CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN.
Daily Planet Offices – Morning:
He was officially making her crazy. Again.
Annoying she could deal with. Sarcasm was her home turf. She'd even learned to cope with the smile that made him look as innocent as a puppy. But the whole flirting with her and not actually doing anything about it? That was making her lose it. Fast. Actions spoke louder in the land of Lois Lane. And if he was waiting for her to make a move on him he'd be waiting till he turned blue.
Her disobedient gaze flickered across to look at him for the twenty eighth time that morning. And like the other twenty-seven times he looked at her at the same time. And smiled knowingly. She wanted to slap him.
That was a lie. Slapping him was apparently pretty far down the list of things she was willing to try. That was what he got for planting as skilled a kiss on her the second time as he had the first! Her curiosity had been running rampant ever since. Damn it. She was deeply resentful of that when he was so in-goddamn-control. Didn't say much for how memorable her kissing him back had been either, did it? So she forced her gaze back to her screen and pursed her lips while she narrowed her eyes and willed herself to read an entire sentence and get all the way to the end of it still knowing what she'd read!
Her peripheral vision caught him moving and she almost growled. Because that was another thing that was making her crazy, "Going somewhere?"
Turning to face him she casually leaned back in her chair and raised a brow, "Again?"
He pushed his glasses into place and looked her straight in the eye, "Again?"
Nice try Mister Butter Wouldn't Melt. But she didn't say anything. She just smiled. And she could tell from his small frown that he knew she'd been noticing the number of times he wandered off during the day. In fairness she'd probably noticed it a time or two in the past but she'd never been so absorbed by him before, had she?
"I…uh…" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "Thought I'd go grab us a sandwich. I'm hungry."
Lois blinked at him, "At eleven thirty? Bit early for lunch doncha think?"
Clark tried a new tactic, smiling at her the way he'd taken to doing so much of since she'd come back, "Can't go get something nice to surprise you with then?"
The word 'nice' made her purse her lips again. If he did one more 'nice' thing she thought she might scream. His campaign of nice and thoughtful and considerate and caring and sweet and goddamned tender was the worst form of torture she'd ever been subjected to. It had started straight after her bath. When he'd sat on the coffee table again and taken his time tending to her feet with large gentle hands and the brush of careful fingertips on her ankles and her calves intermingled with upward glances that locked with hers and stole the air from her lungs. But barring brushing her hair back from her face or damn well grinning at her like an idiot he hadn't done one-single-thing to pick up where they'd left off on the sidewalk!
When she focused her gaze on his mouth she frowned harder and felt her foot begin tapping underneath her desk; "I don't like surprises."
"No, you don't like surprises you don't already know about. There's a difference. We've discussed this," He stepped round to her side of the desk and rested one palm flat on the surface while his other hand grasped the back of her chair and turned her to face him, "So what do you want me to surprise you with?"
Her gaze shot upwards and locked with his. Options forming in her mind…hmmm… decisions, decisions…
And he grinned at her like an idiot in reply.
Lois scowled, "Stop that."
"Stop what?"
"That." She felt a bubble of low laughter work its way up from the base of her throat, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."
"What am I doing?"
"Trying to wear me down with a glut of nice-ness," She leaned in closer and lowered her voice, "It's not working. Nice never works on me. It just makes me suspicious. And you know that."
His darkened gaze studied her eyes for a brief second then shifted to a point above her head; a minute frown forming between his brows as if he was distracted by something. Then, just as fast as it had appeared, the frown dissipated and he stood tall, "I won't be long."
"Doing what?"
"You didn't tell me." He looked over his shoulder when he turned away and had the gall to grin at her again, "So you'll have to wait and see…"
Lois continued watching him until he was in the elevator and the doors had closed. Then, much to her annoyance, she smiled. Shaking her head at her own ridiculousness she hauled her chair in and shuffled the paperwork on her desk into a haphazard pile. She should hate him for what he was doing to her. He was turning her into a schoolgirl with a crush. And she'd never had a damn crush when she'd been a schoolgirl! How in God's name was this tactic working on her?
In any relationship she'd ever been in there'd never been the equivalent of a 'courtship period' and frankly, she hadn't a clue how it was supposed to work. It had her on tenterhooks. Her damn stomach even got butterflies when she knew she was going to see him! And then there was the whole smiling thing she was doing when he wasn't around – which, incidentally, she'd noticed was a lot.
At first she'd wondered if he had some kind of weird kidney problem. Then she'd been annoyed with herself for noticing every single time he was gone for more than five minutes – like she was so addicted to the sight of him all of a sudden that she missed him when he wasn't within appreciation distance every time she needed a fix!
Lame Lane. Completely, totally and utterly lame.
She looked around for something else to do. Because he couldn't even have allowed her to come back to chaos and a yelling Perry, could he? Oh no. He'd covered her ass for her while she'd been missing and signed both their names on every piece he'd submitted while she'd been gone. Which was amazingly considerate and more touching than anything else to her when she knew how much he'd worried about her safety during that time. And she didn't question the last part. She knew he cared. She'd always known he cared. And for a long while she'd probably had a fair idea of how much he cared. She'd just chosen to be blind to what that might mean for them…
The thought of him caring for her the way she did for him made her heart swell painfully in her chest. Lord but she had it bad. And for Clark Kent!
She looked across at his empty chair and rolled her eyes when she realized how much she missed him. After what? Three minutes? Damn but she needed a story she could sink her teeth into!
"Lois!" Jimmy came running, his face lit up with enthusiasm, "Superman just stopped a building from falling on a team of construction workers - less than two blocks from here!"
