2:20 PM
What had seemed like hours to Clark Kent, as he watched Lois pace the roof of the Daily Planet from the shadows, had in reality been just a few minutes since Lucy had once again stormed her way into her big sister's life.
After she had answered and realized just who exactly was on the other end of the line, she had walked into the empty file room and shut the door. He had viewed the scene unfolding behind the glass windows closely, having become pretty adept at reading Lois' body language over the years he'd known her.
The tension in her body that had started the minute she heard Lucy's voice only seemed to increase as she talked to her wayward sister. He watched her face flood with emotions throughout the short conversation. Anger. Sadness. Helplessness. Even resignation.
After about five minutes, Lois had stalked out of the file room, slammed her phone down on her desk, and marched out of the bullpen. As she had passed him, he could see the rare glimmer of wetness in her eyes.
Lucy strikes again.
Knowing where she had gone, the same place she always went when she needed a break, needed a place to think amidst the buzz of activity that was the Daily Planet, Clark had waited a few moments and followed her up to the roof.
The feeling of helplessness that he had seen flicker across Lois' face was one he could strongly identify with at the present moment. It was harder for him than he could ever have imagined seeing Lois hurting and not being able to do anything about it. All his abilities, all the saves he made, which were becoming more and more frequent, and he couldn't stop her sister from turning Lois' life upside down with nothing more than a short phone call.
"Lurking definitely isn't one of your superpowers, Smallville," he heard her quiet, yet slightly sarcastic voice call to him.
Clearing his throat, he stepped from the shadows and walked over to where she'd stopped, her body leaning against the ledge, her eyes gazing out at the many buildings making up the Metropolis skyline.
"I just wanted to see how you were doing."
She shrugged. "Okay," she said in a voice that clearly stated how not okay she is.
"Try that on someone who doesn't know you like I do."
She bit her lip, attempting to keep the tears that had been building up at bay. His soft, comforting voice wasn't helping in that regard.
"It's Lucy, Clark. I'm used to it," she said, the Lane bravado making a characteristic appearance as she straightened her shoulders defensively.
He turned and leaned his back against the ledge so he was facing her.
"You can tell me, you know," he said softly.
"Tell you what? That Lucy has proven, once again, how completely and utterly I failed her?" she retorted bitterly.
"Lucy isn't your responsibility. She's not a kid anymore. And even when she was, you were a kid yourself. It was a job you never should have had to do."
"But it was my job, regardless of whether it should have been or not. Lucy was on my watch, and look how she turned out? How am I supposed to look at her and not blame myself?"
"Because the blame belongs with Lucy. And your father. Lucy is his daughter, Lois. Not yours. And she's old enough to start taking responsibility for the situations she gets herself into."
He could feel his heart twist as a single tear escaped down her cheek at that. On impulse, he reached out and gently brushed it away.
"You can't save everyone Lois. And you certainly can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved."
She looked up at him, meeting his eyes with a wry grin. "That's usually my line," she said quietly. "Since you're giving that advice, does that mean you're going to start taking it?"
He laughed softly at that, knowing she was referring to the times she'd consoled him after a save he'd failed to make, using those exact words.
"Nice attempt at changing the subject, Lo. But it's not gonna work. We're not talking about me, we're talking about you."
She sighed, her hands grasping the edge of the low wall in front of her. "I know. And you're right. Which is why I told her I couldn't help her this time," she said, her voice breaking slightly as she finished.
He didn't say anything in response, sensing she wasn't done. Covering her hand with his, he silently waited for her to continue.
"She told me that she got mixed up with this loan shark, Raul Benitez. She borrowed money from him to invest in some new night club and of course, she can't pay him back."
"How much?"
"Fifteen grand. And she said the guy's gonna hurt her or worse if she doesn't come up with the money."
Clark nodded, seeing the look on Lois' face.
"You don't believe her."
"Well it wouldn't be the first time she's tried to scam money out of someone. And lord knows, I've fallen for it before," Lois responded, a tinge of anger in her voice as she recalled a time only a year ago, giving Lucy premature access to the funds their mother had made sure to set aside for each of them when she had called begging for money to attend the Sorbonne. She had agreed, in hopes that Lucy was finally getting her life on the right track. Of course, the Sorbonne was never mentioned again, and the money Lois had given her access to disappeared into a con gone wrong.
Instinctively knowing the incident she was remembering, Clark looked at her questioningly. "Does she have that kind of money left from what your mother left you both?"
"No," Lois responded quietly. "But I do. And she knows that."
Clark nodded in response, squeezing her hand gently. "For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing."
She blinked quickly, fruitlessly attempting to hold back the tears.
"What if I'm wrong?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if this isn't a scam and she really is in trouble? If anything happens to her…"
"Do you know where she is?"
"Rio," she said, roughly wiping the tears from her cheeks in an attempt to compose herself. "Why?"
Clark pondered that for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. She watched as he scrolled through his most recent calls, finally stopping at one in particular.
"Clark?"
"I heard from A.C. yesterday, he's hanging out in the Caribbean. He could get to Rio and check on Lucy in a matter of minutes. She wouldn't even know he's there, and he could ask some questions, see what's really going on."
"Do you think he'd mind?"
"Are you kidding? A.C. would do anything for you," he responded, trying to quell the tinge of jealousy he felt at that thought. "He can get us some answers, and if Lucy really is in trouble, we can figure out what to do next."
Lois felt an unexpected warmth spread through her chest at his use of 'we' and 'us'. That was her Smallville though. They teased each other, mercilessly at times, and their shameless flirting had definitely kicked up a notch in the past year, but when the chips were down, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'd have her back.
She smiled gratefully, a sight Clark is more than a little relieved to see. "Make the call," she said, her voice the tiniest bit brighter. Clark nodded, hitting the 'send' key on his phone.
"You have a picture of her you can send him?"
"Yeah, I have one on my phone. I'll go send it to him right now," she said, pulling away from the ledge and turning to walk back in the building. She stopped though, turning back to Clark, who had his phone to his ear, waiting for A.C. to pick up. Suddenly walking over to him, she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her.
"Thanks, Smallville," she whispered into his ear, then moved slightly to give him a gentle peck on the cheek. He closed his eyes at that, the arm he had placed around her waist tightening slightly, pulling her a bit closer to him.
After a few moments, she reluctantly pulled back from the warmth of his embrace, finding herself looking into those amazing eyes of his. She unclasped her arms from around his neck, her hands coming to rest gently on his chest. Time seemed to stand still, as they both stood, frozen, their faces mere inches apart. She watched as his eyes dropped to her lips, her breathing suddenly becoming a bit faster.
So caught up in the moment was Clark that he barely registered the ringing tone in his ear. His thoughts were totally focused on the woman in front of him, and how easy it would be to just lean down another inch or two…to softly cover her lips with his…
"Hey, Clark, what's up bro?"
Clark blinked quickly, jerking his head back slightly as A.C.'s voice came over the phone. Clearing her throat, Lois stepped back, and he couldn't help but notice the faint pink blush staining her cheeks.
"Um, I'll go send that picture," she mumbled, before turning quickly and walking off.
"Yo, Boy Scout, you there?"
He rolled his eyes at A.C.'s use of the codename he couldn't stand before finally speaking to his friend.
"Yeah, I'm here. So, A.C., ever been to Rio?"