A/N: There have been some changes to the Smallville canon to fit the story (what I would have liked to see…) You'll notice that some events happen in a different order, and at some point it strays from the continuity all together. Spoilers: Spell, Transference
Ch 1 – Dance With a Devil
"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" -The Joker, Batman
A small group of teenage boys exited the doors of the gymnasium. Laughing, a tall young man with dark hair tossed something at one of his friends as he separated from the group. With a wave, he turned and began walking toward the side of the building, where a small field separated the gym from the main school building.
"Smallville! Nice to see ya."
Clark recognized the voice and stopped. He hadn't given any attention to the girl leaning against her car as he passed.
"Lois, what are you doing here? I thought getting you into Met U would get you out of Smallville for good," he said, dropping his gym bag in the grass as he turned to face her.
Lois smirked and walked toward him. "If I didn't know you better, my feelings might be hurt by that."
Hooking her thumbs in the belt loops of her jeans, Lois scanned the area, noticing Clark's friends in the gym's parking lot.
"I got the Cold Pizza play-by-play of the championship game, so I know football is over. Please don't tell me you've decided to become a jock strap."
Clark shrugged sheepishly. This was his senior year and he was finally being allowed to join athletic teams. After spending so much of his high school career on the outside of the 'in' crowd of jocks and cheerleaders, he felt a little embarrassed that he enjoyed his new popularity. "I, uh, decided to try out for wrestling."
"Are you serious?" Lois asked unbelievingly. "Wrestling? A bunch of boys wriggling on a mat is your idea of fun?"
Clark sighed. In selecting a sport he had to think about how well he could control his abilities. Basketball, as much as he enjoyed it, had more contact involved then football did. He didn't want a repeat of the accident that broke an opponents collarbone. Wrestling, being one-on-one competition, allowed him a greater chance of focusing. He was also getting a lot of practice in managing his strength and quickness at close range.
"I hate to think what your idea of fun is, Lois."
Deciding that the twinkle in her eyes meant that she was joking, Clark continued. "So now that we know what I'm doing here…"
"I'm waiting for Chloe. She's wrapping something up with that paper of hers. I'm out here because if I go inside, she'll make me type something- and that is definitely not my idea of fun," she finished, laughing.
"Wrestling, huh?" Lois asked, doing a sweep of Clark from head to foot with her eyes. "I bet I could show you a few moves."
Trying not to blush as her gaze reached his, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Sure Lois," he responded sarcastically.
Lois raised and eyebrow. "I could," she assured him. "Black belt in judo, you know. It's not the same as crawling on a mat, but it could help your timing and coordination. You want to try?"
"No, thanks." Clark shook his head.
Lois was unlike any girl he had ever met. She and Chloe shared the art for quick witty commentary, but Lois exuded a confidence and swagger that her cousin lacked. She seemed to always get in the way and turned up when he least expected it. As he leaned to pick up his bag, a shove from behind sent him head first toward the ground. Tucking into a roll, he landed on his back. The expanse of sky above him was soon blocked from his view by the frame of Lois Lane smiling down at him.
"That's wasn't very good," she told him, reaching down to help him up. "Come on, Clarkie. Play with me."
His eyes narrowed at the sound of the new detested nickname. As much as hearing her call him "Smallville" grated his nerves, it was better than that mockingly sweet tone she took with "Clarkie". He couldn't help but laugh once he was standing. Besides, learning a few of her judo moves couldn't hurt.
They moved further into the field and he mimicked her stances. After a few minutes, Clark decided to show off a bit and moved in for a soft throw to get her back for the earlier shove. Exerting the tiniest bit of extra speed, he was able to get her off balance.
Lois stumbled backwards and crouched into a roll as she fell. Bracing with her hands, the roll brought her back to her feet within seconds. Clark laughed as she brushed grass off her jeans. Both of them were impressed with the other's skill.
"You learn fast," she told him, as she moved closer. Grass mingled with the strands of hair in her ponytail. "You'll like this one."
Before he knew what was happening, she had moved behind him and had a lock around his neck. Using a knee for leverage, she knocked him off-center and completed her throw. He was heavier than she compensated for, so as he fell, she went with him. With a little yelp, she landed next to him on the ground in a tangle of limbs. When they looked at each other, they both burst into laughter.
Once they calmed a bit, they moved to untangle themselves. Lois' leg was trapped underneath Clark in such a way that the best way to free it was for them to roll to the side. When they did, she found that she was lying fully on top of him.
Suddenly, both of their breathing patterns slowed and their gazes locked.
"Uh," Lois swallowed, finding her throat dry.
Neither one of them knew who moved first. It could have been Lois leaning down, or Clark leaning up, but the effect was the same. As their lips met, Clark's arms wrapped around her tightly. Lois' hands crept into his hair as the kiss deepened.
Coherent thought was impossible for Clark. He was only aware of flashes of emotions. He felt a release of a tension that he hadn't known was there flooding through his body. It was like sinking into a fluffy mattress… like floating might feel. A groan escaped from him as they briefly separated to breathe.
