Lois wasn't sure whether she hated or loved Smallville, the town living up to its name, yet having its own share of oddities that proved it was different from other similar places.

Every time she left, she swore she wasn't going to go back, but somehow, she managed to end up there anyway. There was just something about it that drew her in, and the dreams that had been haunting her lately didn't help. Something or someone wanted her there, and she didn't know how to resist, how to say no.

A part of her was aware it had to do with her heritage, yet having a past that wasn't even connected to Earth was something that she was still getting used to. At least the dreams that she used to have about being trapped in what vaguely felt like a small box, nothing but space around her, made sense now. The ones that called her to Smallville? Still a question.

Her father definitely didn't want her there, and wouldn't be pleased to know that she had made her way back, but there was only so much he could control when she could be anywhere in a blink of an eye, literally. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, or so she had decided.

Sighing, she ran her hand through her now blondish-light brown locks, as she walked down the bridge, overlooking a lake, twisting strands in her fingertips. It was her way of acting out that she chose to dye it in her first place. Her father's beliefs on what he said goes and "rules are rules" had gone up five levels since her mom had passed, and now with Lucy gone, it was harder for her.

Sometimes, those rules were too much, their house feeling like an extension of the military rather than her home, causing her to find ways to rebel. When her reflection in the mirror reminded her too much of her mom, her dark hair matching the pictures, she used her allowance money to buy bleach and hair dye, and headed to the house of one of the few friends she had had, who helped her dye into a light brown/blonde shade that made her father furious and gave her brief satisfaction.

Sure she had been grounded for a week, but he couldn't make it dye it back so the hair color stayed. And she would continue to keep it that way, finding ways to touch it up when necessary.

But even these small things didn't make her happy. Not that anyone noticed.

She was way too good at hiding things for that.

And happiness itself? That feeling felt like a reach, one as far away from her as her birth planet was.

Lois lightly nudged a small rock with her shoe, eyes on the ground, and finally stopped. She rested her arms on the railing, looking out but seeing nothing. The town continued to be picturesque on the surface, as if it belonged on a postcard; the last place that anyone would expect had once been the landing spot to someone from another world.

Ever since she found out the truth, she wondered where she was from and why she was sent away, and she was no closer to getting those answers.

And it drove her crazy.

Would she ever know the whole truth? Did she even want to?

In the faint distance, she could hear the sound of a car approaching, but Lois wasn't too bothered. She was far enough away that they could just drive on by, and therefore, continued to dwell in her thoughts instead.

All of a sudden, she heard a squealing noise, and she spun around, just in time to be barrelled into by a Porsche going way too fast. She met the startled wide eyes of the driver, as the impact pushed them through the railing and off the bridge.

Lois expected at least some pain but instead, she felt nothing, not until she hit the water, the car landing next to her. She immediately sank into the depths of the lake, but she pushed herself up, armings flailing briefly, before she got her wits together. A part of her brain wanted to breathe and she resisted the urge, sputtering as she swam up and gasped for air once she could. Her eyes darted around, and as she struggled to gather her thoughts at the sudden turn of events, she panicked as she realized that the car was nowhere to be seen.

There wasn't any time to walk away, to call for help. So taking a deep breath, she dove back in, eyes adjusting as she scanned the area rapidly, landing on the car that was sinking rapidly.

Pushing forward, she got as close as she could, and saw that the man was unconscious inside. She tugged at the door and then used her force to rip it out, throwing it behind her. Sliding into the car, past the water that was filling it quickly, she wasted little time before tearing the seat belt with ease, and pulled him out of the car, swimming to the surface as fast as she could.

She got them to shore, and he was still out of it, not really breathing, which made her even more nervous. Immediately, Lois began to start CPR, not stopping until he opened his eyes. He coughed up water, blinking rapidly.

By then, they had drawn a crowd, which was Lois's worst case scenario.

"Sir?" she asked, "Are you okay?"

Dumb question; he obviously wasn't, but he just gaped at her.

"I thought," he said, coughing in between words, "I thought I hit you."

She swallowed, unsure what to say. After all that she had been through, it didn't make sense that she walked away without a scratch.

"If you had," she said instead. "I would be dead."

He squinted, but the medics pushed past her. Clearly someone had seen the accident and called for help. The man in question tried to look past them, but she fell into the crowd, avoiding their curiosity, and shaking off their questions and concerns.

She stood out like a sore thumb, clothes sticking to her body, water dripping from her hair, but in that moment, all she knew was that she had to get away. Couldn't afford to be seen there. Couldn't answer any more questions.

So the moment she had a chance, when she was certain all eyes were elsewhere, she sped off. There were some startled murmurs minutes later when they realized that she was gone, but outside of the man she had saved, Lois had made sure no one got a close look at her anyway.

Lois didn't stop running until she got home; thankfully, her father wasn't there, and she disappeared into the bathroom, ready to get out of the wet clothes and into the warm shower, where she had time to think.

