Truth and Consequences
Committed AU
Clark rushed to the street front of Cameo Jewelers. Using his hearing he zeroed in on Lois' weak voice, asking where her cousin Chloe was. He could feel the blood inside him boil as he made it to the back alley. His breathing started to pick up as the anger became his fuel. He sucked in air until his lungs stretched and reached its capacity. Then he exhaled so violently it blew the doors to the basement off its hinges and down the stairs.
He sped into the room and right to Lois. He should have been more vigilant, but his focus had been on rescuing her. Her hair was up, but stray hairs had fallen out. Her clothes were disheveled and she seemed to be fighting through whatever drug was still in her system. He immediately was at her side, starting to unbuckle the shackle she was in.
"Lois!"
"Clark," she panted, catching her breath, "you've got to find Chloe and Jimmy…"
She was still dazed. She didn't know how Clark had found her, but she somehow knew that he would. She just needed to make sure Jimmy and Chloe were okay.
"He let them go," he told her as he fumbled with the restraint on her wrist.
He should have been able to undo this already. His mind was racing, trying to focus. There was something in the background, something his gut was trying to warn him about. His mind was getting clouded, but he couldn't discern if it was danger lurking from the unseen kidnapper or the danger of the fury he felt and what he wanted to do to him.
"Listen, I'm going to get you out of here, but you have to tell me," he suddenly felt his body constrict in a familiar way, barely getting out the final question, "where is he?"
He grunted as the pain started to increase and consume him. He bent over and caught his breath hearing a muffled, "Right behind you."
He turned and stood to try and apprehend the man, but it was too much. He didn't see the arm and heavy object coming. It collided with his face with force sending him to the ground.
Fighting through the last remnants of what her kidnapper had shot her with, Lois managed to clearly witness Clark get blindsided.
For him, the last word he heard was Lois' panicked exclamation of "Clark!"
He had recognized it from the pain, but he had the green kryptonite in his sight, a watch on the jeweler's wrist. He was too close. The effects of the rock were too great. The hit was too hard for his body to handle. Lois was still in danger and now so was he.
Then he saw black.
"Clark." Lois' voice broke through the darkness. "Clark, wake up!"
His head felt heavy and there was a throbbing on the right side of his face. He could feel the cut by his lip and on his forehead, still fresh and open as some of the blood surrounding them began to dry. The sweat kept forming, dripping down by his ear and coating above his lip.
He tried to center himself, his vision clearing as he scanned up across from him, settling on Lois' concerned face.
"Clark. Clark, wake up," she urged.
Lois had had to sit through watching the kidnapper, almost comically, lift Clark into the chair opposite and attach him to the same apparatus that she was. Her nerves were getting the better of her as he continued to succumb to unconsciousness. When she started to see him stir she knew she needed to get him awake so they could try to figure out a way of the situation they were both in. If anyone could do it, they could.
Clark was finally upright and aware of where he was. He tried to get out of the chair, but chains and something belted around his waist held him back. He was without his strength, unfortunately, which meant the kryptonite was still close and active. He examined the hookup again, wires and cables and a sensor on his finger, and looked to his side, seeing the man in question off at a table preparing something he couldn't see.
Clark needed to get his attention. Bringing him closer would undoubtedly make him weaker, but getting rid of the kryptonite was a priority if he was going to get himself and Lois out of there.
"I know who you are!" he called out.
The man slowly turned and lifted his mask off. "Then I suppose I won't be needing this anymore." He revealed his identity as Marcus Macy, the jeweler from upstairs. He was unperturbed as he told the new couple, "Now that we're all acquainted, let's begin."
Lois was puzzled. "What's the point? Now that we've both seen your face you're going to kill us anyway."
"Don't be so certain," he said as he used the screwdriver on a machine.
Lois tried to see what it was but her view was blocked.
Clark grunted and tried to use the strength he had to pull at the chains. His muscles bulged as used all his might, but it wouldn't budge. It was beyond frustrating.
"You must really care about her for storming in here. It's very gallant of you," the jeweler admired.
"Yeah, he's stupid that way." Lois answered. She then looked at him, asking with her eyes why he put himself in this position.
His mouth opened as he stared back. He wanted to say that she was in trouble and he wanted to help her, to save her. He would rather it be just him suffering.
"Let her go," Clark demanded.
"After her turn, you'll get yours," Macy told them as he continued to work on the machine.
"My turn?" She asked, exasperated. "What is this? Some kind of game?"
"No. No, it's a test. To reveal how much you two have been hiding from one another."
Clark's eyes widened when he realized it was a lie detector. He shifted his gaze back to Lois and she did the same to him. It seemed they were both alarmed by the notion of having to sit through a madman's version of Twenty Questions.
"If you pass, you'll want to invite me to your wedding." Macy told them as he connected the last pieces and held up the corded controller for the contraption. "If you fail, well, a guest list will be the least of your worries."
Clark started to feel anxious. He knew that those who didn't pass died. If he lied about himself in any way he would be putting Lois in jeopardy.
The jeweler looked at Lois and pressed a button to activate the machine, "Ladies first."
