“
by
AUTHOR’S NOTE: “
My thanks and
appreciation to the readers who sent feedback on the first version of this story
and were so receptive of
“Being
deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives
you courage.” – Lao Tzu
“Jambo, Miss Jordan. Your mail is here!”
At the cheerful greeting, Dr. Jordan Kent glanced up from her
computer screen and shifted her attention to the young girl in front of
her. Lea was the daughter of one of the
local villagers, and
“Thank you, Lea,”
“There is a package from the
“More postcards from the llama rodeo no doubt,”
He’s home, and he needs you.
“Subtly was never your strong point, was it, Mom?”
Setting the note aside,
Releasing a small sigh,
rings, the slightly
breathless voice of Martha Kent came on the line.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mom. It’s
“
“I know it’s kind of late there; I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No; I was feeling a little restless so I took
“I got your package today,”
“He got back about a week ago,” Martha said.
“And a busy week it’s been,”
“I was hoping you might come home for a few days and see for yourself,”
Martha answered. “I know he’d love to see you. And frankly after everything
that’s happened since his return I think he could use some sisterly support.”
“I gathered that from your note.”
“Honey, I know you’re still upset that
“And everyone else on the planet except you,”
“Than maybe you should confront him about that,” Martha suggested.
“The two of you never were shy about having a good fight. If you can vent your
feelings at him maybe you can move past it and welcome your brother home.”
“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea!
“I’ll give him a call once I’m settled at my hotel.”
“Have a safe trip,
“I will, Mom. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Ending the call,
“Well Superman, you managed to survive Luthor’s umpteenth attempt
to kill you and save mankind as we know it,” she remarked aloud. “Let’s just
see how you fare against your little sister’s temper.”
**************************************************************************************************************
METROPOLIS
Seated at his desk inside the Daily Planet,
It seems he’s inherited both his
fathers’ love of flying, he
observed.
Shifting his attention to the adults,
“I’m not going to have this conversation again, Richard,” she said.
“We wouldn’t have to if you would just be honest with me,” Richard
responded. “Why can’t you just admit
you’re in love with him? Or still in love with him, as the case may be.”
His eavesdropping was interrupted when Jason suddenly appeared in
front of him, brandishing his plane and a friendly grin.
“Hi Mister Clark,” he greeted.
“Hi, Jason,”
“Mommy and I saved Superman,” Jason announced, earning him an
amused smile from the man himself.
“I heard that. I’m sure Superman is very grateful that you were
brave and helped your mommy.”
“
Jason and Clark both gave a startled jump at the shout, and
“You’re getting paid to write stories, not socialize with Lois’
son!” he snapped. “Where’s that article on next week’s C.I.T.E.S. convention?”
“It’s all done, Chief,”
“Well make sure it’s on my desk before you leave for your breakfast
meeting,” Perry replied, and retreated back into his office.
“Breakfast meeting?” a familiar voice inquired.
“What’s this about a breakfast meeting?” Lois repeated.
“Well it’s not really a meeting,”
“Family reunion?” Lois
echoed questioningly.
Clark’s response was prevented by the arrival of Jimmy Olsen, who
flashed Jason and Lois a quick smile before addressing
“Hey, Mr.
“
“You’ve been holding out on me, Clark,” Lois chided. “I never knew
you had a sister. And she’s a doctor, no less.”
“She’s not actually a medical doctor,”
Just then Perry stepped out of his office again and yelled to Lois
and Clark. “
“What’s wrong, Mr. White?”
“There’s been some type of explosion and the place is on fire,”
Perry answered.
That’s where Jordan is,
“Is anyone hurt?” Lois pressed.
“No fatalities yet, but there are some people trapped on the lower
level.”
Lois knelt down in front of Jason. “I need you to go play in
Daddy’s office while Mommy goes to work, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
“That’s my good boy,” Lois declared, and gave her son a hug before
rising to her feet and turning to
Her voice trailed off as she realized she was talking to an empty
space.
“Where did he go?” she wondered aloud.
“Ran out of here faster than a speeding bullet as soon as Mr. White
mentioned the explosion,” Jimmy told her.
Lois shook her head. “One of these days I am going to beat
him to a breaking story,” she muttered under her breath.
**************************************************************************************************
Fire Captain Henry Turner was directing the rescue efforts via his
walkie-talkie when he felt a swoosh of air blow across
his face and glanced over just as Superman landed beside him.
“Captain,” he greeted. “How can I help?”
“We’ve got the evacuations from the main room under control but the
elevator shafts leading to the lower level collapsed and the fire’s preventing
us from getting in there to see if anyone is trapped,” Turner told him.
Superman nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
Making his way into what remained of the building, Superman blew
out the fire before using his X-ray vision to scan the elevator shafts. Inside
the first shaft the car was intact and empty, but in the second shaft he
discovered a familiar face trapped in what remained of the elevator car. Superman flew into the adjoining shaft and
went through the wall a few feet above the car, than carefully pulled open the
emergency hatch. The noise caused his sister to look up expectantly, and
Superman flashed her an affectionate smile.
“Didn’t those professors at graduate school teach you to take the
stairs instead of the elevator in an emergency, Dr.
“Very funny,”
“Are you hurt?”
“Everything hurts,”
Superman gave her a quick once over, but aside from a minor injury
to her forehead she appeared to be unhurt. “You might have a concussion, and
that cut on your forehead will probably need stitches, but nothing is
broken.”
“Except my pride. Having you come to my rescue wasn’t exactly
the way I wanted our little reunion to go.”
“All part of the service.”
“Is that my big brother talking or Superman?”
“It works both ways,” Superman responded lightly. “Let’s get you out of here.”
After pulling her up through the emergency hatch, Superman gathered
“This lady needs medical attention,” he told the closet
paramedic. “She’s got a head injury and
is suffering from smoke inhalation.”
“We’ll take care of her, Superman,” the paramedic responded.
“Thanks for the help.”
Superman nodded and shifted his attention to
“I’m fine. Go do what you do best. But I’m still going to take you
to task for your disappearing act five years ago when you’re done with this
mess.”
Superman smiled. “I’m sure you will,” he allowed and flew back
toward the building as the paramedics loaded
**************************************************************************************************
Some time later, his part in the evacuation as Superman complete,
Clark made his way to
“Hi,” he greeted. “I’m
looking for Jordan Kent. She was brought in earlier by ambulance.”
“You family?” the
nurse asked.
“I’m her brother.”
The nurse glanced at the chart on the wall behind her. “She’s in Exam Room Four getting some
stitches. Go straight down the hall and
it’s the second room on your left.”
