Pammie leaned forward. "So... Let me see if I have this right. Linda's your cousin, which is unchanged, but Linda was Lois and you're using that name because..."
Lois sighed, tolerating the interrogation. She and Pammie were finally keeping their lunch date and they had to talk about something. She just kind of wished it was something normal. Something to go with a normal friend. "Because a certain reporter named Chloe Sullivan uncovered too many truths and has to be dead."
"But Mikey's with the government, Sweetie. If some criminal element is after you, he could get you help and..."
"And into a program? Pammie, just let the girl stay dead." She wasn't about to go into Lex and his evil science projects and a whole bunch of things Pammie didn't need to know. "I have a life and a career built into this name," she said instead. "Besides, you of all people should understand that the name is unimportant."
"I'll bow to that," Pammie sighed. "It's just so intriguing. You sure you don't want to tell me just a little of what Chloe Sullivan uncovered?"
Lois picked up her glass and took a long sip of iced tea, trying to figure out how to answer that. "Do you want to tell me about your years on heroin?"
"Of course I don... How can you ask... Oh." Pammie nodded. "Got it. If it's too painful..."
"Oh, it's fine. Most of the sting is taken out by the fact that I don't remember most of it."
"This Doctor Grady. A few calls and Mikey could have the FBI after..."
"No," Lois said quickly, not even sure why she said it. But she could see Kevin Grady right now. His eyes so troubled with all he'd taken... The idea of him hunted down like a fugitive was too much to bear. "Just let it lie."
"Well, what can I do? Just say the word and..."
"Just be my friend." Lois reached across the table and took her hand. "That's all I want right now. One normal friend."
Pammie squinted at her. "Normal? Me?" She laughed.
"I mean one who knows me now with... nothing else."
Pammie grasped her hand back. "You have more friends than me. I met some."
"Well, I don't remember them too well."
"Not even Clark?"
"No. And he was, apparently, my best friend."
Pammie shook her head and pulled back. "I'm not convinced."
Lois' head snapped up. "What? I saw the yearbook photos and Martha also sent me some scans of..."
"I'm not saying it's not true. I'm just saying you two aren't... friends."
Lois groaned. "Would you stop with that?"
"I'm sorry. I've seen chemistry and you two... have it," she finished with a wink. "I mean, you seriously can't tell me you two didn't sleep together once under that roof together, at the end of a long day, just waiting for the kids to finally go to bed, so you can..." Pammie cleared her throat and sipped her soda. "Sorry. Projecting. Mikey's been gone a week and phone s-e-x is not cutting it."
Lois leaned forward. "You guys have phone," she glanced to her left, "s-e-x?"
"We'd be doing it the traditional way once a day if we could."
"Once a day?" she whispered. Of course, she couldn't say it was out of the realm of possibilities, but if statistics had taught her anything, it was that sex severely dropped off for long-time couples. "Guess you're one of the lucky ones."
"You could be so lucky. He seems very... virile."
"Stop," she hissed.
"Look who's blushing."
She put her hands to her face, damning what she now knew to be her Irish complexion. Truth was, once a day was definitely far in the realm of possibility where Clark was concerned, after that night and day where he took her in so many... She was grateful for the distraction when a piece of macaroni hit her face with a loud giggle.
Pammy jumped up and got a roll of paper towels. "So sorry about the service here." She ripped off a piece and handed it to Lois. "Only table I could get on such short notice." She moved to the booster seat at the end of the table. "Dorothy, you stop that. Look at you. You're a mess." She wiped at Dorothy's face, then turned to Lois. "This is what you get when you eat at Sharp's."
"I told you. I'm fine with eating at your house. I don't need anything fancy." Besides, she liked it at Pammie's. Unruly toddler, ever-present oatmeal smell and all. It felt comfortable. Homey.
"Well, if Dorothy wasn't sick, I'd have taken her to drop-in day care for an hour or so." Pammie sat down again. "You could have had white tablecloths and fancy veal marsala. Not my kitchen table and mac and cheese from a box."
"I prefer to think of it as one-cheese pasta. Besides, I like it. I can't even remember if I used to like it. I should probably ask Clark if..."
"There's that name again." Pammie leaned her chin on her hand. "You just can't stop talking about him."
"You're the one who keeps..."
"Oh, I'm just teasing. I need to have some fun. I just... I guess we haven't known each other long, but... I could tell when I met you that... You seemed nice, but, most of the time, your smile didn't quite get to the eyes. And, in a way, it was like a lot of the women I see here. They put on a smile so no one talks and you were putting one on so nobody knew what you were really doing here. But, in a way, it boiled down to the same thing." She grasped Lois' hand. "You were hiding something, even from you. And you weren't happy. Now I know why. And maybe throwing that best friend of yours on any available surface won't solve all your problems, but..." She smiled and shrugged. "I think it might at least give you some happy. Because it looks like you aren't in for many chuckles."
