Note: Chloe and Lois have a small talk...

Chapter 2: "Man in Tights"

Chloe was finishing off some research she was doing when all of a sudden the phone started ringing. She recognized the ringtone. She picked up. "So, how did she take it?"

"Chloe, Lois is missing." Clark answered with a more than nervous tone. "Have you heard from her?"

Chloe walked out of her lab. "No. But what happened?"

"I got to her apartment and when I came out of the bathroom, I saw she was gone."

"How was the apartment? Maybe someone must have kidnapped her."

"The apartment was fine, but the door was wide open. I've been trying to call her, but her phone is turned off." His voice was getting more and more strained. He was such an idiot! How had he not heard someone come into the apartment--or heard her cry for help?!

Chloe let out a sigh. "Alright, Clark. Just calm down."

"Chloe, how do you want me to be calm?!"

"Look, I'll help you look for her. I'll go to McDonald, see if he had anything to do with it. Are you taking the skies?"

"Yes." He did another scan through Metropolis as he flew high in the air. Still, no sign of her.

"Give me a call if you--"

"Yes, Clark. I'll call you if I find anything," Chloe said as she grabbed her coat by the door. "And if you find her, give me a call." She hung up the phone and opened the door.

And right there waiting for her was Lois, looking almost lost.

Chloe let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God, Lois." She hugged her cousin. "What happened? Clark just called, freaked out."

Lois let out a sigh of her own. She felt exhausted for some reason. She dragged her feet into the apartment. "Call him and tell him I'm alright."

Chloe shut the door and frowned. This was odd behavior from Lois. "Lois, what is it?"

Lois shook her head a bit and went to sit on the couch. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Did you and Clark have a fight."

Lois just shook her head.

"Then why did you leave?"

Lois opened her mouth to say something, but then she shut it right away. She wanted to tell Chloe, she really did. But she wasn't so sure if that was a bright idea. She didn't want her little cousin going through shock by finding out that her best friend had been keeping this kind of big secret from them all this time.

Chloe went towards Lois and sat right next to her. "Lois…?"

Lois shook her head a bit. "It's nothing, Chloe…."

"I'm not buying it, Lois."

Lois didn't know what to say. Why the hell had she come here? She should have just left off to the park instead of coming here! I'm such an idiot!

The look on Lois' face seemed a little familiar to Chloe. It was the same expression she had when…. And then, it hit her. Her eyes widened, "You know."

Lois' head snapped up. "What?"

"Clark's secret. You found out."

Lois frowned. "You know it too?"

Chloe gave her a small smile. "Yeah."

Lois didn't want to say another word, though. Chloe might know another secret of Clark's. Lois didn't want to get the wrong idea and reveal something she shouldn't to Chloe.

Chloe knew that Lois knew, but she could tell that Lois doubted if they were referring to the same secret. She decided to give Lois some evidence that they were both talking about the same thing. "It has to do with those blue tights he keeps hidden."

That was proof enough for Lois. "Yeah."

Chloe smiled.

"How long have you known?" Lois asked.

"For about 8 years." She braced herself for Lois' fury.

However, Lois didn't give one sign of anger, just more shock. "That long?"

Chloe frowned.

Lois was silent for a moment.

"Lois…what are you thinking?"

"Why I couldn't I have fallen for a normal guy?"

Chloe chuckled. "I don't know. You seem to make a habit of it."

Lois shook her head and let out a sigh. "I was destined to fall in love with a man in tights," Lois muttered as she got up from her seat.

It was amazing that just yesterday she believed Smallville and Superman to have been two distinctive people. Now…she knew the truth. They were one in the same. This sudden news was shaking her world.

"How the hell did I miss it?" Lois she walked back to the couch. "I mean, all this time, trying to uncover Superman's secret identity…. And it was there, staring me right in the face all this time!" She shook her head in disbelief as she took a seat.

Chloe couldn't hold back from grinning. "Yeah, you were a real idiot. I mean, come on, Lois. All you had to do was imagine him with his glasses off!" She thought she heard her son give a cry, so she turned towards the hall. However, she didn't hear anything else. She was grateful that Jimmy was fast asleep as well.

A text came into her phone and Chloe checked it. She had completely forgotten about Clark! She read the message and wrote a quick reply. Once she sat her phone down, she promised herself not to touch it again until Lois needed her.