“Thank you.”
Clark headed down the hallway to Exam Room Four, where to his
surprise he found Lois all ready there and talking with
“…and after Superman turned me over to
the paramedics, he helped the firemen finish the evacuation of the building,”
“Chalk another one up for the Man of
Steel,” Lois mumbled as she scribbled her notes.
“Of course not,” Lois denied a little too
quickly.
“Well the article you wrote – the one you
won the Pulitzer for – would seem to indicate otherwise,”
“Excuse me?”
“
Ouch,
“You seem to be overly concerned with
Superman’s personal life,” Lois replied carefully, the implication in her
remark obvious.
The beautiful blonde chuckled. “Unlike most of the planet’s female
population over the age of thirteen,
Lois gave her an incredulous look. “What,
you mean like
“Yes.”
Lois snorted. “Now I’ve heard everything.”
Knowing the short temper
“I heard about your accident at the
Convention Center,” he said for Lois’ benefit.
“Are you okay?”
“Right as rain,”
“I’m sure it is,” Lois responded. “Perry wants the full story on the explosion
so I came to the hospital to interview the victims.”
“I overheard one of the firefighters at
the scene say that they think it was a natural gas explosion,”
“Thanks for the tip. I’m going to head back over to there and see
if anybody has any new information about the explosion.
“Glad to be of service,
Flashing the siblings a smile devoid of
warmth, Lois left them alone, and
“Why were you giving Lois the third
degree?” he asked,
“Why were you eavesdropping on our
conversation?”
“Oh that’s a mature response,”
“I appreciate the thought,
“Then she’s either lying to him or lying
to herself because that woman has it bad,”
They entered the hallway and started
toward the front desk, but as they passed the exam room next to the one
“Bruce…”
“Yes, actually.”
“Why don’t you go in there and check on
your friend while I take care of my paperwork?”
Clark nodded, and
“Aren’t you a little out of your
jurisdiction, Mister Wayne?” he asked jokingly.
Infamous Gotham City Billionaire Bruce
Wayne turned at the greeting and seeing
“Thanks. What are you doing in
Metropolis?”
“I was in a business meeting over at the
Convention Center when the explosion happened,” Bruce told him. “No one was seriously injured, but most of
us needed to get treated for smoke inhalation.
What about you?”
“My sister was there too. She was trapped in one of the elevators after
the explosion.”
“Is she all right?”
“Aside from being ticked off that she had
to get rescued by Superman, she’s just fine.
Bruce smiled. “I take it that your ‘mild mannered’
personality hasn’t rubbed off on her,” he surmised.
“Hardly.
“Some would say her brother is equally
passionate about those things,” Bruce responded.
“Maybe,”
“Well now that you’re back maybe you can
teach her yourself.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the return of
Bruce, my boy, you are in Trouble with a capital ‘T’, he thought.
Feeling the power of Bruce’s gaze,
Who are you? she wondered silently.
“Everything go all right with the paperwork?”
“I’m good to go,”
“Oh, right.
I don’t know if I should be worried about this or not, he mused silently.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mister Wayne,”
“The pleasure is mine, Doctor Kent,” Bruce returned.
“I read an article recently in which you indicated that Wayne
Enterprises is going to be the first major world corporation to institute a
paper free policy by the year 2010 to help eliminate deforestation,”
“Thank you. If you don’t
mind my asking, what type of medicine do you practice?”
“I’m actually an evolutionary biologist. I work for the PEACE
Corporation and specialize in the ecology of endangered species.”
“Brains and beauty,” Bruce remarked. “I’m impressed.”
Clark rolled his eyes as
“Well we should get going,”
Amusement flickered across Bruce’s handsome face at his friend’s
obvious attempt to get rid of him. “I’m
sure I do,” he agreed.
“It was good to meet you, Mister Wayne,”
“Likewise, Doctor Kent,” Bruce returned. “Try to keep an eye on your brother while
you’re here. We certainly don’t want him
to pull another disappearing act.”
“Good-bye, Bruce,”
**************************************************************************************************
Upon her return to work, Lois was still fuming over her little
go-round with
“Whoa…careful there, Lois,” he chided.
“Oh, Richard, I’m sorry,” Lois apologized. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“No harm done,” Richard assured her. “Did you catch up with
“Not at the Convention Center,” Lois answered, “but his sister was
injured in the explosion so he showed up at the hospital while I was
interviewing her.”
“So you got to meet the mysterious Jordan Kent,” Richard said. “Jimmy’s been rambling all morning about how
beautiful she is. What did you think of her? Is she anything like
Lois snorted. “The only
thing Clark and his precious little sister have in common is blue eyes and
their last name,” she replied.
Richard’s eyes widened in surprise. “Sounds like you two didn’t
exactly hit it off,” he said cautiously.
“That’s the understatement of the year.”
“What happened?”
She had the audacity to insinuate that I’m harboring feelings for
Superman, Lois thought to herself. Aloud she said, “Let’s just say that Dr.
Kent isn’t a fan of my work,” she evaded.
Richard nodded. “Nobody likes a critic,” he allowed.
“Where’s Jason?”
“Jimmy took him across the street for a root beer float.”
Lois gave him an exasperated look.
“Why did you let him do that? You know he doesn’t react well to all that
sugar.”
“It just makes him hyper for a few hours, Lois,” Richard
countered. “It’s not going to kill him.”
No, but Kryptonite might.
The thought flashed through her mind unbidden, and Lois mentally
chastised herself.
Don’t even go there right now, Lois.
“As long as we have a few minutes why don’t we finish our
conversation from this morning?” Richard suggested.
Lois sighed. “What part of ‘no’ wasn’t clear this morning,
Richard?”
“We need to talk about this, Lois.”
“For the hundredth time, there’s nothing to talk about.”
Now it was Richard’s turn to sigh.
“Lois, this is me you’re talking to, remember?” he prompted
sarcastically, his tone low to avoid being overheard. “I was there when Superman rescued us from
the yacht, and when we pulled him out of the water after Luthor tried to kill
him. I saw how you were when he was in the hospital fighting for his life. It’s
obvious how much you care about him, and vice versa.”
“Of course I care about him, Richard. You know how many times he’s saved my life,
and now he’s also saved yours and Jason’s.
As for Superman, well…Superman cares about everybody.”
“Then let me rephrase. It’s obvious that you’re in love with him.”
“Richard….”
