Close Encounters
A/N: I'm so sorry, guys! I had no idea this would take so long but I had a lot of personal issues come up over the last few months. Just to let you know, I have messed with time a little here in using the song I did. It actually wasn't released until a few years later than this is set but it just fit too well and I loved it. Look it up and listen to it if you get a chance. It's called "Bittersweet Faith" by the group Bitter:sweet. I have started working on the epilogue already so it won't take as long to get out. All feedback and reviews are welcome and will make me work harder and faster. Thanks in advance.
Chapter 4 – Back to Earth
The Lanes' housing unit, Fort Avelson, Sunday, 1:15 pm (and counting)
The front door slamming shut was Chloe's clue that her cousin had finally decided to come home. She came flying out of Lois' bedroom, ready to wring her neck for making her worry but Lois' appearance made her stop short. The older cousin already had one boot off and was currently hopping on the bare foot while trying to pull off the other boot. She was missing an earring, her hair was a complete rat's nest, her makeup was smeared, and her dress was riding up to an embarrassing point if it hadn't been Chloe standing there.
"Lois, where the hell have you been?! Do you have any idea what time it is or how worried I've been? You could have called! You're lucky that you got back before your dad because the minute he asked me where you were, I would have had to tell him you were missing…" Chloe started berating her, catching her before she hit the floor as the boot finally came off.
"Chlo! I swear, I'll explain and I will owe you big but right now, I've got to get showered and it has to look like I've been here all night!" Lois interrupted her, grabbing up her boots and scurrying towards the bathroom.
Chloe heard the water running and a lot of movement and knew that this wasn't one of Lois' preferred marathon showers but the military precise, efficient shower that took her six and a half minutes, nine if she shampooed and conditioned twice, which she probably would if the way she looked when she came in was any indication.
Meanwhile, Chloe had quickly started the coffee pot and took a hard look around the home. Nope, it wouldn't do. It was too clean. There was no way the General would believe the two girls had been hanging around the house. Quickly, she scattered some DVD's around the TV, took a blanket and some socks and other paraphernalia and scattered them around the living room. Digging in her purse, she pulled out candy wrappers and stuffed a couple in the couch and left another one or two on the coffee table.
Lois came out of the bathroom in her robe, towel-drying her hair and looked at Chloe. Shaking her head, she tut-tutted at her. "No, no, that will never do! You can't be all dressed at 1300 hours if we spent the night chatting and watching TV. You need to change into some sweats or back into your pj's."
Chloe's eyes narrowed at that. "I've spent the night here before and we were dressed before now. What gives, Lo?"
"I don't have time to fix my hair so I match you in dress before the General gets here, so if I'm just getting out of the shower, you can't be too far ahead of me. Plus, I kinda told my father that you weren't feeling well and that was why we were home before curfew last night," Lois said, disappearing into the bedroom.
Chloe followed her, shedding her 'going out' clothes and looking through her things and Lois' for some sweats and a t-shirt. "Well, you were half right. One of us was in before curfew, barely," she muttered. "Lois, what happened to you last night? Where were you?"
Lois threw on a pair of jogging pants and a tank top. Running a comb through her hair, she struggled with what exactly to tell her cousin. "Well…Chlo…you see, I…uh…" She poured herself a cup of coffee and scrounged through the refrigerator for the flavored creamer.
Sipping on her own coffee, the blonde waited for her cousin's answer, knowing she was stalling but unsure why. Whatever she had to confess about last night must be good. Chloe leaned against the counter, her eyes not leaving her cousin's back.
At that moment, they both froze at the sound of a vehicle pulling up outside. Their eyes locked in panic and then they were in motion. Lois turned the coffee pot off, poured half of its contents down the sink and debated and then dismissed the idea of adding cold water to cool what was left in the pot. Chloe rushed to the couch, found the remote for the TV and turned it on to a corny, chick flick. She grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her, lifting it just in time for Lois to dive under the other end at the opposite end of the couch.
They both tried to calm their breathing as they heard a key in the lock. They laughed, a little too forcefully, at something funny in the movie just as the door swung open and then General marched into the room. He looked tired but neither would dare say so. There were small bags under his eyes and his clothes were slightly less than pristine.
Lois looked up at her father and raised an eyebrow. When he started to give a sigh but cut it off with a grunt, she set her coffee mug down. He was in one of his moods and it could only go in one of two directions. Deciding to test the waters, she dropped her feet to the floor and made as if to stand.
"So…you waiting for us to come to attention?" she quipped.
Chloe's eyes widened and she had the sudden urge to dive for cover. Was Lois deliberately trying to start a war now? Her uncle had been gone on some assignment for a couple of days and he looked as if he could sleep for at least a full day and Lois wanted to take jabs at him? There were times when Chloe wondered if her cousin derived some kind of perverse pleasure from fighting with the General and her question was a good example of a reason for Chloe's suspicions.
Removing his coat and loosening his tie, Sam Lane let out a deep breath. "Not now, Lo. I've already been put through the wringer by our great country's dumbest and laziest. I don't need grief from you too."
Giving a short nod, Lois stood and took his jacket from him and held her hand out for his tie. "No need to be at the ready, General. All's quiet and peaceful on the home front," she said with a small, warm smile.
There were times when the General came in and he needed to fight out his frustrations and Lois was usually happy to oblige him and get him out of the funk as soon as possible. But there were other times, like this one, where he was genuinely tired and maybe even a little down in the mouth, where he would grunt at her once or twice, say something uncharacteristically nice, embarrassing them both, and then disappear into his bedroom for a couple of hours, or on rare occasions for the rest of the day or night.
Returning her smile with a tired one of his own, Sam patted her shoulder briefly. "I'm glad to hear it." He turned his attention to Chloe, causing her eyes to widen in panic, and cleared his throat. "At ease, soldier," he told her with a small gleam of amusement in his eyes at her obvious worry of finding herself the focus of his attention. "You feeling better, Chlo?" he asked.
The question caused Chloe's brow to furrow in confusion. "Feeling better?" she echoed. Glancing over at her cousin, she saw the deer-in-the-headlights look on Lois' face and quickly remembered Lois saying something about having told her father that she hadn't been feeling well and that was why they ended the night early.
Smiling up at her uncle, she gave a small nervous laugh. "Oh yeah! Much better. I think it was just one of those 24 hour things. Really nothing to worry about."
Sam Lane's eyebrows shot up in surprised confusion. "24 hour things?"
Now he was the one sounding like a parrot. His confusion only added to Chloe's and she looked to her older cousin for a rescue. The blonde's eyes begged for help and at the same time held suspicion. Just what had Lois told the General?
Lois jumped in. "Oh, General! You weren't supposed to let Chloe know that I told you!" she stage whispered to her father. "A girl doesn't exactly want her monthly issues announced to just anybody, especially any male members of the family."
Still not following, Chloe frowned at Lois, trying to figure out what she was talking about. When the light bulb went off, the shorter cousin gasped and her face flooded with color. Surely, she couldn't mean…there's no way she had told him…but as Chloe's eyes met her uncle's face and saw that he too seemed uncomfortable, she knew the truth and only barely held back a groan of embarrassment. She was going to kill Lois.
