Adult-FanFiction.org : Comics

Be Not Echoes	By : Isabelle_Jennings Category: DC Verse Comics > Justice League Views: 3674 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: this story is non-profit, I don't own Justice League or any DC Comics characters

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
PART 2: NEW FRIENDS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--- KAL ---
Clark, Kal-El he'd learned his birth name was, felt almost shockingly relaxed as he flew through the sky of Gotham-Metropolis that afternoon. It was surprising to him how freeing it was to let this side of himself be openly seen by the world. He thought of himself first really, as a simple farm boy from Kansas... turned orphan, turned world traveler, turned newspaper man. He'd only really come to Metropolis to settle because he'd heard in the news about Kara-Ze from Krypton, Power Woman. According to the Kryptonian logs left in the crystals in his ship, she was his cousin! A real family--he couldn't've stayed away. Since his adoptive parents died in Smallville when he was eight, he'd been adopted by the Langs and then set out on his own. He'd kept the secret of his alien origins and abilities from his second adoptive family, except for Lana, who'd been a best friend/quasi-sister to him. The Langs hadn't felt like a real family to him though. They'd been great, really, but he'd always felt like a guest in their home (mostly due to his own reluctance to get close again, he privately admitted to himself). So, having a real, related-to-him-by-blood family mattered a lot to him. And that there was someone else in the world who was truly the same as him, had the same background, was of the same... species, really--that mattered too. It made him feel less alone. So he'd come here and taken up being a hero like his cousin. And so this, this Superman a newspaper had called him, he was finding out that this, surprisingly, was part of him too... Though, honestly, he didn't really like the name 'Superman' much. It kind of made him want to do an interview with someone... maybe Lois, he considered, to sort of set the record straight? But really, he didn't feel up for that yet (the idea of being so in the public eye was daunting for someone so used to hiding who he was). And he knew, now that he had a job at the Planet, he could get the scoop on himself very easily, and relatively anonymously, but... that just seemed too dishonest. Like he'd be cheating to get ahead. He wanted to make a name for himself as Clark Kent honestly. By doing good reporting that he could genuinely feel proud of.
Right now though, there had been a string of grisly murders in the old Gotham neighborhoods, around the park there. Low income families, homeless people, and a police officer, Detective Harvey Bullock, who'd had a distinguished, if colorful carrier. Clark had met him once, when he'd first visited the city. Harvey'd interviewed him as a witness when Clark had covertly saved some people from an arson. Some had thought Clark was a suspect, but Bullock hadn't. He'd cleared him and found the real arsonist; with a little covert help from Clark himself.
Now, he wanted to return the favor, and prevent any more deaths from occurring. Personally, he blamed the press to a certain extent though, for not reporting the other deaths in the headlines because they'd been poor or homeless people. Maybe if they had, he or someone like him would have known about it and been able to stop the killings before Harvey had become a victim. As a reporter, he vowed to himself to do his part to change that.
He landed in the ally where Bullock had been killed and used his powers of vision to try to put together some of what happened, maybe find a clue. "You can come out, I know you're there, whoever you are." He spoke, having heard the all but silent approach of a person, a man by the way he carried himself (somehow, he could just tell those sort of things; he couldn't say exactly how, it was mostly just instinct), though he hadn't reacted to maintain the advantage of surprise.
"Very impressive," an imposing voice replied. "To hear me coming. You're the first that has."
Kal turned to face him and cocked his head to the side a little in considering him. "You'd be the Batman, I take it. Not an urban legend after all then."
"Apparently not." Batman came close to him.
Kal studied him and looked under the mask. "Bruce Wayne? Huh, that's a surprise." He commented.
"...How did..." Bruce took a step back.
Clark taped the side of his head by his eye with his finger. "These eyes don't miss very much. Sorry. Your secret's safe with me though. As long as it turns out you haven't been killing these people, of course."
"Not me." Bruce answered. "What's your stake in this then, 'Superman' is it?"
