.069 Thunder
It's the roar of thunder that wakes her up, followed closely by a blinding flash of lightning that illuminates the entire apartment through the window, the light searing through her closed eyelids. A few seconds later, she hears another kind of thundering, as someone starts pounding on her door.
"Hold your freaking horses," she growls under her breath as she gets up from the couch.
They'd fallen asleep where they were sitting, curled up together on the couch, and a quick glance at the clock shows that they'd barely been asleep for an hour. Well, she'd been asleep; Clark, somehow, is still asleep, his head pillowed on his arm as he slumps against the arm of the couch. Lois knows he's got to be beyond exhausted to be able to sleep through all the racket, and she vows to kill whoever's at the door.
She jerks open the door, impatiently, startling the man standing on the other side. He has his fist raised to start pounding, yet again, but he lowers his arm and even backs up a step when he sees Lois's glare directed his way.
"Can I help you?" she grits out, blocking the doorway with her body when the man attempts to look inside.
"I'm here to see Clark Kent," the man says, brusquely. "I know he's here."
"And if he is?" Lois asks, her voice chilly as she stares down the tall man.
He looks vaguely familiar, but she can't quite put her finger on where she knows him from. She knows that part of that is because she's tired; if she hadn't been so wound up, earlier, she'd probably still be asleep next to Clark, no matter who was at the door.
"I have business with Mr. Kent," the man replies, breaking into her thoughts. "Urgent business."
That voice is still irritatingly familiar, and after a few seconds of digging through her memory, she places him. Carter Hall, one of the founding members of the Justice League that she'd written about a few months earlier. He looks nothing like his prison mug shot, which is probably why she didn't recognize him.
"Superhero business?" she asks, softly, a challenging note in her voice.
She doesn't know the guy's relationship with Clark, but if he's here to hassle him, he's going to be in for a surprise. Hall's eyes widen, slightly, narrowing with suspicion a few moments later, but she's not going to back down.
"Lois, it's okay." Clark's voice is quiet behind her, and she looks back to see him standing at her shoulder, looking at the man still standing in the hallway. "What's up, Carter?"
"What about her?" Hall asks, tipping his head toward Lois, shooting Clark a significant look.
"I trust Lois with everything," Clark replies, slinging an arm over her shoulders before she can say anything.
They share a quick look, and then Lois steps back, letting Hall move past her into the apartment. He paces as she shuts the door, full of pent-up energy.
"What's wrong?" Clark asks, without preamble.
"Your buddy, Queen, is missing in action," Hall replies, shortly. "Watchtower lost contact with him right in the middle of his mission. He said there was something coming after him, but it wasn't Kandorians."
"They're all gone," Clark reassures him. "When was the last time anyone had contact with Oliver?"
"Around midnight," Hall tells him. "Transmitters are down, satellites are offline, and it took us this long just to track you down."
"Let's get going," Clark says, grabbing his battered trench coat off the back of the couch. "Lois-"
"You do your thing, and I'll do mine," she replies, pushing down any worry for Oliver's safety. There's nothing she can do for him, and constantly thinking about it is only going to drive her insane.
"I'm going to head in to work and think of a story for tonight that doesn't involve the words 'alien-sucking vortex'," she continues.
"Does there have to be a story?" Hall asks. "Can't you just keep everything quiet?"
"Keep it quiet?" Lois echoes, incredulously. "Guess you missed the part where the sky lit up like people were lighting off fireworks?"
"Dr. Fate was right about you," Hall says, a wry smile on his face. "Ready, Kent?" he continues, maddeningly leaving her in suspense.
"See you later," Clark tells her, leaning down and kissing her, gently.
Lois deepens the kiss, holding on until she hears an impatient grumble from behind her, and she hides a smirk at the irritated look on Hall's face.
"Stay safe," she tells Clark, watching as the men walk out the door.