"Yes, well…" the General groped for words or some way to get control back over the situation. Only his daughter could knock him off balance like this. "As you were," he finally told them. He took his jacket from Lois and patted them both on the shoulder as he headed for his room.
The girls were as still as statues, only their eyes following Sam's movements. The door to his room clicked closed with him on the other side of it and they still remained frozen. It wasn't until they heard the water running in his bathroom that they seemed to thaw, and Chloe struck first, tossing a throw pillow from the couch at Lois and hitting her upside her head. They glared at each other for a millisecond, but knowing she was in the wrong, Lois was the first to look away.
"Lois! You told your father, a three-star general, that I wasn't feeling well because of…of…of women problems?! What did I ever do to deserve that kind of embarrassment from you?" Chloe hissed.
Flopping on the couch beside her, Lois shrugged and gave a sheepish grin. "It was the only thing I could think of that he wouldn't ask too many questions about. I'm surprised he brought it up at all."
They both sat there in silence for a moment, sipping their coffee. Finally, Chloe broached the subject of Lois' whereabouts again. "Lo, where were you? I really was worried about you. I didn't know what had happened to you."
Lois sighed and gave her an apologetic look. "I know, Chlo, and I'm sorry. I should have called."
She almost started to tell her about Kal but something held her back. She didn't want Chloe to freak out that she had stayed the night with a strange man but it was more than that. She wasn't entirely sure all they had done and that would make her cousin panic even more. Those were the reasons she told herself she couldn't tell Chloe about Kal, but there was a deeper truth. She wanted to keep him to herself for a while. She found she liked the idea of keeping her memories of last night, the ones she did have, a secret from everyone. It made it special and she couldn't wait to add to those memories. There was just something about Kal.
Glancing at Chloe over the rim of her mug, she saw that the blonde was waiting for an explanation. "It was really late when we left and I didn't want to wake you coming in and I wasn't sure I could get back on base in the state I was in without setting off alarms. So I crashed with a friend."
Chloe knew she was holding back but didn't want to push too much. "A friend? Was it Steve or Cass?" Then she gasped. "Oh my god! Was it Wes? Did you spend the night with Wes?"
Lois sighed and rolled her eyes. "Actually, if you don't mind, I think I'll keep who I stayed with a secret for now," she answered with a note of finality. And try as Chloe might, she couldn't get Lois to even give a hint as to who she had stayed with.
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
Kal sighed as he watched the city go by. He was bored. Jo had said she'd be late coming by and he hadn't felt like waiting around for her like a whipped pup. Not having a TV in the apartment left him without much to do other than stare at the walls. Unsure of what to do with the next few hours, he had found himself back on the elevated train. Now, however, all he could think about was Jo and that annoyed him.
The woman was a total stranger and quite frankly, though they had spent the night together, he was no closer to knowing her better. She dodged questions about herself almost with expert ease…and yes, somewhere in the back of his mind, he was well aware that he could be considered the pot to her kettle. What was it that she was afraid of? Why didn't she seem to want to tell him any details about herself? Was she that afraid of him or just being cautious?
The train came to a stop and he was lurched out of his moody thoughts. His eyes landed on one of the posters for a missing kid and he was reminded of the one with his own picture on it. Kal glanced up to see where he was currently stopped and his eyes landed on a pay phone. Squinting and tilting his head, he came to a decision and using his super-speed, he quickly obtained some change from someone getting onto the train and got off just as the doors closed.
Standing in front of the phone, Kal shifted from one foot to the other. Then, finally coming to a decision, he dropped the change in the slot and dialed the first phone number he had ever memorized. As the other end of the line rang, a glint of red on his right hand caught his attention and he suddenly didn't feel right having it on, not now. Slipping it off, he closed his eyes. They snapped open again as the ringing stopped with a click.
"You have reached the Kent residence. We're sorry we missed your call, but…"
Slamming the phone back on the cradle, Clark rested his forehead on his hands that were still clutching the receiver. He panted at the pain in his chest, but this time it wasn't from the scar burning. Hearing his father's voice had just brought back the look of pain and disappointment that had been on his face that day in the hospital the last time he had seen Jonathan Kent.
Clark fought back tears and when he got to the point where he was tempted to call back and listen to the entire answering machine message, he slipped the ring back on his finger. He closed his eyes as the red kryptonite stole through his system again. Unbeknownst to Clark, every time he re-exposed himself to the meteor rock the effects multiplied exponentially, making his conscience harder and harder to hear and the impulses to act on every thought that crossed his mind harder and harder to ignore. His eyes glowed red for a moment and Kal was back.
'Smallville and the Kents are your past. The world, starting with Metropolis, and women like Jo are your future,' Kal told his Clark side silently.
With no way to argue with the stronger side now in control, "Clark" was silent. Kal smirked in triumph and stood tall. Deciding that he needed to do some shopping, he super sped out of the train station. He wanted to get a gift for Jo.
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
8:20 pm That Evening
Lois flicked a glance at the clock and scowled. There was no way it was working correctly. Hadn't it been at least fifteen minutes since she looked at it last, not two? This was torture! Why did the General have to be in one of his "family time" moods tonight of all nights? She only just stopped herself from huffing in impatience.
"Your move, Lo," her father's gruff voice making her jump.
She huffed without noticing as she pretended to study the board. In reality, her mind was a long way from the game of chess they were currently playing. The General loved board games, especially chess, Battleship and Risk. Games of strategy and skill were the only kind allowed as she and Lucy were growing up. Sam Lane hated any game that relied on chance. He didn't believe in luck except the kind you made yourself and, much as Lois hated to admit it, she had adopted her father's views.
The first time Lois had beaten him at chess, they had both sat there stunned for a moment, staring at the board. Then their eyes slowly met and a smirk and gleam of satisfaction had stolen across her face. She had been 13. The General had gruffly congratulated her and then proceeded to beat the pants off of her for another three games. She didn't win again for almost a year and a half.
Biting her lip, Lois quickly made a decision, picked up a knight and moved it. When she let go of the piece, she glanced at the clock again. Her father cleared his throat rather loudly, drawing her attention to his face which was carefully blank. In his eyes, though, she read suspicion.
"Are you waiting for something to happen, Lo?" he asked casually.
"Waiting for something?" she echoed. She flashed him a brief smile. "What in the world would give you that idea?"
"You just put your queen in danger and I can beat you in two more moves. Your head hasn't been in the game and you keep glowering at the clock. You're obviously distracted by something," he pointed out.
Lois frowned. "No, no, not waiting for something per se…" she trailed off, searching for a plausible excuse for her behavior. "It's just that Chloe and I were up pretty late and…and she said she has a date tonight and wouldn't tell me anything about him."
Yeah, that was good. The General knew how protective she was of Lucy and her younger cousin. Plus, she really was a bit concerned about this date so there was an element of truth to it. Chloe had refused to tell her anything other than the guy was another intern at the Daily Planet. Lois had been able to trick her into saying his name once but it was only his first name so Lois hadn't been able to look anything up about him. What was his name? Lenny? Timmy? No, no, Jimmy…Jimmy was his name.
