By Julie Mack
***
The sound of rapidly clicking keypads emanating from the keyboard
of Jimmy Olsen, Staff Writer added to the hustle and bustle
indicating that another edition of The Daily Planet was being put
together.
Occasionally, Jimmy would look up from his monitor and turn his
gaze toward the windows of Perry White's office where he could
see Lois Lane and Clark Kent in deep discussion with the Editor
in chief. He had a natural curiosity, partly because of genetics
but mainly because he had the instinct of an investigative
reporter. An instinct learned and honed by watching two of the
best in Metropolis.
It wasn't just that Lois and Clark were his role models for how
to be a good reporter; they were also his friends. He wasn't
worried about Lois and Clark though; he knew that they could take
care of themselves. It was just that, not being in the office
with them, he felt...left out, like he was missing a big
adventure.
Things "happened" to Lois and Clark, and life and work were
never dull around them. He and Perry often felt that they were
"supporting characters," but they never begrudged what occurred
to the intrepid reporters. After all, they may envy them a bit,
but they didn't necessarily want to be the ones who had to deal
with psycho psychiatrists, people who shrank people into little
people, or any of the other characters and villains that Lois and
Clark encountered.
The door to Perry White's office opened and Jimmy watched as
Lois and Clark walked toward her desk. He couldn't help but
notice their expressions. Lois had a big grin on her face while
Clark looked thoughtful, almost worried. He wanted to ask what
was going on, but before he could say anything, Lois looked in
his direction.
"Jimmy, Perry wants to see you."
He nodded to Lois, got up and walked toward the office. He tried
to remember if he had done anything wrong in the past twenty-four
hours. He hadn't. He took a deep breath, knocked on the door,
and walked in.
***
Lois watched Jimmy enter Perry's office with trepidation, the
grin remaining on her face. She knew what Perry wanted to talk to
Jimmy about, so she wasn't worried. She was, though, excited
about their latest assignment. She talked to Clark as she looked
through her phone messages.
"Finally! Something away from Metropolis. I have to admit
though, Clark. I'm not too thrilled about making a presentation
at the American Press Editors conference, but I guess it's a
small sacrifice for going to Los Angeles."
She paused, savoring what Perry had further told them. "And can
you imagine? Perry's springing for some extra days so we can
relax and enjoy ourselves in the Southern California sunshine!
It'll be like a second honeymoon for us. Isn't that great,
Clark?"
She turned toward her husband and saw that Clark was engrossed in
thought, staring off at nothing in particular. "Clark? Hello.
Earth to Clark." She waved her hand in front of his eyes to get
his attention.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, Lois. What were you saying?"
"That going to Los Angeles will be like a second honeymoon
and..." Her voice trailed off as she saw that Clark wasn't
really listening to her. "Clark, what's the matter? You were a
million miles away."
He focused his attention on her. "I was just thinking about the
flight to Los Angeles."
"What about it?" Clark looked at Lois. She saw something in his
eyes. Something that she couldn't quite place. "Clark, what is
it?"
"Lois, there's something I haven't told you about me."
"What? You're not about to sprout a third eye, are you?"
Clark allowed himself a small smile at Lois's quip. "No, honey,
nothing like that." He took a deep breath. "It's just
that...well, you see...it's like this..."
"Clark! Just say it! It can't be worse than what I'm
imagining."
"OK. I hate flying." He said it so quickly, Lois wasn't sure
that she had heard him correctly.
"Excuse me?"
"I hate ... flying." He said the last word in an
almost-whisper, and hurried on before Lois could react to what he
had said. "Well, not the flying I do as Superman, but that other
type of flying."
Lois couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Let me get this
straight. You're telling me that..." She looked around before
saying her next word. "SUPERMAN has a 'fear of flying'?" She
stopped any further questions as Clark shook his head.
"No, Superman flies just fine. I'm telling you that CLARK KENT
has a 'fear of flying.'" At Lois's look of disbelief, he
elaborated. "In airplanes. Helicopters aren't so bad, but
airplanes are."
Lois crossed her arms and stared at her husband as if he had
indeed sprouted a third eye. "You're serious. YOU have a fear
of flying."
Clark shrugged his shoulders in resignation. "What can I say? I
just think, stupid as it may sound, that flying INSIDE a hull of
metal is...unnatural."
"Wait a minute. I seem to recall us being in an airplane before.
When you and Superman first came to Metropolis. Remember? Jason
Trask's men threw me out the airplane. You didn't seem to have
a fear of flying then."
Clark looked at his wife tenderly. "That's because I was
worried about you, honey."
Lois smiled in response to his look before giving her husband a
reassuring hug. "Honey, lots of people have this fear. It's
nothing to be ashamed of."
"But I'm...Superman. I shouldn't have a fear like this."
Clark sounded so forlorn that Lois's heart went out to him.
"Yes, but you're also Clark Kent. And for Clark Kent,
mild-mannered reporter and 'Farmboy from Kansas,' it's OK."
She gave him a quick kiss. "Besides, we can just take the
'Superman Express' to Los Angeles."
Now, it was Clark's turn to look at Lois funny. "Honey, you're
five months pregnant. That might not be such a good idea. Even
with my aura protecting you."
"Oh." Lois thought for a moment before she grinned widely.
"Well, then, I guess I'll just have to distract you during the
flight."
"Lois, for six hours?"
"I have some ideas..." Her voice trailed off as she leaned
toward Clark's ear. As she whispered, Clark's facial
expressions changed from disbelief, to amazement, and finally to
amusement. The small smile he had allowed himself earlier became
a wide grin.
***
Jimmy fidgeted in the chair as Perry paced back and forth,
talking excitedly.
"It'll be great, Jimmy! This is gonna be as big as FanFair down
in Nashville! Look, here's a mock-up of the banner." Perry
handed Jimmy a poster board. He read the banner out loud.
"'Metropolis MusicFest: We've Gone Country.' That's great,
Chief. What did you want to see me about?"
Perry continued on as if he hadn't heard Jimmy. "I still may
not be able to do the Tush Push, but I love this music. Yessir,
we've got top-notch entertainment coming into town. Brooks and
Dunn. Shania Twain. Alan Jackson. Vince Gill --"
Jimmy couldn't pretend he was interested anymore. "Chief!"
Perry turned to him slowly. "Yes, Jimmy?"
"Chief, this is all great. And I can see that you're all hyped
up about it. But, I gotta know. What did you want to see me
about?"
"I'm coming to that, son." Perry sat down behind his desk and
looked at Jimmy seriously. "I want you to cover the
MusicFest."
"Me? Chief, country music isn't exactly my style."
"And that's exactly why I want you to cover the MusicFest. Give
a 'non-fan' point of view. Who knows? Maybe you'll even like
it. After all, one million fans in Central Park for Garth Brooks
can't be all wrong."
"Aw, but Chief..."
"Don't 'But, Chief' me, Jimmy. A good reporter has to be able
to cover all types of stories. Even the ones that they aren't
'hyped up about.'" He stared pointedly at Jimmy before
continuing. "Besides, I want you to also interview one of the
new singers. I think you'll like her." His attention was
distracted by movement in the newsroom. "Oh, there she is
now."
He got up from behind his desk and walked to the office window.
Jimmy followed him.
They watched as a petite brunette walked down the ramp toward
Perry's office, stopping frequently to smile and chat with
people. She looked to be in her early 20s and was casually
dressed in Levi's jeans and Nikes. Her hair was pulled back into
a simple ponytail, thin wisps of hair escaping from the hair
clip. A Sheryl Crow tour shirt peeked out from under her Levi's
denim jacket. Jimmy couldn't help but admire the pretty picture
she presented.
She was followed by an older man, about Perry's age, dressed in
a country-cut jacket, sporting a ten-gallon hat on his head. An
pearl-encrusted arrowhead bolo tie topped a crisply starched red
western shirt. His black boot-cut slacks topped a pair of red and
black lizard cowboy boots. As the pair reached Perry's office,
Perry grinned, opened the office door, and signaled Lois and
Clark to join them.
"Perry! Ye old coot! How in the blue blazes have ye been?"
Lois, Clark, and Jimmy watched in amusement as Perry was folded
into a big bear hug by the man in the ten-gallon hat as he
stepped into the office. The brunette grinned as she entered the
office.
"Ha ha! Bill! It's been too long." He was released and stepped
back. "Or, should I say 'Captain' Bill?"
"Aw shoot, Perry. What's a nickname between old fishin'
buddies?"
Perry guffawed once more and, with his hand on the man's
shoulder, made introductions all around.
"Lois. Clark. Jimmy. I want y'all to meet Bill Brady.
'Captain' Bill Brady. One of the darn best managers in the
music business."
"Aw now, Perry. There ye go shooting yer dern fool mouth off
again." Bill shook hands with the trio and winked. "Ah'm THE
darn best manager in the music business." He turned to bring the
young woman forward. "And this li'l lady is mah latest
discovery. Everyone, this is Janie-Sue James."
"Hi, y'all." Lois and Clark nodded and smiled. Jimmy just
stared. Janie-Sue smiled shyly at him. Lois recognized the look
in Jimmy's eyes. Smiling, she filled in the sudden silence.
"We've heard a lot about you, Miss James. Welcome to
Metropolis."
"Thank ye kindly, Lois. But please, call me Janie-Sue. Ah look
around when people call me 'Miss James.' Ah kept expectin' to
see Mama. Are ye gonna be doing the interview?"
Jimmy broke out of his self-induced haze. "Uh, that would be me.
Jimmy Olsen. Hi." He held out his hand and Janie-Sue took it.
"Pleased to meet ye, Jimmy." Their handshake held and their
gazes locked. Lois, Clark, and Perry exchanged grins. They knew
Jimmy was...interested. Bill watched the silent interaction
between the two young people. He cleared his throat.
