Love and Heroes

Love and Heroes


The three friends were sitting in the bar Chloe and Jimmy had come to on a regular basis when they had dated. Jimmy commented to the bartender around a straw. “Clark has been doing a little soul-searching for the last couple years.”

The bartender commented to Clark “It must be tough coming back.” Clark asked puzzled “Coming Back?” The Bartender clarified “To work.” Clark nodded and replied “Yeah.” He looked pensive as he added “Well, You know, things change.”

The bartender nodded, but only Chloe really caught onto what he meant when he said things change. “I mean, of course things change but something things that you didn’t think would change could change.” Clark added with a slight edge to his voice that made Chloe cringe and Jimmy shift uncomfortably. “Take Lois. A woman like her, I never thought she’d settle down.”

Jimmy said “You know if you ask me—because she’ll never tell you this, but if you ask me, she’s still in love with you-know who.” Chloe commented dryly “It doesn’t take a genius to figure she is still in love with the flying man in blue with the red cape. She was obsessed with him ever since she first laid eyes upon him, and he saved her from being splattered across the side walk, from an incredible height.”

Jimmy commented deadpan “Such a beautiful image you’ve just displayed for me there Chloe. Thanks a million.” Both Clark and Chloe snorted at this and the bartender chuckled in amusement.

Chloe smirked at him, as she swirled her beer inside of the glass bottle, before placing a hand over her heart and commented mock sweetly. “Aww, oh gosh, your welcome Jimmy, it makes me all warm in fuzzy inside, that I can provide such beautiful images for you, I aim to please, I really, really do.

Jimmy sighed and closed his eyes, mentally counting to ten before taking a deep breath and letting it out again. That woman really could sometimes get under his skin. She was like a mosquito. Both caused serious irritation after striking.

Clark sniggered and shook his head. Some things did not change, he was pleased to note. He was so glad that his friend had still obtained her snarky personality quirks. She still maintained a firm grip on her status as the queen of snark. Poor Jimmy. Well, at least it wasn’t he who was on the receiving end. He supposed he could be thankful for that.

Jimmy sighed and shot his ex-girlfriend a look before saying. “Why did I date you again?” Clark felt his eyes widen and exclaimed in disbelief “You two dated, for how long?” Oh yes, things had certainly happened and changed while he had been gone, no doubt.

Chloe smirked and took a swig of her beer, before commenting “About two years after you left. We dated for about a year and a half. A couple of months less then you and I did.” She enjoyed the shocked look her little confession had provoked in her ex.

It was now Jimmy’s turn to be shocked he spluttered “Oh wow, you two dated, but when?” Clark flushed slightly but he was stilling smiling slightly as he said “Jimmy, I and Chlo have known each other since we were thirteen. She was my first kiss and I was hers. We starting dating in the last year of high school and also for the first year of journalism school.”

Chloe smirked and added “Oh, we did a hell of a lot more then date. I lost my virginity to Clark, I don’t know about him.” She had feeling that she knew, but wanted Clark to confirm it for her. She knew Lana had not been his first.

Clark shifted uncomfortably, as he was not proud of what had happened that summer, when it was first discovered there was an actual meteor rock that affected him mentally, instead of physically like the green kind did. “Metropolis, summer, I’m saying no more” he choked out.

He flushed at Chloe’s knowing smirk; she knew exactly what he was talking about. It involved a school ring. That had red Kryptonite instead of a ruby. ‘Cheap bastards’ she thought in disgust. Smallville high couldn’t even be bothered to fork out the money for actually proper rubies, instead of red meteor rocks, that were mentally toxic to her friend.

Jimmy looked stunned as, he commented. “How come it never lasted, and does Lois know?” Chloe looked positively devious as she replied and Clark gave her a slightly amused look and mocked sighed in annoyance. And of course Jimmy had part of his answer already, if her devious smile was anything to go by. Lois did not know, he figured.

“We discovered we were better off being friends. It only made our friendship stronger. Then there is Lois, no she is not aware.” She mumbled under her breath, loud enough for only Clark to hear. “But yay for me, I got to test drive more then the Kent charm before she did.”

Clark chuckled quietly and looked at her knowingly. When they had dated they had slept together six months after they started dating. He knew he had been her first and he would always cherish that special gift she had given to him.

That year and a half they spent together making love was some of the best times of his life, and memories he would cherish until the day he died. He grinned and flushed slightly as he remembered some of the wild and passionate times they had spent together, in bed, in the barn, in the back of his family’s truck, in the Torch office, and in several of the corn fields. Chloe had been a wonderful and passionate lover.

