WARNING: This is not the first chapter of "For the Longest Time." It is a teaser/trailer of sorts by using actual lines (in italics) from the story to invoke visual images and foreshadow the story. The first chapter of the story is to follow. I hope there is some interest because I have enjoyed my first attempt at Lois and Clark fan fic.

This story, which is a work in progress, picks up at the end of the show's second season.

Enjoy the preview and feel free to give feedback!

"For the Longest Time"
A spin-off of Season 2, episode 17, "Whine, Whine, Whine"

April 1995
Fearless in work. Fearful of love?

Coming into the second season episode, "Whine, Whine, Whine," Lois Lane had a lot to think about - whom did she truly love? Was it her partner and best friend, a man who had an annoying tendency to disappear without warning or explanation? Was it the man of steel who literally had swept her off her feet on numerous occasions and could be at her side in a mere second? Or was it a newcomer with a daring streak and a strong interest in being more than just friends? Would Lois choose Clark? Superman? Scardino? And when she made her decision, what if she had been too late to tell him that she loved him?

What if Clark Kent finally had given up on the idea of being happy? When he saw Lois escort Dan Scardino into her apartment the night before, he knew whom she had chosen. Could leaving be the only way to mend his broken heart, even if his assumption was wrong?

What if Lois hadn't been quick enough to get to his apartment that night to tell him she was ready to "take the next step if you are"?

What could happen if a passion that never stopped burning was reunited … for one night?

And could that passion keep burning FOR THE LONGEST TIME?

What if Lois had the professional opportunity of a lifetime - to be the keynote speaker at the Society of Professional Journalists international conference - but it meant seeing Clark again after six long months?

October 1995
Perry sighed. "Lois, I am not going to sit here and argue with you. Don't make me pull rank on you here, kiddo. Besides, in case you forgot, you're the keynote speaker? Who else could discuss investigative reporting better than you?" He held his breath, hoping the flattery would work.

Lois didn't buy it for a second. She was practically spitting. "I'm sure someone else can do my session." Before she knew what she was saying, she had gone into a full rant. "How about Clark Kent? You know, the man who used to be my best friend? The man who I worked side-by-side with for two years before he decided he was too good for me and for this newspaper? I do NOT want to see Clark, Perry. Therefore, I'm not going and that jerk can do my session …"

What if Lois not only saw Clark, but acted upon an impulse that ignited at the mere sight of seeing him again?

An impulse that just may have made things perfect?

Sunlight streamed through the window as Lois slowly opened her eyes. She could feel the sheet wrapped around her. Where were her clothes?

She moaned, the effects of one-too-many glasses of wine from the night before …that damn wine, pounding on her head like a conga drum. At the time, it didn't seem like that much wine, she vaguely recalled in her hungover haze. It was …

Suddenly, the events of the previous night came rushing back to her. Seeing Clark, drinking the wine to mask her nervousness, that seductive dance to the old Billy Joel song … and then what? She moaned again, clutching her head as she lay still, thinking hard to remember what happened after they had danced.

But what if that impulse shattered her world?

Then she remembered. Clark's lips on hers, them stumbling, drunk, into the bedroom and falling onto the bed together. She could smell him on the sheets.

Then she saw it.

A folded white piece of paper on the nightstand. It simply said "Lois."

She picked it up and unfolded it.

Dear Lois. Please don't be too angry at me …

And what would happen if they met once again?

June 1998
Lois stood rooted to the spot. Here in front of her was a face with the same shocked expression as hers.

This was the moment she had waited two and a half years for; to confront the man she oft had confrontations about in her dreams. But she had nothing to say as she stared at the person in front of her. He had a bruise on his arm and was thinner than she last remembered. He looked as if he had carried the weight of a thousand worlds on his shoulders. And the look in his eyes, it haunted her.

She opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it.

"Lois," he said. "Please. I know you must hate me."

"Hate you?" she spat. "Clark, hating you would mean that I had a feeling in my heart about you. And I don't. You're nothing to me."

Could something bring them back together again?

"Mommy?" said a little voice. "Whatcha doin'?"

Or, for that matter, someone?

Clark looked her in the eye. "Then Lois, I just need to know. Is she Dan's? Is Ella his daughter?"

He had to strain his ears to hear the response.

"No."

"For the Longest Time." Coming soon.