Sam Lane chuckled a little at the frustration and worry on his daughter's face. "I'm sure Gabe knows what he's doing if he's allowing her to go out with this kid," he reassured her with his words if not his tone. Then he looked at her sharply. "Gabe does know about this date right? Your cousin isn't sneaking around with this guy right?"
Lois shrugged. "How should I know? I'm assuming he knows about it since she didn't seem particularly hush, hush about the date itself. She just said that she didn't want to tell me anything about him until after the date so I couldn't say anything negative about him or try to talk her out of it."
Her father grunted and grimaced at the game board. "Well, then just let it alone, Lo. There is a difference between caring about her and sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong." He stood and stretched, yawning.
"You aren't quitting while you're winning are you?" Lois asked incredulously.
"It's no fun to beat you when you're tired and distracted," he teased with a small smile. The warmth of his tone and face was a rare gift to his older daughter. Patting her on the shoulder caused her to jump and he chuckled at still being able to confuse her with his actions. "Go to bed. I plan on doing the same. We've both been wearing ourselves thin the last couple of days."
Lois made a non-committal noise and waited until his bedroom door clicked shut. Then she swiftly put away the chess game and turned off the lights in the living area of the housing unit. Knowing she'd never be able to get out of the house using the front door, she dove for her bedroom, locking the door behind her. She had never in her life changed clothes as quickly as she did right then. Throwing her pajamas in one direction, she quickly pulled on some jeans and a white, button-up blouse, quickly applied some make-up, heavy on the mascara and eyeliner, and ran a brush through her long locks.
Glancing around the room, she groaned as she realized she had left her purse beside the couch. Lois unlocked the door and opened it a crack, eyes peering through the darkness to make sure the coast was clear. Dashing out, she grabbed her purse and was making a mad run back to her room when she slammed her foot into the coffee table. She cried out involuntarily and she saw the light come on under her father's door.
"Lo? That you?"
She sighed, hopping on one foot as she cradled her injured toe. She was just grateful that she had been wearing shoes. With the force of that impact, she might have broken it. "Yeah, General, it's me," she called out. "I was just getting a glass of water and stubbed my toe. I'm fine."
There was some grumbling on the other side of the door and the light went out. Sighing in relief, Lois listened with her bedroom door open for a few minutes until the only sounds left that she could hear was his snoring and the humming of the refrigerator. She silently reclosed and locked the door, made her way over to the window and threw open the sash. Tossing her purse outside into the bushes, she quickly followed after it, landing in a crouched position behind the shrubs.
"Alright, Lois, the easy part is over. Now for sneaking off the base and leaving a way to get back on," she muttered to herself. Maybe it was time for the therapy so many of her teachers had suggested for her.
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
Franklin Cooper was enjoying the summer night air as he pushed his cart along. He hummed to himself as he contemplated his shopping in the dumpsters. It was Sunday night and he had two days of good throwaways to go through. He knew where the dumpsters were that housed less "ick"-type garbage and more "wasteful" garbage. The bagel shop, for example, threw away day old bagels because they were told they had to. They always put them in clean, separate garbage bags just for people like him, "down on their luck". But Coop's luck was looking up.
He had a couple more stops he wanted to make before he went to Kal's place to wash his new-found treasures and take a shower himself. He counted himself lucky that he had made a friend in the young man. 'I just wish I could help him more. He seems…so guarded, so distant,' Coop thought to himself. Shrugging it off, he made his way over to a dumpster between two shops.
The light from a nearby streetlamp glittered off a small object at the curb and the sidewalk in front of the next building over and he picked up his pace as he made his way over to check it out. Grunting as he bent over to pick it up, he noticed that it was a woman's decorative hair comb. It looked to be made out of silver but he doubted it was real. Even still, he might be able to get a couple of dollars for it at his favorite pawn shop if Leon was feeling generous. He stuck it in his pocket and glanced up at the building he had stopped in front of. The sign for the club was tiny but he hadn't realized he had made it this far down the road already. Whistling off key, he continued on his way over to the dumpster that had been his originally planned stop.
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
An hour later, Lois was silently berating herself over her stupidity. She had snagged a cab after hiking from the base to the edge of Metropolis proper but then realized that she hadn't paid attention to where Kal lived. She had been riding on the back of his bike on the way there, her head ducked to minimize the damage to her hair and her eyes closed in the wind or her nose had been drinking in the scent of him with her eyes closed. Then her nerves had kept her from paying attention to anything around them when they had arrived. She had let him lead her up to his apartment.
Now she was standing outside of the closed Atlantis and wondering where to go from there. She wasn't even sure which direction his apartment was from there as they had gone to the zoo first. Her cell phone said that 10 o'clock was fast approaching and she had no idea what Kal's last name was, what his phone number was or how to find him. All she knew was the night club she was leaning against.
"Not your brightest shining moment, Lane," she mumbled, her eyes darting around as she tried to figure out what to do now.
Lois pushed off the wall and started pacing, moving closer to the street on the sidewalk as she went. After a moment, she heard a small clink and felt something under the edge of her sneaker. Looking down, she almost cried out as she recognized the object. It was one of the combs she had had in her hair last night. They had been her mother's…real sterling silver, and her father had allowed her to start wearing them when she was 14 after making her promise to take good care of them. She felt ashamed to realize that she hadn't even noticed she was missing them. For several minutes, she looked around, trying to find the mate to the one in her hand but finally concluded that it must have been lost and could be anywhere between here, the zoo and Kal's place.
The thought of Kal brought her back to her predicament and what she would do about it. Sighing, she decided there was nothing to do but go home and try to make it to the club tomorrow night and hope that Kal would be there and in a forgiving mood. She had just resigned herself that that would be her only possible course of action when she spotted a familiar looking older man digging through a nearby dumpster. Lois' eyes narrowed as she wracked her brain trying to remember the hobo's name. She stuffed the comb in her back pocket and made her way over to him.
"Hey," she called out. He jumped and she scolded herself. You didn't just yell out at someone on the streets in the middle of the city at night. She moved into a patch of light cast by a nearby streetlamp and smiled at him. "It's L…Jo. Remember me?" she asked brightly.
The old man squinted at her but then his expression became open and friendly and he grinned showing the gaps where his teeth should be. "Sure! Jo! You're Kal's friend!" he exclaimed.
Lois found his grin to be contagious and answered it with one of her own. "Yeah, that's right. Erm…I'm sorry, I don't…"
"Coop! The name's Coop," he reminded her kindly. "Whatchya doing out here? The club is closed on Sunday nights."
"Yeah, I know," Lois told him sheepishly. She was grateful for the darkness as a blush stole up her neck and over her face. "See, the thing is…I can't remember how to get to Kal's place. I rode with him on the back of his bike getting there and I wasn't paying attention…and I had to leave in a hurry this morning, or afternoon rather, so…"
Coop started chuckling but the situation hit him so funny that it quickly turned into a hacking laugh that turned into a cough. Lois pounded his back a couple of times until he held up a hand that he was ok. Finally, he straightened and looked around, wrapping his hands around a raggedy old shopping cart. Pushing it behind the dumpster, he pulled a cardboard box in front of it to help hide it in the shadows.
