Superman Movieverse Forum

Richard spent most of the next day with Jason.

Lois noted that Jason seemed happy when it was time to leave for home. Richard seemed happier as well.  ‘Maybe now he can get on with his life,’ she thought. She had never meant to hurt him.

The drive to the airport was quiet and Lois found she was looking forward to going home to her suburban tract house with Clark and Jason. She was looking forward to finishing her novel and living her life in peace.

She chuckled under her breath.

“What?” Clark asked.

“I was just thinking of what Maggie would think if she knew about everything,” Lois said. “I mean, look at us. Mortgage, two cars, a kid. Who’d have seen that coming?”

“Nobody who knew us,” Clark admitted.

The flight back to Minneapolis was uneventful, until they arrived at the airport and headed for the car with their luggage.

Then Lois spotted someone she recognized. “Oh, crud. That’s Senator Harrington.” She jerked her head to indicate a tall, pleasant looking man in an expensive suit waiting for his ride. “I investigated him a few years back. There were questions about his dealings with some dubious defense contractors. I know he was involved up to his neck, but nothing stuck.”

“Maybe he won’t remember you,” Clark said.

“Are you kidding?” She hadn’t told Richard or Perry how far she had nearly gone to get the goods on Harrington.

He shrugged. “We can hope.”

It was a vain hope. Harrington was scanning his surroundings as if looking for someone. He looked right at them and his forehead creased as though trying to place them. Then his expression turned to one of astonishment. “Lois?”

Lois decided to brazen it out. “Pardon? Do I know you?”

“Lois, you don’t have to play games with me,” Harrington said. Lois’s heart sank – so much for brazening it out.  “I like your hair.”

Self-consciously, Lois’s hand went up to her hair. She’d had it cut short the week before as an experiment. A change of look for the summer.  Clark seemed to like it, but he would never tell her otherwise, at least not directly.

“When I heard you’d been killed by a car bomb, I didn’t believe it,” Harrington went on. “I guess I was right not to.”

Lois didn’t respond to Harrington’s jibe, but she glanced up at Clark when he put a protective hand on her shoulder.

“New boyfriend?” Harrington asked.

“Husband,” Clark stated.

Harrington looked surprised. “You must be White, then. Tom Harrington.” Harrington put out his hand to be shaken.

Clark shook the offered hand, but he didn’t correct the senator’s mistake. “We need to get going,” Clark said firmly. Lois realized that she was grateful for his intervention – another sign of how much she’d changed. Mad Dog Lane would never have accepted Clark’s help.

“Please don’t tell anyone you’ve seen us,” Clark asked as Harrington’s ride drove up and stopped. It was a stretch limo.

“I won’t if you won’t,” Harrington said as the driver came around and opened the door for him.

Lois watched the limo drive away. “What the devil did he mean by that?” Lois wondered aloud.

“If I was still an investigative reporter, I would be asking why a U.S. senator from New York was in Minneapolis, being picked up by a limo belonging to Randolph Industries, a defense contractor under investigation for questionable business practices,” Clark said. “If I was still an investigative reporter…”

“I’ll drop Bruce a note in the morning,” Lois decided.



Things settled into relative normalcy. Summer rolled into autumn, school started, for both Jason and Clark. Clark had decided to go for a teaching certificate. During college teaching had been one of his career choices before settling on journalism as his major. On his journey to Krypton, he had wondered if he would have ended up being a teacher had Krypton not died. He certainly wasn't the scientist that Jor-El had been. Although science wasn’t hard for him it didn’t fascinate him as words did. He couldn’t see himself as a soldier.

Clark’s job was also doing well. Ad revenues were up at the paper and so were subscriptions. He’d gotten a decent raise. It wasn't anything like working for the Daily Planet, but it gave him the opportunity to make a difference in the world around him – albeit a small difference. His editorials were being noticed in the region.

It felt good to be doing some good in the world. He missed being Superman and he found early on that if he kept himself busy, it seemed to lessen the pain. There were days when he almost felt he could grab onto the powers, they were just out of his reach – Superman wasn't dead but just sleeping. Other days, it was almost like Superman had been a dream. He wasn’t real and never had been.

