Episode 3: Life In The Fast Lane!

Episode #3: Life In The Fast Lane

By Julie Mack 

Summary: What starts out as a short break from the hurried pace
of life in Metropolis ends up being more than either Lois or
Clark could imagine. Red Kryptonite is the "villain" in this
story that shows once again what "Being with you is stronger
than me alone" is all about. (Episode # 3 of The Unaired Fifth
Season)

***

Jonathan and Martha Kent sat on the front porch of their Kansas
farmhouse enjoying one of the simple pleasures of farm life:
stargazing. Families living in America's heartland had been
doing this for years, moms and dads naming the stars for their
kids, children wishing on those same stars. More recently, for
about the past four and a half years, there had been another
reason to look up into the night sky. Occasionally, a streak of
red would move across the sky and cries of "Hey Dad! There's
Superman!" were becoming as familiar as "Hey Dad! There's the
Big Dipper!"

On this particular autumn evening, Jonathan and Martha sat in
companionable silence, each lost in their thoughts. Jonathan was
mentally listing the chores for the weekend. Martha was thinking
about her next art sculpture. The excited voice on the radio of
the local weather person punctuated the silence.

"It's absolutely fantastic! This meteorite shower is something
that won't be seen again for quite a while. Luckily, most of the
meteorites are burning up as they enter our atmosphere, but
Smallville kids should have a fun time over the next couple of
days looking for "space rocks". The color streaks are
incredible! The reds are so brilliant, they look like they're
glowing! It almost looks like a sky full of Supermen!"

It was one of these red streaks that landed just off the porch.
Clark Kent gently set Lois on her feet. They stood there for a
moment as Lois tightly hugged her husband.

"Thanks, honey. Have I told you lately how much I love flying
with you?"

"Yeah, but tell me again."

Lois looked at him teasingly. "How about I show you? Later."

Clark grinned. "Deal."

Hand in hand they walked up the front steps and greeted Clark's
parents. Hugs and kisses were exchanged and the spectacular
meteorite shower over Kansas and Smallville was forgotten.

Smallville, unlike other rural towns, tried to have evening
activities to keep the young and young-at-heart entertained. A
group was just exiting the local movie theater, excitedly talking
about the latest release, "Kiss the Girls". Bingo was in full
swing down at the Elks' Lodge. In Shuster's Field, a small
group of men were digging. The excited voice of one of them
punctuated the evening calm. "I've found something!" The other
men hurried towards him. "The boss is gonna love this!"

In another part of the Smallville area, several chunks of red
meteorite landed in the local lake. They quickly sank to the
bottom of the lake, observed only by the fish.

***

THE UNAIRED FIFTH SEASON

Episode #3

"LIFE IN THE FAST LANE"

Story by Craig Causer and Julie Mack

Written by Julie Mack

***

Lois and Clark walked down the dirt road, enjoying each other's
company and the fresh spring day. Lois sighed contentedly.

"Clark, I am so glad you convinced Perry to let us have a few
days off. We've really needed it."

Clark smiled as he saw how happy and relaxed Lois was. The last
few weeks had taken their toll on both of them. "Me too. Want me
to carry that?"

"No, I'm fine. I think I can handle a picnic basket." She
playfully nudged him with her hip.

"I know you can, honey. It's just,,,"

"I appreciate that, Clark. Really, I do. But, save the 'Boy
Scout' routine for the elderly ladies crossing the streets in
Metropolis."

"Okay. You win." Clark smiled to take the sting out his words,
knowing that Lois' competitive nature was always close to the
surface.

"I always do." Lois returned his smile, knowing that he was
only teasing her.

Clark stopped. Lois looked at him worriedly. "A call for
Superman?"

"No. Something else." Clark stared at Lois.

"What?"

"Just this."

Before she could even gasp, Clark had picked her up, picnic
basket and all. He began walking again, a purpose in his every
stride.

"What are you doing?"

"Something I've wanted to do ever since I saw you put your
swimsuit on under your t-shirt and shorts."

"Now, Clark,,,."

Clark chuckled. "Lois, you've been on trial for murder, shot
at, frozen, and cloned. Why should a little water bother you?"

"Water?"

"Uh huh. Water. As in a lake."

With that, Clark placed the picnic basket on the ground and
walked right into the lake that they had arrived at.

"Clark!" She shrieked as the coolness of the fresh water hit
her legs. "My clothes!"

"Will dry. So will mine."

Lois looked down to see that Clark had waded to the middle of the
lake. "Are you touching bottom?"

"Nope. Floating."

Lois grinned, a twinkle coming into her eyes. "Good."

With that, she shifted slightly, causing Clark to lose his
balance. He tried to compensate, but she continued squirming in
his arms.

"Lo-is! Stop squirming!"

"No!" Lois continued to squirm and laugh, attempting to tickle
him.

"Lo-is!" With that last cry, Clark finally gave up the fight
and they both fell into the lake, below the surface.

They both came up, laughing and splashing water at each other.

"That feels so good!"

Clark swam towards Lois and embraced her. "You feel good." He
leaned in and kissed her. Lois returned the kiss, again marveling
at her good fortune in finding the one true love of her life. She
murmured soft words of love, nonsense words really, that conveyed
how she felt when she was in his arms. Safe. Cherished. Loved.
Clark sighed into the kiss as it continued. He loved kissing
Lois. It made him feel,,,strong. Complete. Loved.