Richard immediately held his hand to silence her. “Don’t say
another word, Lois,” he requested. “You
can deny it me until you’re blue in the face, and maybe you’re even denying it
to yourself. But sooner or later we are
both going to have to face the truth. “
Not knowing how to respond, Lois remained silent, and Richard
paused a moment to let his remark sink in before continuing.
“I love you, Lois. You and Jason are my life. But I’ve never settled for second best in my
life, and I won’t be a substitute for Superman or anyone else. Not even for
you.”
Without waiting for a reply, Richard walked past Lois and back to
his office.
***************************************************************************************************************
Meanwhile across town, Jordan and Clark had stopped briefly at her
hotel so she could change out of her smoke damaged clothes before making their
way to a small Italian restaurant across the street. After settling in at a corner table and scanning
the menu, they ordered their drinks and their meals before
“So what do you want to me to rake you over the coals for first?”
she asked rhetorically. “The fact that
you decided to leave on your search for Krypton without telling me or the fact
that you came home out of the blue five years later without telling me? Because
I have to tell you, learning about both events from Mom and not you quite
frankly pissed me off.”
“Does Mom know you talk like that?”
“Don’t be evasive.”
“The exception being Lois,”
“The exception being Lois,”
“I understand why you would feel that way,
“It wasn’t that,”
“I don’t know which of us that insults more,”
humanity, quite
frankly the people of this planet don’t deserve you. Before you left, it was all about how great
Superman is and how lucky we are to have him. Once you disappeared, everybody
suddenly forgot about all the good you had done and practically cursed your
name for abandoning them. They’d been
taking advantage of you for so long that they’d forgotten how to fend for
themselves.”
“I have to take some of the blame for that, especially because I
wasn’t available when I was needed the most.”
“September 11th,”
“Yes. I should have been here.”
“To do what,
“But I have a responsibility….” Clark began, but
“You have a responsibility to yourself too. Even Superman’s allowed
to have a life, and to make mistakes.
It’s called being Human.”
A pause. “But I’m
not Human,” came the quiet reply.
So there it is,
“Overlooking the fact that at the moment neither of us has a personal life, I’m pretty sure
that particular treaty went out the window at the hospital when I sniped at
Lois about her article and you practically removed me bodily to get me away
from Bruce Wayne.”
“Point taken.”
“In all seriousness,
“I won’t disrupt her life more than I all ready have,”
“Right….like giving birth to your son wasn’t a disruption,”
“How?”
“We have no secrets, remember?
You told me all about the incident at
“I never should have put Lois in that position. I will admit that at the time, I wanted her
to know, because I wanted so badly to be able to show her and tell her how I
felt. But I was selfish, and sloppy, and
Lois and the people of Earth almost paid the price. That can’t happen again. I
won’t let it happen again.”
“So you’ll settle for whatever stolen moments you can have with her
when Superman comes to the rescue and spend the rest of your life alone? That’s
not fair to you.”
“Life isn’t always fair, Little Sister,”
“What about your son? He has a right to know his father.”
“Richard is Jason’s father, in every way that counts.”
“Now I know they call you the ‘Man of Steel’,” she said in an
irritated whisper. “It’s because you close your brain like a steel trap when
don’t want to talk about something.”
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black,”
***************************************************************************************************************
Later that afternoon,
“Clark
“
“Hi, Mom.”
“Don’t ‘Hi Mom’ me,” Martha said.
“What’s this I hear about your sister being involved in an explosion
this morning?”
“How did you find out about that?”
“You should know better than anyone that’s it’s all over the news
even here,” Martha chided. “They’re
saying it might have been a terrorist attack.”
“Nobody knows for sure yet. The authorities are still
investigating.”
“Is
“She’s fine, Mom. Her
pride’s a little bruised and she’s got a nasty cut on her forehead but she
wasn’t seriously injured.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Martha replied. “So how’s the reunion going?”
“
“A mission?”
“She’s determined to save me from myself and convince me to tell
Lois the truth.”
“Well one can only hope. You won’t listen to me so maybe you’ll
listen to her. Heaven knows you’ve never
been able to refuse her anything.”
“There’s always a first time.”
“
“I know, Mom. I love you guys too.”
“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that I’ve found another buyer for
the farm.”
“That was fast,”
“I know, but I got a call this morning from Mr. Hicks over at the
real estate office and he said there’s a company that wants to buy the farm and
turn it into an animal sanctuary.”
“
Martha released a small sigh. “Honey, we discussed this when you
were here last week,” she reminded him.
“I know how much you and Jordan love this place, and I do too. This is
where I shared my life with your father and raised you and your sister. It holds so many special memories for me. But
it’s just too much for Ben and me to handle by ourselves. We’re not getting any younger, and we’d like
to spend what time we have left enjoying each other, not working the farm.”
“I know, Mom, and I’m glad that you’ve got Ben. He’s a good man.”
“You could have a family too if you would talk to Lois.”
“Mom….”
“All right, all right. I’ll leave the matchmaking to your sister. Give her a hug for me and next time she gets
into trouble I expect to hear about it from one of you and not the afternoon
news.”
“I promise. Bye, Mom.”
“Bye,
Replacing the phone on his desk,
“Hi,
“Hey, Lois.”
“So how’s your sister?”
Here we go,
“The two of you seem pretty close,” Lois remarked. “I’m curious as
to why you’ve never mentioned her before.”
There was no malice in the reply; it was simply a fact. And for some reason that bothered Lois.
Am I really so self-absorbed that I never even
asked him about his family beyond his mother? she wondered. Shaking off her wayward thoughts, she said,
“Well I’m asking now. How long after your parents adopted you did they get
“It was only a couple of years,”
“You might have been better off with the dog,” Lois mumbled to
herself.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing. Please,
go on.”
“So before my parents could stop me, I dashed into the porch and
lifted the blanket off the basket. I
don’t think
Lois smiled at the image, recalling a similar scene when she had
given birth to Jason. “So you were okay
with getting a sister instead of a puppy?”
“I was thrilled, and my parents were taken with her right away,
too. My dad contacted the sheriff and the authorities spent about three months
trying to determine who had left us the basket, but they never found anything.
There was no note, and no fingerprints on the basket or the blanket. So my
folks went to the local courthouse to file the paperwork and
“Has Jordan herself ever tried to find out where she came from?”
Lois questioned.
“Just once, almost fifteen years ago. Shortly after she turned
18, she asked me to help her try and track down her biological parents. We spent a little over a year searching but
nothing ever came of it.”
“And
“Well she couldn’t have asked for a nicer guy to have as her
brother,” Lois declared.
