AN: Hi! The idea for this story wouldn't get out of my head, so here it is! (So much for taking a break from writing . . .) This is set in the Smallville Universe, sometime after Season Seven. Not much plot, mostly just Clark/Lois bantering, with some Chloe thrown in because no Smallville story is really complete without Chloe. This won't follow Season Eight canon, cuz I haven't seen it yet. And thanks so much to my fantastic beta, Abyssgirl! If it weren't for you I'd still be stuck right in the middle of this! :)
P.S. Set before Clark is Superman, but after he and Lois are working at the Daily Planet.
Disclaimer: 'Tisn't mine, so if you even think about suing, I'll . . . smoosh a banana! Muahahaha!
Lois Meets Kal
"Great, just great," Lois grumbled. So much for the story of a lifetime.
She'd arranged to meet a man, calling himself Aaron Wilkinson, at an abandoned warehouse in the slums of Metropolis, at 8:00pm. He'd contacted her, promising incriminating information about one of Metroplis' biggest crime bosses, who'd never been caught, and Lois, being Lois, couldn't resist, despite the danger of meeting a stranger alone. Besides, she was a General's daughter; she could take care of herself if it came to a fight.
Contrary to the usual, her source wasn't late: she was. It'd taken a full 23 minutes to shake Clark off her trail; she hadn't wanted him coming with her, but now she was wondering if it would have been better just to let him tag along, and be on time. Wilkinson was probably long gone by now. "Wonderful!" she exploded again, gritting her teeth clutching the steering wheel tightly.
5 minutes later Lois pulled up to the eerie-looking building, parking next to the only other car in the vicinity: an old, rusty red Sedan. She got out and approached the twilight-shrouded warehouse cautiously, resisting the nervous impulse to look over her shoulder.
"Just add the scary music and this would be perfect horror-film material," she muttered, then immediately regretted breaking the silence. In the absolute stillness, she might as well have been yelling.
"Hello?" she called as she entered the warehouse. The sound echoed around amidst the junk and decommissioned old machinery that was scattered everywhere. Great place for an ambush, Lois thought nervously. Even as the words went through her mind, there was a telltale rustle from behind her and before she could react, a knife was pressed against her throat.
"Hello to you too," a man's amused voice said.
Lois ignored her rapidly pounding heart smiled wryly. "So, I'm guessing you don't really have any information for me." It wasn't a question.
A dry chuckle sounded from behind her. "I have plenty of information. Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of sharing any of it." The man's voice suddenly lost it's friendly tone, and was harsh and frightening as he said quietly, "I was sent here to warn you: get your nose out of my boss' business! If you don't . . ." He chuckled again. " . . . something unfortunate might happen."
Very fitting of the evil villain cliché, Lois thought irritably. I suppose now my line is, 'Are you threatening me?' Right. Because I really couldn't figure that out on my own from the knife at my throat . . .
"Look here," started Lois. There was nothing she abhorred more than being manhandled. Coincidentally, this 'Aaron Wilkinson' character was really beginning to tick her off. "I'm not going to let you threaten me into silence! I will get evidence that the good-guy facade that your boss puts up is just that: a facade. It's only a matter of time, and if he thinks that some thug with a knife is going to convert me into a cowering wimp, well, he's in for a surprise. Tell him that," she finished with satisfaction. Sure, provoking him was pretty dumb . . . But she had to get some of her own back, right?
Wilkinson was silent for a moment. Then he said, in a deceptively friendly tone that sent shivers crawling down Lois' neck, "Well. I can see that you're very determined. I will take the boss your message, but first I think I'll leave you something to remember me by . . ." His knife moved toward Lois' face, and that's when she moved.
She jerked her head backward, hearing a satisfying crunch and a muffled scream as Wilkinson's nose broke, then dropped down, spinning around on her hands and knocking his legs out from under him. She stood up quickly, but—
"You've got to be kidding me!" she complained loudly. "If you had a gun the whole time, then why did you threaten me with the knife?"
