Chapter 11: Lois’ Letter
After dinner Kal told the children another story about Bruce. He decided for more humour so he retold the story where they all got turned into children. Kal couldn’t help but laugh himself. Bruce’s reaction to being a child was pretty funny. Kal waited until Dana got the kids to bed so he could say good night. She came down the stairs. “Thank you for dinner Dana.”
“Oh it’s no problem. It was nice to have company. I mean Terry stays when he can but you know, duty calls quite often.”
“Yes I do.” Kal responds from personal experience.
“So Terry says you’ve been out of touch for a few days.” Dana inquiries out of curiosity.
“Not very subtle Dana.” Kal comments at her attempt to pry into what he has been up to.
“I know I lack Terry’s finesse but he was worried about you. I know he idolises Bruce but you’re his hero. You’re the world’s hero.”
“I know for 70 years now. It’s tiresome some days.”
“So is that it. You just went away for a few days peace.”
Kal laughed “Only if you include nearly dying peaceful. Although it was relaxing I guess. A 3 day coma usually is.”
Dana was shocked “What happened?”
“I fought a god and won amazingly.”
Dana’s face frowns up in confusion.
“You want the whole story don’t you?”
Dana nods.
Kal sits down “Alright then. You better sit down this may take a while.”
Dana sits down next to him.
“It starts just after you left the graveyard at Bruce’s funeral. I stayed on, reminiscing, wallowing a little bit really. It occurred to me standing there that I was the last one left. The last original member of the Justice League. Then suddenly Diana appeared.”
“Diana?” Dana asks.
“Wonder Woman.” Kal clarifies.
Dana’s eyes widen. “You know Wonder Woman?”
“Intimately.” The word slips out before Kal realises he’s said it.
Dana comes to a realisation at that word “Oh she’s the she you mentioned.”
“Yes she is but that’s a whole other story.” Kal then goes on to explain Diana asking for his help and how they flew to Themyscira.
“What’s Themyscira like?” Dana asks
“Paradise when it’s not being destroyed by a power hungry god.” Kal answers. He goes to explain fighting Ares and the kryptonite and getting stabbed. “So Diana says I was out for 3 days.” He shrugs “Not so bad really. I’ve lived through worse. Kryptonite doesn’t affect me the way it use to so I guess I’m lucky in that sense. It took a few more days for my powers to regenerate enough for me to fly home.”
“And?” Dana asks.
“And what?”
“What about you and Diana?” Dana asks.
“That’s complicated.”
“Relationships usually are.” Dana comments.
“She has her duties. She is queen after all and I have things I need to do. I’m sure we’ll see each other again. Could be a while but that’s ok.”
Dana tried to read his face “You like her a lot don’t you?”
Kal smiles “I love her. I loved her as a friend for years but when she suddenly turned up I felt something else. At first I thought it was out of simple loneliness but after spending some time with her I realised it was more than that.”
Dana smiled. He did seem very happy when he talked about Diana. “So what will you do now?”
“Well wait until my new identity is valid. In the meantime get back to more regular League duties. I’ve been neglecting them for too long.”
“Well if there’s anything I or Terry can do for you just ask.”
A thought pops into Kal’s head. “Actually there is something.”
“Anything.”
“Could you buy something for me?” Kal asks.
Dana looks on puzzled “Sure. What?”
“Well it’s a surprise if you’ll keep it secret.”
Dana nods.
“Great. So here’s what I need.”
Dana listens as Kal tells her what he needs. “That shouldn’t be a problem, well except keeping it secret from Terry. He’s very good at noticing these things.”
Just like Bruce Kal thinks. “Do your best Dana. If he finds out fine. I’ll deal with it. So I’ll come by tomorrow night and pick it up. Is that ok?”
“That’ll be fine.”
“Thank you Dana. Well I better let you get to sleep.” Kal decides and he stands up. “I’ll check up on Terry if you want.”
“That would be great thanks. I can’t help but worry about him.”
“I understand.” Kal says.
Dana escorts him to the door “Well good night Clark. You know that still sounds weird calling you that.”
Kal chuckles “Yeah think how it is for me. I’ve been using Kal for years now. Oh well I’ll get back in the swing of it in time. Good night Dana.” Kal then floats up and flies off over Gotham to check up on Terry.
He finds him battling some Jokerz. “Need a hand.” he says as he floats above the alley.
Terry looks up “No thanks I’m good.” he says as he knocks the last one out. He dusts his hands. “They never seem to learn.” He jets up and onto the roof of the building and Kal lands next to him. “Dana and the kids ok?”
“They’re fine. I just came to say goodbye. I’m off back to the Fortress.”
“Right. Any chance we’ll be seeing more of you at League meetings?” Terry asks.
“Yes. Well in a few days. I have a couple of more things I need to do then I’ll head back to Metropolis. If you’re there I’ll see you.”
“Ok then. Well goodnight Superman.”