“So, did
“Nothing different than what she says she told you. She had just gotten in the elevator to go
down to the lower level and talk to one of the CITES delegates when she heard a
loud boom and a couple of seconds later the elevator went crashing down the
shaft. The fire must have started almost
immediately because she said she could smell the smoke only a few minutes
later. The elevators doors were jammed
shut because of the impact of the crash and she wasn’t tall enough to reach the
emergency hatch and crawl out. So she was forced to stay put and wait for
help.”
“Well lucky for her Superman was there to save the day,” Lois
replied with thinly veiled sarcasm
She definitely has Superman issues,
Just then the television sets all over the room suddenly switched
from regular programming to a special news bulletin.
“We interrupt our regular programming to bring you breaking news,”
the announcer said. “We just received
word that the Metropolis Police Department has called in the FBI to assist in
the investigation of this morning’s bombing at the Convention Center. Preliminary reports indicate it was an act of
terrorism and there are concerns more attacks may follow.”
“That can’t be good,”
“Shhh!” Lois
admonished.
“Authorities have yet to say whether they feel the attack was
targeted at the CITES delegation, or a prominent group of businessmen who were
also at the center when the attack occurred. Among those present was
The announcer signed off and the regular programming resumed and
Lois looked thoughtful as she gazed off into space.
“So Bruce Wayne is here in Metropolis,” she mused. “That’s an interview I’d like to have.”
“What?”
“Jordan and I ran into him at the hospital this morning and the
room temperature jumped about 20 degrees when I introduced them,”
“
“He also changes women more often than he changes his socks,”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,
“I hope so.”
***************************************************************************************************************
Unaware he was the topic of discussion across town,
Bruce was in his hotel suite reviewing some paperwork when his cell phone
rang. Rising to his feet, he crossed
over to retrieve it from his coat pocket.
“Bruce Wayne.”
“I have the information you requested on Jordan Kent, Master
Bruce,” Alfred told him. “I’m emailing
it to you as we speak.”
“Anything I should pay particular attention to?” Bruce queried.
“Only the lady herself, sir,” Alfred deadpanned. “If I may be so bold as to
ask, why the interest in this particular young lady? Aside
from the obvious, of course.”
“Of course,” Bruce responded dryly.
“If I knew, Alfred, I’d be happy to tell you. At this point all I know is that in the space
of about two minutes, she affected me like no one else ever has.”
“Indeed. Well sir, in my
experience there are two ways to handle this type of situation.”
Bruce smiled. “Do tell.”
“Your first choice – and perhaps the easiest one - would be to
ignore her,” Alfred told him.
“And my second choice?”
“Your second choice – and perhaps the wisest – would be to marry
her.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.
Has Lucius uncovered anything about the explosion?”
“He’s still working on it, sir, but so far he hasn’t found anything
to indicate you and your associates were the targets.”
“I am glad to hear it.”
“One final note of interest,” Alfred said. “It seems that the lovely Doctor
“I appreciate your help, Alfred.”
“Glad to be of service, sir,” Alfred responded. “And do keep me
posted on those wedding plans, won’t you?”
“Good-bye, Alfred.”
“Good-bye, sir.”
Shaking his head in amusement, Bruce ended the call and walked back
to his computer. Alfred was nothing if
not thorough, and Bruce waited patiently as the file containing
Jordan Alexandra
Kent, born April 1974, exact day and place unknown. Adopted by Jonathan and
Martha Kent of
Scholastic
prodigy. Graduated valedictorian of
“Well there’s no current
or ex-husband to contend with,” Bruce said. “That’s a plus. And she went to
Bruce closed the file and
saved it to his hard drive before standing again and crossing the room to pick
up the hotel phone. Dialing the front
desk, he asked the clerk on duty about
“This is Bruce Wayne in
the Presidential Suite,” he said. “Would please tell me if Jordan Kent is in
her room?”
“I can check for you,
sir,” the clerk said. “One moment.”
There was a brief pause,
and he heard the rustling of papers before the young man returned to the phone.
“Dr.
“Please do.”
“It will be just another
moment, sir,” the clerk told him, and after a brief pause, the phone rang
through to
“Hello?”
“Doctor
“Of course. I don’t mean
to be rude, but could you possibly hold for just a moment? I was in the shower
when the phone rang and am dripping all over the floor, so I really need to put
on a robe.”
I
feel a sudden urge to take a shower myself, he thought wryly. A very long, very cold one.
“Are you still there,
Mister Wayne?”
”Yes, I’m sorry. I’ll be
happy to hold.”
He heard a slight thunk
when she set down the receiver, followed by the sounds of her rustling about in
the bathroom, and a couple of minutes later she returned to the phone.
“Thank you for holding,
Mister Wayne. What can I do for you?”
“For starters you can
call me Bruce,” he requested. “Given my
history with
“I was hoping to persuade
you to have dinner with me this evening.
I happen to be staying in this hotel as well, so perhaps we could meet
in the lobby and then you can choose a restaurant.”
“I appreciate the
invitation, Bruce,”
“Good point,” Bruce
conceded. “If I give my word as your
brother’s friend to behave as a gentleman, would you consider joining me in my
suite?”
A pause. “I would be happy to,”
“Excellent. I’m in the
Presidential Suite. Shall we say seven o’clock?”
“I’ll see you then.”
***************************************************************************************************************
At precisely seven
o’clock, a knock on the door of the Presidential Suite signaled
I
haven’t been this nervous about a date since my senior prom, he
admonished himself silently.
Hoping his anxiety didn’t
show on his face, he opened the door and flashed
“Bruce,”
“Please, come in.”
He stepped aside to allow
her entry, and she slowly made her way across the room, surveying the
suite.
“Would you like some
champagne, or a glass of wine?” Bruce offered.
“Actually a glass of ice
water would be just fine,”
“Ice water it is.”
Bruce crossed over to the
bar to get her drink as
This
must be what Clark sees when he’s not rescuing damsels in distress, she
surmised.
Bruce stepped outside
then and saw her staring out at the city, so he took advantage of her
distraction to observe her unhindered.
Dressed fairly casually in a pair of black jeans and an oversized teal
silk blouse, she wore little make-up, and her only jewelry consisted of a Swiss
Army watch and a small gold chain around her neck bearing a diamond pendant,
A1.
She
is exquisite, he thought in appreciative silence.
As if sensing his
scrutiny, Jordan glanced over her shoulder to discover Bruce watching her, and
flashed him an indulgent smile as he walked over to hand her a glass of ice
water.
“One glass of ice water, as
requested.”
“Thank you.”
Bruce gestured at her
necklace. “That’s a lovely pendant,” he
said. “What does ‘A1’ stand for?”
