Chapter 14
Meet the Parents
The rest of Clark’s workday passed smoothly as he continued his research for covering Lana’s trial preparations. Of course, thinking about his assignment led to thoughts of Lana, which he found to be a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Still, he was worried about the way he acted around her. He knew he had made a few slips over the past two days. He wasn’t normally careless, but something about her made him relax. She had the ability to draw things out of him without even trying. He hoped she’d never
really try.
At the end of the day, Clark once again became Superman to follow Lana home. He was gratified to see her take a different route to her subway station.
At least she thinks Clark Kent is worth listening to, he thought.
Once she was safely in her apartment, Superman changed back into Clark Kent and made his way home for dinner before spending several hours in the night skies of Metropolis. As he stepped inside his apartment, Clark started to reach for his music system and then reeled back as if it was made of Kryptonite.
Clark just stood there for a moment and studied the flat black box and wondered if he really wanted to know what he was thinking deep down inside. He was fairly sure that whatever it was, it would be about Lana, after all, she had consumed his thoughts for the better part of two days.
Finally reaching forward to press the power button, Clark thought wryly,
I must be a glutton for punishment. Whatever it is, it’s not going to be something I’ll want to hear.
The song had a bouncy tune and included a strong horn section. Hearing Peter Cetera’s voice let him know that it was a Chicago song, but he still couldn’t place the song until it was well underway.[/size][/font]
“Along Comes a Woman” - Chicago
There is a time when a man needs somebody to talk to
Someone to talk to, somebody who'll always be there
All alone, nothin' seems to matter
So alone, doesn't get much better
Can't explain somethin' that you're feelin'
For the very first time
There was a time when you needed someone to hold onto
Someone to hold you, somebody who's always sincere
All alone, suddenly you see her
So alone, you know you’re gonna need her
Can't explain, somethin' that you're feelin'
For the very first time
Then along comes a woman
There's a change in the way that you're feeling tonight
Then along comes a woman
And you know that it's right
There was a time when you needed somebody to count on
You needed someone to count on, somebody to care
Now she's here, nothin' seems to matter
She's so near, everything is better
Can't explain, somethin' that you're feelin'
For the very first time
Then along comes a woman
There's a change in the way that you're feeling tonight
Then along comes a woman
And you know that it's right
Clark’s initial reaction had been to pick up the black box and hurl it through a wall into his bedroom, but then he reconsidered and decided to listen. Upon learning of his son’s use for the self-diagnostic tool, Jor-El had told him that the most important time to listen to the music would be when he least wanted to.
After all, Clark thought,
getting closer to Lana won’t put her in any more danger than she’s already in, she pointed that out herself. And then Clark thought about what Bruce had said yesterday in the Bat Cave.
“[Rachel’s] my life, Clark. She’s the light that balances my darkness. I may
fight against injustice, but now also I fight for her, for a city she loves with a
passion that equals my own…what do you fight for, Clark? I know what
you’re fighting against, but what inspires you? What will you give anything to
protect?”
I don’t have anyone right now, and haven’t had since Lois died. Maybe…just maybe…Lana will be the one. Clark continued to think about Lana as he ate and headed out into the night.
Meanwhile, Lana paid the cab driver just before stepping out onto the suburban sidewalk. The house she was standing in front of was an all-brick ranch-style house, just one of many that could be seen from where she was standing. The curbside mailbox said ‘The Langs,’ but this wasn’t the house in which Lana had grown up. That house was a couple of miles east in the outer fringes of Metropolis itself.
Lana’s parents had moved here once she graduated college and was no longer keeping a room at home. This house was smaller and less expensive to keep up, plus, this suburb was safer than the big city. The extra ten minutes of commute time required by living here was more than worth it to both of them.
Before heading up the walk to the well-lit front door, Lana absentmindedly checked to make sure her coat was buttoned and belted properly. It was an automatic reaction, one caused by the fact that she knew her dad liked it when she was a proper lady…which helped explain why she was wearing a skirt for something other than work in the middle of December.
The things we do for our parents, Lana thought.
Once at the door, Lana thought about just walking in, but she didn’t live here, so she knocked firmly and waited. Her folks knew she was coming, so she didn’t have to wait long. When the door creaked open, standing there wearing a thick sweater and blue jeans was her dad.
“Daddy!” Lana squealed. Embarrassed to know she could still squeal at her age, Lana blushed, but her cheeks were already red from the biting cold.