"Well now, I guess we best be moseyin' along. Perry, ah just
wanted to let ye know that we were in town and settled right in
over at the Lexor Hotel. Jimmy, why don't you hitch a ride with
us? Janie-Sue has to go to the concert venue. Ye can start the
interview there and finish it up later."
"Sure. Lemme just grab my gear off my desk."
Janie-Sue, Bill, and Jimmy headed out of Perry's office. Before
he closed the door, Jimmy turned to the three left in the
office.
"Y'know. I'm gonna have to dig my cowboy boots out of the back
of my closet. Country music may not be that bad." He grinned and
closed the door, leaving Lois, Clark, and Perry to chuckle among
themselves.
***
The closed-circuit picture showed Jimmy, Janie-Sue, and Captain
Bill heading up the ramp toward the elevator while Lois and Clark
left Perry's office and returned to their desks. A tall man in
full "Urban Cowboy" regalia watched the proceedings with rapt
attention.
"That's what ya say now, Olsen. But, let's see what happens
when your buddies Lane and Kent ain't around." He flicked a
switch on the control panel before him. Country music came
through the intercom speaker. He looked out the window to the
dimly lit room below him. On a bank of television monitors that
filled the entire wall, Clint Black's latest music video
played.
"Boss? This tap into the Planet's video security system works
just fine. And the audio bug in White's office caught everything
in there. You figgered right. Lane and Kent WILL be out of town
during the MusicFest."
The video paused, capturing Clint in mid-song. BJ watched a
gloved hand carefully place a cigar on the edge of the ashtray
and reach of the intercom switch. The intercom came to life, the
voice slightly garbled. "It's time to see what the Daily Planet
is like without those two do-gooders around. BJ, does our man
inside know what to do?"
"Yeah, Boss. Our man'll play his part. He'll keep an eye on
Perry White for us."
"Good. Let's get started." The intercom connection closed and
the music video resumed. As BJ turned to leave the monitor room,
the intercom connection opened again. "Oh, and BJ?"
"Yeah, Boss?"
"I need a new pair of boots. Crocodile cowboy boots."
***
Lois answered from the bathroom, where she was packing her
toiletries. "No, not that one, either."
Clark sat in their bed, the comforter pulled up to his waist, and
made a notation in the book he was holding. "OK, scratch that
one." He skimmed to the next item. "How about 'Charles'? It
means 'manly.'" He waited while Lois considered his last
suggestion.
Lois came into the bedroom, carrying her travel kit. She placed
it into the open suitcase at the foot of their bed. Straightening
up, she looked at Clark. "'Charles'? Hmmmm. Charles Kent.
Charlie Kent. OK, add it to the 'Maybe' list." She read the
title of the book in Clark's hands and sighed. "'Ten Thousand
Baby Names'? Good things this baby isn't coming out tomorrow."
She patted her swelling stomach and talked to it. "Right,
sweetie-pie?" She over to the dresser and opened her lingerie
drawer.
"How about...'Janie-Sue'?" Clark put the book on his covered
lap and smiled at Lois. He loved watching Lois. She always
brought a single-minded focus to whatever she was doing. That's
what made her a top-notch reporter. Even in mundane, normal
things like packing, Lois always strived to do the best possible
job. He had to admit, even her cooking was getting better.
Lois smiled back. "Speaking of Janie-Sue...did you notice
Jimmy's reaction when he saw her?"
"Yup. Kinda like my reaction when I met you for the first
time."
"Really? Love at first sight?"
"Nope. More like a deer caught in the headlights. Frozen in
place."
Lois giggled and threw the negligee she had in her hands at him.
"Flatterer."
Clark held up the negligee. "Mmmmm. I like this one."
"Well, enjoy it while I still fit in it." She took it from him,
carefully folding it before putting it in the suitcase.
"Y'know, Clark. It's kinda too bad that we'll be at the APE
conference during the MusicFest. I would have really have loved
to meet George Strait."
"Well, according to Perry, he's still a 'tentative.' He's
cut back on his touring and concerts quite a bit this past year.
He may not even show."
"Yeah, I suppose." She closed up the suitcase. "There. All
packed."
Clark looked at Lois astounded. "That's it? That's all you're
packing for yourself? One suitcase?"
"Well..." she grinned. "I don't have a lot of
maternity-maternity clothes yet, so I figured I'd go shopping in
Los Angeles. I got a list of maternity shops from Laurie in Life
and Style."
"And just what are 'maternity-maternity' clothes?"
Lois took off her robe as she explained. "Oh, you know...the
pants with the expansion panel, nursing bras, maternity tops.
Stuff like that. I've been lucky that most of my clothes still
fit. And when my tops don't, I've been able to use your
shirts."
"That reminds me of something I've been meaning to ask you."
"Hmmm?"
"With all that stuff with Ariana Carlin a few months back, how
come you didn't already know that you were pregnant? I mean,
don't women know stuff like that? Like right away?"
Lois smiled at him. She knew what he was asking. "Now, Clark.
You have to know that some women are 'regular' and some are
not. I'm not."
Clark thought about that for a while, a frown creasing his brow.
As understanding slowly dawned, Lois laughed gently. "Don't
worry about it, sweetie. It's not that important. It's just
important that I'm pregnant. That reminds me. I have a doctor's
appointment when we get back from Los Angeles."
She lifted the comforter and got into the bed, snuggling close to
Clark. His arm went reflexively around her, enveloping her in
warmth and love. She settled her head on his chest. "But,
getting back to maternity-maternity clothes. As comfy as your
shirts are, they aren't made for the expanding figure of a
mother-to-be."
"I'm sorry I asked."
"No, you're not. You love to take me shopping."
"It's more like I just love being with you."
"That's sweet." She snuggled even closer to Clark. "I love
you, too."
Clark placed the book on the night stand and turned off the
light. He held Lois to him in the dark, gently rubbing her
stomach. "Don't let me forget that book. I figure on a six-hour
flight we should be able to get through the T's."
Lois grinned into the darkness. "I have some other ways of
keeping you distracted..." She giggled and reached under the
comforter.
"Lo-is!"
***
"Well, Son, g'night. Don't keep Janie-Sue up too late, now.
She has a sound check tomorrow."
"I won't, Captain. G'night."
Jimmy watched as Bill gave Janie-Sue a quick peck on the cheek
before leaving them to their desserts. He turned to Janie-Sue.
"He really cares about you."
"Yup. Ah care about him, too. My daddy was in the Army, so we
moved from place to place. Ah didn't mind. Ah guess ah really
was an Army brat. But, after a while, Mama got tired of movin'
and she and ah settled in Nashville." Janie-Sue shrugged.
"Yeah? My dad was in the Army too. How did Captain Bill discover
you?"
"In church. Mama and ah go to the same church as Captain.
Y'know a lot of country singers got their start singin' in
church. Travis Tritt. Suzy Boguss. Even Patty Loveless."
Jimmy took notes as Janie-Sue talked. He concentrated on doing
his assignment and interviewing her. But, he kept getting
distracted. She was just so "not country" in her dress,
mannerisms, and interests that he tended to forget she was one of
the newest and most popular stars on the Nashville music scene.
His thoughts were interrupted by the waiter bringing their
desserts. "Now, who wanted the banana split?"
"He did." "She did." They said simultaneously. They looked at
each other and grinned.
"Three scoops of chocolate, pineapple and strawberry topping,
lots of whipped cream?"
"Oooh, that's me!" Janie-Sue's eyes got bigger than saucers
as the chocolate concoction was placed before her.
"And you must be the three scoops of strawberry, pineapple and
hot fudge topping, and lots of whipped cream." With a flourish,
the waiter presented Jimmy with his banana split. "Enjoy."
A comfortable silence fell between Jimmy and Janie-Sue as they
proceeded to eat their desserts. As they ate, Jimmy again
reflected on the attraction he was feeling for the girl across
from him. He had already discovered that they had a lot in
common.
They both loved cheeseburgers and fries. They both liked playing
computer games. They both enjoyed action movies. In fact, they
were able to repeat whole scenes from all the James Bond movies.
Well, except for the Timothy Dalton ones.
As for music Jimmy was amazed at the variety that Janie-Sue liked
and listened to. He would have thought that she would be so
involved in country music, that she wouldn't have time for any
other genre. But, again, she had surprised him. She listened to
Motown oldies and some of the most current rock acts. And she
agreed with him that The Beatles were the one single biggest
influence on modern popular music. Yeah, Janie-Sue was definitely
not what he expected. He liked that. He liked her.
Before either of them knew it, their desserts were finished and
the hour was late. Jimmy had promised Captain Bill he wouldn't
keep Janie-Sue out too late. As they rode the elevator up to her
suite, he wondered if she would object to a good night kiss.
As the elevator door opened to her floor, Janie-Sue turned to
Jimmy. "Ah had a lot of fun, Jimmy. Ah'll see ye tomorrow
during the sound check. Good night." With that, she quickly
kissed Jimmy on the lips and scooted through the elevator doors
before they closed. She turned and giggled as she saw the look of
surprise on his face.
As the elevator descended to the main lobby, Jimmy grinned. Yeah,
he definitely liked her. A lot.
***
The stage manager talked into his walkie-talkie. "Y'all got
those lights set up?" Before anyone could answer, he was already
at the sound board, double-checking the levels with the engineer.
On stage, Shania Twain was going through her latest hit with her
band.
...Don't be stupid -- you know I love you
Don't be ridiculous -- you know I need you
Don't be absurd -- you know I want you
Don't be ridiculous...
