Grrrrr. FF.net completely messed up my html so this is the final try before I give up! I'm not really a part of this fandom any more (long story) but I discovered this the other day. It's a Hallowe'en story I wrote about this time last year and didn't summon the courage to post it until Christmas, by which time I thought it was too late. So here it is now, a little early this time as I'm jetting off to Spain tomorrow! Yay! I hope you enjoy it.

Be Warned: This is a Hallowe'en story, no WAFFy endings. :)

Winter Chills

As Lois stepped off the lift and walked into the newsroom, she sensed a change of atmosphere. Looking around, she couldn't see anything different, colleagues were laughing and flirting as usual. Smiling, she caught sight of Jimmy, the office gopher, trying to chat up the new girl from Marketing, what was her name again? Sally, wasn't it? However, as much as she tried to focus on such trivial thoughts, something about the laughter seemed forced. It was almost as if they'd sensed the atmosphere too and were trying to ignore it, perhaps trying a little too hard... Shaking her head to clear it of such silly thoughts, Lois chalked it up to typical Monday morning blues and headed for the coffee machine. Normally a very levelheaded person, it was unlike her to give in to such foolishness and she intended to stay that way. Stirring her coffee, she overheard a strange remark from a group of reporters in the corner,

"Yeah, that's what I heard! I mean, can you believe it? What sort of sicko..." Deeply curious, Lois picked up a nearby copy of the Daily Planet and pretended to skim through her article for errors as she listened in. She felt slightly guilty, but, wasn't it in her job description to come to the bottom of all the strange goings on in Metropolis? She would have just asked Leanne, but they didn't really get on that well. Sighing, Lois settled into a comfortable position to listen in. Unfortunately for Lois, it was just at that point that Perry, the editor-in-chief, walked out of his office.

"What in the Sam Hill's going on around here? I'm running a newspaper, not a social club. Get back to work, all of you!" As usual, no one was fooled by Perry's gruff exterior but they all knew when to obey the boss.

Realising that she wasn't going to hear any more information from Leanne, Lois settled down to finish the story she'd been working on since last Thursday. Just as she'd fired up the appropriate document, the phone rang. Sighing, she picked it up,

"Lois Lane." she barked, annoyed at being interrupted so early in the day. A muffled voice responded,

"Lois, it's Bobby." Lois immediately perked up; Bobby Bigmouth was her favourite snitch and had helped her reel in many award-winning stories. Unfortunately, Bobby's information always came at a price; the amount of food he could consume was amazing. "Listen, I head some strange things have been going on down Hobbs Bay. The word on the street is if you wanna stay warm for a bit longer, don't head that way."

"Warm? What d'ya mean?"

"Well, you didn't get it from me but someone down there has a fetish for ice. Only this guy, well, lets just say he probably started out small, flies, spiders, that sort of thing. Problem is, that wasn't enough for him. You know what I'm saying?" Stunned, Lois took a couple of seconds to answer,

"Thanks Bobby, I might even buy you that Christmas dinner you've been after this year!"

"One other thing Lois, I know it'd be pointless to tell you to hand it to the police--"

"Too right, there's a story in this Bobby, and I'm not letting go 'til I've planned it all out."

"Just take your partner with you, okay?"

"Clark? No way. It's my tip, anyway, just because Perry partnered us for a couple of stories doesn't mean he has to be let in on every tip I get." Lois suddenly realised she was talking to herself, Bobby had already gone. Sighing, Lois picked up her coat and headed to the lifts.

"Lois!" She turned around to see Perry heading towards her.

"Yeah, Chief? I'm just off to check out a tip, won't be long."

"Where's Clark? Shouldn't you two be doing this together?" Perry's voice held no room for argument. Sighing, Lois looked across at Clark's desk, but he wasn't there. Nope, nowhere in the newsroom at all.

"Gee, I'd love to take him but it looks like he's chasing his own leads. I'll see you later, Chief."

"Okay, but be careful Lois, don't get into too much trouble." Lois grinned impishly at him, gave a mock salute and entered the lift. Just because she had a certain talent for... what was it Clark had called it? Oh yeah, 'dangling over the jaws of death.' Honestly, how was she expected to expose a drug smuggling ring or whatever without getting into the heart of the investigation?

So, Hobbs Bay? Hmm, one of her least favourite parts of town, well, next to Suicide Slum of course. Whistling sharply, she flagged down a taxi and hopped in.

Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed when they reached as far as the taxis would go into the darker parts of Metropolis. Jumping out, she handed a few notes to the driver and headed down towards the waterfront. As soon as she'd stepped out of the taxi, she'd felt that cold chill hit her. She tried to convince herself that it was just the weather but something told her it was more than that. Shivering, she continued towards the cold, glittering mass of water. Then she stilled, was that footsteps she'd heard? Surely not. She started walking again and the footsteps continued. Breathing slowly, she evened her pace and waited until her trail crept closer. Timing it exactly right, she spun, expecting to surprise them. As she did, she became aware that there wasn't anyone there. Strange, she thought, she could have sworn she heard footsteps. After so many years in investigative journalism, she'd become adept at recognising these signs. Confused, she turned back and continued, a little uneasy.

As she turned, she heard an odd scraping sound, coming from a nearby alley. Cautiously, she crept towards the alley. The scraping grew louder. She crept a little closer and the scraping got louder still, louder, louder until it was all around her and she could hardly think. It seemed to call her, beckon her. She rounded the corner of the alley and saw at once what the scraping was. A young man sat on a cardboard box, facing away from her. He was dressed in a pinstripe business suit and his hair was neatly combed. However, it wasn't him that Lois was paying attention to.

In front of him was a huge ice block which he was patiently chipping and scraping at. At first he appeared to be doing it randomly, until you did as Lois did and stepped closer. There seemed to be a dark outline which he was following. Unclear and an odd shape, Lois tried to make sense of it. Craning her head this way and that and then squinting, she still couldn't make out the shape. Sighing lightly in frustration, Lois wondered if she should step nearer. Then, as if sensing her impatience, the man leaned forward and used a rag to wipe the frost off the ice slowly. Agonisingly slowly. Inch by inch the shape was revealed.

 He took one last, long swipe and all of a sudden, Lois wished he hadn't. Rooted to the spot, she realised that the twisted and hideous form was in fact human. Terror struck her even from this distance and Lois knew she wouldn't be able to survive a proper view, unclouded by layers of ice.

Then the man slowly stood up and turned around. Her previous idea of him as any other middle-class business man, straight off the street was shattered as she looked into his eyes. Deep, dark pools, large enough to drown in, Lois froze. A terrifying grin invaded his face and he beckoned for her to approach him. Unable to disobey, Lois moved towards him. As she neared, he turned towards the ice, breaking the spell of his eyes only to initiate a new spell. As Lois got a full view of the figure inside the ice, her eyes grew round. She bent down and picked up a chisel. Tap, tap, scrape, tap.