The kiss broke off and they swam towards the edge of the lake. In
waist-high water, Lois caught and held Clark's gaze as she
slowly and sensuously removed her wet, clinging T-shirt to reveal
her swimsuit. She smiled as she saw Clark's gaze darken with
desire. She had hoped that they would go swimming. No longer
"first year newlyweds", she had worried that she would somehow
change in Clark's eyes. His hot look told her she hadn't. In
fact, judging by the look he was giving her, Clark was even more
physically attracted to her. *Must be all that chocolate I eat*,
she thought. The thought left as quickly as it came. She didn't
care. She knew that no matter what, Clark would always love her.
His voice interrupted her reverie.

"Lois?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you thinking? You had such a dreamy look on your face
just now."

"Hmmm? Oh, just counting my blessings."

"Really? Want to count them out loud?"

"Sure. Let me just get out of these shorts. I want to go
swimming."

Lois proceeded to remove her shorts and tennis shoes, tossing
them onto the grass by their picnic basket. Clark removed his
outer clothing too. They swam towards the middle of the lake and
climbed onto the large rock to sun themselves.

"Clark? You know what I love about you best?"

"I have no idea, but I get the feeling you're about to tell
me."

"Astute observation there. You a reporter or something?"

"Or something. I learned from the best. Now, what do you love
about me best?"

"The fact that even though you're Superman and can do all those
incredible things, you still need someone. Me."

Clark considered what Lois had said for a few moments. "Yeah.
Amazing isn't it? There are only two things that can bring me to
my knees. Kryptonite, and you. I don't know which is stronger."
He thought about what he had just said. "No, I take that back. I
do know."

Lois turned to look at him with a curious look. "Which is it?"

Clark turned towards her, looked deep into her eyes and cupped
the side of her face. "You. No question about it. You are my one
ultimate weakness. At the same time, you are my ultimate
strength."

Lois' beautiful features took on a faraway look. She whispered
more to herself than out loud, "Being with you is stronger than
me alone."

"You remember."

She again looked at him. "The island and Spencer Spencer? I
remember. I'll never forget those words, Clark."

"Neither will I." They sealed their agreement with a kiss that
rocked both of them to their souls. Lois' stomach rumbled
causing both of them to break off the kiss and chuckle.

"Sorry."

"That's OK. Mom packed enough to feed an army. Wanna eat?"

"No. Let's swim some and then eat."

With that, Lois dived into the lake, Clark following her. They
swam and played and laughed and loved for a while before getting
out and having their picnic. They sat under the apple tree and
Clark told Lois about his childhood, before his powers fully
developed. Lois laughed at the stories and was glad that Clark
had some happy memories and a normal growing up. At least, as
normal as normal could be for a Kryptonian on Earth. They dozed
off and went swimming again in the afternoon. Finally, as the
shadows began to lengthen, they headed back to the Kent
farmhouse. Rested. Relaxed. And more in love with each other.

***

The opening of the French windows preceded Clark's landing in
the living room of the Kent brownstone. Clark didn't pause as he
carried a dozing Lois upstairs to their bedroom. Gently, he laid
her down on the bed. Lois softly stirred, her eyes fluttering
open and focusing on him.

"Mmmmm, Clark? What time is it?"

"A little past 9:30."

"Past 9:30? Getting a little slow there aren't you? Usually,
we're home from Smallville by 9:29."

"Well, you just felt so good in my arms, I didn't want to
rush." Clark smiled gently and brushed a stray lock of hair out
of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear.

Lois stretched, her arms raised above her head. "Mmmmmm. I feel
like slipping under the covers and cuddling. What about you?"
The look that she gave Clark indicated that she wanted to do more
than cuddle. Clark felt his body begin to respond.

Clark looked tenderly at Lois, again thanking the powers that be
that they had brought her into his life. "Yeah. In a little
while. I'm gonna clean up downstairs." He got up and walked
towards the door.

"Okay. Don't be long." Lois grinned at their long standing
joke.

Clark turned at the doorway and grinned back. "Hey, this is
Superman you're talking to, remember? I'll be back before you
can say 'Faster than a speeding bullet!'" With that, a
familiar "swoosh" echoed through the hallway and Clark went
downstairs.

Lois smiled indulgently after her husband and proceeded to turn
down the bedcovers and get ready. She spoke out loud to no one in
particular.

"Just once, I wish he'd slow down."

***

The next day, at the Daily Planet, Clark looked up from his desk
as he saw Lois stifle another yawn. Frowning, he got up and
walked over to her desk.

"Lois? Are you all right? You've been yawning all morning."

Lois looked up at Clark, her usually bright eyes, a bit dull from
lack of sleep. "I'm fine Clark. It's just that when I
mentioned 'Marathon Man' last night, I didn't think you'd
take me literally!" She yawned again.

"Lois, I'm sorry. I didn't intend for us to be up all hours of
the night making love." At her look, he amended what he had
said. "I mean, I would love nothing more than to make love to
you all the time, but I know that that's not a good thing. For
either of us. I mean, it's just that, well, I never -- "

Lois laid a hand on the leg that Clark had propped on the edge of
her desk. She could see that he was getting frustrated. "Honey.
It's okay. These things happen." She yawned again.

