A/N: Ok, some of you may get a little angry at me, but I'm going to sneak a Marvel character in the next chapter because it fit beautifully with my story. If that offends anyone, then I would say to you-you do not have to read this. Attendance to this fic is non-compulsory.

Once again, Lois was running late. Clark had woken her up at 7:30 by going down on her, which had turned into a quickie. She'd rushed to shower and get her stuff together, because while Clark could get ready in a flash, it still took her the normal amount of time. She was still a little tired, and her cough was still hanging around, but she felt infinitely better than she had yesterday.

She breezed into the Daily Planet, trying to contain the cough that still managed to linger. She was busily trying to find a tissue in her bag when she ran right into Cat Grant.

"Watch it, Lane!" She snarled, frantically trying to prevent the stack of papers she was carrying from falling to the ground.

"You watch it, Grant." She rasped, finally finding a tissue and holding it to her mouth as she coughed.

"Ugh. Why did you even come in today?" Cat glared at her and Lois glared right back.

"Look, I'm not even contagious, and if you're going to ride my ass today, don't bother. Why don't you just go back to your little desk and work on the gossip column?"

She stalked back to her office, slamming the door. Clark looked at her from his desk and she huffed.

"Cat?"

"Of course." She plopped down in her seat, shrugging out of her bag.

"Why do you let her get to you?" He pulled his glasses off and she shrugged.

"I don't know, she just drives me crazy. It's not even real reporting that she does, Perry just stuck her as head of the gossip column because he didn't know what else to do with her."

Clark smiled at her, and there was a knock on their door. He quickly shoved his glasses back on just as the door opened to reveal Jeff, the intern.

"Miss Lane, I'm sorry but Perry needs to see you in his office now."

"Sure thing, Jeff." She rolled her eyes at Clark, who smirked.

Lois followed Jeff out of the office and through the bullpen. The bullpen always made her feel right at home. It was like a beehive of activity and news. Jeff knocked on the door and pushed it open.

"Lane, get in here." He was sitting behind his desk, a manila folder open on his desk and papers strewn all over the desk.

"What's up, Perry?" She sat down across from him and he stared at her intently through the smoke that was puffing up from his lit cigar.

"I had a meeting with a source earlier, and he thinks he has some information on the inner goings on at the Pentagon. Supposedly Luthor and Tony Stark are both up for a defense contract, and since you," at this, he tapped her hand with his folder, "are our official reporter on everything Lex Luthor, you are going to go to D.C."

"Really?" Lois leaned forward, looking at the papers spread out in front of him. She felt a sense of growing excitement at the prospect of actually going to Washington D.C. and seeing the nation's capitol.

"Yep. "

"Hmm. Ok." Lois smiled.

"Don't screw this up, Lane, this could be Pulitzer material." He gathered up the information and shoved it back into the manila folder. He handed it to her and she tucked it under her arm.

"Thanks, Perry. Anything else?"

"Yeah, your plane to D.C. leaves tomorrow. You'll meet my source at the airport. Here's his number." He pushed a card across the desk and she picked it up. "And don't forget to keep me updated."

"Sure thing, Chief." She mock saluted him and he sighed.

"And don't infect my source with whatever the hell it is you have, Lane. You sound like shit!" He called after her, and she shut the door with a slam.

Clark was waiting for her when she entered their office. He was trying to play it nonchalantly, pretending to work on his article, but she knew he was really waiting for her. The minute the door closed, he was out of his seat and striding towards her.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I have to go to D.C. tomorrow though." She pulled a face and he frowned.

"Doesn't Perry know that you're still recovering?" He guided her over to her desk chair and she shrugged.

"I feel a lot better, honestly, and this is a really good opportunity for me." She spun to face her computer, and he worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Ok. Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, I'll be fine, Clark. I don't think I'll be gone for a long time." She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and he sighed.

"Alright, if you're sure." He sat back down across from her.

Lois brushed an invisible piece of dust from her keyboard. "So…I guess I should call Chloe before I go."

Clark nodded. "That's probably a good idea."

She sighed and grabbed her cell phone. She punched in one of the speed dial numbers and let it ring.

"Hello?" Chloe picked up on the first ring.

"Hey."

"Hey."

There was complete silence until finally, Lois said, "Look, I'm sorry for what Clark said, he shouldn't have said that."

Chloe's voice was tiny on the other end. "Thanks."

"But anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I have to go to D.C. tomorrow for work."

Chloe sighed. "Fine."

"Wait, are you still mad at me?" Lois's brow furrowed. Clark was clacking away on his computer, but it was obvious he was listening to the whole conversation.

"No, I just thought that maybe you'd come over and help with Bobby."

"Look, Chloe, I love you and I love Bobby, but I can't come over every night to help anymore. I made myself sick from exhaustion when I was doing that, and if you need occasional help, I'm more than happy to come over and give you a break, but not all the time." She took a breath and Chloe sighed again.

"Lois, this is the first time I'm doing this. What if I screw this up? What if I screw him up."

"He's a baby, you can't really do much to screw him up unless you drop him on his head or something."

Her cousin gave a little laugh.