“It’s an acronym for the
PEACE corporate slogan,”
“Clever. As long as we’re on the subject, how did a
pretty little farm girl from Kansas wind up with a Princeton degree at the
tender age of 20 and starring role at
the CITES convention as a leading researcher for endangered species?”
“You’ve been doing your
homework.”
“Information is a
powerful tool.”
“Compassion and
intelligence are very admirable qualities,” Bruce replied. “It just so happens I possess an abundance of
both.”
“That too.”
Their conversation was
interrupted by a knock at the door, signaling the arrival of room service.
“That will be dinner,”
Bruce said, and extended his arm. “Shall we?”
“Absolutely.”
Linking her arm through
his,
***************************************************************************************************************
Later that night, Jordan
and Bruce had finished their meal and were now seated across from one another on
the couches in the suite’s living room. Over two brandies and a shared piece of
apple pie, Bruce had given
Normally
this would be the point where I let her down gently to avoid the Batman issues, he mused. But
given the fact that her brother is Superman, she’s obviously capable of dealing
with my other life.
“Would you care for
another brandy?” Bruce offered.
Bruce nodded. “Of course.”
As they both stood, Bruce
extended his hand and
“Thank you for an enjoyable evening, Mister Wayne,"
"I’m sure that can be arranged, Dr.
"If that’s the best you can do, Bruce, it explains why
you’re still single,"
Bruce’s smile widened at the jab, and he lowered his head
to kiss her again. The old adage ‘Be careful what you wish for’ flashed through
Jordan’s brain as the passion behind the second kiss took her breath away, and
she pressed her body closer to Bruce’s. Several minutes later, the need to
breathe forced Bruce to reluctantly break off the kiss. After taking a moment
to regain his composure, he addressed
"Most definitely,"
"Worried about starting something you can’t
finish?" Bruce taunted.
"Was that a question or a challenge?"
"You tell me."
"And if it was a challenge?"
"What are the stakes?"
"Winner takes all."
"Those are pretty high stakes,"
"The only thing I’m sure of is that every time we
touch we both go up in flames," came Bruce’s solemn response.
"Bruce…"
Bruce took a step closer to her. "If you really want
to leave,
"Then I guess I’m staying."
*****************************************************************************************************
Early the following
morning,
Dear God, what have I
done? she pondered.
Carefully easing herself
out of Bruce’s embrace and out of bed,
“Were you just going to
leave without saying a word?”
“That was the general
idea,”
“I see. So I suppose last
night meant nothing? Just a convenient courtesy fuck?”
“I apologize. That was
unnecessary.”
“Sometimes the truth
hurts,” she demurred, “although I would have chosen a less profane way to
express it.”
She got to her feet and
started across the room, but Bruce intercepted her and blocked her exit. “
“What’s to talk about?”
“
Although still tense with
fear and shame, she lifted her gaze to meet his, her extraordinary blue eyes
glistening with unshed tears. Keeping his voice gentle, Bruce lifted his hands
to cup her face, lightly rubbing his thumbs against her cheeks as he spoke.
“We’ve done nothing
wrong,
“I’m scared,”
“Of me?”
“Of us. This is all
happening so fast.”
“Then we’ll take this at
whatever pace makes you comfortable,” Bruce responded. “This is a rare gift,
Blue met brown. “Will you
give me your word that we can slow this down a few paces?”
“I promise that nothing
else will happen unless and until you want it to.”
“Cross your heart?”
Bruce smiled and freed
one hand to mime the gesture. “Cross my heart.”
The change in
“You’re very welcome.”
Their conversation was
interrupted by a knock at the door, and
Remembrance hit Bruce
then and he stifled another curse. “I
completely forgot about the interview,” he said.
“Interview?”
“
“That’s just swell,”
As if to speak of the
devil, there was another knock and
“I can get rid of them if
you want,” Bruce offered. “Ask them to
wait in the café downstairs while I shower and get dressed.”
“I appreciate the offer,
but it would just be postponing the inevitable. At least this way it’s out in
the open and I won’t feel like we’re sneaking around behind
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Bruce crossed the room
and bracing himself, opened the door to greet his visitors. “Good morning,
Clark gestured for Lois
to precede him and she made her way into the living room, stopping short at the
sight of
“Uh-oh…” she muttered.
“What’s the matter, Lo….”
“Have you lost your mind?
Do you have any idea who you’re getting involved with?”
For one brief moment,
Bruce feared that
“I’m well aware of what
the papers say about Bruce, yes. But frankly we both know you can’t believe
everything you read. You of all people
should know that just because somebody appears to be a certain way on the
outside, it isn’t really what he’s like on the inside.”
“
“Sure,”
“Give me one good reason
why I shouldn’t snap you in half where you stand,” he said tightly.
Bruce cocked an eyebrow,
not entirely sure it was just his friend’s anger talking “
“And that’s supposed to
reassure me?” the other man responded. “My sister may be a little naïve when it
comes to your reputation, Bruce, but I’m not.
Granted I know the reasons why you have to behave the way you do and to
be honest I have the same problem to some extent. But now you’ve involved
“Pursuing a relationship
with me is no more dangerous for
Knowing his friend was
right,
“This isn’t just another
casual affair for me,” Bruce echoed obediently.
“I care about her,
“Don’t break her heart,
Bruce.”
“I won’t.”
Meanwhile out on the
patio, Jordan and Lois were uncrossing their own swords, as the former decided
to make amends for her behavior at the hospital.
“I owe you an apology,
“No harm done,” Lois
demurred. “Although I have to say I was
surprised. You’re certainly not what I expected
“I gathered that when he yelled
at you about Bruce,” Lois quipped. “I
don’t think I’ve ever seen him that angry.”
“Clark’s always been a
little overzealous when it comes to protecting people he cares about,”
“I’d like that too,” Lois
said.
“I understand you have a
little boy. Jason, right?”
“Yes. He’s my angel. I’m supposed to take him to
the zoo today after
“I’m sure he’ll enjoy
spending the day with his parents,”
“Actually it will just be
the two of us,” Lois revealed. “Richard
and I….well, he has some work to catch up on so he
won’t be joining us.”
Sounds
like there’s trouble in paradise,
“Really…well you know
Clark likes animals,”
If
I didn’t know better I’d think she was trying to set Clark and me up on a date, Lois thought
to herself. However,
“Great. Well, I don’t
hear any more shouting, so maybe we should head back inside and see if Clark
and Bruce are still standing.”
“Good idea.”
