Zealous | [SUPERMAN]

Ch. 4 - Shoot the Messenger

The morning went by with a quickness while Clark showed Marilyn proper journalism etiquette. He taught her how to properly interview a person, how to get the right details, even capturing a picture that would be appealing for the newspaper. She seemed uninterested, but still gave him the courtesy to genuinely listen to him and pretend she was interested. Although she had previously expressed her heart was not with writing, he feared he had some bad news for her she was unaware of.

"Are you hungry? I'd really like to take you to lunch if you'd let me. My treat." Clark didn't know why he felt as if he were in school again asking a pretty girl to go to prom with him, but he didn't like it much. She was intimidating in this odd sense he didn't understand. Some moments he could read her energy perfectly then other moments nothing at all. She was mysterious, she was engaging, she was interesting, she was-- sexy.

'She's young.' He had to remind himself directly after his last thought. 'Much too young for you.'

"Can we get pizza? Edward usually takes me on these really nice lunch dates that he has with the CEO's of his businesses and I feel like I've been eating salad and oysters for my whole life." Clark let out an unnoticed sigh of relief. He wasn't cheap, and he of course would've taken her anywhere she desired to go, but he knew she was treated like a princess under Edward's care. He knew her diamonds were real, and hardly ever less that three karats. He knew she lived comfortably, and not just 'getting by' comfortable, but lavish. Anywhere she wanted to go, anything she wanted to see, anything she wanted in the world was hers and all she had to do was ask. Clark felt like even if he wanted to date her, even if he could, she would never go for a farmer boy from Kansas.

But he wasn't JUST a farmer boy from Kansas...

"Pizza sounds great, I know a place in the city." Clark agreed, pondering the thought of using his alter ego to impress her as he began to drive back to the heart of Metropolis. Rather than an awkward silent drive like before, it felt much more like a relaxed, comfortable silence. Clark pulled up to a little mom and pop pizza place a couple blocks down from the Daily planet. He greeted the workers there who seemed to know him by name from various late night deliveries and pick ups, he became aware of Marilyn quietly looking around, alert brown eyes seemingly scanning every little detail around her.

He began to think a little family business pizza place was the wrong place to bring her. It was quaint and small, a little run down but not enough to be deemed as disgusting.

"I'm sorry, we can go somewhere else if you'd like.." Clark recommended, silently scolding himself for bringing a princess to a farmer boy's fast food stop. Marilyn instantly smiled and shook her head 'no'.

"No, It smells so good in here, why would we leave?" She questioned, hoping he hadn't changed his mind about having lunch altogether. He looked worried, and it made her wonder if she was making him uncomfortable.

"I just thought-- You were so quiet, I know you're not used to coming into the city for fast food like you said, Edward takes you to really nice restaurants I thought maybe you changed your mind, you looked like you were a little uncomfortable." Clark's rambling for words made her smirk and roll her eyes. She understood now; he thought she was a real house wife of Metropolis city instead of a 20 year old anti-social freak like she thought she was. Marilyn walked up to the counter without another word to Clark and politely made her order of a slice of cheese pizza, boneless hot wings, and a large coke. After Clark ordered and they sat down, she made sure to set the record straight.

"I don't get out a lot, when I'm in new places I like to take in every little detail so I can write it down later. It makes for a happy memory to read back on when I'm ever feeling down... I'm not a filthy rich girl who needs to have only the finest the world has to give-- Edward just likes to treat me like that because he can. I grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana with my mom and dad till I was fifteen. We lived so far away from civilization that we had to make a whole day of going into town just to get groceries.. I wasn't always a spoiled brat." She explained as their food arrived to the table. Clark was nearly speechless.

"You grew up on a farm?" He was curious. Maybe he did stand a chance.

"Not necessarily.. My dad was in the military for years, he bought a big 'ol chunk of land by the lake and just built a house for my mom there. They had me, he retired after a few years-- they just didn't like people.  They kept to themselves and preferred to live far away from the evils of society." Marilyn made clear, taking a few bites of pizza in between explaining her life.

"You must take after them then." Clark joked about her introverted behavior that made her laugh. It was the first time he had heard her genuinely laugh and it made him happy. "How did you end up here in New York from New Orleans?" He inquired. He felt his smile drop a little once noticing the happiness leave her face like it did in the car.

'Dammit, Kent!! She's not one of your interview subjects, stop being a reporter!!' He cursed himself in his mind.

"I'm sorry, if that's too personal--"

"No, it's okay, really!" She took a breath and let it out, smiling a little as she did so. She felt like all their conversations had an apology in them. "I just forget how to talk to people sometimes. I haven't had to tell someone about myself in forever, I forget what's too personal and what's casual conversation." Clark didn't understand how a twenty year old could be so much like a widowed old woman trying to date again. How long had it truly been since the last time she hung out with someone other than Edward?

"If it helps, I'm just a highly invasive person." Clark's remark made them both laugh, the comfortable 'safe place' feeling restored to their conversation again. There was a long pause before she started again.

"My mom was murdered," She said softly, immediately making Clark feel horrible for asking such forward questions. "It's okay, I didn't see it or nothing like that.. It was just something that happened, and life goes on.." She reassured him, not wanting to make things awkward from there. "My dad passed away three months later in his sleep. Natural causes. But I think he died of a broken heart." Clark nodded, unsure of how to make light of such a grim topic. "That's where Edward came in and things get sticky--- Edward was my mom's best friend since like, child hood. He loved her even though she got married and had me. My dad knew about it, but they still got along pretty good. My parents agreed that if something happened to them, Edward would be the one who gets stuck with me. I was fifteen when he moved me out to New York. I finished high school here, I did the nursing program here, I pretty much just haven't left Edward's side for five years." She admitted. Saying it out loud made her wonder where the time went.

"Well, hopefully we'll get to hang out every now and then when you start at the Daily Planet." Clark finally found the perfect way to slip the bad news to her. He watched her eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.

"I don't work at the daily planet... I never even applied??"

"Edward pulled some strings with Perry... He wanted me to tell you... You start next week at 7:30 AM sharp."