Author's Notes: This next chapter will feel even more strange when they talk about that night and how it continues to affect their emotions. As they try to move forward, they will get back to work, and see it as a distraction from what they are feeling, meaning their connection and what they genuinely want and need. Read on and please review when you get time. Thank you.

~o~o~

Chapter 3: Gravity

Still in the Conference Room:

"Did you hear me?" Lois asked genuinely concerned.

"No, Lois we are not still infected."

"Are you sure, I mean, the way you kissed me and..." She hesitated to think how much she enjoyed it, the same as that night.

Confused, he asked. "What do you mean, the way I kissed you?"

"Never mind," she replied and pulled out her notes on their assignment, but her mind would not think of anything else only kissing him unable to stop. "We should get back to work." She shook her head and wondered about his kisses and how it affected her. Then her mind answered that thought. I said it that night, oh no, not those words. I Love you, Clark. Her mind at once rejected it.

What is she thinking? He wondered. "You are right, now is not the time to do this, especially something." He hesitated as he stared at her pretty face.

"Something personal and telling?" She answered for him.

"Oh, I agree." He paused. "A kiss when they both enjoy it, yes, it does tell you a lot about how you feel about… someone," he replied still staring then his eyes seemed fixated on her lips.

"Clark, can we get back to the assignment? She is a friend from my past and she works for a competing paper here in the city."

He shook his head and tried to concentrate on what she is saying. "Oh, what is her name; I may know her?"

"You cannot possibly know her. How long have you been in Metropolis?"

"Two months, but I have read current issues of the Metropolis Star. Is that the paper?"

"Yes, it is, and her name is Linda King." She thought of Linda and if she should tell him exactly how she felt of that lying; cheating; scheming; and that 'B' word, but she hated to say it let alone think it.

"No, I do not know her. You said she is a friend from your past, but for how long?"

"Since college." She hated to remember that awful time, but Linda was not like that at first.

"Are you two rivals, or do you get along?"

"Why would you think we are rivals?"

"Well, you both work for different newspapers, and I do know you and you may give off that vibe of competing and needing to come out on top." He watched her face and she seemed upset. "I am sorry, but there is nothing wrong with a little competition and ambition."

"Yes, I am ambitious, and you are right, nothing wrong with it, but to answer your question, yes, she is a rival." And I hate her guts, she thought.

"Okay, it says here that she is getting major news events before the Planet. How is that possible?" Clark asked.

"I have no idea, but Perry wants us to investigate. It is strange because her paper has circulation more than the Planet, but she manages to get the big stories and they are about, you guessed it… Superman shows up seconds after an emergency." She knew it; Linda is up to something unpleasant, she thought.

"Superman?" Clark thinks this is not a serious story. "Lois, everyone can write stories about me. I am a public figure, like a celebrity, anyone can write about me."

"I know that, but this is different." Because it is Linda, that is why, she thought.

"How is it different? This feels like a waste of time."

"Look, Perry assigns stories, and he gave us this one. It does involve the Planet, plus there could be something fishy going on."

He had to force himself not to laugh. "Did you say 'fishy?"

"You know what I mean," she replied but she wanted to smile but did not. "Here look at these and tell me it is a waste of time."

He read the articles in seconds. "Okay, I do see your point."

Stunned as she watched him read ten articles in seconds. "What else can you do? You can speed read?"

"Yes, I can. Before I started school, it does not seem strange at first, but realized I was different from everyone else in my class. I never told anyone only my parents, but it did come in handy especially in my early years in school and college."

She shook her head. "Of course, it would."

They got back to work, but sirens came into his hearing, and it is close.

"I have to go; please cover for me." She raised an eyebrow. "Fire trucks." He is gone.

She left the conference room and Jimmy has a police alert on his computer. "Jimmy, anything about a fire close by?"

"Yes, it's a problem with an elevator and it may fall," Jimmy replied.

"Give me the address." He wrote it down. "Thanks." She grabbed her bag and left.

