Blue Kryptonite

By J.K.D.

Flying, up as high as the clouds are, nobody can tell what or who
you are. You could be a bird, or a plane, or a young man in red
tights. Or, you could be a handsome star reporter, who happens to
also be that young man in red tights.

Clark was getting the slightest bit annoyed. For split- seconds,
he'd think about turning in his cape. And, this was because he
kept getting false alarms.

When you're a super-hero, you can't ignore a call, simply because
it could be a prank. There's too much at stake. People's lives,
and your reputation to name a few. When Clark had been talking to
Lois, trying to get another date, he had heard a scream. But, for
all he knew, when he got there, he might just look silly. It was
a risk he'd have to take.

He stopped at the area where the scream had originated. The area
was deserted. Clark walked around a second, and found a
tape-recorder, hiding in a shrub. That was what had been making
those screams!

He kept walking forward, hoping for the person who had set this
up. He had walked not very long, when he got struck with a spell
of dizziness. He fell over, and down.

***

Lois sighed, as she sat at her desk. Where had that man gone to?
Lois was now getting used to him leaving with really bad excuses.
But, he was never gone that long. Lois wondered if the mail had
yet to be delivered, and Clark had just wanted to get away from
her. She quickly dismissed that idea. It made no sense. He had
been trying to get another date with her.

They'd been dating for awhile now, and Lois was really enjoying
it. She thought Clark had been too, until last week ...

They had decided to go out to dinner. He had picked her up in a
rented car, to be precise, a rented Mercedes Benz in dark red.
They had gone to a fancy Italian restaurant. They had been
seated, and had given their orders, when Clark had gotten that
look on his face.

"What is it now, Clark?" she had asked him.

"I just remembered that I left my wallet at home ... "

"I can pay," she protested, weakly.

"I don't want you to. This is my treat," he told her. He excused
himself, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back before
you know it."

And he was. Lois had only gotten a drink of water in her mouth,
and he was back. But, he didn't look as happy. His brow was
furrowed, and he seemed to be trying very hard to simmer down
something, or other ...

A few minutes later, Clark had brightened. And, their food came.
He appeared ravenous. He ate his chicken parmigana easily. Lois
had had raviolies in a marinara sauce. Lois had a little wine,
and so did Clark. Their date had been great that night, except
for that little run- off, and Lois had never wanted it to end.

They'd had another date that Tuesday (it was now Friday). They
had gone and played laser tag. Clark had won all of the games
that they had played. It was 7:30 p.m. Lois suggested they stop
at Lyon's for a moment, or some little restaurant like that.
Clark had teased, and asked her if she wanted to do that for the
French Cherry Cheesecake that they were serving that night. Lois
had laughed.

They had just been seated at Lyon's, when Clark got that look on
his face.

"Clark, you can't. We just got here." she pleaded. Clark shook
his head, softly.

"But, what did you possibly forget? It wasn't your wallet."

"My house keys."

"But, wouldn't they be inside?"

"No, I hide a set outside."

"And, you wouldn't be able to find them later?"

"It will be dark. Lois, I've really got to go," he said. He got
up, and was gone.

Lois had begun eating her cherry cheesecake when Clark came back
in. He looked upset and sick. Lois had looked at him with
concern.

"Are you okay, Clark?"

"Yes," he answered, shortly. He said it with such an air, Lois
ceased talking. They had gone home in silence.

But, on Wednesday, he had seemed totally fine, and had so till
today. Lois was beginning to worry. How long did it take to pick
up a cheese sampler?

Just as she started worrying, Clark came back in. But he did not
look good. He was as white as a ghost, and he looked like he was
trying to hide something. Lois went over to him.

"Clark, I think you should take the rest of the day off."

"Why?" he asked, almost absentmindedly. He began going through a
pile of papers held together by a paper clip.

"You're as white as a ghost."

"Lois, it's nothing," he told her. He found what he wanted, took
out his cell phone, and dialed up a number. Seemingly, it was
busy, because he quickly put the phone away. Lois continued:

"Are you sure you're okay? What are you hiding?" she asked. Clark
looked up. He couldn't tell her what was going on, because he'd
have to tell her he was Superman. He wasn't ready for that.

He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Nothing is wrong,
Lois," he told her, calmer.

"But, you're still white," she protested.

"It's nothing." he reassured her. She didn't give up that
easily.

"Why did it take you so long to pick up your sampler?"

"The delivery guy was late."

"Why do you always leave?" she asked, frustration rising slightly
in her voice.