Lois was already on her feet. Then she stunned Jimmy by clasping his face in her hands, squishing his cheeks in tight and planting a loud kiss on his forehead, "Jimmy Olsen - I love you!"
He rocked back on his heels and stared at her as his face turned red, "Well…. Lois… of course, I mean, in a completely platonic kind of –"
She laughed, rolled her eyes, then grabbed hold of his sleeve and tugged, "C'mon. Let's go."
"Where's C.K.?"
Two Blocks from the Daily Planet – Early Afternoon:
Clark jogged up to her side and was met with an accusatory glare, "Nice of you to join us."
He held up his cell-phone and grimaced inwardly at the cover-up as it left his lips, "Building control will hold a press conference in an hour. Anyone hurt?"
Lois narrowed her eyes for long enough to make him worry, then she shook her head, "Nothing major. Paramedics report bruising and a case of concussion. Site Manager says the building was up to code."
She turned her head and studied the three floors of the building now set neatly to one side of it's base, "Superman left everything safe before he disappeared," She looked back at him again, "So where's my surprise?"
Glancing round the site to make sure he hadn't missed anything Clark thrust the last minute gift at her, "Here."
Her chin dropped and when he felt it tugged from his fingers he looked into her eyes and found disbelief mixed with suspicion, "A tootsie pop?"
"For old time's sake…"
"Cute," She nodded, her eyes still wide, "So while I was out here doing our job you were hunting down candy."
The hand holding the tootsie pop dropped heavily to her side as she shook her head and turned away with a grumbled, "My hero."
"I'd have done better if I'd had more time. All the sirens distracted me. And by the time I got back to The Planet you'd already left." He frowned when he practically steam-rolled into her suddenly still body. His brows lifted as she turned and sighed, "What are-"
"I don't know how you managed for three days without me, I really don't," She stepped in close, reached a hand into each of his jacket pockets in turn and rummaged.
Causing Clark to tense and suck in a sharp breath of awareness, his voice slightly strangled when he spoke, "Anything specific we're searching for?"
The rummaging stopped abruptly. Her gaze rose. And then a matching awareness darkened the colors in her eyes before another frown appeared, "Phone."
He held up his hand and waved it at her again, a smile toying with the corners of his mouth.
With a huff of displeasure she grabbed it and flicked it open, pointing the tootsie pop at the surface, "These little buttons, pressed in the right order, connect one of these things to another one. You should try it some time."
"I knew where you'd be," He flicked it shut again, folded it into his palm and then used the knuckles of his closed fist to brush an errant strand of hair off her cheek, "Where there's a story there's Lois Lane."
When his arm dropped she stared at him, her eyes searching his for a moment before a more genuine smile appeared, "And speaking of stories…"
He turned his head a little and narrowed his eyes, "What now?"
"You neglected to mention Superman's savior is M.I.A." She poked his shoulder with the tootsie pop he was already regretting giving her, "A minor detail that could have been pointed out to me yesterday…"
"It was your first day back."
"So you had actually noticed then?"
"Yes I'd noticed. But I had other things on my mind for a while…"
Her expression softened, "I know you did. But there's a story there – I can smell it. There's been something off about him since the get-go."
Which was basically a Lois 'I told you so' but he let it slide, "We'll follow it up."
"Oh we'll do better than that partner," With a sharp nod she turned on her heel and started walking, "I'm gonna go find him and ask him to his face."
Clark fell into step beside her, "Yes, 'cos if he's hiding something he's likely to tell you in an interview…"
"It's not the kind of thing you just blurt out and ask Smallville. It'll take delicacy," When her statement was met with silence she stopped and turned to face him; "What?"
He dropped his chin and looked at her over the rim of his glasses, his mouth twitching, "You're in trouble then, aren't you?"
She angled her head and smirked. Then ruined the effect by chuckling and shaking her head, "Okay - we'll do the good cop bad cop routine again…"
No they wouldn't. Not when Clark couldn't get within ten feet of Metallo without getting sick. But he didn't have the heart to think up an excuse or knock her back when she was so happy to be on the trail of a story again. So instead he did what he'd wanted to do for two days, reaching an arm out to hook it round her narrow waist and pull her in close so he could press a kiss against her soft lips.
Rocking forwards onto the balls of her feet, Lois took a deep breath and looked up at him from beneath heavy lashes, "What was that for?"
"It's good to have you back."
"Hmmm," She pondered that for a moment, her smile slow and seeped in meaning, "This is us flirting again I take it?"
"We never stopped."
One fine brow arched, her chin lifting, "Oh really. Cos I can't say I'd noticed much flirting going on while I was drowning under a sea of 'nice'. I was beginning to wonder if you suddenly thought I was made of glass. I only hurt my feet you know." She bent one knee and held her foot out behind her so she could point at it, "And look – heels on my second day. So not made of glass…"
Clark couldn't help but smile, his free hand lifting to brush her hair off her shoulder so he could set his fingertips against her neck; the neck she immediately arched to the side to allow him access. She was the most sensual woman he had ever known, her silent acceptance as much of an aphrodisiac to him as the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingers, "Old fashioned Kansas boy, remember?"
Long lashes moved upwards, "Smallville," Her lips twitched with the same amusement he could see dancing in her eyes, "Are you in your own little corn-fed way -wooing me?"
"Possibly."
"O-okay…" She rolled her gaze upwards, searching the air as she spoke, "Can't say that's ever been done to me before. Must be why I didn't get what it was."
"And what did you think it was?"
"Honestly?" She pushed out her lower lip and looked back into his eyes.
Clark smiled at her antics, "Honestly."
"Irritating."
