"Are you sure this is going to work?" Clark asked as he slowed his pace a little to keep up with her. She was panting already and they'd only just left the Planet.
Walking the streets of Metropolis when you were heavily pregnant was not a good idea, she thought.
"No, not really. But it's worth a shot isn't it?"
Clark glanced sideways at her and frowned. "Lois, you should've let me run us there. Or at least take a cab, it would've been easier on you."
"It's only a couple of blocks Clark, I'm not that big that I can't walk that far you know."
"I know, I just…I don't want you to overdo things, that's all. You need to be taking it easy."
She smiled at the gentle tone of his voice, he was so caring and sweet. Damn him, why did he have to be like that? It simply wasn't fair. Not when she was trying so hard to steer clear of all thoughts of him or their kisses.
The memory of the kiss yesterday, how tender and loving it had been, made her tone blunter than she'd intended. "I'm fine, stop worrying so much, I'm not made of glass. Now come on, let's get this done so we can get back to Chloe."
After waking up yesterday, Chloe had understandably been a little upset to find out what had been going on while she'd been in a coma. Lois knew they would have to talk about what had happened all those months ago, but seeing Oliver with her, watching their tearful reunion, she knew that it would have to wait. It wasn't really something she wanted to go into anyway.
But Oliver needed the time alone with her and Lois had needed time to gather her thoughts. It was easy to forgive Chloe when she'd been unconscious, and that hadn't changed. But now that she was awake, Lois had so many things she wanted to ask her, that tiny lingering sense of betrayal was still there.
As they covered the last block and arrived at their destination, Lois paused at the bottom of the steps.
"Are you okay?" Clark asked, hovering like she was about to fall at any minute. She hated it when he hovered, mostly because a part of her liked it so much.
"I just need a minute to catch my breath. Your son isn't helping much, he's pressing against my ribs." She noted the twinkle in Clark's eyes at the words 'your son', and it made her smile.
He was still adjusting, she realised, to the notion of fatherhood. And she supposed that he would always find it a little overwhelming, because he had never known if he would ever be able to have this. It made her heart ache to think of him feeling alone like that. Stop it Lois, this line of thinking will not lead to anything good. She couldn't go there, not again.
"He's very active this morning." she said, rubbing her swollen belly. It felt like she had grown two dress sizes overnight. She wasn't this big yesterday. "And he's growing fast, too."
"I'm sorry he's giving you so much trouble." Clark replied with a grin.
"Well he is your son, so I guess trouble is his middle name."
Clark snorted. "You're forgetting who his mother is."
She rolled her eyes at him. "How could I forget when the constant kicking keeps reminding me?"
Clark's expression sobered. "Is it painful?"
"A little." She knew lying wouldn't do any good here, Clark had always been good at reading her face. "But it's nothing I can't handle."
He reached out and covered her hand that was leaning on the railing of the steps. "You don't have to handle it alone, Lois. I'm here."
She closed her eyes, afraid to look into his. He was making this so hard on her. "Thanks. Okay, let's get this over with. I need to go and see my cousin."
Clark watched her start up the steps, feeling conflicted. She was still pulling away from him. Physically, she was right there, sharing everything work and baby related with him. But emotionally, she was still so distant.
She hadn't mentioned their kiss at the hospital yesterday and he'd decided not to broach the subject. He wasn't sure why he'd done it, maybe because he'd been so lost in the moment and sharing it with her had been…perfect. But she had to have felt something, surely. He knew it would take time for her to trust him again, and he was willing to wait.
Lately he'd caught her stealing tiny glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking. Her eyes would take in every detail about him and last week, when he'd caught her looking, she'd quickly looked away and developed a keen interest in the potted plant on the filing cabinet across the room.
It gave him hope, that maybe she was still feeling something. He had vowed to find a way back to her, and he wasn't going to give up. But for now, her focus was on their son, and on Chloe. That's where his should be too. It was just…he missed her, so much. He missed holding her, touching her, hearing her laugh. It seemed like a lifetime ago since she'd laughed. He missed…everything.
After speaking to the receptionist and being told to sit and wait, Lois sat massaging her tummy and Clark couldn't take his eyes off the action. His baby was in there, a little boy that was half him, half her. What would he look like? What would his personality be like? Would he be like Lois, or like him? So many questions that Clark was excited to learn the answers to.
"Miss Lane, Mr Kent? The Mayor will see you now," A tall burly looking man informed them. Obviously security, Lois thought, standing up to follow him. "But she doesn't have a lot of free time so…"
"We'll try to keep this as brief as possible."