"Lois, for this last week, I really don't know," he told her,
almost sadly. Lois walked to her own desk, turned on her
computer, and finished typing her story. Across the way, she
could see Clark typing, too. But, while she was typing quickly,
in frustration, he was typing slower than usual ...

***

"Hi, Clark. What's wrong?" Clark's mom's friendly voice rang
cheerily on the other side of the phone line. Clark cleared his
throat.

"For the past few days, I've been getting prank calls for help.
Today, there was a scream, and when I got there, there was a tape
recorder."

"Is that all?"

"I'm not done, yet. I fell."

"What?"

"Mom, I started walking around today, to see if I could find
whoever was doing this. The area looked deserted, but I decided
to try, anyhow. I hadn't been walking very long, when I began to
feel dizzy, and I fell."

"Are you sure?"

"Mom, when I woke up, I was 10 feet under the pavement."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you."

"I figured you wouldn't. Good-bye," he said, and hung up. He went
and sat down on his white sofa. Actually, he lay down. He took
off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Then, he closed them, and
thought of what had happened on Tuesday.

When he had sat down at Lyon's, he had heard what appeared to be
a fire alarm. He had rushed to it, and found no fire, and no
alarm. And, no people. There weren't any families who lived in
that area; it had been long abandoned.

He had started to look for the bad guy, when he felt like he was
going to faint. He had quickly flown away, and felt somewhat
better in a few minutes.

He wondered what in the world was causing this. Not the prank
calls, but this fatigue. He wondered if it had something to do
with kryptonite, and quickly dismissed the idea. Kryptonite only
made him feel bad when he was around it. When he had flown off,
so should of these symptoms.

He stopped thinking, and let his mind wander. It was still rather
early; only a little after 10:00 pm. But, after a moment, Clark
was already asleep.

***

The man sat next to his associates in a dimly lit bar. He did not
look well. The last 20 years in jail had left him white, and
thin, with a gray goatee, and a gray head of hair. He still had
on what used to be his old jail pants. He had washed out the
stripes.

"Well, what do you have?" asked one of his associates, a tall man
in his mid-40's, with dark brown hair, and slantingly black
eyes.

"This, Bill." answered the man in reply. He pulled out a lead
box, and opened it. Inside, was a chunk of rock. It looked almost
like kryptonite, but instead of a bright red or green, it was a
bright blue.

"What is it, Tex?" the other associate asked the guy who held the
lead box. He was younger than the rest; in his early 30's. He was
handsomer, too: he had dark brown curls that framed dark brown
eyes, and tanned skin.

Tex coughed, roughly, before speaking. "It's blue kryptonite."

"I thought kryptonite only came in red and green," said Bill.

"Well, this was once green kryptonite. When I spent those 20
years in that prison cell, I made a formula. When placed on
regular kryptonite, it makes it blue."

"Is that it?" asked the younger guy, whom was named Joel.

"No. What it does is weaken Superman, like regular kryptonite.
But, unlike regular, it stays with him, staying longer depending
on how long the two are in contact. And, it's stronger."

"How do you know it's stronger, Tex?" asked Bill.

"I put out another one of those false alarms on Friday. He came
in, as usual. I waited for him to find the tape recorder, as I
sat behind a bush close by. When he found it, I opened my little
lead box. He fainted, and went 10 feet past the pavement!"

"Could this kill him?" asked Bill, with excitement.

"Of course. It just needs to be around Superman longer, and
that's where you come in, Joel."

"What do you mean?" asked Joel.

"Joel, I'm going to put this bluntly. Now, we've established that
Superman is indeed Clark Kent. So, I want you to go to work at
the 'Daily Planet', and try to get a relationship going with Lois
Lane. In the meanwhile, you'll have this, and I want you to be in
the same room as Clark a lot, so that he gets the full strength
of it. In a month, or less he'll be dead."

"Can't you do it? Or, Bill?"

"I won't live long enough. And, I'm having Bill do important work
for me in Reno."

"But, if you're dead, what will it matter to you if Superman is,
also?"

"That's not quite right. I've injected myself with a fluid, and
in about a month I will wake up. Then, I want Superman gone. So
that the fun can begin."

"Just think." interjected Bill. "We could commit any crime in the
book, here in Metropolis, without Mr. Tights coming to save the
day."

"We can rob Tiffany's, and sell the jewelry we get from there!"
replied Tex. Joel appeared uneasy.

"Why do I have to start up a relationship with Miss Lois Lane?"
asked Joel.

"The sooner they fall hopelessly in love (without intervention),
the sooner Mr. Goody Two-Shoes tells Lois that he's you-know-who.
And, after that, Lois will figure out that there's this blue rock
in the room, and Superman won't be dead when I'm back."

