Clark was excited. He was finally going to do what he felt was right. Lois was making a big fuss about his "coming out". When she suggested setting an apartment complex on fire, Clark cut her off. "Lois! We are not staging a disaster just so I can make an appearance! It's Metropolis! I'll never run out of stuff to do!"

Lois pouted, which Clark had to admit was extremely cute. "Oh, alright Boy Scout. But, after you do make your debut, I get the exclusive first interview!"

Clark's jaw dropped. "What if I want the exclusive first interview?"

Lois laughed, "Clark, you can't interview yourself! Besides, I'm giving up the whole idea of planting bombs in an office building. Relationships are based on compromise."

Clark laughed helplessly. "Okay, you win!" A thought came to Clark. "Lois, you haven't already written the article, have you?"

Lois tried her best not to look guilty. "Um, just outlined, really." Clark stared at her, and Lois squirmed. "Well, really, honestly, it's almost done."

"Lois. How much is left?" Clark said evenly.

Lois sighed. "I haven't thought of your superhero name yet." She grinned at Clark. "I'm kind of liking Chlo's idea."

"No, please, not Commando Man!" Clark begged. "Anything else, Tights Boy, All-American Dude, but not Commando Man!"

Lois grinned wider, "We'll see, babe. We'll see. If you think of anything, let me know."

Lois really didn't have to wait that long for the debut. And she didn't have to worry about staging an accident either. An accident was waiting, just for her.

The next day, Perry called Lois into his office. "Lois, just got word, Air Force One will be making a surprise visit to Metropolis, and the President has agreed to let one reporter on board for a twenty minute interview. It's yours." Lois squealed and kissed Perry. He chewed her out and sent her back to her desk to get ready. The rest of the day, she and Clark researched past speeches and interviews, pulling out some hard hitting questions.

Perry came over to their desk, "How's it going you two?" he asked.

Clark said, "Great Chief! Lois is going to make the President's head spin!"

Perry grabbed the sheet of questions and started scanning them. "Woo hoo! Great shades of Elvis! Lois, if you can get answers to two of these questions, you've got a Pulitzer in your pocket!"

Lois smiled at the Chief, then at Clark. Perry spat, "Lois, get up on the roof! There's a helicopter there to take you to the airport!" He turned to Clark, "Kent, get home!" Perry stormed off to his office.

Clark leaned over to Lois. "Meet you at your place later? You can tell me all about it."

Lois was on the roof. She loved flying with Clark. She hated flying with anything else. The rotors were turning as she ducked and ran out to the chopper. The pilot smiled and said, "Miss Lane, welcome aboard. We've got some bad weather coming in, but we'll be safe at the airport in ten minutes."

Lois nodded. The wind had picked up, and a thunderstorm was brewing from the east. She strapped herself in and waited for lift off.

Unnoticed by anyone, a cable had come unbolted and was draped over the landing skid.

The pilot applied power to the collective and the bird rose about two feet in the air, then stopped. The engines whined and the pilot panicked. The world spun fast, and then there was a huge bump, stopping the spin. Lois looked out her window, over the side of the Daily Planet building, to the street, forty stories below.

Lois usually didn't panic. She was still calm as she carefully unbuckled her seatbelt and tried to slide over the unconscious pilot to safety. She hadn't counted on tripping the door latch with her foot. She started to slide out of the helicopter, frantically grabbing at the seat. She clutched her seat belt strap and put a death grip on it. She looked down to the pavement below, closed her eyes and screamed.

Clark had just come out of the building. He was preoccupied with dinner. Lois loved the duck from this little restaurant in Peking. Maybe he should fly over there and get some takeout? He was so preoccupied he didn't see the crowd of thousands gathering around him until he bumped into someone. "Excuse me" he said, but the man didn't notice. Clark followed his eyes up and saw the helicopter, with a woman dangling outside. His eyes widened in shock, then he dashed into a nearby alley.

Lois felt her grip slipping. Her forearms were burning with exertion. She was at the end of her rope. Well buckle anyway. She felt the stitching in the end of the belt, felt it as it slid through her fingertips. She clutched at empty air, then felt the sensation of falling in the pit of her stomach. She screamed like she had never screamed before, "CLARK!" She was so busy screaming, she didn't hear the collective gasp of thousands as they saw a man fly for the first time.

Clark caught Lois at the twentieth story. She knew it was him when she felt the familiar strength of his arms. She heard him say, "Don't worry! I've got you." She smiled and looked him in the eye. "You've got me, but who's got you, Smallville?" Clark laughed his million-dollar laugh, then looked up as the helicopter began to fall at them. "Clark! The pilot!"

"Right," he said. He shifted Lois to his left arm and caught the aircraft in his right. Together, they all rose to the thunderous cheers of the crowd below.

Clark set them all gently back on the roof. Lois was breathless. He was even more spectacular in action than he was at the farmhouse. "So…who are you?" asked Lois, motioning with her hands.

Clark smiled sheepishly, "Um…a friend?"

She gave him an exasperated look. He still hadn't chosen his superhero name! She was going to feed him Kryptonite for a month! She turned and saw several people rushing toward them. Clark stepped back and flew off with a wave. Lois sighed. She couldn't stay mad at such a super man.

Wait…

Superman…!