On one hand, saving someone's life as she had felt … amazing. For the first time, her powers were useful, and she wondered if she could keep doing that. But she also understood why her parents were so worried that someone else could find out. That man … he had been so curious and who knew what he would think? Who knew what anyone would think?

One thing was for sure: she was more than ready to put this day behind her.

And she did.

Until two weeks later when she was visited by none other than one Dr Vigil Swann, and she finally got all the answers to questions she never thought to ask.

In the present, Lex didn't spare them a look, not as he came in or as he left not too long after.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked, drawing her attention. She gave him a puzzled look and he didn't speak, just gesturing to her hand, which she immediately realized were clenched, nails digging into her palms. Odd. She hadn't even noticed she had done that.

Forcing herself to relax, she nodded and he gave a small smile. Before she could say anything, they were joined by a new presence.

"Wow, CK, what a way to start a morning, huh?"

Lois immediately recognized Jimmy Olsen, who was dressed in a pair of slacks and a button down shirt, clearly over his food poisoning.

"That's one way to put it," Clark agreed. "You seem like you're doing better."

"Yeah, finally," Jimmy said, rolling his eyes. "That's what I get for trying some fancy burger place … at least McDonalds never got me sick and hunched over my toilet for two days."

"TMI, Jimmy," Clark said, but he was smiling, and Jimmy just shrugged.

"And," he complained, "I miss one day of work and the mayor almost gets shot!" He muttered something about getting a better photo angle, before his gaze landed on Lois. "Hi …"

"This is Lois, Lois Lane," Clark said immediately. "Lois, Jimmy Olsen."

"Oh, the new partner," Jimmy said, offering his hand. "Hey, nice to meet you."

"You too," Lois replied, shaking his hand. "I have been working on a story on the restaurant and all the confirmed cases that have happened. Could use an account from you, if you don't mind."

"For sure, any time," Jimmy agreed. "Right down to business, huh? No wonder Perry made you two partners."

Clark chuckled. "Guess he knows what he's doing after all."

"Only a day and you're already backtracking," Lois pointed out. "Is that a record?"

She had to admit she still wasn't sure about the whole partner thing herself; as it was, she had a lucky escape the one time she had to disappear, but she had no idea how future incidents would work. One thing she couldn't deny though was that she liked Clark. He was unfortunately way too easy to like, and she would have to draw some lines sooner than later.

"For CK?" Jimmy said. "Probably."

"You've known each other for a minute and you're already ganging up on me?" Clark asked, looking wounded.

"He's clearly a smart man," Lois teased. "Knows the right side to take."

"Don't worry, CK," Jimmy mock-whispered, patting his shoulder. "I will never abandon you."

Clark was saying something in response, but Lois got distracted by the vibration of her phone. Checking it, she saw a text from Bruce, listed as BW in her contracts. 'Did you get a chance to connect with your friend?'

Her friend … she internally cursed as she realized that no, with all the craziness, she hadn't done that.

'No, not yet,' she typed back, 'Got busy. Will do it ASAP.'

'Let me know when you hear back,' came the quick reply, and Lois promised she would, pocketing her phone once more, making a mental note to reach out to J'onn sometime that day, before meeting Clark and Jimmy's curious gazes, the conversation clearly having reached its natural course.

"So what were you saying?" she asked.

"Nothing important," Clark replied. "Just confirming Jimmy's loyalties over here."

"Don't let him bully you," Lois said, aiming her comment at Jimmy, who gave her an easy grin.

"Me?" Clark pretended to look offended. "I would never."

"No one is fooled by those pretty eyes, Smallville," she pointed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jimmy mouth "Smallville", seemingly confused, but she didn't address it.

"All I'm hearing is that you think I have pretty eyes," Clark said gleefully, the aforementioned blue-green eyes, which seemed more green than blue today due to the dark green dress shirt he was wearing (not that Lois spent a lot of time focusing on them), lit up.

This time, she didn't blush. "They're okay."

"What do I have to do to get a compliment from you?"

"You're going to have to work a little harder."

"Challenge accepted."

That was not drawing lines, the exact opposite really, yet she couldn't help herself.

"This one seems like a tough cookie, CK," Jimmy noted, leaning in towards Clark.

Clark kept his gaze on her as he replied, "That, Jimmy, is an understatement."

"And don't you forget it," Lois told him, with more than a hint of sass in her tone and expression.

"Something tells me you won't let me," Clark pointed out.

"Smart man."

"I'm a quick learner."

Before she could pursue the conversation further, there was a small 'ping' that came from Clark's computer, effectively gaining his attention, eyes scanning the screen.

"All right, I have to go meet with one of the copy editors," Clark said, his eyes still glued to the screen. Looking back up at them, he grinned, "Play nice."

"Please, I'm not the one who needs to be watched," Lois scoffed and Clark raised an eyebrow. "Though you may find that Jimmy's loyalties are not where you think they are when you return."

"Should I be worried?" Jimmy joked.

Clark lifted his hand, and pointed two fingers to himself, and then at Jimmy, making an "I'm watching you" sign, before winking at Lois. "Let the games begin, Lane."

