Author's Notes: Yeah, long time coming. I'm a bit meh about it but I wanted to post it.
CHAPTER THREEMetropolis. Slightly different to the Metropolis he knew but it was Metropolis all the same. The Daily Planet orb confirming his suspicion. Where he was from he knew everyone at The Daily Planet. But now, in this time, in this Metropolis, he didn't know anyone. And he didn't know where she could possibly be. He jumped in heart first, instead of calculating every step like he always did. He smiled at himself. She would be proud of him. Jumping into things without thinking first. That was her forte. His heart ached at the thought of her.
When she didn't arrive for their date adorably late, he grew concerned. She was not known for her punctuality but when it was getting beyond an hour he knew something was wrong. He headed over to the lab where she worked part time with the Professor. He remembered how he spent lots of late nights there watching her in the lab. Watching her, watching the Professor, assisting where she could. Then her father would come and she'd have his complete attention. Then her father's attention would turn on him. His eyes would narrow at him and he'd civilly yet coldly ask how he was.
What he needed a hint or a sign anything that would point him in the right direction. He was standing out the front of The Daily Planet now watching people coming in and out of the Planet's revolving doors. Reporters, editors … billionaires. A billionaire, like … "Bruce Wayne".
She was slightly glad that super hearing wasn't inherited through marriage. Although logically they weren't married yet so it was more implausible than she first thought. In any case, she was glad that Clark had the super hearing and not Lois. Dawn was breaking and she had to get out of town. As much as Lois and Clark were the superheroes of the future, in what was their present day, a lost time traveller might be too much to handle. As she passed the sleeping Lois on the couch her eyes caught the shine of keys. Car and apartment keys. She smiled. She had caught a glimpse of Lois' Ford Fusion parked outside the Talon. She made a grab for the keys. And slowly tiptoed her way out of the apartment. She was getting out of Smallville. And headed to the one person who would help her find her way back, while she was waiting for him to come, in the one place where she knew he'd be.
"Well, she took the car," Lois noted, slightly impressed.
Clark glared at her. "You don't have to be so happy about it."
"Hey, she snagged my keys, snuck out of my apartment and stole my car. That takes guts. A slightly criminal mind but guts."
Clark had arrived early at the Talon to get to the bottom of the mystery girl. When he got there he found the door already unlocked, Lois asleep on the couch and the girl nowhere in sight. They decided to go look for her in Lois' car, when they found her missing.
"Well, what's our next step, detective?"
"Why do I have to come up with the plan?"
"You found her. That gives you some semblance of responsibility."
"Okay, then," Clark began, "If I was a lost time traveller, where would I go?"
Lois turned to face him. "Back home."
Clark furrowed his brow. "If she's a time traveller, then she'd go back to a time machine."
She grinned. "Very clever of you, Smallville. But I don't suppose time machines are a common household item."
"So the next question is, who has a time machine?"
Lois grabbed her cell phone from her jacket pocket. "Well, it just so happens we know some one who's a better search engine than Google."
"Daily Planet info line."
"Hey, Chlo."
"Lois. Finally a sane person to talk to," Chloe said into the phone fas she leaned back in her chair, her head tilted to the ceiling. "It's a bit of a madhouse at the Planet, with billionaire Bruce Wayne coming in to the Planet."
Lois raised an eyebrow. "You mean Gotham City's Bruce Wayne. Hunky, gorgeous, unbelievably rich, playboy Bruce Wayne."
Clark rolled his eyes at Lois' remark. They had moved inside the Talon and decided to get some coffee. He handed Lois her mug, she gave him a questioning look.
"Just try it," he mouthed.
She took a sip and smiled.
"I remembered your penchant for sugar."
"Lo … you still there?"
She took another sip. "Yeah, Chlo. Sorry, got distracted by coffee. So, Bruce Wayne … Don't roll your eyes at me Smallville."
Chloe giggled on the other side of the line. "Yeah, he was in here to inspect the Planet, he's thinking of buying it. All the women here are making themselves pretty for him."
Lois stirred her cup of coffee. "Haven't seen him for yourself yet Chlo?"
"Have you?"
"Maybe once or twice," Lois said with a small smile on her face.
Clark resisted the temptation to eavesdrop on Chloe's side of the conversation, telling Lois to ask the questions and communicate Chloe's answers.
"So, cuz. Is this just a social call or do you need something?"
"How'd you guess?"
Chloe smiled into the phone as she leaned forward in her chair, getting herself prepared to do some searching. "Call it a sixth sense."
"This might sound crazy but do you know if there's someone out there that has a time machine do you."
"You're right it does sound crazy, but I'll just let my fingers to the searching," Chloe said. "This isn't one of your usual requests Lois. Usually you ask the next time that Brad Pitt's in town or something."
Lois glanced her eyes Clark's way, engaging him in a non-verbal conversation. A habit that broke out after her time with the Kents. Clark noticed Lois' stare and understood what Lois was trying to tell him. He nodded.
"It's about a girl that Clark found naked in the caves."
He couldn't believe it. Bruce Wayne was here in Metropolis. Out in front of The Daily Planet no less. And chasing him was a familiar blonde woman calling his name.
"Mr Wayne! Can I just have a moment of your time Mr Wayne?"
Bruce turned around to address the young woman. Telling her that he was busy right now and that she might want to make an appointment some time if she wished to speak to him, handed her his business card. Chloe grabbed Bruce's arm as he turned away. He turned, looking at the hand that grabbed him and then at Chloe, who had just whispered the words, "Lois Lane said you could help me."
He looked at the scene playing out in front of him. Here was Chloe Sullivan, after the same man that he was after, asking help and using Lois Lane's name to strengthen her appeal. Bruce had stopped at the mention of Lois Lane's name and gestured for Chloe to enter his car and go with him.
As he watched the car drive away he made a decision to follow them.
"This is where Chloe said to meet them," Lois said, as she stood in a middle of a field.
"It's strange how Chloe got Bruce to help so easily just by mentioning your name," Clark said, probingly.
Lois turned around. They were several feet away, her hands on her hips, her head tilted to one side. "What are you implying Smallville?"
Clark smirked a little at Lois' stance. One that he had grown so familiar with.
Chloe had done a little digging. Searching the term "time machine" until she came across a press release from Wayne Industries about the hope of developing such a technology. To which it was then decided Bruce Wayne was their next port of call, with Chloe being insistent that Bruce Wayne would never help a struggling journalist at the bottom of the food chain at The Daily Planet. Lois then said that if he needed some persuasion just to mention her name, which Chloe did, which then sparked Clark's curiosity. What was Lois' connection to Bruce Wayne? And if there was a connection, what was the nature of it?
Lois returned Clark's smirk as he stood there figuring out a way to approach what could be possibly personal territory. Territory that he wasn't sure of wanting to explore. Lois had pushed the limits on personal space, invading everyone's but she kept herself guarded and he wasn't sure whether he was allowed in.
As Clark opened his mouth to speak he was interrupted by the spinning of propellers from the Wayne Industries helicopter coming from above. Both of them craned their necks upwards to look at it. As the helicopter landed the door opened to reveal Bruce Wayne and a rather star struck Chloe.