"Now, go!" said Bill. Tex coughed, roughly, again. Joel looked at
them.

"What? Look at how I'm dressed! I can't go in there dressed in
jeans and a torn tee-shirt," he told them. Tex handed him a pair
of tan Dockers, and a white top, with a black blazer.

"Now, see that bathroom over there? Go change!" commanded Bill.
Joel ran. When he came back, he looked quite good. But, worried.

He kept trying to find loopholes in this plan. It had been fun
setting the false alarms, but he had known that that wouldn't
seriously hurt him. Now, Joel was scared. He didn't really want
to hurt anyone.

"What about a resume?" asked Joel. Tex pulled out two typed
papers. The first page listed that he had gone to school at Yale,
and that he had worked at the New York Times for a few years, and
then at U.S.A. Today. Joel looked at the other two.

"What in the world? My name ain't Thomas Johnson."

"It is now," said Tex, quietly.

"And, the word is isn't. Ain't ain't a word," said Bill.

"What if I say I don't want to do it?" asked Joel.

"You die, without injection of my special fluid," said Tex. Joel
sighed, and caught sight of his dirty white high tops, peeking
from under his Dockers.

"What about shoes?"

"Here," said Bill. He gave Joel a pair of men's black dress
shoes. Joel put them on.

"Why'd you change my name?" Joel persisted.

"The police would read the paper, and go: 'Hey, didn't he break
out from jail?', and we'd all be goners ."

"But, I didn't hurt anyone. Why did you pick me for this job?"

"Because you're the only criminal who even comes close to a
writer. You have to be able to write a good story, what with all
the recommendations we got you." said Tex.

"What recommendations?"

"These." said Tex, and pulled out a pile of papers. One was from
a Professor John Milton at Yale. Another was from Mr. Andrew
Jason, the boss at U.S.A Today.

Joel sighed. He was almost beaten. He decided to try once more.

"Won't Superman notice that I'm walking around the newsroom with
a big lead box?"

"It doesn't matter what size the kryptonite is. It just depends
how close it is. If you're always by Lois, you'll always be by
him. As for the lead box, you can fit this little baby in your
breast pocket." said Tex, and he pulled out a really small lead
box. Inside it was a small piece of blue kryptonite.

"Now go!" ordered Bill. Joel got up, ran a comb through his
curls, and made his way over to 'The Daily Planet'.

***

"Is your pen name John Webberly?" asked Perry, from inside his
office. Lois was mercilessly eavesdropping, forgetting for a
second about Clark, forgetting how pale he had looked on their
date on Sunday, though he hadn't seemed angry. Forgetting how
Clark hadn't come in today, saying he was sick.

"Huh?" asked the young man behind Perry's desk. He seemed to be
around Lois' age, and he was pretty cute. Almost as cute as Clark
was, when he was healthy, but not quite.

"What I mean is, I've read that book, and it's by John
Webberly."

"You mean 'Killer County'?"

"Yes."

"Well, it is my pen name."

"Okay, okay. Good recommendations. And, you've done a lot for a
34 year old. Though you haven't spent much time at any job ... "
he trailed off. Joel tried to look bright.

"Well, I don't like staying in one city very long. I never moved
as a kid, and now that I'm an adult, I just can't stand staying,
usually. But, here I think I might." Joel made up his little
personal stories quickly in his mind, and they came out easily.
He just pretended that this was a story he was writing. Joel had
actually typed up some stories on his laptop before his arrest.
And, they were still waiting to be printed on the floppy disk in
his pocket.

"Well, I think I'll give you a shot. You can start work today,"
Perry was finishing. Joel tried to look excited.

"By any chance, is Miss Lois Lane here? And, her partner?"

"Lois is here, but Clark ain't here. He told me he had the flu,"
said Perry. Joel looked at his new boss, before exiting.

"It's isn't, Boss. Ain't ain't a word," he told him, and was out
the door.

Lois, in the meanwhile, had ran off to her desk when she had felt
that the conversation was about to end. Now, she sat on her desk,
and pretended to hang up on some person on her cell phone, as the
new guy came close.

"Hi, Miss Lane. I'm a new journalist," said Joel

"I overheard you in Perry's office. But, I didn't catch your
name."

"I'm Thomas, but you can call me Tom. As for age, I think I'm
around your age."

"I'm only 27," Lois protested.

"How old do I look, Miss Lane?" he replied, a pleasant smile on
his face.

"Well, you don't look 34." she told him.

"Would you like to go on a date, Miss Lane?"