"OK, Shania! We've got the sound levels set!" He talked into
the walkie-talkie. "There! The lights are great like that!" He
yelled out to everyone. "OK, gang! That's it! Y'all can call
it a night." He watched as the band placed their instruments
down and left the stage, careful not to step on the wires. Shania
was the last to leave the stage. For a moment, the stage manager
let himself become the country-music fan that he had been all his
life. This MusicFest was a dream come true for him, working with
and meeting some of his favorite singers.
"Hey, Shania! Think this town has any good eats?" He rushed
forward to catch up to her.
From the shadows at the far end of the concert venue, a group of
people watched as the stage crew, band, and singer left. BJ took
the toothpick out of his mouth. "Right. Now, you know what
you're supposed to do?" He looked at the gang of young punks he
had hired.
One of the thugs, apparently the gang's leader, answered for the
gang. "Yeah, yeah. No problem, Mr. Bill. You want us to rattle
these hicks a little. No physical harm, right? Just cause some
problems."
"That's right. And I *don't* want any slip-ups."
"Hey, we take pride in our work, Mr. Bill. When do we get our
cash?"
BJ looked behind him. Cigar smoke wisped toward the ventilation
system. The gang leader watched as the figure in the shadows
handed BJ an envelope. He couldn't tell if it was a man or a
woman. He tried to make out who the figure was, but all he could
see was the outline of a cowboy hat and a thick jacket. Looking
toward the floor, he smiled.
"Here. Half now. The other half when the 'accidents' have
happened or the MusicFest is canceled."
"Cool." The gang leader stuffed the envelope into his leather
jacket. He signaled to his gang that the meeting was over. "Oh,
by the way. Nice boots your boss has there. Crocodile?"
"Yeah, from the Florida Everglades."
"Ain't that illegal?"
A swirl of cigar smoke came toward the men. BJ looked again at
his boss before turning to the gang leader, a smirk on his face.
"And your point is?"
***
The next day, by the time lunch had come and gone, the pace at
the Daily Plant was more frantic than usual. Usually Perry
supervised the organized chaos of the newsroom from his office.
But Perry White had temporarily moved his "headquarters" to the
Planet's conference room. More specifically, he was juggling two
jobs: editor in chief of the Daily Planet and organizer of the
Metropolis MusicFest. He knew that he could trust his news teams
to keep things running and that the Daily Planet would put out
its usual superior edition. What was topmost on his mind, and
therefore giving him the biggest headache, was the MusicFest. At
the moment, he was on the phone in the Planet's conference room,
papers scattered over the large table in front of him. Captain
Bill was looking over some ad layouts. He looked up as Perry's
Southern drawl became more pronounced.
"Ah know that Tanya's got this child custody thing hangin'
over her, but believe you me there are a lot of her fans here in
Metropolis. There won't be a speck of negative press while
she's here for MusicFest." Perry listened for a moment. "Uh
huh. Ah know -- But --- Y'know, ah remember a time that Elvis
--- Oh, you've heard that one..." Perry looked at Bill,
grimacing. Bill laughed and took pity on Perry. He gestured for
Perry to give him the phone.
He took it and listened to the rambling on the other line for a
moment. "Charlie! Charlie! Will ye just shut yer trap for a
minute? This here is Bill Brady. Now, like my GOOD FRIEND Perry
told ye, there won't be ANY negative publicity for Tanya if she
comes up here and performs. In fact, tell Tanya to bring the
young'uns. They'll have a lot of fun. Perry can get them free
passes to the Metropolis Zoo."
He paused and listened. "Yeah, I know her daughter, Presley,
loves animals. Tell Tanya her little girl will love the zoo up
here. Oh, and Charlie? Tell Tanya that she'll be disappointin'
a lot of her fans if she doesn't perform here." Bill listened
for a moment more before giving Perry a "thumbs up" sign. Perry
wiped his brow and went to add Tanya Tucker's name to the chart
listing all the performers.
"Right, Charlie. Thanks. Tell we'll see her and the kids up
here in two days. Bye." Bill hung up the phone and smiled at
Perry. "Good thing, she ain't your opening concert, Perry."
"Bill, you're a life-saver!"
"Shoot, 'tweren't nothin'. Just a li'l friendly help."
Perry was about to say something when he noticed Jimmy walking by
the conference room. He opened the door and bellowed. "Jimmy!"
Jimmy came in, pencil and note pad in hand. "Hi, Chief. Hi,
Captain."
"Hey, Jimmy."
"Chief, I was just working on that point of view piece about the
MusicFest."
"Good. How's it comin'?"
"Not bad. Janie-Sue has been pretty helpful. She's gonna let me
hang out with her during her sound check at the arena today."
Perry looked at Bill when Jimmy mentioned Janie-Sue. Bill smiled
and winked at Perry.
"Ye gettin' sweet on her, son?"
Jimmy grinned and blushed. "Well, she's really pretty,
Captain." He turned to Perry to explain further. "She's not at
all what I expected a country singer to be like. She's normal. I
mean, she doesn't have a big entourage or anything like that.
She doesn't wear sequins all the time. And she doesn't have
'big hair.'"
Bill guffawed at Jimmy's last statement. "Son, even Reba and
Dolly have cut their hairspray consumption way down. And the only
time you'll see lots of sequins nowadays is during the CMA
awards."
They all shared a laugh over Bill's comments. "Well, I'd
better get back to my computer. I'm supposed to meet Janie-Sue
in an hour." Jimmy turned to leave the conference room. Perry's
voice stopped him.
"Jimmy?"
"Yeah, Chief?"
"Are those LIZARD cowboy boots on your feet?"
Jimmy grinned sheepishly. "Uh, yeah. I forgot that I had given
my boots away last winter during the clothes drive for the
homeless. So Janie-Sue's guitarist traded them for my No Doubt
tour jacket. Pretty cool, huh?"
***
The crew member wheeled the large trunk toward the stage manager.
"Hey, Vern. Where should I put Reba's costumes?"
"Over there. Next to the wireless mikes."
A couple of men in their early twenties watched as the roadie
wheeled the trunk into place. Ducking out of sight, they waited
until the crew member had left. Checking to make sure that no one
was around, they headed toward the trunk.
"Hey, let's swipe those wireless mikes, too. We can hock those
easy like."
***
It was late morning as Lois finished unpacking and putting their
suitcases in the closet of their room at the Biltmore Hotel.
"Now, admit it, Clark. Flying IN the airplane wasn't all that
bad, was it?"
Clark came out of the bathroom and spun out of his coat and tie
and into a T-shirt and jeans. "No, but it's still seemed
unnatural to me, Lois." He came up behind Lois and embraced her.
"But, I've gotta admit, the time did 'fly by' with you
there." He smiled into her hair before bending down and kissing
her at the juncture where her neck met her collarbone.
"Mmmmmm. Glad I could help out. I still can't believe you have
a fear of flying. How's your stomach?"
"Still a little queasy, but OK."
"Poor baby."
"Speaking of babies...Were you serious?"
Lois grinned. "About what?"
"About naming our baby 'Boeing'?"
Lois couldn't contain her laughter any longer. "Of course not,
lunkhead! I just did that to keep your mind off the flight."
"Well, it worked. Thanks."
"Anytime, sweetheart." She turned in his arms and hugged him,
enjoying the feel of being in his arms and hearing his steady
heartbeat. She loved this man, and was glad that they were going
to have a baby. She grinned again. "Clark?"
"Hmmm?"
"How about if it's a girl we name her 'Lufthansa'?"
"Lo-is..."
***
Jimmy sat center section as Janie-Sue completed her sound check.
He found himself enjoying her voice and her cover of an old
Beatles' tune.
...Why he had to go
I don't know
He wouldn't say
I said something wrong
Now I long
For yesterday...
Jimmy was amazed at Janie-Sue's talent. He could see why she had
risen to the top of the charts so quickly. She had a way of
taking a song and making it all hers. She wasn't just singing
the song, she was feeling the song. As she finished, she looked
toward Jimmy, who stood and began applauding. As the sound echoed
in the venue, Jimmy realized that he wasn't the only one
applauding. All of the stage crew, as well as Janie-Sue's backup
band, had joined in the applause.
The stage manager came forward. "Janie-Sue, that was terrific!
Ah haven't been that moved since ah heard Reba sing the national
anthem at the National Finals Rodeo."
"Thank ye, Vern. That's a big compliment."
"Well, ah meant it." He turned back toward the sound engineer
and smiled as he got the "OK" signal. "Yer sound check went
just fine. We've got the levels all marked. Thanks,
Janie-Sue."
"Ye're welcome." Janie-Sue turned to the band members.
"That's it for now, boys. See y'all later."
Janie-Sue bent down and continued talking to the stage manager.
As the band members left the stage, Jimmy walked forward. He
looked up as he heard a creaking sound. Jimmy quickly scanned the
lighting and scaffolding. He heard the creak again and saw that
one of the stage lights was wavering and coming loose from its
standard. He ran toward the stage. "Look out!" He warned.
Janie-Sue and Vern looked toward him and then upward to where
Jimmy was pointing. Janie-Sue screamed as Vern helped her jump
off the stage. Moments later, the stage light came crashing
down.
"Janie-Sue! Are you all right?" Jimmy and the rest of the stage
crew came running up to where she and Vern stood staring at the
stage.
"Yeah, Jimmy. Ah'm OK. Scared, but OK. Thanks again, Vern."
"You're welcome, Janie-Sue. Ah'm just glad you're not hurt.
It's strange, though. We just checked those lights yesterday
during Shania's sound check. Everything was fine. Jimmy, why
don't you take Janie-Sue out of here? She's done with her sound
check." He hurried off, yelling into his ever-present
walkie-talkie and barking orders at the crew to triple check all
the connections. The sound engineer followed him. Jimmy and
Janie-Sue walked toward the exit, Jimmy's arm around her.
