NEW STORY! It's probably been done but what the hey, I'll write it anyways.
Author's Note: I don't own Smallville or it's characters or else Lana would have been booted off a LONG TIME AGO!
Enjoy!
Clark entered The Planet, a warm cup of coffee in his hand and small smile on his face. Today had been a good morning, he had woken up bright and early, done some chores on the farm, fed Shelby and written up his article for Perry all before heading over to work. Plus, he hadn't had to rush off somewhere to save someone. All in all, it had been a quiet morning, something Clark Kent hadn't had in a long while. As he walk over to his desk, he couldn't help but take in the bustling energy of his workplace; the rapid tapping of keyboards and the smell of stale coffee. Clark was about to sip some of his coffee when a stealthy hand came in from the corner of his vision, his hand suddenly empty.
"Mmm. Thanks, Smallville. Just what I needed." Lois sipped the coffee, ignoring Clark's perplexed look as he glanced from his now coffee-less hand to Lois.
"Lois!" He called after.
She turned to him, her face questioning. "What?"
Clark shook his head, a small smirk on his face. "Never mind."
"Lane! Kent!"
Lois rolled her eyes as Perry waved them over from his office.
"What's Perry want now?" Clark asked as he fished around for his article.
"Probably want's us to write some fluff piece on Mayor Wilson's new campaign." She said with some mild contempt.
"Come on, Lois. That was good story." Clark said, as he walked beside her to Perry's office where they could both see him sitting at his desk, watching them approach.
"It was a boring story."
"I thought we did a good job."
"Oh we did. It was just boring." She opened the door, throwing him a smile before entering.
"Ah, my two best reporters." Perry started before Lois let out a hard laugh.
"Oh no. Whenever you start out a meeting with "My two best reporters", I usually end up in some ridiculous costume while Clark here ends up in..." She looked Clark over up and down, "Whatever the hell he wears."
"I thought that chicken suit you had on last time was really...cute." Clark retorted while Perry gave a small chuckle in the background. Lois gave them both looks.
Perry finished his small laughed and coughed into his hands before placing a look of seriousness on his face.
"Lois, the reason for my buttering you up wasn't for another display of theatrics on your part." He shuffled a bit, "Maybe you should sit down." He suggested, waving his hands to the two chairs.
Clark sat down without question, his body and mind suddenly alert but Lois wasn't. She glanced from the chair to Perry to Clark then back to the chair.
"What is it, Perry?"
"Maybe you should sit." He suggested one more time, a bit more commanding in his tone.
She crossed her arms, her normal stance of defiance. "No!"
"Fine!" Perry took a moment, laying both hands on his desk, "It seems that Raymond Sacks has been released." He said very slowly, watching Lois the entire time. Perry hadn't been there at the time but enough time at a newspaper and you eventually hear everything including a corrupt District Attorney throwing Lois off The Daily Planet's roof.
Lois' arms unfolded and she started to pace, her face scrunched in fury. Clark and Perry watched her go back in forth, to afraid to say anything in case she might throw them off the roof.
"That leech throws me off the roof and and he get's to walk!" She seethed threw clenched teeth.
"Mind you he's been in jail for awhile now, Lois. His lawyers have had to time to appeal his case."
"What case?!" She shouted, throwing her hands up in frustration. "He gave me an unwanted nose-dive off our roof! I was hanging on a pole! I FELL!"
Clark watched her surprised at her outburst. This wasn't a common Lois Lane reaction. He watched her closely, and discovered the slight shaking of her body and the increased pace of her heart.
Maybe that close encounter with death had really scared her after all. It sure had for him. Even right now, a small bubble of anger at Sacks bloomed within him. He wanted so much to hold her, tell her he was there for her but Lois always had a thing with her personal space and the editor's office wasn't the best of places to have a warm embrace.
He turned to Perry, hoping to steer the conversation away from Sacks and calm Lois down a bit.
"So, what's the story?"
"No, story...I just wanted to let you know." Perry said, one on Clark and one eye on Lois, which was rather difficult since know she was starting to play with his 'Reporter Of the Year' award.
"Where Sacks right now?" Clark asked. "He's not in Metropolis, is he?
Perry, his eyes glued to the award that Lois was now tossing from hand to hand, shook his head, his body jerking every time she caught it in one hand and threw it to the other.
"Uh. No. He's...in Star City at the moment which is for the best."
Lois scoffed."Yeah, for him!" She finally placed the award back on the desk to Perry's sweet relief.
