No Place Like Home - Lokabrenna
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Though I wish I owned Lois sometimes.
Author's Note: This is the first piece of fiction that I've written in a long time. So I hope I got characterizations down. Unbeta-ed so all grammar mistakes and overuse/underuse of commas are mine. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
I wrote this mainly to work out my feelings on why Lois would return to Metropolis and to present my view on how she would interact with Clark post-arrival. S10 has been so amazing for Lois/Clark that I haven't felt the need to read fanfiction or even speculate because their onscreen relationship has, in all actuality, been better than fanfic. But here's my paltry offering anyway.
"My future is here in Africa." Lois had said that to Carter hours before and the falsity of her words still weighed heavily in her mouth. She knew nothing concrete about her future, least of all where she belonged. The night had come and she had found herself staring listlessly out into the inky blackness of the desert.
The excavation was over. She could go to the Planet's foreign desk, file her story and ask for an extension on her leave. Or she could go home. To Metropolis. To Smallville. To coffee on demand in the morning. To the Planet where her chair had the familiar groove, where the 'n' on her keyboard had to be hit doubly hard, to maple donuts and to special delivery kung-pao from Chinese Joe's. To Clark.
If anyone had told her years ago that Clark Kent would be the deciding factor in her returning home, she would have laughed and then asked if the meteor rocks caused brain damage. But here she was. Standing outside her tent in Egypt, wiping sand out of her eyes and pondering her next move.
Carter was right about a lot of things, Lois thought, as she stepped past the heavy drapes and into the lowlight of the lantern. But she didn't share his surety in her future besides Clark. She wasn't a reincarnated prince and his lover. Nor was she a super-powered hero.
She was just Lois.
She talked too much, ordered everyone around and never let anyone behind her walls. Not to mention, she intimidated most men. Poor Jeff. He could still barely look at her without blushing.
But she'd never intimidated Clark, had she? Sure, she'd flustered him for years but he always took what she dished out and returned it with gusto. He liked that she could compete with him, keep up with him and out-pace him. Again, he'd never admit those things but she'd see it in the quirk of his lips when she'd land the front page article, his hidden smile when she'd berate a bullish co-worker. She liked that he appreciated things about her that any other man would call flaws.
In turn, she did things for Clark that she had never done for anyone else. He'd scaled her walls and she'd duly torn them down for him. And though she'd run away, she was contemplating going back.
"Why is this so difficult?" Lois remarked to her reflection in the water basin. Her reflection shared her frustration but still didn't yield any answers.
She had two choices, she thought, as she paced the length of her tent. Lois gazed at her haphazard notes about the dig. She could stay in Africa and make a name for herself under Perry's mentorship. Or she could go home to Metropolis and Clark. She unconsciously traced his face on a well-worn photo. She'd carried that around for the entire duration of her trip.
She still didn't have any answers and her fears about her place in Clark's life were not wholly quelled. But she couldn't stay here. If her relationship with Clark was different from every other, then this was a defining moment, wasn't it? Lois had run from Oliver and the Green Arrow. She'd loved Oliver once but as she'd cried in Clark's arms, she'd known that that life, that destiny wasn't for her.
She loved Clark. She believed in him. She didn't know if she would be a hindrance or a help but she wasn't going to stay in stasis. She wanted to be with Clark. She belonged with Clark in a way that she had never belonged in Oliver's life or purpose.
But the Blur. Clark had made her a part of that. She'd shared in his triumphs and given him a voice. He'd come to her when he couldn't confide in her as Clark.
She'd shared in and fallen for both sides of the man.
Besides, she was Lois Lane. When had she ever cowered in a corner and made the safe choice?
Feeling a shot of determination streak through her, Lois picked up her cellphone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hello, Perry. It's Lois."
Lois grinned at Perry's cursing. God, she was going to miss Perry. "Sorry I woke you up, Chief. But I have an answer about staying in Africa after all."
Lois walked out of the elevators of the Daily Planet, her suitcase in hand. She might have technically lived at the Talon but the Planet had become such a part of her entity that when the cabbie had asked, "where to?", the words "The Daily Planet" had sprung so easily from her lips. She'd only been at the place for a few minutes and she was already feeling like she was back in the swing of things.