At the back of the concert venue, BJ smirked. He pulled out a
cellular phone and dialed a number. "It's me, Boss. Yeah.
Everything's going just as you planned. I'm here at the concert
venue. I also heard that that tour bus broke down like you
wanted." He listened for a moment. "Yeah, our man inside should
be checking in tonight."
He closed the cell phone and watched the commotion down on the
floor. He smiled again as, in the midst of the confusion, he
spied one of the men he had hired walk up to the sound board. He
turned to see another of the gang members heading toward the
dressing rooms.
***
"Chief, it's really strange. I've been to enough concerts to
know that lights are checked and re-checked. I don't believe
that the stage light falling was an accident." Even though
Jimmy's comments were directed toward Perry, he was talking to
Janie-Sue and Captain Bill. After the accident at the concert
venue, Jimmy had taken Janie-Sue back to the Planet, where they
told Perry and Captain Bill what had happened.
"What makes you think that, son?"
"Well, after the light fell, Janie-Sue and I stopped and talked
to some of the other acts' road crews. They said that there have
been some strange things going on."
Janie-Sue sat next to Jimmy, her hand entwined in his. She nodded
her agreement.
"Strange things? Like what?"
"Like Brooks and Dunn's wireless mikes are 'lost.' Alan
Jackson's tour bus broke down right after he checked in at the
Lexor Hotel." Perry and Bill exchanged looks.
Janie-Sue chimed in. "That's right, Jimmy. And don't forget
about Reba."
"Oh, yeah. Reba McEntire's costumes can't be found, either."
While Jimmy continued with the list of strange happenings, Perry
wrote the entertainers' names on the dry-erase board in the
conference room.
"Brooks and Dunn. Alan Jackson. Reba. And you say that Clay
Walker's dressing room was completely trashed? This is
strange." He looked to Bill, hoping that he had an explanation.
Bill shrugged. "Beats the tar outta me, Perry. Can you imagine
if Garth had brought in his whole show early? Good thing he's
not comin' into town for another couple of days."
"Yeah. Thank Elvis for small favors. I'm glad I asked him if he
could run that special errand for me." Perry studied the list.
Bill stood up and looked at Janie-Sue. "Well, darlin'. Sounds
like ye've had enough excitement for the day. Let's get ye back
to the hotel. Jimmy, wanna come along?"
Jimmy looked at Perry. "Chief?"
Perry waved Jimmy away, engrossed in the list of accidents,
willing it to give him an answer.
***
As the bank of television monitors showed the trio leaving the
conference room, a pair of crocodile cowboy boots tapped to the
beat of the latest hit by Garth Brooks that came through the
speaker system. Cigar smoke was blown out, automatically
suctioned away by the air system. "BJ."
"Yeah, Boss?"
"The FanFair thing in Nashville is during the summer, right?"
"I think so. Why?"
"Well, if Perry White wants THIS MusicFest to be Metropolis'
version of FanFair, shouldn't the air conditioning be turned
up?"
BJ smiled. "It's February, Boss. People'll complain."
Another puff of cigar smoke wafted toward him.
"And your point is?"
***
"Great presentation, Lois!"
"Thanks, Nancy. Glad you enjoyed it."
"Are you kidding? It's one thing to read about your adventures
and Superman, but to actually *hear* about them from Lois Lane! I
wouldn't have missed your presentation for the world." Nancy
looked around. "Apparently, no one else did either. You're the
hit of the conference." She grinned. "In fact, I'd say that
the conference went APE--"
"Don't say it, Nancy!" The two women laughed over the unspoken
play on words.
Catching her breath, Nancy continued. "But, the program said you
and that handsome husband of yours. Where's Clark?"
"Oh, he wasn't feeling very well. It turns out he has this fear
of flying -- "
"Which is gone until we have to go back to Metropolis." Clark
walked up to Lois, putting his arm around her waist and kissing
her on the cheek. He turned to the other woman. "Hi, Nancy. How
are things in Glocamora?"
Nancy grinned and hugged Clark. "Oh you! Things are fine at the
Guam Express, thank you very much. Any chance I can convince two
investigative reporters to leave the excitement of Metropolis and
come enjoy the peacefulness of Guam?"
Lois and Clark looked at each other, seeming to consider Nancy's
question. They turned to her and answered simultaneously,
grinning widely. "Nope."
Nancy laughed. "Well, can't blame a gal for trying. Listen, I
gotta run. Now you two don't be strangers. Lois, I am so happy
for you and Clark. You take care of yourself and that baby
you're carrying." She shook a reprimanding finger at Lois,
grinning all the while. "Stay away from those psycho
psychiatrists."
Lois chuckled, embracing the woman. "I will, Nancy. Thanks."
She released her embrace and returned to Clark's side.
"Bye, Nancy."
"Bye, Clark." She gave him the once-over, causing Clark to
blush and Lois's eyebrow to rise in surprise and humor. "Yup,
Lois. You are one lucky gal. See ya."
Lois and Clark watched Nancy walk away. Clark turned to Lois.
"Thanks for covering for me. I caught the last part of the
presentation. You were great."
Lois looked at Clark. "Thanks. Everything all right?"
"Uh huh. A high-speed chase on the 405 Freeway during rush hour.
L.A's finest were glad for the 'super' help."
Lois blinked at Clark. "'High-speed'? On the 405? Sounds to me
like an oxymoron. From what I hear, that freeway's highest speed
is usually only around 30 MPH. Slower during rush hour." Lois
and Clark shared a laugh.
"Seriously, Lois. I did catch the last part of the presentation.
You were your usual self. Fantastic." He kissed her cheek.
"Funny." He lightly kissed her lips. "Incredible." He kissed
her again, this time lingering a moment and outlining her lips
with his tongue. Breaking off the kiss, he saw the beginnings of
a soft, dreamy smile on her lips.
"Thanks, honey, but I'm glad that's over. I hate public
speaking. Well, unless I'm accepting a Kerth award or the
Pulitzer."
"That's my wife. Confident as always." He tucked a strand of
hair behind her ear, cupping the side of her face. "You look
tired."
"I am, a little. But, you know what I want to do?"
"I have no idea."
"I want to go to Disneyland!" She giggled. "I've always
wanted to say that."
Clark checked his watch. "Now? Are you sure you're up to all
that walking? It's almost time for dinner. By the time we get
out there --" Lois's not-so-soft kiss stopped him.
Lois grinned. "I was thinking of going to the park tomorrow.
Tonight..." She whispered in his ear.
Clark grinned. "Why, Ms. Lane! If I didn't know you better,
I'd think you were trying to seduce me."
Lois smiled coyly and, pulling him by the tie, walked toward the
exit. "I am."
Grinning like a school kid, Clark caught up to her and put his
arm around her waist. They left the room and headed to the
elevator and back to their hotel room.
***
"He's the only one who believed in me and my singing."
Janie-Sue paused and popped another snow pea into her mouth as
she tucked her legs under her on the couch in her hotel suite.
"Mmmmm, Jimmy, this Chinese food is great! It certainly beats
Ralph's Pagoda back in Nashville."
"You have a Ralph's Pagoda there? So do we, but I don't go
there ever since Lois got sick from their moo goo gai pan."
"Well, ours took it off their menu when no one ordered it."
They laughed and Jimmy again marveled at how at ease he felt with
Janie-Sue. He wasn't sure if he was in love with her, but he
definitely was feeling something. Janie-Sue's voice broke into
his thoughts.
"Y'know, Jimmy. It's been so much fun hanging out with ye.
Thanks."
"It was my pleasure."
Janie-Sue picked up another take-out box and expertly used the
chopsticks to bring a piece of broccoli to her mouth. "Yeah, but
ah know that this is just part of your job. The interview and
all." She nibbled thoughtfully on the broccoli, not meeting
Jimmy's stare.
"If all I had wanted to do was do the interview, that would have
been done in a hour back at the Planet when we first met." Jimmy
wasn't all that surprised at what he had just said. It was the
truth. He was, however, surprised at the look in Janie-Sue's
eyes.
"Really? Ye're not just pullin' my leg?" Her voice
sounded...hopeful? Jimmy wasn't sure. But, he knew how he felt
at that moment.
He put down the take-out box and went to sit next to her on the
couch. He took her hand in his and studied it. "No, I'm not
pulling your leg." He looked into her eyes and smiled. "I... I
like you, Janie-Sue. I like you a lot."
"Ah like you too, Jimmy."
The silence that suddenly hung between them didn't seem to
bother either of them. Janie-Sue smiled shyly. Jimmy was amazed
at how quickly his feelings for her had developed. He reached out
and yanked on her ponytail playfully.
"Hey, you OK?"
"Yeah." She looked at him and squeezed his hand.
"Good." He leaned toward her. "Because I think I'm gonna kiss
you."
"Ah was wondering when ye would." Her shy smile had turned into
a grin that matched his.
Meeting him halfway, Janie-Sue closed her eyes and returned
Jimmy's kiss.
***
In his hotel suite, Captain Bill was talking on the phone. His
"good ol' boy" drawl was almost unnoticeable and he spoke in
sharp, clipped tones.
"I'm not kiddin'. I've known him for a long time, and once
Perry White has his teeth into a story, he's like a pit bull. He
won't let go until he's figured out what's going on with the
MusicFest."
On the other end of the line, BJ listened on the conference
speaker. He looked to his accomplice who puffed on a cigar,
seemingly lost in thought. Not getting a response, he spoke into
the speaker. "Now, Bill, I'm sure you're exaggerating. Perry
White has been editor in chief for as long as I've been reading
The Daily Planet. He's out of practice, I'm sure."
