A.N: It's finally here! Hope you like it. Read and review please =]

Chapter 1

He watched as she fumbled around the news room, ducking away from him almost expertly. It'd been at least three weeks since she'd allow herself to be alone with him. He knew it was going on a month now, since they'd been on the Daily Planet roof. He sighed contentedly and smirked.

She was nervous to be around him, and for some reason that excited him.

She never talked about that week. The one when his doppelganger had attempted to take over his life. She never mentioned what she'd seen in that warehouse, and what happened the night he sent the phantom away. She never asked, and he never told.

They'd been like this for a month. Making idle talk about work and mutual friends, was starting aggravate him. He knew if she wanted to talk, she'd seek him out, but he couldn't take it anymore. He missed her. He missed their Chinese take out with a movie rental every Friday night. He missed chasing her while she chased a lead. He missed being the one that saved her out a tight situation. Now the only one she'd let near her was the Red Blue Blur.

Is it possible to be jealous of yourself? Clark didn't think so, but Lois Lane was proving that theory wrong by the minute. Every time she checked her messages, or stared at her phone as if willing it to ring annoyed him. She was waiting for his as his alter ego and yet she wouldn't stick around long enough to ask about his day.

"Hey CK…."

Clark turned around and smiled.

"Hey Jimmy, what's up", he asked light hearted.

"Well, the Chief's looking for you and Lois", Jimmy said nodding in the intrepid reporter's direction, "But I told him you'd stepped out…"

"Thanks", Clark nodded grabbing his coat, "I'll heed your warning…"

"Yeah", Jimmy nodded, "But Clark, eventually he's going to corner you two and you guys are going to have to talk about it."

"Yeah, eventually", Clark agreed and walked to the stair case to make his escape.

~*~

She watched him from the coffee machine. He wouldn't stop staring at her. She bit her lip. She'd been avoiding him for almost a month, and for good reason. She was humiliated at what had happened with his clone. If Clark ever found it, she knew he'd never look at her the same way. And she liked the way he looked at her.

She missed him. She missed his plaid since she'd only see it at the farm during guitar hero weekends. She missed him cooking her breakfast to her liking while she cleaned his house. She missed staying at the farm and sleeping with Shelby because her new allergy medicine allowed her to.

She missed everything and anything about her best friend.

She watched as Jimmy talked to him. Whatever Jimmy told him caused him to bolt for the nearest exit. She watched the young photographer walk up to her.

"Lois, you better run too, Chief's looking for you…"

She nodded.

"Thanks Jimmy", she said heading to her desk for her bag.

"So how long you guys planning on dodging each other?"

She stopped and turned around.

"We're not-"

"Yeah", Jimmy nodded, "You are."

"I don't know", she said honestly.

"He misses you, you know", Jimmy said nodding in the direction Clark left earlier, "You can tell by the way he looks at you…"

"I miss him too", she admitted.

"Then talk to him", Jimmy said, "Before you lose him for real…"

Lois watched him walk away, no doubt heading to cover for her and Clark.

As much as she wanted to take that advice, a part of her just couldn't. She turned toward the elevator and walked inside, leaning back against the wall as the doors closed.

~*~

He sat in his wheel chair looking out at the city. It looked exactly the same as the last time he'd seen it over a year ago. This city never changed. The only thing that changed was where he stood on the food chain. He was no longer on top, and he wasn't even mid level either.

No, he was bottom of the food chain and he didn't know why.

He couldn't remember how he'd ended up where he had.

About a year ago, he'd woken up in a small clinic outside of Dikson, Russia. He didn't even know how he'd gotten there. Eight months of his life had gone by, without his consent. The last thing he remembered was his father's death, and then everything went blank.

He woke up and had no feeling in his legs, he'd lost his entire life's work and all he could do was return to his home. Go home to where it all began almost a decade ago.

"Sir?"

He didn't answer. He stared intently at the city before him. The city that was once his city, that now belonged to costumed vigilantes.

"We've located Tess Mercer."

"Where", his voice was dry and cracking.

"Somewhere in the Cayman Islands, sir, a team is on its way now to bring her back stateside."

"Make sure she doesn't sense you are coming", he said.

"Of course sir, she'll be back within a day."

"On second thought", he said smiling, "Just kill her."

"Sir? But she could know-"

"She doesn't know anything I didn't want her to", he said looking at the new head of his security team, "Kill her, cover it up and don't let it trace back to me."

"Yes, Mr. Luthor."

He watched the man in a suit walk out of the room and turned back to the city.