They were shown into a large, delicately decorated room. The room where the Mayor made all her decisions. She was currently sitting behind a large, oak desk, so shiny you could see your reflection it, just ending a call.
As she put the phone down, she smiled up at the two of them politely. "Ah, you're the reporters from the Daily Planet."
"Yes ma'am." Clark replied, ever the gentleman, Lois thought.
Patrice Dawson gestured to the two chairs in front of her desk, and waited for them to sit before she spoke. "So what can I do for you?"
Lois shifted, trying to find a comfortable position, but gave up after every attempt resulted in the same problem. The baby was lying in an awkward position today and no amount of shifting or prodding could make him move. "Uh well, we know that you're due to resign when the election comes up in a couple of weeks and we just wanted to talk to you about it."
Patrice frowned. "I can't see how it's breaking news for the Daily Planet, considering that I announced that months ago."
"No, I know. It's just that…well I have reason to believe that someone very high up was behind the shooting."
That made the Mayor's eyes narrow. "And who might that be?"
Lois could tell by the tone of her voice that all politeness was now gone and she was losing patience. She would have to tread carefully here if she wanted to be heard.
"My cousin was investigating the first attempt, speaking to witnesses and she found one. The woman is now in protective custody because the man she saw matched the description of a man who tried to mug me a few months ago." She paused for a second to gauge the Mayor's response, she seemed to be listening so Lois carried on. "My cousin was injured in a hit and run a few days after talking to this witness. She's been in a coma for over a month."
"I see. Yes that is quite a coincidence. Is she alright?"
"She woke up yesterday, and other than being a little distressed, she seems fine. But whoever hit her clearly didn't mean for her to survive."
"So who exactly is this man?"
"We don't know, because he posted bail not long after the attack on me and was never arrested for yours. There's only a handful of people who have the leverage to pull that off." Lois glanced over at Clark, who was watching the Mayor with intent, but staying silent, letting her take the floor. Well, this had been her idea, after all.
"So who is it that you think is responsible?" Patrice asked, finally.
"I know this is going to sound crazy, but I have reason to believe that it's Anthony Romano."
"District Attorney, Anthony Romano?" Patrice's eyes went wide and Lois nodded.
The silence that fell was deafening and Lois waited with baited breath for the bomb to drop. But instead, the Mayor surprised her by nodding and then grimacing.
"I was afraid you were going to say that. I must say that I've had my own suspicions for quite some time now. Although obviously I had no idea of your attack or that of your cousin. So for argument's sake, let's say I believe you. Why would he want to target you or your cousin?"
"Because we were getting too close to the truth." Lois replied, unwilling to share the reason for her mugging. That would only bring the Blur into it and Lois couldn't have that. Despite everything that had happened between her and Clark, she still felt like she owed the Blur her loyalty.
Patrice ran an idle hand through her shoulder length, brown hair. "I don't suppose you know what that truth is?"
"He's running for Mayor of Metropolis in the next election. He already has a loyal following of people who believe his propaganda about the Blur. He obviously wanted to eliminate the competition too." Lois winced at her words. "Sorry,"
"Oh don't be. Like I said, I've had my suspicions for a while. He was always a little too helpful, if you know what I mean. Giving me advice, even going so far as to suggest that I step down before I get really hurt. Of course, at the time I thought he was just being considerate but then I heard he was running and that suggestion took on a whole new meaning. He wants me out of the way."
"But you are resigning." Clark said, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived.
Patrice let out a long sigh. "Yes, although I didn't want to. My husband is insisting on it, he's worried about me."
"I don't blame him, but can I ask, do you really want to quit?"
Both Lois and Patrice stared at him, making him feel a little uncomfortable, like he'd just put his foot in his mouth. But Lois was really onto something here, he wanted to help out as much as he could.
"No Mr Kent, I don't want to 'quit' as you put it. But what choice do I have? I can either resign and stay alive, or stay and possibly get killed."
"But what if we launch an investigation on Romano." Lois offered.
"Based on what evidence? Face it, we have nothing on him. A couple of reporters and my suspicions aren't going to get us very far."
Lois nodded, defeated. "Couldn't you look into why that man was released so quickly? Find out who posted his bail?"
Patrice frowned in thought. "Hmm, yes I could do that. I'm sure that will raise a few questions." The buzzer on her intercom sounded, interrupting her. "I'm sorry to do this but I have to cut this meeting short, I have some things to attend to."