Lois had moved to full-time at her job and was handling more and more of the day to day operations of the plant. Oddly enough, it suited her. Her skills as an investigator worked well in rooting out problems, and her skills as an interviewer worked for her in dealing with co-workers and subordinates.

Jason was making plans to see Richard over winter break. Apparently it was something they’d agreed on in Reno. Clark wasn't sure how they were going to swing it but he trusted Bruce to arrange something. The billionaire was nothing if not resourceful.

As was his habit, Clark was doing his own homework while watching GNN. ‘Randolph Industries’ CEO indicted…’ the scrolling banner at the bottom of the screen read. Clark knew that Lois had sent a note off to Bruce months before about seeing Harrington at the Minneapolis airport. She hadn’t mentioned if Bruce had sent any information back but Clark doubted he had.

Clark opened his laptop browser and went to the Daily Planet website to see if they had anything more. There was a short synopsis of the story that would be in the next edition. Thaddeus Randolph, CEO of Randolph Industries, had been indicted on multiple counts of fraud in his sales to the Department of Defense. There was no mention of Senator Harrington – not that Clark had expected there to be.

“Did you see the news on Randolph?” Lois asked, shutting the garage door behind her and dropping the groceries on the kitchen counter. “Not that it’s a surprise. The only way they could have beat us out of that last contract was by cheating,” she added. ‘Us,’ in this case, was Wayne Industries.

“So, do you think you’ll get the contract now?”

“The bid’s already been resubmitted,” Lois said as Clark put away the groceries. She was grinning in the way that told him there was more.

“And?” he prompted.

“And, Wayne Industries is hosting a symposium on ‘Greening the Military’ right after Christmas, in Vail. I’ve been invited to attend. Families are invited so long as they pay their own transportation.”

“I assume you’ve already sent the information along to Richard?” Clark asked.

He wasn't surprised when she nodded. “He has to put in for vacation time. I also went ahead and booked a round trip for you and Jason. Mine’s through the company.”

She studied his face for a long moment. “Are you really okay with this?”

“Richard was Jason’s dad for five years,” Clark said. “If it wasn’t for, you know, he’d still be Jason’s dad. What sort of person would I be if I begrudged him some time with his son?”

“You’d be human.”

Clark sighed. “I miss him,” he said. “Being him, I mean. I miss being able to bring you take out from Hong Kong and Shanghai and Kyoto and Paris. I miss hearing your heartbeat no matter where I am. I wanted to be able to show you so much… And then Luthor happened.”

“I miss working for Perry, all the people in the news room. I even miss Lombard and his stupid lewd remarks,” Lois told him. “I miss my old life. But if this is what I have to do to keep Jason safe… At least I’m not alone in this.”

Clark took her hand and kissed it. “You’re not alone,” he murmured, wondering once again what he had done to deserve such a wonderful woman.



Thanksgiving came. Martha did most of the cooking – Lois’s cooking skills had improved during their months of exile but she still wasn’t ready to take on the entire feast. Dinner would be in the late afternoon – Clark and Ben had volunteered their day to serve dinner at one of the homeless shelters and had taken Jason with them.

Even without his powers, Clark still had a need to help others. And Lois knew he still missed being able to help as Superman. She could see it in his eyes every time the news showed a disaster Superman might have been able to handle when human means failed.

There were times when she woke up in the night to discover he wasn't beside her. She would find him staring out the window at the sky and she knew he was dreaming of flying. And she knew there was nothing they could do about it.

Bruce had Doctor Klein fly out a few weeks earlier. Klein had examined Clark, took blood samples and tissue samples. He hadn’t been hopeful that he’d find any changes – any sign that Clark’s powers would return. Klein had been right. There were no indications that Clark’s condition had changed. The toxin was still in his system. He was still human and it looked like that was how he was going to stay.

Clark had taken the news stoically, but Lois knew how disappointed he had really been.

“How is Clark, really?” Martha asked, putting the stuffed turkey in the oven. “He won’t tell me.”

“He’s ‘Clark,’” Lois answered. Then she sighed. “He was hoping for better news from Doctor Klein. At least he’s not getting any worse. But he misses being able to help the way he used to. And we both miss our old lives. Writing scathing editorials isn’t the same thing as getting into the trenches and uncovering what the crooks are doing.”

