A/N: Thanks for the comments everyone! I really appreciate the feedback!

A VERY special thank you to ~*~TrixieMcBimbo~*~ My Beta. She is made a pure awesome sauce! Thanks hun!

Chapter 2

Too Much Too Soon

Lois Lane made her triumphant return to the newsroom wearing a mega watt smile.

Clark peeked up from his computer. "What's gotten you in such a good mood?"

"This," Lois said, slapping down a stack of pictures in front of him. She sat on the edge of his desk and leaned over his shoulder.

"Who does that look like?" She asked, pointing to the man in the first picture.

Clark studied the photo for a moment. Though he already knew who it was by just a glance.

"The mayor?" he answered. Lois smirked.

"Yep." She switched to the next photograph.

"And who does that not look like?"

"The mayor's wife," Clark said.

"In a very compromising position with Mr. Metropolis himself." Lois continued, "And that blonde bimbo isn't the only one." She started flipping through rest of the pile.

"The Mayor also has a taste for brunettes, red heads, and really bad wigs. But that's not the real juicy part."

"It's not?"

"No. I made a few calls. And those women aren't what they appear to be. If you get my drift."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Clark asked incredulously.

"Oh, yeah! It looks like Mayor Townsend has a lot of skeletons in his closet. But that's not all I found out."

"I hope you're not expecting me to be surprised." Clark smiled.

Lois rolled her eyes at him.

"Look at these financial statements." She pulled a manila folder from her bag. "Townsend has been embezzling hard earned tax payer's money into tranny hookers and other frivolous personal funds."

Clark looked up at her, "Why are you telling me this?"

"I have to tell somebody and I know you would never steal my story. You're too much of a boy scout for that."

She was right. Suddenly it dawned on Clark. She trusted him.

"Plus, I just came from the editor's office. The story is tomorrow's front page!"

Clark's face fell.

Or not.

Lois laughed.

"I got him!" She was positively giddy. "After three weeks I finally got that poor excuse for a public figure!" She grabbed the evidence and hopped off Clark's desk.

"Congratulations, Lois. How about I take you to dinner tonight to celebrate?"

Clark noticed he reporter's body suddenly go rigid. Her smile was replaced with thoughtful frown.

"Um-sure why not?" She answered after the longest thirty seconds of Clark Kent's life.

"Great. How about we go around seven?"

"Eight," Lois replied. "It's just I probably won't leave here till around seven and I want to change."

"All right. Then I'll pick you up at your place at eight."

"No!" Lois practically yelled. "I mean. Why don't we just meet here, all right?"

"Okay," Clark answered. He didn't want to pressure her. She seemed to be a little nervous about the idea.

"It's a date."

"What do you mean a date?" Lois demanded. "Who said anything about a date? It's just two friends going out to celebrate one friend's accomplishment. Just because those two friends happen to be of the opposite sex doesn't make it a date!"

"It's just a figure of speech, Lois," Clark answered, smiling at her rant.

"Oh, right." Lois let out a nervous laugh as she sat down at her computer.

Clark couldn't help shaking his head in amusement. It had been a month since their reconciliation and since then things around the office had gotten significantly warmer.

However, Lois was still Lois. And some of her walls were still securely in place. Clark was hoping to change that, tonight at dinner. It would be the first time the two had gone out in public together since-

Well, let's just say it had been a while.

Clark's sensitive hearing interrupted his thoughts. Wordlessly he rose from his seat and made a beeline for the door.

"Where are you going?" Lois didn't even look up from her computer.

"I-uh just have to um, take care of something. I'll be right back."

When Lois was sure he'd gone, she reached down and opened the bottom left-hand drawer and pulled out her black date book.

Wednesday: the 17th 10:37 A.M.

Clark makes another lame excuse and disappears.

Lois wrote down her notes quickly then shoved the book back in its hiding place.

She had a hunch. Well, it was more of a suspicion really. It started when she'd first come back from Star City.

She made sure to let Clark know the definition of 'cold shoulder.' She pushed down all the feelings she thought she had for him, and focused all of her energy on one thing; getting an interview with the elusive Red and Blue Blur. She made a mental note to change his name later- something she had been putting off because of Chloe's wedding.

But no more!

She was going to get that expose even if it killed her. Which, a few times, it almost did.

For weeks, she made it a point to get herself into sticky situations. Not that she needed any help with that. What had Clark called her? A danger magnet?

That was one way to describe her. And for the first couple of months all her plans had gotten her were a few bruises and a lot of dead ends.

But then something happened.

Usually, the hero moved so quickly you could hardly see him, hence the name Red and Blue Blur. Lois wasn't even sure it was a 'he' until the night he rescued her from a mugging.