Lois took in sharp breaths. They certainly didn't know what they were in for. The man preyed on couples and they were just pretending. It was a charade. It was based on a lie. How would that affect the machine with their answers?
"Have you ever cheated on your fiancé?"
She didn't know how to answer. It was absurd since she and Clark weren't together, but something in the pit of her stomach in recent events she couldn't quite remember gnawed at her. She brushed them off and answered with nerves.
"Of course not, don't be ridiculous."
The lie detector pieces started to move erratically, indicating a lie. A pulse of electricity was sent through the cables that were attached to the metal chair under Clark. The volts went through his body, stunning him and pulling him into the chair. He cried out in anguish which rattled Lois to her core.
"What are you doing!? You're killing him!" she screamed.
Then the electricity stopped. Clark hunched forward and caught his breath.
"No," the jeweler pointed, "your lies are."
"Okay! Okay! I take it back then! I'm sorry! Just don't hurt him again!" she pleaded.
Macy went back over to the machine and cranked it, charging it up for the next question.
Lois felt guilt wash over her. Her words, even though they had been true to her account, had hurt Clark. She could be resolute in many instances, but she was so scared.
Clark, still feeling twinges in his body, spotted the watch again and observed the jeweler crank the electricity for the machine. Looking around his surroundings he spotted a grate on the floor that went to the sewer system. If he could get the man close enough to get the watch off of him, then he could toss it down the drain and send the kryptonite in a current away.
"Killing us, It won't take away the pain that put you here."
"I'm doing this for you." Macy told them.
"What?" Lois whispered. He was deranged.
"The broken hearted are the walking dead. Either way I'm saving you both a lot of unnecessary pain."
Clark let his head fall back and rolled it around his neck. He had certainly felt the pain.
Lois chimed in. "Okay, crazy. This is the deal. We're not even really a couple. So, this twisted test doesn't mean anything."
Macy turned the dial and pulled out the cord, his thumb on the button. "Next question," he activated it, a whirring noise sounding that the machine was ready, and continued "deep down underneath it all, do you love this man?"
Lois looked at Clark as he lifted his head up, still reeling from the shock to his system. He took a breath and advised her, "Answer the question, Lois."
It seemed simple to Clark. All she had to say was "No".
For Lois, it was more complicated. Because deep down, underneath it all, she had feelings. She had been sorting through them as of late working so closely with Clark. It seemed like they had come out of nowhere, but it had been years of taking certain situations and stuffing them down. Now, there was no more room.
"Don't outthink it. Just tell the truth," he urged.
Her eyes grew in size. The truth.
She didn't want to be wrong. She didn't want to hurt him again.
The jeweler sighed at the silence. He walked closer to Lois. "Do you love him?"
Clark watched the horror on her face. It was more painful than the electrocution he had endured.
Her breathing picked up, quickening as she looked back at him. For as much as she teased him about being a brawny lumberjack, she knew that Clark was able-bodied and seemingly solid, like steel. Yet, he was still catching his breath. The voltage must have been powerful to affect his body that much. What would another shock do to him?
Clark huffed a breath and told her, "Tell the truth."
It didn't need to be elongated in his eyes. He knew she was worried, but she just needed to say the word he expected and it would be over.
Macy came even closer. The button that could hurt Clark again close to her ear, his thumb hovering over it. He bent down and stressed, "Do…you…love…him?"
She cast her eyes down and let out a whimper. The wall she had built long ago began to crack and through it started to leak. She couldn't plug it up. She had to let it out. She had to tell the truth.
She gasped and let her eyes fall on Clark once more. She couldn't bear to see him hurt again. She had to save him, even if it meant her secret being exposed.
"Yes," she finally admitted with a breathy escape.
When Clark heard her answer he prepared his body for the currents of electricity about to ripple through it. Only, to his surprise, it didn't happen. The needles didn't move to display a lie. He didn't know what happened as he looked around. He was stunned in a completely different way as their eyes locked.
Lois quickly diverted her gaze, feeling naked in front of him. She was embarrassed because he was emotionally unavailable. She wasn't going to pine for him while he pined for the ghost of his previous relationship. She didn't do unrequited love. She would have been fine with ignoring it, but now it wasn't possible. Her secret was out.
The jeweler let out a content breath and grinned. He walked back between the two and turned to Clark.
"And you. Do you love this woman?" He asked, gesturing to Lois.
Clark kept silent and looked down. He was beyond confused. His mind was reeling. Lois had said yes and he didn't get electricity surging through him. The needles had not moved. She was telling the truth.
Lois loved him? Since when? He knew he had been blind in the past, but was this the self fulfilling prophecy he voiced to Lois after the Maxima fiasco? He would be too blind to see anything, especially if his soulmate were to come along? Lois was always so Lois. He could usually tell what was going on with her, but he had missed this one. He never considered that she might feel anything more for him than friendship.
Lois watched him and waited for an answer. His silence was deafening. Here he had been telling her not to outthink the machine and he was still cruising with his thoughts in the granny lane.
Clark knew he was taking his time, but he wanted the jeweler to come closer, so he could move forward with his plan to get rid of the kryptonite. To his chagrin, Macy wasn't budging from his location.
He stood by the machine and gestured to Lois. "Do…you...love...her?"
