Rated R- Mild language and a tame love scene.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
ONE WEEK AFTER the story 'Terror At Crater Lake'.
After Lana was cured of her 'Sasquatch Syndrome', Lana, Oliver, Clark, Lois, Chloe and Jimmy got the Crater Lake campsite up to code in no time and soon, kids were frolicking around the area.
But it was back to the real world for the volunteers that had gotten the site together. And for two of them in particular, Clark Kent and Lois Lane, something happened that became sort of a beginning to their future and the things they lay ahead for them.
Only...Clark had no idea what the event was! He just remembered going to Lois's place, determined to get her to admit that there was something between them...and then nothing!
Clark would have asked Chloe for some clarification, but he had decided that he needed to keep his distance from her, until Jimmy could understand that he was not a threat. Which meant that he would have to ask Lois.
He pulled his red pickup into the parking lot of 'The Inquisitor' and looked around. Clark realized he had never been to Lois's second job before. The paper itself was in a shared three story office building. He could see that there was a dentist office, a printing company and some sort of pet bathing place. He made a mental note to bring Shelby there one of these days.
Clark began walking towards the door, when he spotted Lex's Mercedes parked nearby. What was he doing here? The sight of it made him hurry into the building and down the hall, until he found the door the 'The Inquisitor'. He opened it and noticed that no one looked at him. The staff was standing with their backs to the door.
They were busy looking at Lex, who was making some sort of speech. Whatever he was saying caused Lois to turn around and head towards her desk. She began gathering up her things! She saw Clark and looked relieved!
"Smallville, thank God!" she breathed, shoving some items in his hand. "I don't have a box! Help me carry this stuff down to the car."
"What's going on?"
"Lex just bought the paper. Why, I don't know but..."
"You would know, Ms. Lane, if you had listened to the rest of my speech." Lex said, walking up to them. Apparently the pep talk was over. Clark set the things down and gave Lex a cool look.
"Lex, you bought a newspaper...why?"
Lois picked up the things Clark had set down.
"Who cares?! I don't! Now help me get a move on, Smallville! And you can help too, Lex. Grab those pencil holders!"
"Lois, I don't want you to quit!" Lex huffed, having never dealt with a woman that moved around so much and talked a mile a minute! He didn't find those qualities especially attractive in women...then again, the purpose of buying this rag and getting close to Lois, was not about his personal pleasure necessarily.
Unless personal pleasure included sticking it to Clark.
Lois was already headed out of the door leaving Clark and Lex alone.
"I don't know what you're up to, Lex, but just know Lois is not Lana."
"Truer words have never been spoken. Look, I happen to feel that Lois is one of my best reporters. Instead of her seeing this development as hell crashing in, Lois should see this as an opportunity."
"To what? Stick it to Oliver and Lana again? Lex, it's clear you want to team up with Lois to get back at them. She doesn't want any part of it. You should move on."
Lex smiled. Yes, Clark, that's it! I'm doing this to get back at Oliver and Lana Queen! Keep believing that and I'll win yet!
Lex picked up two pencil holders and a plant and left the office. Clark began to pick up some folders, when a piece of paper fluttered out of one. Clark set the folders down and stared at it. He then smiled, looked around, folded the piece of paper and put it into his pocket. Clark picked up the folders again and walked out to the parking lot.
When he got outside, Clark saw that Lois was putting things into the trunk of the new car that Oliver and Lana had purchased for her, after hers got destroyed up at Crater Lake. He walked up to them and handed Lois her folders.
"Thanks, Smallville. Could you run back in and get my chia pet plant?"
Clark frowned and looked at Lex.
"You had that plant."
"Plant? Chia what? Lois...it was dead!" Lex huffed.
"It wasn't before you showed up on the premises!"
"I threw it away in the hallway there! Really I..."
"I'll have you know that chia pets are some of the most exotic plants on this earth! How could you?!"
Lex frowned. That plant hadn't looked very exotic to him! And the planter was in the shape of a mouse or something!
"I'll get you another one if you come back to work for me."
"I have a headache. Goodbye and good luck!" Lois sniffed. Lex took her arm and pulled her away from a watchful Clark.
"Lois, I want to give The Daily Planet some real competition. I want people to believe something they read first in OUR paper, instead of waiting to read it in the Planet to believe it for sure. I've read your stories and I want you to be my lead reporter. I can get you access into places that no reporter at the Planet could ever get."
Lois just stared at Lex. That did sound enticing...and she did like it here...
"I'll think about it."
"Please do. And just know that if and when you're ready to get to work here, I will have a new chia pet waiting for you."
Lois said nothing as Lex walked back into the building. He said nothing to Clark. Clark walked up to her.
"What was that all about?"
"I don't know...anyway, I'm glad to see you. You will be at your mother's Town Hall meeting tonight, right?"
Lois nodded and began walking back towards her car and talking to Clark.