Lois groaned. "I know, I know! Don't remind me!" She had been beating herself up over it already. She didn't need Chloe to add her two damn cents in. She then saw Chloe's phone go off from another text message. Lois let out a sigh. She could only imagine who that could be. "Were you texting Clark?"

Chloe nodded. "Since you turned off your phone and are not answering any calls right now, he got extremely paranoid. He ran throughout the entire streets and is now calling everyone. I told him to calm down and that you're here with me."

"Does he know…? You know…does he know that I know?" She still had not said aloud what it was that she knew. She couldn't bring herself to say it. Maybe because it would make it more real.

Chloe nodded. "Yeah. I told him you'd give him the details later, but that right now you needed a little space."

"What did he say back?" A little nervousness crept inside of Lois. She felt like she was in junior high, getting her little cousin to fend her problems for her. What happened to the fearless, independent Lois Lane?

Chloe chuckled. She too felt like an 8th grader because of her best friend and cousin. "He keeps bugging me about how you're taking it."

"And what did you say?" Yep. Totally,junior high!

"I told him you're in shock and to leave me alone because right now, it's not about him. He may be my best friend, but you, Lois Lane, are my cousin. You need me more than he does," Chloe said in all honesty. "He may be freaking out, but he can handle it."

Lois let out a breath. She should have thought about his reaction before she left her apartment. She regretted leaving in such a hurry. She should have left a note or something; giving him at least a lie of where she was going--like the store. She knew he was worried as hell and wanted to kick herself for putting him through it.

Then, a million thoughts began to run through her head once again and before she knew it, she was long gone. Even though her body was there, sitting right next to Chloe, her mind was somewhere else.

Chloe suddenly turned serious. She could only imagine what Lois was going through. To discover that your boyfriend was none other than Superman, had to be shaking you pretty bad.

Chloe remembered how it was for her when she first found out the truth about Clark, but that had been different. Clark had not been the big superhero he now was. He had not been the protector of all Metropolis then.

This was definitely different. Lois was different. Because as strong and as tough as she came out to be on the outside, Lois was one with insecurities on the inside. She was known for stepping aside and biting her tongue about her feelings when she felt she was standing in the way of someone fulfilling their destiny. She had done it plenty of times with her father and then with Oliver. In Lois' mind, she was not worthy to be first priority to a man that ranked high in society.

Chloe truly believed that one of the main reasons why Lois had totally committed herself in her relationship with Clark was because she believed they were both on the same level. Neither one of them made a big impact in the world, nor did they hold immense power in their hands.

I've been so wrong, a quick thought flickered in Lois' mind.

Lois let out a long sigh. She was suddenly getting a headache.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Chloe curiously.

Lois thought for half a second for her response. "Who the hell gave him the ok on wearing the underwear outside of his tights?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. She should have known that her cousin was not going to be honest right away.

"No, I'm serious. Did Martha think it was a cute idea?" Lois mocked.

Chloe chuckled. "How did you figure that Martha had anything to do with his wardrobe selection?"

Lois arched a brow. "Please. Everyone in Smallville knows how much of a momma's boy Clark Kent is. I bet Jonathan would have never approved. Now there was a man that would have never been caught dead wearing nothing but his underwear."

"Can you please refocus?" Chloe demanded.

Lois let out a sigh. Chloe was not going to let this go. "What do you want me to say, Chloe?"

"Tell me how you're feeling? And spare me the sarcasm, please," Chloe added.

Lois didn't say a word. She just stared at her feet and became lost in her thoughts.

"Lois?" Chloe couldn't stand the silence. Lois was such a chatterbox 24 hours a day!

But Lois said nothing. Chloe decided that she had to pull out the words out of Lois' head. "So…you're obviously shocked--that part is clear."

Lois nodded her head, with the same blank look still on her face.

Chloe frowned. "Are you angry?"

Lois slowly shook her head no.

"Frustrated?"

Another shake, no.

"Pissed?"

A third shake.

"Feeling…disappointed?"

A small shrug.

"Sad?"

Another small shrug.

Chloe let out a sigh. "Then what?! Lois, you really are scaring me here. Talk! If you don't let this out, it's just gonna eat you up inside and that is definitely not what you want to do."

Silence.

Chloe's patience had come to an extreme low. She pulled Lois' face towards her own and made her eyes meet hers. "Lois, look at me. It's me: Chloe. Your cousin. One of the very few people that you can trust with telling anything."