"It's Lois." Lois said mechanically.

"Well, Lois?"

"I'm kind of involved with somebody," she protested.

"Oh, come on. Just one little date? I bet you he won't mind."

Especially if he doesn't know, thought Lois. Then she thought
that he probably wouldn't run off like Clark. She pasted a smile
on her face.

"Sure. Tonight?"

"Sure. I have a car. Don't worry about picking me up."

"What type of car?"

"A hot red Ferarri. I'll pick you up at 7:00 pm" he said, and
left.

The day soon ended. It was 5:00 pm, a relatively early time for
Lois to go home. But, she wasn't going home quite yet. She made a
detour to Clark's apartment, to check up on him.

She knocked on his door. "Just a second, Lois." Clark called out.
Lois had to wonder how he knew it was her.

Then, he came to the door, and opened it. He had on a pair of
dark blue jeans, and a white sweatshirt. In one hand he held a
cup of coffee. But, Lois hardly noticed his outfit. She just
noticed how pale he looked. ÿHe was too pale.

"Why are you here?" asked Clark.

"To check up on my partner. To see if he's feeling better." she
told him with a smile. He smiled back.

"I'm feeling better. But, why are you really here?" he said.

"Just for that. And, to tell you that I won't be home tonight."
she said.

"Why?" asked Clark, almost seeming to study her.

"Since you're sick, I made a plan to go out with a friend."

"Oh, okay. Have fun." said Clark. Lois looked at her watch.

"I should get going. 'Bye!" she told him. He nodded, waved, and
closed the door. Lois began to walk off.

7:00 pm quickly came. Lois found Tom wearing a pair of black
pants, a black blazer, and a dark red shirt. Lois wore a dark red
dress, with short sleeves, and a knee-length flared skirt. The
two went out.

Lois nearly lost her breath when she saw his Ferarri. It had
leather interior, a folded down roof, and a Cd player. Tom
behaved like a gentleman, and let her in first. Then, he got in,
and stared the car.

"You must have tons of money," Lois told him, as they coasted
down the highway.

"No, but I have a maxed-out credit card," he told her with a
laugh. They stopped at Martinelli's. They were seated at a fancy
table, and almost to Lois' surprise, he stayed for the whole
dinner. And, the whole movie they went to see next. Finally, they
went dancing. And, during a slow song, while she was in Tom's
arms, she wondered if she had found her Romeo ...

***

Clark made his way in to the crowded newsroom on that Tuesday.
There was color back on his cheeks, and he had a better outlook
on the whole entire turning in the cape idea. There hadn't been
any false alarms all weekend. There hadn't even been any calls
for help on Monday. There was even a smile on his face.

But, he lost his smile, as he went to sit down at his desk. Lois
was kissing another guy. Clark sat down his briefcase, and went
over to the two.

The young man, with dark curls, and dark eyes looked vaguely
familiar to Clark, but he couldn't place it. He waited for the
kiss to finish, and that guy to walk away. He tried to smile, but
couldn't. He was beginning to feel bad again ...

Lois whirled around, and tried to smile brightly at Clark. She
obviously knew that he knew. "HI, Clark. Feeling better?"

"Enough to go to work. Who's he?"

"Oh him? That's just an old friend, who started work here. You
know how some people kiss their friends when they are seeing them
again, after awhile?"

"No friends kiss their friends like that, even if they're best
friends. That looked like a good-night sort of kiss. Is that the
friend you went out with on Friday night?"

"Yes." she replied, surprised that Clark had picked that up so
quickly.

"Okay." he told her with a shrug. He walked back to his own desk,
keeping his feelings hidden. But, thoughts were filling up his
mind. Did she like him? Did she like him better than Super man?
Did she like him better than Clark? Clark could answer that last
question. She probably did. This guy didn't look like the type
who'd run off in the middle of a date. Then again, most people
didn't have the reason he did, but she didn't know that reason.
And, Clark thought sadly, she probably never would ...

***

Lois watched Clark's desk. He seemed sad, and still sick. Lois
wished he hadn't seen the two of them kiss. He'd probably be
better, then. Then, her mind began to wonder, as she sat there,
in front of the empty screen of her laptop.

She'd really had fun on her date last night with Tom. As a matter
of fact, they already had another date planned. But, it hadn't
been the magic that Lois had experienced on her date with Clark.

Oh, who was the right guy? Was it Clark? Was it Tom? Was it,
even, Superman? Or, perhaps it was some guy living in Japan.