Clark's breath shuddered. His heart rate went up. He had loved before. His heart had gotten broken time and time again. He had said aloud that he couldn't imagine ever loving anyone else other than his first love. That was still true, wasn't it?
It should have been an easy question.
He cared about Lois. She had even joked about it when he voiced his concern about her working for Lex. He had always cared about her. He cared about a lot of people. But there was something different about his reactions when Lois was in danger. Something visceral came out. He remembered plucking Geoff Johns out of the window of his car and demanding to know where Lois was. He hadn't even known her a full year at that point. It was before they agreed that they were actually friends.
Now, he was being questioned if there was more now. Had his feelings evolved without him being conscious of it?
Did he love this woman?
He couldn't overthink it any longer. His silence was making her suffer in anticipation.
He settled with the logical answer. He went with what he had preached for years. He went with his brain, disregarding any objections from anywhere else.
Don't outthink it. Just answer the question.
"No," he whispered regretfully.
It had been the answer they both had figured, but the result was not.
The needles started to move with speed and the electricity went to Lois' chair. Her back arched, chest forward as it surged through. She cried out in pain.
"No!" He yelled and tried to jump out of his chair. He had made it move even without his powers. It was teetering off the platform with the strain of his weight and adrenaline. He needed to get to her.
When the currents stopped her body was limp but he saw she was breathing.
"Sit down," Macy commanded.
He was close enough for the kryptonite to force Clark back in his seat but not close enough to get it off him.
"You see. As I've told other couples, the mouth and the heart aren't always on the same page." He shook his head then asked, "Why would you lie about something like that? Lies don't hurt you, they hurt her." The jeweler then pointed to Lois who was slumped to the side, but starting to move back to the center of the chair.
There was moisture in his eyes as Clark looked at her. "I didn't mean to."
"But words hurt! Look what they did! If you're not honest about your feelings then people get hurt!" He repeated and hit the button again to activate the machine. "So, let's try it again. Do you love her?"
"I…." Clark barely gasped.
"What?" Macy questioned again, moving his position toward Clark.
"I…" he repeated in a low voice, wanting the same reaction.
The jeweler crept closer and handled both arms of the chair. "You have to speak up."
Clark grabbed hold of the arm with the watch and headbutted him. He then ripped it off his wrist and threw it down the grates on the floor.
Macy stumbled backward and brought his hand up to his bleeding nose, until he fell down by the controller. Clark used his heat vision to break exposed pipes, steam pouring into the room. The jeweler got up and grabbed the controller, but Clark broke free of his restraints and used his speed to stop him. He punched the madman and sent him directly into his creation.
Lois was shaking the rest of the cobwebs, hearing the struggle, and saw the jeweler unconscious cradled in the destruction of his machine.
"Lois."
Through the fog Clark walked through. It was mystical and metaphorical.
"Clark," she breathed.
"Lois, are you okay?"
She was recovering from the electrocution, but amongst everything else it was a difficult question. "I'm not sure."
She again moved her eyes so she looked directly at him. She didn't know what to say or how to react.
He was beyond concerned as he crouched down in front of her. "Let's get you out of here."
He was thinking about her words and then thinking about his own as he undid the buckles on each arm. Her skin was red and irritated. The jolting would cause bruising. He checked for burns, but didn't find any. Lois stared at the ceiling as Dr. Kent performed his check up.
Content enough with his findings, or lack thereof, Clark helped Lois out of the chair, her legs feeling like jelly.
"We have to call the police," she told him.
"After I get you upstairs."
She didn't fight him. She didn't have the strength. She just wanted this to be over. She stumbled on the way to the stairs and berated herself for not recovering faster.
Clark automatically scooped her up into his arms and started to walk up the stairs, past the shamble of doors, holding her closely against his chest. He had subdued her kidnapper and needed to fulfill the mission of getting her out of harm's way. He needed to protect her.
Lois wanted to ask what he was doing and demand he put her down. Yet, her head leaned on his broad shoulder. There was a tingling sensation all over her body. She wanted to chalk it up to the consequences of an electric shock, but she knew she couldn't. It was Clark. Being in his arms was doing it.
Clark focused forward and climbed the next set of steps until they reached the street level. There were wooden crates stacked next to a dumpster. As he started to lower Lois' legs back down to the ground he led her over and sat her down.
"Stay here," he instructed.
Clark pulled out his phone and then disappeared back down into the darkness of the basement. He dialed for the police explaining the situation the best he could. The jeweler was still unconscious and he was happy about it. Because of him Lois had gotten hurt.
Then a voice sliced through his thoughts. His own.
But you answered the question wrong.
He flashed back to the moment.
"Do you love this woman?"
"No."
Then Lois' scream rang through his ears.
He whipped his head and squeezed his eyes shut. He had made her suffer. He was hit by a tsunami of guilt.
His head had said "No", but his heart said otherwise. It wasn't occupied by one person any longer. Maybe it never had been completely.
He was so confused.
The sirens wailing in the distance became louder. He jogged back up the steps and was at Lois' side once more.
"You called the paramedics?" she asked, annoyed.
She didn't want to return to punch card visits to medical facilities.