"Also, do you think I've done this before? That's what you have a nanny there for, not to take care of your child, but to help you take care of your child. Why else would Oliver have hired someone with a Masters degree in early childhood development?"

"I guess you're right."

"You'll be ok while I'm gone?" Lois asked.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Lois could feel Chloe's smile on the other end of the phone. "You go get that story."

"Will do, coz. See you when I get back." Lois clicked off her phone and grinned at Clark who smiled.

"Well, that's settled. Now I just have to pack when I get home."

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Clark looked at her worriedly, and Lois tilted her head.

"Is my little Clarkie worried?"

He sighed. "Lois, I think I have every reason to be worried. You're know you're going to the Pentagon tomorrow, right?"

"Of course I know that! Jeez, what do I look like to you?" She straightened her blazer and he smiled.

"Alright, alright. I'll stop worrying if you promise to call me every night."

She rolled her eyes. "You already know I will."

"Good." He smiled, pushed his glasses up and went back to work on his article. It wasn't until Lois had left for her trip that he realized she hadn't told him the reason Perry was sending her to D.C.

Lois was stressed out by the time she arrived in Washington D.C. She'd missed two flights, the airline had lost her luggage and she couldn't get a hold of Perry's source. She sat down next to the baggage claim, her head in her hands. She'd been waiting for at least two hours and it felt like she had complained to every airline employee. Finally, she'd given up and had decided to wait it out.

"Miss Lane?" An airport employee stood in front of her, her scarlet bag sitting next to him.

"Oh my God, is that my bag?" Lois jumped up and the young man nodded. "Thank you!" She flung her arms around him and he smiled.

"Sure thing." She grabbed her bag and sat back down. Pulling her phone and the business card from her purse, she punched in the number and it rang twice before he picked up.

"Hello?"

"Oh my gosh, hi. So, this is Lois Lane, and Perry told me to call you when I got into D.C."

"Oh, right. I sent a car to pick you up." The voice on the other end was deep, husky and distinctly unfamiliar.

"Oh, okay." She grabbed her bag and headed to where taxis waited.

"I'll come by your hotel room tonight and we'll discuss logistics." The line went dead and Lois stood in the bright Virginia sunshine, the cold air whipping through her long black coat.

There was a man, leaning against a black car, a sign that said "Lane" dangling lazily from one hand. Dark aviator sunglasses were perched on his nose, and he was inhaling deeply from a cigarette.

"I'm Lois Lane," she said, approaching him. He nodded, dropped the cigarette and opened the door for her. She slipped into the back seat and soon they were flying down the freeway to her hotel.

When they arrived at the Sheraton, Lois found that her suite was being billed to the Daily Planet's account. She dropped her suitcase on the floor and collapsed onto the bed and stretched out. Her foot jiggled anxiously. She wasn't sure how long she could wait until the source arrived. She reached for the remote and clicked on the television, deciding to mindlessly blow away the time.

The cell phone that she had set on the bedside table buzzed and she reached for it, flipping it open.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe. You make it ok?" Wind was blowing on the other end of the line.

"Yep. Are you at work?"

"Sort of."

"What do you mean "sort of"?" She asked.

"Well, there was a robbery on 81st street, so I went to take care of it."

"Oh that's cool, so what are you going to do now?" Lois picked up the remote and turned the television mute, then began flipping through channels.

"I'm going to go interview the victims and witnesses."

"What?" She dropped the remote and sat up. "Clark, you can't do that."

"Why not?" The wind stopped on the other end, and Lois sighed.

"What if one of the witnesses recognizes you?" She squawked.

"Lois, no one's going to recognize me." His voice took on a whine, and she sighed.

"You know, sometimes I feel like I'm dealing with a five year old. Do you really think that a different hair style and a pair of glasses is enough to fool someone that you saved?"

"Uh, yes. We've been over this. No one is going to recognize me." He said shortly, and she sighed again.

"Ok, well I trust your judgment, but if someone recognizes you, I'm not there to do damage control, so you're on your own." She sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"Alright, ok. I'll call you later."

"Ok, bye." She snapped her phone shut, and it wasn't until later that she realized she hadn't told him that she loved him.

By the time Perry's source arrived, Lois was jet lagged and in a crabby mood. The light knock on her hotel room jarred her from the light nap that she had fallen into.

She rose from the slightly rumpled covers and gazed through the peephole. A balding, middle-aged man with a paunch stood on the other side of the door. Lois opened the door, and he smiled at her.

"Hello, Miss Lane." His hands were in his pockets and he looked completely relaxed.

"Yes, and you are…?"

"Joe Smith." He extended his hand and she shook it with a knowing smile.

"Right, Smith."

"Right." The brief pause that followed was incredibly awkward.

Joe cleared his throat. "Well, I would like to formally invite you to the display at the Pentagon tomorrow." He reached into his pocket and handed her a small laminated card in which her name, her photo and the words "Level Two Security Clearance". She pressed the card into her pocket and he nodded at her.

"Well, I'll send a car for you tomorrow at seven a.m. The driver will escort you to the demonstration. I'd also like to say that we in Washington highly respect the Daily Planet, and we'd like you to use your discretion when writing this article. If you wouldn't mind faxing me the finished article directly, I will go over it and make sure that there are no security problems, and then you'll be good to go." He handed her his card and smiled.