Clark winced just a little at that. "Kal-El is my name, Kal's fine. I didn't chose 'Superman', and I'm not really a fan of Nietzsche, so I'm not too fond of the nickname actually." He admitted.
"Huh." Bruce replied. "My question?"
"...Harvey Bullock was a friend. Or, he helped me out once, at least. I'd like to return the favor." Kal told.
"We have that in common at least then." Bruce considered him critically a moment, apparently reassured some by his answer. Kal decided that personal connections probably meant a lot to this man, in a deeper way than for most people. He kind of wanted to find out why that was so. "Perhaps we should work together, then?" Bruce offered.
Kal looked at him and thought, sympathy aside, he was probably just doing this under the heading of 'friends close, enemies closer' and not having decided quite yet just which one Kal would be to him. He wanted to learn more about him, in other words. Kal smiled. He could be accommodating to that. "Deal." He agreed. "I think we need to start at the park."
"Why's that?" Bruce asked.
"Lake water residue, all over the ground." Kal tapped his head again. "Like I said, my eyes don't miss much."
"...alright then. I'll follow your lead. For now." Bruce agreed.
Kal smiled a little ruefully. "You asked for it." He moved faster than a human could see, scooped Bruce up in his arms, and had them by the lake side in less than a second, setting Bruce down. Physics said that the trip should have been damaging to a human, but somehow it wasn't. Again, Kal didn't know exactly how he knew to make just the right 'adjustments' to have an effect like that, he just knew how to do things like that. Where it should have been hard for someone who could topple buildings with his bare hands with barely any real effort to interact with the human world, with humans themselves in particular (who were very fragile in comparison to him), without incident, it had never been a problem for him somehow. And he did wonder how he always managed it so easily, but he'd resigned himself that he'd probably never know. The Kryptonian database couldn't tell him, at any rate. Maybe he'd ask Kara about it, who could do the same things. She had such a keen scientific mind, maybe she could puzzle it out.
"...How..." Bruce looked at him and narrowed his eyes. "Don't do that again, Kal-El." His words were unequivocal.
Kal smiled. "How about I ask first next time?"
"I'll say no." Bruce replied.
"We'll see." Kal replied, walking towards the lake and kneeling down. He touched the water and ran his fingers over the surface, then looked underneath. "...Dear God... What is that... Is that a man down there, or an animal?" He looked at Bruce. "I'll be right back." And he was gone, diving under water.
A minute later, he broke the surface and tossed a flailing... crocodile man... onto the shore.
"Killer Crock." Bruce informed him, standing back and throwing a taser charged grappling line to entangle the beast's legs.
"You!!!" Crock recognized Bruce, or rather Batman, the taser shock only making him more infuriated. He ripped the cord away, charging at him. "Eat you up, Batman!!!" He growled.
Kal grabbed his wrist and squeezed. Killer Crock fell down on his keens and cried out in pain. "Did you kill those people? The cop?" Kal asked.
"Ahhh!!! Let go! Yes!! Yes, I killed them, let me go... please let me go..." He made a sort of whining noise.
Kal did, and decked him. He fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious. "What is he?" Kal asked. "More importantly, what do we do with him? I mean... I know he looks like part animal, but he talked like a man. We can't just... put him down like a mad dog..."
"No, we can't... Much as it might be kinder to him to do so..." Bruce answered, for just a moment looking at him with something close to... faith. It made Kal want to be worthy of that look, for some reason.
"What do you mean?" Kal asked.
Bruce looked at him. "This man didn't ask to be like this, Kal-El. Someone did this to him."
"Someone... That's..." Clark shook his head. "Can't something be done? A treatment devised?"
"I had someone working on it. And I'd thought Crock was locked away at Arkham."
"Arkham?" Kal asked.
"A prison slash mental institution for the criminally insane." Bruce provided.
Kal just shook his head. "I'm taking him to my cousin, Kara. She'll know what to do." Kal told, kneeling down and easily tossing Killer Crock over his shoulder. He turned to Bruce and smiled a little. "What to come with?"