She had been walking home late from the Planet one Thursday night when she spotted a hooded figure ducking into a dark alley. Without really thinking it through she feigned intoxication and stumbled in after him. Sure enough, the perp pulled a gun and demanded her purse and jewelry. Lois, of course, refused and started to scream. The mugger panicked and pulled the trigger.

That's when The Blur finally made his appearance. He swooped in and grabbed Lois just before the Bullet hit her. And at point blank range, that was impressive. Her rescuer lifted her bridal style into his arms and blurred them to the front of the Daily Planet.

Instead of setting her down on the ground and speeding away before she could blink, he stopped and looked at her. Like he was making sure the bullet hadn't hit her. Lois took that brief moment to commit his appearance to memory.

His costume wasn't really a costume. Not like she imagined, anyway. He was clad in a simple red jacket and blue jeans. Of course, he had his hood up and was wearing ridiculously large sunglasses.

But he touched the side of her face and said, "Are you all right, miss?"

And Lois barely nodded before he was gone.

She immediately ran upstairs and wrote down everything that happened in as much detail as she could remember.

It helped her to process better when it was down on paper.

His voice. That's what she remembered the most, at first. It was deep and he was obviously trying to disguise it. But still she knew that voice. She had definitely heard it before. But who? Where? She didn't have an answer. Not yet.

The next thing she recalled was the touch of his hand. It was brief. And his skin barely made contact with hers, but the gesture was so familiar. He was familiar.

Did he know she worked at the planet? Or was that just a coincidence?

Had he seen her leave? Was that how he knew?

Was he stalking her?

Lois suddenly realized she wouldn't have minded if he were.

And then there were the clothes, a red jacket and blue jeans. These were all clues. They were all things she could use to find out who this guy was. The city had a right to know who their primary colored super hero was.

And maybe if she unmasked him he wouldn't feel the need to hide himself from the world. Of course she couldn't tell the world who he really was. But maybe she could give him an alter ego, a face, an identity that the people of metropolis could look to.

Or maybe she just had delusions of grandeur?

All she knew was she had to get the exclusive from this guy.

She needed answers.

And the next day they came to her in the form of none other than Clark Kent. Not definitive proof of course. But he came into work that day wearing a hideous red jacket and blue jeans.

Of course! He always wore that on the farm. Why hadn't she put that together the night before?

"Is there something I can help you with?" he had asked.

Lois realized she'd been open mouth staring at him. The past three and a half months she barely gave he a second glance, but today she was gawking? Oh, smooth Lane. Real smooth.

'Um, nothing, just wondering where your regular work clothes are." She replied as nonchalantly as possible. "This isn't a barn you know." She added in an annoyed tone.

Clark lifted a gym bag into the air. "They're right here. Don't worry."

"I wasn't worried." She'd said.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to uh- return a DVD to the video store. I'm just going to go change."

And that's when she started to notice how many times a day Clark would disappear and reappear. And he would give her the lamest excuses. And he would always be carrying that duffle bag.

Now Lois knew there could be a million and one reasons why he kept playing Houdini throughout the day. Perhaps he was having prostate problems? But why would he need that gym bag?

Her reporter intuition was telling her there was something to this.

Then she started focusing on other things, like his voice, his deep tenor voice, and though it didn't sound exactly like The Blur's voice, it was very similar. And obviously Clark knew where she worked.

But she wasn't entirely convinced. She knew Clark had always had a hero complex and he did always seem to be in the right place at the right time. And he was definitely hiding something from her and basically everyone around him. But she always thought he was just paranoid. Maybe there was something to this big Kent family secret, after all.

However, she needed him to touch her face. That was the only way. The clothes the voice, all that could just be a coincidence. A lot of guys in the city ran around in primary colors. It didn't mean they were moonlighting as superheroes. Of course they probably weren't as dedicated to the blue and red as Clark Kent was, but still that evidence, was all circumstantial.

So, later that day, Lois loosened her ponytail and let a few thick tendrils of hair fall into her face. And when she spotted Clark walking toward the copy machine, she cut him off. Without looking, she ran into him. He was like a brick wall! That farm had done him good! But this was hardly the time for that. As she flew backwards Clark caught her by the shoulders and helped steady her.

"Are you alright, Lois?"

Are you all right, miss?

Lois shook her head trying to shake the déjà vu.

Clark misinterpreted her movement.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Where does it hurt?" Clark replied in a panicky voice. "I should be more careful! I'm so sorry! Lois let's get you to the hospital! Can you walk?"

"What are you talking about, Clark? I'm fine."

"I just thought-"

"Well, don't!" She spat as she wretched out of his grasp, causing more of her hair to fall in her face.