Lois just stared at her for several seconds, while still only half-way present.

Her cousin gave her one of her smiles and took her hand in both of hers. "What is it?"

Lois let out breath and finally told Chloe. "I understand."

Chloe frowned. This was not what she was expecting out of Lois. She had been almost positive that once Lois found out about Clark's secret she was going to go through four stages: disappointment--because he had lied to her, anger--she would sure give Clark a few punches, cool off--she would gather her thoughts and calm herself down, and finally acceptance--she would not leave him, but stand by him more than ever. And Lois was not following that pattern.

Lois Lane did not rationalize until after she gave into anger first. How was it that throughout this whole talk with her, Lois had still not given any signs to Chloe that she was frustrated with Clark?

Staring at her now, Chloe suspected that this might not be her real cousin. Maybe Lois was going through an episode of the Body Snatchers or something. Had she and Clark made another trip through the Phantom Zone, or something? That would make a lot more sense than what she was witnessing right now.

Chloe studied her cousin's face for a while. It didn't take her long to see that there was a bit of sadness in Lois' eyes. "You know…he was going to tell you tonight."

That brought Lois Lane back from her thoughts.

Chloe figured that her cousin had to know what Clark had told her earlier that day. She didn't want Lois to think that Clark had not fully trusted her or cared about her enough to tell her the truth about his deep secret. That accusation would have been farther from the truth.

Clark had always hated lying to Lois about his secret.

"He even got the League to watch the streets the entire night so that he could spend it all the time with you…to tell you," Chloe said with a smile.

Lois returned it. "I wonder if he would have, if I hadn't caught him."

"I know that he would have," Chloe said with absolute certainty. "You should have seen the determination in his eyes, Lois. I've never seen it that strong before in him. He's been wanting to tell you forever, but he never once mentioned actually telling you…not until this morning."

Lois gave a smile and looked away. Her thoughts were beginning to get a little too crowded for her right now. She really felt that she had to get some clear air. So, she began to stand up.

Chloe followed. "Where are you going?" she asked with great concern.

Lois let out a breath. "For a walk. I need to clear my head."

"I'll go with you." Chloe went to get her jacket. She wasn't about to leave Lois alone at this moment.

However, Lois found it ridiculous. "Chloe! What if the baby needs you?" Yeah, her nephew was certainly the perfect excuse for Chloe to leave her be.

"Jimmy is here." Chloe slipped on her jacket.

Damn. Forgot about the damn photographer. Lois rolled her eyes. "Please. Jimmy can barely take care of himself."

Chloe sent her a death stare. "Don't take your anger out on me or my husband. Just because your boyfriend kept this big, dark secret from you doesn't give you the right to be mean." Even though she said the words, Chloe didn't mean them at all. She was actually very glad that Lois was following the second stage, anger.

"I'm not mad, Chloe, I just…." Lois tried to rub away the ache that was now starting to take over her head. "I…need to be alone." She looked at Chloe straight in the eye. "I want to gather up my thoughts. This news is…huge and I kinda need a…big breather right now."

Chloe nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry, Lo. It's just that…I don't want you to feel as if you're alone on this. You have me to help you through it. Hell, I was more than shocked myself. But I saw that it got better the more I talked to Martha--since she was the only other one that knew about his secret."

Lois gave her a little smile. "You'd think that someone like Superman didn't need protection…."

Chloe chuckled. "Well…it's true. Superman doesn't need protection. But…Clark certainly does."

Lois gave a small nod and began to head towards the door.

"Call me to let me know how you're doing."

Lois opened the door. "I will." She gave her cousin a nice hug. "Thanks for the small talk, coz."

"Anytime, big cousin."

With a small smile, Lois left the Olsen home, with Chloe staring after her with a concerned face.

As soon as Lois was out of eyesight, Chloe picked up the phone and dialed Clark's number.

She was not the cousin now, she was the best friend.

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Lois strolled around the empty, dark street by herself, reliving these last two hours in her head. Still determining what to do about it…and what to say to Clark. How to go back to Clark. She really did not know how she was going to react right when she went back to her apartment…and faced him.

What was she gonna say? What would he say to her?

She let out a groan. Ugh. This was without a doubt the most exhausting nights of her entire life. When was it going to end?