"You brode my dose!" shrieked her captor, punctuating each word by jerking the Ruger in her direction.
"Think about it this way," said Lois in a reasonable tone, "If you'd used the gun in the first place, your nose would be completely fine!" She smiled angelically. Inside she was thinking, How very clever of you, Lois. Aggravate the guy who's holding a gun on you. Nice . . . All right, think! Clark isn't always going to miraculously appear at exactly the right time. How're you gonna slither yourself out of this one?
There was a wild gleam in Wilkinson's eye; Lois could tell that he was just itching to pull the trigger. Who would've guessed that a broken nose would push this guy over the edge? Remembering that he had been just about to carve her face up with a glorified kitchen knife, Lois revised that thought. On second thought, it's likely he went over a long time ago . . .
Restraining the impulse to blurt out a thousand other uncomplimentary remarks, Lois instead said carefully, "Look, killing me won't get you anywhere. Especially since my partner is going to be here any minute." Lois said this only to get Wilkinson into a more rational frame of mind, and was surprised to find that she half believed it. After all, Smallville was always there when she really needed him.
"Let her go," Clark's calm voice said from the entrance. Lois almost laughed. Speak of the devil. She started to turn toward him with a smile, but was arrested by the expression on Wilkinson's face. He looked— stunned.
"Kal?" the man breathed. "You— where—" Lois watched his expression alter abruptly from confusion to fear. "Wait, is she—" At this point Clark —or was it Kal?— cut in.
"Miss Lane is under my protection," he said calmly. Lois wanted to protest that she didn't need anyone's protection, much less that of a Kansas farmboy, but one look at Wilkinson's pale face changed her mind.
"I'm so sorry Kal!" he said, pasting on a sickly smile. "I didn't realize that she was— that you— I'll just . . ." He dropped the gun and began backing toward the other exit, while Lois just glanced between him and Clark, flabbergasted. The latter looked as angry as she had ever seen him, in a cold, dangerously calm way; his eyes followed Wilkinson like a wolf stalking its prey.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Smallville queried calmly. Wilkinson's flinch was barely perceptible.
"I don't know. I mean, what am I forgetting?" He'd managed to steady his voice, but the man's body language easily conveyed his terror, and Lois found herself wondering warily exactly how well she really knew her favorite farmboy.
"I believe you owe the lady an apology," Clark said. Wilkinson's face sagged slightly with relief; he practically fell over himself to apologize profusely to the wide-eyed Lois, then ran from the warehouse like the devil was on his tail.
As soon as he was gone, Lois rounded on Clark. "What the heck was that? Why did he call you Kal, and why, in the name of all things holy, was he scared witless when he saw you, the home-grown corn-fed farmboy-turned-reporter?!"
Avoiding her eyes, the unfortunate intergalactic traveler intensely scrutinized the concrete floor of the warehouse, wondering why he hadn't ever had the foresight to think up a plausible answer to this question. "Uhhhm." He paused. "He must've mistaken me for someone else?" It sounded like a question. Clark cursed himself inwardly, thinking, I'm cool as can be when I'm facing a guy with a gun, or a phantom zone escapee, but give me Lois on a mission and I'm turned into a stuttering fool! What's wrong with me?
"Nice try Smallville," Lois retorted. "You know, for someone with so much practice, one would think that you'd be a better liar." She treated Clark with her most condescending smile.
Irritation banishing his stage fright, (at least temporarily), Clark rolled his eyes. "You know, for someone with so much practice, one would think that you'd get better at refraining from irritating your captors to the point where they'd kill you just to shut you up."
Lois eyed him carefully, actually looking rather impressed. "Very nice, Smallville. Quite smooth. But not smooth enough." She smirked wickedly, cocking her head to the side in that terribly endearing way. "I believe that I asked you a question?"
Clark sighed, running his fingers through his hair, and decided to tell some version of the truth. "Well . . . Did Chloe ever tell you about the summer that I ran off to Metropolis?" he queried.