"I just explained what happened."
"Lois? Clark?" a familiar voice asked.
Both looked over to see paramedic Davis Bloome coming down the alleyway.
"Davis." Clark nodded.
The paramedic's eyes settled on Lois, who looked frazzled. "Lois, you were electrocuted?"
"I'm fine," she waved off.
"Let me assess that," he said, opening his bag and beginning his examination.
She let out a heavy sigh as Davis looked at the reaction of her pupils under his pen light. He then started to look at her wrists and arms. Clark had already done these actions. She felt funny having Davis do them too, even though it was his job. As much as she was embarrassed, she felt better under Clark's gaze than Davis'.
"Is she okay?" Clark asked, as he watched the paramedic check her reflexes and muscle strength in her hands.
"It seems that way, but I can't rule out any internal injuries." Davis said, returning instruments to his bag.
"I feel okay."
"There can be residual effects after being electrocuted. Spasms, some muscle damage. If you see any swelling you have to get to a doctor, if you aren't going to go now."
"Got it," she agreed.
"Okay." he said, standing and turning to leave.
"Aren't you going to check, Clark?" she asked.
Davis turned to Clark, eyeing him for injuries, but wasn't seeing anything amiss except for the soiled parts of his clothing.
"You were electrocuted, too?"
Clark might have omitted that in his call.
"Well-"
"Hey, if I had to be checked, then so do you." Lois said as she used the side of the dumpster to help herself up. Her legs, back in working order, strode over to where her Herculean knight was standing. She manhandled Clark to where she had been sitting.
Just then the police started to arrive.
"I'll go talk to them."
"Lois!" he called out in protest.
"Ah!" she said, cutting him off. She then got Davis' attention and pointed to Clark. "Examine."
Davis pulled out the pen light again and started to shine it in Clark's eyes.
"You seem to find yourself in treacherous situations, Clark."
"We were investigating," he explained.
"Do you have any numbness or sensations in your body?" Davis asked as he used the stethoscope.
Clark glanced over at Lois as she was gesticulating with her hands and pointing to the basement. His heart started to pound in his chest.
"Whoa." Davis said, dropping the bell of the chest piece.
Davis looked in the same direction and then back at Clark. "Oh, well, that tracks."
"What?" Clark asked, not paying much attention to what the paramedic was saying or doing.
Davis suppressed a chuckle. "I think you're okay. Same advice I gave to Lois. If you see any signs, get to a doctor."
"Thanks." he said, standing and ready to join Lois.
"Oh, and Clark."
"Yeah?"
"Good luck."
Clark raised his brows.
"With the story." Davis identified, but it was in a grander scheme for the two reporters.
"Right. Thanks."
Davis shook his head as he watched Clark return to Lois' side. The grin he wore began to fall. He wanted to be happy for Clark, that he obviously had strong feelings for Lois, since he could understand but deep inside there was a part of him that was collecting the information not to help or be empathetic, but to use later somehow-possibly against the man.
Davis buried down any ill will. He looked at the patch on his paramedic uniform.
No, he was there to help.
That was the mantra he repeated all the way back to his rig.
Back inside the structure, the police were handcuffing the jeweler as Lois and Clark stood on the sidelines. They each gave their statements of the facts they knew and worked around the details of the question and answers used for the device. The police recovered Lois' bag from the basement, along with other pieces of evidence belonging to other couples.
Once they were dismissed, Lois and Clark stood on the sidewalk under the city lights. After spending time with the police in an effort to close the missing persons cases involving the engaged couple, it wasn't lost on Lois that she had just spoken with the police regarding Chloe and Jimmy's similar circumstances and was leaving the precinct closest to the Daily Planet before getting hit with the tranquilizer. It was also where her car still was.
Luckily, it wasn't that far on foot, and Lois started to head in that direction…with Clark in tow. Even in the late hours, the noises of the city filled the silence between the two. There was a reluctance to talk, since both weren't ready to discuss the details of their ordeal just yet.
While long ago it was Lois who voiced the inability to deal with uncomfortable silence, it was Clark who finally spoke up.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he walked behind her.
Lois kept her pace and didn't turn, as she replied, "You asked me that like a million times already back at the scene."
Clark nodded. He had been repeating the question a lot, unconvinced that she was okay.
"Do you want me to drive you home?"
"No, I'll be fine."
He was about to ask if she was sure, but he refrained.
When they finally made it to her vehicle, she got into the driver's seat and started the car. She started to drive and went around the block, feeling like she should at least offer him a ride, but Clark was already gone.
It was probably better off.
Lois drove to the Daily Planet building instead of heading home. She wasn't going to drive all the way back to Smallville. She couldn't have all that time to have unwanted thoughts swarming in her head.
When she went inside there wasn't anyone around except for the night crew. She sat down at her desk, called Chloe to tell her she would be staying in the city, and she wrote the story about the kidnapping and arrest. She kept in touch with her source at the station, receiving tidbits she was adding into the story. When she was done she sent it to the city editor, hoping it would make the morning edition.
After tossing away her empty coffee cups, she walked to the lounge and laid on the couch and rested her eyes for an hour. When she woke up she saw the time and realized that there would be more bodies coming in for the early shift.