She'd nodded at Ron Troupe who was on his way out and she had awkwardly reassured Jeff who hadn't known she was arriving. He had had had a mini-breakdown from not being able to anticipate her breakfast needs.
Lois smirked. She'd gotten Jeff to steal a donut for her. Not bad at all. The kid was definitely going places.
Through the glass pane of the basement entrance, she could see Clark hard at work like an earnest schoolboy. She would have sworn that her heart skipped a beat if she wasn't a woman who mocked women whose hearts skipped beats. But she couldn't help it. That recalcitrant lock of hair falling against his brow. The intense look on his face when he was concentrating. Lois let out an unwitting hiss of breath.
And at that moment, like he'd heard her, (could he hear her heart skipping like an arrhythmia patient?) Clark Kent looked up to see Lois Lane framed against the basement entrance.
And he blinked.
Lois felt a bit insulted. She'd ran into his arms after he'd returned, thankyouverymuch. She was about to walk over to Clark's desk when all 6 foot 3 inches of Kansas farmboy stepped into her line of vision.
"You're home."
"Yes." Her heartbeat was getting all kinds of wonky, staring up into Clark's blue eyes.
Suddenly, there were arms wrapped around her tightly and Clark's familiar scent surrounded her. Oh yes. This was home. She wasn't sure about about a lot of things, but this, she knew.
"Glad to see you missed me, Smallville." At her words, he squeezed her tighter and buried his face in her hair. Oh Clark. Lois felt her heart contract. Clark Kent was going to give her a heart condition at this rate.
After an eternity, he drew away. "I'm happy you're home, Lois." Clark grinned at her and oh, she'd missed that smile. Prior to her departure, she'd seen it far too little.
"Happy to be home." Lois replied. "I can't wait to-" A flash of something disturbing caught her eye. "What's that on my desk, Clark?"
Clark glanced in the direction where she was pointing. He instantly looked sheepish. "Uh, when you were gone, Randall may have given me a new partner. Her name's Cat."
Lois raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really?" A partner with the bad taste to actually pay for a Hello Kitty mug. And the gall to put it on Lois's desk.
She glanced back at Clark who raised his hands in defense. "I told her not to, Lois." His eyes were dancing and soft again at the same time. "The only partner I have is you." And not just at the paper. Lois heard his unspoken words as clearly as if he'd spoken them.
She smiled at him, her gaze softening. "So, Clark. How are we going to handle this interloper?"
Clark smiled. He'd noted the use of the collective "we". "We could just ask Randall to reassign her, y'know. Now that you're back."
Lois was amused. Clark could be adorably naive sometimes. If this was Cat's big break, no way in hell would she calmly go away. "Sure. And if she doesn't go quietly, I'll handle her." She cracked her knuckles for emphasis.
"Oh?" Clark raised his eyebrows." I didn't realize journalism was so cut-throat."
And that right there, Clark, is why you have so much to learn."
No one else I'd rather learn it with, Lois."
They stood grinning at each other again. Clark started to say something and then a far away look came across his face. He sighed and gestured at the entrance. "Lois, can we talk later? I have a..." Clark's voice trailed off and he looked panicked. "Um...I have a thing to..um.."
In that moment, Lois understood. He must have heard someone who needed the Blur. She was insanely proud of Clark for all that he did for the city. But he really needed help with making excuses.
"A story to follow up on, right? The news never stops, not even for Lois Lane." Lois winked at him. "I'll see you later, Clark."
He'd smiled quickly and then he was gone. Lois stood staring in the general direction that Clark had taken. Suddenly, an intern yelled that the Blur was saving lives at a traffic accident and Lois turned to the mounted television. She glanced at the blurred figure that held an entire newsroom in rapt attention.
Clark was using his gifts to help people and it made her love him even more. When he came back and she felt ready, they were going to have a conversation about everything between them. She didn't have all the answers yet and she instinctively felt that he didn't either. But maybe, they could figure it out together.
In the meantime, there was an issue about an interloper to deal with.
Lois spotted Randall out of the corner of her eye. "Randall!" She gesticulated wildly to her desk. "Hello Kitty, Randall! My desk! It's tainted!"
At Randall's elaborate roll of the eyes, Lois grinned and elbowed a surprised Jeff. "I can see what Dorothy meant now, Toto. No place like home."