And that's when he did it. Maybe it was just an unconscious thing. But he reached out his hand and gently brushed a piece of her chestnut tresses behind her ear.

And that's when Lois knew. She didn't have any definitive proof. But in her gut, she knew.

Of course, she couldn't let him know that, so she violently turned away from his touch and stalked back to her desk. And just because he was the Red and Blue Blur didn't make her any less angry with him. He was still a jerk, a jerk with a hero complex, but a jerk nonetheless.

And from that day on, Lois wrote down all of the Clark's mysterious disappearances and logged them in her date book. She knew Clark better than anyone. And she couldn't ambush him. It just wasn't an option.

He was too afraid of her finding out. She didn't even know exactly what she found out. Was he meteor infected? Did Lex do something to him? She wasn't sure. But she couldn't just spring the fact that she knew he was the 'Good Samaritan' on him. He would deny. Chloe would call her crazy. There was no doubt in her mind that Chloe was in on it.

No, Lois would keep this to herself. Her goal hadn't changed. She was still going to get the interview. And then hopefully all of her remaining questions would be answered.

Clark was officially thirty minutes late. He sped into the Planet, making a beeline for the phone booth.

After a quick change he stepped out and started to look for Lois. He didn't have to search very long. She was leaning against her desk, arms, folded tapping her foot in annoyance.

But she looked stunning.

She wasn't wearing anything out of the ordinary, a simple black skirt that fell just above her knees and a wild cherry colored top.

But Clark had never seen anything more gorgeous in his entire life. Even the scowl on her face when she noticed him staring at her did nothing to diminish her beauty.

"Hi, Lois." His voice was a little breathless.

"You're late." She stated still glaring at him.

"Sorry, I-uh"

"Don't." She held up her hand to silence him. "Let's just go. I'm starving."

"Whatever you say, Lois." He said, offering her his arm. She took it.

They walked to the elevator and Lois was a little confused when Clark pressed the button for the rooftop.

"I thought we were going out?" She eyed him suspiciously.

Clark grinned down at her, "change of plans."

Clark placed his hands over her eyes as the elevator doors opened.

"Smallville! You know I hate surprises!"

He leaned down to her ear and whispered, "Just trust me."

An involuntary shiver ran down Lois's spine. She shouldn't like this.

"You're not going to push me off the edge, are you?" She asked trying to keep the mood light.

"Just a few more steps." He replied "OK. Here we are."

He lifted his hand from her eyes and in spite of herself Lois smiled at the scene before her.

It wasn't anything fancy. All he really did was throw a blanket on the ground and light a few candles.

But Lois still felt something in her stomach twist. It wasn't fancy. It was personal. He'd even gone so far as to order from her favorite Chinese place. The boxes sat next to an ice bucket.

And he didn't forget the bubbly. Good man!

"Wow. Clark this is- too much." She gazed up at him, brows furrowed.

"Nonsense," Clark waved her off. "You deserve it." He said, putting his hand on her lower back and leading her to the blanket.

They sat down and Clark opened and poured the champagne.

"To you," Clark toasted.

Lois could only nod as she took a giant gulp from her flute. Her stomach felt like a breeding ground for butterflies.

Dinner was quiet, but not uncomfortable.

They ate out of the Chinese food cartons with forks.

Lois drank more champagne than him.

"So," Clark broke the silence first.

"So," Lois echoed, not really sure what to say.

"Come on." Clark stood up. Lois just stared at him.

"Up," he commanded, stretching his hand to help her.

She ignored it, of course, and as gracefully as one could while wearing a skirt, rose to her feet.

"What now, Smallville? You've already done more than enough," she said. The knot in her stomach tightened.

"Just come here," he said, leading her to the edge of the roof. "The skyline for this city is amazing."

Lois followed his gaze. He was right. It was beautiful. The city was alive with neon color. Why hadn't she ever noticed before?

"It's beautiful, Clark," she whispered.

"So are you," he replied. Lois felt her heart rate increase. And even though her fight or flight response was leaning heavily toward flight she caught his eye.

What was she thinking?

This was not how tonight was supposed to go. They were friends. Period.

But she didn't move when he took a step toward her.

She was completely frozen when his hands touched her shoulders.

When his eyes dropped to her lips. So did his mouth.

She felt herself unconsciously leaning toward him just a few more seconds and-

"No!" Lois placed a hand on his chest and firmly pushed him away.

"I can't." Without a second glance she set her wine glass down and ran.

Clark watched her go. He ran a shaky hand through his hair and sighed.

That was not supposed to happen.

********

A/N: OK you guys know what to do! Loved it? Hated it? Undecided? Whatever. Let me know!