit the specifics, that's all.
A wave of guilt swept through her chest. As long as she'd known Clark, she'd never lied to him. In many ways, she hated to admit to herself, she had shared a more open and honest relationship with him than she had ever shared with Richard, the man she had thought she might marry. Certainly, Clark had always been honest with her, and she had been proud to have reciprocated. She suddenly felt a little less remorse for Richard's departure. She'd loved him, but their relationship had been poisoned from the beginning. So why is all of this so damn difficult?
Clark studied the pained expression on her face as she stared out the window, glad he had never manifested an ability to read minds on top of everything else. “Lois?” he asked after a few more moments of uncomfortable silence. “Can you tell me what happened?” He was pretty sure he would get the condensed, edited version, but if Lois would at least open up to him a little bit...
Lois shook her head, feeling less inclined to cry now and a little less anxious about talking to him. He was her friend, after all. “Clark, I just don't know where to begin,” she paused, still looking out the window at the buildings as they passed. “There are things in my life that I can't even begin to describe.” Like the fact that I have a child with super powers and I'm still in love with his father. Somehow, it all still read like a tabloid. This is nuts.
Sitting silently, Clark waited for her to continue, but instead, she remained silent and gazed out the window until they reached the coffee shop.
Once inside, he ordered their coffee, a triple espresso for him and a peppermint mocha for her, and found them an out of the way table where they could chat undisturbed, should Lois feel so inclined. He patiently waited as they sat and sipped at their drinks, only wanting to make her feel better, to ease the pain he knew she was still bottling up. All he could do, he knew, was listen to whatever she decided to tell him. He hated that he couldn't have a truly open and honest conversation with her, but was instead relegated to the role of 'good friend, sympathetic ear' for the time being. Anxiety from having to keep up the act ate at his stomach, and he tried to drown the feeling with his coffee.
After a while Lois looked up at him from across the table. Might as well start at the beginning, she thought after mustering the courage to let Clark into her warped reality. “Clark, this might come as a shock to you, but Richard isn't Jason's biological father.”
Clark feigned surprise. “Oh. So then who...” he shook his head slightly.
“You wouldn't know him,” she said quickly. More secrets... “It just - it was a bit of a surprise to Richard when he found out who Jason's father is. He, um, he took it pretty badly.”
Clark, having no choice but to play along, fought the embarrassment that rose up in him. He hated to do this. “So, Richard thought he was Jason's biological father?”
Lois's eyes grew wide. “Oh, no, no! I could never do that, no! I was already pregnant when Richard and I got together.” She rolled her eyes, “God, I can't believe I'm telling you this.” She wanted to crawl into a hole and die for having lain it all out there in front of Clark, and had to remind herself again that it was okay, he was a trustworthy friend.
“Um, It's okay, Lois. You know I'm not going to, um, judge you or anything. Whatever happened before, that's in the past,” he tried to reassure her with a soft smile.
“Yeah, I suppose,” she reluctantly agreed, then changed her mind, blinking hard and shaking her head. “No, no. The thing is, it's not in the past anymore. For a long time I didn't give it a second thought, but now... Everything's changed.” She paused, taking a long sip of her mocha and remembering the events of Saturday morning, then continued, “Jason is so special, more so than I had ever imagined. He - he's just like his father.” She stared out the café window with a faraway look in her eyes, thinking of him, of how she had once felt in his arms... Then she caught herself. Clamping her mouth shut, she returned her focus to her coffee. Damn, said too much.
“Oh. Um, oh. Then, um...” Clark stammered, his heart turning little cartwheels in his chest. She still loved him, she... had no idea she was sitting across from him. Dammit.
“Oh, God, I didn't mean to say that,” she backpedaled quickly. “I mean... Oh, hell. You didn't need to hear that. Sorry.” Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of rose.
Clark shook his head, trying not to show his own embarrassment and frustration, “It's okay, really, Lois.” He paused, then muttered quietly, “It's, um, him, isn't it?”
Lois sucked in a quick breath, then glared at him briefly and rolled her eyes again. So much for leaving out the details... “God, does everyone know?” she asked sarcastically, then shut her eyes. No point in lying to Clark. “Yes. Dammit.”
“Oh...” he replied calmly.