Sliding his fingertips inside the collar of her silk blouse he set his thumb against the beating pulse at the base of her neck and leaned his face closer to hers, lowering his voice to a husky rumble, "Only cos you expected me to pounce on you…"
"Well…" She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, her voice equally as low, "No-one could blame you. I'm reliably informed I'm hot…"
With a chuckle he stole another soft kiss before lifting his head and informing her; "I think we should go on a date."
The idea rocked her back onto her heels, her eyes widening, "A date. You and me?"
He nodded firmly, moving back and releasing her enough to tangle their fingers and give a gentle tug to get her to walk beside him, "A date. You and me."
"The kind of date where we set a time and a place and you come pick me up and then walk me to my door at the end."
"Exactly that kind of a date."
She glanced down at their joined hands and frowned at them, "The kind where I worry about what to wear and where to dab perfume. The kind where we sit across a table and make idle conversation about work while we try to discover things we don't know about each other and-"
A babbling Lois was a nervous Lois, so Clark stopped and turned to look down at her, "Lois. It's just a date. We can go see a movie if you want and then we don't have to make conversation."
Quietly clearing her throat she lifted her gaze to meet his, "I don't think-"
"Good. Run with that. There's nothing to be nervous about," He smiled affectionately at her.
But it didn't help any. If anything she frowned harder, "Don't do that. You and me on a date – well – it's ridiculous."
He didn't think it was the least bit ridiculous, "And why is it?"
"Because…" She floundered, giving him the wavering brows look that silently begged she be let off the hook. But when he stood firm she moaned, "We can't just…. Date… like normal people…"
Clark's brows rose, "Like normal people?"
"It's not like we just met." When he continued staring at her she chewed on her lower lip and then the babbling began in earnest; "And if this goes wrong… I mean it's not like there's any guarantee that it won't is there? And if it does… We're not just two people who just met, then dated and when it didn't work out could move on like nothing happened. We work together. We see each other every day. And we're friends – really, good, friends. If this goes wrong then it would really, really suck."
"It won't go wrong. I promise. We won't let it."
She shook her head, "You can't make a promise like that Clark…"
The use of his name told him how determined she was, so he let go of her hand and framed her face, lowering his head to look deep into her eyes as he told her with equal determination, "Yes I can Lois. One step at a time, that's all."
Her eyes widened as he angled his head and lowered again, the words a whisper over her lips, "Slow and easy…"
And he then demonstrated what he meant by kissing her slow and easy. Taking his time and exploring her mouth from edge to edge as if he was memorizing her shape for future reference. She moaned low in her throat, her hands making fists in the lapels of his jacket as she leaned into him and tried to take more. And he could sense the fire in her underneath the surface, could feel her heat even though he never experienced heat or cold on a daily basis. It would be so very easy to give in to it but if he did then he'd be exactly the same as any guy who'd ever taken advantage of her passionate nature. The very thought of them made him fight for control all over again. Because a very primal part of his DNA structure wanted to remove the memory of anyone else's touch from her.
But the fact he loved her to the very depths of his soul the way he did held him back, even when the need to answer what she was seeking from him with equal heat was as necessary as air. Slow and steady. Slow-ly. He wanted her to understand what she meant to him - that meant holding back. He wouldn't make any of the mistakes with Lois that he'd made in the past. She would know what she meant to him, he would make sure she understood how he felt and then he would lay it on the line. All of it. No secrets. No lies. She deserved nothing less.
If she couldn't forgive him or love him then he would pray for the strength to let her go. But she'd have to send him away. And she'd have to mean it.
With extreme effort he dragged his mouth from hers, opening his eyes to look down at her beautiful face as her lips parted and she drew in air, "Seriously," She ran her tongue over her mouth as if savoring a last taste of him, "All this time. And you could kiss like that. What the hell?"
When her eyes opened he smiled down at her, "Go out with me."
Lois rolled her eyes dramatically, "I'll think about it…"
"How about Thursday?"
"Nope," She took a step back and smiled, "National Organization of Women Journalists meeting…"
When he tangled their fingers again she took a deep breath and looked sideways at him as they started to walk, "Wednesday. Maybe."
Clark shook his head, "Society for Micro-entomologists Convention. The bug people, remember?"
"Thankfully it slipped my mind."
"It was your idea. Bugs are clues on dead people – your words. You then said something about being up to date on forensics being part of our job…"
"Uh-uh. No way I volunteered for bugs. That's the kind of thing you find interesting Mister Mine Of Useless Information."
"It's not useless information if it helps us understand something down the line," But he chuckled regardless, "Tonight then."
Lois pursed her lips as she considered that, glancing sideways at him again, "Glad we're giving me time to think about it."
The sight of Jimmy jogging towards them made Lois frown and attempt to tug her hand free. Clark simply tightened his fingers, "Hey Jimmy. Get the shots you needed?"
"Yup," He beamed with pride and then glanced down at their joined hands, his brows rising in interest as he then looked from one of them to the other.
Lois sighed heavily and tugged again. Clark smiled and held on.
"Um," Jimmy looked thoroughly confused, "Am I sensing a problem?"
"No," Clark's smile grew, "Nothing the United Nations couldn't negotiate."
Without warning Lois stopped dead in her tracks and pointed, "Is that a robbery over there?"
Instantly Jimmy drew his camera like a loaded gun while Clark released her hand and set her behind him before looking in the direction she'd been pointing. He frowned, "Where?"
There was a burst of melodic laughter behind him. Turning in slow motion he sighed heavily at her smug expression.
Lois lifted her chin high, linked her hands behind her back and stepped light footed around the two of them, "Playing in the big leagues now Smallville…"
They watched her sashay away for a moment before Clark felt his back being firmly patted, "You're a brave man C.K. Good luck. You're gonna need it."