Lois passed the park and came to a bench. Her feet were hurting. She figured she sit for a while before continuing on.

Lois looked down at her shoes. Yeah, should have put on the comfy shoes right when I got home. With that thought, Lois kicked off her heels off. Once they were free, she wiggled her toe.

She looked up at the sky and let out a sigh. Yep. This had been the perfect idea.

For the next thirty minutes, Lois stared up at the sky and thought of nothing. She didn't allow her head to get clouded by worry. She just wanted to get lost in this beauty that was standing right in front of her eyes.

Then, she figured it was time for her to get up and walk again. She had rested enough.

So, she pushed in her heels again and continued where she had left off.

And as she was walking, she felt as if something was following her.

She immediately got on her guard.

"Hey, there sugar," came a sleazy voice from the shadows right then.

Lois shook her head. How right she had been. "Not now," she muttered under her breath. She really did not have the energy for this right now.

"Whatcha got in that purse?" a second voice asked.

Yeah, she really didn't have the energy now. Maybe if she ignored them…. Her steps continued on a steady pace.

"Hey! We're talking to you!"

Great, she thought. There's three of these goons!

She continued to ignore the three assholes.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and swung her around.

"Give me the damn purse!" The third guy yanked Lois by the arms towards him.

Lois acted on instinct. She drove her right hook right onto the guy's nose.

He let out a groan and dropped her.

The other two acted on instinct as well. They marched towards her, prepared to use force on her now too.

Lois balanced herself quickly and scanned her surroundings. She needed to see what she could use to defend herself. However, there was nothing but grass, trees, and a bench she was too light to carry a few yards away. This is just my day!

Then, their hands were on her.

"Don't touch me!" she warned. She kicked one on the shins and hit the other on the face with her left elbow. She then gave them each a blow on their privates.

Both let go of her immediately to sooth themselves.

Suddenly, there were a pair of arms around her. It was the third mugger.

"Let go of me!" she screamed on top of her lungs.

Lois struggled against the man's arms. She swung herself forward with all her might and when she felt that his feet were no longer touching the ground, she pushed off the ground and caused him to lose his balance.

And with the energy she had built up, she swung her body forward one more time. Only this time, she was able to swing him slightly over her shoulder. When he stumbled on the grounds, she gave him a strong kick.

She thought that she was finally done with these guys and had given them a lesson; but when she turned around she saw she was wrong…once again.

There, staring her right in the face, was a loaded gun.

Lois let out a sigh. "Great," she muttered.

The mugger took off the safety and pushed it more towards her face. "Now, you're gonna wish you hadn't messed with us." An evil and creepy smile spread across his face as his two partners gave chuckles.

Lois swallowed and scanned her area again quickly, planning her next move.

"Don't even think about it," the mugger with the gun warned. "I'll blow your head off if you try anything funny one more time. And believe me…you don't want to test me."

Just then one of the other muggers had grabbed her from behind. His mouth was real close to her own.

"And you don't want to test me," came a deep voice from behind them.

All three muggers turned to meet the voice and gasped once they saw his voice.

Lois didn't dare turn around. She didn't need to see who it was, she already knew. She knew it all too well.
"Let her go, before you regret it," the man warned.

Then, the men were out of there.

Lois was a bit too skittish to turn around and meet the man's face.

Clark swallowed. Chloe had already told him that Lois knew and he honestly didn't know how to react to this. Was he thrilled that she knew? Or was he down about it? Because, in all honesty, he really did want to be the one to tell her the truth.

His entire face grew red just looking at her from behind. He then grew the nerve to say something. "Need a ride home?"

Lois' heart pounded fast. She had taken many flights with the man before and not one of those times had she ever hesitated. But now….

"Or would you rather go on foot?"

Lois took a deep breath. She slowly turned around and met his gaze. And her heart almost stopped as she stared at him in his red and blue suit. Totally weird. "Flying is fine."

Clark nodded. "Ok." He slowly walked over to her. And when he reached her, he gave a slight hesitation before he wrapped his arms around her.

Lois' breathing stopped. His arms…. She had been embraced by both Superman and Clark. How had she never noticed?

He looked at her intently and swallowed deep. And without another word, he jumped off to the air.

Lois' arms wrapped tighter against his neck and she felt his own breath stop for a moment as well.

Next Chapter: Lois and Clark talk... ;)