Born to Fly

By Serena Kenobi

Rating: T

Author's Note: Thank your for your feedback. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: If I owned Superman Returns, I'd already own the DVD right now. But I will.. soon!

Chapter 6 - Heat

Lois was completely astonished to find that Jason didn't say anything about Richard's abrupt departure. He was surprised and hurt, that much was clear, but he calmly ate his breakfast and went off to school, just like any other day. Lois wasn't sure if he was only acting that way in front of her to be brave, but she felt sad for him; after all, he was only five years old and could only take so much.

She drove off to work and got a new assignment from Perry, who told her to write a new article on Superman. What a shocker. Clark wasn't around yet, but she suspected he was doing some Superman heroic work, so she didn't worry about him and started to type on her computer. Glancing at the now broken picture of her, Richard, and Jason, she sighed, picked it up, and put it in a drawer. In its place, she put a photo of just her and Jason.

Richard was not to be seen in the office, but to tell the truth, she hadn't noticed at first. He had made it very clear that he wasn't part of her life anymore, or Jason's, so Lois decided to put him behind her and think about the present. They had both known that they would never really work out. She felt a little guilty at the way things turned out between them, since Richard was such a sweet guy, but she couldn't help it.

She looked up to see Clark rushing through the door, bumping into people and apologizing profusely. Lois couldn't help but giggle slightly at his pretended clumsiness. The grace of Superman certainly didn't show up in Clark's personality, but she knew it was all just so he wouldn't be noticed. When he was about to pass her desk, without looking up, she handed him a coffee. He looked down and stared at it.

"I thought you might want something to help you wake up, Clark," Lois stated, holding out the coffee. He slowly reached and took it, now very surprised.

"Um, gee whiz, t-thanks, Lois," Clark stammered, "You shouldn't have. I'll pay you back right aw-"

"Clark," Lois laughed, "It's okay, I got it for you, you don't have to pay me back. Consider it a 'welcome back' gift," she continued, shrugging. She then turned back to her computer, her mouth curved into a slight smile. Comparing Clark... er, Superman's, different personalities, was amusing. It was odd, though, to see Superman say something like, "Gee", or "Wow, oh golly", or "Swell". Superman certainly didn't say that, but Clark did. Or was that part of the act, too? Probably, she mused.

Clark grinned his crooked grin, feeling more happy than he had in days. "Thanks," he repeated, and sat down at his desk across from hers. He took a sip of the coffee but spilled a little bit on his shirt. He sighed tiredly and searched in his desk drawers for extra napkins or paper towels. Lois bit back a laugh at his awkwardness and took out a few extra napkins from her desk, since Jason needed them constantly. She walked over to Clark's desk and handed him the napkins. He looked up and took them from her, reddening.

"Um, thanks, Lois," he muttered, embarrassed, trying to wipe off his shirt.

Lois chuckled. "Relax, Clark, I spill my coffee all the time. It's no big deal, really. But you'd better get that stain out before it permanently ruins that shirt."

Clark looked down at his shirt and nodded. "Yeah, you're right," he stood up, "I'd better go wash it out with some cold water."

"No, you'll have to use warm water and soap," Lois objected, and thought the better of it for a second before taking his arm and pulling him to a bathroom. "Here, come on, I'll help you." His arm was incredibly muscular, but she herself had no idea of what her closeness was doing to Clark. Her merely touching him was torture, and he wanted nothing more than to sweep her into his arms and kiss her senseless.

"Uh, Clark?" Lois's voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he blinked, looking down at her. She held some paper towels with soap and water on them. "Would you mind taking off your shirt so I can rinse it out and wash it?" she innocently continued, but secretly knew that his Superman suit was under his shirt.

Clark fumbled for an excuse. "Um, well, you see... I..."

Lois understood and nodded, knowing that he didn't want to give away his secret just yet, and she decided to respect that. She would trust him to tell her the truth when he felt comfortable. "Okay then, I'll just wash it off with it on you," she added, and took the part of his shirt on his chest and rubbed it with the paper towel, desperately trying not to get distracted by their closeness. But, oh man, did he smell good. The scent of Superman and Clark combined.

Clark was having the same problem. Lois was looking beautiful, as she always was, and her very close proximity was nearly making his head spin. Neither of them had noticed that their breathing was growing quicker and shorter, or that they were beginning to lean into one another.

"KENT!!" Perry's voice startled them out of their moment, and they broke apart, flushed. Clark looked at her, a bit embarrassed, and Lois cleared her throat, running a hand over her hair.

"I should, um, go see what Perry wants," Clark stammered, and brushed off his shirt, pushing his glasses up self consciously. Lois nodded.

"Yeah, sure," she replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Clark gave her a quick glance of longing before heading off to see what Perry wanted. "Go ahead," Lois whispered distantly, and turned back to her own desk.

Clark entered Perry's office and sat down in a chair opposite Perry. The head of the Daily Planet eyed him for a second before saying, "Listen, Kent, I want you to get me a new article on Superman. Find out where he's been, what he's up to now, and what his plans are for the future. Anyway you can. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," Clark replied, nodding.

Perry stood up and looked out the window. "I'll need you to be working extra hard now that Richard has left," he continued, staring out into the Metropolis late morning view. Clark wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly.

"What?"

Perry turned back to Clark, an eyebrow raised. "Richard just left for Europe," he told Clark, "I thought everyone knew that already, or Lois would've told you, but I guess not. So I need you to kind of... fill his shoes, okay?"

Clark was very surprised that Richard had left. Lois didn't seem upset this morning, so maybe the two of them had broken up, and she obviously didn't care. He was surprised that she hadn't told him yet, though. But now that Richard was obviously out of the picture, where did that leave him? Was he just a friend, colleague, or coworker? He would have to tell her, and tell her soon, or risk losing her. But how to approach her... he could just tell her, as Superman, and bring out the glasses. Or he could go as Clark, and take off the glasses. Either way, it wouldn't be easy to tell her.

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