Lois nodded, and they shook hands again, and he breezed from the room. She had a strange sinking feeling in her stomach. She'd never had to be censored before, and she hoped that Smith wouldn't make too many changes. This was America for Christ's sake, the government wasn't allowed to curb the press. Free speech was literally the entire first amendment. But, with the Patriot Act still in effect, she wasn't exactly sure what the government was and was not allowed to do. She knew they were tapping phone lines all across America, and if they were able to do that, how long could their arms reach? All the way to the JLA? She shuddered and slid out of her travelling clothes and into a pair of pajama pants, a tank top and her bunny slippers.

She slid between the covers and turned off the light. She groped for her cell phone on the bedside table. She flipped it open and gazed at the screen despondently. The picture of her and Clark glared at her through the darkness. The picture was taken in New York in front of the Empire State Building. As with almost every picture, she was the only one looking at the camera. Her arm was flung around Clark's shoulders, and he was supporting her entire weight. He was gazing at her with such love and lust that it made her heart hurt.

Lois sighed, pressed 2, and then hit send. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?" His voice was mostly clear with just the tiniest bit of sleepiness.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was tiny, and she felt like crying.

"Why are you sorry baby?" The voice on the other end softened, and she took a deep breath to steel herself against any tears.

"I'm sorry that I was short with you."

He exhaled noisily. "No, you were right. It wasn't my smartest idea. I'm just getting tired of always having to write about the stock market and boring things."

"I know."

The silence between them didn't stretch for long.

"So what are you and Shelby doing?" She wiggled her toes between the cool sheets, and she could almost hear the smile on the other end.

"Missing you."

"Well, maybe you should come over and stay the night." She tried to say it in an offhand manner, but she knew he could sense the desperation in her voice.

"What about Shelby?" He said innocently and she got quiet. "I'm on my way."

Lois awoke in the morning alone. Clark had always said that he did his best work early in the morning, but five a.m. had been entirely too early. She vaguely remembered him kissing her on the cheek and whispering his love.

She dressed smartly for the presentation, in her sharpest black skirt suit and a yellow blouse. Her hair was twisted up into a bun and she grabbed her yellow legal pad, several pens and her tape recorder, shoving them all into her oversized handbag.

The walk down to the lobby took no time at all, and she noticed the same black car was idling at the curb, the same driver leaning against the passenger side door.

She walked out, pulling her knee length black coat on, smiling as the driver opened the door. Sliding across the cool leather, Lois settled herself in the backseat, unsure of what to expect, but hoping that everything went according to plan. Because, let's face it, when Lex Luthor was involved, things were bound to get crazy.

Clark arrived at work early, breezing through the two articles that Perry had assigned him. He was sorely tempted to turn them in and take the rest of the day off to go see Lois in D.C. He could also possibly have lunch with his mother if Lois wasn't free.

There was something about the bullpen early in the morning. A skeleton crew of sleepy eyed reporters was all that inhabited the area. He sipped at his coffee and watched as Perry bustled into the bullpen, shouting at several interns before sticking his head into Clark's office.

"Kent. Any word from Lois?"

Clark adjusted his tie and smoothed it down his dress shirt. "Yes, Chief. I spoke with her last night."

"Good, everything was fine?"

"Yes, everything was fine." Clark gave Perry a small smile and the older man nodded.

"Well, here's hoping that everything goes fine with the demonstration. When you get Lex Luthor and Tony Stark in the same room, God only knows what will happen." Perry began to walk out of the room, but Clark was already out of his chair.

"What?" His jaw had dropped open, and Perry almost laughed at the look of shock on the taller man's face.

"She didn't tell you?" He asked, and Clark shook his head.

"Well, there's a big defense contract up at the Pentagon, and both Tony Stark and Lex Luthor are presenting their combat armor today for top army officials. Lois went to do the story for the Daily Planet."

The driver, who actually turned out to be some sort of CIA agent, escorted Lois into the Pentagon building, which looked smaller on TV than it actually was. The sprawling building was laid out before her, and she felt a pang of nervousness in her stomach. She walked through the doors, and suddenly, there were three more agents, two in front of her on either side, and two behind her on either side. It made her nervous that they thought she needed this much security, like they thought she was going to blow up the government building. She stepped through security, flashing the badge that Smith had given her the night before, and a female agent patted her down and looked in her purse.

"Sorry Miss Lane, we can't allow you to have this." She pulled out Lois's bottle of water and Lois shrugged.

"Will I be able to get some water in there?"

"Of course." The agent smiled at her, and Lois was comforted knowing that this slightly large black woman worked for the government, even if it was just security. She had a very comforting presence, and Lois smiled back at her.

"You'll have to leave your drivers license and cell phone up here with me."

"Sure thing." She handed the woman her drivers license and cell phone, and they were set with several other cell phones that had drivers licenses carefully tucked under them.

As Lois walked away, neither her, nor the security agents around her noticed that the screen on her phone had lit up. The name that popped up read, "Clark Cell."