Meanwhile, Clark arrived seconds later and shot into the shaft and caught the elevator seconds before it fell to the first floor. Three passengers left the elevator unhurt. Once outside, Linda King approached him for a scoop. Lois showed up too late. He answered her question about elevator safety and flew away.

Lois is not happy, but if Linda were there, he could not ignore her. She fumed but decided not to show how upset she is about any of it. He is right; he is a public figure.

Back at the Planet, Clark saw her at her desk typing and tried to explain, but it surprises him that she did not chew him out for speaking to Linda. "Lois, you can tell me how you feel; please do not hold it in."

"I am fine, Clark."

He looked around but no one was paying them any attention. "We have to figure this out. Superman arriving at a scene like that, I cannot wait to help save people," he whispered.

She was still, then, "Come with me." She left her desk, he followed her into the conference room and walked over to the window. "I remember when I did not know the truth about you, but this is different, and I am not sure how to manage this."

"Yes, I understand, but we will figure this out." But he did not know how to continue.

She turned to face him and this time, she saw her friend and partner, Clark Kent.

He looked down at himself. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong." She turned back to the window. "It is me, but when I look at you, I see you, not Superman. It's weird."

He chuckled then dared to touch her shoulder and turned her around. "Yes, it is me." He tried again, but this time when he leaned down and kissed her and after a second, she kissed him back. She went into his arms loving every minute of it.

He managed to gain control and pulled away and touched her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes. "Are you sure we are not infected?" She asked with a cheeky grin and smiled at his look.

He shook his head and smiled at that question. He needed to keep a clear head, but it was difficult. "We should get back to work; now about the elevator accident, it may not be an accident."

That woke her up. "Why would you think that? What did you see?" They both sat down worried at what it could mean.

"Well, as I flew away, I scanned the elevator shaft, and wires were cut."

She gasped. "Oh no, then it was planned, and Linda was there seconds after you arrived."

"Actually, she was there when I got there. At first, I thought it was only luck, but how could she have known about the accident?"

"I knew it; she is a conniving; unscrupulous person and I cannot trust her."

"Lois please tell me what it is with you two? I know you are rivals, but this seems personal."

Agitated, she stood up and walked. "We met in college, and we became friends, both working on the school paper. I was dating a guy on the football team and of course he is popular. I genuinely liked him, but she latched onto my story about the team and rampant steroid use. She stole it by chasing after my friend and got the story and put her name on it and she got the guy too."

Clark was not sure if Linda was involved. "Maybe she has changed?" He winced at her look.

"Clark, you are naive but believe me when I say this, stay away from her."

"Okay, I get it, but we need to look into the owner of the paper first; he is the one we should investigate, or her editor may be involved too; not her."

She took a deep breath to calm down. "You may be right; I am still going to scrutinize her; I still do not trust her."

"We should tell Perry and get any ideas from him." He stood up. "Let us go."

They left the conference room, but after he returned to his desk, Perry sent him an email with a crazy idea. Clark appeared stunned, but he decided to do it, but not tell Lois his plans. On his next save, and in his regular clothes, Linda is there, and she approached him and asked for a date, and he accepted. He told Lois about the date, and she does not take it well, which is an understatement; she lost it completely.

At the office, he tried to explain about the date how they needed to look more closely at her boss, but he did not mention the fact he may quit the paper to investigate the Metropolis Star and Linda's involvement.

"Lois, now I am investigating her and the connection between her and the accident and whether she is involved. I am in no way interested in her."

"But on a date? Are you serious?" Hurt and confused, she cannot lose him; she cannot.

"Lois it is only a date, nothing more."

She crossed her arms. "Well, I know you Mr. Kent, and you do seem to enjoy dating."

"Yes, I do, but on a real date, but this is fake, not real."

"it's real to her and she likes you; I can tell."

"It does not matter to me how she feels. You are the one I want." He looked around and no one is watching them.

She appeared stunned he would say that, but extremely pleased. "You mean it?"

He wanted to kiss her, but then, "Of course, I do." He glanced at his watch. "I'm meeting her in half an hour."

"Be careful," she said but that was a stupid thing to say to Superman, but not to her friend and partner, Clark Kent.