"Y'all don't know him."
Before BJ could say another word, the blonde put down her cigar
and spoke into the speaker phone. BJ took a step back. He had
seen the look in her eyes. When she spoke, she was direct and to
the point, no hint of coyness or teasing. That confirmed it.
Mindy Church was not amused. "You just worry about Janie-Sue.
Let us worry about Perry White. And Jimmy Olsen."
There was silence on the other end. BJ spoke into the intercom.
"You got that, Bill?"
Bill reluctantly answered. "Yeah." He hung up the phone.
BJ looked at the blonde. "Don't worry, Mrs. Church. He can't
connect anything to you."
Mindy Church puffed on her cigar, her voice dripping with false
sweetness and innocence. "Who's worried? His only contact has
been you and he only knows you as a voice on the telephone.
Besides, the money that's been put in his bank account can only
be traced back to Temple & Company. And that's a dead end as far
as anyone is concerned. I'm not worried, BJ." She blew a smoke
ring. "Not worried at all."
***
The next morning, on the other side of the country, Lois and
Clark passed through the turnstiles at Disneyland. Clark was busy
looking around and grinned as he heard and saw the Disneyland
Express steam locomotive. He turned to say something to Lois, but
stopped short as he saw that she was frowning as she read a
sign.
"Lois, honey, what's the matter?"
She sighed, gesturing toward the sign she had been reading.
"Just our luck, Clark! Of all the days for Space Mountain, Big
Thunder Mountain, *and* Star Tours to be closed for 'routine
maintenance'! Don't you think that's strange?"
"Now, Lois --" He began as he saw "the look" on her face.
"Clark, what if it's a conspiracy? I mean, yeah, sure. They
call this park 'The Happiest Place on Earth,' but seriously,
how true can that be? Maybe it's a plot by Six Flags. Maybe
it's a work stoppage. Maybe --- Mmmff!"
Clark released Lois from his embrace and was pleased to see that
his kiss had been effective. She had stopped babbling. Holding
her in his arms, he finished her thought.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence. It happens, Lois. Let's not go
looking for trouble. We're here to enjoy ourselves, OK?"
Lois conceded the point. Reluctantly. "OK. You're right." They
walked under the train bridge and headed up Main Street.
Clark studied the park map he had picked up at the ticket booth.
"Good. Besides, you couldn't go on those rides anyway."
"Why not?"
"Because, my dear pregnant wife, expectant mothers are not
allowed on them. They're high-speed, turbulent, roller-coaster
rides."
"I suppose. Just don't tell me the only ride I can go on is
King Arthur's Carousel."
Clark chuckled. "No. You have a choice: It's a Small World, The
Haunted Mansion, or Pirates of the Caribbean."
Lois considered her choices. "You call that a choice? Those are
all kiddie rides!"
"OK, how about The Golden Horseshoe Revue?"
"So you can ogle the 'saloon girls'? I don't think so. Kiddie
rides it is. Starting with It's a Small World. Besides, who
knows when the next time we'll get some time off will be? Better
take the baby to all the kiddie places now."
She patted her stomach and cooed at her unborn child. "Isn't
that right, Minnie?"
"Lois? 'Minnie Kent'? I don't think so." They walked along
in companionable silence before Lois spoke up.
"OK then, how about 'Goofy'. That's pretty genderless.
'Goofy Kent'. How's that sound?" She grinned as she watched
for Clark's reaction to her latest name suggestion.
Clark pretended to seriously consider the name and Lois could
feel her laughter threatening of bubble over. Then, he grinned.
"You know, 'Lufthansa' is sounding a lot better..." He and
Lois laughed as they walked hand-in-hand through Sleeping
Beauty's Castle and toward It's a Small World.
***
Perry surveyed the scene in front of him in the conference room.
"Great shades of Elvis! It's like an all-star meeting of the
Grand Old Opry!"
All the top name entertainers in country music were milling about
talking among themselves. Unfortunately, Perry knew what they
were talking about. The series of "accidents" that had plagued
the MusicFest from the very beginning had continued, with no
indication of stopping. Normally, he wouldn't classify country
singers as a superstitious lot, but even the best of them were
starting to reconsider their participation. Alan Jackson, Kix
Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire, and Clay
Walker were all there, along with several of the "up and
comers" who would be performing at smaller venues all over the
city. Trace Adkins. Bryan White. Lee Ann Womack. Terri Clark.
Chely Wright. They all looked to Perry nervously.
Tanya Tucker, the designated spokesperson for the group, spoke
up. "Now, Mr. White. Ah know that ye've put a lot of time and
effort into this MusicFest. And none of us want to see ye fold up
yer tent, but..." She shrugged her shoulders and looked to her
colleagues for help.
Alan Jackson joined in. "The fact of the matter is, Mr. White,
there have been just too many accidents to think that they're
all coincidences. Now, ah don't reckon that my tour bus breaking
down can be counted as one of them. Ah've been havin' trouble
with that bus all year long. But the technical stuff sure makes
me nervous."
Kix Brooks spoke up. "That's right. Our wireless mikes still
haven't been found." He nudged his partner, Ronnie Dunn, before
continuing. "But, as far as Reba's costumes being lost, well
now, that might just have been a good thing." A friendly laugh
went up among the entertainers, Reba's being the loudest.
"Now, that's true, Kix. And shoot, since ah got mah hair cut,
ah don't even mind that my hairspray is gone." She looked to
her fellow Oklahoman, Vince Gill. "And ah suppose if Vince is
willin' to help out a fellow Okie, ah can probably put on an
acoustic set."
Vince's soft voice carried across the room. "Sure enough, Reba.
It'll be just like the early days. Just you and a guitar."
Perry had watched the exchange and recognized that the
entertainers weren't willing to throw in the towel just yet.
They just wanted some reassurances.
"Now, folks, let me just say this. We have our best detectives
in the Metropolis Police Department working on this problem. The
MusicFest is somethin' that this city's needed for a long
time." He paused for a moment as an idea came upon him. "As a
matter of fact, Vince there just hit on somethin' that might
just work."
All eyes turned to Vince Gill. He looked behind him, and seeing
no one there, he returned everyone's look with his natural "aw
shucks" attitude, a shrug of his shoulders, and a shy grin.
A new voice came from the doorway. "Well now, why don't you
just tell us what this idea is, Perry, and we'll see if we
can't just make this MusicFest the biggest thing since FanFair.
I got that 'errand' done for you and finally persuaded a friend
to come along and join in the fun."
Perry looked toward the doorway. Standing there were two men.
They both wore Wrangler jeans and white felt cowboy hats. The
younger of the two wore his trademark color-block shirt while the
other wore a crisply ironed Wrangler Brushpopper shirt. The
younger one took a few steps into the room, while the other one
hung back, leaning in the doorway, a shy smile on his face. Perry
broke into a wide grin of satisfaction and a collective sigh of
relief ran through the entire group.
"Well, with you two now in town, this is sure to be the best
Fest ever!" Perry looked back toward the other singers. "So,
anyone still thinkin' of pullin' out?" No one answered. "OK
then, here's what I was thinkin'..." Everyone crowded around
Perry as he outlined his idea. Garth Brooks and George Strait
joined them.
***
"That's great, Perry. I'm sure it'll work. It's a terrific
idea, everyone going acoustic and singing their early hits. I'm
sure both non-country and country music fans would really like to
hear that. It'll be country music at its best. Just the singers,
the fans, and a guitar." Lois chuckled. She knew that Perry was
already jotting down what she had said and would somehow work it
into whatever press release was needed.
Lois listened for a moment more. She smiled into the receiver.
"Clark and I are having a great time, thanks. We're at
Disneyland right now. Yeah, I'm taking it easy."
She held the receiver away from her ear and counted slowly to
ten. "Perry. Perry. Perry! I'm pregnant, not dying! Besides,
walking is good for me." She checked her watch. "Oh! I forgot
you guys are three hours ahead of us. Tell Jimmy we said hi, OK?
OK, Perry. See you in a couple of days. Bye."
Lois hung up the phone and went over to the frozen banana stand.
She bought one and walked toward a group of people. As she got
closer, she could hear the sounds of cameras clicking and
whirring along with the excited voices of people. She bit into
her frozen banana and smiled indulgently at the crowd. She walked
over to a side bench, sat down, and just watched.
In the middle of the crowd, Superman was politely and patiently
signing autographs and chatting with the group of Japanese
tourists. In Japanese. Lois could hear the occasional "Domo
arigato" and the deep bows of the Japanese that indicated the
level of respect that they held for Superman. At one point,
Superman spied Lois and shrugged his shoulders in helplessness.
Lois grinned and mouthed "I understand." She knew that her
husband needed this positivite reinforcement from people and
didn't begrudge the interruption to their vacation time.
She watched as Superman picked up a baby and posed with it for a
picture. She smiled to herself, picturing Clark holding their
baby. She looked down at her stomach. "Soon, sweetie. He'll be
holding you soon."
As she finished her frozen banana, she saw that the group of
tourists were finally being herded together by their Disneyland
tour guide. With a last few pictures taken and autographs signed,
Superman took the opportunity to fly off.
As Lois wiped her mouth, Clark walked toward her and sat down.
"What'd you have?"
"A frozen banana. Two dollars and seventy-five cents, Clark!
What a rip-off!" Clark smiled indulgently at Lois. Lois looked
at him. "By the way, thanks."
Clark smiled, leaned in, and kissed Lois, removing the last
traces of chocolate from her lips. "You're welcome. Glad to be
of service."
"No, I mean it. I was talking to one of the maintenance workers.
He said that ever since Disney has "contracted out" their
service departments, things haven't been running as smoothly as
usual. If you hadn't come and fixed the boat jam, I would have
gone stark-raving bonkers."