Using the many key cards she had, there was a deluxe executive bathroom on the 10th floor with a shower. She already had dry cleaning she had stashed in her car she had brought in with her to change into. It was just what she needed. A nice long hot shower.
But, while the shower was cleansing, her mind started to wander. She shook her head under the spray.
No. She wouldn't let herself think about it.
The machine was defective. It had to be. She never cheated on Clark and it zapped him. She said yes to the question of love and it's fine? And then Clark says he doesn't love her and it took it as a lie?
She settled that it wasn't right. None of it was. She just needed Clark to agree.
After doing morning chores and taking a shower of his own, Clark got ready for work and started to check his messages again. He had texted Chloe about watching Lois throughout the night, but she never went back to the Talon. He began to worry about her safety, if she had some kind of reaction while driving. He was ready to speed through every street to look for her when Chloe texted back that Lois was at the office writing the story and she'd be staying in the city. Lois didn't reach out to him, though. He had waited and checked every fifteen minutes, despite telling himself to stop.
He was disappointed. Not with Lois, but with himself. He should have stayed with her. He shook his head. No, that would be suffocating to her. She needed space. He did, too. They needed to grapple with what had occurred, what was revealed.
They had feelings for each other.
What had started as a fake relationship for an investigation turned their worlds upside down.
But it had even been before that, if he was being truthful-and after the lie detector he was inclined to start doing that more with himself. He had taken care of her during the night after Jimmy and Chloe's engagement party. He endured Whitesnake sing-alongs and corralling a drunk Lois at different intervals-and it wasn't unpleasant.
Prior to that he had dealt with an alien queen who considered him her soulmate, telling him that no one would ever be his equal, that he would always be alone.
That had been his fear for so long. People were always leaving. People were consumed by his secret. He bore the burden and kept emotions to himself, even from those who were aware of his double life.
But there was an exception.
In the moments when he felt the most vulnerable, Lois was there. Comforting with words and a hug. Sometimes it was brief, but being enveloped by her arms rivaled the strength he had in his. In his most recent vulnerable state he had cried into her shoulder, mourning yet another departure. She held him so tightly, whispering that she was sorry and holding back her own tears.
He stared at the middle of the living room, the spot where they held each other for minutes upon minutes, just swaying to soothe the pain. And she had. The pain had started to recede. And every day he was at Daily Planet working across from her the pain dulled more and more, undetectable while he was racing to keep up with her on any given news day. Her energy radiated and he now realized that it was like it had healing properties, almost like the sun. She was fiery, bright, and had a gravitational pull he never fully realized.
He was attracted to her and in her orbit.
He held his head in his hands. He didn't know what he was going to do. Maybe it would be best to just talk about it and confront it head on. The truth was out there and they needed to deal with the consequences of it.
With some semblance of a plan, Clark took a deep breath and grabbed his jacket. He sped to Metropolis, stopping at the Metro Cafe in hopes that coffee and her morning donut would help soften their morning meeting. However, when he jogged down the stairs to the basement bullpen he was met with an empty desk, his eyes landing on her nameplate.
"Quite the story from last night, Kent," the editor, Randall Brady, said as he rounded the corner into the bullpen holding the morning edition, "Sorry it didn't make the front page. Maybe next time for you two."
He handed him a copy.
Clark was befuddled at the statement. "Us two?"
Clark looked down at the title.
Jolting Jeweler Connected to Missing Engaged Couples by Lois Lane and Clark Kent.
Lois had put both their names on the story. Even if she hadn't messaged him, she was still thinking of him. The edge of his mouth twitched up into a grin.
He spent the morning waiting around for Lois and trying not to be obvious about it. After lunch had rolled around he was making copies when he finally caught a glimpse of her, looking striking in the bright blue she wore.
Lois rushed down the stairs with folders in hand. When she got to the threshold of the bullpen she boomeranged right back out when she saw Clark's desk.
She had managed to have a successful morning. She got her story to print and then went out on "assignment" which was stopping to check in with Chloe and watching her embarrass herself in the engagement party video when she gave her drunken speech. The cousins had a heart to heart about love, but Lois didn't divulge information about her experience with the lie detector. She simply took in what Chloe said about her relationship and understood what drove her to knocking back multiple champagne glasses at the event. After admitting her jealousy and welcoming Jimmy officially, she spent more time away from the office window shopping and trying to pick out something for the wedding. When she thought she ate up enough time, she returned to the office thinking she was ready to face what was waiting for her.
Apparently, she had been wrong.
Lois rushed to the bank of elevators in her heels and hit the button. She sighed, feeling like she dodged a bullet as she waited for the doors to open.
Clark moved to join her, asking, "You're not avoiding me, are you?"
"Me? Why would I be avoiding you?" She asked as she glanced over at him. He wore an indigo shirt and matching tie, one of the ensembles she had helped him pick out when he first started at the Planet and needed a wardrobe upgrade. She continued explaining, "I was just shopping for wedding gifts for Chloe and Jimmy."
"So, you're finally on board with the happy couple."
