New Year's at the Planet

Inside the Daily Planet, Perry White was pacing the floor of his office. He was on the phone with one of his employee's Eric. And he did not look pleased. In fact, he was sort of agitated.

"What do you mean, you can't make it? The party is in a few hours. And it's the first time I've been able to host one here at the Planet in years!"

He pauses as his gaze finds Clark Kent in the newsroom. New to the Planet was Clark, having only been recruited a few months ago. Annoyance changed to a glimmer of hope. Suddenly, he was keen to end the conversation with Eric.

"All right, all right. Look….fine…if you already have plans…yeah. I'll talk to you later."

Perry closes his cell phone and strides out of his office, heading straight for Clark Kent's desk, with a wide, beaming smile. The type of smile that an alligator would use to lure an unsuspecting critter into the water.

"How ya doin' kid?"

Clark looked up from his story that he had been typing on his computer, a little surprised to see his boss. "Oh, hi, Chief."

Perry uncomfortably clears his throat, but then begins. "You know, it occurs to me that we don't….well…see enough of each other."

Clark glances at him. This is a surprising start to a conversation.

"We see each other ten hours a day sir…"

Perry immediately shakes his head, and puts a companionable arm around a bemused Clark's shoulder. "I mean socially, you know…..going out…having a few beers… a few laughs."

Clark is still confused but begins to look slightly interested. He laughs uncertainly, "Well, that's nice of you Chief…."

Perry cuts him off, smiling slightly predatorily, and pats an even more confused Clark on the shoulder. "Great! Party starts at 9pm, tonight, right here. See you there."

Clark turns to follow him as he leaves.

"Er…..party?"

"New Year's Eve!" he mock punches Clark in the chest. "I haven't been able to throw one in years. Most of the time hardly anyone wants to go to a staff party cause it's boring. But I figured…you're new to town…you probably don't have any plans, right?"

Other than patrolling, Clark had thought absentmindedly, as his other alter ego Superman. Sometimes a lot of crazy stuff happened on New Year around the world, Clark had taken notice.

Clark shakes his head, "Not really."

He could always patrol later, he amended. That and if his super hearing picked up on anything while he was at the party, he could always come up with an excuse.

Lois Lane popped an oversized blue party hat on her head. And gave most of the newsroom a jaded look. She didn't really trust any of her coworkers much that were there at Perry's New Year's Eve Party. Granted, some she was good acquaintances with, like Jimmy Olson.

But she didn't trust.

Especially, since one of them she had slept with, Claude, had stolen her story. And then later referred to her around the newsroom as a frigid, ice queen.

Claude had thankfully been fired by Perry. And that was the last time Lois had trusted anyone or slept with anyone.

Now Claude had been replaced by this new reporter, a hack from Nowheresville, the boonies in Kansas, named Clark Kent. Clark seemed genuinely nice, an all-around great guy. But she had met people like him before in the past. And had found it unfortunately, all to be an act. Clark didn't seem to placing on an act though.

He brought her coffee in the morning, sometimes even donuts. He'd helped her on a few stories. Never stealing from her though. They had shared a few bylines together. She had even met his adoptive parents once on a story out in Kansas that had been about a meteor rock that was harmful to Superman. And they had her almost convinced that Clark was the genuine article of a perfect guy.

But Lois still had her walls and convictions up.

Clark and Jimmy walked through the Planet together. The low murmur of a room full of conversations, the tinkling of glasses, the deferential hushed tones of people passing as they got drinks or snacks. Soft, low music played on a CD player.

The newsroom was decorated in bright silver, white, and blue balloons and crepe paper. Silver table cloths covered tables, with glitter on them, and candles. Honestly, within those few short hours between when Clark had been to work and left, the newsroom had been transformed into a glittery affair. How could any employee really be bored at a staff party that looked like this?

Clark found himself searching for Lois. Had Perry talked her into coming to this party as well? Lois Lane, was a tenacious reporter that Perry had teamed him up with shortly after he had started working at the Planet. Lois and Jimmy were really the only two co-workers that he had found himself getting along really well with so far and knew. And if he was going to be at this party, then he at least wanted to hang out with people that he knew would make the night pleasant.

"So…does Lois ever show up to these parties that Perry throws?" Clark asked idly.