"Well, all this great news has made me hungry. I'm going to lunch." She stood up off the desk, and headed for the door.
"Maybe you should take the day off, Lois?" Clark suggested from behind her.
"Please, I'm not going to let someone like Sacks," She spit his name out, "Hole me up in my apartment with every flavor of Ben and Jerry to my disposal. Plus, I have a deadline." She said as an afterthought.
"That's my girl!" Perry shouted as they left.
"So, where do you want to do lunch, Clark?" She asked placing her coat on. He was about to answer when a sudden jingle from her purse interrupted him. He watched as she jumped for it, fishing around frantically before finding it and flipping it open.
"Lane. Mmm Hmm. Where? I can be there in fifteen." She flipped the phone closed and stared off into the distance for a moment.
"Lois?"
"Huh? Oh, right. Looks like we'll be skipping lunch. I just got a tip about a drug trade down at the docks. Care to join?" She grabbed her purse and made way for the door, Clark fumbling behind her for his coat.
"Lois, do you think that's such a great idea?" He placed his body in front of her causing her to run into him. He caught her arms, "Drug trade? That's sounds dangerous. Maybe we should call the police?"
"Come on, Clark. When did reporter's ever get by by 'calling the police'?" She pulled herself free from his grip, suddenly cotton mouthed. "Plus, we'd be doing them a favor. God knows they get a bad enough rap."
"Lois, I just don't-"
She spun to face him, her finger placed closely to his lips. If he wanted to, he could have easily moved forward and kissed her finger.
"Don't even finish that sentence. If anything happens to you, I'll call the police." She said with a cheeky smirk. She pulled her finger back, giving Clark an assuring pat on the arm. "Don't worry, Smallville, I got your back."
It's not my back I'm worried about. He thought as he followed her up the stairs.
"Well Lois, if this doesn't look like a perfect setting for a trap, then I just don't know what is." Clark observed sarcastically from the passenger seat. Lois gave him an exasperated look before turning the car off.
"Really, Clark? Why would my tip send me off into a trap? I pay him good money. More money then he deserves but money nonetheless."
"Someone must be paying him better money if he told you to come here."
Lois turned to the warehouse she had parked in front of, suddenly very unsure of herself. She bit her lip as she looked at the boarded up windows, the peeling pain that exposed the rusted metal of the building. She could imagine the hordes of rats that lived there, and it didn't help her argument against Clark, that this warehouse was at the very back of the docks, making them hidden from any people who might trail along.
"Okay, so this place does look sketchy." She admitted, "But you have to admit this does look like the perfect place for a drug trade to go down. Let's just check it out." She ordered, getting out of the car. Clark followed her to the one exposed window they could find.
"I don't see anything." Clark commented, squinting his eyes to add to the effect. He could see inside and all he saw was leaking pipes and rotting wooden boards. He expanded his hearing, which confirmed the leaking pipes but also a heartbeat, a slow heartbeat. He turned his head to better hear and was rewarded with small shallow breaths of a man clearly in pain.
"Someone's in there."
"Really? I don't see anything?" Lois whispered, squinting her eyes to see what Clark could only hear.
"He sounds like he's in pain." Clark looked around for a door and spotted it a few feet down from them. It was rusted and worn down, easy enough to open without the use of his super strength. Lois and Clark creeped inside slowly, Clark in front to Lois' annoyance. She slipped her heels off, using her feet to gouge where she was.
"I think I see him!" She whispered into his ear. Clark looked in the direction she was looking at. She was right. They could see the outline of a man through whatever small light filtered in. Clark rushed to him, a slow sicking feeling entering his body but he didn't think of it at the time.
"Are you okay?" The closer he got to the the weaker he got until he pulled back a bit. Suddenly the warehouse lit up in a strong emerald green light. Clark keeled over in pain as the rushing hum of Kryptonite filled his system in pulsating flows.
"Clark!" Lois screamed, rushing to his side.
"Get...the...man..." He gulped out, the pain weakening his vision until Lois was just a blur.
She shook her head, confused at was happening but she followed his orders, making her way over to the man. With slight shaky fingers, she started to rip the duct tape off, swearing as she struggled with it.
"It's okay. I'm a reporter. I'm here to help." She said, finally ripping the duct tape off. "Oh, sorry!" She said when he grunted from the pain. She moved on to his blindfold, working out the knot before it loosened enough for it to fall off.
Lois stiffened, her eyes widening as she now looked into the eyes of Raymond Sacks, who couldn't keep the grin off his face at her surprised look.