The women made their way
back into the living room, and
“Right as rain,”
“Sounds like a plan,”
Bruce responded, and they exchanged a kiss before he whispered in her ear,
“Thank you for an exceptional evening.”
“Likewise.”
“Sure. Why don’t you walk
me to the elevator?”
“So what’s the deal with
you and Bruce?” he asked. “I know you
don’t go for casual affairs.”
“I don’t what the ‘deal’
is with Bruce and me,”
“Just be careful,
“I appreciate your concern,
“See you later, Big
Brother. Have fun at the zoo.”
The doors closed on
***************************************************************************************************************
METROPOLIS
ZOO
True to her word, and
much to
Ever the journalist, Lois
had allowed
He
really does like kids, she observed.
He’ll make a good father someday.
Inexplicably the thought
of another woman having
“Obviously you two are
having a good time,” she remarked.
“Mister Clark’s teaching
me how to fly, Mommy!” Jason exclaimed happily.
“I can see that.”
“How’s the article
coming?”
“It’s almost finished,”
Lois told him. “I’m just making some
adjustments here and there.”
“Mommy, I want a hot
dog,” Jason pleaded.
“You know you’re not
supposed to eat hot dogs, Honey,” Lois reminded him. “The nitrates make you
sick to your stomach.”
“I want a hot dog,” Jason
repeated stubbornly.
“It’s just a hot dog,
Lois,”
The petite brunette shot
him an exasperated look. “Some help you
are,” she admonished, then glanced down at her
son. “Okay. You can have one hot
dog.”
Jason nodded and dashed
over to the hot dog vendor a few yards away.
“You didn’t have to pay
for his lunch,
“Was that some sort of
small town ritual?” Lois teased.
“I never really thought
about, but I suppose it was,”
It was on the tip of her
tongue to repeat the excuse for Richard’s absence that she had given
“Wow. What happened?”
Lois sighed. “We had an argument about Sup…someone,” she
amended quickly. “Richard thinks that I
have feelings for this person that threaten our relationship.”
“Do you?”
“I did, once upon a
time. But up until a week ago I thought
I had moved passed them. Now I’m not so
sure.”
“You’re probably right.”
Jason rejoined them then,
happily munching on the hot dog he clenched in one hand and holding lemonade in
the other.
“Do you want some,
Mommy?” Jason asked, and offered her his hot dog.
“No thank you, Honey.”
“Help!” a female voice
suddenly screamed. “Somebody help! He stole my purse!”
Lois and Clark glanced up
expectantly and saw a semi-hysterical woman gesturing at the fast disappearing
form of a large man running through the crowd.
“I uh…I have to go to the
men’s room,”
Without giving Lois a
chance to respond,
Meanwhile the clueless
thief was running frantically through the crowded zoo, desperate to find a way
out. Spotting a nearby fence that
appeared to be the zoo boundary, he tucked the stolen purse into his jacket
before scaling the iron fencing. On the other side, he found what at first
glance was an empty exhibit. There was a small stream
running through a grove of trees that lined the fence, and the grassy enclosure
showed no signs of habitation. On the far side a few hundred yards away, he
spotted another rod iron fence and decided to scale that as well to see if it
would provide him with a way out. He started across the enclosure, convinced
that security would not think to look for him in the abandoned exhibit. After about a hundred feet, however, some
sixth sense kicked in and he slowly glanced over his shoulder to see a pair of
very large tigers watching him from atop a cluster of artificial rocks.
“Nice kitties,” he
mumbled under his breath.
Knowing he would never
make it across the rest of the enclosure before the cats caught him, the thief
figured his only chance was to run back the way he’d come and attempt to get
back over the fence or into a tree before he became big cat kitty chow. Saying a silent prayer, he bolted for the
fence, and the tigers charged. Even if
he had not all ready been fatigued from his dash through the zoo, the thief
would have been no match for the speed of the predators, and he could see them
getting closer as he continued his desperate dash for safety. He was still a good ten feet from the fence
when the tigers reached striking distance and he closed his eyes as he braced
himself for the attack. However, instead
of the agony of a fatal cat bite, he felt himself suddenly lifted off the
ground. He quickly shot an astonished glance skyward and discovered that
Superman had gotten hold of his jacket collar and lifted him to safety.
“Good afternoon, sir,”
Superman greeted cheerily. “I’m afraid
that zoo regulations don’t permit you to feed he animals.”
“Right,”’ the thief
muttered.
Superman flew back to
where the victim was waiting with zoo security and the crowd grew larger as they
watched him glide to earth. Gently setting the other man on his feet, Superman
retrieved the stolen purse from the thief’s jacket and returned it to the
rightful owner as security took the thief away.
“I believe this belongs
to you, Ma’am.”
The woman clutched her
purse to her chest as she gave Superman an adoring smile. “Oh, thank you
Superman, thank you!”
Watching the exchange
from a few feet away, Lois rolled her eyes before walking over to address
Superman.
“Hello, Superman,” she
said simply.
He turned to face her and
gave her a warm smile. “Hello, Lois.”
“Hi,
Superman!” Jason greeted.
“Hello, Jason. It’s good
to see you again.”
“Can we go flying?”
Superman’s smile widened
at his son’s request. “Maybe another time,” he answered, and returned his
attention to Lois. “I’ll see you around,
Lois.”
He started to fly away,
but Lois stopped him almost immediately. “Superman, wait, please.”
He stopped in place and glanced her expectantly.
“Can we talk?” she
requested. “Not here and now, obviously, but later. Maybe tonight?”
“Of course,” Superman
responded. “Should I meet you on the
roof of the Daily Planet?”
“That would be best,”
Lois said. “Is six o’clock okay?”
“Six o’clock is fine,
Lois. I’ll see you then.”
With a farewell wave to
Jason, Superman flew out of sight, and a moment later
“So, did I miss
anything?” he asked innocently.
***************************************************************************************************************
DAILY
PLANET
Shortly before six
o’clock, Lois saved the story she was writing on her computer and grabbing her
purse, made her way to the roof. Needing
something to calm her nerves, she reached into her purse to pull out a
cigarette and her lighter.
“You really should give
up smoking, Lois,” a familiar voice chided.
She started at the voice
and glanced over to see Superman hovering by the roof’s edge a few feet
away. “You’re early,” she said curtly.
“And you’re testy because
I caught you trying to smoke,” Superman countered.
Knowing he was right only
irritated Lois more, and she released a frustrated sigh. Digging the entire
pack out of her purse, she walked over to the edge of the roof and hurled the
cigarettes and her lighter as hard as she could before returning her attention
to the man beside her.