"Thanks Jimmy." He pushed his hands into his pockets and they followed her back to The Planet.
"Just remember I called it over a decade ago."
Huh? He turned his head and blinked at him like he'd lost the plot.
And Jimmy nodded, grinning, "Valentine's Day. We set you up."
When Jimmy had been dating Chloe. And Lois and Clark had just had their hearts stomped on. The timing couldn't have been more wrong. But Clark smiled at the memory regardless, "Remind me to repay that favor sometime."
Incredibly it made the grin grow in size, "Just name the time and place. I'll be there. Hasn't Lois got a sister?"
"Bad idea." He returned the pat on the back, "Trust me my friend."
Metropolis Bridge – Main access to Suicide Slums from Downtown - Night:
In the darkening light Metallo walked across the desolate bridge favored by jumpers when they could see no other escape. Occasionally being passed by vehicles, there was a smattering of drug dealers, gangs and hookers wandering the streets on the Suicide slums side of the river.
He breathed deep and smiled before walking into the center of the main strip. Traffic stopped around him and came screeching to a halt; horns blaring and people becoming increasingly irate when he refused to move.
A curious crowd started to gather as one car skidded to avoid him, the driver yelling out the window, "What the hell is your problem?!"
Metallo eyed him calmly for a moment and then reached under the front end of the car and flipped it over – landing it on its roof…
People froze, too frightened to move. But all the noise had stopped, an almost eerie silence floating down off the bridge to mingle with the mist hovering over the water below.
Metallo's voice started as a low roar and then built to an ominous peak, "Everyone get out of here now - or die!"
Lois Lane's Apartment – Slightly earlier:
Clark was putting away the groceries they'd bought at a Deli on the way back from work while Lois changed, the flicker of the television heralding her return before she joined him, "See, now isn't this better than having to fork out for a dinner we'll both end up hating? You're welcome by the way…"
"If we hadn't had to wait for the report from building control we were still going out. And considering the amount of take out food we already eat, sitting down to eat it where it's actually cooked doesn't make that big a difference," He handed her the bread on his way past to the refrigerator.
"I don't get why this is such a big deal."
He looked sideways at her and playfully bumped her hip with his upper thigh to get her to move out of his way, "Neither do I."
How exactly did she explain it to him without coming across as a complete idiot - that was the question… And since she'd apparently abandoned all pretence at not being attracted to him he'd already gained entirely more ground than she'd planned on giving up. Which meant they were veering dangerously close to the territory of a little baring of souls. B-i-i-i-g step.
Taking a deep breath, she puffed out her cheeks as she exhaled and watched as he stepped her way again. Deciding it might help if she avoided the constant distraction of imminent physical contact of any kind she planted her hands on the counter and hoisted herself onto it, "What are we going to do on a date that we're not already doing?"
Oh good one Lois.
His eyes sparkled with meaning and amusement as he turned and leaned against the opposite counter, crossing his arms across his chest and grinning at her.
Lois sighed, "Stop that."
"I'm not doing anything."
"You really think you have me wrapped around your little finger now don't you?"
A low burst of laughter rumbled up from his chest, "That'll be the day."
She had her fingers around he edge of the counter and was preparing to drop to her feet when he pushed upright and stepped in front of her, effectively blocking her escape. And then he set his hands on hers and lifted them, setting them palm to palm before he tangled their fingers and set them back down on either side of her hips.
Lois gulped to force her heart back down her throat. Wow but he smelled good up close and personal. Clean laundry and Clark Kent. She curled her toes.
"I know you're scared," He said in a low voice that made her stomach cramp.
Lois lifted her chin, "I'm not scared."
"No?"
"No." She quirked her brows in warning and then angled her head and answered his slow smile with one of her own, "I'm… wary…"
When she purposefully took her time enunciating the word his smile grew, "Wary's a good word."
"I have more."
"I don't doubt that."
She nodded, letting her gaze examine a thick strand of his dark hair, "Cautious would be another good one."
"It would."
Drawing her lower lip between her teeth she made the mistake of glancing at his eyes and found him watching the movement. His gaze rose, locked with hers and coherent thought left her brain at speed. How did he do that?
His words then removed her ability to breathe, "I'm scared too."
In the absence of thinking or breathing she asked him silently. And he must have read it in her face the way he was so very good at doing, because he nodded, the warmth of his blue eyes sending her temperature up a notch,
"I don't want to mess this up either."
Lois stared at him in wonder. He really was so much braver than she was, wasn't he? And with him laying it so tenderly on the line for her she couldn't not meet him halfway, her voice one octave above a whisper; "How do we stop that happening?"
Clark took a short breath, "I think we keep working on it."
Swallowing to dampen her dry mouth and take the sandpaper edge off her throat Lois nodded the way he had, her gaze dropping to watch as he swallowed the way she had, "Why now? Why not before? We spent time together then – we were… close before you left. Considering we didn't like each other much at the start. At least - I thought we were close…"
"We were."
"Then why didn't this happen then?"
Squeezing her fingers to get her to look into his eyes again, he lifted their hands into the air beside their bodies and flexed his fingers wide before re-tangling them, "Maybe we weren't ready."
Looking into his eyes the softly spoken words made complete sense to her in a way she couldn't remember anything ever making sense before. And that should have scared her stupid – but for some reason it didn't. Because she trusted him, didn't she? He was her best friend. He put up with the majority of her crap and challenged her on the rest. And apart from the one small gap, which maybe they'd both needed to become the people they were now, he'd been one of the very rare constants in her life. She remembered so much and knew so little.