Lois gaped. "You ran away to Metropolis? You, the master of plaid and pity-parties, mister 'Yes Ma, yes Pa?'" She shook her head incredulously.
"You said it, not me." Clark shrugged, then cautiously continued his narrative. "Anyway, during that summer, I sort of . . . I got involved with some of the wrong people. I had . . . no inhibitions. Nothing was too wild, nothing was too dangerous." He closed his eyes for a moment against the memories, for although the version of this tale that he was telling Lois was doctored, it still had many elements of truth within it.
He took a deep breath. "I was hired by a man called Morgan Edge, and—"
At this point Lois interrupted. "Wait, you worked for Morgan Edge! Are you kidding me?"
Clark snorted, saying in a sarcastic tone of voice, "Of course I'm kidding, Lois. I'm never serious about this kind of thing. I'm just laughing hysterically in my head right now."
"Right. Sorry," said Lois. "I'd forgotten that you don't have a sense of humor." Clark closed his eyes, praying for patience, then picked up the story where he'd left off.
"I didn't want to have anything to remind me of what I'd run away from. I even changed my name, started calling myself Kal. Working for Edge, I— established a reputation with men like him," Clark tilted his head toward where Wilkinson had exited, "as someone to be feared and avoided."
Lois appraised him with new awareness in her eyes, but also skepticism. "Somehow I get the feeling that you're not being completely honest with me," she finally ventured. "Even that kind of reputation isn't worth anything when the other guy's got a gun and you haven't." She crossed her arms over her chest and said seriously, "Come on, Smallville. Tell me the truth."
It was the nickname that did it. Perhaps it was the reminder of all the other occasions that this name had been used, all the occasions that she'd proved that he could trust her; the reminder that this was Lois, brazen, cocky Lois who wouldn't put up with his whining, who teased him mercilessly, used up all the hot water, commandeered his room without apology, and who was fiercely protective of the ones she loved. But whatever the reason, suddenly Clark was wondering why he hadn't told Lois his secret before. She was one of the strongest people he knew; she could handle it and all the baggage that came along with it. It was true that knowing could put her in danger, but she already knew enough for that, and he knew from experience that not knowing his secret could be just as dangerous.
"Lois," he began hesitantly, "I'm not what I seem to be."
The outspoken brunette raised an eyebrow. "Are you a meteor freak? 'Cause if you are, it would certainly explain—" She cut off, seeing Clark adamantly shake his head.
"No, I'm not a meteor freak," he said, amazed at the casual way she'd asked him. "I'm . . ." He hesitated, running his fingers through his hair irritably. "I really shouldn't just spring this on her," he muttered under his breath.
"Spring what?"
Clark's head shot up. For someone without super-hearing, Lois certainly had keen ears. "I'll . . . tell you in a bit," he said, making a quick decision. He smiled weakly at her. "I think I need Chloe as backup. Come on." Without waiting for her to respond, Clark turned and strode out of the warehouse, heading toward where she'd parked her car. As she followed, Lois noted that the Sedan wasn't stationed outside anymore. It must have been Wilkinson's, she thought idly.
"Wait, so Chloe knows the big secret?" she queried. Immediately she felt stupid for asking. Clark and Chloe told each other everything. It would be completely unreasonable of her to feel jealous . . . I can't believe this. Now I'm feeling jealous over Clark. What next? People flying around in underwear and little red capes?
"Never mind, don't bother answering that question," Lois said before he could speak. She directed a half-smile at him, trying to keep her chagrin out of the expression. Clark looked at her oddly, but nodded, climbing into the passenger seat of her Camry.
"Why—" Lois started to ask, surprised. She wrinkled her brow. "Didn't you bring a car?" she asked, sliding in behind the steering wheel as she spoke.
"No," Clark answered after a moment of careful consideration, "I ran."
Lois raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And you say your not a meteor freak? Tell me how that makes sense."