Turning back to Lois, Coop grinned again. "I'll take you there. It's not far from here, actually and I was planning on heading there myself. I could do with a sandwich if he has anything in the place decent to eat."
They started off and Lois glanced at the old man, waiting for him to say something but it seemed he was content with silence as they walked along. Finally, the quiet was getting to her and she decided to break it. Clearing her throat, she asked, "So…how long have you and Kal been friends?"
He grunted. "I'm not sure you'd call us friends," he answered after a second. "We met on the el and he helped me with my cart. I gave him a couple of dollas and he bought me a hamburger. He lets me take a shower or grab a bite to eat at his place now and again, but that's about the extent of our relationship. What about you two kids? You known him long?"
Lois smiled and blushed again. He was the first guy she could remember who could make her blush without even being around. "Actually, we met briefly at that club back there about a month ago but reconnected at the club again last night. I really don't know him at all…but…there's just something about him…" He grinned at her, his eyes twinkling and she coughed. "Sorry. I don't usually…"
"S'okay, missy! There must be somethin' about you too because you're the first girl I've seen him bring to that apartment and the first one I even heard him mention. You must be the one he was talking about that night after you first met. He went back to that club again and again and I figured it must be to find a gal that had caught his eye." He sighed. "Ah, young love."
Coop stopped in front of a high rise and waved up at it. "Welp, here we are! Shall we?" he asked waving at the building again, this time in the direction of the elevator.
The elevator doors were almost closed when Coop suddenly got off. "Say, totally forgot about the friend I was ta meet. Sorry, Jo. Maybe you could tell Kal hi for me," he said as he walked away, chuckling.
"But…" Lois started to protest but the doors were closed and the elevator moving before she could get more than the one word out.
When they opened again, she walked out of the elevator and over to the door to Kal's apartment. Lois took a deep breath and knocked. There was no answer and she felt that her nerves had led to a moment that was a little anticlimactic. She raised her hand to knock again but then, when she didn't hear anything from inside, changed her mind and decided maybe to come back tomorrow.
Just as Lois had turned to walk back to the elevator, the door was yanked open from the inside. She whipped around to find Kal standing there, arms crossed over his chest. "You're late."
Two words from Kal, along with his blank expression, had her shoving her hands into her back pockets and frowning. She rocked up and down from her heels to the balls of her feet. She wanted to apologize but something about his demeanor rubbed her the wrong way and she was tired. So Lois shrugged instead. "I told you I might be. I had some things I had to do." Realizing that it wouldn't be good for both of them to be in a bad mood, she decided to see where flirting would get them.
She bit her lip and flashed a small smile up at him. "But I'm here now." When he didn't say anything for a full minute, didn't even seem to move, she shrugged again but her eyes skittered away from his face. Lois didn't want him to see the hurt his lack of reaction was causing and it was fairly obvious to her that he didn't really want her there. So she turned around with the full intention of getting back in the elevator and returning home. A hand lightly gripping her shoulder stopped her.
"Where are you going?" he asked as he turned her to face him.
Lois looked up into his face but it was too dark and she couldn't make out his expression. Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. "You didn't seem all that happy to see me. I don't usually stick around in places where I'm not welcome," she said, keeping her tone carefully neutral.
Kal's hand slid from her shoulder down her arm and gently pried her arms apart. Taking her hand, he tugged her to the apartment, smirking down at her. "If I didn't want you here, I wouldn't have opened the door at all."
Giving him a small smirk of her own in triumph, she moved ahead of him into the apartment and waited while he closed the door. Suddenly, Lois was nervous again and she bit her lower lip in anticipation of what he would do next. She didn't have to wait long. Kal moved around her, his fingers gliding gently around her waist, to stand in front of her and then gathered her in his arms. "I am glad you're here," he told her, his voice husky.
The shadows must have been playing tricks on her because Lois could have sworn she saw his eyes glow red for a moment as he bent his head to capture her lips with his. His lips were gentle and welcoming at first but they quickly turned heated. Finally, when the kiss started to turn up the temperature in the room to almost unbearable proportions, Lois pulled back. She rubbed his chest and smiled up into his eyes.
"Whoa. Let's slow down a little. There's no need to rush. I'm not planning on going anywhere," she told him softly, choosing her words carefully. She wasn't planning on going anywhere but the truth was she wasn't sure she was ready for things to go too far between them. Part of her was afraid that her missing memories might inspire Kal to want more from her than she was willing to give tonight.
Kal smiled and nodded and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. He rubbed his hands up and down her back for a moment before slowly pulling back. Pecking her on the lips and then her nose, he looked into her eyes. They were so beautiful and he felt, if he let himself, he could easily get lost in those eyes.
"I've got something for you," he told her. When she looked at him questioningly and started to say something, he placed a finger over her lips. "Don't ask. Wait here and I'll go get it." He kissed her again. "Don't move."
She couldn't help the grin that spread over her face. Lois wasn't one for long-term surprises. She hated when her birthday or Christmas came around because the anticipation over what presents were coming would just about have her coming unglued. And not only with her own presents. If there were some kind of surprise going on for someone, she had to be in on it…period. But if she had no idea it was coming, no hint at all, until right before it happened…well then, she loved surprises!
It was one of the few things about her that consistently had her father chuckling and it was an ongoing battle between them. He was determined once in a while to get the upper hand in surprising her and she was just as determined to find out about them ahead of time and then act surprised later. The General considered it a war game. Lois considered it something similar to one of Chloe's investigations and, while she'd never tell her blonde cousin, she often thought she might be pretty good as a reporter herself. Maybe it had something to do with the number of times she had been able to break into the General's offices…or maybe it had something to do with the number of times she had surprised him by announcing when and where they were moving before he could.
Just as Lois was starting to get impatient, Kal returned with his hands behind his back and a gleam in his eyes. His smile was contagious and Lois matched it with one of her own. She made a half-hearted attempt to see what was in his hands but he easily dodged her. She tried the other way and then quickly ran around his back. Kal moved his hands to be in front of him and when she tried to grab hold of his wrist and hold it where she could see what was in his hand, he raised his hand over her head and shook a small box in wrapping paper with a red bow.
"What's the occasion?" she asked, feigning disinterest for a minute and hoping he would drop it in her hands.
Kal shrugged and kept the box over her head. "Think of it as a belated birthday present." Her eyes lit up and he laughed as she jumped for it a couple of times, missing it by so many inches, it might as well have been a mile above her.
"You'll have to do better than that, Jo," he chuckled, his eyes holding a flirtatious gleam.
Getting frustrated, Lois almost stomped her foot. Instead, as a plan popped into her head, she put her hands behind her back and gave him a coquettish smile. She tilted her head toward the right and leaned toward him but didn't actually touch him. "May I have my surprise please?" she asked sweetly.
He pretended to be contemplating it, looking towards the ceiling and then pursing his lips. "Hmm, I don't think so. Try again."
Raising an eyebrow, she rested her hands on his chest and slid them up slowly towards his shoulders. "Pretty please?"