But he was gone. "Huh. Well what do you know about that?" He shook his head a little and flew off. Privately impressed that Bruce had been able to slip away without him noticing like that. He certainly was a very interesting person, Kal had to admit. Attractive even, even with the 'Batman' suit on--something about that voice of his...
--- J'ONN ---
Later that night, Lois was sitting on her couch with her legs pulled up to her chest, wearing a silk robe after having taken a shower. Cat was just coming in from having gone to dinner with Lori. Lori had an out-of-town conference to attend and Cat was going to pack her things and meet her at the airport in the morning to go with her. After all, she'd done all her research, she could write her next column from her laptop.
"Hey, what's with you, my girl." Cat got on the couch with he and snuggled up next to her, twining her arm with Lois's and leaning on her shoulder.
Lois smiled. "I think I met someone new today, someone I like..." She admitted.
"Yeah? So, what's wrong with that?" Cat asked, pushing her over and laying down next to her snuggled together on the couch. "What's her name?"
Lois held her back, glad for the contact. Lori had been kind of alarmed at how close the two of them were, jealous perhaps, but she'd mostly gotten used to it and been satisfied that Lois/J'onn wasn't a threat to her new relationship. "-His- name is Clark Kent. The new reporter? Have you met him?"
"Um... No, not yet... A man? Really? Huh... must be special." Cat replied.
"I really think he is, Cat. There's just something about him, well, more than one something really... ~I want to bed him I think...~" She bit her lip as she spoke the last in Martian. The gender issue wasn't an issue for her (as, for Martians, that often tended to not matter all that much) except for that it would be an issue for Lois. Lois had never dated a man, it was unlikely she ever would.
"~Then go ahead and bed him, he'd be a fool to turn you down.~" Cat replied reasonably.
Lois smiled. "He would, wouldn't he?" She felt better, despite herself. She hated to admit it, but she realized she had been feeling a bit insecure for some reason. Naked, exposed somehow, caught off guard at least. Maybe how she'd made him feel with calling him on his act, she considered, smiling a little at the thought. "But Lois wouldn't ask a man to her bed, would she?"
"Doubt it." Cat confirmed. "J'onn, I hate to say it though... and I know it won't matter much to you even if you agree with me... and to an extent I don't think it -does- mater. You'd still keep trying, and you -should-... but, you have to know, whatever happened to her, to Lois... I mean..." She felt her chest grow tighter. "She's probably dead, J'onn. And... and even if she's not, ~God of fire, I hope she hasn't met you in the desert~ ...if she's not, then she'd want you to be happy, to have a life for yourself. ~You know she would, my flicker spark~." In Martian culture, it was the norm that two as close as they would have private names, nicknames for one another. ~Flicker spark~ was the name Cat had come up with for J'onn.
Lois moved and got up a little and kissed Cat on the forehead. "You always know just what I need to hear most, don't you?" She sighed and snuggled up with her friend again. "You know... if you had chosen me, I would have gladly been your lover, ~even your mate I think.~" She confessed softly.
Cat moved and kissed Lois's forehead again. "I know... ~I regret sometimes I wasn't brave enough for that~, but then I think I probably am still not so brave as that. What was that you said that night? Some people want, or need, more distance in their relationships than others do?"
J'onn smiled. "Very true."
"Do you think Clark Kent would be the one to accept an intimacy so deep for you?" Cat asked.
Lois sighed. "Oh, who's to say." She smiled. "I don't suppose you'd fuck me one time for the hell of it, would you? I think I could use it right now, to get my head on straight... No pun intended." Lois laughed and so did Cat.
"And be a two-timing bitch-whore on Lori with you?" She pinned Lois under her on the couch and looked down into her eyes, trying to look deadly serious but failing miserably. "Not going to happen. I promised her you were off limits that way, I'm not going back on that just to provide a distraction for you, and from a guy no less!"
Lois smiled. "I'd be alright with you calling and asking permission first?" She teased.
Cat got up, grabbed a pillow, and whacked her with it. "Brat." She accused.
Lois let out a long, relaxed breath. "I feel better. Thanks ~beautiful daylight~" She replied, using the nickname she'd given her.
