The Not Quite Justice League in... The Bee's Pleas!!!

[stands_for_hope]

[continued from here]

Finishing his article, clearing everything with Keith, those things took time. That was why it took a few hours before Clark was ready to make his usual call to Lois that night. He had worried that he might not make the time window that she cleared every day to talk to him and the others, but he was proud to say that he'd left himself an even half an hour as long as everything was to schedule.

After the fifth time she didn't pick up (didn't so much as text or ping him), it became clear that things were very much off schedule.

Clark made his way back to the main floor where everyone seemed to congregate and headed straight for Tony, holding up the phone to him.

"I know we're all tired and we've certainly had a long day, but... can you find out where Lois's phone is from the number here?"

In all the madness of the day, all the fighting and the close calls and the weakness brought on by the proximity of kryptonite, he'd lost track of her heartbeat. Usually, it was simple enough to pick up over the phone once again, a steady pulse that he could find his way back to once the phonecall had ended.

He couldn't hear her. He couldn't tell where she was. And she wasn't answering her phone. She always answered her phone. He didn't want to think anything was wrong, but he wasn't naive enough to discount something like this. Not after today. Not after they'd pulled out kryptonite weapons.

Comments

[stands_for_hope]

"If you think I'm not going to go and get you some proper soil from down on the farm," Clark said firmly, "not to mention some fertilizer from Grandpa's, you're sadly mistaken."

Lois looked over at her boyfriend.

"Is that dirt really special?"

"It's the soil that's kept my family farming for generations. It's practically Jim's right to grow in that dirt."

[kolodnoykovki]

"And I'll happily grow our garden stuff in that soil. As soon as I read another couple articles on how to do it. ...And decide if I want a fish pond. Since our roof's strong enough for a fish pond now." He'd made sure of that, since it was going to be carrying a lot of extra weight just for the sunroom.

[stands_for_hope]

"You're never gonna get me outta there, Jim. It was bad enough when I was at one of the parks and I got drawing the goldfish..."

Diana frowned thoughtfully.

"Fish pond?" Clearly she wasn't clear on the concept.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Yeah," Jim said, looking over. "Some kind of little ornamental pond with fish - goldfish, or... uh. The fancy ones they call koi, I think?" He glanced around for confirmation. "Trying to decide if I want those. It'd mean some extra work, and we'll already have plants to look after. ...And I'm not sure I could trust a certain dog around here not to decide she wants fish."

[stands_for_hope]

"Would she knows that those fish are things she could eat?" Lois asked, not having much experience with pets.

"Judging by Dusty, probably," Clark offered, "but you can teach her not to eat them. And Motya doesn't have a very strong prey drive, so you probably won't have much trouble."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Well, it's still up for debate," he said. "I'm still... considering. I mean, it'd be pretty, and I know Steve would be up there playing with them constantly..."

But that by itself was an argument for getting the fish pond.

[stands_for_hope]

"I'll plan out a garden set up with a pond and without it," Clark offered. "See which one you like the look of."

"And I will sit out of the whole thing and look at whatever you come up with and tell you how beautiful it is, because it's probably going to be amazing either way," Lois said with a grin.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Well, one end is for gardening food and the other end is for flowers and chairs and places to relax. And at least one spot for Steve to set up an easel." He paused. "The easel probably shouldn't be where the fish can splash on it..."

[stands_for_hope]

"The nice thing about easels is that they can move, Jim," Steve said with a little grin. Diana considered the garden as well.

"I will agree with Lois: whatever you make, I can be assured it will be lovely. You would not let it be less."

[kolodnoykovki]

But Jim put up his hands. "I'm not the artist or the farmer. I'm just the guy that knows how to nail things together."

[stands_for_hope]

"But it's amazing what you can do when I draw you something," Steve said as he leaned over and kissed the back of Jim's head.

Diana grinned.

"The skill of creating with one's hands... even the simplest of engineering can be beautiful. Do not discount yourself."

[kolodnoykovki]

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "C'mon. Let's have some cake."

[stands_for_hope]

Lois smirked up at him.

"A brilliant deflection by Rogers there," she noted, but she was content to let it stand in the face of cake.

"What kinda cake is this?"

Clark looked over as he sliced the first piece, plating it for Lois to show off the golden cake and the strawberry filling, as well as the chocolate fudge outer shell.

"...Clark, never stop being that perfect boyfriend who notices everything."

[kolodnoykovki]

Jim grinned. "I just suggested that we get your favourite kind. And some balloons. Everything else was done while I was making sure you napped all right."

[stands_for_hope]

"The finest in nap security," she assured him before reaching over with the three fingers she had working and bracing the other side of the spoon against one of her casts. It seemed to work, though the arrangement was somewhat delicate and probably wouldn't stand up to anything large or heavy.

All the same, Clark watched as she chopped off a piece and lifted it to her mouth.

"...mission successful."

[kolodnoykovki]

That was a good sight to see. It meant she was able, and that, in and of itself, was great. They wouldn't need to worry about her feeding herself. "All right - everybody get a slice now that it's been... inaugurated."

[stands_for_hope]

Clark started slicing up the cake, with Diana getting a large slice first before other plates were distributed.

"So what are the rest of the festivities? I'm going to have to bow out on the pinata, unfortunately."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Ice cream, movie night - after I wash your hair for you," Jim suggested. "How's that sound?"

[stands_for_hope]

"Heaven. Absolute heaven."

Diana swallowed the piece of cake she'd been chewing.

"I will assist you in the rest of your washing, if you would like."

"I totally would. After cake.

"Indeed."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Cake is the priority." He wasn't going to deny that, not in the least. Cake first. Then ice cream and blankets and relaxation and movies and being glad that they had Lois back. They were family again.

[stands_for_hope]

Clark leaned over and pressed a kiss into her hair.

"I got some of your favorite pajamas out. I'll bring them into the bathroom so you and Diana can get those on. Jim, you think you'll use the kitchen sink or the bathroom?"

[kolodnoykovki]

"Whichever one she wants. I'm kind of thinking kitchen might be easier, what with the sprayer thing." He was in favour of the sprayer thing. He'd already learned just how handy that could be.

[stands_for_hope]

"Ooh lala," Lois said with a grin back at Jim, "Gonna feel like Marcia's doing my hair, I bet, if you do the kitchen. Let's do that."

Then she was busy eating another piece of cake.

Steve walked back over, as he had managed to wander off for a moment, and gave Clark a low nod. Clark smiled back in appreciation.

[kolodnoykovki]

Jim smiled at them both. "I'll make it good," he promised. "Plenty of lather now that shampoo's surprisingly cheap. And I'll use the good conditioner. Even put it in a braid or rollers or whatever if you want."

So he was still a little behind the times as it came to hair.

[stands_for_hope]

"This hair needs to be blown out, unlike certain Amazonian princesses who somehow have long curly hair that dries perfectly by itself," Lois said with a glance over at Diana and a faint smirk. Diana shrugged, every ounce royalty but lacking in the snideness that could have been a part of the gesture, before she settled beside Lois.

"That does not mean I cannot learn to help you," she pointed out. "It will make me a better volunteer for the shelter, as well as provide me more information to help mentor the younger of our sisters that I teach."