Chapter 17

Lois and Clark had breakfast at the Smallville diner and walked over to Lois' apartment afterwards. Lucy was on the cell phone when they came in, excitedly talking to someone.

"Okay," she replied. "Right, okay. Thank you so much!" She paused. "Yes, I am. Thanks again. Good-bye." She disconnected the call and jumped up from the couch and whooped. "I got the job at MIA!" She ran over to Lois and hugged her. "I'm moving to Metropolis!"

"Oh, that's great!" Lois said, hugging her back. She let go and Lucy turned to Clark and hugged him.

Clark smiled. "Congratulations, Lucy. I'm so happy for you. I guess that means we'll be seeing more of you from now on."

"For better or for worse," she replied. "At least I think you will. I'll be starting out on the evening shift and probably be doing that for a year or two but you'll definitely be seeing me on my days off at least." She was grinning broadly, looking at her sister. "We can meet for lunch every once in a while since I'll be going in to work at four in the afternoons."

Once she calmed down, she sat back down on the couch. "Man, this is going to be great," she said. Suddenly, she switched topics. She looked at Clark and back to Lois and asked, "So," she began, "what happened to you last night? I waited up but finally went to bed around one."

Clark looked down and didn't give an answer. "Um, well, we got caught up in something, Luce," Lois replied unsteadily. "You didn't need to wait up." She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

Lucy's face turned red and said, "Oh!" She grinned sheepishly. "Oops!"

Lois smirked and nodded. She took a deep breath and turned to Clark. "So; I need to change my clothes. Will you excuse me?"

"Oh, of course, Lois," he said.

"Thanks for the assist, Hero," she murmured and punched him in the arm as she passed by.

He sat down. "So when do you start your new job, Lucy?"

"Next Thursday," she replied. "I have to go in early and get processed in so it will be a long day. But I'm stoked. It's going to be so good to be close to you guys."

"It's really nice that Lois has family close by to talk to. I know it will do wonders for her. It'll be good for both of you."

Lucy nodded. "You're right. I'd hate to think that Chloe was the only family she had to turn to around here."

Clark sat down next to her. "You know, I kind of overheard your conversation with Chloe on Christmas Day," he began. "I don't blame you for being upset with her; we all are but I hope someday you two can get past this. Chloe needs her family, too."

"She has a funny way of showing it." She hung her head a bit. "I'm sorry you had to hear that, Clark." She looked back up at him. "I just couldn't take her snide comments towards Lois any longer. I know Lo was just trying to keep the peace but I wanted to kick her fat ass."

Clark nodded. "Well, I'm glad you waited until after she left the house to confront her. Making a scene inside would have ruined Lois' day."

"I know and I didn't want that to happen." She snickered. "You weren't the only one who heard it though; my Dad overheard it too."

"He did?" Clark asked, raising his eyebrows. "How do you know?"

"He told Lois and me when we took him back to the airport the day after Christmas. The General was really out of character that day. He told us that he was happy to see us so close, that we should look out for each other, and he warned us about The Blur."

"What kind of warning, Lucy?"

"Oh, he said that we shouldn't be blind to the things The Blur does just because he does a lot of good things. He was right, too."

He cocked his head. "How so?"

"I don't know if Lois told you so if she didn't, don't tell her I told you this. While she was in Newark, The Blur called a couple times and was saying some pretty bold things to her about how he felt about her and asked her how she felt about him. He told her that he loved her," Lucy added, shaking her head. "The General was pissed when I told him about that."

Clark nodded solemnly. "You told your Dad about those calls, huh?"

"Yeah," she said. "Lois was a wreck and I didn't know who to talk to. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid of how you'd react. So I called my Dad to talk to him about it to see what he thought I should do. I was going to go out to Newark and stay with her."

"What did the General say?"

"Not much. He said Lois was tough and said he was sure that The Blur couldn't take her away from you no matter how much she admired him."

Clark sat back. "Well," he began, "I'd say your Dad was right. But you know what? The Blur called me, Lucy. He and I had a conversation and I didn't tell Lois about it either."

She frowned and cocked her head. "He did? Why did he call you?"