“There. Happy now?”
Superman peered over the
edge. “Yes, but I don’t think the
gentleman who just got hit in the head with your cigarettes is very pleased,”
he replied, and at Lois’ horrified look, added, “I’m kidding, Lois.”
Lois smiled in spite of
herself. “That wasn’t funny.”
“Then why are you
smiling?”
She shook her head,
inordinately pleased by his teasing. All
of their encounters since his return had been full of anger or fear or both,
and it was nice to be able to talk to him without the tension.
“So, what was it that you
asked me here to talk about?” Superman prompted.
Lois took a deep
breath. “Before I tell you that, I want
to ask a favor,” she said. “I need you
to let me say what I have to say before you respond or ask any questions,
because if I don’t say this now I probably won’t say it at all. And I need to. For my sake, and for yours. And for
Jason’s, too. And probably Richard’s, to an extent...”
She always rambles when
she’s nervous, Superman observed affectionately. Out loud he said simply,
“I promise not to interrupt until you’re done.”
Lois nodded, and began to
pace. “I asked you here because I wanted
to apologize to you, for treating you so poorly since you’ve been back and not
giving you a real chance to explain why you left. Most of all, though, I owe
you an apology for my article.
Because it’s now so obvious that I was wrong. When you left without even saying good-bye,
it nearly destroyed me. After everything
we shared, and everything I thought we meant to one
another, you just disappeared. I was
hurt, and angry, and scared. Scared that you had been killed, scared that I done something to
drive you away, or scared that you simply didn’t care for me as much as I cared
for you.”
“Lois, you know that’s
not true…” Superman started, but at her warning glance recalled his promise not
to interrupt. “I’m sorry. Please go on.”
“Well me being me, I
buried myself even deeper in my work, and a few weeks later I met Richard. He was handsome and sweet and charming, and I
was so emotionally raw that I grabbed onto to what he had to offer with both
hands. Six weeks later I discovered I
was pregnant. As far as I knew, you and
I had never….well, I assumed that Richard was the father, and I took it as a
sign that this was the direction my life was supposed to take. Jason came along about seven months later,
but even though he was supposedly several weeks early and had a pair of
beautiful blue eyes, I never suspected that he could be yours. So I moved in with Richard, and two years
later he proposed. But even with my new life, there was still a part of me that
was holding onto all of my unresolved feelings for you. So I decided to prove to myself and the world
that I was over you. I don’t even know
what triggered it, but I found myself channeling all of that anger and
resentment into the article. Next thing
you know it’s the talk of Metropolis and I’m receiving the Pulitzer Prize. Ironic that I finally get
my Holy Grail and only had to crucify you to do it.”
Lois paused then to catch
her breath, and angrily wiped away a stray tear trickling down her cheek. After getting her emotions under control, she
continued.
“Anyway, just when I
thought I had finally reached a point where I could move past your memory, I’m
on the plane covering the Genesis launch and all hell breaks loose. I was certain that we were all going to die,
but out of the corner of my eye I see a familiar blue and red blur speed past
my window. At first I thought I was
hallucinating, but then I heard you land on the plane, and free the shuttle,
and I knew you were real. At that
moment, I knew that I wasn’t over you, that I would never be over you. And that
scared me more than dying on that plane.”
Finished at last, Lois
fell silent, the tears now flowing freely down her face. His heart aching to see her in so much pain,
Superman slowly closed the distance between them and lifted his hands to gently
cup her face, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
“I’m the one that should
be apologizing to you,” he said softly, his own eyes glistening with unshed
tears. “I never should have left you
without saying good-bye or explaining why I was leaving. But I knew that if I saw you that one last
time, I never would have left. Because saying good-bye sometimes means you
don’t intend to see that person again, and in your case that wasn’t something I
could accept. I love you, Lois; I always have. And whatever happens, I always
will.”
The declaration earned
him a fresh round of tears from Lois.
“I’ve been waiting five years to hear you say that,” she managed on a
ragged breath. “Why did you leave?”
“Well to paraphrase an
old cliché, it wasn’t you, it was me,” Superman assured her. “When I heard that those scientists at NASA
thought they had discovered what remained of Krypton,
I wasn’t planning on
doing anything. But the more I thought
about it, the more curious I became.
Could part of my home world really have survived? Could any of the
people there have survived? And how much
of who I am is because of where I came from? The only
way I was going to get the answers was to go there myself.”
“Did you find what you
were looking for?” Lois asked.
“There was nothing there
but space dust and old ghosts,” Superman responded. “So I said a final farewell to my past and
returned to Earth to face my future.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be; I’m not.
Someone close to me once said that knowing
where I came from isn’t as important as accepting and embracing where I am now.
Now I know what that means.”
Something about Superman’s remark sounded familiar, but Lois was
uncertain as to why. I’ve heard that somewhere before, she mused.
“I’d like to ask you a question, if I may,” Superman requested.
“Of course.”
“How and when did you realize that Jason was my son?”
Lois smiled. “I was
wondering when you would bring that up,” she said, and explained what had
happened on Luthor’s yacht.
Superman’s eyes widened in surprise. “He threw the piano across the room?” he echoed worriedly. “Is he all right?”
“So far he’s fine,” Lois
assured him. “I don’t think he really
understands what he did, but I do, and frankly it scares me a little bit. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to
tell you. You’re the only person I know who can help me to help him deal with
his abilities as he gets older.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help you, Lois. I wasn’t much older than
Jason the first time my father told me that ‘with great power comes great
responsibility’. He also taught me the
value of Human life, and how important it was that I respect that no matter how
I may feel about someone individually. It’s important that all of us – you,
Richard and me – make certain that Jason learns and understands these things as
well.”
“So…now that we’ve established that Jason is yours, I’d like to
know how it happened. Obviously at some
point you and I were…involved…but I want to know why I don’t remember.”
The moment of truth arrives, Superman mused, knowing that with the revelation he had fathered
Jason, he would have to come clean with Lois about the conception and his other
life.
Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
Once again closing the distance between them, Superman slowly
pulled her into his embrace. “Close your
eyes, Lois, and think of
“
Her confused reply was aborted when he pressed his lips to hers,
and she felt five years of fear and fury and heartache slowly melt away. Inexplicably, however, she suddenly felt a
mild headache coming on, and had the oddest sensation of some sort of distant
memory returning. As their kiss
lingered, the metaphorical fog around her brain began to dissipate, and as
Superman at last ended the kiss, she glanced up at him in silent wonder.
“
“Yes.”
“I remember…” Lois stammered.
