Epilogue: It's been a while.
Clark sat awkwardly waiting for Lois to arrive. When she entered the room all the air escaped from his lungs. He stood up right away it had been five years since he'd seen her last and she was a vision as she stood in front of him now. When she spots him standing there at the table she smiles politely motioning to the matradee that she knows where to go and leads him to the table. Clark, stunned for an instant regains his composer pulling her chair out as they awkwardly hug. He doesn't want to take his arms away from her as he inhales her scent deeply before letting her go. Lois just smiles looking at the table sitting as he pushes her chair in. They both place their orders and then silence fills the table again.
"I'm glad you were able to meet me."
Clark beams as Lois smiles scanning the room before letting her eyes fall on his face.
"No problem Lane, that's what old friends do after not seeing each other for five years."
She was angry, but there was also a nonchalant tone to her voice which frightened him.
"Did you receive my postcards?"
Lois nods smiling calmly as she sipped her water.
"Yes they were great, but all my letters came back."
Clark nods his hands wringing a bit in his lap.
"We didn't stay in one place too long."
"And a telephone?"
"Couldn't give up our location, I'm sorry Lois."
She smiles shrugging.
"We had this conversation five years ago Clark. You wanted to join the Justice League and study abroad and I wanted the normal life here in Metropolis. We both made our choices let's not apologize for them now."
She had a cool tone about her, nothing like the eighteen year old girl he had left that day staring at him unsure. She was dressed in a pantsuit that fitted her perfectly; her hair which he always had to tuck behind her ears was up in a tight bun away from her neck. She looked dazzling.
"So I talked to Chloe yesterday after I got off the phone with you, she seems happy working at Metro weekly."
Lois nods smiling as the waiter brings them appetizers before leaving the table.
"Yeah she's doing great."
Clark nods taking a few bites of the bread sitting on the table.
"Is she still seeing Lex?"
Lois almost spits out her water laughing as Clark embarrassed, waits for her answer.
"Wow I forgot you were here for that, no they finally broke up the summer you left."
He smiles taking a sip of his soda.
"She dated Pete for some time in college, they actually made a go out of it, but you know Chloe she's always in dating mode."
He nods trying to figure out a way to broach the subject of dating with her. The waiter ruined the moment as he brought over their meals.
After they had finished desert and talked about all the non essential things such as weather and family they were back to square one waiting for the bill.
"So are you staying in Metropolis?"
She asked not sure which answer she was hoping for.
"I'm not sure yet I have a few interviews here and there so just keeping my options open."
Lois nods thinking for a minute before answering.
"So what changed, why settle down now?"
He looked up staring into her eyes before replying.
"I've been with the League for five years; they're finally able to operate without me there on a daily basis. Plus it's time."
The waiter brings the bill leaving with a smug smile as Lois and Clark wait for their privacy again. They both reached for the bill, Lois caught it first.
"I've got it."
Clark's hand was right next to hers shaking his head.
"No I insist I asked you to dinner I'll take care of this."
Lois shook her head laughing.
"I'm the one with a job let me get it."
He smirked sending butterflies into her stomach before arguing.
"And I've been working for Oliver Queen you have student loans and rent to worry about please let me."
She let go of the bill grinning.
"You have a point."
-----------------------------
"So what did he look like Lo?"
Lois laughed over the phone as she settled down in her kitchen microwaving a meal before sitting to wait for it.
"He looked like the same old Clark, a little older maybe but the same."
Chloe laughed on the other end.
"So are you going to see him again?"
Lois rolled her eyes as the microwave beeped.
"Metropolis is a big city Chlo I doubt we're going to be running into each other."
--------------------------
Clark walked into the Daily Planet offices taking a deep breath and inhaling before entering the elevator to the top floor. When the doors opened a flurry of people were running about. The monitors overhead were turned on mute the closed captioning scrolling on the bottom of the screen. A young man was buzzing about the front office, he almost ran into Clark who pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, shielding his briefcase from the impact.
"Excuse me is Lois Kent here?"
The man blinked, his red hair was cut close almost military style, and with a smirk he shook his head.
"Nope she's down in the basement are you here about the wedding?"
Clark's heart jumped into his throat as the doors to an office swung open and a burly man shouted.
"Olsen get me the mockups for this afternoon's edition, and find Kent I want to see her five minutes ago!"
"Yes chief."
Clark swallowed hard as the man looked Clark up and down studying his face before giving his hand.
"You must be Lane, get in here you're late."
Clark looked at his watch he was actually twenty minutes early for his interview, but figured newspaper time was different.
"It says here you were abroad for school son."
Clark nods as Perry White narrowed his eyes at his resume.
"Your writing is good, but what can you offer to the Planet that we don't already have?"
Clark was nervous but he handed him a memory card and an article he had just written.
"On my way here sir I saw a story, some guy in a cape rescued this family, I got pictures too."