Knowing that it would drive Lois crazy, and managing to take pleasure in the thought despite the situation, Clark said, "I will, once we get to Chloe's. Now start driving."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"You want my help to what!?" Chloe practically screamed into her cellphone. She was standing in the kitchen of her apartment above the Talon.
"Tell Lois my secret," Clark repeated patiently. In the background, Chloe could hear Lois asking shrilly, "What secret? Smallville, you're doing this on purpose! Just tell— mphhnpph!"
"Thank you Lois," Clark stated. Chloe could hear the smile in his voice, as well as her cousin's muffled shrieks, and somehow she got the idea that Lois' silence hadn't been self-imposed.
"I can't believe this!" Chloe said, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Clark was actually choosing to come out of his shell of doubt and fear and tell Lois, of all people, his secret. "What brought this on?" She slowly made her way into the living area.
Clark shrugged, although obviously Chloe couldn't see it. "I guess I just realized that the benefits of telling her way outweighed the consequences." Shrugging, he added as an afterthought, "Besides, she's found out my secret before and she reacted alright."
At this point there was a dull clunk from Clark's side of the line. Chloe listened, her disbelief making way for amusement, as Lois struggled to gain control of the phone, and eventually succeeded. "Ha!" she exclaimed, smug. Clark could easily have wrested the cellphone from her, of course, but he was curious to see what she would say to her cousin.
"Chloe, what's he talking about? What's the big 'secret?' And if I've found it out before, why don't I remember?" Lois demanded, keeping a wary eye on Clark.
"Patience is a virtue, Lois," Chloe reminded, dropping heavily down onto her couch.
"One I do not posses," said Lois shortly. "As you are well aware."
"Well then," Clark interjected, sounding surprisingly cheerful, "it's a good thing we're here." Sure enough, the Talon could be seen a ways down the street.
Chloe sighed. "I'll see you guys when you get in here. Bye Lois." She hung up before her cousin could protest.
Lois glared at Clark when he came around to open the door for her. "Seriously Smallville, that just goes beyond weird. I am perfectly capable of opening my own door." Clark raised his hands in surrender, grinning. It was such a weight off his shoulders to have one less person to have to lie to that he didn't think anything could get him down.
"Yes ma'am," he agreed, turning to walk into the apartment. Lois snorted as she unbuckled her seatbelt and followed.
"Ma'am," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Stupid old-fashioned farmboy." Still, there was something kinda sweet about it . . . Shut-up subconscious! Clark was far enough ahead of her that she didn't see his amused smirk. Lois sped up her pace a bit to catch up to him.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Chloe opened the door before they could knock. Apparently she'd been listening for them. "Hi guys!" she greeted with a bright smile. Too bright, Lois thought. The blonde woman looked a bit frazzled.
"Hey cuz," Lois replied. Clark just nodded.
No one spoke for a moment until Lois, trying to prevent an awkward silence, said quickly, "Uh, can we come in?" Chloe flushed slightly and obliged.
Lois watched, burning with curiosity, as Clark sat down on Chloe's sofa, his blue eyes nervous. Chloe sat next to him, and Lois quickly settled into an armchair more or less across from them.
"Okay, so what's up?" she asked impatiently. "Is Lois torture-time over?"
Clark glanced pleadingly at Chloe; she shifted uncomfortably, but caved fairly easily. She always had been helpless against that Kent charm.
"Lois," Chloe began, "in Smallville's first meteor shower, Jonathan and Martha Kent just barely avoided being struck by a meteor." she paused, and Lois glanced between her and Clark bewilderedly, confused as to how this could tie into the huge 'secret.'
"Their truck was tipped over, although they weren't injured, but when they got out of the car, they saw that what had tipped them over wasn't a meteor; it was a spaceship." Lois' mouth dropped open.
"Another one? What is it in Smallville that's so alien-magnetic? Good place for crop circles?"