“We were on assignment at
“And that’s when you told me that you were in love with me,”
Lois appeared not to have heard him. “You took me to your Fortress of Solitude up
in the
“Yes. It was the most incredible night of my life.”
Images flashed through her mind then – of the two them laughing and
loving, full of peace and joy. It had been a magical night, and had resulted in
a very special little boy. Their son.
“It all seems so clear to me now.
We were on our way home the next day and after you got into a fight with
that jerk in the diner, we saw the news report about the Kryptonian criminals
who were destroying whoever and whatever crossed their paths while trying to
hunt you down. That’s when you were forced to reclaim your powers so you could
eliminate them. Afterwards I was such an
emotional wreck that you had to erase my memory of our time together.”
“Other than leaving you five years ago, it was the hardest thing
I’ve ever done,”
“I suppose at the time you had no choice.”
“Are you angry?”
Lois managed a small smile.
“Yes I’m angry,” she allowed, “and hurt. But more than anything I’m
embarrassed.”
“What for?”
“For letting a pair of glasses and a shy demeanor blind me to what
was literally staring me in the face,” Lois clarified. “Obviously you’re a
better actor than I am a journalist. But
now that the secret is out, so many things make sense.”
“What kind of things?”
“Why Clark disappears every time you show up…why certain things you
would say or do as Clark made me think of Superman….Jason’s affinity for Clark
and Superman.“ She chuckled then as
another memory came back to her, and her smile widened as she met his
gaze. “Now I know why
“At the time I wasn’t very appreciative of her attitude, but now
that I understand it, I respect her for defending you. She loves you very
much.”
“As I do her.”
“I got that impression this morning when you exploded at
“I’m glad you find it so amusing, but despite Bruce’s and Jordan’s
attempts to assure me otherwise, I can’t imagine this won’t end badly.”
Lois’ smile faded and she placed a comforting hand on his arm. “I know you’re worried for your sister,
Clark, but not even Superman can save her from a broken heart if it comes to
that.”
“I know,” he relented. “As long as we’re on the subject, what’s
going on with you and Richard?”
She sighed. “Well it’s like
I told
“Have you told him what happened with Jason on Luthor’s yacht?”
“Not yet, but I think I have to, especially now. He has the right to know.”
“Richard is as much Jason’s father as I am,”
“Richard deserves more than to live a life based on lies, with a
woman who is in love with another man,” Lois responded sadly. “I owe him that.”
“Fair enough. Would you
like me to be there when you talk with him?”
“Thank you for the offer, but that’s something I have to do on my
own. Although I do think you both should
be there when I try to explain all of this to Jason.”
“Of course.”
Lois laughed suddenly, and the sound brought a smile to
“I was just thinking, that this was probably the most amazing
interview I will ever get in my life and it will never go on record,” Lois told
him. “How’s that for irony?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it, Lois,”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Lois said dryly, and glanced
at her watch. “Well, I’d better get
going. Richard should be home soon and I have someone else to see before I talk
to him.”
“Anyone I know?”
“Yes, actually. Your sister.”
“
“Unless you have another sister I don’t know about, yes
“Hopefully a heartfelt suggestion to stay away from Bruce Wayne
will be among them,”
“I’m afraid that’s out of my jurisdiction,” Lois responded. “If I can, I’ll call you after I talk with
Richard.”
“Thanks.”
They exchanged a small smile, then Lois
started for the door, but suddenly stopped and turned back around to face
“I love you,” she said simply.
“I don’t think I told you that.”
“You just did,” came the quiet reply. “I love you too, Lois.”
They exchanged another loving smile, then Lois headed back inside
as Superman flew away.
***************************************************************************************************************
“You’re off to work I assume?”
“I’m due in a meeting in about twenty minutes,” Bruce
confirmed. “It will probably last most
of the afternoon, but I can manage dinner near six o’clock.”
“You don’t need to baby sit me, Bruce, and I certainly don’t want
to interfere with your work.”
Bruce placed his palm against her cheek. “I assure you that you will be a welcome
distraction,” he replied with a smile. “I’ll have Alfred bring you over early
and I’ll give you a tour of my office before we eat.”
“I’d like that.”
“Good, then it’s settled.
I’ll see you this afternoon.”
Grabbing his coat, he leaned over to give her a quick kiss before
heading down the stairs.
So this is falling in love, she mused.
***************************************************************************************************************
Walking down the hallway toward the
conference room, Bruce was making a half-hearted attempt to read the reports
Lucius had provided to him regarding the impending takeover of a local
import-export company. The Board of
Directors was assembling momentarily to cast their final votes, and while as
owner of Wayne Enterprises he was required to be present, his thoughts were
half a world away, with the woman who touched his life so deeply, so swiftly.
It’s been barely a week and I miss her all
ready, he
mused. I never should have let
His
melancholy train of thought was interrupted by the approach of one of the
executive secretaries, who gave him a small smile as she handed him a small
package.
“Excuse
me, Mr. Wayne, but this was just delivered for you.”
“Thank
you, Jean,” Bruce said with a return smile, and he tucked the reports under his
arm as he opened the envelope. As he
pulled out the letter within, a necklace fell out onto the floor, and bending
down to retrieve it, Bruce recognized
Bruce
–
I
know that doing this via letter is the coward’s way knowing that I won’t be
there to deal with your reaction, but after our last encounter I don’t know if
I have the courage or the right to say this in person.
Our
first night together, you asked me about the pendant I was wearing, which I
told you was an acronym for the PEACE corporate slogan, “Animals First”. What I
didn’t tell you was that it was also a personal motto of sorts. Animals have
been the love of my life since I was old enough to say the word, and I made a
personal vow to wear the pendant until the day I found the man I could love
with the same passion. That is why you
now hold it in your hand.
I
also owe you an explanation for why I reacted so strongly to the revelation of
your other life. Underneath the anger
and the frustration over your lie of omission lies the fear that was the real
reason for my reaction. Fear of loving
someone so completely; fear of the knowledge that sharing your life would mean
accepting the dangers it includes; fear of waking up one day and discovering
that I would have to live the rest of my life without you.
Perhaps
with time and distance, both literal and figurative, I can find a way to
reconcile the emotional whirlwind churning within me. Until then, please know
that I will carry you with me in my thoughts, and in my soul.
I
love you.
Finishing
the letter, Bruce carefully refolded it and after inserting it back into the
envelope with the pendant, tucked the envelope into his inside coat pocket.
“You
can run but you can’t hide,
Smiling
at the thought, Bruce headed into the conference room with the reports.
To
Be Concluded in….”Resolutions”