"You're on, Kent," she shot back.

He gave her a mock salute and then headed off, and she didn't realize how big her smile was until she saw Jimmy watching her, with a similar expression to what he had on earlier, and immediately grew serious once more. She wasn't sure what he was thinking, but she suddenly felt awkward nonetheless.

"You two are going to make quite the duo," Jimmy said finally.

Lois looked over in the direction that Clark had disappeared and bit her lower lip. She could admit she wasn't as confident as Jimmy came off, but now there was a part of her that wanted to believe him.

"Jury's still out, but here's hoping."

There wasn't much time to make polite small talk and frankly, Lois was terrible at it, so she was grateful in a way that Jimmy got distracted with his own work, leaving her alone once more. Clark returned soon after, but their paths diverged at least for the moment, since they had their own separate stories to work on.

She had to spend the morning following up on the food poisoning one, and that did end up involving Jimmy once more, but their interaction was limited to work related talk, as he recalled his story and thankfully had the receipts to back it up.

"So glad it was in this pair of pants," Jimmy lamented.

"You and me both," Lois replied, relaxing a bit, slowly becoming more comfortable around the photographer. He was earnest but well meaning and she could sense he was a good guy. That is probably why Clark likes him. And she really needed to stop thinking about him so much. This wasn't healthy.

Lois made sure to keep track of the proof, making a quick copy of the receipt, before giving the original back to Jimmy. As she spun around, she slammed back into Clark, whose hands rested on her waist to steady her.

She looked at him, eyes slightly wide.

"We need to stop meeting like this, Lois," Clark said.

"Or you need to make more noise when you walk," Lois countered. "Unless you like catching me."

"I don't mind," Clark replied, eyes twinkling with amusement. "Always happy to lend a steady hand for a new friend."

"Oh, so we're friends now?" Lois asked, tilting her head.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't," Clark suggested, "If you need to keep up your reputation, that is."

"I didn't realize I had a reputation," Lois claimed. "What have you heard?"

"Now I'll have you know I'm not the kind to gossip," Clark told her, cheekily.

"Not even with a friend?" Lois tried. She should be a little more aware of her surroundings- the fact they were at work, the people who walked by, but her focus was on Clark, whose focus seemed to be solely on her, which gave her an unexpected thrill.

"A-ha, so you admit we're friends," Clark said triumphantly.

"I suppose," Lois said, a touch of forced reluctance in her tone. "Looks like you're stuck with me now, Kent."

"Somehow, Lane, I think I'll manage."

He almost sounded … fond. Friends though.

She could do friendship.

With people outside Diana and Bruce, who lately, were her only friends. She had learned early that it was easier to be alone, because having friends and then lying to them all the time only resulted in people leaving.

And Lois was tired of people leaving.

But maybe, she could make it work with Clark. At the very least, they could be work friends.

For now.

She would worry about the future later.

Lois busied herself with her story once more, making progress on the sources, and transcribing her interviews, worked with her editor, touching base about ideas that she had in mind for the near future. It was mostly solo work. Now and then she would look up and catch Clark's gaze across the desk, the two of them trading smiles before going back to their individual stories.

Now and then she had to disappear because "Superwoman" was needed, and that was a struggle. Every time she would walk away, she would return to hear buzz about Superwoman. At some point, people were going to get tired of discussing her alter ego's every move, right?

Or so she hoped anyway.

It was just fortunate for the meetings she had to do, because it really gave her an excuse to be away from her desk, and she could squeeze in a few costume changes during that time. Clark wasn't asking about her frequent disappearances, but sometimes he would look at her quizzically and she would just give him a reassuring smile, which caused him to drop it.

At some point, if she didn't have the excuse, he was going to ask, and she was going to have to start working on the lies.

Already with the lying.

Even when Steve's advice came back to her, about how he technically didn't have the right to know- new friends or not, they barely knew each other - it didn't leave her feeling good about it. Lois was now realizing how much easier she had it when she was just the Blur. While the Blur had generated some buzz, it wasn't like this, mostly because there wasn't a shiny costume to "ooh" and "aah" over.

Lois would figure it out; she had to. This was the life she had chosen, and she wasn't going to regret it this soon.

Besides, maybe Clark barely noticed; it wasn't like he thought of her the way she thought of it. Most of his interest probably was in Superwoman anyway.

She was proven wrong, when they headed out to lunch together, this time Jimmy in tow, and he ended up asking her if she was all right.

"I saw you disappear a few times," he said softly, as to not draw Jimmy's attention, concern evident. "You okay? No bad coffee, right?"

Lois shook her head, touched, despite herself. "No, I'm fine. No need to worry."

Clark took a long look at her, and nodded, seeming to accept the answer. "Okay, good."

"You guys coming?" Jimmy asked, who was walking ahead of them, eyes glued to the screen as he looked up the address of a falafel spot that he had suggested. Jimmy was still a little bit cautious of burgers, which Lois thought was fair, and they were going to a place that Lois had actually been to before, so she was fine with it.