“And how are you really doing?” Martha asked.

Lois thought about the question. “This isn’t the life I ever imagined I’d be living. Back before Superman returned, I was reasonably content living with Richard, raising Jason. I’d won another Pulitzer. Life was good. Then Superman came back and so did Clark and I realized exactly what had been missing from my life. I do love him. Not the flashy celebrity who was bigger than life, but the quiet, steady, good man that was under the costume.”

“So, when do I get another grandchild?” Martha asked with a grin.

“We’re working on it,” Lois assured her mother-in-law.

Lois and Clark had discussed having another child. Lois had even stopped taking her contraceptives. They were both certain it was only a matter of time before they would be able to tell Jason he was getting a baby brother or sister. After all, it had taken only one night of passion for Lois to get pregnant with Jason.

“Where did you learn to do that...” she had asked after one of the most incredible kisses she had ever experienced.

“Here... just now...” he had answered.  “There were so many times I wanted to tell you. Sitting next to you as Clark, smiling shyly, listening to you talk about Superman, and how much you... loved him...”

Lois chuckled. “That's all right. I suppose it is a little late in the game for me to play hard to get.”

“It's all real now, Lois – I'm real – and I love you,” he said. She knew he meant it. He kissed her passionately, easing her down to the floor. It was like a dream.

“Mmm. If you only knew what that felt like...” she murmured.

“The kiss?”

“Not... exactly...”

Their first love-making had been passionate, intense, almost frantic. Lois wasn't a virgin, although she could count her previous lovers on less than one hand. Clark was inexperienced but a fast learner. Their next love-making was slower, more exploratory, but no less intense. His kisses burned across her skin.

Richard’s kisses had never felt like that. Clark’s kisses still burned across her skin. She hoped they would never stop burning.

But she wasn’t about to tell her mother-in-law that.



“Dear Lord, we thank you for this food, this company, this day and all of our days,” Ben intoned over the dinner table.

“Amen.”

It was picture perfect, a Norman Rockwell painting - the family gathered around the holiday feast. It would be perfect, Lois mused, if it weren’t that they were all in hiding from a madman.

“Bruce called while we were heading home,” Clark said as they were clearing away the dishes. Ben and Martha had settled down with Jason to watch one of the obligatory Christmas movies.

“Harrington’s under investigation for his involvement in the Randolph Industries scandal,” Clark continued. “Aside from that, Bruce also wanted to make sure we were keeping an eye out for strangers in the neighborhood. D.O.D. managed to get Luthor transferred into military custody. Bruce hasn’t been able to find out where.”

“I could ask my dad if he…”

“Lois, your father has more sense than to tip his hand that he knows we’re not dead,” Clark reminded her. “And if Luthor really is working for the military, he’ll be classified above top secret. Nobody but his minders are going to know where he is.”

“When did you get to be such a cynic?” Lois asked. It wasn’t like Clark to be so negative about digging for information.

“Bruce told me a couple other things I didn’t want to mention in front of Mom or Ben,” Clark said softly.

“Such as?”

“Superman’s tomb was opened by  people with very high authorizations. I gather they finally got permission from someone to take the body for study.”

Lois’s breath caught in her throat. She knew it wasn't Superman’s body in the tomb. “And?”

“The coffin was empty. The authorities haven’t released the information to the media but it looks like Superman’s body was stolen not long after the funeral. The FBI is looking into it.”

“Do you think they’ll find anything?”

Clark shook his head.

“You said he mentioned a couple things,” Lois reminded her husband.

Clark took a deep breath and blew it out his nose. What ever it was Bruce had told him, Lois knew it wasn't good.

“There’s a rumor going around Metropolis that Lois Lane and Clark Kent aren’t dead and that they’re living together,” Clark said, keeping his voice low.

“Who would have started it?” Lois wondered aloud. “Richard wouldn’t say anything. He knows how to protect a source.”

“But someone may have overheard him talking to Perry, or Lucy may have said something to her husband. Maggie Sawyer saw us in Reno and we both know what gossips most cops are. And Harrington saw us in Minneapolis. It wouldn’t have taken much for him to put two and two together, especially since he’s being investigated.”