"You!" She hissed, backing away slightly.
"Hello, Miss. Lane. Missed me?" He said, standing up.
"About as much as I miss a good hangover." She spat back, her trademark sarcasm coming to play.
"And I see you brought your partner, Clark Kent." Sacks observed, making his way to Clark.
"Don't you dare!" Lois screamed, running over to hit Sacks but she stopped mid-swing as he pulled a gun out of nowhere.
Clark struggled to get up but just the movement of turning over sent more spasms of pain. He watched through pained eyes as Sacks pulled the gun up to Lois' head.
"Mind your temper, Lane." He ordered, pulling the safety back.
"Do you know what I went through in there! All the pain!"
Lois smirked, even though she could feel the barrel of the gun pressed hard into her scalp. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to drop soap, Sacks."
With a frustrated roar, Sacks pulled his hand back, slapping Lois hard across the face until her snapped back and she fell to the ground.
All Clark could do was watch helplessly as she struggled to sit up, throwing him a reassuring smile through blood stained lips.
"And by who?! By some would be reporter!" He screamed, pushing Lois back down to the ground. He bent down to her struggling body, his eyes wide with madness.
"You know, in jail, I learned some interesting things." He bragged to her softly, pulling hair off her face. She turned away from him, disgusted. "I learned some ways to really torture a person."
"Like what? Make them listen to one of your campaign speeches?" She taunted.
His lips pulled back into a snarl and he stood up, looking down at her with pure hate.
"You'll see, Lois Lane. I chose this place specifically so I could enjoy the sounds of your screaming without the worry of interruption."
"People know I'm here" She said, her eyes filling with worry.
Sacks looked at her with a knowing smile, "No they don't. See, you're sloppy like that. What would your father think of that?"
He turned to Clark, "You were an unexpected surprise but I made sure to bring some friends along." He pulled a meteor rock from his pocket, the green rock growing brightly as he pushed it closer to Clark's face. He screamed in pain while Lois watched in horror.
"Stop it!" She screamed.
Sacks turned to her but not before placing the rock on Clark's trembling chest.
"You don't know, do you?" Lois stared at him in confusion. "No, you don't. See, in prison you hear a lot of things and really doesn't help when half those prisoners have been placed in there by none other then Clark Kent himself...or should I say...The Blur."
Lois stared at him in shock before letting out a hard laugh. "You really are insane if you think that Clark Kent is The Blur."
He ran over to her, pulling her chin into his hands and dragging her roughly over to Clark, "LOOK AT HIM! LOOK!" He screamed, pushing her into Clark's sweaty face. "Now, what kind of normal human being reacts to meteor rocks that way?!" He spat. Lois, stared at Clark's pleading eyes.
"No." She shook her head.
"You've known all along, Miss. Lane. YOU KNOW WHAT HE IS!" He screamed into her ear. She shook as the realization she had tried so hard to keep hidden came crashing forward.
"Clark?" She pleaded, watching as he closed his eyes in pain.
"And now, I'm going to kill two birds with one stone. Lois Lane and The Blur." He stated, grabbing the gun off the chair he had placed it on. Lois, stared at Clark, tears forming in her eyes.
"I'm going to get us out of this and then I'm going to kill you!" She whispered. She slowly lifted herself up into a crouch, swing her leg around and throwing Sack's feet out from under him. When he landed with a hard grunt, she kicked the gun from his hand, where it slid off into the darkness and aimed a hard ax-kick to his chest, knocking the breath out of him.
"Come on, Clark! Get up!" She commanded, leaning over to help him up.
"The meteor rock." He breathed out slowly. "You have to get it away from me." His voice was shallow and came out in half breaths.
"Fine." She muttered. Clark threw his head back in enough time to see the heavy metal pipe being lifted fast over her head. He watched in slow motion as it came down hard, hitting her head with a sicking thud that vibrated through Clark's body.
"LOIS!" He cried out as her body crumpled to the ground, unmoving.
Anger heated his vision and for the first time Kryptonite held no avail over Clark as he stood to full height, all pain gone and his face masked in pure rage.
Sacks stared at him in horror, swinging the pipe at Clark in desperation but it did nothing but bend oddly as it struck Clark's chest.
Sacks stared at the piped, his eyes wide with surprise. "Shit!"
With a raging yell, Clark hit Sack's full on in the chest, taking sick pleasure in hearing and feeling the bones break. He didn't even watch Sack's body slam pitifully into the farthest wall, his body imprinting into the hard metal. He turned to Lois, his eyes filling with tears as he saw the blood dripping down her face.