"Yeah, we're right behind you," Lois answered, for the both of them .

Lunch was nice; she got to get to know Jimmy, which was useful, since he was most likely going to be the one to accompany them on future stories, if she read the dynamic right, from the first interaction.

Jimmy was pretty easy going, had strong opinions on cameras and photo quality, and clearly thought highly of not only Clark, but Superwoman too, which was interesting, since she only knew Clark was a fan.

He enthralled her with tales of how he and Clark met, and how Clark had saved a woman from a mugger.

"Seems that Superwoman isn't the only one with the heroic streak," Lois said, sending a knowing look at Clark.

Clark shrugged, not really proud or embarrassed, just matter of fact. "You do what you can, right? Maybe we all don't have superpowers, but we definitely have the ability to help and improve society in our own way."

"Maybe not take on a guy with a gun though, if you don't happen to be bulletproof," Jimmy chipped in.

"Yeah, Mom would've been pretty mad if I had gotten shot," Clark admitted, though still unrepentant. "She's used to all the bumps and bruises I got growing up, but I think that would've been a step too far."

"So you were the mischievous kind," Lois remarked. "I can see it."

"Can you?" Clark asked. "And what about you, Lois? Something tells me you were a bit of a rule breaker too."

"Yeah, I was a handful from the start," Lois acknowledged. Well, until she couldn't be anymore. Her smile dropped a little, but she forced it back, hoping it wasn't noticeable.

"What about you Jimmy?" Clark asked suddenly. "How early did you get started with the camera?"

From what Lois had learned in their short time together, Clark didn't talk a lot, preferring to listen, and speak when he really had something to say, but he was good at getting others to do so, seeming to know the right questions to ask.

Probably what makes him a good reporter, she thought. It was definitely a useful skill.

"Pretty early," Jimmy was answering, blue eyes lit up as if caught up in a memory. He took a bite of his falafel wrap; once he had chewed and swallowed, he continued speaking, "Mom and Dad got me my first camera as a kid … for Christmas or a birthday- I don't remember- and I was just obsessed- took pictures of everything."

"Sounds dangerous," Clark teased.

Jimmy flushed. "I mean, nothing bad! All clean."

"I would hope so," Lois threw in, feeling a little better, as Jimmy stammered and insisted that he would never. It was pretty entertaining.

Lois was distracted when Clark nudged his plate of fries toward her, and the surprise must've shown on her face. She had been debating whether to order some earlier, but decided against it, because she really wanted a slice of baklava. And making fun of Clark now and then was easy, but she didn't feel comfortable enough to steal Clark's food.

"There are too many here," Clark explained. "Have some."

"Well, if you insist," Lois said, giving in to the temptation to steal a couple and then put them on her plate. "Thanks." Grabbing the ketchup, she squeezed a little on her plate and dipped one fry at a time, popping one at a time.

Clark gave her a nod, and then took a sip of his water. "Could've used you and your camera in Smallville, Jimmy," Clark said, turning his attention back to the other man. "Would've been easier to get some proof of some of the things I saw."

"So you've said," Jimmy replied. Looking at Lois, he added, in a low voice, as if letting her in on a secret. "CK has a ton of stories about all the weird things that happened in Smallville."

"Oh?" Lois kept her voice steady, but it was an effort.

"Yeah, the meteor rocks were everywhere," Clark said, as he finished his food. "It really affected people in different ways and a lot of them got powers … and they didn't always handle it well."

"From the stories you told me, that's an understatement," Jimmy threw in. "How many close calls did you have again?"

Clark snorted. "Too many to count."

Lois felt guilty. She couldn't help it. The meteor rocks were there because of her. "What kind of powers?"

"All sorts," Clark responded. "One guy was able to split himself into multiples - dated two girls I knew at the same time."

"Of course that is what he'd use the power to do," Lois said, visibly unimpressed, while internally struggling with the new information. She knew that there were strange happenings in Smallville, thanks to the few stories she had gotten out of Chloe when she had visited, but her dad had always pointedly kept her away from there, and after what happened with Lex, she hadn't been able to bring herself to go back.

It felt as if she should've been there though; assisting with all the damage. What's done is done, she realized. No use crying over spilt milk, which is something the General used to say.

Hearing her alter ego's name being used, she tuned back into the conversation.

"So maybe Superwoman could've gotten her powers from the meteor rocks," Jimmy offered.

"Could be," Clark said, looking as if he was considering it. "The meteor mutants used to only have one power- she seems to have many."

"What else could it be?" Jimmy wondered and Lois chewed on her bottom lip.

"Jimmy's right- it makes the most sense," Lois said slowly. She may have intended to come clean in the near future, but she wasn't opposed to letting people speculate for the moment.

"We won't know unless she says anything, which she hasn't," Clark told them.

"No hopes on the interview yet?" Jimmy asked sympathetically. And there was that guilt again. She had been determined to give Clark that interview, but she hadn't yet decided on how to approach him in costume yet.