"You had it coming Mercy. You shouldn't have double crossed me."

~*~

Chloe stood in front of her computers at Watchtower typing rapidly. She felt a gust of wind behind her smiled.

"Hey Clark", she said turning around to greet her best friend.

"Hey", he nodded, "You ready for lunch?"

"Give me just one second; I'm running coordinates for Canary."

He nodded and she turned back around continuing to work on her computers. Clark walked back into the office and stopped dead in his tracks, realizing there was someone else in the room.

"Lois", he said softly as she stared at him, and Chloe turned around.

"Hey Lo", Chloe smiled at her cousin, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry", Lois said softly, "I didn't know you had plans for lunch… I'll go now."

"Lois", Chloe called out to her, "Come with us."

"I can't, Chloe", she said sadly looking at Clark, "I'll call you later though. Love you."

Chloe nodded and watched her cousin walk out of the office. "Love you too."

She turned back to look at her best friend.

"Want to tell me what that was about?"

"I would if I knew."

"You weren't kidding when you said she was avoiding you like the plague were you…"

He shrugged.

"Clark, I know you… so stop acting like this doesn't bother you."

"I don't know what I did."

"Maybe, it wasn't something you did…"

He looked at her swiftly, "What else could it be then?"

"Have you ever thought that maybe she's still shaken up about what happened with the Phantom", Chloe said, "Ashamed and scared of what your reaction will be…"

"She didn't know it was me Chloe, she couldn't have known…"

"Yet, Lois figured it out before all of us", Chloe stated.

"Yeah", he nodded.

"Clark, I know you went through this with Lana before", Chloe said slowly treading murky waters when bring up his first love, "But are you sure that you're not pulling away from Lois so you can protect your heart from feeling the betrayal all over again?"

"I don't blame Lois, Chloe."

"No, I know. You blame yourself."

"She should never have been in that situation. I should have known, and protected her."

"Clark", Chloe said softly, "As your best friend I want you to listen to me, once and for all, not every bad thing that happens on this planet, or any other planet for that matter is your fault. You couldn't have known the Phantom would return, and seek out Lois. You couldn't have known Lana would become power hungry and steal Lex's suit. You couldn't have known Oliver would kill Lex. You couldn't have known Brainiac's plans for and you couldn't know about Davis Bloome being Doomsday…. Unless you've got psychic powers you've been keeping a secret…"

He smiled grateful for her rant.

"Thanks, Chloe."

"What are friends for", she shrugged.

~*~

"I need a wire to my offshore account in the Cayman islands", Oliver was saying into his receiver, "The same amount as last month…"

He looked up to find Lois in his doorway, and smiled acknowledging her presence.

"That's all, thanks", he said hanging up.

"Planning a trip to Paradise", Lois asked smiling.

"Something like that", Oliver smirked staring at the phone, "To what do I owe the pleasure…?"

"I came by to see if you had any lunch plans, Queen", Lois smirked.

"Actually, I figured you'd be with Clark or something…"

"Clark and I aren't seeing eye to eye these days", Lois said playing with her hands in front of her.

"Hey", Oliver said walking around his desk and taking her hands in his, "It's his loss… what are you in the mood for?"

"Anything", she said, "I'm just tired Ollie…"

Oliver nodded pulling her to him and hugging her tight.

"I know Lois, I know", he said, "How does Italian sound?"

"Real good", she mumbled into his chest.

"I'll order it and we can eat here", Oliver said pulling away, "And then you can tell me all about what's going on between you and Clark…"

She began to shake her head and he stopped her, cupping her face in his hands.

"Only if you want to."

She nodded.

"Thank you."

~*~

She turned around swiftly. Someone was following her. She ran farther, faster. She needed to get away. She'd get to a pay phone and call the emergency number he'd given her. He'd promised that someone would be there within minutes to help her. She just needed to get to the phone. She kept running. She didn't know where she was running to.

She turned around, looking behind her once again. She knew someone was following but she couldn't see anyone. She turned back in front of her and crashed into someone's chest. She fell on her back, looking up. Her eyes widened.

"Who-who are you?"

The man stepped out of the shadows and looked down at the scared woman.

"I don't think that matters", he said pulling out a gun.

He fired three times.

He lowered the gun, and walked around the body kneeling over it to inspect the wounds. He pulled out a cell phone and sent a text message.

~*~

Lex opened the phone to reveal a new message.

Tess Mercer is dead.

-Black Mask

Lex smiled closing the phone. He placed it on top of his desk and picked up a wooden paper holder, smashing the phone into pieces.