Born To Fly
By Serena Kenobi
Rating: T
Author's notes: Again, appreciate the reviews. Thanks a bunch!! For whoever likes Smallville, wasn't the last episode totally AWESOME??? It rocked da house, big time!! ALSO! I'm not that familiar with ships, so don't get mad at me if I mess some details up. This chapter isn't very action-packed, but it is sweet. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: Don't own Superman, Batman, or Justice League. Wish I did!
Chapter Ten - Sleeping Beauty
The three headed to the docks and got out of the limo. Lois's jaw dropped as she beheld the beautiful, sleek craft floating in front of them. A crew was already getting ready to leave, doing various jobs to make sure the ship was in top condition.
"You own this?" Lois breathed, gazing in awe at the spectacular boat.
Bruce came up next to her, Clark on his side, and grinned. "Yeah, that's one of mine." He motioned for them to follow him onto the ship's balcony. "Come on, I'll show you around."
Clark and Lois glanced at each other and walked up the ramp after him.
"This is only one of your yachts?" Lois questioned, looking around at the table, chairs, and the HD flatscreen on a wall nearby.
"Yeah," Clark added, "He's got at least five more." He frowned quizzically. "Or is it six now? I can't keep track of all your toys, Bruce."
Bruce headed into the main part of the ship, the other two following him, and went downstairs. "Well," he said, "I needed a fast ship that would also accommodate guests. Not too big, but comfortable. I searched the market for a few months, but then I just decided to have this one made." He entered into a warmly decorated, high scale living area. "This is the living room," he nodded, "The gaming room's down the hall, the bar and galley's to your right, and the personal quarters are down that way." He pointed to a hall to their left.
"Wow, Bruce, with a ship like this, who needs a mansion?" Lois quipped, raising her eyebrows. He smirked at her. "So, what's it called?" she continued.
"The Selina," Bruce answered, taking a seat in a thick armchair. The others followed his lead and sat down as well.
"Named it after her, huh?" Clark remarked, pushing his glasses up further. The Dark Knight nodded in conformation.
Lois resisted rolling her eyes, but was rather annoyed. "Someone else you'd care to tell me about, gentlemen?"
The sudden movement of the ship threw her slightly off her feet, but she quickly stopped herself from falling onto the floor. The three glanced out of the window to see that the ship had left the dock and was beginning to pick up some speed. Bruce stood up and turned to Clark.
"Want to see the control center?" The playboy asked. "I think you'll like it."
Clark stood up and nodded. "Sure, why not." He glanced at Lois. "Lois, what about you?"
She shook her head. "Oh, no thanks. I'll let you boys have fun with your gadgets. I think I'll stay here and touch up my interview."
Bruce and Clark strode onto the control deck, where the captain, first mate, and second mate were busy with their work. Clark slowly strolled over to a panel and studied it. "How fast does this thing go?" he asked, lifting his head to look at Bruce, who had been talking to the captain.
"Well, usually cruisers only go about 10 km an hour. This one goes around 20. I had it specially installed with a larger in-board diesel engine. Still, I'm sure it can't beat faster than a speeding bullet, but I try."
Clark snorted.
Lois eventually grew tired of writing and decided to find a suitable bed to sleep on. She slowly made her way down the hall, opening each door and peeking into every room. She finally climbed up a few steps and opened a door, revealing a large master suite. It had giant bay windows stretching across the entire front of the room, and the bed was a queen. Lois inspected the room, finding a master bathroom, complete with a jacuzzi tub with jets, a flatscreen TV that came up out of the dresser in front of the bed, and a built-in surround sound speaker system. She grinned, feeling somewhat mischievous, kicked off her heels, and sank into the bed, sighing in delight. Her own bed wasn't even as comfortable! Before she knew what had happened, she was asleep.
Bruce and Clark couldn't find Lois. They had searched all of the rooms, but there was no sign of her.
"Where do you think she could have gone?" Clark asked, beginning to become worried.
Bruce rubbed his chin. "Well, there's one bedroom we haven't tried," he began, "And that's the master. She could be in there."
"I thought you said we had checked all of the rooms," Clark retorted dryly, hurrying up the steps after Bruce.
The billionaire shrugged. "Guess I forgot about this one," he answered innocently, opening the door and stepping inside. The men found Lois fast asleep on the bed; and Clark sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness," he breathed. He gently brought up a hand a brushed a stray wisp of hair from her face, gazing adoringly at her.
