Note: Here ya go…next chapter. Quick clarification—Lois does not know Clark's secret in this story. I haven't really brought it up till now because up till now, there wasn't much of a need. Now there is. :) Also my reference to 'Disclosure'...in case you don't know, it's an older movie where a female boss (Demi Moore) sexually harrasses a male subordinate in the office.

Thanks for the continued interest in this and the wonderful feedback! Hope you enjoy!!

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Chapter 4

Everything happened in rapid succession.

A victorious Tess threw her head back and laughed.

A disgusted Lois spun around and disappeared.

A distraught Clark shouted after her.

"Oh, no! Lois, no! Nonononononononono!"

With Tess momentarily distracted, Clark tossed her like she was a ragdoll. Sliding and stumbling off the leather couch, he shot toward the door, slipped on a rug outside the office, plowed into an innocent intern and sent papers flying, like confetti shot from a cannon.

Glancing both ways, he caught sight of her swaying pony tail. "Lois! Wait!"

Of course, she didn't listen.

Bobbing and weaving through a suddenly crowded hallway, Clark kept calling to her. She kept moving. Though 'plowing through' would have been more accurate. From the back, it was like watching Moses part the Red Sea. And Clark was blocked by the tsunami of people left in her wake.

Pushing his way through, Clark managed to finally make it to the end of the hall and whipped around the stairs like his feet were on fire. If the stairs hadn't been so crowded, he would have risked using his super speed. As it were, it took three floors before he finally caught up to her on the landing.

"Lois, Lois, wait!" Grabbing her arm, he whirled her around. "You don't under—"

"No, no, wait! Let me guess!" She jerked away from his touch, her eyes blazing with anger. Hands in full animation. "I don't understand, right? How about…'it isn't what you think'. Or better yet…'she came on to me first'." Hands on hips, Lois issued a heated challenge. "Go ahead, Smallville, pick your excuse. Cuz guess what, pal, there's nothing you can come up with that I haven't heard before."

"Alright, Lois, fine." Clark practically spat out. "You don't understand, it isn't what you think and she did come on to me first! I'm telling you, that…" He gestured pointedly in the direction from which they came. "…what happened…something isn't right!"

"Wow. Pulling out the big guns. I'm impressed." Her pony tail hit his face as she whipped around and started stomping away.

"Lois, listen! Listen to me!" Clark grabbed her arm again, this time landing in front of her to block her advancement. "I'm trying to tell you something is up."

"Well, that's certainly one way to put it." Lois smirked suggestively.

"That's not what I…" Heaving a frustrated sigh, Clark tried to remain calm in the face of a beautiful, irrational storm named Lois. Semi-calm was as far as he got. "Look. Tess called me to her office to tell me there's some Planet rule about not dating co-workers and she…she gave me an ultimatum. We either had to stop dating or she was going to fire you."

"So, you…what? Sacrificed yourself and offered to pull a full 'Disclosure' on the office couch?" Her sarcasm gene was on overdrive. "How gallant of you."

"No! She pounced on me like I was her next meal. Her strength, Lois…" He glanced around then lowered his voice furtively. "…it wasn't human. Like she wasn't even Tess."

"So, what are you trying to say, Clark?" A disbelieving eyebrow rose. "That Tess Mercer is a meteor freak now?"

"I don't know. But I'm telling you, it wasn't normal."

Lois paused. For all of two seconds. "No. You know what isn't normal? The fact that I'm still standing here listening to this insanity." She pushed past him with such force, he fell back against the wall.

With a growl of frustration, Clark sped after her, catching up just in time to whisk her into a corner of the Planet's first floor hallway. Her back was against the wall. A massive, determined Clark blocked her way.

His impassioned argument continued. "Think, Lois, think! What you saw…is that me? Would I do that? Would I purposely cheat? With Tess of all people?"

Lois stared at him. His cheeks were flushed with exertion. His eyes were wide with innocent pleading. She wanted to believe him. Oh, how she wanted to. She felt her heart constrict. And her breath catch.

And she felt herself falling. Falling into the intensity of those blue eyes. Falling into the gentle truth vibrating through every word. Falling into all the newly planted dreams she'd allowed to take root in the depths of her heart.

