Author's Notes: I've forgotten how the ending of my chapters tends to be a bit of a cliffhanger. That's completely intentional on my part; it's something I've become used to. It helps when I end one chapter and then open a can of worms in the end to transition to the next. I can't guarantee longer chapters but I can guarantee constant updates.

Morning After

Clark woke up to the awful beeping sound of Lois's alarm clock. He turned over to reach for her so he could scoop her in his arms only to find that side of the bed empty. He got up and looked around and saw that the room is empty. He x-rayed through the wall and down the floor while simultaneously using his super hearing to find her.

There's nothing.

He quickly got dressed and headed downstairs. After seeing Chloe last night, they barely talked. They simply stayed in one another's company until their eyes fell into slumber. They used the act to comfort each other, an acknowledgement that they were both in this together.

"Lois," he called out through the hallway and down the stairs. He reached the kitchen. "Mister Lucius"

The house was completely empty. He walked by the fridge and saw a yellow sticky note.

Clark,

Uncle Luke went to work today and I left to pick up breakfast.

Be back soon.

Lois

"Whew!" he breathed out a sigh of relief. It's been a crazy few days. Clark went back upstairs but then he heard a door closed. Lois must be home.

Walking back down, he saw a worried Lois lifting breakfast contents out of a big bag from Pinera.

"Morning," he greeted, wrapping his hands around her from behind and placing a kiss by the crook of her neck. "I missed you this morning"

She leaned into his embrace. "I've only been gone half an hour"

Clark groaned as he nuzzled into her hair. "That's a long time." He felt her stiffen and he slowly let's her go. "Are you all right?"

"I called Chloe this morning," she revealed almost sadly.

"What'd she say?"

"Nothing, she didn't answer. At first I thought she was avoiding me." She opened a sliced bagel and smeared cream cheese all over on top.

Clark grabbed a piece of bagel too. "What do you mean? She probably just needs a little more time," he says taking a bite while still adjusting to the morning.

"That's what I thought, but I called every hotel within a fifteen mile radius from here and only the Ventura has a Chloe Sullivan listed in their hotel"

He lifted a curious eyebrow, unsure where Lois was taking this.

"Where are you getting at Lois?"

She turned to him, her eyes gazing intently at his.

"She wasn't there"

Clark is confused. "So?"

"No," she begins to explain. "I mean – according to hotel management, she was suppose to check in but never did"

"Maybe she went back to Smallville," he tries to rationalize.

"Chloe wouldn't do that"

"You think something happened to her?"

"Am I positively sure? I'm not. But do I sense something wrong? I don't want to but yeah, I do," she admits.

"Then we'll check in on it"

Abandoned Warehouse near the Docks

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course, I'm sure. Seems like her dear cousin has been getting it on with her best friend. Interesting conversation to say the least, but I think it's time to teach little miss Lane who exactly she's dealing with"

"And you're positive that it's her?"

"She connected the dots. If Dawes requests for her help again, she'll connect me and my brother to the rest of the case. We can't have that now, can we?"

The goon shook his head.

"Now get back to work"

District Attorney's Office

Lois walked into the building looking for Rachel Dawes. She finally finds her with a group of reporters and photographers urging her to say something on record. Like the professional that she is, she gives them enough to satisfy their cravings.

Rachel spots Lois from a distance.

"Lois!" she waved for her to come to her office. After they were safely inside and away from the media. "What's up?"

"I was hoping you could use your police resources to track down a person for me"

Rachel gives her a worried glance. "What happened?"

"Chloe's in town"

The attorney's eyes widen from the implication. "Is she all right?"

Lois's face saddens. "I totally messed up, Rach. She saw me and Clark together and I just – fell apart."

"You can't blame yourself for that; whether you told her yourself wouldn't have made a difference. I'm an attorney; I see it all the time. People get hurt either way and it's never easy."

"Yeah, well, it still could've been handled differently," she says regrettably.

"Perhaps," she had to agree. "But what does Chloe have to do with getting the police involved?"

"She's been missing all night"

Rachel puts on her professional face. "We can't file an official missing person's report for at least 24 hours. What do you got to go on right now?"

Lois explains what happened the previous night and everything that led up to the present. The whole situation was making her nervous more so than usual.

"I'll have my people run a check on as many hotel manifests as they can find and I'll ask a few to keep an eye out, but I need a lot more than your suspicions to go on"

Lois understood this. "What about the cab driver?"

"I'm listening"

"Call Taxi services and request for all known drivers working around my address. If we can't find my cousin, then we find her driver. Maybe we'll get lucky and learn where he dropped her off"

"I'll give it a try," she says. "In the meantime, you need to lay low for a while"

Lois senses something wrong. "What do you mean?"

Rachel sighs. "There's been a development with the case I had you take a look at a few days ago." She paused. "I'm just taking precautions. You were an unofficial consultant; I don't want you getting involved when we get the opportunity to take them down"

Lois nods but remains unconvinced. "You let me know if you need anything"

"I will thanks." They hug. "We'll find Chloe"

"I know"

Wayne Manor

Clark stood in front of the gates of Bruce's home. He wondered to himself why a rich guy like him would spend his nights gallivanting in the city saving people while dressed up like a bat.

"Can I help you?" He spun around and was surprised he didn't hear him coming.

"Bruce"

"Is there a reason why you're standing in front of my home looking like you're about to do something to it?"

"Actually – " Clark straightened himself out. "I'm here looking for your help"

Bruce is curious why Lois Lane's boyfriend would show up out of the blue and request for his help, especially since either of them really don't like each other. He reaches by the side of his gate and punches in the security codes.

The gate opens and Bruce gestures for Clark to come on in.

While walking to his manor, Bruce asks, "What brings you in this neck of the woods, Clark?"

"It's about a friend"

Bruce face grew worried. "Lois?"

Clark shook his head as well as some small bit of jealousy. "No, her name is Chloe Sullivan. She's a friend of mine and Lois's cousin," he explains.

"What makes you think I can help?" Bruce will definitely help, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to know certain specifics.

"Because I know who you are," Clark replied bluntly.

Bruce kept the same as always, unchanged and devoid of emotion.

"And who am I exactly?"

Clark looked away and started to scan the premises with his x-ray vision. He looked down and deep beneath his feet, he can see large cave openings. "Hmm," he muttered garnering a look of suspicion of Bruce's wavering façade.

"What?"

Clark looks up, turns around and faces Bruce Wayne. "Gotham City is known once for its underground railroad. The real one this time, right?"

Bruce's suspicions grew more accurate by the second.

"Where are you getting at?"

"Your mansion was built on the very caves the slaves used to run away. Makes sense you'd turn it into your own personal headquarters"

"I'm not following you. And just to make things clear, this place isn't just a mansion, it's my home. It has housed several generations of my family"

"I'm not your enemy, Bruce. I just need your help"

"What do you want?"

"Just to find her and know that she's okay"

"How did you find out?"

Clark sighed. Great, he'll have to tell him now. "You fought a thug off me a few nights ago"

"That was really you?" Bruce repeats almost in disbelief. He's been saving a lot of souls at night that he rarely commits people's faces to memory unless it's called for.

He shrugged. "Yeah"

"How could you tell?"

"The attitude," he lied.

"Attitude?"

"Hmm-mm"

"I don't have an attitude," Bruce proclaimed.

"Are you going to help me or not," he says impatiently.

Bruce thought about it for a moment before finally concluding. "Step into my office"

To be continued…