"I will call you," he said and then he is gone.

~o~o~

Later that evening at her apartment, Lois is walking and wringing her hands, worried about him. She did not find it weird to think about him all the time. Before she knew the truth, she did not think of him that much, but now everything is different. But now that she thought about it, she did think about him. They truly are working together, and she liked how they are a team in every way, except one.

Her phone rang and it is him. "Hey, where are you?"

"I'm at your door."

She hung up and opened it and he is there and pulled his arm and threw herself at him happy to see him.

He smiled enjoying their hug, but he needed to tell her about the date. At this moment, he did not want to let her go, not now, not ever.

She is the first to pull away, and she apologized. "I am sorry, come in, come in." She shut the door. They walked inside, both feeling uneasy.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thanks." He watched her squirm. "Come and sit down and I will tell you about the date."

She could not wait and blurted out. "Did you kiss her?"

Stunned, he replied, "No, of course not." He shook his head. "It turned into an interview, and she knew what I wanted from her, only information about her job and her boss."

"I am sorry, Clark, but while you were out with her, I had these crazy thoughts about you and her together and I suppose the past had a lot to do with that."

He took her hand. "I understand and you should know something about me. I will always tell you the truth. I have no interest in her only you. Okay?"

Relieved, she said, "I believe you now tell me about the date."

"To make her feel easier and more relaxed about questions, the first thing I asked was about her job, and she is making a name for herself. She told me about her boss the owner, Preston Carpenter. He wants to put the Daily Planet out of business and the quicker the better. Then I asked about how quick she gets the best stories then she told me how. Her boss calls her and tells her where to go and when. I thought that was odd, and here is the thing. He calls just before an emergency happens. She does not know what the emergency could be, but she is there to get the exclusive interview."

"That is crazy, but how do we stop Carpenter and the accidents?" Then she thought about it. "Clark, I am worried that the accidents could escalate and could lead to someone getting hurt. We have to stop it."

"Yes, I agree." He paused. "It seems obvious he has an accomplice involved with these accidents and he needs to communicate with them, and the quickest way is through emails. We can start there by gaining access to Carpenter's computer. Linda may help us if she agrees to remove him from his office and we could find out when the next 'accident' will happen."

Lois is distrustful of Linda. "But is she really going to help us?"

"Yes, she will, after we explain our suspicions about her boss and how she is getting the exclusive interviews and her stories." Lois is quiet. "What are you thinking?"

"Well, she may be innocent about all of it, but I still do not trust her."

"Sometimes friendships are broken, and you cannot get them back, even if you try."

"You sound as if you lost a friend." She watched him thinking of someone. "Who is it, if you do not mind talking about them?"

He shook his head. "I did make friends in college, but because of who and what I am, it became impossible to be close to someone. After college, I traveled around the world, came back home and that is when I decided to be myself and not hide my powers anymore."

She took his hand. "Are we friends? I hope so."

"I told you during our exclusive interview, remember? I still feel the same way. We will always be friends, no matter what." He smiled and squeezed her hand.

She looked at their joined hands, then she remembered the words that night. After they had sex, they cuddled close, and he said the same thing to her. I love you, Lois. Her eyes roamed all over his face and she knew the truth and now she could not dismiss it like it never happened, but it did.

"What is it? What are you thinking?" He asked worried.

"It's nothing." She lay her head on his shoulder, happy he came to see her.

They sat that way for long minutes. "I should go, it's getting late."

"Okay," she said and walked him to the door.

Awkward silence, then he leaned down and kissed her quick. He had to because if he did it again, he would not be able to stop.

"Good night, Lois," he said and turned to leave.

"Good night, Clark and thank you for... everything."

He smiled. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yes, see you tomorrow."

She watched him walk away, as always.

~o~o~

The Daily Planet, the next morning:

Inside an elevator at the same time, both sipping coffee and thinking of their day and each other. They glanced around, and they are alone. As if thinking the same thing, they slowly backed up until they reached the wall and turned to face each other.