And she did believe him.

But deep inside, she knew this wasn't about Tess.

Like a foreign presence invading her thoughts, that nagging voice she'd tried to bury came roaring back to life.

And all those old, but always fresh, insecurities reared their ugly heads.

"No, you're right. You wouldn't cheat." Her voice was calm. Reasoned.

Clark looked relieved. There was a beat. "On Lana."

"Lana?" Clark felt like he'd been slapped.

"But hey, I'm obviously not her so…" She shrugged nonchalantly. It was a clearly defensive gesture. "…it's a whole new ballgame." Vulnerability was seeping through the defiance in her hazel eyes. Anger was giving way to resentment. Resentment to pain. "And you keep throwing me curve balls that, frankly, I'm not sure I can hit out of the park so…I think it's time to take my bat and go home."

She tried to sidestep him.

He instinctively moved to block her way. "No, wait, Lois. You're wrong. Lana has nothing to do with this."

"As usual…Lana has everything to do with everything."

"What are you talking about?" Confused frustration flickered in his eyes.

Haunted gaze shifting, she dismissed the question with a shrug. "You know what? It doesn't matter."

"Lois." His voice gentling, Clark attempted to look into her eyes and put his hands on her shoulders. "It matters to me."

She shook him off. "I'm sure it does." Her smirk was tight. Hard. Bitter. The distance in her eyes was painful to see. "Anything Lana related always has."

Chloe's words from earlier caught up with Clark. So this is what she'd been thinking since this morning. This was the reason for her silence. Her avoidance. Her urge to bolt.

Well, he wasn't going to let her. Once and for all, no matter how long it took, or how fierce the battle, they were going to bury Lana's corpse and never look back. "Alright. That's it. You and I are going to have a serious discussion. Let's go." He grabbed her hand and headed for the exit, pulling her behind him as he went.

Lois jerked away and stumbled backward. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

Clark whirled on her. "And I'm not going to stand here one more second letting you think Lana is our problem!"

Lois' expression crumbled. "God, how could I have been so stupid?" She took another step back and didn't even try to hide the hurt in her eyes. "You know, in all these years nothing…not reason, not instinct…" She chuckled. There was no joy in it. Only pain. "…hell, not even self-preservation…would move you from that girl's side. No matter how many times she broke you, you just kept coming back for more."

"Lois…"

"How could have I thought anything had changed?"

"Lois, everything has changed!" Clark exclaimed, trying to reach her. Trying to break down those frustrating walls that were being erected with Herculean speed.

"Right. Which is why you nearly passed out when I called you my boyfriend, huh?" She crossed her arms, hugging herself. Protecting herself. Her voice suddenly sounded small. Her watery gaze met his. "Tell me, do you think you'll ever get over her? Or was that reaction reserved just for me?"

The question rocked him back on his heels.

This went so much deeper than he'd imagined. She was in deeper than he thought.

She was in as deep as he was.

"Lois." He approached her cautiously, as one would a scared, wild animal or a traumatized child, Clark's gaze softened. His voice gentled. That she let him get close was a miracle. He tempted fate and reached out to cradle her face in his hands. "Look, Lois, I screwed up, ok? And it was a major one. I'm sorry…I'm so, so very sorry I hurt you. But it isn't what you think. Or why. If we could just go somewhere and talk…"

"Talk?" Hesitant hope flared in her eyes. "That's funny because that's exactly what I was going to suggest to you. I even cancelled our reservation for the ceremony tonight thinking we could go home and get things back on track. But now…" Her bottom lip was trembling.

"Lois, that's perfect. Let's do that, ok?" Still gentle. Still soothing. Grasping at anything and everything to keep her with him. "Let's get away from here and just take a moment. We can work this out. Together." A sweet smile touched his lips. His eyes blazed with emotion. The brush of his fingers against her skin warmed her from the inside out. "Together, Lois, we can do anything."

The pull was too great. Lois gravitated toward him. Her hands lifted of their own will and connected with his chest. Her trembling lips parted to answer him. Suddenly, an image flashed through her mind. The blurred image that had been floating on the edges of her sub-consciousness for the past three months. The image that often haunted her dreams. The image of his face the night Lana walked back into his life.