“So, what do we do?” Lois asked.

Clark paused and looked toward the living room where his mom, Ben, Jason were still watching the movie. “I didn’t have time to ask Bruce what he thought,” Clark said. “But I’m thinking, if we’re outed publically, I mean a TV crew in the front yard, we may as well come clean. We’d have a chance of getting our old lives back, or at least some semblance of them.”

“And if that’s not how it happens?” Lois asked. “If somebody tries to grab Jason, or takes pot shots at us?”

“If it was just you and me, we could probably brazen it out anyway. Luthor was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, not murder itself. Those convictions will still stand,” Clark said. “But we have Jason to worry about. If it looks like Luthor still has the means to come after us, we should run like hell and not look back.”

“Maybe it’ll all blow over and we won’t have to worry about it,” Lois suggested hopefully.

“Do you really think we could be that lucky?” Clark asked.

“Stranger things have happened,” Lois reminded him. “Look at us.”



The closer to Christmas it got the more excited Jason became – he was so looking forward to seeing ‘Daddy Richard’ again.

Clark was feeling a little calmer. Bruce’s news about the tomb had disturbed him, although he couldn’t quite put a finger on why. He had known early on that the body that had been identified as Superman’s had belonged to a young actor who had died in an accident. One of the new costumed meta-humans had placed the body in the collapsed building in Mexico. Clark didn’t know the details, nor did he want to know. But it was nice to know that Superman’s example had brought out some of the others who had abilities beyond those of ‘mortal men.’

That Luthor was now in military custody also bothered him, but he had more concrete reasons for that. Luthor was dangerous. The fictional Hannibal Lecter had nothing on Luthor. Lecter never threatened to murder billions of people. Luthor had actually tried.

At least it looked as though the rumors of his and Lois’s survival were dying down. General Sam Lane made a statement to the Daily Planet that his eldest daughter, Lois, and her son were dead, killed in a car bomb blast.

No one would dream of calling a three star general a liar.

Clark sat back in his chair, stretching his long arms over his head. His essay for his last class was due first thing in the morning. He was nearly finished and it would have been done sooner if one of his reporters hadn’t ended up in the hospital with pneumonia earlier in the week.

Lois was due to come home shortly and Jason was playing next door. Clark put his laptop on stand-by and hurried to start dinner. He extended his hearing to make sure Jason was all right. It was odd, but right after Klein’s bad news about Clark’s returning powers, his hearing had kicked back in. It had been painful at first, but over the past few weeks he’d gotten better control.

He hadn’t told Lois yet. He didn’t want to get her hopes up.



“Lois, wake up,” Clark’s voice intruded into her dreams. The urgent tone made her open her eyes. It was dark in the bedroom. Pitch black.

“Wha…” she managed to mutter. A quick glance at her alarm clock confirmed that the power was out. But moving her head gave her vertigo. “Clark?”

“We have to get out of here, now!” Clark said, pulling her out of their warm bed.

That’s when she heard it, the whoosh of gas igniting.

Lois never quite figured out how she and Jason got out of the house that night. All she really remembered was standing in the snow with a quilt wrapped around her and Jason, waiting for the fire engines to arrive. Their house was in the middle of the block. The houses to either side were also on fire but there was no sign that anyone else had managed to escape, but it was hard to tell with the neighbors coming out to see what was going on.

Flames licked the sky. There were explosions and the onlookers moved back.

“Are you guys okay?” a worried voice asked.

Lois looked over to see a man clad in skin-tight bright red standing next to Clark. Lois wracked her brain for a name. Lightning? No… Flash.

“We’re okay,” Clark assured the meta-human.

“Good,” the Flash said. “Then let’s go.”

“Go where?” Lois asked. ‘Run like hell and don’t look back,’ echoed in her mind.

“The Bat sent me,” the Flash said. It sounded like a password. “He told me you’d know what to do.”

Clark seemed to have gotten whatever the message was. He hurried Lois and Jason away from the fire.

Lois turned back to the man. “Who did this?”

“Hell if I know,” the Flash responded.