"Any time ~flicker spark~" Cat snuggled up to her again happily, not really having taken what Lois had said before seriously. Although she -was- pretty sure Lois wouldn't have said no if Cat had taken her up on the offer, which made her feel good about herself, stroked her ego in a good way some. She had wondered to herself, more than once, if J'onn/Lois would have said yes to her if she'd wanted to have a relationship with her after their night together. It was nice to have the answer.
They lay there a minute or so. "So, you and Lori, your first vacation together? Can the wedding be far behind?" Lois asked, a smile spreading over her face.
Cat pushed her a little and got on top of her again. "I think you like teasing me just a little too much."
Lois smiled up at her. "Caught me." She admitted with a soft breath, meeting her best friend's eyes trustingly.
Cat looked into those eyes and couldn't help a soft slightly sad smile. "If I didn't know you weren't her, I don't know if even I could tell you weren't..." She spoke, laying on her side.
Lois propped herself up on her elbow and met her eyes again. She smiled a little. "Sometimes I can't tell I'm not her ether I think." She admitted that secret truth. "Being her, it feels so much better than being myself. ~Would it be so bad if J'onn J'onzz just... melted away~?" She asked.
"Yes, it would." Cat kissed her chastely on the lips, just a peck. "But everyone changes, even down that deep. Why should you be any different?" She asked, touching her cheek.
"Why should I indeed." Lois lay back on her back again.
"...You know, if she did ask me, I think I'd say yes... To marrying her, I mean." Cat answered the question she'd been asked, laying on Lois's shoulder and sighing.
"...I'm glad." Lois replied. "I like her for you Cat, really I do. You're... very beautiful together."
Cat smiled. "We are, aren't we? ...We click."
"Yes you do." Lois smiled, running an absent hand through her friend's hair. "I don't suppose you could convince her to move in here with you, huh? So you'd still be my roommate after you've got that ball and chain on your ankle?"
Cat smiled. "Oh, and I suppose you'd have Clark Kent move in with you? Make it a party? It's a big place Lois, but it's not that big."
"I don't mind a crowded place." Lois admitted. "...We could always get a penthouse. Together, the four of us could probably afford it. With a pool?" She looked hopefully to her friend.
"Ha. Tempting Lane, very tempting." Cat answered.
"I do look amazing in a bathing suit, don't I?" Lois smiled.
"Fuck right you do." Cat answered, biting her lower lip a little. Lois could tell Cat was remembering just that.
Lois smiled.
"A swimming pool." Cat spoke. "Lori would love that, wouldn't she?"
"She would." Lois agreed. "Have you made love to her while she's all wet and mermaid-sleek yet?" She asked playfully.
"Lois!" She pushed her a little playfully, they lay back down on her shoulder. "So what if I have."
Lois smiled. "So... details?" Lois asked.
Cat growled a little. "Fine. Tell me though, when you get hot and heavy with mister good-body reporter man, if you had the choice, would you most want to be a man or a woman with him?"
"Hmm... you know, I don't know." Lois admitted. "I've never been in this situation before... I think, given the choice, I'd want to try both." She answered. "Not that I know whether he'd be open to that... I barely know anything about him after all."
Cat buried her head in Lois's hair a little more. "Sometimes I forget that Martian modesty isn't human modesty."
"That's understandable, you were born into human society after all. Even possessing my memories and emotions, I'd be surprised if you favored them in something like this rather than your own." Lois reflected. "So, I told you mine, how was it with her as a mermaid?" She asked curiously.
Cat quirked a smile. "Well, it certainly is memorable." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Her scales sliding over me feel so soft and good..." She shivered a little. "I've never felt anything like it, actually... "
Lois smiled. "Sounds wonderful..." She mused. "I'll have to try being a mermaid sometime, won't I?"