Even while silently admitting defeat her tongue tried to find a get out clause, "You were in love with Lana for half your life."
Dark brows jerked above his glasses, "I thought I was. But what do we really know when we're teenagers?"
Lois sucked in a breath, "Fair point."
It earned her another of the smiles that did the most damage to her poor vulnerable unprepared heart. So she tried again, "I'm not her, I'm nothing like her."
The smile danced across his eyes like stardust, "I know."
"I never really knew you at all did I?" If she had she'd have noticed all the things she could now see so clearly in front of her.
"You knew me," He moved their hands in a silent, sensuous dance; fingers opening and closing, her small palms still flat against his larger ones while he continued to look inside her in a way that no-one else ever had, "You still do. Don't ever forget that."
Okay. She was adult enough to know when she was beat. It was too damn late to do anything about it anyway so…
She angled her head towards her shoulder and rolled her eyes, "Okay. Fine. Friday night works for me."
The rumble of deep laughter vibrated the air between them and sent another rush of warmth over her body, "I'll come get you at eight."
"I'll spend the appropriate amount of time tossing clothes around and deciding where to dab perfume…"
His voice lowered as he leaned his head closer, "I'll look forward to discovering where you chose to dab."
Lois blinked at him, because in fairness sexy Clark Kent was still a bit of a phenomenon to her. When he stopped inches away from her mouth she searched his eyes and smiled, feeling the butterflies dancing in her stomach again, "Just so you know – you can kiss me now and I'll be okay with that."
"Or you could kiss me. For the sake of equality."
"Oh and now I'm s'posed to put the moves on you as well? I'd quit while I was marginally ahead if I was you."
"I'm letting you catch up." He trapped her fingers and moved their joined hands down onto the counter, sliding them back a little so that she arched her body towards him, "Seems to me I've been the one doing the majority of the kissing around here."
Lois' jaw dropped, "Hello? I kissed you twice already. Nice to know they were such unforgettable experiences for you. But then you always did have a little problem with the whole amnesia thing, didn't you memory boy?"
"They don't count." When she aimed a look of outrage his way and leaned away from him he grinned, "One was when we were about to be thrown out of a plane. The other was when we were about to be washed away by a giant wave. Bring your best game this time…I can take it."
A soft grunt of derision left her throat the second he pursed his full lips and nodded firmly, "I have black belts in enough martial arts to cause you actual bodily harm, you know that don't you?"
"I bet I can make you kiss me."
"I take it back. It's my stamp collecting club on Friday night," When she wriggled it had the opposite effect she'd been aiming for. Instead it made her all too aware of everywhere his body touched hers. And while she was still catching her breath from that realization he'd rearranged her hands behind her back so that he had both of them trapped at the wrists in one large hand, "What are you doing?"
With a dangerous glint in his eyes and another killer smile he leaned her back further over the counter, following her down with his upper body, "I'm not going to kiss you. But I didn't saying anything about not touching…"
Lois gasped, her eyes wide, "Don't you dare-"
The first touch of his fingertips against her midriff made her body jerk. And then he flattened his palm, smoothing it across her skin and using her own hands to lift her enough to make room to slide it round to her back. When she trembled he studied her eyes, then his gaze dropped to the rapid rise and fall of her breasts.
But just when Lois was about to take the safer option and cave in to kissing him, his thumb moved. And an involuntary giggle escaped.
"Ticklish?"
"No!" And she'd said that entirely too fast hadn't she?
So he moved his thumb again and chuckled when she squirmed.
"Yes!" She tried scowling at him but failed miserably, "I need my damn hands. You're about to get your socks kissed off farm boy!"
Clark released her so suddenly she fell backwards before she had time to rearrange her arms. He stood upright and held his arms out to his sides, "I'm all yours."
"For my sins," She grumbled on her way into a sitting position. Then she wriggled her way to the edge of the counter, hooked her calves around the back of his legs and tugged forcibly to bring him closer, "I hate you."
"I know," Large hands dropped to allow his arms to circle her at the same time as she wrapped hers around his neck, Then he took a deep breath that expanded his wide chest and smiled at her; his deep voice husky with the tenderness that she knew would always do the most harm to her resolve, "I hate you too."
Lois deliberately hooked one leg higher and smiled when his thick lashes lowered to half-mast and a low groan sounded in the base of his throat, "More than you know…"
Using the arms around the column of his neck to pull herself as close as two layers of clothing would allow, she angled her head, focused her gaze on his mouth and moved in for the kill, "I can't believe I'm this crazy about such a complete dork."
She was a whisper away from his lips when he froze and his head jerked back. Frowning in annoyance she looked up and found him glaring at the TV screen behind her. So she kicked the back of his leg to get his attention, "Excuse me? Busy over here."
"…have to go…"
What? She leaned back against his arms, "I beg your pardon? You're doing another runner - now? Are you kidding me?"
He shot her the kind of pained expression that made her look over her shoulder - to where the screen was showing a live broadcast of a Metropolis city block that had been devastated. Behind the reporter were barricades and what looked like hundreds of Police in riot gear swarming into the area.
In the center of it all was Metallo.
While Lois squirmed for the remote to turn up the volume Clark's head jerked towards the windows and she heard the first sirens in the distance growing louder with the slight time delay onto the screen as the sound bar increased;
"...don't understand. We're a safe distance but that's uncertain since Metallo has been seen to toss various large items of debris; some the size of cars, several blocks..."
"We have to go." Clark repeated.