Chloe smirked knowingly, knowing exactly what Clark was thinking. Jimmy stared at them strangely when he saw the less then innocent smirks on both of Chloe and much to his surprise, Clark’s face as well.

He more then caught onto Chloe’s double meaning even before she mentioned Clark had taken her virginity. He found it hard to believe that Chloe and Clark knew each other so intimately. And the fact they had known each other since they were thirteen and had been each others first kiss, blew Jimmy away. He was amazed that they were still as close as they currently were, after a relationship of a non platonic form having failed to work out between them.

Suddenly the three of them turned to look up at the TV, when a blond woman was heard talking about the space shuttle that was attached the top of the aeroplane that was fall of journalists and other such important people of society.

‘The original space shuttle generated 7.5 million pounds of thrust just in the initial launch phase but, by piggybacking on this Boeing 777-- yes?’

Lois raises her hand to ask a question. It is evident that the other woman is starting to become exasperated by Lois constantly interrupting her with questions. ‘If this launch is as pivotal as you claim why is it being covered by only one news network?’

The other woman clearly sounds like she is trying to cover up a serious case of irritation as Lois continues to ask question after question, interrupting her lecture. ‘Why don’t we save those questions for the post-launch briefing, how about that, Miss Lane?’

The woman continues to give her lecture as Lois reluctantly backs down. ‘When we hit 40,000 feet, the shuttle will detach, ascend and then fire the first two propellant systems, the liquid fuel boosters. When the shuttle reaches the stratosphere the secondary insertion booster will fire propelling the craft at 4gs into the mesosphere’

Mean while Clark, Chloe and Jimmy are still inside the pub after the blackout. The TV comes back on, a baseball game is playing. Clark looks around suspiciously.

Meanwhile back on the plane the consequences of the blackout caused by Jessica’s experiment are revealed. The aeroplane shakes with turbulence. The blond woman tells all of the passengers as Lois looks up towards the ceiling of the plane suspiciously.

The blond woman commented “Don’t be alarmed. It’s absolutely normal. And if you’re lucky, you may hear the faint pop of the sonic boom.” Suddenly the plane shudders violently sending the blond woman crashing forwards, landing on her face. Lois thought to herself ‘Faint pop of the sonic boom my arse’

Everyone is starting to panic as the breathing masks are quickly lowered and passengers start to grab them and put them on as they fasten their seatbelts. Lois is attempting to fasten her seatbelt, trying to remain calm. While the blond woman is doing quite the opposite, she is still on the floor and is exclaiming in alarm. “Oh, no! Oh, no!”

Lois abandons her efforts to fasten her seatbelt and gets up to help the woman, even though Lois finds her to be annoying and pompous when she had been giving the lecture. Lois supposed motherhood had mellowed her slightly, slightly being the main key work, slightly, very slightly. Lois stands and takes hold of the woman and calls out “Can I get a little help?” A man stands to help Lois.

Meanwhile Perry is in his office using his laptop when a deep voice announces over the radio. ‘This is UPV breaking news, from Washington, Frank Jacobs’

Meanwhile back in the news room a younger man is on the TV in an emergency news report. ‘We’ve just received word that the inaugural flight of the Genesis space shuttle is experiencing a midair emergency’

News broadcasting on the TV in the pub alerts Clark, Chloe and Jimmy to the situation as well. ’ --a problem with launch of the new orbital shuttle, Genesis. The reports are telling us the shuttle failed to disengage sending both crafts rocketing towards space’

A male news broadcaster can be heard saying ‘We’re now going live to Cape Canaveral for the latest update on this story’

Chloe and Clark share a look of worry and fear, knowing Lois is on that shuttle launch. Chloe may still be pissed at her cousin, but she does not want her to perish in outer space due to a lack of oxygen. Jimmy continues to listen to the news.

A second male broadcaster is heard saying ‘Jim, all we know right now is that the couplings which hold the shuttle to the 777 malfunctioned and did not release as planned. We’re uncertain’

Jimmy spoke up and turned to speak to Clark but he had disappeared. He turned to Chloe who placed her hand on his shoulder and shook her head. “I should do-“ Chloe said “Don’t worry Jimmy, Clark’s on it, that where he’s gone now. He’ll make sure it gets covered.”

Chloe continued to listen to the report of the TV hopping Clark could get to them in time. This would be his first rescue since returning, and the fact Lois was on that shuttle made it even more important for both her and Clark.

The news continued on in the background ‘Why the ignition sequence continued and boosters still fired. However, there’s speculation here that the blackout, which’