A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for the incredible feedback! It really means so much that you're enjoying the story. Here's my take on the Lois/RBB/phone booth spoiler, enjoy!

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Moment #10 ~ Stiletto

"So, to what do I owe the honor?"

Clark couldn't help but smirk at that. Lois' playful tone, one he could pick up even through the Daily Planet's payphone, had him envisioning a similar look on her face. He was sorely tempted to use his x-ray vision to peer into the adjacent booth to confirm his suspicions. Instead, he took a moment to anxiously check one more time that the voice modifier he'd borrowed from Oliver was turned on. See, she'd picked up her phone on the second ring, immediately, and typically, launching into her question, so he hadn't spoken a word yet.

No, his only contact with her so far, at least today, as his alter-ego was a cryptic text message that he'd managed to send with some high tech router of Oliver's, a precaution in case she decided to investigate the source of the text. Not that he'd sent it from his own phone, of course, however Lois was nothing if not a pitbull on a pant leg when she was curious, so every safeguard was necessary.

His heart was hammering in his chest, part of him sure she could hear it on the other side of the booth's wall that separated them. He was thankful for the dimly lit newsroom outside, as well as the late hour which ensured the lack of inquisitive reporters looking for a big scoop to get them out of the basement milling about. No, Lois outworked everyone, and for tonight, he was terribly happy about that. He'd watched for a few moments before the designated meeting time as she sat, her brow furrowed in concentration and her pencil trapped between her teeth as she reread her notes for the latest piece she was working on. It had seemed like hours, watching and waiting for her to stand and head toward the phone booth he'd asked her to be in to take his call. When she finally did, he waited a few moments, ensuring she was inside with the door closed, before taking a quick glance around to make sure the basement was as empty as it appeared, and supersped into the booth next to her.

"Um, hello?"

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and with one last fervent prayer that the voice modifier would be enough to disguise the voice she knew so well, he swallowed hard, and spoke.

"I'm here."

"That makes two of us," she said lightly, and Clark could hear the slight teasing lilt in her voice. "So, now that we've established that, I'll ask again. Why am I here? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, just curious."

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Why me?"

Clark paused, weighing his words carefully. He knew caution was important, Lois was sharp, and she'd latch onto anything that seemed amiss or, worse – at least in this case, familiar.

"I'm a fan of your work, Ms. Lane."

"So, this is an interview?"

"No….at least not yet."

"Why not?"

"I'm…not quite ready to go public."

"The people of Metropolis are certainly interested in finding out more about you. They have a lot of questions."

"As do you, I'm sure."

"I am a reporter. I assumed that's why you wanted to talk to me."

"When I do go public, I assure you, you'll be the first to know, Ms. Lane," Clark said, his shoulders finally relaxing slightly as, minutes into the conversation Lois had clearly not recognized his voice, nor seemed to know he was basically only inches away from her.

"I better be. And, you can call me Lois."

"Okay…Lois," he responded softly, hoping Ollie's little gadget would also hide the emotion that had crept into his voice as her name spilled from his lips.

"So, you like my work, but this isn't an interview. So what is this about?"

"Stiletto."

"What about her?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"I know it's you."

The silence that followed his response was deafening. Clark could swear his heart ceased to beat as he waited for her response.

"You do, do you?" she countered, the suspicion evident in her voice.

"I do."

"And how exactly did you come to that conclusion?"

"I saw you," he answered simply.

"How could you tell it was me? I mean, I know you've saved me more than a few times, but I was wearing a costume."

He grinned, hearing the note of frustration in her words, the same one he'd heard the night he'd seen her in the alley in her Stiletto get-up. She'd been annoyed that her secret identity wasn't so…well, secret.

"You're a hard woman to miss, Lois. Not to mention, that costume didn't leave much to the imagination, which, I have to say, I didn't mind at all," he said, fully aware of the implication those words had. And he didn't care. The vision of Lois in that ridiculously sexy black leather outfit had played a starring role in his dreams the past few nights. The irony of the situation didn't escape him though.

He'd wanted to tell her how incredibly gorgeous she was, how unbelievably sexy she looked, cape and all, as [i]Clark[/i]. But he held back, because he felt his secret wouldn't allow things to progress the way he truly wanted them to. Plus, Lois had told him, in no uncertain terms, that the game between them was to be kept on the field.

However, it was in the role of his alter ego, the living embodiment of his secret, that he felt confident enough, hidden behind his secret identity, to express what he'd wanted to say to her that night in the alley.

He'd laugh at his predicament if it wasn't so frustrating.

"Were you checking me out?" she asked, her soft chuckle interrupting his musings.

