Lois beckoned for Jimmy to follow her, Perry, Bill Henderson, and Superman as they left the now nearly empty hallway outside the courtroom. The press had been shooed away by the MPD bomb squad. Members of the bomb search team nodded as the little group headed for the back stairway. Lois saw a few questioning looks aimed at Superman, but no one said anything to him, respecting his space. Superman was a hero to these people more than to most other MPD professionals – he was the one most often called to handle the unusual explosives. And they, more than most, knew the effect of kryptonite on him.
He was still looking unwell. He was still pale, head bowed, allowing Henderson and Perry to stay close to him. It was rare that he allowed people so close while in public, aside from those he was rescuing or transporting.
They made it through the back entrance, across the service alley into the adjacent parking garage without incident. Apparently no one thought to look for Superman heading to the parking garage. Perry's silver Passat sedan was parked on the second level, not far from Henderson's unmarked police car.
"I'll let you know if anything else comes up," Henderson promised as he headed off to his own car.
Lois was surprised at how quiet Jimmy had been as they walked. He seemed to be deep in thought as he trailed behind them.
Superman let go of the cape, letting the crimson fabric fall across his back again as it was designed to do. Lois noticed that his color was better, much closer to normal. He was standing straighter as well and it was obvious that the poison had worn off.
"How're you doing?" Perry asked.
"Better," Superman replied. "Thank you." He took a deep breath to clear his lungs, slowly blowing the air out through his nose. "I think I'll head off, get a shower, and get the last of the poison off of me."
"If you see Clark, let him know I'll meet him at his apartment in a little bit," Lois told him. "There're some things I want to check out at the office, first."
"Would you rather he met you there?" Superman asked.
She considered the offer, weighing the pros and cons in her mind. "Only if he feels up to facing the gauntlet." She showed him the back of her left hand and waggled her fingers. The garage lights glittered off the gold band she wore. Facing the office with the news of her and Clark's elopement was going to be almost as hard as dealing with her mother.
Superman nodded then disappeared, leaving only a gust of air behind him. But Lois was positive she'd seen a glimmer of a nervous smile on his face before he vanished.
Perry cleared his throat. "You're not supposed to be in Metropolis, much less the office, until next Monday," he reminded her as he unlocked his car.
"Perry, the FDA versus lil' ol' Doc' Miller and her cosmetics firm became something else entirely two nights ago," Lois reminded him, climbing into the passenger seat. "Six people are dead thanks to her…"
"Seven," Jimmy corrected, closing the back door behind him. "Another one died this morning."
"Seven dead," Lois amended. "And she openly attacked Superman. And don't tell me I'm over reacting or that it wasn't part of some sort of plan. We both know better. Superman and I were both specifically targeted that night. I'm positive the only reason Clark wasn't attacked was because of his remarkable ability to vanish."
Perry pulled the car out of the parking space and maneuvered the sedan out of the garage and onto the street outside. The WGBS van was still stationed outside the courthouse, the crew lying in wait to accost anyone interesting or famous as they left the building.
"They didn't see you when you came in, did they?" Perry asked.
"I came through the back after I was dropped off," Lois explained. "Nobody was watching the back. They were too interested in catching Superman."
There was silence as Perry concentrated on the midday traffic. Jimmy was still unusually quiet, not at all his normally bubbly self. Lois noticed he kept peeking at her out of the corner of his eyes.
"So, when were you and Clark going to let me, and personnel, know about your change in status?" Perry asked, turning the Passat into the parking garage next to the Daily Planet.
"We've only told my dad and his mom, so far," Lois admitted. "And don't you even think about invoking that blasted anti-fraternization rule. That one went by the boards a long time ago, especially since you keep making reservations for me and Clark for rooms with only one bed."
"I wouldn't dream of invoking it," Perry told her. "Besides, you were engaged to my nephew. If I was going to have a fit over something like that, I would have done it a long time ago. Would have saved me a whole lot of accusations of nepotism. Just don't let it get in the way of your jobs. But I know you both know that. And I trust you both not to do anything that would hurt the paper. I don't want a repeat of Norcross and Judd"
"Thanks, Chief," Lois said.