"No," Clark said, visibly disappointed. "Maybe she just isn't ready. Which is fine. I'm willing to wait. She's worth it."

Lois was both flattered, but also felt another emotion she couldn't quite identify, and wasn't willing to dwell on.

"Hopefully she doesn't give anyone else an interview," Jimmy said casually, and now Lois was offended. Of course she wouldn't do that. A promise was a promise.

"No, she wouldn't do that," Clark said immediately, lifting his chin up in a now familiar stance. "She told me she wouldn't go anywhere else and I believe her."

"It'll be cool when it happens for sure," Jimmy said, accepting Clark's faith without hesitation. "Do you think she'll let me get a picture? Maybe I can get one of the two of you."

"She hasn't even agreed to an interview yet, Jimmy," Clark reminded him. "We should hold off on plans until she does."

"What about you, Lois?" Jimmy asked. "You want to meet Metropolis's new favorite hero?"

Lois shook her head. "No, I'm good from afar. She can do her thing. Hope you get that interview, Clark."

"Thanks, Lois," Clark said warmly, his whole face seeming to brighten up at the thought. "Me too."

And Lois definitely wasn't jealous of the way he looked when he spoke about Superwoman, because that would be totally ridiculous.

Right?

Totally.

One thing was for certain: she needed to make contact.

The sooner, the better.

They thankfully stopped talking about Superwoman when Lois immediately offered to share her (frankly delicious) baklava and Clark began telling them about a Turkish bakery that was a couple miles away and also equally amazing.

By the time they were back at the office, Superwoman and her origins were a forgotten thought, and they got busy with, well, work, Jimmy wandering off to his desk and then on assignment with another reporter who needed a photographer.

Lois and Clark were busy too.

"Still good to go see your friend later?" Lois asked.

"Yeah, she said she was still free and might have some information for us. You're still free, right?"

Pushing her glasses up, she nodded. "Have you come across anything else?"

"Not yet," Clark said, sighing. "I am thinking this bullet is the best lead we have for now."

"Yeah, who knows if they'll try again," Lois agreed. "And Superwoman may not be able to get there in the nick of time."

He eyed her curiously. "What do you think about her? Superwoman?"

She blinked, thrown back by the question she hadn't been expecting. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I don't know," Clark replied, a little too casually. "I just realized that I never even asked- you've been hearing a lot about my thoughts, but you haven't really said anything, one way or the other."

"Is it going to be a make it or break it moment in our newfound friendship?" Lois asked, heartbeat speeding up. She was stalling and she knew it, but she had to come up with a pretty bland answer. While she had been pretty good at shrugging off the Blur or giving vague responses to anyone who asked at her old job, she found that it was harder to do the same with Clark.

Plus, she wasn't quite sure if he would just get away with it.

And she wasn't sure if she wanted him to let her get away with it either.

"Nah, I promise I'll still like you," Clark said, and she felt reassured, which didn't make sense. "I mean, I will have to silently judge you for your frankly terrible taste …"

"Fair enough," Lois said, letting out a half laugh. "She's fine."

"Just fine?" Clark questioned. "I mean, you don't need to give me an essay, but I also don't want to bug you with my … well, Lombard would probably call it fanboying …"

"The only person who cares about his opinion is himself," Lois muttered, drawing a grin out of Clark. "And I'm okay with your … fanboying, Smallville." The return of the nickname caused his grin to widen. "Heroes aren't a bad thing; not my thing, but she is doing good for the world, which is all you can ask for. I'm just here to report the news."

"Then I guess we should get back to reporting the news," Clark responded. She was relieved and grateful that he dropped it that easily.

"Works for me."

The rest of the work day flew by, and before she knew it, they were heading out the door.

They took Clark's car to the S.T.A.R Labs, where his friend, a white woman with short red hair and green eyes greeted them. Clark introduced her as Jenet Klyburn, who he had apparently worked with on a story a few years ago, and had kept in touch with occasionally.

After they exchanged pleasantries, Jenet led them further inside, where they were thankfully alone.

"So, what do you have for me?" she asked. "I got some of the details from Clark. So you have one of the bullets that almost hit the mayor?"

Lois confirmed the story and handed her the bag with the bullet still inside.

"Do you think you could help us find out more about it?" Lois asked. "It doesn't seem like the kind you would just get at any sort of ammunition store."

"I'm not exactly a weapons specialist, but I can do my best," Jenet promised, her eyes focused on the contents, eyebrows furrowing.

"The fingerprints will already likely be corrupted," Lois admitted. "I wasn't thinking about wearing gloves when I picked it up."

"Superwoman probably would've had her hands on it anyway too," Clark added. "I'm sure the other bullets can be tested for fingerprints- I'm hoping we could get different types of details from this one- make, origins, that kind of thing."

"I can get you more details when I have a chance to really run some tests," Jenet told them. "I'll try for as soon as possible, but not by tomorrow morning - it's date night."

"Then we'll get out of your hair." Clark grinned. "Tell Amy I said hi."