"I think the turnout will be good. I know how much your mother wants to do something to raise money for all of the victims of Dark Thursday."
"Well, anything is better than taking money from the Luthors."
Lois gave him a sideways glance.
"Lionel will be so hurt."
"Don't mention him to me!"
Lois rubbed his arm sympathetically. Martha and Lionel seemed to be getting closer with each passing day. She knew she would vomit on the spot, if Lionel Luthor ever became a relative of hers!
"Actually," Clark began, "I'm here because I need to ask you about something?"
Lois opened her driver's side door and paused.
"Okay. What is it?"
"It's about a couple of days ago. This is going to seem crazy, but I swear I came to your apartment and then...then nothing."
Lois suddenly looked guiltier than hell! She coughed.
"Clark, it was no big deal, really."
"Why can't I remember anything about the visit?"
"Clark...why don't you just not try so hard to remember, okay?"
Clark didn't like the sound of that at all!
"Lois, if you don't tell me what's going on now..."
Lois looked around. No one seemed to be listening, even though Clark was getting kind of loud! She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards his pickup.
"Where are we going?" Clark asked, allowing her to drag him towards the truck.
"We're going to sit in here and talk. I'm going to tell you what you want to know."
They got into the pick up, with Clark sitting in the driver's seat. Lois coughed!
"Lois, no more beating around the bush here. What happened?"
LOIS''S SKETCHY FLASHBACK
Lois sat on her couch with her laptop in front of her. She had been trying to think of another word for 'Thief'. She was working on a story about some creep that stole money from talent shows in the area, and wanted to call it 'The Talent Show...?'
'Talent Show Thief' was so blah! She needed another word. She stood up to walk over to the bookshelf. There had to be a dictionary somewhere in here...
The door to the apartment just opened, and Smallville walked in.
"Smallville! We've had this talk before about just walking in here. Chloe isn't home."
"I'm sorry and I know she's not here. I'm here to see you."
Lois bit her lip and stared at him.
"If this is to thank me for nursing you through your illness, no thanks is needed." she said, turning towards the bookshelf again.
That was when Clark just took a chance. He walked up to her, took the dictionary she had reached for out of her hands, pulled her into his arms and kissed her! Lois, realizing that this was not Clark on drugs or affected my meteor rocks, let her passion get the best of her and made passionate love to him...in the living room...very mad passionate love...so mad that...well it put poor Clark Kent into a trance!
The trance didn't really bother Lois, so much as the fact that the only other man that she had had that type of affect on, had also been her first lover. Her highschool love. The one her father had hated. The one that still permeated her thoughts everytime she heard the old Whitesnake song, 'Is This Love' .
END OF FLASHBACK
Clark burst out laughing!
"You're kidding right?!"
Lois shrugged.
"Why would I kid about that? I was very upset, Smallville. I mean two hours went by, and you just were staring into space...and your hair was kind of sticking up. I put a blanket over you and continued typing on my computer. Finally Chloe came home, I lied and told her you had been affected by a meteor rock again and we both put your clothes on you and drove you home. You remember waking up on your living room couch, right? It was a bitch dragging you up that porch..."
"You ARE serious, aren't you?!"
Lois reached over and patted his cheek.
"Clark...it was too much for you. I'm too much for you. I understand that. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Now, I have to get going..."
Lois started to get out of the truck but Clark grabbed her arm in an almost vise like grip! Lois looked at his hand on her arm.
"Uh Smallville, do you want to let go of my arm before you get hurt?"
Clark loosened his grip on her arm but did not let go of her.
"I'm sorry. But you can't just tell me something like that and..."
Clark's cellphone rang. He let go of Lois to answer it. Lois opened the passenger side door and got out.
"Lois!"
"I see you have a phone call so I'll let you get to it. Your memory will come back in a couple of days I'm sure. Just don't make such a big deal over it, okay? See you tonight."
Lois closed the truck door and walked back to her own car. Clark looked from her to his phone I.D.. It was Oliver. And he was calling from the number they used for Justice League purposes...
"Yes?" was all Clark said.
"It's Oliver. We need to meet, maybe in your barn again? Bart and Victor will be with me."
"Fine. I'll see you in a bit." Clark said shortly, hanging up. He looked out of his driver's side window. Lois was backing out of her parking space and zipping off. He watched her leave the parking lot without signaling, causing someone to honk their horn at her!
Clark stared at Lois's empty parking space for a short while, before reaching into his pocket to look at the piece of paper he had found on Lois's desk. He couldn't wait for his 'memory' to clear up about this encounter!
Clark did not notice Lex staring at him from a window inside the building. In his hand, he held a file on Lois Lane. The way to get to know her better, was to know a little bit more about her background. It had just been delivered to him early this morning and he had not had a chance to read it yet. He would read it, then decide how he would use whatever he learned about her in the future. Just like the tape from Crater Lake.