She snapped out of her daze. Her hands dropped. She stepped back.

Their connection was broken.

"No. We can't." Shaking her head dislodged a single tear. It slipped down her cheek. "It's too late."

He saw it happen. The shields coming up. The distance slipping into her eyes. Desperately, he tried to pull her back. With anything. Even anger. "Why? Because you walked in on what you thought was a make out session with a woman I've barely even noticed?"

"No. Because I don't want to play second fiddle to the love of your life and I don't have to be pummeled over the head to know there's no way I can win this game." She sounded weary. As if she'd been fighting a lifelong battle in the space of ten minutes. There was a hitch in her voice. "It's time to cut my losses and walk away."

"Lois, please…"

She refused to meet his gaze. Her back was straight. Her expression determined. Unmovable. "Let me go, Clark." Defiant eyes met his. "Let. Me. Go."

Momentarily defeated, without a word, he stepped aside.

Lois moved past him then stopped. "You know, I thought you were different. That we were. I thought…we could have been something really special. But I guess you just save that single-minded devotion for Lana Lang and a rainy day, huh?"

Clark swallowed hard. All the words he wanted to say were stuck. In his throat. In the depths of his secret. In that space between his heart and his head.

A defensive and irrationally vulnerable Lois wouldn't have heard him anyway.

She cleared her throat and with it a host of thick emotions. Tears still clouded her eyes. "About breaking the rules. Don't worry, Boy Scout. I won't be the reason you get your hands dirty. Cuz this…" Her hand waved in the air between them. "…you and me…it's over. We're through."

He saw it coming. The impact of the blow still hit him. Hard. Harder than anything in his life ever had. Worse than Kryptonite. More agonizing than any pain Lana had ever inflicted.

As Lois Lane walked away, Clark knew.

He knew it like he knew his own name. Like he knew every curve of her face. Every fleck of gold in her hazel eyes.

This was it. She was the one.

His true love. His soulmate. His…Harley.

--

Clark Kent had unfinished business.

He stormed into Tess' office ready for a fight. Spoiling for one, actually. Instead, he found Tess sitting on the floor, her back against the couch. She was rubbing her head and swearing under her breath.

A guilty flush reddened his cheeks. He hadn't even considered he could have hurt her when he threw her off him. His only concern had been reaching Lois. Explaining things to her.

Precious little that had done him.

He hurried to Tess' side. "Tess. Tess, are you alright?"

"Clark?" She blinked up at him in confusion. "What…what happened?"

"You mean you don't remember?"

"No." She winced when she tried to move. "One minute I was at my desk reading some copy and the next…"

Clark helped her move from the floor to the couch, concern growing in his eyes. "You mean you don't remember the conversation we had?"

Tess sank into the leather and leaned her head back. Her blank gaze shifted to Clark. "Conversation?"

"Yeah. You were going to fire Lois because of the Planet's no-dating rule?" Clark explained, that knot in the pit of his stomach began to tighten again. Something was off. In an interplanetary way. He could feel it.

"What are you talking about? There's no policy like that." Tess remarked before picking up on something he'd said. "Wait. Lois is dating? Who would be fool enough to take her on?"

His mind was whirling with possibilities. Scenarios. Enemies names. In his rapidly forming conclusion, Clark had a gut instinct. Now, he needed proof.

Taking a deep breath, Clark made sure he had her attention before continuing. "Tess, this is very important. I need you to tell me exactly what you remember."

Her gaze shifted as she blinked away the fog invading her brain. "Well, like I said, I was at my desk reading copy when…" The realization in her green eyes was enough to convince him he was right.

"What?" Clark prompted.

"She came in."

"Who?"

"The one from a while back. You know, fiery red hair. Intent on finding her perfect mate. Killing anyone that got in her way."

"Maxima." Two and two quickly added up to one super-powered intergalactic queen with stalker issues. One that was willing to kill. Panic ripped through Clark's expression. "Oh, no. Lois."

And before Tess Mercer could blink, Clark Kent was gone.

--

She hated herself for crying.