"He called to apologize. He told me that he was talking to Lois and feared he had given her the wrong impression about what he was trying to say. He wanted me to know that he would never intentionally do anything to come between us." He paused. "I told him that I appreciated him calling just to tell me that."

Lucy said nothing, weighing the story Clark had just told her. "Does he call you often?"

"No," Clark said, shrugging slightly and shaking his head. "He's never called me before and I haven't heard from him since. It was out of the clear blue but I thought it was pretty cool that he did that."

"Do you believe him?" she asked, leaning forward.

He nodded. "I have no reason not to, Lucy. He's solid in my book and if there was a misunderstanding, at least he had the guts to call me. I admired him for doing that."

"Wow," she said, staring out the window in thought. "Maybe I misjudged him, too. I mean, it didn't sound to me like something he'd do but I don't know him that well. All I know is that Lois was upset and confused and it pissed me off."

"I'll bet it did. He told me that he just misspoke and it wasn't his intention to make Lois believe he was trying to steal her away. He told me that he was concerned that because of our relationship, she wouldn't continue to be his confidante and that he'd just expressed himself poorly." Clark paused, letting his words sink in and then continued. "I believe him. Otherwise, why would he even call me?"

Lucy nodded slowly, still processing the story. "Wow that really changes things." She looked at Clark. "I guess I need to re-evaluate him, too. Do you know if he talked to Lois or not?"

"I'm not sure but I don't think so. Not yet, at least. I think she wanted to meet him face-to-face and that hasn't happened. I'm sure it will, though. I think The Blur owes her that much."

"Yeah, so do I," she replied. "If he did that, I'd feel a little more certain that I misjudged him."

"Misjudged who?" Lois asked as she emerged from her room in fresh clothes.

"Jimmy Olsen," Clark blurted out.

"Aww, why did you have to go and bring him up? I was having such a perfect day before and now my heart's breaking all of a sudden. I miss him so much." She looked at Lucy. "We all misjudged him, Luce. Don't feel bad about it." She turned to Clark. "Shall we go?"

"Sure." Clark winked at Lucy and stood up.

She looked at Lucy. "Are you okay here? You have the Jeep if you need to go anywhere."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "I'm going to make a few calls and get an apartment lined up." She paused. "What are you guys up to?"

"I'm not due back at work until tomorrow." She smiled gently. "But Clark has a piece he's been working on back at the farm so we have to go. Isn't that right, Clark?" she asked, smiling innocently at him.

He cleared a laugh from his throat and smiled. "Yep! It's a great piece and I'm really anxious to get back to work on it too; so we should be going."

Clark stepped forward. "Congratulations again, Lucy." He hugged her and she kissed his cheek.

"Bye Luce," Lois said, hugging her sister. When the door closed behind them, she slugged Clark in the arm again, "You better believe it's a great piece!" she exclaimed, smirking at him.

"The best one I've ever done," he replied.

She raised an eyebrow, "And it better be the last one you ever do if you know what's good for you, Clarkie." She hooked his arm in hers and they headed back to the farm.

"Lucy told your Dad about the calls from The Blur that had you so upset. That's explains the jewelry," Clark said as he set her down on the porch.

"She did? So you think the General was worried about The Blur?"

"I'm certain of it, Lois. It only makes sense; he was trying to protect you and Lucy. And after what Lucy told him, I don't blame him."

They walked inside the house and out of the cold. "Would you like a fire?"

"Sure," Lois replied, looking at the cold, darkened fireplace.

Clark used his heat vision and the logs instantly burst in to flames. He looked back at Lois, smirked and shrugged. She began laughing. "You're going to be handy to have around for more reasons than I thought," she said.

They sat together on the couch and Clark said, "We have to do something to get The Blur off your Dad's radar. I told Lucy The Blur called me and apologized for the misunderstanding and I think she's reconsidered her opinion of him. Now we have to do something to get your Dad off my case."

"We can tell him that the kryptonite had no effect," Lois replied. "At least you'll be safe."