“Lana!” Lewis said. “Come in, come in.” Once Lana was inside and the door was firmly closed, Lewis wrapped his daughter in a bear hug and kissed her on the cheek. “How’s my princess?”
“I’m fine, Dad,” Lana replied. “Though I can’t
wait until the movers bring my stuff.” Lana shucked off her heavy winter coat and handed it to him. “How are you and Mom?”
“As well as can be expected, I suppose.” Lewis hung Lana’s coat in the closet and turned back to her. “It’s good to finally have you home, Lana. Your mother and I have missed you so much.”
“I missed you guys, too. You were one of the big reasons I took this job.” The living room, which was right next to the front door, was empty. Lana could see down the short entrance hallway into the family room, but no one appeared to be in there either.
Where’s Mom? Lana wondered.
One sniff was all Lana needed to know where her mom was, it was obvious to her that dinner was just about ready, so her mom must be in the kitchen making the final preparations. Just as Lana decided that, a fast-moving blur shot around the corner and headed straight for her. Lewis stepped out of the way just in time as the two women in his life hugged.
Laura pushed her daughter out to arm‘s length to have a good look at her, before she said, “Oh, Lana, I can’t believe you’re here to stay.”
“I wouldn’t want to be any place else, Mom. Metropolis is my home.”
“Well, you’ll be glad to know I made all of your favorites tonight,” Laura said.
“Yeah, thanks for coming home, Princess. I haven’t seen a spread like this in
months.” Lewis looked back and forth as if checking to see that the coast was clear, even though Laura was just on the other side of Lana. “That evil wife of mine has got me on a diet again.”
“Ohhh, poor daddy,” Lana cooed. She turned to Laura and asked, “What is it this time, Mom?”
“High cholesterol, as usual.” Laura shot Lewis a look that said he’d better behave, and said, “I promised him he could eat with us…as long as he did so in moderation.”
“
Moderation?” Lewis asked. “You’ve made a feast for six, but there’s only three of us, and you expect me to exercise restraint? Oh, you cruel woman!”
As they moved to the kitchen table, Laura rolled her eyes and said, “Lana? See if you can keep your father away from the apple pie while I serve dinner.”
Lewis made two playful attempts at the pie, which Lana fended off with ease, before Laura came back to the table with a rack of prime rib that was crusted with herbs. Lana had developed a taste for making stir fry in her wok during her years in Gotham City, but
nothing could compare to her momma’s secret recipe for prime rib. The side dishes were next, mixed vegetables which had been steamed and then covered with a light garlic sauce, and baked potatoes with all the fixings. A small salad dressed with a raspberry vinaigrette was the last dish to be set on the table, but the first to be eaten.
After Lana said grace, the three Langs ate with gusto, pausing now and then for conversation, and to make sure Lewis wasn’t eating too much.
“So, Lana,” Lewis asked during one such lull in the eating, “how’s your new job shaping up?”
Lana mulled over how to answer that question very carefully. It looked to
her like the Edge case was going to be an easy prosecution, just as long as she survived to take the case to trial. But her parents weren’t going to want to hear that their only child was in mortal danger, even if Superman
was on call 24/7. Still, they deserved to know why she wouldn’t be able to visit them again after tonight until the case was over and Edge was in prison for the rest of his life.
“Work looks to be fine, the people I work with seem to be talented and dedicated, with one notable exception, and my boss started me off with a high-profile case that should be a cakewalk.”
“Who’s the slouch?” Lewis asked, even though he was already fairly sure of what his daughter’s answer would be.
Lana’s shoulders slumped and she sighed. “My boss. Tom seems to mean well, and he’s got a good record on crime in general, but he seems to be the type of guy who’s more concerned with perception than results. In Gotham City, I worked with a District Attorney who was a top lawyer but who was a politician because she needed to be to get the job. Here, Tom seems to be the exact opposite: a man who’s a consummate politician who’s a lawyer only because the job requires it.”
Lana leaned back, closed her eyes, and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I’ve already heard some office rumors that he’s not too keen on prosecuting the cream of Metropolis society for any wrongdoing. Supposedly, he has a reputation for either making sweetheart plea bargains in those cases, or for dropping the charges outright. Bruce may have been right. I may have to do more work here than I thought.”
I guess I’ll tell them about the danger I’m in at the end of the night, Lana thought.
I don’t want to ruin our evening with that topic.
Soon enough, the dinner was over and both Lana and Lewis were greedily eyeing Laura’s homemade apple pie. Lana felt like she’d already overeaten, but the lure of the pie was just too much for her to resist, especially when Laura came back to the table with some premium Edy’s Grand Vanilla Ice Cream.