She breathed slowly and deeply. Okay, cat's out of the bag. Don't panic. Clark can be trusted. He could always be trusted. Hell, he was the only one who'd known anything about her past with Superman. She opened her eyes and looked at him sideways, “How did you figure that out, out of curiosity?”
Clark smiled lopsidedly, “I am an investigative reporter, Lois.” He dropped the smile and looked at her sheepishly, “You, um, still have 'Superman' as your computer password.”
“What? What were you doing on my computer, Clark?” Her eyes began to flash with anger.
“Oh, um, it was when you went missing week before last. Richard was trying to get into your computer so we could figure out where you might have gone. I took a guess...” He smiled weakly at her and took a sip of his coffee.
Lois regarded him with a suspicious look. She'd have to change her password immediately. Then, with a sigh, her expression softened. She just couldn't be mad at him... “Clark, just... Please don't tell anyone anything that I just told you. It wouldn't be safe for Jason if anyone found out.”
He looked into her eyes intently and replied, “You have my word, Lois.”
* * * * *
An hour later they exited the elevator to the newsroom floor of the Daily Planet, sated on coffee, both feeling calmer, relieved, and ready to get back to work. But before passing through the doors to the bullpen, Lois caught Clark by the arm and held him back for a moment. “Clark, I just wanted to thank you. You know, for listening, and, well, letting me vent for a while. I know I've been a real pain in the ass to you since you came back to work. For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry for that.” She gave him a slight smile, feeling much better than she had earlier.
Clark gazed down at her and smiled crookedly in return. “Hey, partners, right?” He readjusted his glasses a little.
“Yeah.” Lois felt warmed by his response. He'd remembered...
With one more hurdle overcome, the pair turned and headed into the bullpen to face the fallout of the morning's G8 press conference.
* * * * *
Fingers drumming on the steering wheel of the unmarked cruiser, Maggie Sawyer winced as her cell rang. Always when I'm on stakeout, she grumbled, flipping open her phone. “Sawyer.”
“Tell me you've got something,” came the harried voice of the Police Chief.
“Nothing concrete yet. After last night's flurry of phone activity, things have slowed down. Church has gotta be up to something big, but so far the only thing we've got to go on is a slight increase in deliveries to her building since late last night. No unmarked vehicles, but two more trucks than were scheduled. I've had a tail on all of them since they left, but so far, nada, and no reason to pull them over to search them.”
“Anything else on the phone tap?” Simms was starting to sound frustrated, and Maggie couldn't blame him; the lack of evidence was getting ridiculous.
“Zero,” she admitted, glancing at the surveillance van behind her cruiser in her rear view mirror. If only they'd been able to set up shop in the building next door, they might have had something to go on, but obviously, something about Church Multiworld Enterprises made them nervous. “Since last night's mysterious visit from God only knows who - which I have a sinking feeling might have been Luthor himself, the way they kept so quiet about it - there's been absolutely nothing. And nothing on the listening devices, either. Church must have some kind of white noise generators in there to block outside ears, and her security's zipped up tighter than a pair of leather pants, so we can forget trying to bug her.”
“Damn. Sounds like she's gone squirrelly, so whatever's going down must be huge. If Luthor's involved in this directly, if he's in my city, I want to know every detail. Keep on it, inspector.”
“Yes, sir.”
Shutting her cell, Maggie stole another look up at the tall building across the narrow side street, not for the first time cursing due process and legal loopholes. If it wouldn't render any and all evidence inadmissible in court, she'd have had every delivery truck and every square inch of that place searched on general principle. With a scowl, she mused out loud, “Just what the hell are you up to?”
* * * * *
Attempting to dodge Helen Daniels' remarks about his handling of the press conference, Richard led his team back toward the press tent that had been erected on the White House lawn.
“Good job in there, White, for an amateur,” she croaked at him. “But next time, stick to the questions about Superman. Nobody gives a crap about the details of the Atlantis launch. Even after a hot question like that, screwing it up like you did could cost you a major scoop.”
He shook his head in response. “They were all questions that needed to be asked,” he defended himself, brushing off her unsolicited advice. No wonder people hate her. “The only reason I asked about Superman was because it was relevant.” He gritted his teeth through his last comment, having had enough of the conversation revolving around the hero. Daniels had done nothing but alternately bash the president and Superman since they'd arrived the previous afternoon, defending the former's position on national defense preparedness in the face of a potential enemy, while the next minute referring to them both as irrelevant. Considering his own ever growing resentment for the Man of Steel, he was inclined to agree with the worst of her diatribe, but he simply wanted no more of it. Superman had cost him his family, his fiancée. Lois...