Perry White walked up to Lois' desk and caught the tail end of
their conversation. Noticing Lois' tired look and Clark's look
of concern and frustration, he felt that he had to speak up.

"Lois? Clark? In my office." With that he abruptly turned away,
leaving his two star reporters looking at each other and trying
to figure out what the other one had done wrong. After they
entered his office and sat down, Perry started in.

"Now, kids, I'm just gonna say this once. Normally, I wouldn't
get involved in the personal behavior of my reporters, but when I
see it affecting job performance, well, then, I just have to step
in." Lois and Clark again looked at each other with matching
what-did-you-do looks on their faces. Perry turned his attention
to Clark.

"Clark, son, even Elvis knew when to leave Priscilla alone."
Clark began to squirm in his chair and blush. "What I mean son,
is that sometimes you have to cancel the concert in order to
finish the tour. Are you understanding what I'm saying?"

"Um, I think so, Chief."

"Good." He turned to look at Lois. "Lois, honey, I want you to
go home and get some sleep. Now, before you say anything else,
that's an order. You can't do your job if you're half asleep.
Go home." Lois wanted to protest, but yawned again. She nodded.
"Good. Now, I'll have Clark take you home in a minute. You go
get your things together." Lois got up and left the office.
Clark wished that he could go too, but knew that Perry wasn't
finished with him.

Perry rose out of his chair, came around the desk and sat down in
the chair that Lois had just vacated. He put a hand on Clark's
shoulder and looked at him sympathetically.

"Clark, I'm gonna give you something that should help you."
With that, he got up and opened a drawer in his desk. He handed
Clark a small envelope. "Here. Put this in your morning
coffee."

Clark looked at the writing on the envelope. "Extract of mango
pit?" He looked at Perry skeptically. "Chief,,,."

Perry put a hand up. "Say no more. This stuff works. Since I've
been taking it, it's like I'm a 20-year-old all over again."
His chest swelled up with pride.

Clark gamely smiled and put the envelope containing the powder in
his jacket pocket. He got up and headed for the office door.
"Thanks, Chief. I'll try it."

"See that you do. Oh, and, Clark?"

"Yeah, Chief?"

"Take Lois home and come back. Period. That little lady needs
her sleep."

Clark's face sobered. "I know, Chief. I know."

***

"You're gonna be okay?"

"Clark. For the last time, all I'm going to do is get some
sleep! Go. Get back to the Planet."

"You're sure?"

"Clark!" Lois' voice rose in exasperation.

"Okay, okay. I'm -- -- " His words were cut off by the sound
of squealing brakes and someone yelling from a distance, "Help!
I can't stop!"

Lois recognized the look. "Go!"

With one last look at Lois, Clark spun into his suit and exited
through the French windows of their bedroom.

As she said a silent prayer for Clark's safety, she thought, *I
must be tired. That spin didn't sound as fast as usual.* She
adjusted her pillow and fell promptly asleep.

***

Superman flew towards the Hobbs' Bay area of Metropolis. There,
he saw the emergency. A UPS freight truck was careening out of
control, towards one of the warehouses. His telescopic vision
showed that the frightened driver had the brake pedal all the way
to the floor, but to no avail. The brakes weren't working and
the driver was losing control of the truck. Superman put on an
extra burst of speed to reach the truck before it would crash
into a group of people milling in front of a warehouse that had
been converted into a series of outlet stores. As he neared the
rear of the truck, it seemed to move ahead, slightly out of his
reach. Surprised, Superman reached out again. This time he was
able to grab the rear step bumper of the truck. He landed and
firmly planted his feet. The truck continued on for a few more
feet before coming to a complete stop a few inches away from the
people. Superman walked towards the driver.

"Are you all right?" His concern about the near-miss making his
voice harsher than he intended.

The driver appeared shaken, but unhurt. "Th-th-thanks, Superman.
Another minute and those people would have been killed. You got
here in the nick of time."

"No problem. What happened?"

"Well, ever since the strike ended, we've been trying to speed
up delivery time, to get back some of our customers, y'know? I
guess the back end was overloaded. I'll readjust the load before
I start up again."

"Okay. You're sure now?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks again, Superman."

"You're welcome." Superman's superhearing caught the
Metropolis Mercantile Bank's silent alarm going off. Checking
once more to make sure that the driver and the bystanders were
all right, he took off towards downtown Metropolis.

***

Five minutes later, Superman landed next to Inspector
Henderson's car. The area around the bank was cordoned off and
police officers were crouched behind their vehicles, their
weapons trained on the bank's entrance.

"What's the problem, Inspector?"

"Superman! Sure wish you had been here five minutes ago." At
those words, Superman frowned. "We have a hostage situation
inside. Someone is trying to rob the bank. He drew a gun and took
the bank president and some tellers hostage."

"Okay. Let me go in -- -"

"That's not all, Superman. Today was 'Take Your Child to
Work' Day. There are kids in there!"

Superman used his x-ray vision to look through the walls of the
bank. He saw the hostages all huddled together in one corner by
the front door. The bank robber was 10 feet away, nervously
waving his gun at the hostages.

"I'm going in, Inspector."

"Be careful, Superman." Superman nodded his agreement. He
straightened up and walked towards the bank's entrance.
Inspector Henderson yelled at his officers. "Hold your fire! Let
Superman handle this!"