She bounced on her feet waiting for the slowest of all elevator cars to arrive. "Yup. All it took was them passing a madman's electric Cosmo death quiz and I am sold."
The bell to the elevator sounded and Clark took a step inside, which threw her off. He turned and waited for Lois, holding the door so it wouldn't close.
"In or out?" he smiled.
This wasn't her plan. She couldn't be this close to him. She wasn't ready.
"You know, all things considered, stairs are better for cardio." she told him, excusing her need for the elevator.
"Come on," he urged and gestures with his hand for her to enter, "statistically this is the safer way to travel "
She was hesitant, and against what her mind was telling her, she followed and stepped inside. They stood side by side as the doors then closed. It was already too tight in the six foot by four foot space.
Needing to break the ice this time Lois blurted out, "He confessed." She then clarified, "the jeweler."
She was going to have to write the follow up on the story when she finally got back to her desk.
"I heard. Five couples?"
Including them. He had heard some other pieces of information, too. Like how the jeweler kept repeating that the machine was just listening to what was in people's hearts over and over as they brought him to his cell.
Another awkward silence filled the air.
There was going to be no more avoiding it if Lois wanted to get back to some type of normalcy and be able to be near Clark. They had to address it.
"So, uh, about that test…" Lois began and hugged the folders closer to her body. With a slight turn she glanced at his face, unable to continue with her words. "Um…"
She bit her lip slightly and sighed again, frustrated that this was so difficult to approach. There were real feelings involved and she didn't know where to start in deciphering it all.
Clark empathized, unsure of how to talk about it himself. Though, he had coached himself throughout the morning. Watching her, he was hyper aware of the turmoil that clouded her eyes and affected her body language with him. He wanted to save her. To try and ease her humiliation.
"Who would have thought-" he started.
Before he could finish, there was a sudden shake of the elevator car and it stopped between floors. Lois stumbled in her heels and right into Clark. He caught her and held her firmly at her hips.
"Safest way to travel, huh?" she commented.
"We're stuck, not plummeting." he countered.
"Not yet," she whispered.
She glanced up at him as he did down at her.
They were stuck in the roles they'd always been in. What would happen if they took the plunge?
Realizing just how close they were and the air changing and noiselessly crackling around them, Lois shimmied out of his embrace.
"What were you going to say before?" she asked.
He was going to say "who would have thought you were such a good liar" in order to beat the machine and let her off the hook, but what his mind had formed wasn't what tumbled out of his mouth.
"Who would have thought Lois Lane would share a byline?"
She nodded, "Well, you did experience the same thing I did."
"Unfortunately."
"What?"
"I just mean the electrocution part."
The mentioning of that particular part of their evening gave Lois the opportunity to point out the flaw of the psycho jeweler's system. "I still don't get that. I mean, it got it all wrong. "
"It did?" He said, starting to doubt. But he had given his answer and it had opened his eyes to what he was feeling. So the machine did have to be accurate somewhat.
"We don't need to talk about it "
"Maybe we should."
"Why?"
"Because as crazy as he was he had a point. Words can hurt people and I hurt you."
"Clark…" she shook her head. "That…that machine was a piece of Kaiser era junk. I mean I hurt you with a question about cheating on you! How did I cheat on you? How!?"
She suddenly got a weird taste in her mouth and brushed it aside with only a fuzzy memory attached to it.
"Lois…"
She started to pace in the very small space. "No, because the machine obviously couldn't tell the difference between a truth or a lie. Signals got crossed and it just went off at the wrong times!"
"Lois…"
"I mean you told the truth with your no and zapped me! Obviously, it was defective!"
He raised his voice. "Lois, can you stop talking for just one second!?"
She paused her steps and pressed her lips together.
He took a deep breath. "Lois, what I feel for you is…very confusing. Because, I don't know what it is. And maybe that's why the machine went off, because flat out saying no was a lie. I care about you. A lot. We've been working together more and more and it's just reinforced how much I just want to…"
He suddenly couldn't find the words, afraid of a miscommunication.
"Want to what?"
Truth or dare? He had already spoken his truth. Now he dared himself to move.
He waited a minute, still trying to capture the right sentence. His eyes focused on her pink lips. They paid attention to every detail, almost zooming in like they were under a microscope. He couldn't hold back anymore.
"I just want to…do this."
He took a giant step forward, his hand cupping the side of her face and his dipped his head down. His lips found hers and collided.
There was a familiar feeling pulsating through them, emitting from the friction of their lips.
Sparks. They were invisible to the naked eye, but ever present once again.
It still stunned them. It still sent tingles rippling through their veins and nerve endings. But it was reinvigorating. Inside them something awoke.
Lois' eyes widened as she dropped the folders she was holding dearly, papers scattered on the floor, and let her arms wrap around Clark, closing her eyes and responding to his kiss.
Before she knew it her back was against the side wall of the elevator. His hands were transported to her waist and slowly wrapped around her and gliding up her back. Her fingers slid down and hooked around his belt loops to pull him closer.
It had only been a couple weeks since his last escapade in an elevator. But he hadn't been himself then, dosed with something in Maxima's body chemistry. He had been under a spell, essentially, only to break out of it when Lois entered the scene. Her presence brought him back. She had saved him.