Lois could only guess that Amy was Jenet's girlfriend as the other woman's smile immediately brightened as Clark said her name.

"Will do," Jenet said cheerfully. "Nice to meet you, Lois."

Lois echoed the sentiment as she and Clark left almost immediately afterwards, silent, but it felt like a comfortable one. Once they were in the car, Lois spoke once more.

"She seemed nice."

"Yeah," Clark replied. "I hope you didn't mind leaving the bullet there, but we can trust her."

Lois waved it off. "No, I figured we wouldn't get immediate results anyway. If it doesn't work out, I can touch base with some old military contacts, but that would've taken longer."

"Always have a back-up plan."

"Don't you know it."

"Speaking of plans, do you have any for the rest of the evening?" Clark asked.

Well, she had patrol, but she couldn't exactly bring that up. "Just catching up on some laundry." Which wasn't a total lie; her hamper was filling up.

"Living life in the fast lane?" Clark joked.

"Always," Lois replied, snorting. "You?"

"Need to do some grocery shopping," Clark answered. "My fridge is in a sad state."

"So you're not exactly jumping the ropes in any night clubs either," Lois pointed out.

"Tragically, no, but that was never really my thing," Clark said.

She believed him; he didn't really seem the type to be a big partier. "Not even in college? No frats or frat parties for your football friends?"

"Actually, the football players and the frat guys didn't always get along," Clark replied, rolling his eyes.

"Sounds like a story there."

"More like dumb rivalries that I'm happy to leave behind." He glanced over at her. "I'm guessing you weren't living Greek life either."

"Yeah, no," Lois said. "The story I wrote didn't exactly make me popular and it wasn't really my scene before that. My freshman roommate joined one and it seemed like a lot of work. She actually had fun and the houses are gorgeous, I'll give them that, but the paper took up enough of my time."

She still remembered being woken up at 4am as her roommate was dragged out for some rush event and that was the moment she was certain that she had made the right choice.

"I get that."

Lois wanted to hear more, was curious about his back story, especially to find out more about what he had went through in Smallville, the details of all he had hinted at during lunch, but for once, the questions weren't coming to her in a quick fashion, and before she could really ponder a way to phrase them, they had arrived at her apartment.

She was reluctant to leave, yet did, not wanting to draw any suspicion. Besides, she really did have to go on patrol. So she said her goodbyes, waved again at Clark from behind the door, and then headed to her apartment.

As she unlocked her door, she suddenly remembered the promise she had made to Bruce, and stepping inside, she set her bag down and pulled out her phone, searching and finding J'onn's number with ease.

J'onn J'onzz, who went by John Jones in his day to day life when he was blending in, was a friend and somewhat of a mentor. To find that she wasn't alone as the only alien on Earth, but that there had once been life on Mars was a revelation, but he had saved her from a few close calls and had become a good friend along the way.

Once she typed out a message, she actually went about saying what she was going to do to Clark by doing some laundry before changing into her costume and beginning her patrol once she had completed dinner, only having to dart out once or twice in between.

Metropolis was fairly quiet, which meant she ended up out of the state and then even the country, where there was plenty of trouble to be found. By the time she got back to the city, it was later than she expected.

To her surprise, she saw Clark, clearly returning from an outing of his own, about to enter his own building. He looked up just in time to see her, and his eyes widened perceptibly and to her surprise, he lifted a hand in a greeting and she found herself returning it.

Now is my chance, she realized. There weren't many people on the street, only a few cars passing by now and then, and she could easily catch him alone. Though maybe not right in front. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed he wasn't going inside, instead lingering by the door.

Pursing her lips, she looked up, realizing (with a small amount of guilt, because she didn't want to find out his address like that) his building had a rooftop. So she made eye contact and pointed upwards making sure his eyes were on her as she flew toward the rooftop, hoping he got the message, and landed with ease.

She peeked down once she was stable and saw that he was indeed gone. Lois did her best not to pace around the concrete floor, rubbing her hands as she prepared what to say.

It was another five minutes before the door leading to inside the building, and to her relief, she saw Clark, who took a few sharp breaths, before walking to her.

"Mr. Kent," she said slowly. "I wasn't intending for you to run here."

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to keep you waiting," Clark replied, smiling. "Who knows when I will get the chance again? So, if I understood you correctly, you wanted to see me?"

She nodded. "Yes, I've … I've been considering your offer."

"For the interview?"

"Yes, and I would like to take you up on it, if you are still interested."

"Of course I am," Clark responded immediately. "Really, that would be great. You won't regret this."

"I'm certain I will not," she said, sounding more confident than she felt. "How would you like to proceed?"

"That depends on you," Clark replied seriously. "If you're more comfortable doing this one-on-one, I understand, but it might be better if someone else is present."

She did prefer one-on-one, but she could also see how it would look for Clark, and well, even for her.

"Did you have anyone in mind?" she asked, already having a hint of who he was thinking of.

"Well, the photographer I work with- Jimmy Olsen, I don't know if you remember him," Clark started.

