Chapter 28
"I foresee that door as a problem," Lois said seriously.
"Why?" Clark turned to her and found out her reasoning quickly; she was in his arms just like before Perry caught them. "Ah, that's why," he smiled. "I can fix that easily enough."
"Really? I don't think we're allowed to lock our office doors against the boss," she said rather coyly.
"Just trust me, I can."
"Oh, I do trust you. That's half of the problem, Smallville. It might be more fun if I couldn't," she said playfully.
"Lois, we're at work. Don't you want to get your source off the hook for a murder?"
"Hmm. Yeah, I guess we have to…" She let out a huge sigh. "It's just that it's taken us this long to get here, I really would like to have some proof it's really real."
"Real?" His eyes searched her face. "I'll give you real." With that, he pulled away from her and went to the door. His index finger pressed the metal door frame in slightly, just above the lock. "See? If anyone tried it now, they would just think it's jammed."
Lois smiled. "Smallville, you're going to be extremely useful!" He grinned and then she watched as he pushed the bent metal back into shape. "What are you doing? Put it back!"
"Lois, we've got a job to do."
"Great! Stodgy, old Clark is back," she grumbled. "Okay, you win." She pursed her lips. "For now, anyway."
She turned back to the desk, but found he'd caught her around the waist. Suddenly, she was being "dipped" like a dancer with him bending over her and laughing. "Stodgy? I beg to differ." Then he kissed her so passionately her head swam. When he released her from the hold, she had trouble focusing.
"Wow! I take it back. Remember that one, Smallville," she pointed at the air, but it wasn't even in his direction.
He laughed. "Still better than Oliver?"
"Crap, I'm never going to live that down, am I?"
He laughed again and sat down at his desk, ready to get back to work. "Now, your source…what makes you think he's not guilty?
"She was his girlfriend. He was pretty broken up about her death. There's just no way. He was only giving me the information and the pictures so we'd catch the senator."
"Okay. You do background on him, since you know him so well." That earned him a frown. "And I'll see just how much the police have." A few minutes passed in silence, and then he said, "Lois, stop staring. It's not going to work."
"I wasn't staring. I was just—"
Clark's cell phone rang. "Hi, Chloe!"
"Clark, why didn't you tell me that you and Lois—?" Chloe began.
But Clark was watching, with a puzzled expression, Lois who had jumped up from her chair and was making a hasty retreat toward the door. "It only happened last night," he said reasonably. "Wait a minute."
Just as Lois reached for the doorknob, Clark was there, holding the door shut, preventing her escape. Lois responded with only a deer-in-the-headlights look and a little guilty smile.
"Clark, she called me all exited and told me everything, and—"
"She did? Thank you, Chloe."
"Clark! Don't—" Chloe cautioned, but Clark interrupted.
"Chloe, you can be sure I'll be talking to Lois about that. I'll talk to you later. Bye." He hung up, pocketed the phone, and leaned against the door, crossing his arms. "You told her about last night? Already?"
"I couldn't sleep. The cough syrup didn't work that well. Really, Clark, what did you expect me to do? Not tell anyone? Chloe is my cousin! We tell each other everything."
"Isn't it a good thing Chloe already knew?"
"Knew? What are you talking about?"
"My secret." Clark looked really miserable. "How could you tell—?"
"That? Now, wait just a minute, Smallville. I would never! I just told her about you and me! I did NOT tell her about you and your penchant for defying gravity."
"Oh." Clark's heart fell back into place with a thud of relief. "She said 'everything'…I guess I jumped to the wrong—"
"You certainly did!" Lois stood up straighter, making sure she was showing off her best assets in preparation for the coming apology. This is going to be fun! she thought with relish. Clark was already the most guilt-accepting man in the world; this time she was going to exploit it to get what she wanted from him.
"Lois, I'm sorry. I should have known—"
Then it hit her.
"What do you mean 'Chloe already knew'?" She shouted it at him.
"Lois, shh!"
"She knew?! Chloe knows you are—?"Her voice climbed into the stratosphere and he clamped his hand over her mouth. Soon, Clark thought, only dogs and I will be able to hear her anyway. "Lois, I didn't tell her. She found out on her own. It was a long time ago. Now, can I trust you to not yell?" She shook her head 'yes,' but her eyes were still wide with fury. "And you can't slap me either. I don't want you hurting your hand." She seethed and her eyes flashed fire at him, but he had to take his hand away eventually, so he readied himself for a new onslaught of rage.
In a dreadfully low voice, she began, "Clark, I swear I am going to—"
The phone on her desk rang.
"Lucky you, Smallville! A reprieve." She strode past him to answer it. "Lane here."
Perry White's voice came across the line, stern and unbending. "Lois, whatever you're fighting about, I order you to forgive him."
"What?"
"You heard me. And just be thankful I'm the only other office on this side of the building. But I repeat, forgive him. You know you want to anyway. That's all."
The line went dead.
"Who was that?" Clark asked politely, even though he'd heard the voice easily from where he was standing.
"Your stay of execution from your own personal governor," she said wryly. "Clark, he definitely knows.
"I'm just glad he's on my side," Clark flashed his most disarming grin at her.