“...in any case. Got to keep them on their toes, hit them where it hurts. Superman is a sore point with these bozos, so never deviate from your line of questioning,” Daniels concluded with a cold gleam in her ancient eyes.
Richard realized he'd tuned out most of her speech on interview tactics. “Hmm? Oh, yeah. Right. Of course.”
She only grunted at him in return, and when they reached the press tent, the old reporter split off from his group to go harass her other press room colleagues, much to his relief.
Jimmy stuck close by as they found the coffee corral. “Oh, man, I got the best shot of the president's expression when you asked him about Superman! This is just fantastic!” he beamed while they procured some much needed caffeine and found a place to sit for a while. “Oh, I'm heading over to the Smithsonian this afternoon after we're done here. I want to check out the Newseum. You should really come, too. I hear they've got a great exhibit on international-”
“Jimmy!” Richard finally snapped at the young photographer.
Olsen stopped short, taken aback. “Um, what's wrong? Are you okay?”
Richard wanted to tell him to just shut up for once, but knew that would just hurt the kid. “Yeah, I'm fine,” he said, trying unsuccessfully to cover his agitation.
“Are you sure? You've been really edgy ever since we left Metropolis.”
“No, not really,” Richard sighed. “Jim,” he hesitated, taking a sip of his coffee. “This isn't the time or the place, but we're going to be here all week, so I might as well tell you. I think Lois and I are, um, calling it quits.” It was the first time he'd said it out loud. His heart broke a little more.
Jimmy stared at Richard, his mind rushing to fill in the blanks. He knew things had been strained between them, but, well, he hadn't figured it was quite this awful. It was obvious to everyone that Lois still had a thing for Superman, but Jimmy hadn't thought the couple would split up over it. Oh, he had his suspicions about the whole mess, was sure he knew some things that Richard didn't, and possibly even Lois, for that matter, but they'd had the most normal, stable relationship he'd ever seen, at least form the outside. Never in a million years did he think things would get to this point, especially not considering what he suspected he knew. And here he was, trying to get Richard's mind off things and only succeeding in making him more upset. Real smart, Jimmy, he chided himself. And poor Richard... “Um, I'm sorry to hear that Mister White.”
“Thanks, Jimmy,” Richard replied earnestly. “Look, I just want this week to run smoothly, without any complications, so I'd appreciate it you wouldn't say anything to anyone at the Planet.” The last thing he needed was a call from Perry asking him just what the hell was going on. His uncle would rant and rave about upsetting the paper, and no doubt Lois would be caught up in it all. She just didn't deserve that.
Jimmy nodded, “No problem.”
“Good. I-”
Just then, one of the CNN correspondents came running under the tent, out of breath and wide eyed. “The Chinese president and Vladimir Putin just stormed out of the conference!”
The flock of reporters immediately began to flood back toward White House.
* * * * *
Author: Saavikam
Fandom: Superman Returns
Pairings: Lois/Richard, Clark/Lois
Rating - This Chapter: PG-13
Chapter Word Count: 4,670
Summary: In the days following the events of Superman Returns, both Clark and Lois are reeling from events that have changed their lives forever, and the city of Metropolis is in shambles. Things only get worse as Lois's relationship with Richard takes a nosedive, the US government wants to send a survey and potential mining mission to New Krypton, and vast amounts of kryptonite show up in the hands of criminals on the streets of Metropolis.
Chapter Summary: As the G8 summit commences in Washington, Lois deals with the shambles of her relationship with Richard by confiding in Clark. Across town, dealings seem to be set in motion, and in DC, Richard throws himself into his work.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction. Superman and the DC Comics universe are property of DC Comics and Warner Brothers. No money has been made or will be made from the production of this work. Darn it.
Author's Notes: First chapter of Arc II: Truth and Intergang. Also, all of Arc I: Secrets and Signals will be converted to PDF as soon as I can figure out how to do it and pretty it up. :)
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Previous :: Table of Contents :: Next
Chapter 13
The constant activity in the Daily Planet bullpen had never really bothered Clark until today. Staffers seemed to be rushing even more so this morning, preparing for the G8 summit to commence in Washington. Nearly every monitor was showing the arrival of the heads of state at the White House, while commentators voiced their opinions of where each leader might stand on the the issue of whether to send a manned mission to New Krypton. So far the only thing each commentator had agreed upon was that the Chinese president would be reluctant, considering the good that Superman had done for his country over the last week. They then speculated that his position might further hinder China's future admission to the G8. Clark despised politics, especially when they concerned him.