"Maybe I'm not." Lois shook her head. "But I really don't have time for chuckles. Big class this afternoon."
Pammie chuckled. "Good way to think of it. You being my first friend who is both a reporter and an amnesiac, I'm curious as to what fills your day."
"Well, I had breakfast, only semi-willingly." She shrugged. "I'm really not a breakfast eater. I like my first three coffees untainted by other tastes."
"Unhealthy. Go on."
"Then I had Chloe Sullivan 101 with Professors Allen and Curry."
"I met one of those guys. Sweet kid, but I gotta wonder how much you learned."
"Not too much." Lois smiled. "They kept arguing with each other over the way things actually happened. Bart has a tendency to skew events to include him uttering pithy catchphrases."
Pammie giggled. "What events require catchphrases?"
Lois did not know how to explain that. She was still trying to wrap her mind around underground lairs in Star City and helicopter trips to the Yukon, not to mention a time when they all stormed a little project of Lex Luthor's called Ruby Ridge. "Just how things went down when we all hung out," she said, sidestepping any explanation. It was nice to have a conversation where hacking, security system, and code names weren't an element and she'd like to keep it that way, her friends' secret identities aside. "Anyway, it was nice to leave the bickering and have a relaxing lunch with my lady friends." She gestured to Pammie and Dorothy, who was now slumping in her seat.
"Poor thing's tired out," Pammie said, moving to scoop her up. "Keep talking. She'll sleep through anything just like her daddy."
Lois followed her as she moved to the stairs. "Well, next I have class with Professor King-Queen. She'll probably keep me past dinner time. She's a toughie."
"You know she kind of gives off that vibe." She tucked the covers around Dorothy. "Let me guess. Raised by a gym teacher."
"General," Lois clarified, leaning in the doorway of a room that looked like Hello Kitty had certainly marked her territory. "I hope I get at least a dinner break before..."
"Before your date," Pammie cut in, straightening.
"It's not a date," Lois said rolling her eyes.
"Fine. A friend date, then. Anyway, it's all crazy, but it's kind of sweet. It must be nice to have a large group of friends that care so much. Enough to hide from you and enough to share." She patted Lois' arm and moved to the stairs.
Lois followed, reflecting that it was nice... though a little suffocating. "Well, you can't be lacking," she said, wanting the conversation off her for a bit. "With the Crafty Devils and all."
Pammie groaned and moved into the kitchen. "Oh, don't remind me. It's Tuesday. I'm supposed to have some kind of toilet paper cozy ready." She moved to the counter, then held out a ball of yarn with a lopsided chain hanging from it. "You think they'll buy this as minimalist?"
"I think I'm glad I got this story sewn up before the next Crafty Devils night."
"Don't rub it in or I'll tell Dodie you accept her offer."
Lois blanched. "What offer?"
"Oh, she's saying she wants you to speak at a luncheon, the whole story from the horses mouth for twenty a plate to raise money for a teen beauty pageant."
"Worthy cause," Lois sneered. "Anyway, got it. Will immediately stop rubbing it in." She sat down again. "Besides, haven't the Kerns and the Terrys moved back in? I'd think they'd rather put it behind them than have it hashed out over lemon bars and lukewarm tea."
Pammie nodded. "I'm just teasing. I'd never set that up. They've been through enough." Pammie brightened. "Oh! Marcy got a Christmas card from Joanna and Morgan."
"How are they?" She'd best remember and tell Clark, too. He might want to... Why did everything lead her mind right back to Clark?
"They're fine. Thinking of putting money down on a B&B. I hope they stop and think first. With the economy the way it is, people aren't much for vacationing these days."
"Well, if they ever set it up, I'm sure I can finagle some free ad space in case the citizens of Metropolis can be tempted away."
"I'll tell Marcy."
"How is Marcy?"
"She's good." Pammie pursed her lips. "Mostly good. She seems to be getting back to her old routine, but she's still getting on in years and her daughter really wants her to move to California and live with her."
"I think she should," Lois found herself saying. "I'm sure her daughter wants her mother near. You never know how much time you have with your mother." From what little she still knew on that, she'd had precious little. She couldn't put a clear face or sequence of events on it, but somewhere inside, she felt the hole...
"Lois?" She shook herself and saw Pammie had taken the chair next to her, her hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
"I want to be," she said, trying for honesty.