Superman entered the bank and stepped directly in front of the
hostages. "Put down your gun. You don't want to do this. You
don't want to hurt anyone."

The robber's gun hand shook. "Yeah? Well, eat this, Superman!"
With that, he pulled the trigger and fired the gun until all his
bullets were gone.

Superman's hands windmilled in front of him, catching bullets
before they could do any damage. He opened his hands and let the
bullets drop to the floor. He smiled grimly at the would-be
robber.

"Had enough?"

A groan behind him caused Superman to whirl around. A young boy,
no more than 12 years old, was moaning in pain and clutching his
chest area. "Owwww, Mommy! It hurts! It hurts!"

Superman leaned down. "What happened?"

A woman, apparently the boy's mother, looked up at Superman with
tears in her eyes. "A bullet. It hit him."

Superman jerked back as if he had been physically slapped. "I
thought I got them all,,,." His voice trailed off.

"You didn't. You weren't fast enough. Help him, Superman.
Don't let my baby die."

In the confusion and concern over the little boy, the bank robber
tried to sneak out of the bank. Superman saw him out of the
corner of his eye. With a determined look on his face, masking
his fear and anger, Superman grabbed the bank robber around the
waist and flew him into the back seat of Inspector Henderson's
vehicle. Rushing back to the little boy, he picked him up and
flew him to Metropolis General. The mother's words echoed in his
head. "...You weren't fast enough. You weren't fast enough
..." Grimly, Superman flew faster.

***

Superman stopped his pacing as the emergency room doctor walked
towards him. "How is he, Doctor?"

"You got him here just in time, Superman. Another two minutes
and we would have lost him. He's lost a lot of blood, but he
should be fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to talk to his
parents." With that, the doctor moved towards a couple in the
waiting room.

Superman watched as the doctor talked briefly with the couple
before escorting them into one of the emergency rooms. His face
was expressionless, covering a myriad of conflicting emotions.
Satisfaction that the bank robber had been stopped. Relief that
the little boy would be all right. Guilt that he hadn't
prevented the pain that the boy and his parents were going
through right now.

You got here just in the nick of time

You weren't fast enough.

You got him here just in time.

You weren't fast enough.

You weren't fast enough.

*You weren't fast enough.*

The guilt continued to build inside Superman until he felt like
screaming. He quickly left the hospital and flew into the early
evening sky. He needed to get away. He had to talk about what had
happened and what he was feeling. He needed Lois. He flew towards
the brownstone.

***

Lois swallowed the last of the beef stew on her plate and sat
back in contentment. She had slept almost the entire day and had
awoken feeling brand new. Although Clark usually had "kitchen
duty," Lois had decided to cook dinner tonight. Beef stew. Good.
Hearty. Wholesome food. And something that she actually did very
well. She was proud of her beef stew and knew that Clark loved
it. She looked at Clark's plate.

"Clark!"

"Huh?" He looked up. He had been absent-mindedly pushing his
food around his plate.

"Clark, you've hardly touched your dinner! I made enough for 8
people! You should have had at least six helpings!"

"I'm sorry, Lois. I'm not hungry."

"You're obsessing again, aren't you? I thought we had talked
it all out earlier."

"We had, Lois. Really, I'm not obsessing. I'm not hungry.
Besides, you ate almost all of the beef stew by yourself. This is
only my first helping."

"It is? Oh, Clark, I'm sorry."

"No, honey, really, it's okay."

"Let's go sit in the living room. The dishes can keep for
now."

"Sure."

Lois and Clark rose from the dinner table and headed for their
living room; Clark with a glass of wine, Lois with a glass of
apple juice. Setting their glasses down on the coffee table, Lois
snuggled close to Clark on the sofa. Clark put his arms around
Lois and immediately felt himself calm down. *She really is my
strength*, he thought. *Let me help you be strong*, she thought.
They sat like that for a short time, talking about trivial
things, and relaxing.

"Clark?"

"Yeah?"

"You know that you can't be everywhere for everyone everytime,
don't you?"

Clark sighed. "Yeah, Lois. I know. It still doesn't make it any
easier to accept." He kissed the top of her head. "You should
know that ... Ultrawoman." He smiled into her hair.

Lois smiled. "Yeah. I do know what you're thinking. And that's
why you have to let it go. It's not going to do you any good to
brood over it. The driver is safe. The people are safe. The bank
robber was stopped. The boy is going to be fine. You did good
today, Superman."

"If you think so, Lois, then that's enough for me."

Lois turned in Clark's arms and kissed him. She kissed him to
tell him that she understood. That she was proud of him. That she
loved him. That she needed him. That she wanted him.

Clark groaned into Lois' mouth as he returned her kiss. He
kissed her to tell her that he believed her. That he loved her.
That he needed her. That he wanted her.

Lois broke off the kiss and looked deeply into Clark's dark
chocolate eyes. She saw the same thing that she knew was in her
eyes. She smiled.

"Let's see if Perry's 'extract of mango pit' really works.
Race ya upstairs!" With that, she broke out of Clark's arms and
began to run up the stairs. It took Clark a second to recover
from Lois' kiss. But once he was, he raced up the stairs at
superspeed, intent on scooping up Lois and zooming them into
their bedroom. He was surprised to find Lois already upstairs. In
their bedroom. Lying on their bed.

"Ha! I won!"