"Oh, and lose the wig," Perry ordered. "It doesn't do a thing for you."
Grinning, she pulled off the wig and ran her fingers through her hair to fluff it up. Perry parked the car, pocketed his keys then led the way into the Daily Planet building, past the security station at the garage entrance.
"I thought I looked pretty good as a biker chick," she said as they entered the elevator, heading for the newsroom floor. Jimmy was still too quiet. "Jimmy, what's wrong?" she asked.
He hung his head. "I thought… I thought you'd at least have told me what you guys per planning. I thought I was your friend."
So that's it. "Uh, Jimmy," Lois began. "We didn't know what we were planning. It just seemed like the right thing to do, so we did. I haven't told my mom or my sister, yet. We haven't even told Jason. So please, keep it quiet."
The elevator doors opened onto the controlled chaos of the Daily Planet bullpen.
Lois strode across the floor to her desk, aware of the curious eyes that followed her. It had been a very long time since she'd walked into the newsroom after coming off an undercover investigation. Most of the staff had never seen her wearing anything but tailored suits. 'The biker babe' outfit she was sporting had to be something of a shock to most of them.
She threw her jacket over the back of her chair and settled down to work. She made a list of what she needed from research – more on Miller's finances and connections. She added information on Nigel Smith, his links to Miller, to Church's attorney Cross, anything else that might link the pair together. Then she logged in to her computer and began outlining her story on the attack on Superman at the courthouse.
Her concentration was broken by an odd hush that fell over the room and a warm hand between her shoulder blades. She looked up and smiled at Clark, abruptly realizing what the hush had meant. The newsroom had never seen Clark in anything but ill-fitting three piece suits. But today he was wearing jeans, boots, and a knit fisherman's sweater. He settled into the chair next to hers.
"Are you okay?" she asked, keeping her voice low.
"Yeah, fine," Clark replied. "Jimmy seems a little upset though. What's going on?"
"He figures we should have at least told him what was going on with us," she explained. "I've asked him to keep it quiet. At least until we've told Jason, Mom, and Lucy. By the way, we're under orders not to do a repeat of Norcross and Judd."
"And they are?" Clark asked.
"You remember. Bill Norcross and Serena Judd?" she said. "One of Perry's favorite warning stories. They were partners when he first made editor. Got involved, got married, nasty divorce. She ended up teaching yoga in Alaska. He fell in a bottle. When he finally dried out he started some sort of cable TV ministry." She handed him her list for research. "What I think we need."
"Add connections to Mindy Church to the list," Clark instructed. "I saw her talking to Miller before I was called into the courtroom."
"You're sure it was Miller?"
"Absolutely. Question is, is Mindy trying to get Church acquitted or convicted?"
"We know he claims she's out to get him," Lois reminded him. "Only nobody was taking it seriously."
"Except you," Clark noted.
"We've both met her," Lois reminded him. "She's nowhere near as stupid as she acts. I just don't understand why people don't see it."
"Preconceptions and misdirection," Clark said with a smile. "Works like a charm. We also need to find out who it was that called Perry to be at the courthouse this morning. He thinks it was someone from Griffin's office."
"Which then begs the question of why the D.A. would want him there?"
"Exactly. And then there's the question of Church's attorney. He claims he knows nothing about Miller and Smith. Only it was his office that gave them permission to be there."
She made additional notes on her pad, drawing lines between the various names. "Want to run down to research and get them on this? I know Perry wants this story on the attack ready for the next edition."
"Ooh, another Superman exclusive for Lois Lane?"
"Smartass," she muttered under her breath. He chuckled.
"Different look for you, isn't it Kent?" a smarmy voice said from behind them. They both looked up to see Ralph Gunderson smirking at them. Clark shrugged and pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Oh, um, hi Ralph," Clark greeted the other man.
"So, have fun in California?"