"Oh, I wish I could." Cat told her a little dreamily. "Swimming in the ocean with her, having a tail like hers..." She quirked a smile. "You know, I remember how Martians make love, how you just... melt into each other. Sometimes, when I'm with her, it feels like I should be doing that, like I'm... trying to do something I remember so clearly doing, but I just... can't anymore..." Cat looked over and saw tears on Lois's face. "Oh... ~I'm so sorry, my bright spark~" Cat wiped her tears away and kissed her gently, chastely, hugging her and starting to cry herself.
"~My M'Yri'ah~..." Lois spoke in a whisper, starting to shake with crying and the rawness of remembrance. Cat just held her and stoked her hair. Somehow, since becoming female, since finding so close a friend to trust and lean on, she'd been able to let herself feel her grief more, not always hold it back so much. And, she imagined, she felt those feelings a little differently as a human, and as a female. Hormones partly, she supposed (Martians didn't even have those... they had something sort of analogous, but very different). Truly, it was a gift.
--- J'ONN ---
The next day she spent with Clark, went to lunch with him again, he was pretty much by her side the whole day (working on a story about a new Lex Corp energy initiative that smelled fishy to Lois, as did pretty much anything having to do with Lex Luthor, whom she highly despised), and that spark between them only grew. She was really starting to like him a lot, and grow more curious about him too. She hadn't much more than brushed his mind a few times, only enough to catch a few fleeting surface thoughts and feelings that didn't tell her much. It would be risky looking in his mind wholesale after all. A mind like his? She couldn't know if he'd be able to tell what she was doing or not, and besides, she kind of enjoyed the mystery of it all and was reluctant to spoil it too soon for some reason. She was pretty sure he wasn't a threat at least. Everything she felt or sensed from him was warm, caring, friendly, good... alluring, if she was honest. He was witty and charming in an uncommon way, had a very fresh take on life in general she thought, he just had this kind of extremely vibrant energy about him that called to her, and she was pretty sure she could look into those blue eyes of his all day and not get bored. She was getting more and more curious about bedding him and what it would be like, if she were even more honest, though she hadn't done anything more about him than flirt with him a little, still unsure of herself in this regard. As much as she felt drawn to him, felt comfortable and secure around him, there was something else about him that made her hesitate. Like this really mattered somehow, and she didn't want to rush it. Like as if she were going to try to bed Cat again if Cat were open to it (which, even though Lois liked Lori really well and thought she was great for Cat, a significant part of her just couldn't quite let go of the hope that maybe Cat would chose her instead one day, as illogical as it was), as serious as that would be, this was to her. It demanded care and patience.
That night though, after she left work, she was feeling restless and very much not wanting to go home to an empty apartment and find her best friend gone away with her lover and she with no one. She paused on the corner before hailing a cab and took out her cell phone, calling a familiar number from her contacts list: Erica Alexandra Del Portenza, Gotham-Metropolis's famous, or perhaps somewhat infamous, Countessa. She was one of the richest, most influential people in the city, with business interests all over the world, practically.
Months ago, she had been interviewing Erica about a charity she was founding to help disadvantaged inner-city kids. One thing had led to another and they'd ended up in Erica's bed that evening with their clothes off making passionate love to one another. In the morning, Erica had said something along the lines of 'I suppose I can expect a glowing review of my charity from you now, can't I?' as Lois was getting up. Erica had been sitting on the edge of the bed, wrapped in the bed sheets, and Lois had slapped her, indigent, at the lurid and presumptive way she'd said that as much as what she'd said, which had been offensive enough. 'How dare you.' Lois had said. Erica had seduced her again after that and they'd made love again, this time with more friction, an underlying battle for emotional dominance evident, which neither of them won. Lois had left a note for the sleeping Erica, saying 'If I were writing about your talent as a lover, the review would be absolutely glowing. Call me, -Lois.'
Erica had called about a week later and they'd gone to dinner together and ended up in bed again. Over the intervening time, they'd gotten together off and on, mostly for sex and that dynamic they seemed to have, kind of an ongoing verbal dual, laced with lust, mutual admiration, and challenge to see who would win their little dual of emotional dominance, both probably hoping neither ever would. The dance was too much fun. And Lois felt like she needed that tonight, needed the distraction, to feel desired and appreciated in that special and unique way Erica made her feel appreciated. Like she was an equal in a game Erica hadn't found many equals in.