While Lois changed the channel and got the same scene shown from a helicopter, "...just tuning in... Metallo, who only recently prevented a nuclear meltdown and saved hundreds of thousands of lives in Metropolis' Suicide Slum, came in to the same area and ordered - repeat ordered - it's citizens to evacuate as he then took over the fifteen square mile area..."
She changed the channel again, already jumping off the bench and reaching for her purse and a camera.
"...declared Suicide Slum his property and said, and we quote, "whoever wants it can come and get it," and then forced its inhabitants out of their homes..." There was a brief second of static, "…has called in the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit and is in contact with the Governor requesting National Guard assistance in case Superman doesn't-"
"Lois-"
She already had her palms on his back and was pushing him towards the door, "We gotta go."
Suicide Slums – Late Night:
Concrete chunks had been torn out of the street, cars were turned over on their sides and were burning; flames leaping into the air and sparking to ignite various piles of debris. Holes had been punched through buildings, leaving the inside visible from the street. And scattered along the perimeters where injured and unconscious Police Officers and citizens all helping each other to get out of the way.
Among it all was Metallo. Barely worn, frenzied and laughing out loud. It was finally time to let loose and take revenge on the world. Or more specifically on the one man likely to give him a decent fight.
"Where are you?! C'mon! Come out and play!" He yelled the words to the sky.
Underground people were crushing into the subway trying to escape the war zone above them. And fighting their way through them were Lois and Clark, hand in hand – the only two people fighting to get in instead of out.
"Come on, Jimmy!" Lois was yelling into her cell-phone, "Pick up!"
Finally she heard him yelling back, "Already there! Barricades at Bridge end!"
"I'll find you!" She hung up and pushed the phone into the back pocket of her jeans as Clark continued to create a path in the crowd that disappeared as soon as they entered it, "He's already here."
Clark swung round as soon as they had enough space to see, his gaze taking in everything from the helicopters to the flashing lights of every police vehicle on the ground. How in hell had it all happened so fast? Why hadn't he heard it faster?
The only positive he could find was that he'd been at Lois' and not his own apartment. It had cut down on the time it took to get there, "Wait here."
"When pigs fly."
"Then find Jimmy and stay with him."
"Where are you going?"
"I need to find out who's running the field base. See if we can get into the control vehicle." It was the best he could come up with on his feet. But even though she nodded in agreement he still felt the pain of having to lie to her. He just couldn't take a chance on her following him in there if he couldn't fix things. And as mad as she would be with him he knew she would.
Grasping her shoulders as she started to turn away he ducked down to look into her eyes, "Be careful. I mean it."
"Have to. I have a hot date on Friday night," She grinned at him then backed away, "Hadn't you heard?"
Lord but he loved her.
He stayed still for the few seconds it took for her to turn and disappear into the crowd again. And then he spun on his heel and looked for a place to take to the air without being seen. Civilians first. Then he would deal with Metallo.
Lois felt her chest swell with pride when she saw Jimmy running off shots at the barricades, "That's my guy! What'd I miss?"
"It's a war zone!" His cheeks were flushed despite the flash of natural fear in his eyes, "I've never seen anything like this Lois. Why's he doing it?"
She bounced up and down to see if she could get a better view, "Can I say I told everyone so? Damn it! We need to get closer."
"But nobody's seen Superman yet!"
Lois stopped bouncing long enough to stare at him, "What's that got to do with us getting closer to the action?"
"If nobody's seen Superman then who's gonna save us if something goes wrong?"
"Superman doesn't always save us."
"He always saves you," He pointed out what he plainly considered to be the obvious, "And if I'm with you it ups my odds of survival…"
Lois quirked her brows, "Fair enough," Then she grinned, "Doesn't mean we can't get just an ikkle tiny bit closer though does it?"
"Lois… I don't think…"
"You take pictures," She grabbed his arm and dragged him with her, "I'll do the thinking for both of us."
"Where's C.K.?"
"He's busy."
They forced their way through the masses, ducked down into a side alley, back-tracked a few blocks up and eventually emerging onto a street further up - straight into the middle of a firefight…
"Oops," Lois automatically ducked, managing two hunched running steps before she had to turn round and go back to retrieve Jimmy, "Admirable as it is that you're taking pictures. I don't want our Pulitzer awarded posthumously!"
The Metropolis Special Crimes Unit roared into the street in armored vehicles marked with white SCU lettering on the side, taking up position. Then six Humvee Riot vehicles rolled in; even thicker armor plates extending the length of their sides with hydraulic arms. Three of them barricaded one side of the block and the other three did the same on the opposing side. The hydraulic arms then lowered the armored plates to the ground with a series of thuds and a back door dropped open, forming a ramp as SCU Troopers simultaneously hustled from the transports and took cover behind the plates.
Lois took a brief mental note of their black military uniforms and bullet proof vests; large white "SCU" insignia and various technical modifications that she guessed were radios and night vision goggles covering their helmets. Then she caught sight of the figure standing in the middle of them. Brand new SCU Commander, Captain Maggie Sawyer unless Lois was very much mistaken… along with a man Lois assumed to be her second in command…
"Ground force in place!"
"Drop 'em!"
Lois grinned broadly as she heard the order. She'd always liked that woman's style. Blood pumping faster in her veins she kept hold of Jimmy and searched the perimeter for cover while overhead black SCU choppers appeared out of the darkness to hover above the tenements where Troopers repelled to the rooftops. With their weapons strapped to their backs, they scurried into positions overlooking the street.
"Eyes in the sky in position."
Sawyer held out a hand for a megaphone that instantly appeared, "METALLO! You're surrounded! Throw down your weapons and step into the open!"
Further down the street Metallo looked around him and held out his arms, "You see any weapons?!"