"If you consider watching people being raped and murdered as 'fun'," Lois responded. "We had loads of fun." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. She made no attempt to hide her dislike of Ralph. She turned back to Clark. "You get that going. I'll finish this. Oh, and if you hear Ralph screaming, don't bother to call Superman. It'll just be me stuffing Ralph's balls in his mouth." She gave him a toothy smile and Clark shuddered unconvincingly.
Ralph paled. "Hey, I was just starting a conversation here," he protested.
"Don't you have work to do?" Lois asked. Ralph backed away.
"Nice ring," he commented before turning to go back to his own desk.
Lois sighed. Just great. Just more grist for the rumor mill.
"Maybe we should just have Perry announce it?" Clark suggested quietly.
"I was hoping we could slip in under the radar," Lois admitted. "Not make a big deal about it."
A wistful, worried expression crossed Clark's face, clouding his blue eyes. "Lois, are you ashamed to admit that we…? I mean… I understand if you think I pushed you into this, what with the drug and all…"
Lois looked up at him, eyes wide with consternation. "Is that what…?" She firmed her expression, taking him by the hand and leading him to the conference room next to Perry's office. She shut the door behind them but didn't bother to lower the blinds.
"Clark, ever since Richard died, everyone's been telling us to wait, that it's too soon to start a relationship. That we have to move past his death first. Hell, even your mother's been saying that we should wait. She and Ben both told me to wait on getting rid of Richard's belongings, that I'd regret it if I moved too soon," Lois told him.
"I think Miller's poison gave us both a big push," Clark admitted. "But I'll understand if…"
"Clark Kent, if you think I'm going to let you go again, you are out of your tiny Kryptonian mind," she told him. She was gratified to see a smile quirking around the corners of his mouth. "I'm just worried about what the hyenas out there are going to say about us moving so quickly. We haven't given them any reason to think we've been working towards this, have we? Except for Perry, I mean. They're all going to think Mad Dog Lane is taking advantage of the poor innocent farmboy who's had a crush on her all these years."
At that he finally chuckled. "Well, they could think that I finally got around to making an honest woman of you."
"You really think they'll think that?"
"No. They're going to be imagining we're both sharing a bed with Superman and since I have ID and a credit card, my name went on the license."
"It's not my fault they have dirty minds," Lois said with a chuckle. "Would you share me with Superman?"
"Of course. Who am I to say 'no' to Superman?"
She glanced out the glass wall to the bullpen. A good number of their fellows had paused in their work and were now watching them with varying degrees of interest. "We seem to be the floorshow." She grinned up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "How's about we given them their money's worth?"
"You left the blinds up," he reminded her.
"Yup." She pulled him into a kiss and he reciprocated. He lifted her easily, setting her bottom on the conference room table. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her. Their kiss deepened, sending her stomach into a wild swirl. "Pity we have to keep our clothes on," she murmured as she came up for air.
"Please do," Perry's voice said from the doorway. "I assume this is your plan on how to let the cat out of the bag?"
"Yup," Lois said, nuzzling Clark's ear.
"Go home," Perry ordered.
"We both have work to finish," Clark managed to say.
"Well, you're not doing it in here, are you?" Perry observed.
"No," Lois admitted. She looked into Clark's eyes, seeing longing there. "We will finish this later, I promise."
"Somewhere more private, I hope," Perry said, but Lois could hear the amusement in his gruff voice. She watched him as he walked back into the bullpen and put up his hands, asking for the attention of the staff.
"In case their little show hasn't clued you in," Perry announced. "Lois Lane and Clark Kent got married yesterday." Except for the muted voices on the overhead monitors and the various mechanical noises of computers and printers, the room had fallen silent. Lois could see the surprise in the faces of those closest to the conference room.
Ralph had actually gone pale. Good.
"Oh crud," Lois said aloud.
"What?" Clark asked as he disentangled himself from her. She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out her cell phone.
"Ron's here and I bet he's already on the phone to Lucy," Lois explained as she opened her phone to dial her mother.
"I'll get started on that research," Clark announced.