Erica answered on the first ring. "Lois, my darling, beautiful lover, how completely pleasurable it is to hear your voice. I've missed you."
Lois smiled. "Likewise. I was thinking we might have dinner tonight, if you're free?" She asked.
There was a short pause, then--"You know, I think I just can make time for that. The Athena club? Say, seven?" She asked, referring to a high-end lesbian dance club she owned (dance as in classical music with fine dining and a series of indoor pools on the top floor). "I'll send a car."
"I'll be waiting for it." Lois agreed happily.
"Wear something wonton and... lustful... if you want." Erica flirted.
"Oh, I will. You just wear something that you won't mind me ripping off you later... if you want." Lois bantered.
Erica veritably purred. "You do say the sweetest things, don't you lover? Mmm, have to be going now, until later, think about me, won't you?" And the line went dead before Lois could reply.
Lois hugged the phone to her, closed her eyes, and smiled, humming a little, remembering how it felt to be with Erica. She sighed and looked up into the night sky, imagining for just a second that everything was great in the world, no confusion, no pain, no tragedy, just... joy. It was a fleeting thought, one she couldn't recall ever having before actually. She shook her head a little and smiled a little ruefully to herself. "Lane, you need to have your head examined." She told the night as she went to hail a cab to go home and change.
Arriving home after a slow cab ride, during which she'd let her mind just wonder aimlessly, she arrived back at her and Cat's apartment. She looked around and sighed, wishing Cat hadn't gone. Cat had come to mean so much to her so fast, she'd come to be so used to having her always there when she came home, even catching the same cab back in some cases. Less lately because of Lori, bur still, she missed her. She really did think the idea of Lori moving in with them was a good one. She didn't mind being second place in Cat's heart, just as long as Cat was still in her life. She lamented to herself that that might very well not be up to her and that she might have to let her best friend go more than she'd like. The idea made her feel a deep, nameless sort of sad, so she went and put on some music. A little classical guitar music to sooth her fears and distract her thoughts.
The music helped. She decided to throw off her doubts and worries and just be a little bold and enjoy herself tonight. Erica was nothing if not singularly talented at lifting her spirits and making her feel alive, in her own unique and very enjoyable fashion. She could... take charge of her, like no one else, except maybe the real Lois, ever had. Lois couldn't quite picture herself with Erica as her life-mate for some reason, they just didn't seem to click that way, at least as things stood between them now (one never could account for the future of course), but they did click some way. And it was fascinating too, there was something about Erica that just defied her senses. She could only ever read emotions from her, never anything more than ghosts of thoughts. The Countessa was definitely something other than strictly human. Not that Lois really cared much about that; after all, she herself wasn't actually human at all, much as she was presently doing a very, very, very close imitation if she did say so herself.
She shucked all her clothes and went about choosing her lingerie and picking out a dress, one of the several Erica had sent her over the last months as gifts, no doubt with the self-serving goal of seeing her in them. She picked a dark silvery one that showed a lot of almost everything, really, and slipped it on, standing in front of the mirror without shoes and looking at herself appreciatively. Running her hands over the dress and touching her lips a little, imagining Erica was there touching them for her. She smiled to herself and bit down on her finger a little. Her body definitely knew what it wanted tonight, and she was in complete agreement. She really looked at herself then, and had a realization that the woman she was looking at in the mirror was becoming more and more who she was, really who she was. She had changed a lot since she'd taken over Lois's life, and she realized she was probably going to change a lot more over the coming months and years. How that would be and where her life would take her, she could hardly even guess, but one thing was for sure, she'd been stuck in grief and loneliness for so long, it felt so good to be moving again. She steadfastly told herself that her wife and children would want that for her, just as she knew she herself would want that for them had they survived and he not. It was a comforting thought, in so far as it went, though she knew there would always be a limit, a place in her such comfort would likely never be able to touch or reach.