"Uh huh." Clark leaned back and looked toward the Matterhorn
ride. He began whistling a tune, "It's a Small World After
All," a smile playing on his lips.
Lois looked at him in alarm. "Clark! Don't. Please. Being stuck
in that ride for two hours with a boat full of Japanese tourists
and that tune over and over again was bad enough. The extent of
my Japanese is the various types of sushi, 'domo arigato,' and
'sayonara.'"
Clark took pity on Lois and stopped, the smile remaining on his
face. "OK. Where to now? The Haunted Mansion?"
Lois stood up. "Let's do it. But first, can we stop and get
something to eat? 'Sashimi' here is hungry." She patted her
tummy.
Clark winced. "'Sashimi'? Is that on the 'maybe list'?"
Lois grinned. "It could be." She reached for his hand and
continued discussing the merits of naming their baby after raw
fish as they walked toward Frontierland.
***
The next day, Jimmy and Perry walked through the "meet and
greet" center toward Janie-Sue's booth. Perry had liked the
idea of an area where the fans could chat and get autographs of
their favorite stars. The entertainers, used to the concept from
FanFair, were more than obliging. The "hot" singers had the
longest lines, people sometimes standing in line for more than
two hours just to say hello and get their picture taken with
their favorite singer. Perry was glad that the lines for the
"old timers" like Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Waylon
Jennings were almost as long and that many of the people standing
in those lines were under the age of 30. It just proved his point
that country music covered all the age groups.
Jimmy nudged Perry. "Look, Chief! There's Mindy McCready! Man,
is she hot!" Jimmy let out a low whistle.
"Now, Jimmy..."
"Oh, there's her boyfriend."
"FiancŽ, son. FiancŽ."
"That's not what The Whisper says. They say ---" He stopped at
the look on Perry's face.
"You mean to tell me that you read that birdcage liner of a
rag?"
Jimmy flushed and hurried to explain. "Well, uh, it's
like...well...Aw, Chief. I just skim it while I'm waiting in the
checkout line at the grocery store."
Perry snorted and continued walking. Jimmy took one more look at
the blonde singer before hurrying to catch up with Perry who had
reached Janie-Sue's booth and was talking to Captain Bill.
Janie-Sue greeted them warmly. "Hi, Mr. White! Hi, Jimmy." She
gave Jimmy a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Hi, darlin'. How are you holdin' up?"
"Oh, just fine Mr. White. This is the fun part of this business.
The fans are always so nice and polite. They're the reason that
ah've been so lucky, so ah don't mind sessions like this at
all." Janie-Sue turned to shake hands with the next person in
line. Perry and Jimmy watched as Janie-Sue talked for a few
minutes, signed an 8 by 10 glossy of herself, and posed for a
picture.
Perry smiled. It was plain to see that there was a definite
give-and-take between Janie-Sue and the fan, and that both of
them left the encounter with something they would remember.
Janie-Sue looked like she was having fun. Bill stood to the side
chatting with Jimmy.
"Uh, Janie-Sue? I have to check with some people about these
li'l mishaps. You'll be OK?"
"Oh, sure Mr. White." She stole a quick glance at Jimmy.
"I'll stick around, Chief." He looked at Janie-Sue as he spoke
to Perry.
Perry watched the interaction between the two and grinned at
Bill. "Well, then, I'll be seein' y'all."
"Hold on there, Perry. Ah think ah'll just tag along with
y'all." Bill looked at Janie-Sue and Jimmy. "These two can
hold down the fort just fine."
***
After the meet-and-greet session was over, the closed circuit
television monitor showed Janie-Sue and Jimmy leaving the room
hand-in-hand.
BJ snorted at the picture. "Good thing you own the security
company that set up the cameras for the MusicFest, Mrs. Church.
What next?"
Mindy Church blew smoke rings that slowly wafted toward BJ.
"Have Captain Bill send the note." She studied her boots
propped up on the console counter. "Do you think I can get a
pair of these in red?"
***
Lois and Clark stood at the street corner, looking at a street
map. Lois looked around her. On each side of the street, she saw
small shops that hawked souvenirs of Hollywood -- T-shirts, post
cards, and celebrity photos. If Lois hadn't seen the street
signs, she wouldn't have known the difference between this
intersection and any other she had passed in Los Angeles. "So,
this is it? The famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine? Not
much too it."
Clark studied the map a while longer. He looked up Hollywood
Boulevard, toward the west. "According to the map, Mann's
Chinese Theater is that way." He looked at Lois and smiled.
"Got your walking shoes on?"
Lois smiled back, her heart skipping a beat as she saw the love
in Clark's eyes. "But, of course. Let's go." They proceeded
westward, walking slowly and reading the names on the stars
beneath their feet.
"Oh, Clark! Tallulah Bankhead. Daddy always liked her." Lois
said the name a few more times. "Tallulah. Tallulah. Tallulah
Kent. Hmmm. Waddaya think?"
Clark just smiled and kept quiet. He knew from yesterday that
Lois was bound and determined to try anything and everything with
"Kent" until she found one or two that had "just the right
amount of 'normalness' for a Krypto-American baby."
Seeing a crowd at the Mann's Chinese Theater, they continued up
Hollywood Boulevard. As they passed in front of the Galaxy
Theater, Lois got excited as she saw a recent addition to the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. "Clark! Pierce Brosnan. How about that
name? Pierce. Pierce Kent." Lois thought about it for a moment.
"Nah. Too weird."
Turning back toward the Chinese Theater, they saw that the crowd
hadn't thinned out. In fact, if anything, the crowd had gotten
bigger. Clark noticed that members of the Los Angeles Police
Department had put up temporary barriers and were blocking one
lane of traffic. He went up to someone with a walkie-talkie.
"What's going on?"
The man turned toward Clark, a smart retort on his lips. Seeing
Clark, he changed his mind and answered him politely. "A very
important star is getting their feet and hand prints put in the
cement in about..." He check his clipboard and watch. "Five
minutes." He saw that Clark was holding Lois's hand. "You and
your wife can see better from over there." He pointed toward a
section of the courtyard that wasn't overrun by tourists,
television cameras, and paparazzi.
Clark smiled his appreciation. "Thanks."
"No problem, the wife and I have a two-month old baby. I still
remember when Carlie was pregnant and in crowds. Enjoy
yourselves. Feel free to take pictures."
"We will. Thanks again." He turned to Lois. "Let's go. I got
us prime viewing space." Lois smiled appreciatively and let
Clark run interference through the crowd.
Just as Clark got Lois settled, his superhearing tuned in. Lois
recognized the look. "What is it?" She followed Clark's gaze
up the street.
Up Hollywood Boulevard and across the street at the Hollywood
Roosevelt Hotel, a window washers' scaffolding was beginning to
give way. The two-man crew tried to regain their balance. Their
efforts just caused the scaffolding to sway dangerously. They
began yelling in Spanish, their shouts attracting attention on
the street below them.
At the Chinese Theater, Honorary Mayor Johnny Grant had just
begun his opening remarks. He stopped and looked up the street.
His actions galvanized the television crews who immediately ran
toward the Roosevelt. The crowd moved with them, pulling Lois
along with them. Police officers ran toward the hotel, radioing
in the emergency. Traffic screeched to a halt.
Lois heard the familiar swoosh that signaled a certain
red-and-blue-clad superhero's arrival. She smiled to herself as
she watched Superman remove the workers from their predicament
and bring them to the ground. He calmed them down in Spanish.
"Madre de Dios! Muchas gracias, Superman." One worker shook
Superman's hand while the other wiped his brow.
"De nada --- " The crowd's gasp caused Superman to look up. He
zoomed upward and caught the falling scaffolding, bringing it
safely down to street level.
The police came forward and questioned the window washers. Seeing
that the police had the situation under control and anxious to
return to his vacation and Lois, Superman prepared to take off.
Honorary Mayor Johnny Grant's shout stopped him.
"Superman! One minute!" The crowd separated to allow the
diminutive entertainer through.
Superman hovered a few feet off the ground before settling back
down and shaking the entertainer's hand. "Can I help you, Mr.
Grant?"
"Actually, Superman, I'm hoping you will. The star we were in
the process of honoring saw you in action. He has graciously
offered to have YOU take his place. Please, Superman, won't you
join the other people in the cement who have brought great joy,
pleasure, and happiness to countless millions?"
"Well, uh..."
Seeing Superman's hesitation, Johnny Grant appealed to the
crowd. "What do you say, folks? Wouldn't you like to see
Superman's hand and famous red boot prints immortalized in
cement in the front of the Chinese Theater?" A large shout of
agreement arose from the crowd. They began clapping and chanting,
"Superman! Superman!"
"Uh..." Before he could say another word, his facial expression
changed, as if he heard a distant cry. "I'm sorry. I'm very
flattered, but someone needs me right now." With that he flew
off, leaving behind a disappointed crowd, an open-mouthed star
and honorary mayor, and one slightly smirking investigative
reporter.
As the crowd returned to the ceremony at the theater, Lois felt
Clark come up next to her and take her hand. "What? No second
emergency?"
Clark grinned sheepishly. "Just the emergency of getting back to
you." He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.
"Mmmmm. That's nice." They walked east on Hollywood Boulevard
and passed the ceremony. Lois smiled at the applause that they
heard. She nudged Clark with her hip. "Chicken."
Clark stopped. "What? You WANTED me to do that?"
Lois chuckled. "Not really. Still it would have been nice to
take the kids to see one day." Her gaze turned toward the star
beneath her. "Oh look, Clark! Beverly Garland!"
***
Jimmy and Perry studied the chart in The Daily Planet's
conference room. It was the same one that Perry had started when
the MusicFest "accidents" had started, only now it was longer.