Over the bustle, Clark kept a keen eye on Lois, who, for the most part, hadn't said a word to anyone since her arrival earlier that morning. She sat stiffly at her desk, typing away at a new story, Clark supposed, resolutely ignoring the up-to-the-minute coverage of the summit. Clark knew she was doing her best to avoid even catching a glimpse of Richard on the monitors, as the cameras routinely swept past the buzzing crowd of reporters that lined the White House entryway. He had seen Richard, Jimmy, and Paul Anderson standing in the front line several times now, eagerly awaiting the opening press conference. They'd gotten there early, he realized. No doubt Perry would be impressed. Clark chuckled silently, realizing Jimmy was probably about to wet his pants with excitement.
Finally, at five after ten, the press conference began. As one, the Daily Planet staffers stopped what they were doing to focus on what was being said on the monitors. The White House press secretary stepped up to the temporary podium, which bristled with microphones from forty different news networks, and he eyed the gaggle of reporters and cameras.
He cleared his throat, then began. “Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.” The sound of camera shutters filled a brief pause, and Clark knew that Jimmy was hard at work. “As you are aware, today's Group of Eight meeting will commence at eleven AM. All eight heads of state have arrived, as has Chinese president Hu Jintao. The itinerary for the meeting will include a discussion of a potential mining mission to the satellite body that has been named K2, or New Krypton. The purpose of such a mission, as you know, would be for scientific study and technological research. The President is confident that such a mission would benefit all of the nations of the world both technologically and economically, and it is his sincerest hope that the nations of the Group of Eight can come together to make such a mission a reality. Without further adieu, ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.”
Clark stole his focus from the monitors and glanced over at Lois, who persisted to tune out the broadcast.
On the screen, the press secretary withdrew from the podium, and the President, flanked by Great Britain's Prime Minister Blair on one side and Russia's President Putin on the other, stepped into the entrance way to the familiar fanfare of “Hail to the Chief.” He took to the podium immediately with a wide grin on his face, as though he had already convinced his contemporaries to make the mission happen.
“Good morning everyone,” he greeted the press with a jovial drawl. “I'm not gonna bore you with any long-winded speeches today. I trust my press secretary has covered the basics, so let's get right to it, shall we?”
A hail of questions rose up from the reporters, all of whom thrust their hands in the air trying desperately to get the president's attention. He pointed off to his right and the camera focused in on an older man with streaks of white hair on his temples. “Allen Griffin, Washington Post. Mister President, by involving only the members of the Group of Eight, along with China, in the study and mining process of New Krypton, are you attempting to maintain or increase the G8's status as the world's most powerful nations?”
The president chuckled, “That's not what this is about at all, son. We're hoping to be able to learn more about an advanced civilization and pass on that knowledge to the rest of the world. Next question.” Hands rose and questions flew. “You,” he pointed to his left.
The camera panned over. “Richard White, Daily Planet. Mister President, so far no one's asked the big question. Has anyone asked Superman what he thinks of all this? We're talking about Kryptonian technology here, so shouldn't he have a say what is done with it?” Richard's eyes flashed with a cold intensity, and Clark realized it must have pained him to no end to have shifted the focus to Superman.
Lois's head snapped up involuntarily, her eyes intently focused on the screen, as Clark turned to see her reaction. Richard had cut to the quick of the issue, just as Lois might have done if she'd been there. Clark wondered if she felt a connection to him in that moment, knowing how much he mirrored her reporting style. He turned back to the monitor as the president gave his answer.
“Well, normally we'd respect Superman's ownership of the remnants of his home planet, but New Krypton is different. It was grown by a human being on Earth soil, so it belongs to the people of Earth. If there's knowledge to be gained from it, then we have every right to that knowledge. So Superman's opinion is completely irrelevant. Besides, if he'd wanted to keep it to himself, then he wouldn't have let a criminal terrorist like Lex Luthor get a hold of it, now would he? Next question,” he snapped, clearly annoyed by having to admit his indifference to the Man of Steel. Another flurry of questions erupted.