She sighed to herself, looked away from the mirror, went to get her shoes, and a coat. She checked the time and saw she had a half hour to go before her ride would be there. She considered that and thought maybe she should call someone. Cat, or Clark maybe? Thinking about it, she didn't really want to hear Cat's voice right now without being able to touch her or see her eyes, and she didn't want to interrupt if Cat was in the middle of being... frisky (or romantic, or having fun, or just spending quality time with Lori, or something), so she got out her cell and called Clark.
"Hey Smallville, Lois." Lois smiled to herself. She loved calling him that.
"Oh, uh, hey Lois. What can I do for you?" Clark asked.
Lois could hear the sound of wind in the background a lot, and was that traffic? "Nothing in particular, just calling to call. I had a half hour to kill before my date, to be honest. Thought, 'hey, Clark's new to the city, maybe could use a friendly voice', so I called." She admitted, wanting to hear how he'd react to that particular news. "Wow, it's really windy where you are, huh?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. Just a second, I'll find someplace indoors or something." He offered, covering the phone with his hand. [He'd been flying as 'Superman' when Lois called, and had landed on a bridge tower to answer his cell phone, though Lois didn't know that of course.]
"Smallville?" Lois asked, looking out the window curiously to see if there was a lot of wind outside suddenly or something.
"Yeah... I'm here Lois, sorry about that." She could hear the slightly self-conscious smile in his voice.
"No problem. So how's things after your first real day on the job? Let me guess, you've got this whole intrepid reporter/adrenaline junkie thing going. You're out chasing a story right now because you just couldn't turn it off, huh? No use denying it, I'm on to you Clark." Lois smiled, going over and sitting on a stool across from the kitchen area and wishing wistfully that Cat's smiling face was there making a sandwich for herself and mouthing dirty comments to her about her conversation with the guy she had a crush on (which was still a little of an odd feeling to wrap her head around, to be honest. But, you know, early days and all that. Time would tell.)
"Ha. Caught me, I guess." Clark replied back, his manner relaxing a little.
"Uh huh, now I know you're up to something." She bantered back. "But, go ahead, keep your secrets, Clark. If it's anything interesting, I'm sure you'll tell me sooner or later. You just won't be able to help yourself."
"Can't fool you over anything, can I?" Clark replied, sounding happy with that idea somehow.
"Oh, you might be able to. Who knows?" Lois answered.
"Right. So, uh, a date, huh? Who is he?" Clark asked.
"'She' actually, and her name's Erica." Lois answered fondly of both Erica and Clark.
"Oh, sorry, I just thought... never mind. So, Erica, huh? Is it serious? You and Erica?" Clark asked.
Lois smiled, very pleased to hear the disappointment in his voice at learning she might be both unavailable, and perhaps even uninterested in men. "Mmm, not the way you mean, I suppose. We just, well, honestly we go out to dinner and then make love and sleep together once and a while. Kind of a friends with benefits sort of thing, but I'd say we're at least definitely good friends. Sad thing is, she's the most committed relationship I've been in for a long time."
"I see..." Clark replied, and Lois could tell he was a little lost in thought about this.
"And Clark, you didn't misinterpret anything. I usually date women, but... I'm not against dating men or anything. In case you were wondering." She told with a smile.
"Oh, no, that... um, good to know I guess. I've been known to date on both sides of the fence myself, actually." He gave up. "Um so, why the fear of commitment then? Was it first love gone bad, or...?"
Lois felt that familiar pang inside of her. "I was... when I was young, there was this girl. My best friend, really." Lois lied. "We were going to get married and everything. But... she died, in a fire. Arson they said. Random act of craziness... We didn't even know the guy. I guess, since then... I still dream about her... I guess it's just been hard to let people get close, you know?" She told softly. "After it happened, after the funeral, I kind of just, set off on my own and ended up where I am somehow."
"Oh, Lois... I'm sorry." Clark spoke.
"Don't be." Lois put on a brave smile and closed her eyes. "So what about you, Smallville? Seeing anyone serious?" She asked.