This time he was in control. This time was of his own free will. This time it was the right person.
The shaking of the elevator shook them back to reality. It started to resume its movement up the floors.
They opened their eyes and were startled at the realization of what they had been doing. Clark dropped his hands and took a step back. Lois cleared her throat and then looked anywhere else but Clark. She saw the mess on the floor and dove to pick up the papers. Clark's manners took over, especially since he was partially responsible for the mess. He bent down to help her.
"No, I got it." she told him as she put everything into a pile.
He ignored her refusal for his help and continued his efforts. Once the last paper was clutched to her chest their eyes met again. Both couldn't help but lean forward, their lips wanting to revisit paradise.
The bell of the elevator rang as the car came to a stop on its intended floor. Lois blinked rapidly out of her trance and stood up swiftly, while Clark took his time to fully stand. When the doors opened, Lois bolted out, momentarily turning back to look at him.
Clark stood still, taking in her image. It was like there had been a film over his eyes that had suddenly been wiped clean. He wanted to follow her, but he let her go. The doors closed. He had only gotten on the elevator to talk to her in the first place.
A confusing situation had escalated. It was scary, but also exhilarating. The kiss had rejuvenating qualities. It was even more intense than in the alley the first time he had kissed her. Even then it had taken his breath away, sparking something inside him that reared again when he was dosed with Red-K later. It had been forced into dormancy, until now.
Lost in his thoughts he hadn't realized that someone had called for the elevator and he was back in the basement. Walking out of the car he walked back to his desk and tried to think about his next move.
Upstairs, Lois had dropped off the papers that really held no importance. She took a slight detour, using the stairs for her already elevated heart rate and sitting on the steps between floors four and five to calm it down. She needed to get her feet back under her after that kiss.
Her finger and toes curled remembering what it felt like kissing Clark Kent. He certainly broke the top two best kisses she'd ever had in her life- rivaling with her cryptic kisser from the alley. The way her body reacted, it certainly recollected moments that were hazy to this day from when they were both under the influence years before.
It was added torture. Accounting for feelings was one thing. Acting on them brought it to a whole new level.
Why did he have to kiss her?
That was the question she asked over and over in her mind as she stood up and resumed her travels down the steps back to the basement.
It was also the question racing in Clark's mind as he sat at his desk. It hadn't been his intention when he had boarded the elevator. It had just happened. He hadn't been able to stop himself. A complicated talk had just gotten even more complicated.
However, when Lois returned to her desk they didn't mention it. They glanced at each other every few minutes, but they were fixated on their screens. More information started to trickle in about the case and focus then centered on the follow up article. It almost seemed normal as Clark compiled information, fed to Lois, and she typed.
Confessions Send Jolting Jeweler to the Cooler.
Clark wasn't entirely keen on the title, but Lois liked it so he relented and backed down. He didn't want to ruin the calm atmosphere they were creating, working together as full fledged partners on a story and not as a reporter and her copy boy. It was very enjoyable.
As the story went to the editor there was nothing left to work on until the next piece of news hit their desks. But it was quiet, and while others would bask in a slow news night, Clark and Lois couldn't function with it.
Lois backed her chair out from her desk and announced, "I'm just going to go stretch my legs."
Clark tried to occupy his time with working up the courage to talk to her when she returned. However, as he watched the clock he was worried she had bolted again, even though her bag was still under her desk.
Feeling the need to retreat from the area a little while by himself, he walked to the door for the stairs and raced up them with his speed until he was at the door for the rooftop entrance.
Lois jumped slightly when she heard the creaking of the metal door opening. She was surprised to see Clark was the culprit and had found her hiding spot.
"How did you know I was up here?" she asked.
Clark shook his head. "I didn't. I just was coming up here to-"
"Think?" she finished for him.
"Yeah," he confirmed.
She turned back to the cityscape lit up under the night sky. "Me too."
"What were you thinking about?" he wondered aloud.
It was a loaded question. There were so many pieces in the last twenty-four to forty-eight hours that could be mulled over and analyzed.
What she had been thinking about before he entered the space was their undercover experience when walking into Cameo Jewelers. They had almost been caught and needed to come up with a plausible explanation, one that Lois was juxtaposing with the last two days.
"I'm just thinking about the cover story I used when we saw Oliver. How we had one magical night and couldn't deny our feelings any longer. Was it prophetic? Though I guess I wouldn't call what we went through magical..."
"Technically, sparks were flying," he said, giving her a grin to try and lighten the conversation.
"Very funny."
"Too soon?"
"Maybe a little." She glanced over at the skyline again. "Coming up here makes it easier to think sometimes. Looking down at the city, at the people moving along their day, or night I suppose. It just changes perspective sometimes. You can either tune in or tune out to the world. "
The moonlight cast a glow around her as she spoke and Clark couldn't look away.
"That's why I like it, too," he breathed, gazing at her beauty.
"Says the guy who's afraid of heights. I don't exactly see you on top of the world looking down on creation," she quipped.
"Well, I don't look over the edge often."
"It can be terrifying being on the edge of something," she sighed. "The fear of falling."
"Sometimes it's not as terrifying if someone is with you." he told her as he walked to stand right next to her.
