CHAPTER 5

"Lois, we've been here for almost an hour" Clark said, looking at his watch. He was sitting down on a bus station bench, while Lois was looking at the corner.

"This is a stupid bus station" she said, suddenly. "A bus has to pass by here!"

Clark took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. If it wasn't for Lois, he could have been in Smallville hours ago, and with Chloe's help, he could have already discovered who the man was on the abandoned building's roof and what he really wanted.

"If you had more coins, it would have given us enough time for the taxi service's operator to catch the address of where we are" she said, sounding irritated and without facing him.

"Are you out of your mind, Lois?" he asked, perplexed. "If you hadn't parked in that alley, we wouldn't be here now!"

"It was an emergency, Smallville. Didn't you ever have one?" she defended herself.

"There's a big difference between emergency and madness" he said. "You could have been hurt"

"Again, Smallville?" she asked, facing him with crossed arms. "I wish you were not here! By the way, you still didn't say how you found me"

"Um, er--" he stuttered.

"Not even Chloe knew where I was!" she said.

Clark was thoughtful. He didn't have any idea of what to say.

"How did you find me?" she insisted.

Clark didn't say anything.

"And I'm the crazy one!" she completed, sure that he wouldn't answer her.

Lois turned around and looked at again at the corner, hoping to see a bus coming.

"And this situation isn't so horrible" she said. "We're adults and we're in a dangerous neighborhood. But we're still in Metropolis! We can find a way to get out of here!" Lois faced Clark.

"How?" he asked.

"Walking!" she answered, smiling.

"I don't think this is a good idea" he replied, worried. They had gotten through many things that night. First, the incident on the roof. Then, the elevator. And finally, the stolen car. He didn't want to see Lois involved in another dangerous situation.

But Lois didn't care. And when Clark turned around to look at her, she was walking away.

"Lois!" he called. "Where are you going"

"As far as I can away from here!" she answered, continuing on her way.

Clark didn't move. He imagined she would give up when arriving in the next corner, and would come back. Then again, he thought...it was Lois Lane. She never gave up.

When Lois saw Clark wasn't with her, she stopped in the middle of the street and turned back to look at him.

"Well, are you coming or not?"

Clark took a deep breath and looked at again at the corner, where it seemed that a bus should be coming from. Lois was right. They could stay there all night long. So, he decided to follow her, without knowing where.

Minutes later, they walked side by side, but with a significant distance between them.

"Chloe must be searching for us" she commented, finally.

"If you had said where you went, she'd have already found us" he replied, ironically.

Suddenly, Lois stopped walking. When Clark saw that she wasn't next to him anymore, he also stopped, turned around and looked at her.

"I don't need a boy scout to protect me" she said. "In fact, I don't need anybody to take care of me. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. But I already said this to you, didn't I?"

"Lois, I didn't--"

"I didn't finish, Smallville" she interrupted. "You're the most arrogant and egoistic person I've ever met--"

Clark wrinkled his forehead, surprised at her commentary.

"I really don't understand what Chloe saw in you--" she added.

Suddenly, something happened. An armed man emerged from the shadows of the alley next to where Lois and Clark were, and pointed his gun at Lois' head. He was too fast even for Clark, who could do nothing without putting Lois in danger. If he used his powers, he could be exposed.

"The wallet and the watch" he demanded to Clark, who raised his hands.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do this" she said.

"Shut up, lady!" he ordered. "It's your head my gun is aimed at!"

Lois and Clark looked at each other and before he could realize she was planning to do something, it was too late. Lois grasped the man by the arm and kicked him in the stomach with her knee. Then, she punched his face and pushed him back into the alley.

"Let's get out of here!" she said, pulling Clark by the hand and running away.

"We have to call the cops!" he protested, looking at the alley, where the robber twisted in pain.

"Are you crazy, Smallville? Cops don't help in this neighborhood!" she replied, while they ran.

TBC