The pit of Clark's stomach fell like a boulder he just couldn't catch. He turned for a glimpse of Lois, only to see her abruptly pushing past the still staff members in a mad rush for the doors, her coat and purse in hand. Forgetting his own issues, Clark dashed after her.
Outside the newsroom door, he caught up with her at the elevator as she jammed a finger at the 'down' button, and placed a hand on her arm. “Lois? Um, are you okay?” he asked quietly.
She spun to face him, shaking off his hand. “God, Clark! Of course I'm not okay,” she spat. She was trembling like a leaf as she looked up at him. “I just need to get out of here for a while. I can't deal with all of-” she waved a hand toward the bullpen, “-this.” Lois wanted to scream. She'd done everything she could to keep her cool and ignore the G8 coverage, only to be drawn in by Richard's voice over the monitors, and she couldn't stand it. He just had to ask the president about him, didn't he?
Clark gazed down at her. He hated to have to ask her in view of the entire Daily Planet staff, but... “What's wrong, Lois? What happened? Is there anything I can do?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Clark... I-” The reality of what had happened over the weekend threatened to strangle her the longer she held onto it. Richard was gone, as far as she knew, for good. After all they had been through together, he was just gone, and it was her fault.
She hadn't told a soul yet, but she needed to tell someone. Better Clark than Perry, she thought. She could confide in Clark... Her eyes opened and she looked up at him again, her expression lifeless. “He left, Clark. Richard left.”
“I'm sorry, he left?” Clark replied, careful to keep up the pretense of ignorance, and pushed his glasses up into place.
Lois nodded, and Clark noticed her dark eyes were beginning to glisten with unshed tears. “He's gone, and I don't think he's coming back. He said he wants to go back to London.”
“Oh, Lois, I'm so sorry,” he replied, his voice low and gentle. He'd thought Richard had been good to her, and had at least partly hoped the man would be strong enough to handle the truth about Jason, but he had been proved wrong. How could anyone just leave her? How could he have left her? She deserved so much better. Despite the guilt that welled up in him, all he wanted to do was gather Lois up in his arms and hold her, but he fought down the urge, knowing it would be too much, too soon.
Lois choked on the sudden desire to laugh. Sorry? She wasn't even sure she was sorry. “Don't be sorry, Clark. It-” she paused, searching for the right words, “It was inevitable, I think. I just - I have too many things and too many people to deal with right now. Work, surprisingly enough, is the last of my worries.”
As she stared up at Clark, Lois felt the frustration and anger she had been feeding for several days begin to ease. She had stored up so much pain, and she just couldn't hold onto it any longer. She looked at Clark's eyes, and thought of the last time she had looked into Richard's eyes. They had been pale and cold, empty. Unwittingly, she thought then of the last time she had looked into his eyes, and they had burned with a fire that five years hadn't lessened one bit. Clark's eyes, on the other hand, behind those geeky glasses, had always been kind and sweet, concerned, if a bit intense. He'd always had a soft spot for her, she knew, and he'd always been there when she needed someone. Except for those five years you went AWOL, you big, doofy jerk...
And she just couldn't hold onto the pain any more, a rogue tear slipping down her cheek. God, but it was embarrassing to be crying in front of a third man in as many days. Mad Dog Lane didn't cry, dammit. Oh, who cares? she grumbled to herself, unable to summon the energy to give a crap as her chest tightened with the feeling of failure. This was Clark, for Pete's sake.
Clark, still gazing down at her, let a wave of guilt wash over him. How much more pain would he have to put her in before it was all said and done? Too much. And now she was starting to cry again. Dammit. She'd never been so fragile before, but then, she hadn't been torn in two like this back then either, he realized. All my fault, he cursed himself.
Taking a slow breath, he managed to find his voice. “Listen, Lois, how about I buy you some coffee? Everything here can wait.”
Lois nodded up at him as she wiped away another errant tear, her mouth clenched shut tightly. “Okay,” she said finally, her voice cracking around the lump in her throat.
The elevator chose that moment to open for them with a loud chime. A few people filed past them on their way out, and the pair found themselves alone once again as they were carried down to the first floor.