Lois thought it might be fun to be married to Clark, someday.
But, she could just imagine herself going in to labor. He'd get
that funny look on his face, tell her he had a pizza to pick up,
or something like that, and be gone. You couldn't build a life on
that.

Lois was starting to really like Tom. He never ran out on their
date, even though it was only their first. He might not have the
magic Clark did, but he was good. Lois remembered her mother
telling her : 'The right guy might not always be the best. You
might feel fireworks, but he might also be the type to kill
innocent children.'

Lois took herself away from her thoughts. She didn't know where
Tom was, and Clark was coming towards her. She waited for a
second, and found that he wasn't there. He was lying on the
floor. He had fainted!

***

Clark opened his eyes a few moments later, to find Lois looking
back in to them, worry written across her face. Clark thought
that a t least she still cared for him. That made him feel
slightly better.

He tried to get up. It should've been easy. I mean, at least he
hadn't fallen through the floor like before. But, he couldn't get
himself to get up. Finally, still lying down, he spoke :

"Lois? Do me a favor?" he asked her. Lois looked at him, slight
relief crossing her face. He was awake!

"What is it, Clark?"

"I know this might sound kind of weird, but could you look over
behind that chair, and see if anyone's hiding?" he asked. He
pulled himself up in to a sitting position. He had an idea : that
somebody was hiding, with some special "I can kill Superman"
charm.

Lois looked behind the chair he had vaguely pointed to. She was
surprised to see Tom at the other end, he just as surprised as
she.

"What are you doing over there?"

"Just relaxing. Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't."

"Good. Just don't tell Clark. I'm kind of embarrassed."

"I understand." she told him. She went back to Clark, whom was
still white.

"Well?" he asked from where he was, sitting against a table leg.
Lois felt a little bad about lying, but not really.

"There wasn't anyone."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Why did you ask me to look?"

"I was just curious. Thanks." he told her. He tried to pull
himself up, and for some odd reason, couldn't. Lois began to look
worried, again.

"Clark! Can you get up?" she asked him.

"I think so." he said, and on his third try, was standing up. "
Maybe I shouldn't have come in to work today."

"That's okay, son." came Perry's voice. He came in through the
door of his office. "I would've come; I saw you faint. But, my
door was jammed."

"It's okay, Chief, honest. Where's Jimmy?" asked Clark.

"He's at a funeral. He had an old uncle that died." Lois and
Clark looked at each other. This was the first they had heard.

"Was he okay?"

"Oh, he was fine. Never really liked his uncle. It was something
his mother required from over in New York. He should be back
tomorrow. Now, Clark, you go home." Perry finished, and went back
in to his office, closing the door behind him.

Lois looked at Clark again. "What is wrong? I've known you for a
year and a half, now, and this is the first time you've ever been
sick."

"I'm probably just coming down with a really bad virus. I guess I
should go home."

"Can you make it home walking?" she asked. Clark didn't own a
car, for reasons he didn't tell her. Really, it was because :
when you can fly, who needs a car?

"Yeah, I think. Are you going on another date with whoever he
is?"

"Yes, tonight."

Clark shook his head softly. He seemed very sad. "Well, have fun.
'Bye." he told her, and he was gone.

***

Three weeks passed. Tom and Lois' relationship got thicker, while
Clark got sicker. He'd be fine in the morning, but later on he'd
feel really weak. He didn't tell anyone.

It was another bright Tuesday. Clark came in, and sadly found no
surprise in seeing Lois and Tom (as he had found out his name)
strolling, and laughing, and kissing ... a lot. He made his way
in to Perry's office.

Perry put down his phone. "Clark, you don't look very good."

"I don't feel all that great, either." Clark replied.

"I think you should take some time off."

"I was kind of thinking of ... leaving." Clark told him. Perry
shook his head.

"Why?"

"Look at Lois and Tom. Can't you tell?"

"But, you're our best! I can't lose you."

"I think that Lois is better."

"I think, son, that you have beaten her. You know, I could just
take you two off from being partners."

"It's too hard."

"Darn. Well, if you want to leave Clark, you can. At any rate, I
want you at home, in bed, and a doctors check-up coming to you,
for now."

"Okay, Chief." he said, and left the building. He made his way to
his apartment, feeling horrible, and sad. He didn't want to talk
to his parents : they couldn't really help. So, he just lay down
on his couch.

He knew he'd miss Lois, but no matter what he did, he'd miss
Lois. And, if he left, his disease (or whatever it was) might go
away. But, he just had an unpleasant feeling about it, like he'd
miss out on something great by leaving.

He wasn't sure, yet, and decided to take a quick cat nap on it.
He closed his eyes, and peacefully began to fall in to a deep
sleep.