Now Clark took up the narrative. "No, me. I'm what my parents found in that spaceship." Managing to meet Lois' shocked stare, Clark continued. "I'm from a planet called Krypton. My father was a scientist there, and when his research showed that the planet was going to destroy itself, he built a spaceship to send me to earth where I would be safe." He paused, deciding that it would probably be wise at this point to gage her reaction before telling her the rest.
"Are you okay with this?" he inquired cautiously.
Lois couldn't speak just yet. She was still trying to process what she'd just been told. It never occurred to her to doubt that it was the truth. Not only did it explain why Clark always seemed like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and acted as though it was his fault whenever a meteor freak went psycho, but he was a terrible liar; if this had been a practical joke, he never would've been able to pull it off.
Smallville, an alien? Lois immediately rejected the word. He may have been an alien, but he wasn't alien in the slightest. He was still her big dumb geeky farmboy who needed to mope less, even if it seemed he did have cause for the moping. He was just also an . . . intergalactic traveler, she decided. She realized that Clark was still waiting anxiously for her to answer his question.
She smiled weakly at him, watching as his tense muscles relaxed marginally at the gesture. "Gee Smallville," she joked, "all that buildup just to tell me that you're from another planet? Pshaw. What a letdown."
Clark let out the breath he was holding, his relief making him grin. "Actually, that's not all." He glanced at the woman on the couch beside him. "Chloe, do you happen to have a baseball bat or something equally handy lying around?" Chloe smiled, knowing what he was getting at. This was one part of the secret revealing that she actually looked forward to. She couldn't wait to see the look on Lois' face . . .
"I think so," she said. She was pretty sure that she had one in her closet; after all, you never knew when you might need a baseball bat to fight off an insane meteor freak. She left the room to go check, and came back holding the wooden bat and with laughter in her eyes. She approached Clark, and without any warning, swung.
Lois barely had time to start out of her chair before it was over. Chloe held half of a baseball bat in her hands, the other half of which was shattered in pieces about Clark's feet, and Clark himself sat casually just as he had before, completely unharmed. Lois sank back down.
"Wow," was all she could manage. She knew her face must've been a study right about then. "What else can you do?" she asked at last. She was kind of getting used to the pull-yourself-together routine; her body could only remain in a state of shock for so long.
Clark and Chloe exchanged smiles. "He can can run faster than a speeding bullet, shoot fire from his eyes, hear a baby crying in China, see through anything except for lead, blow out forest fires like they're candles on a birthday cake, and carry a semi-truck in each hand without breaking a sweat," Chloe listed off matter-of-factly. "Oh, and he's bullet proof."
Ignoring Lois' conviction that nothing would ever surprise her again, her mouth swung open. "Oh," she said after a time. She was mortified to hear her voice squeak a little. "So, super-powered alie— Krypton-guy," she slowly said. "I guess that explains Wilkinson's reaction to hearing that I was 'under your protection.'"
Lois froze suddenly as she realized that her best friend had just told her that he was from another planet, and . . . she was okay with that. She was fine. She didn't feel nearly as shocked as she should. In fact, there was even a vague "Cool," hovering somewhere at the back of her mind. She was practically dismissing it out of hand! Suddenly all the puzzle pieces fit, and Lois' own voice came back to haunt her:
"I think I'm in love with Oliver. I swear, the guy could tell me he was from Mars right now, and I would dismiss it as an endearing quirk!"
Damn Clark. Damn his baby blue eyes, his perfect smile, how he somehow always treated her like a perfect gentleman even when they were tossing insults left and right, the way he always saw the very best in her even when she let him down. Damn him!
Lois Lane was in love with Clark Kent.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
AN: Muahahahaha! Finally finished it! *does happy dance* Yaaaay! My laptop went kaput, so I haven't been on this site very much for the last few weeks . . . The computer I'm using right now is my brother's. So, what did you think? I was aiming for a non-romancy one shot, but that obviously went out the window. :p Review please! I'd really appreciate it!
P.S. I'm debating adding another chapter on. Was this too much of a cliffhanger, or does it feel complete? Let me know, please! :)