"Well, he'll just keep looking then. And Lois, I don't think it's a bad idea that he knows about kryptonite. If I can't stop Zod, he's going to need every advantage possible and all the kryptonite he can lay his hands on." He paused. "What do you think about this? You call the General and tell him The Blur came to speak with you face-to-face. You patched things up and when you came near him, he instantly became incapacitated and told you to get away. Once you did, he recovered and sped away but called you moments later and asked you about the green stones."

Lois looked shocked. "I don't like that at all. Why would I want to tell him that?"

"Because he needs to know that kryptonite is effective against Zod and that The Blur is not a threat to humanity."

"I won't do that, Clark. For all the secrets the military supposedly keeps, there are few it keeps well. Even if my Dad didn't view you as a threat, eventually someone would. And then there are the politicians; someone on a crusade against aliens to get a few votes." She violently shook her head. "No. I have a better idea: let Ollie stockpile kryptonite and if things aren't going well, he'll know and he can make weapons from it. I'll call the General and tell him we met face-to-face and it was all a big misunderstanding but I'm not going to mention kryptonite. Forget it." She crossed her arms and sat back against the couch.

Clark smiled and then rubbed his chin. "Okay. The problem is that there's no absolute way to convince him I'm not a threat to you, to Lucy or the rest of humanity."

"I'll convince him," Lois replied confidently.

They arrived together at the Daily Planet for the first time ever. Clark had suggested he drive but Lois insisted that they blur there instead. It was an exhilarating feeling, she told him, and she wanted to feel it again. That was only a partial truth. Lois' main reason for wanting him to super-speed her to the Planet had to do with her being able to sleep a little later than usual.

He set her down on the ground in an obscure alcove formed by the back of three adjoined office buildings of different size. The location was one he had selected long ago and used whenever he blurred in from outside of Metropolis. The site was a perfect point of arrival for Clark. There was a public parking area close by, no doors accessed the alcove and, most importantly, no windows overlooked that area either. Stepping out of the alcove could be accomplished without being seen from the sidewalk or adjacent structures. At normal speed, a person could reach the sidewalk from the spot in just a few seconds. Best of all, the Daily Planet building was one and a half blocks away.

"Under three seconds," Lois exclaimed, looking at her watch. "I can't believe it. That trip usually takes me at least half an hour," she said with amazement. "We even have time to get some decent coffee before we get to the office." She adjusted her suit and tugged at her skirt. "Is my hair messed up?" she asked, reaching up to check.

Clark smiled modestly. "You look fine, Lois."

"How is that possible?" she asked as they stepped out onto the nearly-empty sidewalk. "I'd expect to look like I rode in on the wing of an airplane."

"A pocket of air surrounds me when I move that fast. That's why you don't get cold or windblown." He smirked and shrugged his shoulders. Lois simply shook her head.

They stopped to get coffee and Clark bought Lois two maple donuts. Within five minutes, they were seated at their desks.

"Great work on that assignment, Lane," Brady said as he passed by.

Lois scowled. "When you said front page, I assumed you meant front page of Section A, Brady; not Section B," she groused.

"It's old news, Lane. Besides, there is a banner on the front page of Section A advertising your series in bold letters with your name; it's even above the fold."

"Right," she replied sullenly.

"Get everything taken care of yesterday, Clark?"

Clark grinned. "Sure did, Brady. Thanks," he replied.

Brady shot Lois a smirk and left. She leaned over her desk toward Clark. "Why does he always call you 'Clark' and me 'Lane'. I have a first name." She shook her head.

"Good question. Maybe it's because I don't…" Clark was interrupted by his desk phone ringing.

"Clark, we need to talk," Oliver said with a tone of urgency in his voice. "Will you be home later tonight?"

"Yes," he replied. "Just me or should Lois be there as well?"

"She should probably hear what I have to say, too. She's going to find out sooner or later anyway and we know that keeping secrets from her isn't a very smart plan, right?" He followed his comment with a chuckle.

"Right," Clark answered, looking at her. "Okay; come on over whenever you can. We'll be there after seven. See ya then." He disconnected and leaned forward. "Oliver's coming over tonight. He says we need to talk and you should be there, too."

She frowned. "Sounds important; is something wrong?"

"I think it has to do with your jewelry," he replied.