"Unless you're scared about them getting hurt, too."
"That is true." He nodded.
He had been a proponent of that for years. He wouldn't pursue because of the fear they could be hurt. But where had that gotten him? He wanted to protect her, that was a driving force that could prevent him moving forward, but standing next to Lois, knowing her, he wasn't as unsure. They stood toe to toe, on equal ground. He hadn't felt that way with anyone else. Super powered or not.
"Clark," she shook her head, some tears glistening in her eyes, "I don't know where to start with this."
She had joked about his fear of pretend commitment with her and what might happen when some poor girl actually fell for him. She was the poor girl. But the shoe was on the other foot because she was the one in fear of commitment, the real kind. The consequences of his kiss set the course for everything to change.
He understood what she was saying, understood the conflict in her hazel eyes, and reached out and took her hand into his.
"We can just start small. And see where it goes," he suggested.
She shook her head and looked down, "I just don't want it to ruin everything."
He reached out with his other hand and guided her chin back up to look at him, then let his hand slowly fall away. "It won't."
"But how can you be sure? I mean look at our track record."
"Because we won't let it. And at this point I think it would be harder to deny than to just…take a leap."
She tilted her head at the wall and its ledge. "Taking a leap off of this roof seems less risky."
"I'll catch you," he told her confidently.
His voice was firm and she felt a shiver go up her spine. They weren't just words. They were part of a pledge. She believed him.
"Well, if you've got me then who's got you?"
His ocean eyes sparkled as he responded, "You do."
"Are we really going to do this?"
"I think it's worth it to find out."
"Okay." She took a beat. "But, maybe we could just keep it between us. For now. Until we really know what this," she gestured between them, "is."
His brow furrowed as he questioned, "So you want to keep it a secret?"
"Just for a little bit. You think you can manage to keep one?"
"Of this magnitude? I'll try my hardest," he joked.
"And since I'm the Fort Knox of secrets, it'll be sealed up in the vault. Trust me?"
"I do," he said without hesitation.
And it was the truth. He trusted her. And one day he would trust her with another truth, when he was ready.
"Good."
"Great."
"Okay, then."
It was settled. Their status had changed from 'it's complicated' to 'in a relationship'.
They both went for the door at the same time and their hands touched again. They looked at each other and soon Lois was in his arms and they were kissing. It was like they couldn't get enough of each other. It was actually quite romantic with the stars shining above them, as many could be seen in the city.
"This is going to be a problem," Lois sighed in pleasure as Clark kissed the side of her neck. "My productivity is going to go down if we keep this up. "
Speaking of things going up…
Clark detached his mouth from her skin and placed a gap between them, while still gripping her hips. He couldn't let her completely go just yet. And it seemed she couldn't either as she grasped his upper arms.
"We just need to keep our distance while we're working."
Her eyes scanned over him. "Can you come in tomorrow looking less…good-looking?"
She had dressed him too well. But even if he came in tomorrow in flannel it wouldn't make a difference.
"What? Like in glasses?" he asked. He did have a pair laying around…
"No," she yelped. She bit her lip thinking about it. "That's going to make it worse for me."
His eyebrows shot up at the information.
"Ugh, I don't know." she sighed and let her head fall back and hit the brick wall.
Her action made her chest stick out and Clark couldn't help but look at the V cut of her button shirt and then quickly diverted his eyes.
"Do you think it's easy for me?"
She rolled her eyes and looked back at him. "You seemed to be an ace at holding back. Years of experience."
"Thanks," he scoffed.
"I'm just saying that you seem to have a little extra strength inside of you than anyone else."
A grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. "You think?"
"Based on my observations, you like to be in the background when you could be front and center leading, like you did when you were quarterback. You hold yourself back a lot. That's why I knew you had potential," she told him as she gave a tug to his tie.
"Maybe you make it harder to hold back."
She took a breath and let her arms fall to her sides. "Okay, so we just have to find a balance."
"A balance," he repeated as he finally dropped his hands, too.
"Yeah, we find our stories, do our tasks, and then" she glanced at him up and down again, "reward ourselves."
"Reward?"
"Yeah, I'll make you a sticker chart, Smallville, and then you can pick from a prize box."
He rolled his eyes, but he enjoyed the barbs. She was always able to inject amusement in their conversations. He needed that. He had always been serious and she made him smile, laugh, and have some cheeky fun.
"Obviously, then we can go out on a date or something," she clarified for him.
His eyes lit up at the mention of a date. "Okay."
"We just have to be careful during the workday, keep the game on the field. Follow the rules," she told him with an affirmative nod.
"Lois' Rules of Dating?" he proposed.
He wasn't about to tell her he framed her other set of rules. Well, at least not reveal it yet.
She held up a finger and corrected him. "Lois' Rules of Dating in the Workplace."
She had tried it before, with disastrous results, but something told this time it could be different.
"What does that consist of?"
She smirked and pulled the handle of the door.
"Rule number one, no PDA in the bullpen."
"That's pretty specific. Where do you allow PDA?" he asked intrigued, following her and exiting the space.
As the door started to close behind them she asked, "How do you feel about phone booths?"