Lois and Clark nodded and stood up. "We understand, thanks for your time."
"Miss Lane?" she called as Lois got to the door.
"Yeah?"
"I will look into this, you have my word. I will let you know what I find. Until then, let's keep our little meeting between us. Give your cousin my regards."
Something occurred to Lois then, and Clark was wary because of the look in her eyes. "Mayor Dawson, may I suggest something that might work a little better?"
Patrice glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "By all means."
"What if you decided to run for Mayor again? That would surely provoke Romano into taking some sort of action since he knows he can't win against you."
"Well that would be a very bad idea considering that, if it is him doing this, that man wants me dead or at least out of the way."
Lois edged closer to the desk again. "But what if we could guarantee your safety? You already have guards with you during the day, but what if at night, the Blur could protect you?" Lois felt Clark's eyes boring into the back of her head and knew she would have to give him an explanation for this later, but right now, she needed the Mayor to say yes.
"The Blur? I hardly think I'm high on his list of priorities."
"That's the thing about the Blur, he doesn't have priorities, no one person is more special than another. He will protect anyone, and I'm sensing that you don't exactly fall in with Romano's beliefs about him?"
The Mayor shook her head. "I don't know Miss Lane. On the one hand I appreciate what the Blur does for this city, he has certainly helped a lot. You only have to look at the crime rate to see that. But it's the fact that we don't know who he is that unnerves me a little. I just wish we had a face to put to the name."
Lois glanced over her shoulder at Clark. "I know what you mean. Maybe its time he stepped into the light." Clark shot her a look that she couldn't decipher, but she couldn't focus on that right now.
"Miss Lane, do you know who he is?"
There was a slight hesitation, during which Clark tensed, but then Lois shook her head. "No, but I know the Blur. He talks to me, I'm sort of like, his confidant in a way. That's why I know he would do anything to help you, Romano needs to be stopped."
Patrice blew out a steady breath and then nodded. "Okay then, if you can get him to help, I'll…I'll run for re-election."
"Thank you, I hate to think what would happen to this city if the DA became Mayor."
"Don't thank me yet Miss Lane, we're a long way off from winning."
Outside her office, Clark looked at Lois and shook his head in question. "What was that all about? 'Maybe he needs to step into the light?' How exactly am I supposed to do that Lois? Romano is suspicious enough as it is."
She looked around and saw that they were alone, no ears were close by. "I didn't mean reveal your identity Clark, I just meant that…maybe there's a way for you to become a public figure instead of hiding in the shadows. It would give the people of this city something they desperately need right now."
"And what would that be?"
"Hope. We all need that Clark. Despite what's happened between us in the past, I'm not naïve enough to think that you did any of it to hurt me. Though you could've gone about it in a different way, I understand what you did. But I still believe in you. In the Blur." She looked down at the floor, and her voice was quiet when she spoke again. "You're still my hero."
Clark tried hard to press the feeling of pride down, but hearing that from the one person he'd needed to hear it from, was like music to his ears. She still believed in him. He thought he'd done irreparable damage to her faith in him. And if he was honest, even though he felt conceited to admit it, he liked hearing her say he was still her hero.
"Anyway, it's something to think about."
Clark frowned as he watched her, noticing that she was a little pale. "Lois, why don't you go home and take a nap, you look exhausted."
Suddenly feeling defensive and unsure why, Lois rounded on him. "Is that your way of telling me I look awful? You try being pregnant, it…"
Clark held his hands up in surrender. "I was only suggesting. You need to start worrying more about yourself."
"When Romano is behind bars where he belongs, I'll relax. Until then, neurotic, tense Lois is all you're getting."
He smiled as they started down the steps outside the hall. "I'll take it. Any Lois is better than no Lois."
He hailed a cab and climbed inside after Lois, wanting badly to hold her hand but deciding against it. He couldn't push, it would only make her back away further.
Lois felt the tension between them as he sat next to her, it was like a thick cloud filling the air around them. She hated that she was still so aware of him, that he could still have this affect on her. But then, her hormones were all over the place, she thought helplessly. Maybe that was why, maybe she couldn't really trust what she was feeling right now.
The taxi pulled up outside the hospital and dropped them off, but just as they were entering the building, Clark stopped.
"Lois, I have to go."
She recognised the look. "Then go." she said gently.
He smiled at her, that smile that always used to make her heart flip in her chest, and then ran off.
Taking a deep breath, she walked inside, knowing what was waiting for her upstairs. It was time to have a talk with her cousin.
To Be Continued...