Lois could hear Sawyer's second in command yelling above the background noise, "Jesus, he did all that by himself?"
Sawyer continued regardless, "Surrender, Metallo! You don't have a chance!"
He laughed, "Come and get me!"
"This is your last chance! I am counting to three! ONE! TWO-"
Metallo picked up a motorcycle and hurled it through the air towards Sawyer as if it weighed nothing.
"INCOMING!"
Troopers scattered as the bike crashed into one of the riot vehicles and exploded.
Metallo yelled down the street at them; "Three!"
"GROUND TROOPS! OPEN FIRE!"
They popped up from behind their cover and began a nonstop barrage of bullet fire that had no effect on Metallo. In fact he smiled.
Several grenades exploded around him. He caught one and watched it explode in his fist. Then he walked calmly towards the barricades, troopers firing furiously at him as he grabbed one and lifted him over the four foot armored plate; tossing him into the middle of the street. Pushing over the barricade he waited for another trooper to run underneath before he let go.
It didn't make for easy viewing. They were getting their asses handed to them!
They tried a flame thrower next. Metallo turned as the plume engulfed him; the sixty foot blast making visibility almost zero. But he appeared through the flames and crimped the flame thrower nozzle, drawing the fire inside and making the Trooper struggle to free the back pack before it exploded. He didn't.
And for the first time in a long time the sight in front of her eyes was enough to make Lois drop to her knees behind their new found cover and hide her face; the sound of Jimmy's heavy breathing sounding close by and the snap of his camera making her force herself to look again. Where was Superman? She didn't believe he would let this happen. Not in the city he guarded so fiercely! Had Metallo already dealt with him?
Then she thought about Clark. Was he alright? Was he looking for her? If he knew where she was he was gonna lose it with her, wasn't he? Just so long as he was alright he could yell at her all he wanted. And for the first time in her entire life Lois thought about her own safety on someone else's behalf…
When Metallo emerged from the fireball his flesh was clearly burned, parts of it didn't even look like they were still attached to his face. What the hell was he?
"Jimmy" She tugged on his arm and pointed. And Jimmy, like the pro he was, ran off the shots.
"Oh this is bad."
Lois couldn't help but smile at him. Ever the king of understatement. That was Jimmy Olsen.
"ALL UNITS! EXERCISE DEADLY PHYSICAL FORCE AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION! I REPEAT…"
It was what Lois imagined Armageddon would look like. Weapon fire erupted from all directions, Metallo picked up a rifle and answered fire randomly while the rounds that hit him fell at his feet. When his clip was empty, he started tossing men aside like twigs. Rooftop snipers abandoned their guns in favor of rocket launchers; the whistle of them through the air giving the impression of a Fourth Of July display before they exploded near Metallo. They unbalanced him. Briefly. So they kept at him. And when he fell there was a sudden lull. Like the eye of a storm. Then a final rocket whistled through the silence, aimed directly at his head. He turned. Caught it. Held it over his head like some kind of ancient barbarian – and let out the kind of tribal war cry that chilled Lois to her bones.
Whatever he was. This thing. This monster. He wouldn't stop till he was dead or everyone around him was dead. Rage echoed from him like rippling sonic waves. What made anything that blood hungry?
He hurled the rocket back at it's departure point with deadly accuracy; exploding the top of the building and causing the front façade to peel off like cracked icing. Huge chunks of concrete dropped to the ground, making it shake beneath Lois and Jimmy's feet. And when she looked up she felt her stomach heave at the sight of the troopers tumbling several stories towards the ground.
Wait. What was that? Lois stood up, taking a great risk in exposing their hiding place. Was that a line? It caught in the light. Then another one. The men didn't hit the ground!
"Jimmy did you see that?"
"See what?" He stood up and looked where she was pointing. It was a mistake.
"Jimmy!" Lois tried to catch him when a stray bullet knocked him back against the wall; knocking him unconscious. She fell to her knees to stop him from hitting the ground with the same force, "No Jimmy! Don't you do this to me!"
She tried frantically to wake him, but couldn't. So she searched equally as frantically over his body for blood. There. There it was. Shoulder. She gritted her teeth and hauled him forwards, resting his head against her arm as she looked for an exit wound. Through and through. Stop the bleeding.
"I've gotcha Jimmy. Through and through is good. Trust me. If you're gonna get shot through and through is top of the list," She laid him back down and tugged her arms out of her sweater, ripping it in half on a jagged piece of metal and then stuffing one part into the front wound and one into the back. Her hands were covered in blood. They were shaking. She could do this!
Fumbling for her cell she rang Clark's number, "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon… Smallville where are you?!""
The lack of an answer only made her more erratic, her lashes blinking frantically as she tried to clear her vision enough to see the screen again. She was not losing either of them! Not today! One at a time Lois. Help Jimmy then find Clark.
Daily Planet Offices – Approaching Dawn:
Perry White was barking orders at a frantic newsroom of haphazardly dressed reporters; his eyes glued to the screens, "I don't give a rat's ass what they say! You get me every goddamn page of that edition – throw out every piece of advertising crap and you tell the print boys to get their lazy asses out of bed and down to that press in their Family Guy pajamas if necessary! If I know my reporters they're out there right now risking their lives to bring us every detail of the worst war since Vietnam!"
Ron Troupe answered one of the ringing phones; "Planet."
He jumped to his feet, "Chief! Phone!"
"The biggest story of the year is happening on our doorstep – tell my wife she can find the damn cat herself!"
"It's not your wife."
Suicide Slum – 'Ground Zero':
Sawyer got a transmission in her ear-piece, "What? You gotta be kiddin' me!" She swung on her second in command, "Dan we got a problem. There are civilians trapped inside the zone!"