Luckily, most of the accidents were minor and didn't deter any
of the entertainers from dropping out. Perry's musings were
interrupted by Jimmy.
"OK, Chief. I've watched Lois and Clark do this for a little
over four years now, it can't be that difficult. Especially for
a 'news hound' like you."
"Ha! You're right, Jimmy. I was doing investigative pieces when
those two were still learning to read. Let's figure this out."
Jimmy thought out loud. "Now, what's the common denominator
here? Alan Jackson. Brooks and Dunn. Reba McEntire. Wynonna.
Clint Black. Clay Walker. Travis Tritt. All these others.
Hmmmm."
The silence grew as Jimmy and Perry thought and rejected possible
commonalities.
"I've got it!" They said simultaneously.
"All of these singers..." Jimmy said.
"Are 'main headliners' for the concerts." Perry finished.
"And the one opening act that is the same for all of them
is..." Jimmy continued.
A third voice in the room finished Jimmy's thought. "Janie-Sue
James." Perry and Jimmy turned to the doorway. Janie-Sue stood
there holding an envelope. Both men walked toward her.
"Janie-Sue? What is it?" Jimmy was alarmed at how pale she
looked.
She ran into Jimmy's arms. "Oh, Jimmy! Ah'm so scared." She
handed the envelope to Perry. He quickly scanned the contents and
grimly handed the note to Jimmy.
He looked at the note. It had been printed out on non-descript
everyday bond paper. The type of paper readily available in every
office. Even the Planet's. He read it aloud. "Stay away from
Perry White and Jimmy Olsen. You never know when an 'accident'
can happen."
Perry and Jimmy exchanged looks.
Several hours later, Jimmy and Janie-Sue sat in her dressing room
at the concert venue. Perry had gotten a phone call from
Inspector Henderson and Jimmy wondered if it was the break they
were looking for. Perry had gone to police headquarters. Jimmy
had stayed with Janie-Sue.
"Are you all right?" Jimmy's tone made his concern obvious to
her.
"Ah'll be fine, Jimmy. Just don't go anywhere, OK? Ah feel
better with you nearby." She smiled shyly at him.
"Uh, yeah. Um, Janie-Sue, I've been thinking..."
"About what, son?" Jimmy looked to the doorway to see Captain
Bill standing there grim-faced.
Jimmy stood up. "Oh, Captain. I'm glad you're here. Perry
needs me down at police headquarters. I think we've figured out
about these so-called accidents. Can you stay with Janie-Sue?"
"Why, sure, Jimmy. Ah sure can." He pulled out a gun. "So can
you."
***
Along with Inspector Henderson, Perry watched through the glass
as detectives questioned the leader of the punk gang.
"And he's told you all about the MusicFest accidents?"
Inspector Henderson nodded. "Yeah. We found them snooping around
Trisha Yearwood's tour bus. He said, and I quote. 'We ain't
takin' this rap alone. That weren't part of the deal.'
Apparently, someone paid them to run a little interference with
the MusicFest goings-on."
"Who?"
"He keeps talking about some man all 'cowboyed-out.' Says the
name is..." He checked his notes. "Bill. No last name."
"Bill?!?!?!?" Perry reacted as if he had been slapped. He
didn't know what to think. It seemed that every person he was
close to had betrayed his trust. Bill Church, his son Jerry, and
now Bill Brady.
"Yeah. You know this guy?"
"I thought I did. Inspector, we've got to get to the concert
venue."
***
Janie-Sue spoke through her tears. "Bill, why are you doin'
this?"
Bill looked at Janie-Sue sadly. "Don't you know, darlin'?
Ah'm doin' this for you. Ye are the BEST singer in Nashville.
Better than LeAnn Rimes. Better than Trisha Yearwood. Better than
Reba. Better than anyone." He sneered as he continued.
"They've all bought into the idea of 'cross-over' and mass
appeal. They're not country, anymore. They're not 'pure
country.' Not like ye are."
Jimmy broke in, aware that Bill still had the gun held on the
both of them. "That's not for you to decide, Captain..."
Bill turned on him. "It is! It IS for me to decide!" He
continued to explain. "If all those 'acts' couldn't perform,
then everyone would hear ONLY Janie-Sue. She'd be an overnight
star. A COUNTRY star."
Jimmy continued. "This isn't about Janie-Sue. It's about you,
isn't it? As the manager of the hottest country star around,
you'd be bigger than...than...than Colonel Tom Parker!" Jimmy
was glad he had paid attention to Perry's Elvis stories.
Bill preened like a rooster. "That's right. Ah'd be THE
manager. After all these years of dealing with little-talent
twangers and stupid record execs, they'd all have to kowtow to
ME!" He laughed.
Jimmy thought to jump him, but Bill seemed to read his mind.
"Now, don't be goin' and bein' a hero to impress the little
lady here. You just stay put and be the good ol' city slicker
that you are."
Jimmy caught a glimpse of Perry in the doorway. "I'll stay
right here."
"Bill..." Perry spoke quietly and calmly.
Bill twirled around and began to back up, keeping Janie-Sue,
Jimmy, and Perry in front of him. "Perry. Ye ol' hound dog. Why
couldn't ye leave well enough alone? Ye had to go and start
investigatin'."
Perry walked forward a few steps, keeping his voice calm and
steady, even though his heart was beating rapidly. "It's what I
do, Bill. You know that."
Bill muttered to himself. "Ah told 'em it wouldn't work..."
He began to lower his gun. Perry took another few steps forward.
The gun came back up. "Don't make me shoot ye, ol' friend."
Perry stopped where he was.
Perry spoke to Bill again. "Bill. Now, I know this isn't you
talkin'. You've got the respect of everyone in the industry
--"
Bill interrupted him. "Respect don't pay the bills, Perry.
Respect don't help me make the monthly alimony payments to three
ex-wives. Ah HAD to do this Perry. Ah HAD to."
"Bill, why do you think everyone respects you? It's because of
the hard work and determination that you've shown over the
years. And your sense of fair play. This isn't the way. You know
it. I know it. Janie-Sue knows it. Hard work is what'll make
this little gal a success. God gave her the talent. Let her do it
her way. The right way. What you're doing is cheating. Lying.
That's not you. That's not the Bill I know."
With each word, Perry had moved closer and closer to Bill. He
could see that his words were having an effect on him. He was
almost close enough to get the gun. He tried again.
"Look at her, Bill. Look at how what you're doin' is
affectin' her."
Jimmy had listened to Perry and watched what he was doing.
"Janie-Sue said YOU were the only one who believed in her
singing. Believe in HER now, Bill. She's got the talent. Don't
cheat her out of what she deserves."
Janie-Sue's tears ran down her face unheeded. "Please, Bill."
Bill looked at the three of them. Perry could see the struggle
Bill was having with himself. Janie-Sue and Jimmy held their
breaths.
"Aw darlin'. Ah'm so sorry." He dropped his hand to his side.
Perry reached over and took the gun from his hand. Bill didn't
resist. He placed a hand on Bill's shoulder. Bill took a deep
breath and shakily released it. He looked at Perry, unshed tears
in his eyes. "Ah had no choice, Perry. No choice..."
Perry patted his shoulder. "I know, Bill. I know." He handed
the gun to Inspector Henderson and watched sadly as the police
took his friend away.
***
On the return flight home, Clark watched his wife lightly dozing
by his side in business class. He tucked a stray strand of hair
behind her ear and gently cupped the side of her face. At his
touch, Lois opened her eyes to see Clark smiling at her. "What
are you smiling at?"
"You." He sighed contentedly, leaned over and softly kissed
her. "You are an amazing woman, Lois Lane."
"Whatever do you mean?" Lois's eyes shined brightly,
reflecting the love she felt for Clark.
"Well, I think we did everything that a tourist could possibly
do in three days. Shopping. Sightseeing. Disneyland. Hollywood
Boulevard. The Warner Brothers Studio Tour." He grinned as he
saw the look of pure satisfaction on Lois's face.
"Mmmmm. The tour." She sighed. "That George Clooney..." She
sighed dreamily.
"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed."
Lois playfully punched his shoulder. "That's because you were
too busy looking at Julianna Margulies."
It was Clark's turn to sigh dramatically. "Ah, Julianna..."
Lois chuckled. "Clark?"
"Yeah?"
"What about George and Julianna?"
Clark looked at Lois, frowning. "They're actors, honey. I
don't think they're having an affair. Besides, I read somewhere
that Clooney has a live-in girlfriend."
"No, silly! I mean the names. For our baby."
"Oh." Clark thought about it for a moment. "OK. Let's put
them down on the 'maybe' list."
Lois dug the list out from her purse. Clark saw that several
other names were also listed. "Hey! What other names do you have
on that list?"
She held the list out of his reach. "Oh, just a few..."
Clark used his supervision to read the list. "Lois!
'Lufthansa'? 'Sashimi'? I thought you were kidding!"
Lois giggled.
***
"...And so, the Metropolis MusicFest looks to be a rousing
success. All the top-name entertainers will perform as scheduled,
along with a last minute surprise addition on the closing night.
Janie-Sue James, the hot new singing sensation, will perform
also, in spite of the recent arrest of her manager, Captain Bill
Brady..."
The news report cut to a taped interview of Reba McEntire,
Janie-Sue by her side. "Norville and ah will make sure that
Janie-Sue's career goes in the right direction. She's a
talented little lady and she deserves a fair chance. All of
Nashville is behind her one hundred percent."
BJ clicked off the television. "Tough break, Mrs. Church. Good
thing you told me to tell those punks that my name was Bill."