Kal shook his head. Biting back a laugh, Jo slid her hands up and around his neck, one hand threading into the hair at the base of his neck, causing him to shiver slightly. As she stood up on her tip toes, she raised her lips towards his. Kal felt his heart skip a beat. This felt right like nothing else ever had. For the first time in his life, he wasn't worried about normal or his destiny, or even, God forbid, Lana Lang. His eyes fluttered closed and he dropped his arms around her waist, his lips skimming hers.
Then she started to giggle and skipped out of his arms. As Kal came to his senses and his eyes opened, he chuckled. Maybe another man would have been angry at her game but he found her toying with him amusing…and a turn on. He reached for her to pull her back to him, but she stayed out of reach, laughing and waving the present at him. He nodded at her and held up his hands to let her know that he wouldn't try to stop her.
Ripping into the package, Lois didn't even bother to hide her excitement. She threw the paper over one shoulder and let the bow flutter to the floor. As she held up her gift, she frowned in concentration as she studied it for a minute. Then her grin returned, bigger than before. Holding the two CD cases in her hands, she laughed and threw herself into his arms. Kal staggered back slightly so that she wouldn't hurt herself but caught her around the waist again.
"These are great! How did you know…?" She shook her head at herself. "The club, of course. I told you…" She looked up into his blue-green eyes and smiled, her arms moving up around his neck again. "I love them! Thank you!"
Jo kissed him but Kal could feel her excitement and chuckled between kisses. Pulling back, he asked, "Would you like me to put one of those on? I just picked up a killer new stereo this afternoon."
Her expression brightened so much that Kal thought it rivaled the sun. "That would be great!" When he gestured for her to pick which one she wanted to hear, she looked from one hand to the other. "Umm…this one!" She handed him one of the two CD cases he had gotten for her and was surprised when she realized that each of the cases held two CDs each.
As the sounds of White Snake floated on the air, Lois stepped over to her purse that she had thrown on one of the barstools and tucked the "Best of the 80s Hair Bands" into it. When she felt Kal's hand take hers and tug it gently, she turned to face him and smiled. "I believe this was the song we first danced to. Am I right?" he asked with a grin. She nodded and he tugged her to him. "I believe a repeat performance is in order…with your permission of course."
Lois chuckled and nodded again, moving her body to the music. "Absolutely." From now on, anytime she heard White Snake, she would forever associate them with Kal and that club. That was just fine by her, and she hoped he would be there in the future to listen to them with her.
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
Monday morning, 7:30 am
Lois quickly tied her sneakers and reached for her purse. Slinging it over her head to rest on her diagonally, she dug out a brush and ran it quickly through her dark locks, pulling them back into a ponytail. It had been a fun night. They had laughed and danced and eaten pizza and drank beer until they were almost sick, or at least until she was almost sick. The last thing she remembered before waking up, fully clothed, in his arms in bed was swaying gently in his arms in the living area.
Lois was facing away from the bed and didn't realize that Kal was awake. She almost jumped out of her skin as she felt his arm snake around her waist and pull her back to the bed. He kissed the side of her head, moved her hair aside and kissed her ear, behind her ear, along her jaw and then made his way down her neck. She let out a small moan and her eyes slid closed. Tilting her head to the other side to give him better access, Lois almost allowed herself to fall under his spell.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, however, the alarm bells went off again and a very clear picture of an angry father in full uniform flashed in her mind. Lois wrenched away from him and Kal groaned. Turning to face him, she gave a soft chuckle. "Sorry, Kal, but I have to go. I wish I could stick around but…" her words trailed off and she shrugged helplessly. The truth was, she felt it too…this connection between them. It ran far deeper than it should have for two people who had only spent less than a handful of days together.
"Call in sick," he told her huskily, reaching out to her to try to pull her back into his arms. "Let's spend the day together."
Lois sighed. Kal was assuming that she had a job to get to and she wasn't about to correct him. Shaking her head, she moved towards the front door. "I can't! Kal, I'm sorry but I really have to go for now."
Kal jumped out of the bed and followed her, hurrying to move between her and the door. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he allowed them to run up and down her upper arms. He looked into her eyes and gave her a smile that could melt butter, trying to persuade her to stay with him. "Come on. You never play hooky?" he asked. The light was playing tricks on her again, making it look as though his eyes were ringed with red.
'If you only knew,' Lois thought to herself. The General would be home today and after having been gone for several days and not doing anything much yesterday, she knew he would demand they spend the day cleaning the housing unit. He would be pounding on her bedroom door in less than half an hour.
Smiling, Lois placed her hands on his chest and leaned up to peck his lips. "Of course I do occasionally." He grinned and she knew he thought he had just won. She moved quickly around him and yanked open the front door to the apartment. "I just can't today." At his pout, she laughed and shook her head. "Ok, ok. Tell you what, I'll meet you at the club later tonight."
"When?" he demanded, holding her wrist so she couldn't leave without giving him an answer.
"I'm not sure of exactly what time I can get there but the club doesn't even open until 7:30." Lois tried to pull her wrist loose and huffed a little in exasperation when Kal held tight.
"When?"
Cutting off a sigh, she finally blurted out, "Nine, ok? I'll be there sometime between nine and nine-thirty."
Nodding, he yanked her to him, causing her to let out a small yelp of surprise. He kissed her soundly until she let out a moan and grabbed at the hair at the nape of his neck. Pulling back, he chuckled and set her away from him outside. "I'll be waiting." Just to keep her on her toes, he shut the door between them, laughing again at the puzzled look on her face.
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
Lois panted as she held her side and bent over at the waist, resting her hands on her knees. She had run most of the way back to the base and had been holding her breath off and on as she stealthily moved back to her window. Now that she was here, she made a note to get back into her regular exercise routine and she really did need to stop the smoking. She grimaced at that thought. She hated that something as small as a cigarette had power over her. She never should have taken up the nasty habit in the first place but she had done it to defy her father and out of curiosity and now look where it had her.
Shaking her head to clear it of the thoughts running through her mind, Lois listened for a moment just below her window to see if the General was pounding on the door. Satisfied when she heard nothing, she removed her purse from across her torso and tossed it up and over the sill. The housing unit was only one story but it did have a crawl space to allow access to plumbing and for storage and the ground sloped below her bedroom window, placing it high enough that she had to pull herself up into the room.
She silently looked around, staying crouched behind the shrubbery, making sure that no one was around. When she was satisfied, Lois turned to the wall and clamped her hands on the edge of the sill. She grunted as she pulled herself up and leaned into the room. She had more than half of her body inside when a hand grasped her arm.
"Here, let me assist you," came a gruff voice as two hands yanked her into an unceremonious heap on the floor.
Lois gasped and her eyes shot up into the face of her father who did not look pleased. He folded his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, his jaw clenching and unclenching. "Well, soldier? I believe explanations are in order."
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
One week later, Metropolis, Club Atlantis, 9:45 pm
Kal took a big gulp of his drink while his eyes darted around the dance club. He was back to standing in the shadows, the music so loud the floor vibrated beneath his feet. Several women eyed him and threw seductive looks his way, but he ignored it all. He was waiting, just as he had every night for the past week…waiting for her. And he was getting pretty damn tired of waiting for her.