Lois fought the urge to make sense of what was happening. It felt too good to stop, so she pressed her lips back to his, struggling to get closer than they already were.
The feeling of their tongues meeting jolted both of them, and they pulled away, panting. At some point they had rolled, and now Clark was gazing down at her with a conflicted expression. Without speaking, they both sprang to their feet, an awkward tension settling in the air between them.
"Uh," Clark muttered, unknowingly repeating Lois' earlier statement. "I'd better be going… Should, um, help my dad…"
"Yeah," Lois nodded, raking a hand through her ponytail to remove grass. They began walking toward his bag.
"We need to talk about Chloe's surprise party… I mean, not right now, but… later…" She was uncharacteristically tongue-tied.
They were avoiding looking at each other. Clark retrieved his bag and walked with Lois back to her car. "The party, yeah… okay."
As Clark turned to go, their eyes met. Lois bit her lip and nodded to say goodbye. She watched him walk away and stood in a daze staring in the direction that he'd taken when he left.
"Sorry I took so long!"
Lois blinked and frowned at her cousin. "Huh?"
Chloe glanced in the direction Lois had been looking but saw nothing. "I said, sorry I took so long. You okay?" she asked as she studied Lois' face.
"Yeah, sorry. I just, um, was lost in thought." She reached over and pulled Chloe into a fierce hug.
Lois still sometimes had trouble reconciling the fact that Chloe hadn't died when her house blew up. It had taken her 2 months to come to terms with the report that her cousin had been killed. A report she was glad to say was greatly exaggerated. Since her dad had refused to give her any details, Lois had decided to find out for herself what happened. Her crusade sparked the trip to Smallville that led to meeting Clark Kent and saving the life of a very much alive Chloe Sullivan.
Chloe smirked as the hug ended. "You've got grass in your hair," she said as she pulled a blade from Lois' head. "What'd you do, roll in it?"
Lois shrugged and brushed it out of Chloe's hand. "Come on; I'll drive. We can come back for your car later."
As they left the parking lot, Chloe fiddled with the radio. "Where are we going?"
Lois smiled and shook her head. "Nope- not telling. We're celebrating your entrance into adulthood!"
"It's not my birthday yet."
"I know, but I can't make it down next week, so I thought we'd hang out early."
"Seriously? But I think Lana is planning a surprise party for me!"
Lois sent a dry look to her passenger. "Chlo, it's not a surprise if you know about it."
"I know, but so what. I'm so excited. You sure you can't make it?" Chloe pleaded, hoping to sway her cousin with a puppy dog-eyed look.
Lois laughed. "Sorry, no can do, but hopefully this will make it up to you."
"I can't believe you even got Lana to come!" Chloe exclaimed as they pulled up outside the Sullivan's apartment building. After the night they had, Lois decided to crash at Chloe's for the night. She would drop Chloe off to get her car before she headed back to Metropolis.
"And those ID's! How did you get them?" Chloe asked, as they entered her room.
Lois glanced at her cousin out the corner of her eye. "I take the fifth on that question in fear that you might decide to do an expose on Met U's fake ID syndicate."
"I mean, I have my own, but I think the one you got me tonight is my fave," Chloe giggled, holding the card up. Lois smiled. It was a good picture at least.
"How did you come up with the name?" Chloe asked. "I mean, really… Vicki Vale?"
Lois rolled her eyes. "What can I say? I'm partial to double initials!"
At that comment, they both started laughing.
Lois had gotten fake ID's for herself, Chloe and Lana so they could celebrate at a club in the city. Monitoring her cousin's drinks, Lois had found herself being the designated adult as Chloe and Lana dabbled with freedom. It really hadn't bothered her that much, though, since she had accomplished her objective. Chloe had fun, and thought that since Lana had come, this was really the surprise party she was expecting. A good thing, too, because now she was off their trail and would really be surprised with the party they were planning for following weekend.
"I really wish your dad had accepted Luthor's help so you guy's could get a bigger place," Lois commented as she grabbed a T-shirt from Chloe's drawer to sleep in.
Around her toothbrush, Chloe responded. "Dad doesn't trust anyone connected to the Luthor's."
"Even Lex? He helped me get into Met U."
"Yeah," Chloe agreed, thinking about her recent summer adventure. "He seems okay. Clark and he are friends, but that's not good enough for my dad. Anyway, this place works for both of us. Besides after graduation, it'll be just him."
Lois supposed she was right, but still was glad Chloe's dad was out of town that night so she wouldn't have to sleep on the floor. The living room of the apartment had been converted into a bedroom so there was no couch to crash on.
Unsettling dreams kept Lois tossing through the night. She didn't think that she ever was fully asleep because when the dreams strayed into an area she didn't like, she would shake herself awake, attempt to clear her thoughts, and try to sleep again. Each of her dreams depicted an encounter with the same stranger, although all were in different settings. The unsettling part was that her dream companion was not unknown to her after all. She would recognize that physique anywhere… and unfortunately for her sanity, the memory of it naked was not easily shakable.
tbc