"Yes ... you did, didn't you?" Clark smiled to cover up his
confusion and concern.

"Not so slow for a non-Kryptonian, am I?"

"Nope. Not at all." Their light banter continued as part of
Clark's mind tried to figure out what had happened. He knew that
Lois hated it when he "eased up" in any of their friendly
competitions. But, this time, he hadn't. He had gone full speed.
Superspeed. But, Lois had still beaten him up the stairs. He
didn't know what was happening to him, but he didn't want to
worry Lois. He continued to smile as Lois got off the bed and
began to get undressed. He didn't know what to do. *Maybe Dr.
Klein will have some ideas*, he thought. He decided to pay
S.T.A.R. Labs a call tomorrow. But tonight, he needed to draw
some strength from Lois.

Clark slipped under the covers and opened his arms to let Lois
cuddle up next to him. He looked at her and again was stunned by
her beauty. And her complete faith in him. He looked her in the
eyes. He smiled.

"Y'know, I don't think I'm gonna need any mango pits
tonight."

"No?"

"No." With that, he closed his mouth over hers and proceeded to
show her that mango pits had nothing over Superman.

***

"Kent! Where's Kent?" Perry White's voice boomed across the
newsroom.

Clark came out of the conference room. "Right here Chief.
What's up?"

Perry walked towards Clark as Lois joined them at the entrance to
the conference room. "Clark! I need your story. Now."

Clark looked at Perry sheepishly. "Um ..."

Perry looked like he was about to explode. "Kent! I told you
that I was going to run your story as column one today! I needed
that story ..." He looked at his watch. "... one hour ago!"

Lois had been watching the interplay between Clark and Perry and
jumped in. "It's done Perry. Let Clark download it from his
laptop. With everything that went on with Superman at the bank
yesterday, he forgot about the deadline."

Perry immediately settled down. "Oh. Well. In that case." He
looked Clark directly in the eye. "Fifteen minutes."

Clark nervously swallowed. "Right, Chief. Fifteen minutes."
Perry walked away. Lois ushered Clark back into the conference
room and locked the door.

"Clark! You never miss a deadline! In fact, you're always at
least a day ahead of any deadline! What's going on?"

Clark looked at Lois, wide-eyed with confusion. "Lois, I have no
idea! I'm as confused as you are! I seem to be ... slowing
down."

"Slowing down? What does that mean?"

"Just that. Slowing down. I'm not as fast as I should be. The
UPS truck. The little boy. I should have been able to stop the
truck and catch all the bullets. With time to spare." He
emphasized the last four words.

As the implications of what Clark was telling her began to sink
in, Lois got fearful. "The race up the stairs last night?"

"I was at full speed, superspeed."

"Clark? Do you have any idea how this happened?"

"None."

"Oh my god. Well, what should we do?"

At that moment, Jimmy Olsen knocked on the door of the conference
room. Lois looked at Clark, concern in her eyes as she went to
unlock the door. "What is it, Jimmy?"

"Just thought you two should see this, since you're the
resident Superman experts." Jimmy handed Lois a copy of the
latest edition of The National Whisper.

"Jimmy, what's in this rag that could possibly interest -- --
oh my god, Clark!"

Clark walked over and looked at what had stopped Lois in mid
sentence. The headline blared out at them.

"Superman: SuperSloth?" Clark scanned the article as quickly as
possible. "Apparently, someone is asking questions about why
Superman seems to be arriving at an emergency 'just in
time.'"

Lois sighed. "It's like Bureau 39 and Brandon Trask all over
again."

Something Lois said clicked in Clark's memory. "Bureau 39.
Hmmmm." He remembered back to when he fought Trask in
Smallville. He remembered the green kryptonite. He remembered
...

"Lois! Bureau 39. Trask. The lake."

Lois' eyes widened as she tried to recall the events from four
and a half years ago. "The lake."

They looked at each other as they remembered the past weekend.
"The lake!"

"I'll call Mom and Dad." "I'll call Dr. Klein." With that,
they left Jimmy in the conference room and ran to the phones on
their desks.

*How do they do that?* Jimmy wondered to himself as he watched
the Planet's hottest team go into action.

***

"... There was a meteorite shower over Smallville, Dad?"

"Yes, son. The night you and Lois came to visit. In fact some of
the kids found some red glowing rocks down by the lake the next
day."

Clark smiled grimly. *That's got to be it*, he thought.
Martha's voice came over the phone extension.

"Clark? Honey, what's this all about?"

"I'm still not sure, Mom. Dad, I need a favor."

"Anything, son."

"Can you get a water sample from the lake and ship it overnight
to Dr. Klein at S.T.A.R. Labs? If what I think happened, I need
confirmation."

"Clark, what happened?"

"No time to explain, Mom. Gotta go. Oh, and Dad?"

"Yeah, Clark?"

"Ship the water sample FedEx. UPS is still having a hard time
recovering from the strike."

Clark replaced the receiver and walked towards Lois who was still
on the phone. Before he got there, though, he heard a cry of
"Help, Superman!" He signaled to Lois that he had to go. She
covered the receiver for a moment.

"Go. We'll catch up later. Be careful."

Clark ran towards the back of the newsroom, already loosening his
tie and shirt.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Superman landed next to a little girl,
dressed in a pink lace party dress, crying her eyes out. He knelt
down next to her. "What's the matter?"