Clark laughed. "'Fraid not. I had a girlfriend back home, in Smallville. Lana. We grew up together. Like you said, my best friend. We went traveling abroad together even. But we... I guess you'd say we had a falling out of sorts. I think we were just too different. You know, where it mattered. I was orphaned, twice actually; I didn't want to settle down, and she did... And no, I mean, since then, I've had a few dates now and then, there was a man in Tasmania I dated for a while, didn't end so well, and a woman in London who I hit it off with before I came here... but I've not no one in my life right now, not that way anyway..."
"Really... um, what was the story with the woman from London then?" Lois asked intrigued. Intrigued about the rest also, Lana and twice orphaned? And what did 'didn't end so well' mean? But she got the sense Clark didn't want to talk about that part, and she didn't feel like perusing the rest right then either. Later.
"Oh, well, let's see. Her name was Lea, Lea Corbin. We met... chasing a story. She works for a left-wing N.P.O. there, but I was just staying a few weeks, trying to pick up a little freelance stuff, get a byline or two to my name if I could. We got to talking, I asked her out, we had a great week and a half together, but I was leaving and she told me she wasn't really looking for a relationship just then, so we left it at that."
"Hmm. You're definitely the romantic type Clark Kent, anyone could tell you that." She smiled. "I bet you don't have a problem in the world with the idea of commitment, do you?" She dared him a little.
"No, can't say that I do, actually..." He confessed. "Both sets of my adoptive parents had a good, strong marriages. Never fell out of love, from what I could tell... I'd be lying if I said I didn't want the same for myself one day."
"Mmm, yup." Lois pressed her lips together a little and ran a hand down her leg. "I pegged you alright. Hopeless romantic. Good for you, Smallville. I wish you the best with it."
"Ha, thanks, I think. So, what about you? Think you'll ever want to settle down again? Take a chance?" He asked. The conversation somehow having gotten very personal very fast. Lois felt strangely like they might be the only two people in the world right just then, as irrational a concept as that was.
"Me? Oh sure. If I met the right person, I think I'd definitely be willing to... take a chance." She answered honestly. "So, see you at work tomorrow, Clark? I think I should be going. Hot date and all."
"Right, I think I've got to be somewhere too. It was nice talking with you, Lois." He hung up, his last words having a sense of urgency to them. Strange, Lois thought as she closed her phone. It was definitely like Clark had to be somewhere, but the quality of his voice didn't say he was chasing a story. It just made her all the more curious.
She looked at the clock and saw she had nine minutes before she had to be out front to meet the car Erica was sending. She smiled to herself and sighed, her mood changed from her conversation with Clark, though she was still very ready and willing as far as Erica was concerned. She gathered her things in the purse that matched her dress, checked to make sure everything was off in the apartment so she didn't waste electricity, then noticed the house-phone was blinking. She went over and listened to the messages. One was from her dad (the real Lois's dad at least), General Sam Lane, just checking in with her apparently, wondering when she'd be able to visit him and her sister.
Lucy and he had come to see her for a week shortly after she'd made her 'triumphant return' and she'd liked them well enough, Lucy more than Sam. But even the gruff old general had his charms, she could see where Lois had gotten some things from him in the way of personality at least, which did endear him to her some, in addition to the way Lois felt about him which she also remembered.
She wrote a note for herself about that, then listened to the second message, one from Cat. Just telling her everything was going fine with her trip and saying how wonderful Lori was. She even joked that maybe Lois should start looking for that penthouse with the pool after all, which made Lois feel better, even though she couldn't tell how much she was joking about that. She hoped Cat was serious so much, hoped Cat really felt the same way about not wanting to move into separate places, maybe she was just seeing things. It wasn't a cultural norm here for a married couple to have a roommate, though it certainly couldn't be unheard of, right? On Mars it would be somewhat common if there was a family relation in play, much less so without that. But J'onn didn't have any family anymore; for her, Cat was the closest thing to that she'd had since she'd lost her people all those years ago.
She sighed and headed out the door. In front of her building, the car Erica sent waited. Lois checked her watch and found she was on time, so the car must have gotten there a little early.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(to be continued)
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Be Not Echoes