"Lois?!" He whimpered, picking up her soft body. His breath caught in his throat as tears fell down her face. Without thinking he super speed to the hospital, not caring if someone saw him, just as long as Lois was okay. Lois needed to be okay.
"Clark!" Chloe called out to him as she rushed into his arms, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "Is she going to fine? Please tell me she's going to be fine!"
Clark pulled her down and Chloe stared at his face, void of any emotion. "They don't know." His voice was still, falling flat.
"She's still in surgery. The doctor's won't tell me anything!" He spat, his eyes flaring with rage.
"It's okay, Clark." Chloe reassured, pulling him up and into a closet. "I'm sure she'll be fine." She said more to herself. Clark watched more tears fall down the invisible tracks of previous ones and his cold demeanor crumbled as he pulled Chloe into another hug.
"I can't lose her, Clark." She sobbed into his chest. "I just can't."
Clark pulled back as he hearing suddenly filled with a familiar heartbeat. He grabbed Chloe's shaking hand and pulled out of the closet as Lois' gurney came into view. Clark's heart fell into his descending stomach as he saw her bandaged head and stitched lip. As she was wheeled by, he brushed her hand softly, flinching at how cold it was.
"Are you Miss. Lane's family?" Came a soft voice behind them.
"I'm her cousin." Chloe spoke up, tearing her eyes away from Lois as they wheeled her into the room.
The doctor tried to give her an impression of a smile but it came out as a grimace, "We were able to alleviate a lot of the swelling which is good but it'll probably be awhile before she responds let alone wake up."
"But will she wake up?" Chloe interrupted.
The doctor hated this part of her job, it was the one part of the job she would give anything to skip.
"If everything goes well...she should" She said softly. She turned and left, her heart going out to them.
Clark stood in hard silence as Chloe flicked her phone open. "I'm calling Oliver."
Clark ignored her, turning to Lois' room and closing the door. Chloe didn't object but just watched him before going back to her phone call.
He stared at her before forcing himself to move to her bedside. He looked her over, shocked at how small she looked against the white of the bedsheets. He pulled a chair over, sitting down and grabbing her hand. He watched as his thumb rubbed over the outside of her hand and suddenly he crumbled, his hard sobs muffled by her sheets. He lifted his head with a hard breath.
"You'll wake up, Lois." He told himself because it was better then sulking in his thoughts were Lois didn't wake up. His mind flip flopped, going from assurance to anger as he blamed himself for everything. He lifted his face to hers, placing a soft kiss to her forehead. He placed his lips to her ears, his voice pleading.
"Lois, please wake up. I need you, Lois." He laid his head against hers, careful not to hurt her. "I love you, Lois Lane." He said these words softly, words he had wanted to say to her for the longest time. He felt a sudden shiver and his eyes snapped open, an expectant smile on his face. It was moments like these that Clark thanked his alien heritage as he picked up the subtle difference in her breathing that no human could have. It was stronger and more controlled and he almost cried out in joy as he heard her soft whimpers escape her lips.
Jumping up, Clark ran to the door. "Chloe!" He called to the blonde who was talking into her phone. She glanced up to his excited face, and realization hit her hard. She ran over, pushing her body through the door and over to her cousin, who's eyelids now flickered with movement.
"Lois?" She whispered hesitantly, regretting it for a moment, afraid that it would send her catapulting back into her coma but Chloe cried out as her cousin slowly opened her eyes to the glaring hospital lights.
Clark practically jumped for joy as he watched Lois open her hazel eyes to the world.
"Lois?" Chloe asked again, her hand holding strong to Lois'.
Slowly and with much hesitation, she opened her eyes to two dark figures. One was a short petite blonde with big green eyes puffy and red, and a large smile that transformed her face. The other was a tall muscular man with soft blue eyes and black hair, who's smile strangely made her feel tingly though she didn't know why. Confusion filled her and she pulled her hand away from the blonde's, who's smile faltered.
"Lois?"
"Who are you guys?" She croaked, her mouth dry and weak. She flickered her eyes around the room, the light still too strong to pinpoint any familiar locations. "Where am I?"
"Oh god no. Please." Chloe whispered, her eyes closing in panic.
"Lois? You don't remember?" Clark asked softly, the reality of the situation was one he was trying hard not to admit.
She glanced at him, her face confused, "I don't even know who Lois is?"
And just like that, Clark's world crumbled.