Ch 9 - Scrutiny


-- Metropolis - April 2010 (Later that afternoon ) --

Jimmy Olsen stood in the newsroom's small kitchenette and stared into the mug of coffee he had just poured. He had no idea why people drank the stuff. It was like tar warmed over. Bracing himself, he took a sip and shuddered. He reached for the sugar container and turned it upside down over his mug. If he was going to be a reporter, he was going to need to learn to stomach this stuff.

"A little coffee usually makes the sugar taste better," a female voice commented from behind.

Jimmy quickly replaced the sugar and began stirring his drink. "Uh, hi Cat."

Laughing, she flipped her hair and turned to scan the newsroom. "I just got back from the Mayor's press conference. He swears that he and his assistant were discussing business at that midnight meeting on the pier. Likely tale! Anything interesting happen here while I was gone?"

Frowning after another sip of the now-too-sweet sludge, Jimmy dumped the contents of the mug into the sink and faced Cat. "Actually, something did happen…"

Cat cut him off as she noticed someone sitting at Lois's desk. "Who is that?"

"That's what I was about to tell you. Did you know that Lois was married? Wild, huh? I can't believe she never said anything about that! I guess Perry knew, though, because he told me to give him all her passwords and stuff. His name is Clark…"

"Kent," Cat finished for him. Narrowing her eyes, she stalked away from Jimmy, and headed for the stairs that led to the pit.

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Jimmy asked her retreating back. He returned to the coffee pot, trying to gather enough courage to try the sludge again. "I am the last to know everything around here."


"Lois never mentioned being married."

Clark glanced up as the voice pulled his thoughts from the words on the monitor. He immediately recognized the person in front of him from the description his parents had given him.

"Um, Cat, I mean, Ms. Grant. Hello," he stammered, rising from the chair. He was caught off guard with her sudden appearance and accusatory tone. He'd assumed that Perry would have talked to her before he would.

"I was hoping we would get a chance to talk," he continued. "My name is…"

"I know who you are. And I know who you aren't," she retorted, arching a finely shaped brow in challenge.

As she crossed her arms suspiciously, Clark noticed that reporters within earshot were starting to listen in.

"If we could just…" he began, gesturing to an empty conference room.

"I'd like to know exactly what you're up to," Cat stated pointedly.

"Cat, I'd like to see you in my office, pronto!" Perry shouted from his doorway. "And bring him with you."

Clark exhaled in relief and trailed Cat across the newsroom. Once inside, he reached to close the door behind him.

"Lois is not married!" Cat declared. "And Clark Kent has been out of the country for the last 5 years."

Clark turned to her in surprise.

"Perry, this guy is a fake. I don't know what kind of game he's trying to pull, but I'm not falling for it. I can't believe that you did- he's not even wearing a ring!"

Perry cleared his throat to put a halt to her tirade. "Cat, I think you ought to sit down. This young man really is Clark Kent. As for his relationship with Lois- that's something we need to talk about."


"So, there you have it," Perry concluded, finishing the explanation to Cat.

Clark turned to her with a quizzical expression on his face. "I just have one question for you. How did you know about me being out of the country… did Lois say something?"

"No." Cat shook her head. "After she went missing and I was preparing to take Cole to Smallville, I did a little research on your family. I trusted that Lois knew what she was doing and everything, but I needed to be sure Cole would be okay. The only thing I could find related to you was a bunch of articles from around the world. I guess I never put it together that you and Lois were…I mean, she never even talked about Cole's father… and I just figured that you were younger…"

Clark was a bit disappointed with her answer. "I just want to thank you… for getting Cole to my parents. I'm glad Lois has a friend like you, Ms. Grant."

"Cat. Call me Cat. How is he? Cole?"

Clark met her eyes and smiled. "He's doing really well."

Perry let out a gruff grunt. "Sorry to interrupt but we need to get our plan in order. Cat, I need you take Kent to Lois's apartment after work, since you have the keys. He'll be staying there while he's in town. Will you be able to do that?"

After she nodded, he turned to face Clark. "My contacts have come through, and I will be ready to pronounce you husband to Lois Lane by the end of the day. Until then, you need to get yourself a ring. We're going to have a hard enough time as it is making this thing believable. The sharks are already circling in search of some dirt," he said, gesturing to the newsroom on the other side of the door.

"I'll take care of it," Cat announced. "I am the gossip syndicate, remember. I'll come up with something they can chew on, but you," she said as she pointed to Clark, "are going to need to be quicker on your feet. The feds are going to run you over the rails when they get word that Lois Lane's absentee husband has shown up in town out of the blue."



-- Metropolis - April 2010 (Later that evening) --

Clark sat in the passenger seat of Cat's car and fingered the silver band that now graced his ring finger. They were on their way to Lois's apartment after a brief meeting at the Police Station.

"He was a little hostile, don't you think?" Clark asked, thinking about the detective they'd met with.

Cat smirked. "Yeah, Henderson and Lois have had something of a love-hate relationship over the years. I think he's just really worried about her."

Cat didn't notice the worried look Clark shot at her. He was curious about the balance of love and hate Lois and Henderson might have had.

"Here we are," she announced, pulling the car into an empty spot in front of an apartment building.

Cat seemed to be preoccupied by other thoughts as she led him inside, and they rode the elevator in silence.

When she unlocked the apartment door, she stepped inside and moved to let him enter behind her. In the dim light he could see that sheets covered all of the furniture.