There had been no word from Jo since she had left his apartment Monday morning. He had asked Coop about her when he mentioned her on Tuesday when he stopped by for the usual food and a shower. He had even tried riding the trains during the day, especially the one that he had first seen her on with her friend. There had been no sign of her. If he didn't know better, he might have thought that he had made her up.
Kal had gone from confusion to worry to anger and back again as more time passed and there was still no word from Jo. Now he nursed his temper and bruised ego while deflecting unwanted female attention. He made his way over to the bar as he realized his pal Andy was working tonight. Maybe he had seen or heard from Jo.
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
Lois almost growled in frustration as she glared at her father's retreating form through the window. Hearing a sigh from behind her, she answered it with one of her own. She let the blinds fall back into place and turned to face her babysitter for the night. At least this one would talk to her…she hoped. The last two guys and the one woman, all of various ranks, her father had left in charge had had absolutely no sense of humor.
She tried one of her biggest smiles that usually melted this particular sitter's resolve pretty quickly. Her smile went unanswered and she sighed again. Maybe he wouldn't talk to her. She knew he was pretty upset.
"How about some poker?" she asked brightly. "We could order pizza. The General has a couple of brews in the fridge, and we could…"
"Stop, Lois! Just stop!"
Lois jumped at the tone in his voice. It was a combination of frustration, anger and disappointment. While she could understand somewhat and felt guilty knowing that she was the cause, she also found herself reacting the same way that she did to her father…guilt was there yes, but also hurt, anger, rebellion and even resentment. Resentment because she already had a father; she didn't need him to act like one too, but also resentment because, up until the last couple of months, she had seen this man in a completely different role. It was amazing the changes that a total stranger had made in her. Truthfully, she had no idea if they were good changes or bad. Maybe it was still too early to tell yet.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped back, folding her arms over her chest.
"What's wrong with me?! Lois, your dad calls me into his office and says that he needs me to do him a favor, only he doesn't ask it, he tells me like I have no choice in the matter. But that doesn't bother me really, because let's face it, I'd never be able to turn General Sam Lane down anyway. Then he tells me this story of catching his daughter climbing back in her window after being out all night…in his words, 'doing God knows what with God knows who, only God knows where'. Then he tells me he needs me to babysit his daughter to make sure that she didn't try to do take off again while he took care of some business for a couple of evenings. He made it pretty clear that it was a favor he expected me to take care of and not screw it up," her sitter told her.
"Pretty uninteresting story really," Lois sniffed. Catching herself biting her thumbnail, she stuffed her hands in her pockets and glared at her companion. "It isn't one I haven't already heard, Wes…ad nausea from the General. What's your point?"
"My point?! Lois, you're 17 years old! I know you think you're all grown up and everything but you're still a kid! Sneaking out and staying out all night and then not answering your father's questions…" he started, jumping off the couch and starting to pace. "And now you want me to…"
"I sure hope you didn't think of me as a kid back in Germany because your actions would be even more questionable don't you think?" she bit out, causing him to pale and then turn scarlet. Lois sighed and refolded her arms over her chest. "You know, Wes, as you mentioned, I already have a father. I don't need you acting like one."
"That was a little below the belt, Lo," Wes told her softly, rubbing a hand down his face. When she only shrugged and raised her eyebrows at him, he shook his head and stood up. Blowing out a breath, he moved over to stand in front of her. "And it was for me, too. Look, I'm sorry, LoJo. You know I don't think of you as a kid. I'm just not sure how to handle this situation here. I mean, you and I have been friends for years now, but you know I look up to your father like he was my own. I don't want to disappoint him and I don't know how to not take sides here."
Seeing the pleading look in his eyes, Lois almost relented and let Wes off the hook but one word out of his little spiel caught her attention. She kept her own expression carefully blank and studied his face for a moment, her arms staying crossed. "Friends, huh?" she said softly. "That's really how you see us, isn't it?"
Clearing his throat and reddening somewhat, Wes' eyes darted around for a second before coming back to hers. "Yeah, LoJo, that's how I see us," he answered with a nod. When she only blinked at him, he waited a beat before adding, "I'm sorry, Lois. I know that I led you to believe that…that we were more than that and I truly don't want to hurt you, but I-I just can't be more than that…with you." He looked into her eyes and took a deep breath. "You see, I-I've met someone…"
Up until his last few words, Lois had thought she was handling Wes' words well. It wasn't even all that surprising really. She had suspected he felt this way ever since they had met again here in Metropolis. That last bit, though…that she had definitely not seen coming. She held up a hand for him to stop and closed her eyes, sighing. Resting her fingertips on her forehead, she took a deep breath to gather her thoughts before lifting her head again.
Wes tried again. He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed lightly. "Lo, I'm sorry. I really never meant to hurt you."
Lois finally gave him half a smile. "It's ok, Wes. I kind of thought this was coming." At his skeptical look, she shook her head slightly. "I mean, I am surprised that you met somebody and haven't told me before now, but I could tell you were pulling away from me and trying to put us back to friends again." She patted one of his hands with hers and he took it in his hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back. "I was hurt at first but I'm really ok with it now."
Tilting her head, Lois' smile grew a little larger and warmer. "But I don't regret what happened between us in Germany. I know I probably should and that you probably do, but I know my rebellious side when it comes to my father. He had just overheard one of the guys on the base talking about the sexy daughter of a certain American general and it led him to try to lecture me about being with a guy…or rather not being with a guy…and you know how I get."
Wes chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, nobody tells Lois Lane what to do. She's just going to do the exact opposite. She gets that independence from her father I believe."
She thought about it for a minute but then slowly shook her head. "Actually, the General always says I get my 'defiant nature' from my mother's side of the family. He'll say that he brought it out in her too. Stubbornness and independence comes from both sides. I was screwed from the minute those two sets of genes were put together," she said with a grin. He laughed with her at that.
Then Lois sobered. "Honestly, though, Wes, I was determined to be with someone after he ordered me not to be and I'm just grateful that someone as kind, caring and considerate as you was there for my first time. I know it might seem kind of weird to say this but…thank you."
Giving her a warm smile, Wes pulled her into a hug. He rocked them back and forth for a moment before pulling back and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're welcome, LoJo. I hope this means we can still be good friends."
"You sure you want to be my friend? Cause you're acting more like my father every day," she told him with a smirk. "What's with the stick in the mud routine? It's like you've forgotten how to have fun. I get the whole wanting to protect people you care about routine, but honestly, how much trouble do you think I'll get myself into? It's not like I put myself in life or death situations."
Wes narrowed his eyes to slits. "Forgotten how to have fun, huh?" When she just raised an eyebrow, he growled. "Fine. You get the cards, I'll order the pizza."
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
Another week later…
Coop pushed his cart down the alley and parked it on the far side of the dumpster. He hummed to himself tunelessly as he shifted the contents around. He made a happy shout of triumph as he found a pair of men's slippers that looked like they would fit him and hardly worn. As he reached down to pull off one of his old boots, he heard a small crash from deeper in the alley.
Straightening immediately, the old man squinted into the darkness. "Hey!" he called. "Anybody there?"