“Goodnight Batman.” Kal says as he flies off back north.
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When he gets back to the Fortress Kal goes and checks on the alien creatures he has, well the ones that are still alive. Many have, like his friends, died of old age. He’s not going to sleep tonight because if he does he won’t work up the nerve to do something he has put off for 5 years. Kal takes a breath and walks into his storage room and there sitting in a corner are Lois’ possession. He couldn’t bear to sort through them when she died so he just stuffed them into boxes and tried hard to forget about them but no more. He couldn’t keep wallowing. He needed to decide what he really wanted to keep and what to throw away.
He picks up the boxes and takes them into his lounge. He sits down on the couch and starts to work his way through them. It’s mostly old clothes. Every so often he comes across an outfit that brings a smile to his face, like the dress Lois wore on their first date. He can’t quite believe she kept that for so long. Oh well he keeps going and comes across his missing writing. Now why had he put that in Lois’ belongings? He picks them out and a sealed envelope falls out. It’s addressed to him in Lois’ handwriting. He picks it up and holds it for a minute. This seems terribly clichéd he thinks. He swallows and rips it open and pulls out a letter. He reads
Dear Clark,
I know what you are thinking. Yes this is terribly clichéd but I needed to write this. I’m dying. In a few days I’ll be gone and I need to say a few final things to you. Firstly I love you and I will always love you. When Superman first appeared I admit I was a little awe struck…
Like a school girl Kal thinks. He gets back to reading.
But I got over that. I don’t know how you put up with me swooning over you when you were Superman and ignoring you when you were Clark. Anyway during that time I always considered you a friend and then one day I wanted you to be more than that. To this day I can’t remember when or how that happened. I think I was sitting at my desk at the Planet on one of those insufferable slow days and my gaze just sort of drifted to you. I sat there looking at you, I wonder now thinking back on it if you noticed me doing that.
Kal thought back. Had he noticed? Hmm he might of but probably dismissed the notion that Lois would ever look at him like that.
I sat there looking at you and remembered all the times you were there for me and all the times you weren’t(at least I know where you were now, Superman) and I realised that I missed you when you were gone and that having you around made me happy. Of course after that epiphany it left the problem of trying to get you to ask me out because my pride wouldn’t let me ask you out. I know that seems stupid but on the plus side it did give me an excuse to wear all those revealing outfits and I know for a fact you never complained about that.
Kal smirked. He couldn’t help it. Boy did he remember those outfits.
So the day comes when you reveal your secret and I’ll admit I was really mad at you. I wanted to stay mad at you for a long time but I couldn’t. I was hopelessly in love with you and you being Superman was just sort of the icing in the cake.
The second thing I want to say is that I wish we could have had children. There are two reasons. First I wanted it so you weren’t the last anymore. I know that bothered you, even though you never said it and second I wanted to leave you a piece of me. That thought is even more prevalent now as I write this near my death but possibly centuries away from yours.
Tears are forming in Kal’s eyes as he reads.
Centuries. Will you still remember me centuries from now?
“Yes I will. I will always remember you Lois” Kal says to the letter.
Even though we could never have children I don’t regret for one moment that I chose to stay with you. And lastly Clark do not spend the rest of your life alone. If it looks like you are wallowing in self pity I will come back and kick your ass.
Kal laughs. “You’ve already done that”. Well she came to visit him in that dream at any rate.
So I think that’s everything I want to say. I’m going to put this among your writing. By the way I really like your writing, I was reading it just before I wrote this. You should consider it as a possible future career. So anyway stay safe and know that I love you.
Your beloved wife, Lois Joanne Lane-Kent.
Kal folds up the letter and wipes a stray tear. Well that explains why Lois visited him in that dream, assuming it was really her. He really should have done this years ago. Now everything was in the wrong order. He had already said his goodbye to her at her grave which he mentally notes he will visit more often. He gets back to sorting out Lois’ belongings. He’ll drop off what he doesn’t want to keep at Dana’s tomorrow. She can decide what to do with them. He looks at the time. Wow it’s morning. Has he really been at this all night? Right well time for breakfast. He packs the things he is keeping back into a box and tries to decide what he’ll have to eat today. He wonders what Diana is having. He sighs. He already misses her.
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At night he flies back into Gotham boxes in hand and lands in front of Wayne Manor and rings the bell.
Dana goes to answer the door. She checks her watch. It’s probably Superman she thinks. After all she got what he asked for and even better she somehow managed to keep it from Terry. She opens the door to a sight she did not expect. It was a man in a suit with glasses. “Can I help you?”
Kal smirks “It’s me Dana. Clark.”
Dana peers at him. “Oh god I’m sorry. I didn’t recognise you. Come in. Come in.”
Kal walks in “It’s ok Dana. I’m glad I can still pull the secret identity off.”
“What’s with the boxes?” she asks.
“They’re Lois clothes. I never got around to sorting out her belongings when she died but after I left last night I decided to sort them out. I was hoping you would take them to a charity for me.”