Pammie squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry. I have no intention of encouraging Dodie. We wouldn't want her calling in the middle of your date."
"It's not a date," Lois snapped, then calmed herself. "It's more like... two old friends catching up."
*************************
"This is nice." Lana smiled an unfolded her napkin. "Two old friends catching up."
Clark took her cue and put his own napkin in his lap. Most of the time, he forgot the existence of napkins, unless there was an unnoticed spill. And, by then, it was usually too late. "Very nice," he said, trying for a smile. He wanted to catch up with Lana, leave things on a better note. He really did. But he had so much on his mind right now, most of which he couldn't tell her. Lana may know about him, but she had no idea about the rest of his friends. And she also had no idea about what had happened to Chloe. That was something he suspected he should get out of the way first of all. Having gone through a name change herself, he thought Lana should be trusted to know her friend was alive. "Speaking of old friends..."
"No. That's not right," Lana said, frowning at the bread basket. "We were never friends." She looked up at him, smiling sadly. "We were always either madly in love or hardly speaking to each other. Somewhere in there, we... we forgot to be friends."
He didn't know what to say to that. It seemed a correct assessment.
"Clark, I came here because... Well, I don't have many friends, not ones I can be honest with. Not ones that know me as anything other than Lorna Leery. I... guess there's this part of me that doesn't want to leave Lana behind. Things have changed, but... she's still so much of who I am, even now."
He could understand the idea, was even encouraging the idea in another "friend." He sighed. "Lana, you have to understand that I'm concerned about you being here. For your safety."
She tilted her head. "Why? From what I hear, Lex is suffering from some form of amnesia and never leaves his house these days. When I read that, I thought... I guess I thought it was safe to make a visit. Maybe just for the holidays. I..." She glanced down, tracing her bread plate. "I don't exactly have anyone to spend the holidays with."
"What about Nell?"
"Nell..." Lana shook her head. "You know that idea about how your family's always there for you until you actually need their help or... until you hit hard times?"
He nodded. "Not from experience." His friends and family seemed there whether things were good or bad... and whether he wanted them or not. "But I can grasp the idea."
"Well, Nell is the opposite. She's more than there if you're in a bind. But never just to... talk. Go over your day. I don't think her helping me out of my... marriage was even about me. I think it was about her thriving on drama." She smiled, tight-lipped. "Anyway, most holidays, she and her husband like to go somewhere tropical or isolated. She says it's romantic. It actually means alone. As in I'm not invited."
"I'm s..."
"Please don't be sorry for me," she cut in. "I know I made my own mess. I know I should have found another way out that didn't involve leaving everyone who knew me behind." She smiled, again sadly. "I chalk it up to being twenty. I thought I was so grown-up and had it all figured out. I was wrong." She brightened suddenly. "And the damage is done. I'm not here to wallow. I'm here to... be a friend. Have a friend."
He stared at her. "I'd like for us to be friends. But I still feel it's dangerous for you to be..."
"Clark, I don't even care if it is at this point. I need to be here. I... I guess I just want a break from being Lorna Leery. I want to try for... one last fling as Lana Lang with the... very few people that know her."
He took her hand. "Lana," he whispered, still afraid to say her name too loudly. "There's more than me that know..."
He's got a gun!
"Know what, Clark?"
"Shhhh!" He concentrated...
Everybody on the floor!
Somewhere west. He could hear scrambling as people, he assumed, got down on the floor. But he could also hear faint, circus-like music. Happy Fun Land. And someone was shouting loudly about Gyros. "First National?" he hissed, realizing where this was. "Again?"
Touch that button, b*tch, and I'll...
I won't touch it. I swear. Please...
He wasn't about to complain about repeat-savings when lives were at stake. He stood quickly. "I have to go."
Lana nodded. "I get it. It's probably too much to think you'd want to..."
He suddenly felt like a total assh*le. "It's not that I don't want to be friends," he said in a rush. "It's not even that I don't want to finish lunch, but you know about my commitments outside work and, if you know that, then you know I need to go right now."
Her eyes widened. "Oh... Okay. I'm sorry I didn't get it sooner. I'm not..."
"I really have to go," he said in a rush. "Meet me at The Planet tomorrow at noon," he threw over his shoulder as he moved out. "My treat this time." He owed her that much for ditching her now, and after all the years of up and down. He owed her a free lunch and a friendship. But right now, he owed everyone at The First National something more... the chance to go home to their families.
He stripped down quickly in the alleyway, missing the rooftops of Metropolis, where he could be surer his clothes would be there when he got back. At least he had his wallet on him. That would be way more than everyone in that bank would have if he didn't fix this now.