"I can't imagine any man that wouldn't," he said, his voice taking on a sincerity he hoped would translate through both the phone and the voice changer.

When his words are met with silence, he feels the tension suddenly come back into his body.

Had he gone too far?

He focused his eyes on the wall separating them, and in moments, the wood paneling melted away to reveal Lois, leaning against the opposite wall of the booth. With a sigh of relief, he noted the slight blush in her cheeks and the flattered smile touching her lips. She bit the corner of her lip slightly, then pulled the phone back toward her mouth.

"Thanks," she said softly. "So, is that what this is about? You wanted to tell me how good I look in black leather?"

Tearing his eyes away – knowing he would be much more in control of his conversation if he wasn't watching – and analyzing – her every expression through the wall, yet feeling a twinge of disappointment as the wood rematerialized between them, he shook his head slightly, focusing on the very real reason he'd wanted to talk to her tonight.

"That's not the only reason, no."

The silence stretched between them for a few moments, before Lois prodded, "Okay, so what's the other reason?"

"I was hoping I could convince you to stop."

"Stop what?"

"Stop being Stiletto."

"Why? Am I horning in on your turf or something?" she asked, her tone a joking one that was not lost on Clark.

"I'm serious. You're putting yourself in danger, Lois."

"Don't you? Everyday?"

"I have abilities that make it a lot safer for me to do what I do. You don't."

"I'm not some helpless female you know," she countered, irritated.

"I know you're not."

"And just because you've saved me a few times, doesn't mean I can't take care of myself," she continued, her voice rising in what Clark knew was a telltale sign of an oncoming Lois rant.

"Lois, I know you can," he said, attempting to appease her. "It's not about that."

"Well, then what is it about?"

"Is that what you really want? To be a superhero?" he asked, answering her question with his own.

She seemed to contemplate that for a moment, before finally answering. "I won't lie, there was a certain rush that came with helping someone who needed it, and, more importantly, being able to help that person," she said, and Clark wondered if she was thinking about saving him after he'd been attacked with kryptonite, rendering him incapable of fighting back. "But truthfully? No. Besides, for any success I had as Stiletto, I think my strongest weapon in helping fight crime in Metropolis is my trusty word processing program."

Clark smiled, more than a little bit relieved. "You're hanging up your black leather, then?"

"For now. But it'll make a hell of a Halloween costume. I reserve the right to use it for that."

He chuckled, leaning back against the wall.

"Look, since I'm being honest," she continued, "the whole Stiletto thing was really my big idea to lure you out of hiding. I thought maybe, if you saw a superhero like Stiletto entrusting me with revealing her to the world, maybe you'd trust me too. Which, I guess there's a pretty big flaw in that argument now that I think about it. But hey, do whatever it takes to get the story, right?"

He almost blurted out "Rule #3" in response before he caught himself, practically biting through his lip to keep the words from escaping his mouth.

"So, that's the reason for this conversation? You were worried about me?"

"Metropolis needs you, Lois. You're a great reporter, one that cares about this city and the people who live in it. Besides," he continued, his voice softening a touch, "I know there are people who'd be devastated if anything happened to you."

"Are you kidding? I can think of several people who'd throw a tickertape parade, with my current boss being the master of ceremonies," she snarked, in typical Lois fashion.

"Don't sell yourself short," he responded, with a little more force than he intended, but it'd always bothered him that she didn't realize how special she was to the people who were lucky enough to be in her life.

"Fine, I mean, I'm sure Chloe would be upset. Oh, and there's Jimmy. He and I got close when he was recovering from the attack of the psychotically evil wedding crasher. So he might shed a tear or two. If anyone could find The General and Lucy, they'd probably be broken up about it," she said, pausing for a moment before finally uttering quietly, "And Clark. He'd care."

"Who's Clark?"

It wasn't fair. He knew it. But it wasn't like he'd planned it. The words, as innocuous as they were on the surface, just slipped out.

But the truth was, since Lois had returned from Mexico, any glimpses of feelings for him that he'd seen prior to her trip were now firmly under lock and key. Oh sure, they still bantered all the time, hung out and teased each other like only they could, and their working relationship was on its way to becoming a well-oiled machine, with a few squeaks now and then because, well, they were Lois and Clark.

Could he really be blamed for trying to get a little insight into where he stood with her?

Yes, you can.

He closed his eyes, the voice of his conscience swimming through his head.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business," he muttered, at that moment hating the fact that it was so ingrained in him to do the right thing.

"No, it's okay. Clark is…he's a friend. And we work together."

"Just a friend?"

Well, she had opened the door. It'd be rude of him not to continue the conversation at this point.