Bruce watched the entire scene in thoughtful quietness. Finally, he spoke, "You really love her, don't you." It was more of a statement than a question.
Clark nodded, pulling back. "Of course I do. I've loved her for... well, ever since I met her."
"You're happy that she knows? I mean, it must have been a relief to get that secret off your shoulders," Bruce commented.
"I just didn't expect her to take it so well," Clark admitted. "But she was smart enough to figure it out on her own. She knew before I revealed myself."
Bruce glanced back to Lois. "Don't let her go, Clark," he gravely told his friend. "You left her for five years, and she nearly moved on. I wouldn't make the same mistake again if I were you. There aren't that many women like Lois Lane."
Clark didn't say anything for a moment. "I know," was his quiet reply.
Captain Bronson Rayd looked at his readings to see how the ship was doing. "We're moving at a good speed, Merick," he told the first mate beside him. "From our present position, I think we'll be at the island within the hour. Jarret, will you tell Mr. Wayne that we'll be at the destination in around forty-five minutes?"
The second mate looked up from his chart and nodded. "Yes, sir," he answered, and strode off to find Mr. Wayne. He searched the ship until he found his boss playing a game of billiards with Mr. Kent. The two men looked up as he entered. "Mr. Wayne," Jarret started, "We'll be at the island within forty-five minutes."
Mr. Wayne nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. Jarret. Tell Captain Rayd that our guests and I will search the island alone. He can have the ship wait for us until we return."
"Very good, sir," Jarret answered politely, and turned to leave the room, shutting the door behind him.
Bruce took a shot at the thirteen ball and missed.
"Bruce, how unlike you to miss," Clark teased, blue eyes sparkling merrily.
"Oh stick a lid in it, Boyscout," Bruce growled, glaring at the Kryptonian and twisting his cue in his strong grip.
Clark laughed, leaning down to aim for the thirteen ball. He drew his arm back and sent the orange-striped ball rolling into one of the pockets.
Bruce cursed, causing Clark to laugh more.
"Lois?"
Lois groaned and turned her head deeper into the feather pillow.
"Lois?"
She felt for another pillow beside her and hurled it at the offender's direction, hoping to silence the voice.
"Lois, Perry's yelling for that due report!"
Lois yelped, somehow managed to roll off the bed, and nearly hit the floor. However, two strong arms caught her before she could make contact with the rug. She opened one eye at a time and slowly turned to look up at Clark, who was staring down at her with an amused look on his face. She scowled and stood up. "That wasn't nice," she glowered, brushing herself off.
Clark released her and chuckled. "Excuse me, Sleeping Beauty, but I had to come and tell you that we're at the island. But," he sighed, "if you'd rather stay here and sleep some more..."
"I'm coming!" She snatched her shoes and jacket and raced down the stairs, grabbing her notebook and pen on the way. She finally got onto the balcony, where Bruce and Clark, who must have supersped, she mused, were waiting for her.
"Hope you had a nice nap, Lois," Bruce knowingly smiled at her.
She nodded demurely. "Yes, but I was interrupted by a not-so charming prince," she sweetly returned, shooting a glare in Clark's direction.
He shifted, reddening.
Bruce tsked his friend, shaking his head. "Clark, my friend," he sighed, "There are a few things you have to learn about women. One, don't tell them they look fat in a dress if they ask you, two, always let them do basically whatever they want, and three, never wake them up from a nap."
"Exactly," Lois grinned triumphantly.
"But if it's Lois Lane, then it doesn't matter," Bruce continued, "She does whatever she wants, anyway."
Lois shifted her glare to the billionaire, who smiled charmingly and hopped down onto the smaller speedboat. "Let's go," he said.
The other two got in, and the boat zoomed towards the island. In only a minute, they had reached dry land. Lois hopped out and took off her heels, letting her feet sink into the sand. "I'll check out the east side of the island," she shouted, "This island isn't big at all. We can all split up and go in different directions." Without waiting for a reply, she jogged off.
The men looked at each other and shrugged.
Lois wandered down through some bushes, glanced all around her. There were a few palm trees, but no coconuts. Lois stared up at one of the tress and tripped over something. She frowned and saw that she had stumbled upon a coconut half. She picked it up, looked at it, and slowly continued walking. She found some more coconuts, all pried open. She followed the trail and came to another part of the beach. She looked up and gasped at what she saw in front of her.
Ooh, cliffhanger! I know I'm mean... oh well! Don't forget to leave a review!