Beyond Smallville: Fan Fiction

Time Shard: Amethyst

Clark Kent stood at the barn window of his loft, gazing out at the setting sun. For some reason, today just hadn’t felt right, he mused. Lana Lang had sent him a letter with no return address. It had told him not to worry about her, that she’d gone back to France to complete her art school training.

This time she intended to pay for it by herself. After she’d turned eighteen, Lana had inherited the Lang’s estate, which had been held by her Aunt Nell in a trust fund.

That, coupled with her biological father, Henry Small’s contribution, would pay for most of her lodging and classes. Lana had also taken a job as a tailor’s apprentice in a Paris boutique. She sounded happy, Superman thought sourly.

Clark had momentarily considered heading over to France, and personally searching every boutique until he’d found her. Yet, Lana had specifically told him not to come looking for her. The young super hero still hadn’t mastered the power of flight, much to Kara Kent’s amusement.

The future Superman had made a few lame attempts to defy gravity with limited success. Clark felt that his heart just wasn’t in it. He sighed in resignation and disgust. After all that he’d been through, Kal El began to give up.

Again, he wished that he’d never come to Earth, and had died with his parents long ago on Krypton. Kara shared his depression, but insisted on immersing herself in the local culture.

I don’t know if I could love anybody ever again, Clark considered with disdain.

He was so deep in thought that he’d failed to hear Lois Lane clomping up the wooden stairs to his loft. Superman had Lois move in with him for her own safety.

Plus, he admitted to himself that he was lonely. Even Lois was good company during these dark times, Kal rationalized. Lois was still vulnerable on the long drives to Metropolis from Smallville and back again. The roads were usually isolated and desolate.

She could easily be robbed, abducted, or worse. Lois enjoyed her new job at the Daily Planet. She was scheduled from 9am to 5pm Monday thru Friday. In reality her schedule would include working nights and weekends as well.

 "Hey, Smallville!" Lois greeted him cheerfully and extra loudly purposely to startle him. Most of the time it didn’t work. Today however, Superman’s mind was elsewhere, perhaps in several locations. Lois was rewarded with a slight jump from the Man of Steel. He turned to face her.

 Lois appeared to be in her early twenties. Usually her raven black hair was tied in a neat ponytail. Tonight, her hair was down and far past her common shoulder length, falling to a quarter of the way down her slim back.

"Hey Lois!" Clark said with a bit of shock to his voice. I don’t remember Lois being this pretty, he praised. Of course it had been over one hundred and seventy five years since he’d first met her. "You better cut back on those double lattes Clark, you’re jumpy as a cat." She teased.

Lois made herself comfortable on his couch, immediately slipping off her shoes, and lying upon it sideways to face him. "Any thrilling news, Smallville?" She taunted. "Like an emergency summit of the heads of the local cattle industry?"

She continued to ride him. "How about something like a sudden drop in egg prices that had thrown the non-union chickens into a frenzy? Were the hogs going on strike?" Clark couldn’t resist a minor chuckle. "No Lois, just the same old same old. How was your day?"

"Well, the Daily Planet’s Board of Directors is holding a big meeting tonight." Lois began. "After which, there’s to be a big shmoozing cocktail party with some Advertising honchos. There’ll be a good number of bootlickers around. Not my idea of a rockin’ good Friday night."

"I did consider going and bringing you along as my arm candy." Lois flirted. "Have you given any thought to my proposal?" She inquired. "I didn’t know you proposed to me, Lois." Clark smirked. "Shouldn’t that be the other way around?" Lois smiled brightly, putting her tongue in her cheek.

Actually, that wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Lois thought lustily. She’d never say that out loud of course, or would she? "Funny, Smallville, not hilarious, but funny. I meant about joining the Daily Planet staff." She stated outright. Lois had been badgering Clark for a long time to no avail.

"Lois, we’ve been all through that." Clark added seriously. "I know, I know, I will not work for Luthor." She parroted, rolling her eyes. "Lex is evil, you know that." Superman commented.

 "Lex? You mean Julian, don’t you?" Lois was puzzled. "Huh?" Kal asked, clearly caught off guard. "Honestly Clark, sometimes I don’t know what planet you’re on!"

Lois shook her head, allowing her long thick hair to flip to one side as she got up from the couch. "I mean the guy landed his only brother, Lex, in a mental institution. After Lionel’s death, Lex was never the same. I still think that Julian pulled the trigger, but no one has ever been able to prove squat."

Clark gaped in shock. This amethyst time shard was jazzed up as well. "Julian is a pig." Lois remarked, "Everyone knows that. I hate to even associate with him."

Lois breathed deeply as she padded across the hardwood floor towards him. "This isn’t about him, Clark. This is about you and me." With that, Lois kissed Clark passionately, startling him.

This isn’t bad at all, Clark silently praised. I could get used to this, if only I could forget about Lana. "Don’t you want us to have a good life together, Clark?" Lois cooed in his ear.

"Don't you think we'd make a great team? We'll bring Luthor down and anyone else who stands in our way." She boasted. He brushed Lois’s hair away from her forehead. "I do."

Suddenly Clark started. "Someone’s here!" He took Lois by the hand and led her towards the barn loft window. Talk about spoiling the mood! Lois mentally grumbled.

Clark spotted two figures leaving the edge of the barnyard passing the corral. They were moving slowly away from them. He saw a dark colored jeep parked behind some foliage. The intruders had tried to conceal it from his view.

"What? What did you see?" Lois strained to look over Clark's broad shoulder at the darkened farm. "I'm not sure." Superman downplayed the incident. "Was it Kara?" Lois asked hopefully. "No. Lois, we're being watched." He replied.

"Watched? By who?" Lois felt chills work their way up her spine. "I don't know. Maybe just some average trespassers." He responded. "I doubt it." Lois wouldn't buy his lame explanation.

Clark could've chased them down, yet that would've freaked Lois out even more. One thing was certain in Superman's opinion, someone, or a group of someones were about to seriously screw with them. The jeep roared away. 

Continued in Time Shards 2:

Amethyst  pt 2

link to Chapter 1