Clark waited for her to say something, anything, during the long, silent trip. Part of him wanted her to tell him how cruel Richard must have been to her, while the rest of him threatened to throttle himself for even entertaining the notion; he knew things had not ended well, and they were both suffering. Guilt stabbed him with a pang of nausea for it.
On the opposite side of the elevator, Lois chewed on a fingernail as she collected her wits and started to calm down, trying not to sob openly - really, it was beyond embarrassing at this point, in front of anyone - or say anything she might later regret letting slip. She couldn't tell Clark anything about what had happened, he just wouldn't believe it, and it was too dangerous a secret, even for loyal-to-the-end, puppy dog Clark. But then, why was she even considering telling Clark, of all people? She'd kept it all hidden from Richard for five miserable years. Clark had no place in her mess and there was no reason to draw him into the crossfire. No, it was best to just keep him out of it all.
But even with all those reasons to keep it to herself, Clark was still the closest thing she'd ever had to a best friend, wasn't he?
At long last the elevator dinged and they exited the building, passing through the revolving doors on their way. Lois still didn't say anything as Clark hailed a cab for them with a deafening whistle. Just how does he do that? she thought as a cab screeched to a halt immediately in front of them.
Clark followed her into the back seat of the cab, gave directions to the cabbie, and they rolled out into traffic. They sat in uncomfortable silence as Lois continued to debate exactly what she could tell him. She could probably get away with telling him generally why Richard had gone. She'd just have to omit the specifics, that's all.
A wave of guilt swept through her chest. As long as she'd known Clark, she'd never lied to him. In many ways, she hated to admit to herself, she had shared a more open and honest relationship with him than she had ever shared with Richard, the man she had thought she might marry. Certainly, Clark had always been honest with her, and she had been proud to have reciprocated. She suddenly felt a little less remorse for Richard's departure. She'd loved him, but their relationship had been poisoned from the beginning. So why is all of this so damn difficult?
Clark studied the pained expression on her face as she stared out the window, glad he had never manifested an ability to read minds on top of everything else. “Lois?” he asked after a few more moments of uncomfortable silence. “Can you tell me what happened?” He was pretty sure he would get the condensed, edited version, but if Lois would at least open up to him a little bit...
Lois shook her head, feeling less inclined to cry now and a little less anxious about talking to him. He was her friend, after all. “Clark, I just don't know where to begin,” she paused, still looking out the window at the buildings as they passed. “There are things in my life that I can't even begin to describe.” Like the fact that I have a child with super powers and I'm still in love with his father. Somehow, it all still read like a tabloid. This is nuts.
Sitting silently, Clark waited for her to continue, but instead, she remained silent and gazed out the window until they reached the coffee shop.
Once inside, he ordered their coffee, a triple espresso for him and a peppermint mocha for her, and found them an out of the way table where they could chat undisturbed, should Lois feel so inclined. He patiently waited as they sat and sipped at their drinks, only wanting to make her feel better, to ease the pain he knew she was still bottling up. All he could do, he knew, was listen to whatever she decided to tell him. He hated that he couldn't have a truly open and honest conversation with her, but was instead relegated to the role of 'good friend, sympathetic ear' for the time being. Anxiety from having to keep up the act ate at his stomach, and he tried to drown the feeling with his coffee.
After a while Lois looked up at him from across the table. Might as well start at the beginning, she thought after mustering the courage to let Clark into her warped reality. “Clark, this might come as a shock to you, but Richard isn't Jason's biological father.”
Clark feigned surprise. “Oh. So then who...” he shook his head slightly.
“You wouldn't know him,” she said quickly. More secrets... “It just - it was a bit of a surprise to Richard when he found out who Jason's father is. He, um, he took it pretty badly.”
Clark, having no choice but to play along, fought the embarrassment that rose up in him. He hated to do this. “So, Richard thought he was Jason's biological father?”
Lois's eyes grew wide. “Oh, no, no! I could never do that, no! I was already pregnant when Richard and I got together.” She rolled her eyes, “God, I can't believe I'm telling you this.” She wanted to crawl into a hole and die for having lain it all out there in front of Clark, and had to remind herself again that it was okay, he was a trustworthy friend.
“Um, It's okay, Lois. You know I'm not going to, um, judge you or anything. Whatever happened before, that's in the past,” he tried to reassure her with a soft smile.