“No problem. Just put them down on the table.”
Kal walks into the lounge and does so. “So where are Bruce and Barbara?”
“At Terry’s mother’s. Poor woman”
Kal chuckles at that. “Did you manage to get what I asked for?”
Dana nods “Yes and I kept it from Terry I’m proud to say.”
Kal frowns.
“What’s with the look?” Dana asks
“It’s just if Terry’s anything like Bruce he probably knows but is pretending not to so not to upset you.”
Dana was actually speechless. Then after a moment “I am going to kill him.”
“Easy Dana. So Terry out is he?”
“Yes and if it’s a quiet night he’s promised to come back early so we can spend some time together.”
“Well then I won’t linger. If I could just get my surprise.”
“Right yes. Wait here.” Dana disappears off and reappears with a package in hand. “Here you are Clark.”
Clark takes it “Thank you. I’ll be off. Enjoy your night.”
Dana escorts Kal to the door “Thank you we will if I let him live.”
Kal can’t help another small laugh as he spins out of the suit into his black and white uniform.
Dana stands there open mouthed.
“Oops sorry I should have mentioned I was going to do that.” Kal says apologetically.
“No it’s fine. Goodnight Clark.”
“Goodnight Dana. Tell Terry I said hi if you let him live.” Kal then floats up with Dana chuckling. Yeah she’ll let him live but he is in so much trouble.
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A couple of days later in the Watchtower in Metropolis Barda is cursing another slow day. It’s strange really. There seems to be less conflict around the world as well and it coincides with the time Kal had disappeared. She just doesn’t think it’s a coincidence.
Kai-ro, the Green Lantern notices Barda surprisingly, for her, lost in thought. “What troubles you Barda?”
“Kai do you believe in coincidences?” she asks.
“I believe coincidences are merely part of a greater plan that has not yet been revealed to us.”
“I’ll take that as a no. It’s just there is a drop in crime and conflicts and super villains trying to destroy us these last few days and it happens to coincide with Kal’s disappearance.”
“Ah you believe the two are connected.”
“I don’t know. It’s just Kal was awfully secretive when I talked to him a few days ago. It isn‘t like him.”
Kai contemplates her words “Superman is still trying to come to terms with his loss. His feelings and motives for many years have been shrouded by grief.”
“He made a joke the other day when I talked to him.” Barda mentions.
Kai arches an eyebrow.
Barda sees the reaction “You see. Something is up. He hasn’t made a joke in years.”
“Perhaps his disappearance is merely linked to him accepting his loss which allows him to make a joke.”
Barda eyes Kai “Was that a joke you made?”
Kai says nothing.
“You know you’re not being entirely helpful. I’ve spent the last few days fighting the urge to go up to his Fortress and demand to know where he was.”
“But you have not. I am impressed by your self control. It’s not like you at all.”
“Ok that was you definitely making fun at my expense.”
Before Kai can say anything else an alarm sounds.
“Finally!” Barda shouts as she leaps up. It has been far too quiet. She and Kai make their way to the monitor room where they find Micron monitoring the situation.
“So what is up?” Barda asks.
“A malfunction on a train.” Micron answers.
“That’s it?” Barda asks.
“Bored are we?” Micron asks amused.
“No but…”
“It is a discussion that can wait.” Kai cuts in. “We must protect the passengers first.”
Barda says nothing as she, Kai and Micron head off. They get ahead of the train and wait for it to come “So who’s turn is it?” Barda asks.
“Mine.” a voice says as a red and blue blur flies past them.
All 3 watch as the figure in red and blue with a red cape stops the train. Eventually he turns around “Kal?” Barda asks.
“Hello Barda.” Kal responds.
“New look?” Micron asks.
Kal smiles “Yes it is.” That’s what Dana had gotten him, new material to make a new costume. The red and blue were a bit duller than what he use to wear but he felt that was more appropriate. His shield was black and not yellow but the S still seemed to stand out quite well he thought. The fact he was able to have a cape again is what Kal was most pleased about. He really had missed the cape.
“Your timing is most fortuitous.” Kai comments
Barda looks at him with an unwavering stare “Are you going to tell us where you were now?”
“That is personal.” Kal answers.
Barda not giving in for a second “Is that so? In case you have forgotten you are suppose to be the leader of this League.”
“I haven’t forgotten Barda but equally I knew you were more than capable of covering my absence.”
“Your 5 year absence.” Barda says.
Kal’s face hardens at her comment. Kai notices the look “Perhaps this is not the best place for this discussion. We must make sure the passengers are safe.”
Kal’s gaze turns to Kai “Of course you’re right. Shall we?”
Kai nods “We shall.”
Kal and Kai fly back to the train to check up on the passengers.
“I’m going back to the tower.” Barda says in a voice that barely hides her anger.
Micron watches her leave. Oh boy this will not be pleasant when they get back to the tower.