"After the police came and searched her place, I covered everything. So the dust… when she came back." Cat took a deep breath. "Perry has The Planet covering the rent, but they had the utilities turned off. You'll need to call and get everything turned on when you get a chance. There should be some candles or something in the bathroom. Do you think you'll be okay for the night?"

Clark nodded and noticed that she hadn't come any further into the room.

"Okay, well, um. I think I'm going to go, so… You have my number. If you need anything, give me a call." Smiling, Cat tossed the set of keys to him and quickly stepped into the hallway.

"Thanks," he called as she pulled the door shut behind her. He understood her anxiety. It must have been hard on her to be the only one knowing her best friend was missing.

Clark pocketed the keys and started removing the sheets. When the coffee table was uncovered, he noticed a framed picture lying on the surface. Picking it up, he smiled at the image of Lois holding Cole when he was a baby. With a sigh, he flopped onto the couch and pulled out his cell phone.

Clark smiled at the sound of the voice on the other end when the line was picked up. "Hi, Mom."

"Clark! Hi, honey," Martha returned happily. "Hold on one second."

Clark listened as his mother called for his father to pick up the other extension.

"Hey, Son, how'd it go today?" his father asked.

Clark sighed. "Well, I'm married."

"What?" his mother gasped. "Married?"

Clark smiled to himself. He hadn't told them about that part of his plan. "Yeah. I needed to have a legal tie to Lois in order to get information from the police."

Clark could almost picture the look on his father's face.

"Somehow I don't think that's going to make it any easier for you, Clark." Jonathan replied. "How on earth did you manage a marriage without a bride?"

"Perry worked his magic. It was surprisingly easy."

"Have you talked to the police? Did it work?" Martha asked.

"I just got done talking to them… rather, I just got done being interrogated by them. I talked with a detective named Henderson. He didn't seem to like me very much, and I could tell he didn't want to give me anything. He didn't have much of a choice when his computer check verified my marital status."

Clark rose from the couch, deciding to explore the apartment while he was on the phone with his parents. He paused in front of the bookshelf, noting that one panel seemed oddly placed. He realized that there was a cabinet behind it. Resolving to check it out later, he turned and walked into the kitchen.

"What did you learn? Did he say why they are keeping a lid on this?" Jonathan inquired.

"It turns out that The Daily Planet has a policy about not releasing information when high-profile employees are missing," Clark explained. "Perry said that there was always a ransom note the other times Lois was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped! Other times!" Martha exclaimed.

"That was my reaction, too, Mom. The police seem to think that whoever might be holding her doesn't know who she really is. They think that if they release her name and picture, she could become part of a bidding war among the criminal element. It seems that she has made a few powerful enemies with her exposes."

On the other side of the kitchen, a short hallway led to a bathroom and two bedrooms. He walked to the first room and opened the door. Clark took in the deep blue walls of the room and the small crib next to the window. This was Cole's room. The sight of the stuffed animals stacked in the corner tugged at his heart.

"Lois always did have a nose for trouble," Jonathan commented absently.

"Exactly!" Clark declared emotionally. "You would think that having a kid would make a person slow down. I can't believe she got herself into this."

"Clark you don't know that," Martha soothed. She knew that feeling helpless and anxious made her son turn accusatory. She neatly refocused the conversation. "What did you learn from the police?"

Sighing, Clark composed himself and took a final look at the room before exiting and pulling the door closed.

"They found her car abandoned at a park-and-ride station. From what they could tell, there was no foul play, and they are going to release it to me tomorrow. When they checked the Metro surveillance tapes, they got her exiting at the Harbor, but have no idea where she went from there. The FBI has just taken over the case," Clark concluded, entering the second room.

In Smallville, Jonathan frowned, trying to piece together what his son was saying. "Are you going to meet with them soon?"

Clark chuckled. "Tomorrow. They requested a meeting as soon as Detective Henderson informed them about Lois having a husband."

"You should be careful," Jonathan said. "They will probably start looking at you as a suspect."

"I think they already are," Clark replied. "But I think that the story Cat came up with will work."

Martha glanced at her husband. "What story is that?"

"Cat told everyone that Lois and I eloped four years ago. According to the story, we had a disagreement about where to live as I was still 'finding myself' while backpacking across Europe. When Lois decided to go on sabbatical, The Planet hunted me down to fill in for her during her absence. Everyone thinks that she wanted some time to bond with her son."

Inside Lois's bedroom, Clark traced a finger across the picture of Cole that sat on the nightstand. Picking up a pillow from the bed, he was devastated that no remnant of her scent was distinguishable. It had been too long since she last lay there.

Jonathan sniffed. "That kind of paints you in a poor light, doesn't it?"

Clark sighed. "Cat said that no one would believe that a nice guy would leave his wife and child to fend for themselves while he toured the world. Hey, if it gets me to Lois, I'll be whomever she wants me to be."

"Is that the same story you're telling the authorities?" Martha asked.

"Pretty much," Clark answered. "The difference in the story I'm telling them is that I haven't been in contact with Lois in a while. The part about the sabbatical is for everyone else. Supposedly, my last adventure put me incommunicado for a long time, explaining why I just found out about her disappearance… and why I am just now showing up. Kind of ironic that it is partly true."

"Oh, sweetie," Martha sighed. She hated that there was nothing they could do to help Clark. "You could come home tonight. Get a good night's rest before your meeting tomorrow…"

Clark shook his head, not thinking about the fact that his parents couldn't see him. "No, Cat let me into Lois's apartment, and I'm just going to… take a look around. I'll be fine. But thank you. For everything."

"We just wish that we could do more," his father offered.

"I know. Me too," Clark sighed, sinking onto the bed. "Me too."


tbc