The girl looked at Superman and tried to stop crying. "Kitty."

"Kitty? Your name is Kitty?"

This caught the girl's attention. She looked him squarely in the
eyes. "No. My name is Amanda. My kitty is up in the tree. Can
you get him down?"

Superman grinned sheepishly. "Sure."

He floated up towards the cat and realized that his upward motion
was slower than usual, and getting slower by the second. He
floated back down to the ground.

"I'm sorry. My flying seems to be out of order. How about if I
climb up and get your cat?"

She fixed him with a look of exasperation. "If I wanted that, I
coulda done it myself! I wanna see you fly!"

Superman sighed. "Okay. But, it's going to take a while."

She crossed her arms in front of her. "I can wait."

Superman sighed again and began floating upwards. His upward
movement had slowed to such a pace that it looked like he was
hovering without moving. He concentrated, but to no avail. He
continued to float upwards, but it was taking a long time. The
girl stood there, watching him, her arms crossed, her foot
tapping in impatience. A crowd began to gather to watch
Superman's slow progression.

After fifteen minutes, the girl's patience was at an end.
Slowly, but not as slowly as Superman, she climbed the tree in
her pink lace party dress. Some in the crowd started to cheer
encouragement. Soon, it became a contest to see who would reach
the cat first, the little girl or Superman. A fire truck drove up
and the firefighters got out and joined the crowd. Superman
watched as the girl first reached his level and then passed him.
She reached the cat and a cheer rose from the crowd. When it had
become obvious that the little girl would reach the cat first,
the firefighters had positioned their ladder to help both the
girl and the cat down. They reached the ground just as Superman
did.

"Look Superman! I did it! I did it!"

Superman knelt next to the little girl and gave her words of
encouragement. He looked around at the crowd and heard some of
their whisperings.

It took him forever.

What if the girl had slipped?

I thought he was fast.

I read in The Whisper...

Slightly embarrassed and even more concerned about what was
happening to him, Superman flew off as soon and as quickly as he
could.

***

"Hmmm. Yes. This is interesting. Very interesting."

Lois and Superman sat impatiently as Dr. Klein examined the water
sample that had arrived from Smallville earlier that morning.

"What's interesting? Dr. Klein?"

"Hmm?" He looked up from the microscope. "Oh! Lois. Superman!
How long have you been here?"

"Since you called me and I contacted Superman. Dr. Klein?
What's interesting?"

"This water sample. You said this came from a lake in
Smallville?"

"Yes. Clark's hometown. There was a meteorite shower there over
the weekend. Some kids found some glowing red rocks. We think
that the red rocks might have been red kryptonite. Were they?"

"Possibly. I'm seeing traces of green kryptonite and some other
mineral that I can't identify."

"Green kryptonite? But I'm not feeling any effects from
exposure to it."

"And you wouldn't. Apparently, this unknown substance, possibly
red kryptonite, has mixed with the green kryptonite to create a
new type of kryptonite. A hybrid kryptonite. One that isn't
deadly to you, but probably affects you in some way."

Lois and Superman exchanged glances. They spoke simultaneously.
"What kind of effects?"

Dr. Klein stared at them. "How do you do that? The only other
two that I know do that are Lois here and Clark Kent."

"Dr. Klein! What effects?"

"Oh, it can vary from exposure to exposure. For instance, the
first time you were exposed to red kryptonite, Superman, what
happened?"

"I got lethargic and apathetic."

"Um hmmm. And the second time?"

Lois and Superman exchanged a glance before he spoke. "My powers
were ... transferred to someone else."

Dr. Klein nodded. "I see. Were there any other exposures?"

Superman grimaced at that question. He didn't like to remember
what he had done to Lois while under the effects of red
kryptonite that last time. Lois quietly answered for him.

"His powers went out of control."

Dr. Klein seemed to be taken aback at that statement. "Oh. And
what's happening to you now, Superman?"

"I seem to be slowing down. Flying, speed, floating. Everything
is slowing down. Even my eating habits."

"I see. And with these other two exposures to red kryptonite,
did the effects wear off?"

"Yes. Within 24 hours."

Dr. Klein smiled widely. "Well, there you have it! The red
kryptonite mixed with the green kryptonite causes the effects to
last longer than 24 hours!"

"How long?"

Dr. Klein's smile faded. "Now, that's hard to say. Let me
think here ... solubility ... immersion factor ... how long were
you exposed to the water?"

Superman fidgeted before answering. "All afternoon. Lois and
Clark had invited me to go swimming down at Smallville,,,"

"You swim? I never knew that! I was a champion swimmer in high
school. I even had a swimming scholarship, but I turned it down
-- -"

Lois interrupted. "Dr. Klein! How long before the effects of
this hybrid kryptonite wear off?"

Dr. Klein scribbled a few calculations on his lab table. "Seven
days from the initial exposure. Give or take a couple of
hours."

"You're sure about this?"

"As sure as I can be. All afternoon you say?" Dr. Klein
grinned.

Superman looked at him, his arms crossed, his sternest look on
his face. "All afternoon."

Dr. Klein's grin was immediately erased from his face, replaced
by a completely clinical look. "Seven days."

Lois sighed. "Thank you, Dr. Klein. You've been very helpful."
Lois got up and walked towards the lab door, Superman following
close behind. He stopped as Dr. Klein gestured for his
attention.