Mindy puffed on her cigar and shrugged her shoulders. "It
couldn't be helped, BJ. Besides, this was only a test. I wanted
to see what would happen if those two goodie-goodies Lane and
Kent weren't in town. I underestimated Perry White. And Jimmy
Olsen. I won't do that again. Someone once told me something
I've never forgotten. Know thy enemy. I didn't understand it
then, but I do now."
Mindy laughed. "I just had a kind of a thought."
"What's that, Boss?"
"I know MY enemies. But, they don't know me. Oooh, I like it."
She looked to the side of her chair. "BJ?"
"Yeah, Boss?"
She pointed to the side of her chair with her cigar. "Get rid of
those. I don't think I wanna see them anymore."
"Right, Boss." BJ reached down and picked up the pair of
crocodile cowboy boots. He walked out of the room, leaving Mindy
Church to her cigar and thoughts.
***
Jimmy and Janie-Sue walked down the short hallway to the stage
entrance. "Are you SURE you're gonna be OK?"
Janie-Sue smiled. "Absolutely. Reba and Vince and everyone else
have been so kind and supportive. Ah'll be fine." She bit her
lower lip and studied her Nikes. "Uh, Jimmy. There's somethin'
ah've been meanin' to tell ye..." Her voice trailed off.
"That it won't work out between us and you hope that we can be
good friends?"
Janie-Sue looked up at him. "Ye too?"
Jimmy gently pulled on her ponytail. "Yeah. Me too." He leaned
over and kissed her softly. "Besides, I've learned something
from you."
"Really? What's that?"
"That country music isn't that bad. And it's not all hairspray
and sequins. There's a real honesty to the music. And the
people." He smiled.
Janie-Sue returned his smile with one of her own. "Y'know,
ah've learned something too."
"And that would be?"
"That there are some 'city slickers' who have more country in
them than they think." Janie-Sue gave him a quick kiss and went
on-stage for her final rehearsal.
Jimmy lingered there for a moment, lost in thought. A grin came
across his face as an idea hit him. He took one last look toward
the stage before leaving the concert venue and heading to The
Daily Planet.
***
"That last song was a real tear-jerker, Janie-Sue. I don't
think I'll ever listen to 'Yesterday' in quite the same
way."
"Thanks, Lois. Ah'm glad ye liked it."
Lois, Clark, Jimmy, and Janie-Sue were relaxing backstage in her
dressing room. Janie-Sue had just finished her set on the last
night of MusicFest. Jimmy looked around at the flowers that
filled the room.
"Janie-Sue, if I were a judge of fan reaction, I'd say that you
were quite a hit with Metropolis."
She smiled and winked at Clark. "Those aren't from the fans,
Jimmy. Those are from Shania Twain, Deana Carter, Kevin Sharp and
lots of others. All letting me know that they're all behind me
one hundred per cent."
They all fell silent for a minute. Clark decided to change the
subject.
"By the way, Jimmy. Nice article. I like the title: 'Janie-Sue
James: A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock and Roll.' Not
bad." Lois nodded her agreement.
"Thanks, CK. Lois. That means a lot coming from you two."
Their attention was caught by Perry's appearance in the doorway.
Lois and Clark looked at him in amazement as they saw what he was
wearing. Perry had definitely "gone country." He wore a red and
white cowboy shirt with horseshoes embroidered on the shoulders
and white fringe hanging from the sleeves. On his head was a
brand new ten-gallon white felt cowboy hat. A large silver buckle
helped keep his Wrangler jeans in place. A pair of lizard cowboy
boots were on his feet. He looked down the hallway and yelled.
"OK Vince! See y'all in a week!" He entered the dressing room
and paraded before the four. "Well, what y'all think? Ranger
Bob of Riders in the Sky loaned me one of his outfits."
Lois smiled indulgently. Clark and Jimmy exchanged looks.
Janie-Sue giggled. "Mr. White? Ye look happier than a pig in
slop!"
"Well, now, darlin'. That's because ..." Perry paused for
dramatic effect. "I've just been invited to sit in on a jam
session at the Grand Old Opry! Isn't that great?"
Janie-Sue and Lois hugged him. Clark and Jimmy offered their
congratulations.
"That's great, Chief!"
"Isn't it? It's Nashville's way of thanking me for bringin'
a little country to the big city." He looked at the four of
them. "Did I ever tell y'all the story of how Elvis --" A
knock on the open door interrupted him. Perry looked up and
grinned.
"Excuse me, y'all. I was told Lois Lane was in here?"
"That's me." Lois turned toward the door. "Can I --" Lois's
mouth opened, but no sound came forth as she came face-to-face
with George Strait. Perry laughed. Garth Brooks' "errand" had
been successful, all right. For only the second time since he had
known her, Lois Lane was speechless.
Clark stepped in and held his hand out. "It's a pleasure to
meet you, Mr. Strait. Lois and I are big fans of yours. Lois has
all your CDs."
George Strait shook hands with Clark. "Well, thank ye, Clark.
Oh, and it's George. Mr. Strait is my daddy." He turned to
Lois. "Lois? I'm a big fan of yers."
Lois swallowed and found her voice. "Of me?" she squeaked.
"Yup. The articles and stories about Superman that ye and Clark
write have been great reading. When our son, Bubba, was younger,
he'd run 'round the ranch with a towel 'round his neck,
pretending HE was Superman."
As he continued with his story, George Strait's natural grin
widened and his blue eyes twinkled with amusement . "Ye don't
know how many times Norma and ah had to yell 'Help, Superman!'
Heck, Bubba even had me name our top thoroughbreds after ye
two." The room laughed at the anecdote.
"Well, ah gotta go sing for my supper. It was a pleasure meeting
y'all." He turned to Janie-Sue. "Reba's husband is your
manager now?" Janie-Sue nodded. "Let's get together. Ah'm
starting to work on my summer tour plans and ah'd like ye to be
a part of it." Janie-Sue grinned and nodded, slightly stunned.
Going on tour with George Strait was considered by many in the
industry as the ultimate stamp of approval. Perry and Jimmy went
over to congratulate her.
George placed a reassuring hand on Janie-Sue's shoulder.
"We'll talk later." Turning back to Lois and Clark, he asked.
"Why don't y'all watch the concert from the wings?" He
reached into the back pocket of his Wrangler jeans. "Ah jest
happen to have some extra access passes." He handed them both to
Lois and Clark.
Lois grinned like she had just been given a lifetime supply of
chocolate. Clark grinned, seeing the look on Lois's face. He
hadn't seen that look of open hero-worship and amazement since
he first flew her into the Planet's newsroom over four years
ago. They walked with the singer toward the stage. He chatted
with Lois. "So, have y'all decided on a name for your baby?"
***
Perry, Jimmy, and Janie-Sue watched the three leave the dressing
room. Perry turned to Janie-Sue, his face suddenly serious.
"Darlin', I am so sorry about Bill. I don't know what got into
him."
"It's all right, Mr. White. Ah don't blame you. Ah don't even
blame Bill. Before all of this, he treated me like ah was his
daughter. Ah started thinkin' of him as my second daddy. Ah'd
like to remember that about him." Perry nodded.
As they talked, a frown came over Jimmy's features. "Chief?"
"Yeah, Jimmy?"
"There's something that's been bothering me about this whole
thing."
"What's that, son?"
Jimmy shook his head. "I can't put my finger on it. It's
something Bill said..."
Perry waved it off. "Well, Jimmy, we can figure it out later."
He paused as they heard the announcement over the speaker
system.
"And now, ladies and gentleman. A special surprise treat for
y'all. Let's welcome the CMA's reigning Male Vocalist of the
Year...George Strait!" A burst of applause and screaming
followed the announcement, increasing in volume and intensity as
George Strait walked on stage.
"Come on, you two! This is one concert I ain't missin'!"
Janie-Sue grabbed Perry's and Jimmy's hands and they headed
toward the stage.
***
Clark held Lois in front of him, his hands placed protectively
over her stomach. Lois leaned back against Clark, enjoying the
feel of his arms around her, her foot tapping to the beat of
"The Fireman." As the song ended and the audience cheered, she
nudged Clark and pointed across the stage as she saw Janie-Sue,
Perry, and Jimmy. They waved to each other across the stage.
Their attention was captured by George's announcement. "Thank
ye, Metropolis! Y'all make a Texas boy feel right at home. This
next song usually goes out to my wife, Norma. But tonight, ah'd
like to dedicate it to two people who ah have long admired and
finally got the chance to meet."
A cheer went up and George waited patiently until the crowd again
quieted down. "Y'all know them as 'the hottest team in town.'
Lois Lane and Clark Kent, this one is for y'all." He signaled
to his back-up band, Ace in the Hole. As the opening strains
began, those familiar with the song began applauding and
cheering.
Our love is unconditional
We knew it from the start
I could see it in your eyes
You could hear it in my heart...
I cross my heart
And promise to
Give all I've got to give
To make all your dreams come true...
"Mmmm, Clark. I love this song." Lois swayed in Clark's arms
to the music, softly humming along with George's singing.
Clark kissed the top of Lois's head and leaned down to whisper
in her ear. "He's right. My love for you and our baby IS
unconditional."
Lois shivered at Clark's warm breath on her ear. "Yeah?" Her
voice sounded breathless to him.
"Yeah. Cross my heart." He turned her in his arms and captured
her mouth in a kiss that sealed his promise. Lois returned his
kiss with all the love and passion in her.
Breaking off the kiss and catching her breath, Lois looked into
Clark's eyes. "Clark?"
Clark looked into Lois's bright eyes. "Yeah?"
"What about 'Bubba'?" Lois giggled.
Clark tipped her chin up and saw the love and laughter in her
eyes. He chuckled and answered her question the only way he
could. He kissed her.
THE END
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