White smirked to himself as he opened his office door.
"Kent!"
Lois had just climbed ten flights of stairs she was waving an article above her head as she ran to Perry's office.
"Right here Chief I got it!"
Perry White crossed his arms staring her down.
"Too late Kent, you've been out scooped." He stepped aside as Clark smiling was sitting in a chair signing his employment papers.
"We're running Lane's article."
Clark stood up as Lois looked from Perry to Clark and finally to Jimmy who was grinning admirably at Clark. She gave Jimmy a look that could kill, handing him her article.
"Shred this Olsen."
Lois locked her jaw as she looked into the office where Clark was beaming holding out his hand to Perry.
"Thank you so much Mr. White for this opportunity."
Perry shook Clark's hand as he nursed an unlit cigar in his mouth.
"Don't thank me son, you got the article. And you out scooped one of our best junior reporters Kent here."
He smiled shaking his head at Lois.
"Olsen, show Lane the empty desk across from Kent."
He motioned for Lois to come into his office as Jimmy quickly took to Clark's side showing him around.
"Lois has been using this desk ever since John Dempsey retired. You know she interned here five years ago, she was the first intern to write an article for the Planet. That's never happened before, Perry calls her a junior reporter but she's the best here and only one year out of college."
Jimmy beamed as he stopped at a desk covered in papers clearly occupied by Lois. There was only one chair and a clear path from her desk to this one. Jimmy smiled awkwardly embarrassed as he tried to move the papers over to Lois's desk.
"I think she put the other chair in the closet I'll be right back Mr. Lane."
He smirked before hurrying off just as Lois came to her desk, she looked at all the files Clark was moving from his side to hers and shook her head.
"Congratulations Perry said you're getting the front page, on an article about Superman."
Clark blushed a bit as Jimmy returned with his chair.
"Here you go Mr. Lane."
"Please Jimmy, you can call me Clark."
Jimmy beamed as he nods awkwardly before leaving the two alone.
"I have to give it to you covering the first article about Superman here in the state, that's huge."
She bites her lip frustrated. I was less than five minutes behind you.
"If I had a decent cameraman with me I would be on the front page this afternoon not you."
Clark smiles confidently as he pulls some more of Lois's things out of the desk drawers she grabs them annoyed.
"I forgot how competitive you were; look it's just one article."
She nods.
"Yeah that you wrote about Superman how convenient."
He smiles thumbing through some of her old articles.
"I seem to remember a great article a few years back where a Ms. Lois Kent wrote a great expose on how Superwoman cleaned up Suicide Slums in time for the Holidays."
She laughs nodding.
"You're right Clark, but just so you know I'm not going to miss out on another article. You get one Supes scoop and the rest are fair play."
He fixes his tie making her bite her lip as he pushes his glasses up, the same glasses she had given him over five years ago.
"Okay I think I can handle that."
She nods smiling.
"Good, now Chief has asked me to show you around, you're to be working for me got that? We're not partners Lane, think of yourself as my assistant. For the next week you'll be with me."
He smiles widely making her heart skip a beat which just annoys her even more.
"Think of yourself as a Probie, and try to stay out of my way."
"I missed working with you too Lois."
She rolls her eyes suddenly feeling seventeen again.
After lunch half the office was buzzing about the new guy and the appearance of Superman in Metropolis. Lois rolled her eyes as her phone rang she smiled knowing who it was.
"Hey."
"Is it true, did my cousin get the job?"
Lois rolled her eyes and the realization hit her.
"Let me guess you were on a break this morning and just so happened to have a digital wide angle optical zoom camera handy."
Chloe laughed on the other end, as Lois rolls her eyes transferring the call to Clark's line. He picks it up blushing as Chloe congratulates him on the other end. Lois gets up annoyed.
"You get one minute for personal calls Lane, let's get a move on." Clark reddens as he watches Lois walk away from him and head for the coffee machines. She was annoyed, she was beautiful and he was more than determined to win her back anyway he could.
"So about this wedding..." Lois rolled her eyes as Clark snuck up on her just as she refilled her cup of coffee.
"Oh don't tell me you haven't heard Clark." She teased swishing her hips as he followed her towards their desk. "Dinah Drake and Oliver Queen are tying the knot, and we get to cover it." She smirked shaking her head.
"Playboy millionaire marries meek girl it's not only front page news, but we have the exclusive, thanks to me."
"I didn't know you were in contact with Oliver." He asked annoyed.
"He contacted me, seems he wanted to give me the scoop." She smirked as Clark watched her go into Perry's office.
He was more determined now than ever to get back into her good graces. And the excitement of being Superman and Clark Lane working with Lois Kent was a dream come true.
His super-hearing picked up a five call alarm as Lois pushed her way ahead of him.
"Oh no you don't." She gasped as they both super-sped towards the alarm.