***

Lois looked deeply in to Tom's dark brown eyes. They glistened
from behind the candle on their table, at Chez Maurice (which was
the French restaurant they were at).

Tom smiled, and began to look almost uneasy. Like he was hiding
something, but Lois dismissed that idea. This was her Romeo. He
is perfect, she thought, dreamily.

Suddenly, there was the sound of gunshot. There was a criminal in
the restaurant! Lois saw the man. He was tall, and pudgy, wearing
a pair of dark pants, and a dark trench coat. A pair of
sunglasses covered his eyes. Lois had no idea who he was, but the
crook obviously knew who she was, because he ran towards her, gun
held in his right hand, his finger on the trigger.

Tom, figuring out what was going on, ran in front of Lois, who
had begun to stand up. It was in vain, because the man just
pushed Tom away, and he fell to the floor. A little lead box fell
out of his breast pocket A woman screamed ...

Lois kept that little box in her mind, but didn't have the time
to ponder that, now. The man was quickly approaching, while she
backed away. She was getting close to the open window.

Lois felt a burst of wind at her back. She knew Superman was
there. And, sure enough, he was, though he didn't look as well as
usual. He looked like he had caught the same thing as Clark.

Superman calmly took the gun out of the guy's hand, and snapped
it in two, like a twig. The man looked frightened, but did not
give up that easily. He began punching Superman in the stomach.
His hand bounced off. He tried again. This time, Superman caught
his hand.

"You know, that really isn't a good idea." Superman told him,
holding the arm. He led him to a police officer. Everyone ran out
in a panic, except Lois (even Tom left). She was the only one to
see Superman fall; out of strength, out of energy ...

***

Clark opened his eyes, saw Lois worrying over him, and a feeling
of deja' vu' swept over him. He tried to smile reassuringly at
Lois.

"Superman! Are you okay? You look like you have what Clark
does."

Clark pulled himself up in to a sitting position. "Lois, we need
to talk." he told her. He flew her to his apartment.

He sat her down, and tried unsuccessfully to get some color in
his cheek. Finally, he gave up.

"Why are we here?" asked Lois from her seat on Clark's white
sofa.

"I need to tell you something."

"Wait! Me first."

"What is it?"

"I was on a date with a guy, Superman, and it wasn't Clark.
Anyway, when that guy came along, he, let's call him 'Will',
tried to protect me. 'Will' ran in front of me. But, the guy
pushed him away. 'Will' fell over, and from his breast pocket
fell a tiny lead box."

"Which could've had kryptonite in it ... "

"Yeah. I never knew." she told him. She didn't want Superman
angry at her.

"It's not your fault. Now, back to what I was saying, I'll be
back in a second." he told her, and walked off. Clark returned in
his 'Clark' clothes, completely surprising Lois.

"Clark! I had no idea you were home! Superman just dropped me
off, and then he left." she told him. Clark shook his head,
softly.

"Lois, Superman hasn't left."

"Then, where is he?" asked Lois. Clark sighed. That special
kryptonite, whatever it was, didn't make him feel good at all.
Not that telling Lois would be easy, no matter how he felt.

"Lois, he's right in front of you." he told her. Lois got the
picture immediately, but wasn't sure.

"You're joking, right Clark?"

"I'm dead serious," he replied. He silently added that was also
what he might be very soon. Dead.

"Is that why you've run off on all of our dates?"

"Yep. Calls for help. I couldn't ignore them."

"I understand. But, why didn't you tell me before?"

"Come on, Lois. When I first got here you said that Superman was
a Greek god. Who can compete with that, especially when you tell
that person that he's a hick? And, later, we started dating. But,
I didn't know if you felt the same way for me as you did for my
alter ego."

"So, that lead box might be why you've been sick, right?"

"Right. Are you okay with this?"

"Yes! To think, I spent so much time wondering if I was more
suited for Clark or Superman. Now, changing the subject, how do
you feel?"

"Not very well." he confessed. Lois looked at him in worry.

"Will you be okay?" she asked him.

"I honestly don't know."

"Well, if this will make you feel better, I'm leaving Tom."

"Good. Why?" asked Clark, as he sat down across from Lois on his
sofa.

"I don't want to stay with a guy who'd try to kill Superman. I'm
sorry I was with him before."

"It's not your fault. I can see it. I wasn't around, he was cute,
and he wasn't leaving you."

"But still ... " Lois protested.

"It's nothing. Let's try to figure out what is causing this." he
told her.

"Well, we know who." said Lois.

"But, we don't know what."

"Doesn't it have to be kryptonite?"