"Yes, he was there when we first met," Lois interrupted, smiling internally upon receiving the confirmation.

"Yeah, him, he would like to get a few photos of you," Clark said, nodding.

"That could be arranged," Lois replied. "Would you need time to format your questions?"

"Been working on them since we met," Clark said, unapologetically. "I may need to do some editing, and see what my editor says about all of this first. Can I - when can I see you again?"

She glanced off into the night and then back at him. "Perhaps tomorrow evening … I believe your workplace has its own rooftop. When you have completed your workday, we can meet there. Will that do?"

"You don't need an exact time?" Clark asked. "How will you know?"

"I'll be able to tell when you show up," Lois responded evenly. Clark looked both impressed and curious at the same time, but he didn't pursue. She assumed that would happen later.

"And I will give you the questions, like I promised," Clark said hurriedly.

"I trust you." And she said it because she meant it but she wasn't going to pretend that seeing the look of pleasant surprise come across his face didn't make her feel good too. "Now I won't keep you from the rest of your evening."

"Just have to do dishes," Clark assured her. "Worst part of making dinner."

"Do you cook?" she asked, remembering his need to go grocery shopping.

"When I can," Clark replied. "And you … I mean, do you even … eat?" He trailed off.

"Eat?" Lois repeated, lips twitching.

"Food?" Clark said, wrinkling his nose. "I mean, I assumed you do. That sounded awkward. I promise my questions are usually better than this."

"Yes, I do," Lois said, letting him off the hook. "I'm not a robot."

"I would've been more surprised if you said you were," Clark replied. "Or worried about how advanced technology has gotten."

Lois couldn't suppress a laugh and he relaxed. "Then you may set your mind at ease, at least in that front."

"So not a robot," Clark stated.

"Any other guesses?" Lois found herself asking. She should just leave, but the thought about going back to her apartment wasn't as appealing an option as staying here and bantering with Clark, just a little longer.

"Jimmy suggested you were affected by the meteors," Clark replied.

A twinge of guilt hit again, but she pushed it down. "Do you believe him?"

"No, it didn't sound right. Most of those mutants only seemed to have one particular power and you have more than that."

"And did you have many run-ins with these meteor mutants?" Lois asked, jumping at the opportunity that she didn't get to seize earlier.

"Pretty regularly," he answered. "There was always something going on. Got the scars to prove it."

"You lead a dangerous life," Lois noted. She wondered if she had stayed there she would've been able to help, to stop something.

"You know what that's like."

She couldn't argue with that.

"I realize I am taking quite the risk by bringing you back on a rooftop," Lois teased.

"At least I know you won't throw me off it," Clark retorted.

"That wasn't in my plans."

"And it would be awkward if you had to give me the interview from a hospital bed," Clark added.

"You would still want the interview?"

"A deal is a deal," Clark said firmly. "First question would now be 'why did you throw me off the roof' but I can improvise. Though I don't know if a hospital room would be in my future, considering how high up we are and I don't think I'll be able to effectively interview from beyond."

"That is a troubling line of thinking."

"True, probably best not to go that route." Clark paused. "But I realize we went off topic. Would you prefer I save it for the interview?"

"Would you rather be surprised or be prepared?" Lois tested.

"I would say prepared, but that's why I'm a reporter," Clark said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Again, I can improvise and in case you were worried, this is still all off the record."

Lois had assumed that, but she silently chided herself, because as a reporter, she should know better. Clark may be trustworthy, but she was still a story and they weren't friends. At least not in costume.

And what about when you are out of costume? Isn't it all connected?

Where Clark fell in the people who deserved to know was still uncertain; she knew she didn't owe him her secrets, but at the same time, interacting with him like this and during her day job didn't feel right.

It left her unsettled.

Because what if he found out?

Better learn to hide then.

If she couldn't do that by now, well, she was in a lot more trouble.

"Superwoman?"

That's when she realized she had been silent for a few minutes.

"My apologies, I thought I heard something," she lied. It should be disconcerting at how easy a simple lie could come to her lips, about something so innocuous but she needed the practice. Or at least that was what she told herself.

"Need to head out?" he asked, seeming none the wiser.

"Soon," she confirmed. Her duties were a good excuse to leave.

"I'll let you continue on with your night then," Clark said, and she pretended she didn't see the disappointment in his eyes. "Good night, Superwoman. Stay safe."

That was unexpectedly sweet, though not out of character from Clark.

"I will do my best," she said. "Until tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow." He looked happier at that, and she stepped back, taking off into the air, lingering just out of sight to make sure he re-entered the building. Only then did she leave the area; she ended up having to stop a mugging and helped assist with a small house fire. Thankfully no one was hurt.

By the time she got home, it was even later, and she checked her phone to see that J'onn had indeed responded. They made plans for dinner the following evening and she finally went to bed.