She grabbed his arm. "No you don't. I need moral support here, Farmboy," she told him. She turned her attention back to her phone. "Uh, Mom, it's Lois… I just called to give you the good news. Clark and I went to Reno yesterday and got married… Yes, Mom, we'll have a reception in town and I'm sure you and Lucy can help plan it… No Mom, not Mark, Clark. The tall fellow with the glasses. You know, Jason's father...? Yes, I'm sure, Mom… Yes, Mom… Goodbye Mom, talk to you later." She folded up her phone to cut the connection.
"That went better than expected," Clark commented. "Now we just have to tell Jason."
Lois checked her watch. "He's still in school. How about we finish up here then pick him up at school?"
"Your car is still at the airport," he reminded her.
She just looked at him for a moment. "You are so weird sometimes, you know that? We can take a cab, you know. This is Metropolis."
"Mommy!" Jason yelled as he ran across the parking lot toward his mother. Clark smiled as he watched Lois crouch down to give the boy a hug. "Aunt Lucy said you weren't going to come back until next week," Jason continued excitedly.
"Well, we came back for the day to do some things," Lois explained, straightening up and taking his hand. "But we have to go back to California tonight to finish our work there."
"Can you take me with you?" Jason asked, bouncing on his toes and looking from one adult to the other.
"Not this time, kiddo," Clark answered. "But we do have some news that I hope you'll like."
Jason stopped and looked up at the two adults. Then his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "I'm gonna' have a baby brother or sister?"
"What gives you that idea, Jason?" Lois asked.
"Well, that's what Susie's parents told her before they told her that her mommy was going to have a new baby," he explained seriously.
"Well, you don't have to worry about that for a while, munchkin," Lois assured him. "We have different news."
He gave her a puzzled look. "Okay…"
"Clark and I got married yesterday," Lois told him, crouching down again so her eyes were level with his. She watched his face. "That means he's going to move in with us…" She glanced up at Clark. "I assume you're moving in, right?"
He nodded. "I don't have all that much," he assured her.
Jason's face lit up. "You're gonna live with us?"
"Uh huh," Clark agreed.
"But Jason," Lois said carefully. "It also means you'll have to go back to sleeping in your own bed, because Clark will be sleeping in Mommy's big bed."
"But where will you sleep?" Jason asked. His forehead creased in confusion.
"In Mommy's big bed, with Clark."
"Like Daddy did?"
"Yes," she answered simply. Richard's death had been hard on Jason. He still occasionally cried at night, when he thought his mother didn't hear. He cried because his daddy wasn't with them anymore, that bad men had sent his daddy up to God.
"Is Clark going to replace Daddy?"
Clark crouched down beside Lois. This was the hard part, he knew. How to explain to a kindergartener what was happening around him. That his mother was with someone else, someone who wasn't the father he'd know all of his short life.
"Jason, nobody can replace your daddy – Not me, not even Superman. Your daddy was a very special person and nobody can replace him, and we don't ever intend to forget him and we will always miss him. But your mommy and I love each other and we've decided we want to live together and make a family together like you and your mommy and daddy did."
Jason frowned as he studied Clark's face. "What should I call you?"
"What would you like to call me?"
"Not 'Daddy.' He's dead," Jason announced sadly.
"Well, there are other words you could use," Clark explained, straightening up. "We can talk about it later. You don't have to decide right now."
"Okay," Jason agreed. He looked up at Clark, craning his neck. "Does this mean that Grandma Martha is my real Grandma now?"
"Who told you that Grandma Martha wasn't your real grandma?" Lois asked.
"Grandma Ellen," Jason said. His eyes were wide with confusion.
"Jason, despite what Grandma Ellen says, Martha Kent was your real grandma even when we didn't know she was," Lois stated firmly. "So now, where should we go for dinner?"
"Burritos!" Jason yelled, bouncing up and down.
"Maria's Casa del Burrito it is then," Lois agreed.
"You're sure you don't want to take Jason home for the night?" Lucy asked. Lois shook her head.
"We're heading back to Napa tonight," Lois said. "Our laptops are there, and Clark and I still have work to do."