When he heard a cat cry, he shook his head and turned back to his original task. Coop had just managed to pry his boot off and slide on the slipper when he heard another sound from behind him. Spinning around, he saw three young men, probably in their late teens or early twenties, covered in tattoos and piercings. As Coop looked them all over hesitantly, he recognized one of the tattoos all of them shared, a symbol for one of the local gangs.
"Hey, old man, find anything worth a s***?" one of them asked. He had stepped forward and appeared to be the leader.
One of the others, the taller of the two, pulled out a switch blade and pretended to be cleaning his nails with it. Coop followed his movements with his eyes and held up his hands. "Listen, boys, I don't want any trouble. As you can probably tell, I'm not exactly rolling in money so I'll ask that you kindly leave me be."
"Hey, guys! Look what we have here! Seems the old man has been shopping," the shorter sidekick called from the side of the dumpster.
"That's my cart!" Coop exclaimed, forgetting the danger he was in for the moment in his haste to protect the few belongings he had.
The taller youth shoved Coop from behind, causing him to stumble and laughed along with shorty, who shoved him back again. The old man grunted and protested, trying to get at his cart. Finally, the leader stepped forward. Flicking his own knife open, he silenced his companions with a bark.
"Enough!" He turned to the older hobo and held his knife up. "Now, old man, we're gonna see just what all you got for us tonight. Hopefully, it'll be enough to buy you safe passage outta this alley." Franklin Cooper's eyes widened and he knew he was in trouble.
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
Club Atlantis
Kal quickly caught the hand that was starting to wander a little too far into dangerous territory for his tastes. At the blonde's pout, he smirked and spun her away from him and then back again and she giggled. Her red-headed friend behind him bumped hips with him and he twirled her with his other hand. The song's beat kept them moving and he easily kept up with it.
The alcohol, music, and women didn't affect him like he wished and he found himself playing with the ring, squeezing his hand every now and then, hoping for the red kryptonite to work its magic on his darkening mood. It seemed no matter how he tried, he couldn't get Jo out of his head. Here he was, on the dance floor with two beautiful, and willing, women and all he could think about was the dark haired smoker who had stood him up two weeks ago.
Angry at himself for allowing his thoughts to stray back to Jo, Kal silently berated himself and left the two girls on the dance floor. Without a word of explanation or apology, he walked away and headed out the door, leaving the two looking at each other in confusion. Ignoring the call of the valet to get his latest acquired vehicle, he decided to walk back to his apartment, thinking the exercise might do him good.
Kal had just stopped beside a pay phone, debating whether to call the Kent farm again or not, when he heard something coming from the alley across the way. He decided to investigate and sped over to the entrance of the alley. There were three young men messing with a fourth person who he couldn't see for the others in the way. He didn't think about it or question it, but acted on instinct.
"Hey! Leave him alone!" he called out to them.
The leader of the three youths had been holding his knife to Coop's side as the taller of his companions, stood behind the older man. Shorty had been in the process of turning over the shopping cart. At Kal's call, the startled youths panicked. The tall one shoved Coop forward and the old man's eyes widened in shock. The young leader's face matched Coop's. Stepping back, the youth hesitated only a moment before racing out of the alley, his companions close on his heels.
Kal saw the man left behind drop to the pavement and moved to check on him. "Sir, are you alright?" he asked as he knelt down and turned the man over so he was face up. His shock was written all over his face as he looked down into the old bum's. "Coop?"
"Kal!" the old man wheezed out.
Kal was no doctor but he could tell Coop's breathing didn't sound right. He felt a sticky substance on the old man's jacket and didn't need light to know that it was blood…a lot of blood and the stain was growing. He placed his hand over the wound and pressed down, trying to staunch the flow.
"We've got to get you to a hospital," he told the old man and started trying to help him to his feet.
Coop let out a cry and grabbed a fist full of Kal's shirt. Shaking his head, he puffed out, "No! Stop!" He panted for a second and it seemed his breathing was getting more labored. Looking up into the younger man's face, his eyes crinkled as he tried to smile. "I don't think we're gonna make it to the hospital, Kal."
Kal blinked back tears, the first he had ever had to fight with the red kryptonite on. "Ok, so if I can't move you, I'll just run over to the pay phone and call an ambulance. It's just right over…"
"Kal…son, it's getting harder to breathe and I'm starting to lose feeling in my left arm. I'm not gonna make it through this," Coop told him seriously. When Kal started to protest, he shook his head and coughed, some blood spilling across his lips. "Look, I don't have any family to speak of or anything, so I want you to have my stuff. It ain't much, and I don't really want to know what you'll do with it but it's yours."
"Coop, don't talk like that. You're going to be fine; we just have to get you to the hospital and the doctors will fix you right up," Kal told him, sniffing a little.
"It's been nice knowing you the brief time I have. You're a nice kid, Kal. I wish we could have gotten to know you better." The old man coughed and he turned loose of Kal's shirt to cover his mouth. In between coughs, he managed to wheeze out, "Got something…in my…right jacket pocket. Didn't…didn't want someone…to steal it from my cart. Get it…out for me."
The young man pulled an object out of the pocket Coop indicated and tried to turn it to the light to see what it was. When his friend coughed again, he decided figuring out what it was could wait and stuffed the object into his own pocket. "Coop, you've got to try to let me help you. I can't just…"
He shook his head again. "Kal, stop. Just promise…" his voice dropped in power and volume. "Just promise that you won't stay alone. Find that pretty young lady that you met at the club. No one should be alone. Take it from me, Franklin Cooper, the old bum nobody will remember."
"That's not true, Coop. I can promise you that I'll never forget you," Kal told him sincerely. Tears ran unheeded down his face. "You're the first friend I made here in Metropolis."
Coop smiled at his young friend and patted the side of his face twice and smiled. "Thank…thank you," he whispered.
His eyes drifted shut, there were a couple more wheezes and then a shudder and he went limp. Kal checked his breathing and listened for a heartbeat, putting his ear to the old man's chest, but he was gone. Hanging his head, Kal battled with the anger and pain that burned within him. Tilting his face to the sky, he cried out.
"I wasn't even allowed one friend?! Why send me here with all these people if I'm always meant to be alone?" he raged. Kal's eyes glowed red and he gasped as the scar on his chest burned.
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
A week and a half later, Fort Avelson
Chloe dropped onto the chair like a sack of potatoes. "But…you guys haven't even been here for three months! You're leaving already? I thought…"
Lois sighed and shrugged, pretending to be blasé about the whole thing but inside, she was hurting too. This should be easier; after all, this should have just been another stop on the map for her. She should be used to moving at the whims of either one Sam or the other, Uncle or father. But the truth was, this time was different. One of the big reasons was her blonde cousin currently sitting on her bed. The other was a tall, dark and handsome stranger that she couldn't put out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried.
"It's not like I have a choice in this, Chlo. The General has his orders and I have mine. You know this is how it works. I hate it, but that's my life right now," Lois said, sitting down next to her. "I hope at some time in the near future, I can find some way to get settled somewhere. I hate never feeling like I have a home. Mom used to be able to make each new place feel like home but then we were a real family then and the assignments didn't move us as frequently."