“Pie a la mode anyone?” Laura asked.
Lana and Lewis both held up their hands as Laura indulgently placed large slices of still-warm pie onto clean plates and scooped a healthy portion of snow white ice cream beside each slice.
By the time the dessert was finished, Lana was groaning. “I shoulda worn my sweatpants tonight, I could use the extra room.”
“Why didn’t you?” Laura asked.
Lana shot a quick look at Lewis and said, “Dad’s always liked it when I dress like a lady, so I thought I’d wear a blouse and skirt.”
“Oh, Honey,” Lewis replied, “I thought you were more practical than that. It must be twenty degrees outside…besides, that ‘looking like a lady’ stuff ended in high school. You’re a grown woman now and have been on your own for years. Wear what you want, and as long as you don’t look like a hooker, or worse, Britney Spears, I’ll be fine.”
“Jeez, Daddy!” Lana said, at the same time that Laura rapped a knuckle on the top of Lewis’ head.
“Lewis!”
“Oh come on, Laura. Like Lana would ever dress like that. You and I both know Lana’s always had good fashion sense…good, but sometimes expensive. I was just having some fun.” Lewis smiled widely at Lana, and then added, “Besides, the men she might actually be interested in would run and hide if she dressed that way.”
Oh great! Thanks, Dad, that last comment is sure to set Mom off, Lana thought.
Now she’ll grill me about my love life. What love life is what I’d like to know.
Laura eyed Lana speculatively and asked, “So, Lana Dear, have you met anyone yet?”
Lana wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin, more to gain extra time to think than because she had any crumbs to clean off.
“Umm…Mom? I’ve only been in town for two days. That’s only forty-eight hours. Do you think eligible bachelors have been lining up outside my building or something?”
“Nooooooo. But I know you’ve always attracted more than your fair share of attention from men. I just hoped one of them might pan out this time.”
Gah!!!! I’ve heard of younger women with biological clocks that are ticking, but Mom’s got her granny clock ticking. I sometimes think she might be happy if I married a three-toed sloth as long as it could help provide her with grandchildren.
Lana debated mentioning that there
was a guy she was actually attracted to. It would get her mom off her back about meeting someone, but it would also advance things to a whole new level. Laura would then want to
meet Clark and that’s something Lana wanted to avoid since they hadn’t even been on a real date yet.
He hasn’t even asked me out yet, Lana thought.
I think he’s interested, but he’s taking his time, which should be a nice change of pace from the Lotharios I usually attract. Maybe I can just mention that there may be someone, without giving specifics.
“Well, Mom, there may, and I repeat
may, be someone of interest.” Lana couldn’t help but let a pleased grin spread across her face, totally unaware of how much that simple expression revealed to her mother.
Oh my, Laura thought.
Lana likes this one! “Well, who is he? Where’d you meet him? Where does he work?”
Lana began to look slightly distressed, which caused Lewis to take a greater interest in the proceedings.
“Mom, I can’t say anything more right now, I don’t want to jinx this one.”
“But…”
Lewis chose that moment to leap to his daughter’s defense.
“Enough, Laura, enough,” Lewis said. “Lana’s said all she feels comfortable telling us right now. If, or
when I should say, this young man becomes ‘parent worthy,’ I’m sure she’ll tell us more, but for now, leave her be.”
An appreciative Lana looked over at Lewis and said, “Thanks, Daddy.”
“Just one thing, Pumpkin.”
“What’s that, Dad?”
Lewis leaned on toward Lana and said, “I hope this young man realizes what an incredible catch you are, and if he does, I hope he’s worthy of you.”
Lana leaned toward Lewis just far enough to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks. I hope so, too.”
Laura began to make the after-dinner coffee while Lewis and Lana cleared the table and filled the dishwasher. Soon, the three adults were sitting on the sectional sofa in the family room sipping their coffee and talking. It wasn’t long before Lana felt the need to call a cab for a ride home. That meant that it was time she let her folks know about the danger she was in.
“Mom? Dad? There’s something serious that I need to tell you.”
“What is it, Honey?” Laura asked.
Lana was at a loss for the right words to explain the situation she was in, but she knew she had to say
something.
“I…I met Superman the other day.”
Both of her parents were impressed.
“Really?” Lewis asked.
Laura tied Lana’s newest news to her reluctance to mention the name of the man she liked and decided that her daughter must have a thing for the Man of Steel.