Jimmy smiled. Ever since Clark had met Lois and started working with her, Jimmy had noticed there had been the start of an interesting chemistry between the two. He wondered though if either of them even realized it.

Maybe they would be like the great duos….Abbott and Costello, Sonny and Cher, or Tim McGraw and Faith Hill….

And that's when they had both spotted her. Lois..in a simple short sleeved, black lace dress that settled just below her knee perfectly. It cut low just a smidge over her breasts. Around her delicate throat was a pearl necklace that had belonged to her mother. And on her head she adorned an oversized blue party hat that read "Happy New Year" on it. She was giving some people jaded looks and others she was momentarily smiling at.

Maybe parties weren't really one of her things?

"She's something, isn't she?" Jimmy asked as he watched Lois, shaking his head with a smile, impressed by her audacity and beauty.

Clark didn't even feel his feet leave the floor as he unconsciously levitated. Clark was captivated and entranced by Lois, so stunning, and full of energy normally, and sharp of mind and tongue.

"Clark? Clark?" Jimmy prompted over his shoulder without turning around.

Jimmy's voice brought Clark back down to Earth, literally. Clark hoped that no one had noticed. "Yeah. She is something," he agreed wholeheartedly.

As Jimmy headed towards the snack table, Clark turned the other way to go chat with Lois.

Lois sat at a table, now morosely sipping her champagne. "What are you doing here? No. Wait….let me guess….Perry swindled you into coming to his New Year's Eve staff party?" as Clark took a seat across from her at the table.

Clark eyed the champagne bottle that was on the table next to her, along with her glass, wondering how much she had to drink already.

"I'm guessing you're not really into parties?"

"Not when it comes to work." Lois said slowly. Clark listened intently. "Some of my co-workers are really nice. Don't get me wrong. But the other half…..they're such story stealing backstabbers. I can't trust the lot of them. So, why would I want to party with them? I'm basically doing this for Perry's sake. Since he hardly gets to throw a party for us."

The unhappy look on Lois's face touched him. He wanted to make her feel better. But now he did have a question for her since he knew he was one of her co-workers. "So….where do I fall in?" he inquired.

She looked at him confidently. "Nice. One of the ones I can actually tolerate working with."

"Really?"

"Hmmm-mmm…."

He was looking at her now intensely. It had only been a few months since they had started working together. And he was glad to find out that she had come to the conclusion that he was nice and trustworthy.

Lois however, saw the penetrating look he was giving her, the light in his eyes, and decided to give him a fair warning, because she was afraid he'd turn into another Claude. "Don't fall for me farm boy. I don't have time for it."

Even though she was giving him this warning, Clark sensed that there was a softer side to Lois. And that maybe she was just afraid. For what reason, he was uncertain. But Clark was certain that he was just going to have to be more perseverant.

The hours began to flow more and they talked about other topics. From the stories they were currently working on, seeing once if they could possibly bounce any new angles off of one another. To why the holidays were being spent in Metropolis this year instead of back home.

As time went…they soon began to notice they excited, exuberant chanting of their fellow co-workers that was beginning to shout around them.

"10…9…8…7…"

Silver balloons that were tied to the ceiling began to rain down on them.

"6….5…4…"

Lois glanced up in time to get a speck of glitter in her brown eye. Which Clark gently brushed out with his finger, tenderly.

"3…2…1…Happy New Year!" the newsroom exploded with enticing, exuberant cheers.

At first…they awkwardly looked at each other, unsure of what to do….do they hug? Do they kiss? How would they celebrate the intro to the New Year with everyone celebrating around them?

Since Clark had been chivalrous with the getting the speck of glitter out of her eye, Lois decided to tip up on her tip toes and give Clark a sweet short kiss on the side of his cheek. "Happy New Year," she told him quickly.

And then she practically ran out of the newsroom. She needed to escape the closeness of the moment they had shared. She needed to break the spell that she could feel being woven around her when she gazed into those soft brown eyes.

Clark's eyes followed her as she ran towards the elevators. For a moment there it had seemed that she was responding to him. But then she had withdrawn again.

Maybe she was afraid of taking a chance with him. But after that moment that had transpired between them, Clark decided that this New Year was definitely going to be an intriguing adventure for them.