Chloe smiled at her sympathetically, throwing an arm around her cousin's shoulders. "I'm sorry. I don't want to bum you out. I know this isn't easy for you. It's just I'm going to miss you. I had gotten used to having you around."
Smiling, Lois bumped Chloe's side gently. "Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too. It was nice having a little sister around again. Even if she has been too busy being a hot shot reporter to spend much time with me."
Chloe cleared her throat and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I'm not sure that's going to last too much longer," she mumbled. She had never been able to bring herself to tell the cousin she looked up to just how she had acquired the internship at the Planet.
Lois pulled back slightly to be able to look in Chloe's eyes. "What? Why? This doesn't have anything to do with that Timmy guy that never called does it, 'cause I'll march down to that newspaper and…"
"No, this has nothing to do with Jimmy," Chloe said with a blush. She wasn't entirely sure she should have told Lois everything about her date that night several weeks ago. "He's not even there anymore. Honestly, I'd rather not talk about that right now."
"Which? Jimmy or the internship?"
"Either."
"Oh…ok. But you know if you ever want to…"
"Yeah, I know and I appreciate it."
A beat passed and then Chloe jumped up and threw her arms open wide. "So what do you want to do for the last couple of nights you're here? We could catch a movie, go to one of the museums, whatever you want to do."
At the immediate image of the night club and Kal at the bar, Lois shook her head. She couldn't do it. She couldn't leave without trying to see him again. She needed to at least try to explain why she had stood him up and to see if there was any way…no, she just needed to say goodbye and leave it at that.
Standing, Lois shoved her hands in her pockets and took a deep breath. "Actually, Chlo, I'd love to spend the night with you, but I also need a favor…a really big favor."
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
The next night, Atlantis
Lois took a couple of deep breaths to calm her nerves as she looked up at the building across the way. Maybe she shouldn't have insisted that she could do this herself instead of letting Chloe come with her. "Get it together, Lois. You're a Lane," she muttered. Squaring her shoulders, she shook some of her hair out of her eyes and marched to the entrance of the club.
Once inside, she allowed a moment for her eyes to adjust to all the sights before trying to take in details. There were people everywhere. The music was loud and the temperature was up to sweltering. Biting her lower lip, Lois made her way over to the bar but there was a woman behind the bar that she didn't recognize. She had been hoping to find the same guy who had been working all the other times she had been there. She debated on ordering a drink but decided against it. Lois wanted to have a clear head tonight. No alcohol dulling her senses.
What was she doing here? What was it about Kal that drew her like it did? He was just a guy, an older guy, who probably had a dozen girlfriends all over the city. As she stood over by the bar, however, she couldn't stop her eyes from darting over the people on the dance floor. A song came on that was a little more mellow than the usual pounding.
No regrets
Everything will work out fine
"Hi, what can I get you?" the woman behind the bar asked.
"A sparkling water with lime please," Lois ordered with a warm smile. "Have you seen Kal around?" she asked hopefully.
A confused look came over the bartender's face. "I don't know a 'Kal'…but I just started two nights ago. If he's a regular, I wouldn't know." She smiled briefly before moving off to get the drink.
We'll hold our breath,
Wait for another sign
Lois scanned the crowd, at times standing on her tiptoes to see around this person or that. "Here you go," the woman said, setting the water on a napkin in front of Lois. She nodded her thanks and started to sip it, her eyes returning to the crowd.
I've tasted
Your bittersweet faith
My heart aches for you
Finally, as if in slow motion, the crowd parted and she spotted him on the dance floor. She wasn't sure how she knew it was him; it was dark after all, but she knew it was. And he wasn't alone. There was a woman with bright red hair draped all over him, and Lois felt her heart drop a little.
Taking a deep breath, she decided she had come this far she might as well see this through. She made her way through the sea of bodies over to where he was and waited for him to notice her.
I'm taking
A moment to say
Everything I do
I do it for you
I do it all for you
Kal felt as if someone was watching him and opened his eyes, glancing around for any possible reasons for the feeling. When his eye landed on the brunette not 10 feet away, he froze, causing his dance partner to look up at him questioningly. Kal couldn't pull his eyes from Jo, though and he felt a wave of varying emotions flow over him.
She waved at him and gave him half a smile. Raising an eyebrow, Jo flashed a pleading look and hesitatingly tried waving Kal over. He clenched his jaw and debated on it. The truth was, he was curious about what she had to say, but he was also angry. His pride, amplified by the kryptonite, cried out at the audacity of her showing up now.
Lay your sweet
Tears across my broken dream
Finally, he came to a decision and without a word to his dance partner, Kal stepped away from the dance floor and pushed past a couple of people to get to Jo. He stood in front of her and crossed his arms over his chest, creating a barrier over his heart.
Don't you speak
A word about the past
"Kal, I'm…I'm so sorry," Jo told him, swallowing and giving him a hopeful look.
"You're sorry?" he asked incredulously.
Part of him wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go again. What was it about this woman, this woman who had breezed into his life and somehow, in just a few brief encounters, had touched his heart.
You'll need more than I'll ever give
I can't lie to you
How was it that she had done it so fast? And then, just as suddenly, without explanation, disappeared again. It irked him and hurt more than he wanted to admit, even to himself. And then something in her hair caught his attention.
I love you
My angel, my sin
He recognized the object that caught the light because he had its mate back at his apartment…a gift from a dead friend. At the thought of Coop, Kal remembered why he couldn't get close to anyone. Everyone that got too close to him only got hurt. For her sake as well as his, he needed to end this…now.
Everything I do
I do it for you.
I do it all for you.
Anything, anything for you
"Kal, I…" Jo started.
He held up a hand and shook his head. Putting on a scowl, he told her, "Save it. I don't need or want your explanations. I've moved on. I suggest you do the same."
Are we moving in the right direction?
What is fate if fate's immersed in shame?
A high price for the beauty of perfection
I go when all I want to do is stay
"But…"
Tears filled Jo's eyes and he felt like a heel. But then, the image of Coop dying in his arms floated into his mind and he clenched his jaw again. Raising his head in determination, Kal just looked her in the eye. Then he turned his back and walked away, disappearing into the crowd. He made his way to a dark corner where he could see her and watched to see what she would do.
Lois stood there for what felt like forever before finally deciding that maybe he was right. He didn't need an explanation. And really, where could any of this have led except to a moment like this? Taking a shaky breath, she wiped away a stray tear and turned on her heel to leave…the club, the city, and the man who had changed her life.
I do it all for you
Anything I do
I do it all for you
* * * * CK/LL * * * *
Deep underground in the Kawatche caves
A voice echoed off of the stone walls. "The time for that part of your destiny is not yet, my son. Neither of you are ready for each other. I promise, you will be returned to each other," the male voice said.
There was a slight glow on one of the walls that held several symbols, but no one was around to see it. In a city, a couple of hours away, however, two young people got a sudden headache that quickly went away, taking with it details of their first meeting. It left feelings and bits and pieces of their encounters. They would meet again when something more powerful than they intervened, dropping one of them in the path of the other.