"I'll be with you in a moment, Lois." He walked back towards
him. "Did you need something else?"

Dr. Klein fidgeted a bit. "I was just curious, Superman. After I
told you the results of your compatibility test?"

Superman felt a slight twinge, but showed no outward sign that
Dr. Klein's question had bothered him. "Yes?"

"Well, how are you doing? Are you still seeing your lady
friend?"

Superman smiled slightly and tried to put Dr. Klein's curiosity
to rest. "We're ... I'm ... coping, Dr. Klein. I still 'see'
my lady friend, but we were having second thoughts about whether
having a baby would have been such a good idea. So, the test
results just made the entire question academic. Now, if you'll
excuse me, I need to take Lois back to meet Clark." With that,
he left the lab and rejoined Lois who had waited for him in the
hallway.

Dr. Klein watched them as they exited the building.

"Swimming. Who would have thought."

***

Lois and Clark sat in Centennial Park, eating their deli
sandwiches and discussing what Dr. Klein had just told them.

"So, this is the fourth day since you went swimming in the lake.
If Dr. Klein's calculations are correct, you should be okay by
the weekend, right?"

"Mmmm hmmmm." Clark swallowed his bite and reached for his
soda. "Right. Let's hope that there aren't any 'evil-doers'
out there between now and the weekend."

Lois reached for his hand. "Clark, you will be okay. We will get
through this."

"I know. It's just that ..."

"You're obsessing."

Clark grinned. "Astute observation there. You a reporter or
something?"

"Or something. I'm the best. Don't you forget it, either."

Clark cupped the side of her face. "Believe me, Lois. I never
do." He pulled her towards him and kissed her, his tongue
outlining her lips. Lois closed her eyes and lost herself in his
kiss. She sighed, slightly parting her lips, allowing his tongue
entrance into her mouth. His tongue swept her mouth, encountering
the lingering taste of chocolate from the malt she had been
drinking. Her tongue met his and began a sensual game of tag.
Clark groaned as his hands came up and tenderly held her head.
Lois' arms embraced Clark, pulling him closer to him. Their
bodies responded to each touch and caress. Their breathing
quickened.

A loud screech and crash caused them to both break off the kiss.
Slowing their breathing, they locked gazes for a moment. They
both knew what had to be done. Clark raced off in search of a
private place to spin into the suit. Lois ran towards the sound
of the crash. When she got there, she pushed the onlookers aside
and stepped onto the street. It was a traffic accident. She saw
that two men were sitting on the ground, moaning and holding
their heads. She approached one.

"Are you all right?"

The man looked at her. "Yeah. No broken bones." She went to the
other man and discovered that he too was only dazed and slightly
confused. She heard a moan from inside one of the cars. She got
up from her crouch to look inside. She saw a woman. A pregnant
woman. A very pregnant woman. She moaned again, her eyes
fluttering.

"Oh my god. Are you all right?" She heard the man next to her
say something.

"My wife. Is my wife okay? We were on our way to the hospital
..." His voice trailed off.

Lois went around to the passenger side of the car and opened the
door. "Are you all right?"

The woman opened her eyes and reflexively placed her hands over
her stomach. She looked at Lois. "I'm in labor. The pains are
..." Her words were cut off by a stabbing pain in her lower
back. After the pain subsided, she again looked at Lois. "...
they're ... two minutes apart ..." She moaned.

Lois held her hand. "Don't worry, we'll get you some help."
She looked around. No Clark. No Superman. *Well, it's worked
before*, she thought. She yelled. "Help! Superman!"

Instead of the familiar swoosh that accompanied Superman's
arrival, he came running up, slightly winded. "Here, Lois.
What's the problem?"

Lois searched his eyes to make sure that he was all right.
Satisfied by what she saw, she answered him. "Superman, this
woman is about to have a baby. She needs to get to the hospital.
Now!" The woman moaned again and squeezed Lois' hand as another
contraction swept over her.

Superman looked slightly panicked. Speaking so only Lois could
hear him, he said words that he had hoped never to utter. "Lois,
I can't do it!" Lois stared at him, not believing what she had
just heard. "My 'timing' is gone. I need your help."

"Me? What can I do?"

"Lois, she's not going to make it to the hospital. This baby is
going to be here soon. I don't trust myself to do this alone.
You're going to have to deliver it."

"Me? I don't know anything about birthing babies!"

"Lois! This is not the time to quote 'Gone With the Wind'! I
would do this, but I don't think I'll be fast enough for what
needs to be done. I need you. Remember?"

Lois closed her eyes. She loved Clark. More importantly, she
trusted Clark. She remembered their conversation and his words
that day at the lake.

You are my ultimate strength.

Being with you is stronger than me alone.

She took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, her gaze into
Superman's eyes was clear. Steady. Confident.

"What do I do?"

Superman smiled.

***

The ambulance's siren was never a more welcome sound. The
paramedics quickly examined the men and treated their slight
injuries. The woman was placed on a stretcher and wheeled towards
the ambulance.

"My baby! Where's my baby?"

"Right here." Lois walked towards the stretcher, cradling the
tiny bundle in her arms. Superman walked by her side, now
capeless, his cape being used as a swaddling blanket for the
newborn. Lois handed the baby into the outstretched arms of its
mother.

The mother looked at Lois and Superman with gratitude in her
eyes. "Thank you both."