“Is he as cute as he looks on TV and in the paper?” Laura asked.
Lana could see where this was going already. She rolled her eyes and said, “Yes, Mom. Not only is he cute, but he’s freaking hot! Wavy black hair, piercing blue eyes, chiseled features, and that
body!” Lana paused a second before adding the final touch. “Did I mention he’s already been inside my apartment?”
Lewis had seen Lana’s eyes roll. He knew right away that she was up to something, and now, he knew she was teasing her mother and he was having to fight to keep from laughing.
“Inside…your…apartment?” Laura took a dry swallow. “
Already?” My little Lana’s all grown up, I guess. “So, umm…how
is he?”
Lana licked her lips suggestively and said, “He was…a perfect gentleman.” She shrugged her shoulders, “Somehow, he had learned where I live and he came over to discuss business, and
that is what I have to talk to you about.”
Laura was embarrassed by the way she had been suckered in by Lana, and her mood wasn’t helped much by the way Lewis was snickering. Lana just waited calmly until she had their complete attention. Then she said, “Superman thinks my life is in danger from elements within Intergang since I’m the one prosecuting their leader, Morgan Edge.”
That sobered up her parents quickly. All kidding was gone as Lewis and Laura shared a look. They seemed to have an entire conversation in just that one look. Lana had always envied that level of closeness and communication. She had wanted to find a man she could be like that with.
“So, what did our hero in primary colors suggest?” Lewis asked cautiously.
“Well, the big thing was that he put himself at my disposal as far as protecting me goes. If I have reason to think someone’s going to attack me, all I have to do is call for help and Superman will come to my rescue.”
That
Superman would drop whatever he was doing to defend Lana impressed upon the Langs just how important their little girl had become, and just how serious this situation was.
“Also, this guy I just met from the Daily Planet gave me some advice about safety tips, things I can do to make it harder for the crooks to get me.”
“How does a writer from the Planet know about the danger you’re in?” Lewis asked.
“He’s in the same danger that I am. Those goons have already tried to kill him twice; he barely escaped both times.”
Careful to keep any romantic insinuation out of her voice, Laura asked, “Who is he? We might read his stuff.”
Sorry now that she had brought him up, Lana reluctantly gave up his name. “He’s Clark Kent. I understand he’s a prize-winning writer, so yeah, you’ve probably read his stuff.”
Lana was amazed at how well her parents were taking the news of her danger. They were fairly calm. She knew she’d be a bundle of raw nerves if a child of hers was in this kind of danger, and
she didn’t even have kids yet. When she asked them about their lack of reaction, they shared another look and then Laura said, “If Superman thinks he can handle it, then that’s good enough for us.”
Lana was stunned.
“You trust Superman that much?”
“Yeah, we do,” Lewis replied. “While you’ve been living in Gotham City, we’ve seen and read many accounts of this man’s exploits. He’s done things I could scarcely credit if I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes. If he’s dedicated himself to your preservation, I have no doubt whatsoever that you’ll be fine.” Lana looked over at Laura who just nodded in support.
“I hadn’t realized what kind of support, what kind of
belief, Superman has created here in Metropolis,” Lana said. “I knew he was a hero, but this goes beyond that.” Lana shook her head to break herself out of her reverie. “Anyway, I need to tell you that I can’t come over any more until the trial is over. Anyone wanting to get at me might go after you two instead, so no more calls, e-mails, or visits. Just know that you’re both in my heart and my thoughts.”
Lewis and Laura realized it was necessary, but that didn’t mean they had to like it. They closed in on Lana and the three of them shared a group hug before Lana pulled out her cell phone to call for a cab. Trying to keep their minds off of the obvious subject of Lana’s danger, the three of them chatted pleasantly about other things for ten minutes until the cab showed up and honked its horn.
Lewis pulled Lana’s coat from the closet and helped her into it. Both parents hugged and kissed their daughter and expressed fervent hopes for a quick end to the trial so they could see her again soon. Once Lana was on her way, Lewis headed to the utility room where they had a stack of old newspapers waiting to be put out with the recycling. He fished through the first couple of sections of several papers until he found what he was looking for: an article by Clark Kent that had a head shot attached.
Hmm, he thought.
Maybe this is Lana’s guy. She sure didn’t want to tell us his name. I’d better keep this idea to myself though, or else Mr. Kent will be subjected to a barrage of e-mails from Laura, and then he’d never give Lana a chance.