When she woke up in the morning, she went through the regular routine, and only by the time she was entering the Daily Planet building did she realize she hadn't gotten a text message from Clark. Was she supposed to wait for him to pick her up? Lois had never expected anything from anyone and that didn't change for her new partner, who she had known really for only a couple of days, even if it felt longer.

She shrugged it off, hoping she hadn't wasted his time, but got her answer by the time she got to her desk. As she was unpacking her things, she saw Clark exit Perry's office out of the corner of her eye. Okay, so it was a good call on her part.

Lois felt it the second he saw her, and then was surprised when he was at her side.

"Lois, hey, I should've texted you that I'm coming in early this morning," Clark said, in lieu of a greeting. "It totally slipped my mind."

So he had forgotten. And she really hadn't been expecting anything; after all, it had only been out of convenience the previous day anyway and jokes aside, there weren't any promises of a routine. It was actually faster for her to show up on her own, but knowing what likely caused his distraction had her feeling … conflicted.

She gave him a reassuring smile though. "Clark, I told you … I wasn't expecting you to become my chauffeur. I like walking. Only time I really get a chance to go outside, instead of staring at a screen."

He didn't seem mollified. "Still, I am sorry."

"No harm done," she promised. "So, what's got your head in Cloud 9? I'm guessing it isn't due to the exciting grocery shopping trip you had yesterday."

A small smile graced his lips, as he finally eased up. "No, that definitely isn't it, though I did get some pretty good deals." A pause and, "Does getting excited about sales make me sound as old as I think it does?"

"We've all been there," Lois said, amused. "Do a lot of shopping then?"

"Unavoidable really," Clark replied. "I'm trying not to live off takeout, which is easier said than done."

"Oh, so you cook?" Lois said, faux casually, as if she hadn't had the exact same conversation the previous night.

Clark's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at her and then blinked a couple of times. She couldn't read the look on his face. "Yeah, yeah, my mom taught me. I'm not as good as her, but she knew with my appetite, I needed to learn."

"And since your skills as a chef aren't what's got you all tied up, what is it then?" Lois said, changing the topic. "Don't keep me hanging."

Clark chuckled. "Oh yes, the big news- so I ran into Superwoman last night and she agreed to an interview."

"That's great, Clark," she said, influencing as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

"You don't seem as surprised as I thought you would," Clark noted.

Well, she could only fake so much.

"Hey, you said she would so I went with your confidence," Lois said instead. "Had to happen eventually." Which wasn't a total lie.

He softened. "I appreciate that, Lois." And great, now she felt bad again. She internally cursed the seemingly never ending stream of lose-lose situations that she found herself in.

"What did Perry say about the interview?" Lois asked, curiously. She had been wondering since last night how it would go down.

"Obviously he is gung-ho," Clark said. "He wanted to do it as soon as possible, but make sure it's in the Monday morning newspaper."

"To get the most eyes and get people talking right off the bat and then hopefully all week," Lois realized, and Clark nodded.

"Exactly."

"It is an effective strategy … if all goes well, no one will be talking about anything else."

"Or any paper but the Planet … his ideal situation."

She took a seat and then rested her elbow on the desk, chin in her hand. "Will it just be the two of you then?"

"Likely Jimmy too," Clark replied, leaning against her desk, half sitting on it. He stopped speaking and then looked at her. "Would you like to join in too?"

Red alert. "Oh, no, that's totally okay," she said quickly. "I imagine she didn't expect a party when she agreed to it."

"But we are partners," Clark pointed out. "I can make that clear."

"She agreed to an interview with you, Clark," Lois said firmly. "I'm not weaseling my way in, and you know I'm more removed from the superhero thing anyway."

"I don't want it to be as if I'm pushing you out," Clark insisted.

"You're not," Lois said frankly. "There'll be plenty of front pages in the future."

"And plenty of joint headlines to be had."

"Exactly, and if you're lucky, I'll even let your name go first."

He grinned for the first time since she had gotten there, and she was pleased to draw that look. "It would be alphabetically correct."

"What, you don't think 'Lois Lane and Clark Kent' has a ring to it?"

"Now that you mention it, it does."

They exchanged smiles, before Clark cleared his throat and looked away. "I'm meeting with her later, to discuss details."

"Well, Jimmy's right there, if you want to break the exciting news to him," Lois said, noticing the other man making his way inside, a cup of coffee in his hands.

Clark followed her gaze and then nodded. "Good point, I'm sure he will be happy too." He shot a quick smile in her direction and then headed off.

She watched as Jimmy and Clark conversed, careful not to let her hearing drift to nose in on their conversation, but she didn't need superhearing to get the gist of the conversation. Jimmy did indeed look really interested, clearly peppering Clark about the details, while they tried not to get the attention of everyone on the floor. Fortunately, people were still drifting in or they might've been in more trouble. The last thing they needed was rumors of the potential interview to get out before it actually happened.

Lois, on the other hand, felt butterflies in her stomach, as the reality of what would happen hit her. It'll be fine.

Hopefully.


A/N: I didn't expect to take this long to post a new chapter. I will try to take, well, less time in the future. Hope you all like it!