"These ten blocks were supposed to be evacuated. Superman is making a buffer zone as we speak. Who the hell's in there?"
"Lois goddamn Lane and some kid from The Planet."
"Oh, for –"
One of the senior troopers raised his voice, "She figured a way in, she can find a way out. If she has half a brain she'll lay low!"
"Wanna explain that to the Mayor's office? They're on the horn right now…"
"Captain, that thing out there has already killed a half dozen men and you want us to risk our lives for a reporter?"
She set her finger to the voice control on her throat, "If there are any snipers with a clear line of vision into the red zone - we have civilians in the area and need visual confirmation" She glared at the senior trooper, "She's coming out with us Lt. No-one gets left behind."
"Yes sir!" They all knew the rule.
A voice sounded in her ear, "Eagle one. We have visual. Two of them. Three hundred yards off your six. One down."
Dan stepped up, "I'll go."
The Lt. blocked his way, "We got it sir."
Sawyer touched her throat again, "All available units. Lay down cover fire for retrieval team."
Troopers popped their heads over their cover all over the place and began laying down fire at Metallo as the Lt. and his two man team ran into the red zone. They got there fast, "Lois Lane?"
She frowned up at him, her clothes smeared with blood, "No, I'm another random idiot caught in a warzone."
He gritted his teeth, "A smart ass. Great. Glad I just risked my hide for you. You get any of my team killed on the way back Miss Lane, I'll shoot you myself."
One of his team hoisted Jimmy over his shoulder.
Lois stood tall and nodded, "I'd shoot me too Lieutenant."
"Take this." He took out his handgun, twisted it deftly in his hand and offered it to her, "It's like a camera. Just point and click."
Taking it from him she dropped her chin and weighed it in her palm, "Nine mill German Glock with a modified grip."
When she looked up at him the Lt. looked surprised.
But Lois shrugged it off; she had too much on her mind to waste time, "Army brat. I'll manage."
"Move out!"
They charged out into the open, running for the barricade. The Lt was in the lead when Metallo turned. Lois saw it, she turned her head to see how far they'd got with Jimmy – loose hair swinging around her shoulders – not far enough. She skidded to a standstill, cupped the butt in her palm, squinted to get her line - and emptied her clip at his feet. He smiled and walked towards her. She turned her head and checked again. They were all in. Jimmy was safe.
An iron-like grip circled her upper arm and lifted her feet off the ground; the muscles in her shoulder screaming in protest as he shook her until she dropped the gun. Then he studied her face with cold eyes, " I know you. You're that reporter from The Daily Planet."
Lois kicked out, a muscle in her shoulder tore. But she'd be damned if she was showing any pain, "You can read?"
"And she's funny too." He lifted her until she was looking him in the eye, "Wanna dance pretty lady? It's my party you gate crashed after all."
Lois smiled sugary sweet, "My dance card's full."
"Oh I think you'll make an exception for me. If you wanna stay attached to this arm…"
He gave her a sharp jerk and Lois couldn't hide her yelp of pain.
There was a tap on Metallo's shoulder and the sound of a familiar voice, "Excuse me. I hate to interrupt…"
Lois saw the satisfied smile on Metallo's face before he turned round. And she knew. She knew exactly why he was doing what he was doing. It didn't have anything to do with anyone else. He was there for Superman.
Superman stared him straight in the eye, "If the lady says she doesn't want to dance; she doesn't want to dance. I'll say this once. Put. Her. Down."
Metallo eyed her with disinterest then looked at Superman and leaned his face closer; smiling his satisfied smile again, "You gonna dance with me fly boy?"
"Till one of us leaves the dance floor Metallo."
He set Lois on her feet, she stepped towards Superman. But he didn't break eye contact with Metallo; his square jaw set more firmly than she'd ever seen before. And she'd seen him in action before. At least she'd thought she had. Somehow she knew this was gonna be something on a whole other level.
His voice remained calm, "You need to get to safety now, Miss Lane."
Without warning he punched Metallo dead center in the middle of his body – sending him backwards at least twenty feet. Metallo looked momentarily shocked. Then angry. Very, very angry.
Lois grabbed Superman's arm as he stepped forwards, "You're the reason he's here. He wants you dead."
He turned and looked at her with the oh-so-blue of his eyes; his voice the same calm even rumble she remembered, "Don't be afraid."
"I'm not." She heard the sound of approaching choppers and glanced upwards to see a formation of them headed their way. And there were suddenly more troopers. Her gaze shot back to his face, "You've hemmed him in."
"I created a buffer zone. He won't leave here. You have no need to be afraid Lois."
Her smile grew, her one good arm waving him forwards as she backed away, "Seriously. I'm not. Helicopters, danger, go, go, go! I have a partner to find." She rolled her eyes, "Again."
Clark watched her back away, then turn and run. She wasn't afraid. She was safe. And she was leaving before he showed any sign of what it was costing him not to show weakness. But inside. Inside it had already started.
He turned and watched Metallo striding his way; every step closer bubbling the blood in his veins like molten lava. He locked his jaw tighter, fisted his hands at his sides, and allowed his gaze to pick out the figures he already knew were on the surrounding buildings. Just a couple so far. The rest weren't there yet but he'd bet they were on their way. If Metallo proved to be the one fight he couldn't handle then they would clean up the mess; he knew that with the same certainty he knew they would stay back and respect his need to fight alone. He had to. If he didn't then Superman was a futile exercise. And Clark Kent wasn't worthy of a woman as strong as Lois Lane.
Superman was going to fight for the people of Metropolis. But Clark was going to fight for the woman he loved...