Lois glanced quickly at Superman before answering the woman.
"No, thank you. That was a beautiful experience and one that
I'm not easily going to forget. Thank you for allowing me to be
a part of that."

The stretcher was placed inside the ambulance. The crowd
dispersed as the ambulance took its precious cargo to Metropolis
General. Lois and Superman walked down the street. As they passed
an alleyway, Superman ducked into it, Lois continuing to walk
alone. Soon, she was joined by her husband and partner. Making a
last adjustment to his tie, Clark reached for Lois' hand. She
stopped walking and turned to face him. Clark saw that there were
unshed tears in her eyes.

"Lois?"

"Clark, that was just so incredible. It was a miracle. I
actually helped deliver a baby!"

He looked tenderly at her. "You were terrific."

"We were terrific. I couldn't have done it without you. We did
it. Together."

Clark nodded and leaned in to kiss her. "Together."

***

Weekends were meant to be lazy days. Sleeping in. Wearing casual
clothes. Taking long leisurely walks. Window shopping. Today,
Lois and Clark were being as lazy as their lives allowed them to
be. Walking hand-in-hand past the stores in downtown Metropolis,
they looked like any other young couple in love. Completely
oblivious to everyone else but themselves.

"Well, it's been about a week since your swim in Lake
'Slow-Me-Down'. How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. I haven't had to use my powers for a few days,
so I haven't tested them out."

"Y'know, Clark. I've been thinking."

"Always a dangerous event." He leaned over and kissed her
lightly.

She smiled and playfully punched his shoulder. "Funny. You
thinking of becoming a stand up comic? One word. Don't."

Clark chuckled. "What have you been thinking?"

"Oh, just that we really are a good team. Together." She
released his hand and began gesturing as she moved into babble
mode. "I mean, think about it. We fit well together. I know, I
know. We're soulmates and all that. But we really do fit
together. Do you know what I mean? I've been thinking that maybe
we should keep trying to have a baby. I know that Dr. Klein said
it wasn't possible. And yeah, I know that I had my doubts last
week, but I'm over that. And any kid of ours can't be as bad as
a Brandon Trask. After all, H.G. Wells said that with us nothing
is impossible. So, waddaya think?" She waited for Clark's
response. "Clark? Did you hear me? Clark?"

She stopped as she realized that Clark was no longer walking by
her side. She looked around and gasped as she spotted Clark a
block away. She began to panic as she realized that he was
crossing the street. An elderly woman's arm was around his
waist. She was helping him to cross the street.

"Clark!" She ran towards the two of them, thinking that
something else had happened to Clark as a result of his swim. As
she got closer and could hear their conversation, she slowed down
and a smile began to replace her look of concern.

"... and I am bound and determined to win my age bracket in the
AIDS Walk next weekend."

"And I'm sure that you will, ma'am. Here we go."

"Thank you, young man. When this hip of mine acts up, I don't
go as quickly as I should. Thank you for slowing down and helping
me."

"You're welcome." He noticed Lois standing there smiling.
"Oh, Lois. I'd like you to meet Mrs. Gardner. Mrs. Gardner,
this is my wife, Lois."

"Hello, dear." She turned to look at Clark. In a stage whisper
loud enough for Lois to hear, she spoke to him with a twinkle in
her eye. "She's a pretty young thing. She must keep you pretty
busy."

Clark chuckled and answered her, looking all the while deeply
into Lois' eyes. "That she does. But, I'm pretty fast on my
feet."

Lois returned Clark's gaze and sent him a silent message of
love. She smiled.

"And I wouldn't want it any other way." She turned to the
woman. "So, Mrs. Gardner, my 'Boy Scout' here has been doing
his good deed for the day, hasn't he? What's this about an AIDS
Walk...?"

The three of them fell into step for a few minutes as Mrs.
Gardner explained to Lois about the charity walk that she was
going to participate in.

"We'll see you next weekend, Mrs. Gardner. Take care of that
hip."

"I will, Clark. You take care of Lois."

Clark reached for Lois' hand. "We'll take care of each other.
We promise. Bye."

Mrs. Gardner watched the couple as they continued down the
street. "Such a nice couple. They'll make good parents some
day." She continued her walk.

As they walked towards their brownstone, Lois kept sneaking
glances at Clark. He finally noticed.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." She stopped, pulling Clark towards her. He
wasn't expecting it, but recovered enough to lean towards her.
Lois kissed him. She kissed him to let him know that she would
always love him. She kissed him to let him know that she would
always be proud of him. She kissed him to let him know that she
would always be there for him, sharing her strength with him. Her
tongue traced his lips, requesting entrance into his mouth. Clark
complied willingly, letting her tongue sweep through his mouth
and lightly touch his own tongue. He groaned into the kiss,
feeling himself being swept away by emotions and sensations.
Faith. Strength. Companionship. Love. He felt his body respond to
Lois' kiss.

Remembering that they were in public, Clark broke off their kiss
and looked at Lois. "What was that for?"

"Because, the 'Boy Scout' is back. I hope you're prepared.
Race ya home!"

With that, she broke out of their embrace and ran towards the
brownstone. Clark grinned, and, with a familiar swoosh, reached
Lois before she had taken three steps. Accompanied by Lois'
happy giggles, he scooped her up and zoomed them inside to finish
what they had started. Together.

THE END