Even more, she hated him for making her.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. It wouldn't feel like her insides were being ripped apart if she didn't…

She slipped her keys into the car door. Then froze. The reflection in the side window spoke.

"Lois Lane."

Her head snapped up. Her mind began to race. Damn him. Clark had been right. She didn't need to be hit with the obvious to see it. Something was definitely not right about any of this. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite sure what any of 'this' was.

Yet.

She slowly turned around. "As if this day couldn't get any worse." Lois quipped fearlessly.

"Where is Kal-el?" The redhead asked.

"Kal what?"

"The man you call Clark Kent."

"Fixated much?" Lois shot back.

"Where is he?"

Lois practically snorted an expected response. "Probably sucking face with the Ice Queen. I'm sure you can catch up with him if you want to get in on the action." She turned back to the car and opened the door.

It slammed shut with a forceful snap.

She spun back around, angered confusion distorting her expression. "What the hell?"

"I am Maxima, Queen of Almerac."

"And your point is?"

"You can't have him. No matter how much he wants you."

"Yeah, right." Lois rolled her eyes. "I think you have the wrong double-L girl. That would be Lana Lang that you're looking for. Sorry I don't have her latest address, but I'm sure it's on the tip of Clark's tongue." She attempted once more to leave.

Maxima's green eyes narrowed. "You love him. More than I thought. More than you knew."

Lois blew out an exasperated breath and turned to face Maxima like she was nothing more than an annoying gnat. "Look, I don't know where you get your information, but he and I are through." Her movements were subtle. Barely discernable. "So, if you want him, you can have him. Have fun fighting Tess Mercer for him. I hear she's an animal."

"Tess was just a tool. A vessel." Maxima explained. Her voice was cold, robotic. "A convenient ruse to weaken the bond between you."

"And you know that…how?" Her hand slipped inside her purse.

"Because I was controlling her." Maxima simply stated as if that answered every question instead of raising a hundred more.

"Controlling her." Lois repeated.

"Yes. Her mind, and subsequently her actions. They were mine for the time needed, now she has been released." She quirked a brow. "It is a power I possess as Queen of…"

"Almanac." Lois supplied quite incorrectly, with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Got it." Hazel eyes narrowed. "So, Tess the super-charged sex freak was really your creation." Lois shrugged. "Makes sense. Given the creator."

Maxima ignored the insult. "She has served her purpose and now, you will serve yours."

"Oh, really." Her hand grasped the hard metal. Good. Finally. Now, she could end this conversation. Just in time. She was beginning to run out of things to say. "And what would that be?"

Maxima smirked. "Bringing Kal-el to me."

"Look. I might be pissed at him right now, but handing him over to some life-sucking psycho sluttyanna…not gonna happen." Lois whipped out a gun from behind her and pointed it straight at Maxima's heart. "So if a throw down is what you're looking for…bring it."

A knowing smile tilted Maxima's lips. Her hand raised till it was parallel to the ground and pointed directly at Lois. Her smile widened.

It was hard to say what happened first, because it all seemed to happen at once. The gun flew out of Lois' hand. Lois was slammed backward against the side of her car and Maxima was holding Lois in a deadlocked grip by the throat. Lois struggled. To breath. To move. To get in a few good licks before she ultimately lost the battle.

Maxima touched one finger to Lois' forehead. Her eyes began to glow.

Pain ripped through Lois' head and she let out a scream that would send a chill through even the coldest blood. She felt as if something was leaving her. Then suddenly, it was over.

Maxima dropped Lois and laughed as she slumped against the car.

"Son of a…" Lois began.

And then Lois Lane's world went black.

--

He'd taken two steps down the hall when his phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket and flipped it open without looking at the caller id. "Hello?"

"Hello, Kal-el."

Clark stopped dead in his tracks. "Maxima?"

"What? Surprised I'm back?" Her voice was dripping with sweetness. "Or surprised I know your real name?"

His eyes turned steely. His jaw flinched. His voice lowered to a deadly whisper.

"Where is she?"

"She?"

The innocence of her question sent a boiling fire zipping through him. His knuckles turned white.

"Lois Lane. Where is she?"

"You're the one connected to her. You tell me." She taunted. "I look forward to seeing you…Kal-el."

Tbc…