“Yeah, I suppose,” she reluctantly agreed, then changed her mind, blinking hard and shaking her head. “No, no. The thing is, it's not in the past anymore. For a long time I didn't give it a second thought, but now... Everything's changed.” She paused, taking a long sip of her mocha and remembering the events of Saturday morning, then continued, “Jason is so special, more so than I had ever imagined. He - he's just like his father.” She stared out the café window with a faraway look in her eyes, thinking of him, of how she had once felt in his arms... Then she caught herself. Clamping her mouth shut, she returned her focus to her coffee. Damn, said too much.
“Oh. Um, oh. Then, um...” Clark stammered, his heart turning little cartwheels in his chest. She still loved him, she... had no idea she was sitting across from him. Dammit.
“Oh, God, I didn't mean to say that,” she backpedaled quickly. “I mean... Oh, hell. You didn't need to hear that. Sorry.” Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of rose.
Clark shook his head, trying not to show his own embarrassment and frustration, “It's okay, really, Lois.” He paused, then muttered quietly, “It's, um, him, isn't it?”
Lois sucked in a quick breath, then glared at him briefly and rolled her eyes again. So much for leaving out the details... “God, does everyone know?” she asked sarcastically, then shut her eyes. No point in lying to Clark. “Yes. Dammit.”
“Oh...” he replied calmly.
She breathed slowly and deeply. Okay, cat's out of the bag. Don't panic. Clark can be trusted. He could always be trusted. Hell, he was the only one who'd known anything about her past with Superman. She opened her eyes and looked at him sideways, “How did you figure that out, out of curiosity?”
Clark smiled lopsidedly, “I am an investigative reporter, Lois.” He dropped the smile and looked at her sheepishly, “You, um, still have 'Superman' as your computer password.”
“What? What were you doing on my computer, Clark?” Her eyes began to flash with anger.
“Oh, um, it was when you went missing week before last. Richard was trying to get into your computer so we could figure out where you might have gone. I took a guess...” He smiled weakly at her and took a sip of his coffee.
Lois regarded him with a suspicious look. She'd have to change her password immediately. Then, with a sigh, her expression softened. She just couldn't be mad at him... “Clark, just... Please don't tell anyone anything that I just told you. It wouldn't be safe for Jason if anyone found out.”
He looked into her eyes intently and replied, “You have my word, Lois.”
* * * * *
An hour later they exited the elevator to the newsroom floor of the Daily Planet, sated on coffee, both feeling calmer, relieved, and ready to get back to work. But before passing through the doors to the bullpen, Lois caught Clark by the arm and held him back for a moment. “Clark, I just wanted to thank you. You know, for listening, and, well, letting me vent for a while. I know I've been a real pain in the ass to you since you came back to work. For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry for that.” She gave him a slight smile, feeling much better than she had earlier.
Clark gazed down at her and smiled crookedly in return. “Hey, partners, right?” He readjusted his glasses a little.
“Yeah.” Lois felt warmed by his response. He'd remembered...
With one more hurdle overcome, the pair turned and headed into the bullpen to face the fallout of the morning's G8 press conference.
* * * * *
Fingers drumming on the steering wheel of the unmarked cruiser, Maggie Sawyer winced as her cell rang. Always when I'm on stakeout, she grumbled, flipping open her phone. “Sawyer.”
“Tell me you've got something,” came the harried voice of the Police Chief.
“Nothing concrete yet. After last night's flurry of phone activity, things have slowed down. Church has gotta be up to something big, but so far the only thing we've got to go on is a slight increase in deliveries to her building since late last night. No unmarked vehicles, but two more trucks than were scheduled. I've had a tail on all of them since they left, but so far, nada, and no reason to pull them over to search them.”
“Anything else on the phone tap?” Simms was starting to sound frustrated, and Maggie couldn't blame him; the lack of evidence was getting ridiculous.
“Zero,” she admitted, glancing at the surveillance van behind her cruiser in her rear view mirror. If only they'd been able to set up shop in the building next door, they might have had something to go on, but obviously, something about Church Multiworld Enterprises made them nervous. “Since last night's mysterious visit from God only knows who - which I have a sinking feeling might have been Luthor himself, the way they kept so quiet about it - there's been absolutely nothing. And nothing on the listening devices, either. Church must have some kind of white noise generators in there to block outside ears, and her security's zipped up tighter than a pair of leather pants, so we can forget trying to bug her.”