"But I thought the people involved in the attack at the courthouse were in jail?" Lucy said.
"The attackers may be in jail, but the people behind them still haven't been identified," Clark told her. He turned to Lois. "We'd better get going…"
"I'll call you in the morning," Lois promised her sister as she and Clark left the house.
"That all went better than I'd hoped," Lois commented when they arrived back at their room in Napa. "Did you see the look on Ralph's face when Perry announced it to the bullpen?"
"Oh, yes," Clark chuckled. "He looked like he was ready to have a heart attack."
"My mom and dad seem to be handling it pretty well," Lois added. "Although I do expect to be thoroughly embarrassed when she puts together the reception for us."
"Your dad hardly even threatened me," Clark told her. He helped Lois out of her jacket, tossing it on the chair. He kissed her neck just above her collarbone.
"I thought Jason was handling it pretty well," Lois said as he began to move up her neck to her jaw. "It's just going to take him a little while to get used to the idea… Keep that up and we won't be getting any work done tonight."
"You win," Clark muttered. "Let's see what research has sent us…Then we'll attend to other matters…"
He grimaced at her, betraying his disappointment as pulled away from her and pulled his laptop out of its case. The room attendant had been in sometime earlier, made the bed, cleaned the bathroom and put in clean towels and fresh soap.
Lois grabbed her own computer and booted it up. She wasn't especially worried that someone might have accessed either of their machines. Both had top-of-the-line security, including fingerprint readers. Clark's was even more secure than hers – he had a STAR Labs security token for his machine.
Research had sent a mass of data. There was also an email note from Bill Henderson. The Metropolis FBI lab had tentatively confirmed that the poison in the bottles Smith and Miller carried was the same as what was used in Napa. He also noted that D.A. Griffin had spent over an hour with Smith – speculation was that Smith was working on a plea bargain.
"This is interesting," Clark murmured, looking up from his own screen. "The blue bottles are made of leaded glass. DeeDee's looking into who manufactured them."
"How about this one? Church Industries owns a winery in Napa Valley. La Inglesia," Lois read.
"That is interesting," Clark confirmed. "I assume you'll be checking them out tomorrow?"
"I'm thinking we should do it together," she told him. "We have coupons for their wine-tasting. It would look better if we're doing the touristy thing." She looked over at him, catching the bemused look on his face. "One thing I've learned since Jason was born is when I need backup." He raised one eyebrow at her. "Okay, I admit I misjudged the situation when I took Jason with me when I went aboard the Gertrude, but frankly, I wasn't expecting to find Lex Luthor hiding in plain sight, either," she told him.
"Court reconvenes at nine tomorrow," Clark told her. "The bomb squad found more of the poison on the courthouse roof. It looks like someone was trying to feed the poison into the HVAC system."
"But yesterday was warm," Lois reminded him.
"Not only that, but the courthouse is on an energy saving plan that had the heating system turned off and it was still cool enough the AC didn't turn on," Clark told her. "We got lucky. The device the bomb squad found had been triggered, but the poison wasn't dispersed through the whole system."
"I thought the HVAC systems and roof vents on government buildings were supposed to be secured," Lois commented. "Anti-terrorist precautions after the Spires came down."
"Lois, we both know how easy it is to get around most of those 'security measures'," he reminded her. "Those are only there to keep honest people out."
Lois skimmed through the rest of the documents research had sent her. "No word on why Griffin's office wanted Perry at the courthouse?"
"I asked Gil and Bobby to look into it," Clark told her. "They're looking into Miller and Smith's connection to Cross as well, but I'm betting that Cross is telling the truth, that he didn't know anything about it. He was with Bill Church when Superman was attacked. He was at risk, too."
"Which means it was someone in his office," Lois observed. "And Cross, Caulder, and Associates isn't exactly a small law firm."
"Gil and Bobby are pretty good," Clark said. "They'll find something."
Lois shut down her computer then reached to the ceiling in a long stretch. She watched Clark's face as he watched her. "In the meantime, we have other things we can do," she murmured.
"Yes, we do," he agreed with a smile.