*•* I do not have any ownership of Smallville, or the characters. I do however own my own words so may everything good in this world help you… if you use them without my permission.

:p

Sorry if this reads chopping I can't seem to gather enough brain power to focus on the words…

Chapter_two:

Lois took the stairs from the plane in two huge bounds, nearly running into a waiting Oliver Queen. He was dressed crisply in a suit, standing impassively and avoiding her eyes as he placed a hand on her back to steer her towards the large silver building. The night here was darker than that of the city and it took flashes from the planes lights hitting against silvery building in short bursts to illuminate the lettering that read "Star Laboratories".

Lois was single minded in reaching Clark as she reached for the buildings door but Oliver stopped suddenly, turning to putting his hands on her shoulders. Impatient Lois tried to turning to shrug free of his hold but Oliver's voice stopped her. "Lois, I need you to listen to me." His voice shook… and he got her attention. "Do you remember Davis Bloome?" Lois nodded, her hand still on the door and he continued. "He's changed Lois I don't know what he is, but I've never seen anything like it. He came out of nowhere this afternoon ripping through the League like we were nothing. He said he was looking for Superman."

"Oliver." Lois whispered an impatient edge to her tone.

"He was hurt pretty bad Lois", Oliver finally said. "J'onn has him exposed to some intense light thing that is supposed to…" He stopped short giving a tight shake of his head.

Lois nodded an understanding. "Lois", Oliver's grip on her tight enough for her to notice "He's going back… Its not over… it's not dead."

Her heart skipped… Lois met Ollies' eyes and could see what he had been hiding. Fear. He was afraid.

"Ollie what is it?"

"Lois, I don't know if any of us in the League are powerful enough to stop him. I don't know if Superman is strong enough to stop him."

Together she and Oliver approached a set of gleaming silver doors. The floor beneath her vibrated and the only sound she heard was something like a whirling engine.

Walking thru the doors Lois and Oliver moved into a large room, just as clean and glossy as the rest of the building. J'onn was the first person she saw and a touch to her mind from him told her where Clark was.

Centered across from her a large silver capsule at the far side of the room was vibrating slightly, with a brilliant gold light eeking threw a thin slat in the front. A handful of Leagues members were fanned out into various positions in the room, none of them were standing. Most were leaning or lying. All of them looking like they had been dragged behind a truck for about a day.

J'onn approached her and wordlessly Lois pulled a small black box from her jacket pocket and pressed it into his hand, meeting his eyes with a warning look. In the room the sound she had heard from the hall was amplified and the vibrations powered through the room like a generator. J'onn approached the capsule and depressed a lever on the side of the machine. The light from the slat blazed for a moment more before fading and the roaring vibrations quieted down to a hum before falling silent. Without the light from the chamber, the lighting had dimmed to a softer glow. J'onn placed a hand over the capsule and it split in half allowing Superman to step out.

She took a step forward. Clark. She wanted to go to him butthere were rules while he was Superman, it was imperative that she protected the only aspect of Superman she could. His secret.

Superman leaned heavily on the capsules door and looked like he might at any moment fall. He looked awful. His suit was in tatters around his body, the cape all but a memory to the suit.

She felt Oliver move forward at her side, looking at Oliver, she saw relief on his face. Her mind wondered what he looked like before they put him in. J'onn moved forward then, only touched shoulders with him as he moved to sit on only bed in the room.

J'onn looked in her direction and she could feel him on her mind, like a caress. When he spoke his voice was passionless "We have less than an hour." Wordlessly the league members rose and filed out of the room followed lastly by Ollie who brushed a hand across her shoulder as he passed.

She had to stifle her irritation at the formality of it all, like she seeing someone at their death bed. J'onn was the last to leave; his voice was warm with that odd lilting quality. " We only have less than an hour."

Lois waited for the last sound of the door closing before moving toward the bed. He was lying now with his eyes closed, but the moment she reached for his hand his eyes fluttered open. His brow pushed together for a moment and she wondered if he had even known she was there. He made a gesture; like he was going to sit up but Lois stopped him with her hand. "If it's all the same to you farm boy I've have had a long day and I'd love to just put my feet up."

"Lois", he started but she stopped him with her hand pressing her fingers against his mouth. Kicking her heels off, she curled up against his side her stomach unwinding in a rush when his arms came around her. She buried her face against his neck and didn't say anything for what seemed like a very long time… well a long time for Lois Lane. God, she wanted to yell. Why did it always have to be him? She would bite her tongue off before she would do that to him. It had been a long road to becoming Superman and the responsibility of that side of him would forever belong to the world.

His breathing stayed stead and rhythmic and curled against him in a familiar position they could be laying in bed on a Sunday morning. She breathed in deeply the familiar scent of his skin and felt the history between them stretch very long. She held her arms tighter to him and refused to let her mind go to a place where she could lose him.

He gave a contented sigh and Lois sat up a bit to look at his face. He looked back a long moment, his eyes soft and happy. Her same old farm boy plain to see. She realized abruptly that he had been hurt enough an hour ago that Ollie and called her in. Hurt at all and it scared her and made her angry all at once. It must have shown clearly on her face because Clarks face broadened in a smile. Tipping a finger under her chin, he spoke softly. "I am feel fine, really. A little tired but fine."

"Right", she started "And your suit looks like you had an angry fight with a very big cat because…

Leaning forward he stopped her, kissing her softly across her lips. "Fine", he said again.

Her stupid heart betrayed her, hammering madly in her chest and it was her turn to sigh. "What does all this have to do with Davis Bloome", she said at length.

The grave face of Superman returned when he spoke. "I don't know. I don't know what he did to me it wasn't like a lost my powers but like he was just stronger than me. I don't know what he is anymore to have this effect on me."

The thought of something stronger than Superman made her heart chill again.

The door opened then and J'onn came in the glancing only a moment towards Superman, communicating silently. J'onn met her eyes but Clark shook his head. Her hand tightened against his chest as J'onn left.

"We're putting a team together, to try and track him", Clark said. "Were going to be leaving in a few hours, let me fly you home."