He asked a silent question, she nodded. Then they kissed deeply, heads turned, and tongues touched exciting them both. He noticed the floor and pulled away.

The elevator dinged, amazingly they managed not to spill a drop. Smiling, they left the elevator and went their separate ways. At their desks, before logging on, Clark he went to see Perry and turned in his resignation. He decided to tell Lois the truth about Linda and Carpenter, especially about his scheme with Perry. Carpenter handles all of it.

Perry agreed that Lois should know. After the staff meeting, now back in the conference room, he told her what he and Perry had planned.

"Oh, I see, you are going to collaborate with her?" Stunned and upset to even think they would work together.

"No, that is not part of the plan. My working there only long enough to gain access to Carpenter's computer and find out his next move. I will set up a meeting with her and we will convince her to help us. After they hire me, no one will think twice about us being there."

"Well, thanks for letting me know about this insane scheme to catch this guy." Still annoyed about the date and now on the job with her.

As if reading her thoughts, he said, "It will be over in no time; you will see."

Later that afternoon, they met with Linda, and after Clark was hired, they explained their plan. She appeared stunned to realize that she had been used and lied to. Lois had no sympathy for her and refrained from rolling her eyes. She had no business being anywhere near her boyfriend. My boyfriend? She wondered.

Later the next day, the time has come to put their plan into action. It is quitting time, and Linda flirted with her boss, because he had a thing for her. They left the building to have dinner while Lois and Clark gained access to Carpenter's office without too much trouble and lucky for them, his computer was still on but needed a password. As Lois gained access to his computer through passwords gained from Linda, they found out the next 'accident,' but not an accident but an assassination plot to kill of a high-ranking government official and it is planned for tomorrow afternoon.

On that day at the Hilton Hotel, the location of the official's meetings, gained from Carpenter's computer, the assassination plot is moving forward. Clark in the suit, he noted the official surrounded by security personnel in dark business suits, they entered the hotel across the street from the Metropolis Star.

Lois and Linda entered the hotel and tried to follow Carpenter, and being reporters hoping to get the scoop, they could not help themselves, and when Carpenter tried to reach Linda, her phone went off and they were caught, tied up and exposed to a gas that will cause unconsciousness and later death from an explosion. With death approaching, Linda wanted to apologize but Lois is not in the mood. The next few minutes no more talking but praying and hoping help would arrive and soon.

All during that time, Clark entered the hotel and heard them gasping for breath, entered the room, turned off the gas, and released the women. He then returned to the men leaving the hotel and the senior official was with them. Seconds after Clark arrived, shots fired from a high-powered rifle by an assassin hidden on a rooftop. Clark caught that one and more as he protected the official and stopped all the bullets, which went on for minutes. Carpenter tried to escape, but Clark stopped the limo from the rear, spinning its wheels. It is over.

The ladies left the hotel and after everyone is gone, they returned to the Metropolis Star, and after changing, Clark joined them. Linda explained that she is leaving the newspaper business and return home to California and try another field, on-air media. Stunned when she kissed Clark's cheek, but he stopped Lois by holding her back, as Linda left them alone.

Back at the Planet in the conference room, Lois tried to explain why she could not forgive Linda, but words failed her.

Clark understood. "I think you wanted to forgive, but because she was interested in me, you could not forgive her."

"Please do not flatter yourself, it was our rivalry that did it, certainly not you." She crossed her arms still upset.

At the window, he came up behind her and touched both shoulders and close to her ear. "Actually, I am flattered that I do mean that much to you."

She closed her eyes and leaned into him but did not say anything because she knew it was true.

At her silence, he turned her around, leaned down and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back running her fingers in his hair, unable to stop herself. She went into his arms, and they continued to kiss and caress each other for minutes on end.

TBC!

~o~o~

Song Inspiration: By Your Side, Sade.

A/N: Here I am teasing again, but I love it. Lois and Clark have reached that level of understanding, but the words unspoken for now, but when? Now tell me what you think of this 'alternate reality' where they are dealing with the aftermath of 'that night.' Please review and thank you for reading.