"No. Usually, with kryptonite, I feel bad only when I'm near it.
I'm not near anything now, and I still feel bad."

"Could it be kryptonite and something else?"

"That was what I was thinking. Kryptonite mixed with something
else. I don't know what, though."

"I could ask Tom about it."

"He might be a criminal, but that doesn't mean he made it. He
seems too young to have perfected something." said Clark from his
spot.

"So he might have an accomplice?"

"Or, more than one." replied Clark.

"At any rate, I'll talk to him."

"He still might be dangerous."

"I could handle it, Clark. I won't let him know that I hate his
guts, now." she told him. She cuddled up next to Clark, and
kissed him. The pinkish-tan color that usually colored his face
was failing to return. He coughed.

"I don't think I'll go in to work tomorrow." said Clark,
thoughtfully.

Lois nodded. "Yeah. I don't think he knows that I saw. He'll
probably still have it."

"Can you get any information, if he has any, without getting
hurt?" he asked, concerned, though he was the one close to dying,
right now. Lois thought it was sweet.

Lois put Åon her best reassuring smile. "Sure. Like I said, I can
handle him." she told him. The two kissed. The, Lois went home,
worrying about Clark.

***

Tex spoke to Joel (whom, as you know, was Tom). He did look like
he had been dead for 3 weeks, but he was alive now.

"Did you do your work? Is Mr. Tights dead?" asked Tex. Joel
looked up at the early morning sun. He'd have to get in to work
soon. It was Wednesday, that day after Lois had found out.

Sweat poured down Joel's face. "Well, no."

"What do you mean no?"

"He's very close. I just need to be near him one last time."

"I'll give you one last chance. If he ain't dead tomorrow, you
will be, I guarantee." he said with a smile. He walked off.

Joel pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from his
brow. Then, he set off for work.

***

Lois tried to look good, as she saw Tom come in. Tom noticed her,
and plastered a smile on his face. He ran to her.

They kissed. Lois no longer liked it, but would deal with it to
save Clark. They pulled away from their kiss.

"Is our date on, still?" Tom asked.

"Of course, since now you're the only guy in my life, Romeo."
Lois lied.

"What about Clark, or Superman?"

"Super-who? Oh, him. I don't know about Superman, but Clark
should be here in a few days." she said, and added silently : Not
that you'll be, partner.

Tom smiled. "Okay. Why don't we go right after work?"

"Sure! If, you'll tell me your secret." Lois lowered her voice at
'secret'. Tom (or Joel) began to look nervous. Small beads of
perspiration fell on his forehead.

"What secret?" he tried to ask innocently. Lois leaned closer to
him, putting her knees on her chair, while Tom was standing on
the other side of her desk.

"You know, that little lead box."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me, cowboy. I saw that little lead box get
thrown from your pocket. Now, tell me. What was in it? Was it
kryptonite?"

"Do you care about Superman?"

Lois laughed. "No. I want him dead." she lied. Joel bought it. He
led her to an abandoned little side room, and closed the door. He
removed the little lead box (which was about the size of a box
you'd get earrings in) from his breast pocket. He sat it down on
the table. Then, he sat Lois down on a chair facing the table. He
stayed standing, and cleared his throat before speaking.

"You sort of guessed right, my love." he told her. He opened the
little box. Inside was a sliver of what appeared to be blue
kryptonite, becau %se it was blue, but otherwise it looked
exactly like kryptonite.

"This, my darling Juliet, is what my friend invented when he was
in jail for 20 years. It's regular old kryptonite, but on the top
of it is a chemical liquid of some sort. It makes the kryptonite
a heck of a lot stronger, and it makes it so that Superman always
feels bad if he's been in contact long enough with it. As a
matter of fact, when I see Superman again, and I have this little
baby, he will die, swiftly!" now, Joel was putting on the charade
of really wanting to kill Superman.

"Is that why he looked bad at the restaurant?"

"Precisely, mademoiselle. And, now, let's go off to lunch, my
love." Lois decided to end the charade. She had what she needed.
She picked up the little lead box before he could.

"Think again, Bub." she told him. Tom (or Joel) turned around.

"What?"

"You heard me. I don't want to date you. You tried to kill
Superman, whom I know that you know is Clark. I don't even want
to be in the same room as you."

Joel decided to try and act like a tough guy, like Tex. "Think
again, Lois. Superman is in no shape to catch me, and the police
will never believe you."

"They will when I give them this." she told him, and took out,
with a flourish, her little tape recorder, from inside of her
pocket. Joel started sweating like crazy.