“Damn. Sounds like she's gone squirrelly, so whatever's going down must be huge. If Luthor's involved in this directly, if he's in my city, I want to know every detail. Keep on it, inspector.”
“Yes, sir.”
Shutting her cell, Maggie stole another look up at the tall building across the narrow side street, not for the first time cursing due process and legal loopholes. If it wouldn't render any and all evidence inadmissible in court, she'd have had every delivery truck and every square inch of that place searched on general principle. With a scowl, she mused out loud, “Just what the hell are you up to?”
* * * * *
Attempting to dodge Helen Daniels' remarks about his handling of the press conference, Richard led his team back toward the press tent that had been erected on the White House lawn.
“Good job in there, White, for an amateur,” she croaked at him. “But next time, stick to the questions about Superman. Nobody gives a crap about the details of the Atlantis launch. Even after a hot question like that, screwing it up like you did could cost you a major scoop.”
He shook his head in response. “They were all questions that needed to be asked,” he defended himself, brushing off her unsolicited advice. No wonder people hate her. “The only reason I asked about Superman was because it was relevant.” He gritted his teeth through his last comment, having had enough of the conversation revolving around the hero. Daniels had done nothing but alternately bash the president and Superman since they'd arrived the previous afternoon, defending the former's position on national defense preparedness in the face of a potential enemy, while the next minute referring to them both as irrelevant. Considering his own ever growing resentment for the Man of Steel, he was inclined to agree with the worst of her diatribe, but he simply wanted no more of it. Superman had cost him his family, his fiancée. Lois...
“...in any case. Got to keep them on their toes, hit them where it hurts. Superman is a sore point with these bozos, so never deviate from your line of questioning,” Daniels concluded with a cold gleam in her ancient eyes.
Richard realized he'd tuned out most of her speech on interview tactics. “Hmm? Oh, yeah. Right. Of course.”
She only grunted at him in return, and when they reached the press tent, the old reporter split off from his group to go harass her other press room colleagues, much to his relief.
Jimmy stuck close by as they found the coffee corral. “Oh, man, I got the best shot of the president's expression when you asked him about Superman! This is just fantastic!” he beamed while they procured some much needed caffeine and found a place to sit for a while. “Oh, I'm heading over to the Smithsonian this afternoon after we're done here. I want to check out the Newseum. You should really come, too. I hear they've got a great exhibit on international-”
“Jimmy!” Richard finally snapped at the young photographer.
Olsen stopped short, taken aback. “Um, what's wrong? Are you okay?”
Richard wanted to tell him to just shut up for once, but knew that would just hurt the kid. “Yeah, I'm fine,” he said, trying unsuccessfully to cover his agitation.
“Are you sure? You've been really edgy ever since we left Metropolis.”
“No, not really,” Richard sighed. “Jim,” he hesitated, taking a sip of his coffee. “This isn't the time or the place, but we're going to be here all week, so I might as well tell you. I think Lois and I are, um, calling it quits.” It was the first time he'd said it out loud. His heart broke a little more.
Jimmy stared at Richard, his mind rushing to fill in the blanks. He knew things had been strained between them, but, well, he hadn't figured it was quite this awful. It was obvious to everyone that Lois still had a thing for Superman, but Jimmy hadn't thought the couple would split up over it. Oh, he had his suspicions about the whole mess, was sure he knew some things that Richard didn't, and possibly even Lois, for that matter, but they'd had the most normal, stable relationship he'd ever seen, at least form the outside. Never in a million years did he think things would get to this point, especially not considering what he suspected he knew. And here he was, trying to get Richard's mind off things and only succeeding in making him more upset. Real smart, Jimmy, he chided himself. And poor Richard... “Um, I'm sorry to hear that Mister White.”
“Thanks, Jimmy,” Richard replied earnestly. “Look, I just want this week to run smoothly, without any complications, so I'd appreciate it you wouldn't say anything to anyone at the Planet.” The last thing he needed was a call from Perry asking him just what the hell was going on. His uncle would rant and rave about upsetting the paper, and no doubt Lois would be caught up in it all. She just didn't deserve that.
Jimmy nodded, “No problem.”
“Good. I-”
Just then, one of the CNN correspondents came running under the tent, out of breath and wide eyed. “The Chinese president and Vladimir Putin just stormed out of the conference!”
The flock of reporters immediately began to flood back toward White House.
* * * * *