"Just a friend," she said, and he swore he could hear a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Is that what you want?"

He held the phone tightly, waiting for her response.

"What I want really doesn't matter. He just…I don't know. Sometimes he seems like he might be interested but…"

"But what?"

"He never does anything about it. So, maybe I'm wrong," she said. "Wow, you really don't know need to know all this."

"It's okay," he insisted.

"No, it's not. I mean, I don't usually spill the details of my personal life to virtual strangers. Even ones who've saved my life several times."

Clark took a step forward in the small booth, now resting his shoulder against the separating wall.

"Sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger about stuff like this," he said, feeling his stomach twist slightly at the lie easily tumbling from his mouth.

"Maybe."

The sound of her breathing filled the silence that now lingered between them. He focused his eyes once more, surprised to find that Lois was now directly on the other side of the wall, mimicking his leaning pose, just a few small inches away from him.

"About this Clark guy," he said quietly. "I wouldn't worry. I'm sure he feels the same way you do."

"He's got a funny way of showing it. By, you know, not showing it."

"Maybe he's scared."

"That's a cop-out," she retorted quickly. "Everyone's scared. You think I'm not scared? When I realized I had feelings for a small town, plaid loving farmboy, I completely freaked out. And then I went into serious denial. But I came to accept it, and I even put myself out there, and you think that wasn't scary? Because let me tell you, it was terrifying. Do you have any idea what that kind of fear feels like?"

"Yeah, actually, I do."

"Really? So there's someone special in Metropolis' newest superhero's life?"

A soft smile graced his lips as he unconsciously moved a small step toward where she stood on the other side of the wall. Leaning his head against the dark wood, imagining that if the wall weren't between them, it'd be resting against her silky chocolate locks, he closed his eyes briefly.

"There is."

"Lucky girl."

"Actually, she doesn't know how I feel," he said.

"What is it with men? Seriously? If you have feelings for her, don't you think you should let her in on it, and maybe give yourself a chance at happiness?"

"It's complicated."

"Why?"

He sighed loudly. "My life, it isn't exactly conducive to sustaining a relationship."

"If she feels the same way, she'd live with it. Happily, I'm sure."

"It's not just what I do, it's...look, it's just this whole double identity thing is a pretty big secret to keep."

"And you don't think she can handle it?"

At that, his mind wandered back to the short time she'd known his secret. How she'd stood by him, how she'd fought for him, how he'd still been "Smallville" to her, despite knowing the truth about him. And how that meant more to him than she'd ever know.

"No, I know she can handle it. She just shouldn't have to," he said.

"Don't you think that's her call?"

"That's not the point, once she knows, I can't take it back. She'll have to live with it for the rest of her life, and all the danger and secrets that come with it."

"So, you unilaterally decide to just pine away in silence, leaving her out of the loop about your feelings for her, instead of taking the chance that it might actually work out? That you might actually get a bit of happiness for yourself in addition to the amazing things you do for the people of this city?"

"The most important thing to me is that she's safe."

"Sounds to me like you're keeping yourself safe."

He went silent at that, the words all too familiar, having just come from her cousin weeks before. After a few moments, he smiled a bit sadly.

"I guess Clark and I have a lot in common."

"Yeah, you both need a good smack upside the head," she muttered.

A chuckle escaped his lips. "Maybe."

"Definitely," she said. "So, as you've probably figured out, I'm not one to keep my opinions to myself."

"I noticed."

"I do, however, respect you're your need to keep your true identity a secret from the public. So, when you do decide to reveal yourself to the world, keep that in mind, alright?"

"Don't worry, Lois. Like I said, you'll be the first to know. I guess, on that note, I should probably go. I have some patrolling to do."

"Yeah, okay. Just let me know when you're ready for the front page."

"I will," he said. "And Lois?"

"Hmmm?"

"Don't doubt for a second that Clark has feelings for you."

"How do you know? Is mind reading one of your powers?" she quipped.

"No," he answered, laughing softly. "It's just…there's no way he couldn't be completely in love with you."

His eyes found her, one last time, his heart melting at the smile that now graced her lovely lips.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"Be safe, okay?"

"I'll do my best," she answered.

"So, in other words, I'll be saving you in about an hour?"

"Oh, look, the superhero has a sense of humor!" she snarked.

He shook his head slightly, his wide smile lighting up his beautiful blue-green eyes. "Goodnight, Lois."

"Goodnight."

And with that, he snapped the phone shut, and sped out of the Planet, and into the dark Metropolis night, Lois' beautiful smile fresh in his mind as he blurred through the very streets he'd sworn to make safer.