"You can't use that! I didn't consent!" he replied, anger and
embarrassment rising up, making his face red. Lois smiled,
slyly.

"I don't care if you consented or not. The police consented for
you! I talked to the police around midnight, telling them what I
suspected. They gave me the go-ahead." she told him. Joel looked
pitiful.

"Now Tom," she continued "what is your real name?"

"Joel Stevens."

"Joel Stevens. Why does that sound so familiar?" she muttered,
half to herself.

"You should know." Joel hinted.

"Don't tell me - Me and Clark did a story on you, last year. Now
I remember. You must've escaped from jail."

Joel nodded. "Uh-huh. Are you still taping me?"

"No."

"Okay, then let me say something for myself. I didn't actually
break out. That other guy, he broke me out for me."

"By, the way, who is that other guy?"

"I don't know his real name. His nickname's Tex. He's old, and
gray-haired. He's dead."

"So, why are you telling me what he looks like? I can't make a
citizen's arrest on a corpse." Lois told him.

"He was dead. He also injected himself with something else, and
now he's alive."

"What in the world?"

"I'm serious." replied Joel. Lois caught a look on his face. He
might have been lying about his whole past life for the past
three weeks, but he was being honest, now. Lois sighed.

"I need to have him arrested, as much as you need to be. But, I
can't go up to a police officer, and go : 'Hey, I'm looking for
this old criminal. He's called Tex. Yes, and he's dead, too.
Well, he was ... '! They'd haul me off!"

"But, you could have Bill arrested."

"Wait up. Who the heck is Bill?"

"He's the third guy." replied Joel, his face as pale as Clark's
had been earlier.

"What third guy?"

"The other partner. He's around 50, and his name's Bill. I think
he acts as Tex's secretary."

"And, you? Why did he 'hire' you?" asked Lois, her curiosity
piqued.

"In order to get Superman dead, there needed to be a lot of
contact between him and the kryptonite. Tex figured that would
only work if there was somebody working at the 'Planet' near him.
He picked me, 'cuz I'm supposedly a good writer. I don't know
'bout that part, but he said he needed someone who could pull off
the part of a journalist."

"And, you took the job because?"

"He offered me a hundred grand. And, he'd break me out of jail. I
couldn't pass it up."

Then, Joel came a bit closer to Lois :

"But, I promise you, Miss Lane. I never wanted to hurt you, or
Superman."

"Then why did you?"

"When he let me out, Tex told me that he'd just be having a
little fun. You know, pulling false alarms. It didn't put anyone
in danger, so I went along with it. Later, he brought up that
whole entire 'blue kryptonite' concept. He told me if I didn't do
it, I'd be dead meat."

"So, you didn't want to get yourself hurt, either." she finished
for him. Joel nodded.

"Right. Now, go on. Call your cops. Do your worst." he told her.
Lois took out her cell phone, and began to punch out a number.

"Do you want to say some last words to me, before I get you in
jail?" she asked, putting her hand over the receiver.

"Only one. And, this is sincere. I, Miss Lane, have always had a
crush on you." he told her. Lois looked at him. He was being
sincere.

A couple of days ago, Lois would've appreciated the flattery.
But, now, all she could think of was how sick Clark was, and how
this guy was about to kill him. Nothing he could say could make
her forgive him about that. She nodded, and finished dialing up
the number.

"Hello, police? This is Lois Lane, here. I've found the culprit.
One Mr. Joel Stevens." said Lois. She took a look at Joel, and
saw him even paler than Clark had been. Good, she thought ...

***

Clark looked in to Lois' dark brown eyes from across the table.
The firelight in the candle was reflecting in them, and in her
dark blue dress, she looked positively breathtaking. Clark had to
smile.

It was eight days later. Joel was filling out his 6 year term in
prison, and Clark was feeling much, much better. Lois smiled back
at him.

"So, do you think I make as a good of a date as Tom does? I know
that I don't have a red Ferarri ... " said Clark.

"You're much better than Tom ever was. How many times have I told
dyou I'm sorry for going out with him?"

"That makes it about a hundred." he told her. She giggled, and
pushed a lock of raven hair behind her ear, to show her new
silver hoops.

"Well, I want you to know that I've meant it every single time."
she told him. She took a sip from her champagne glass. Clark
smiled.

"I know. You've said that about a hundred times, also." he told
her. She laughed again, leaned over, and kissed him on the lips.

"Well, how many times have I done that, Superman?" she asked.

"Not enough." he told her. The two finished their meals, and then
Lois was flown up in to the night sky, via Superman. The two held
a long kiss, just floating in space.

THE END