***************************
Lois rubbed her temples. "I don't know. Rover?"
"Sparky," Linda corrected. "Your old dog's name was Sparky and he was a Scottish Terrier. Yappy thing, too. I don't know what you saw in him." She shook her head. "We just learned this an hour ago. You're not keeping up. Have you even looked at the note cards I made you?"
When Lois had compared this afternoon with Linda to a class, she hadn't thought the description would be so apt. Too apt. "Linda, I thought this was just about me understanding more about my life."
"Of course," Linda chirped. "We're just upping the fun factor."
"You have strange ideas about fun," Lois muttered.
"I heard that. And I guess somebody doesn't want a gold star." She waved a pad of stickers.
For real? Lois sighed. "I'm just saying that I highly doubt anyone's planning on pop quizzing me in the near future."
Linda perked up. "Now that would be fun. Not so much a paper quiz, but like a quiz show where..."
Lois groaned and slumped on the couch.
"Too much?"
"By half."
"Well... I don't know. How do you want to do this?"
"Not with note cards." Lois sat up and patted the couch. "I was thinking we could just have a conversation." Linda sighed and sat, though she still seemed to buzz with energy. "Now we can have conversations where every word is true and I'd kind of like to try that."
Linda nodded. "Okay. I can do that. But are you sure about the note cards? Because I have a whole bunch more fun facts jotted down and you haven't even seen the ones I did with a glitter pen."
Lois peered closely at her. "Are you okay? You seem kind of... wired."
"Me? I'm great. Probably too much sugar. I had this entire bag of red vines for lunch because everything else just sounded gross and..."
"Linda, just give." By now, Lois had realized that whenever Linda wanted to avoid Linda, she focused on... just about anything else.
"I guess I'm just nervous."
"I thought you said Ollie was over the moon about..."
"Oh, not that. Though... partially that." She took a deep breath. "Ollie needs to go back to Star City tomorrow. He needs to stay at least a week on city business. He told me I was free to stay behind, but I think I should be there with him."
"Oh." Lois couldn't say she was totally thrilled with the news. She'd gotten so used to having Linda so near, as frustrating as she could be. "I... understand."
"See, it's just that I still have work in his office. I bet things have really piled up without me. He really doesn't know what's what and he forgets important meetings, especially when he pulls double duty with his night job. If anyone knew that half the letters the mayor writes are actully me and..."
"Linda, it really is fine. I knew this wasn't a permanent situation."
They were silent for a while before Linda spoke. "I'll be back in a week. We both will. For Christmas and to help Martha and all. I hate to run at this time, but..."
"If you're nervous about me, I'll be fine."
"Of course I'm nervous. But it's not just about you. I... I know you're only a phone call away. I know I have a selection of air crafts to steal if you need me, at least while I can still fly..." She trailed off, a hand on her stomach.
"Is it the baby?"
"It just seems more real now. I mean, with Ollie knowing... It felt like some distant thing when it was my secret baby, but now..."
Lois smiled and shook her head. "I gotta tell you, this baby wasn't a well-kept secret."
Linda laughed. "Me and my mouth." She sobered. "Even going home makes it more real. In about six months, the house I'm going back will have a baby in it. That's just scary."
Lois elbowed her lightly. "Does it help that the house is a gigantic mansion?"
"Hardly. Just more rooms for someone tiny to wander in and get lost." She ran a hand through her hair. "God, that's exactly what'll happen. I'll have men with flashlights all over the place as soon as the baby can crawl. I just... I don't know if I'm up to this. I'm really going to be a mommy. I hardly know how to be one."
"You know exactly how."
"Really? Because I didn't exactly have a great example growing up... any example."
"Doesn't matter. It's in your blood. You take great care of me." Lois squeezed her knee. "Slightly overzealous, but great care."
"Thank you for understating." Linda gave a watery laugh. "You know, I wasn't always so driven to take care of you. A lot of the time, I thought you were a pain in the butt. Always getting in too deep..."
"I thought you said you were the troublemaker."
"Well, I was. But you were the good one. So it just made me madder when you were the one..." She trailed off. "I think we both got into our share of sh*t over the years," she said softly. "But you were really there for me when it counted. What you did..." She wiped her eyes. "I keep going over the right time to bring this up, but... I guess there isn't a right time. It's just something you need to know."
Lois found herself leaning forward, even shaking a little. If Linda was so nervous, this must be a big piece. "What?"
"They say when a person saves your life, you owe them your life." She smiled wanly. "I think that's most of why I wanted you to have my name when you needed one. Because you did more than save my life." She grasped Lois' hand. "You laid yours down for me."
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