And away we go. Chapter 2, hope you all enjoy.

/

Clark finally looked up from the desk when he heard a knock on his office door. "Yea?"

The door opened slowly, giving way for Ian's head to pop in. "Hey Clark. This a good time?"

"I called you Ian, so I think this is a good time. Come on, get in here."

Walking through the door quickly, Ian moved to shut the door before a hand slipped in, stopping it. Looking up, Clark saw Whitney slip into the room as well. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Lana were going to stick around the hospital?"

Whitney shook his head. "Lois' old man kept tossing questions my way, talking about the service and all that. After the third time I defended my CO, I could tell he was getting antsy to yell at someone else. I put Riley outside the door before he tried to throw all of us out of there."

Clark just nodded. "Thanks." Turning back to Ian, he stood up from his desk. "Did you get the report?"

Ian nodded. "Yea. I managed to get it from the incoming ER doc." Holding up an envelope, he shifted nervously.

"Well, have you looked through it yet Ian?"

Swallowing nervously, Ian nodded. "I did yea. And it… it doesn't look good Clark."

Crossing his arms, Clark chuckled humorlessly. "I saw her Ian, I know it's not good. But I need details and I'm pretty sure the doctors have been… warned… not to talk to me about this case."

Whitney raised his arm, calling the other men's attention. "I uh… might have heard the good general calling someone and requesting his own investigation. So we're definitely working against the clock here."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Clark sighed. "So let's get to it. What did you find Ian?"

Sitting on the couch, Ian opened the envelope and pulled the contents from it. "Well, you know she was found outside the station here…"

"But that's not where she was… hurt." Clark added.

Whitney looked up to his friend. "What makes you say that Bossman?"

Rubbing his eyes again, Clark continued, "There's not enough blood out there to match what everyone said she looked like. There's some contact on the wall and a small pool on the ground. But no splatter, nothing that looks like she was hit out there."

Ian raised his eyebrows, but continued. "She had a major cranial laceration, which as you of all people know bleeds much more freely. There's also a jagged gash on her right cheek, the accompanying bruising looks like she was slapped and a piece of jewelry might have done it. A bad bruise to her left eye and a fracture of the orbital bone. Her arms are bruised, showing she was held roughly. And uh…" Flipping to the next page, Ian grew quiet. Looking over to Whitney, he didn't say anything for a few tense moments.

"Ian! What is it you're not telling me?"

Looking back to Clark, Ian took a deep breath and slid his glasses off. "While there are no signs of actual… sexual trauma… bruising shows she was definitely groped and… handled."

Clark's hands tensed on the edge of his desk, deep breaths the only noise in the room. Whitney and Ian didn't move, knowing the next person to twitch would most likely earn Clark's wrath.

The door swung open quickly and one of the rookie deputies taken on in the past year rushed in. "Sheriff, you gotta hear…" Deputy Daniels stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the look on Clark's face, realizing he just stepped in it majorly.

Ian leaned back on the couch, choosing to look at the birds in the tree outside the window rather than what was about to happen to the deputy. Whitney sat staring wide-eyed, part of him saying to look away and the other wanting to see what happens.

Clark walked up to the deputy slowly, speaking in a calm and collected voice. "What?"

Daniels gulped, visibly shaking. "Well… ummm… we… we found uh… we… there's… the…"

Clark reached his hand out, placing it on Daniel's shoulder… and slowly tightening his grip. "Daniels… what is it?"

"!"

Clark's eyes cleared up quickly. "Where exactly?"

"East, out past Loeb Bridge on the Elbow."

Clark looked up, wheels obviously turning in his mind.

"Uh Bossman… do I really need to say what we're all thinking?"

Clark shook his head. "No. I know what's out there." Looking down at Daniels, Clark loosened his grip on the man's shoulder. "Is the car still out there?"

Daniels gulped again, shaking his head. He winced when he felt the grip tighten again. "We got pictures, measurements, evidence and we had it brought back here. There were rumors of someone being brought in from the outside trying to take over and we know this one's personal Sheriff. It was by the book, just… quicker."

A small grin tilted the corner of Clark's lips. Patting the shorter man on the head, he nodded. "Good Deputy. Get a cookie out of the break room." Clark pushed past him and was already moving out of the office before Whitney and Ian made it to their feet.

Stopping at the deputy, Ian smirked. "Hey, you made it through your first crisis with the bossman and you're alive. Good job." Patting him on the shoulder, Whitney left to follow Clark and Ian to look over the new evidence.

Left alone in the office, Deputy Daniels finally took a shaky breath and stumbled back against the door. "That… that wasn't so bad." Daniels jumped suddenly when he heard a bang, ducking behind the edge of the door and looking out… to see someone had dropped a box of printer paper. Wiping his face, Daniels forced himself to calm down. "Cookie… I get a cookie. Gonna go get that cookie."

/

Sitting outside the car, Clark rubbed his hands over his hair, grunting. "This car is never this clean. The one time it would help when she leaves a note or scrap of paper, and her car is completely clean. What the hell?"

Ian sighed. "Well, at least we have an idea that the perp didn't do this…" he added, holding up the receipt they had found from a car detailing service in the glove compartment from three days earlier.

Whitney nodded. "Yea. Pina Colada. I would have gone for new car smell personally, but that's just me."

Throwing the gloves he had worn against the wall, Clark stood and paced, all the while grumbling under his breath. Leaning against the table, Clark stared at the floor. "Lois wouldn't have gone easily. She wouldn't just let someone push her around like that without fighting back. There's got to be something, some evidence she fought back."

Whitney sighed. "Clark, she might not have been able to. She had a head wound, she might have been unconscious."

Clark shook his head. "No. She's too stubborn to make it that easy."

Ian stood up suddenly and made his way to the file on the table. Opening it up, he flipped through the pages, reading over them and then dropping the file, slamming his hand down onto it. "Of course. Her nails."

"What about them?" Clark looked over at the file.

Ian pointed to an entry on the page. "There was blood and skin particles under her nails. SOP was for it to be sent off for analysis, but the results weren't in by the time I grabbed the file." Reaching into his pocket Ian pulled his cell phone out, dialing a number quickly from memory.

Clark and Whitney tried to listen in, but too many big words were being tossed around too quickly.

Finally shutting the phone, Ian crossed back to them grinning. "It wasn't hers. She scratched whoever did this. We have the DNA."

Clark's face lit up. "Is there a match?"

Ian shook his head. "Nothing yet. But it's a broad search, we have no idea where to narrow it down by yet."

Rubbing his chin, Clark looked up. "It's something at least."

Whitney walked over to the table to stand by the two men. "Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room? We all know where this car was found. And what's out there."

Clark nodded. "I know Whitney. Luthorcorp. But you know we better damn well have our ducks in a row if we go knocking on that door." Moving from the table, Clark headed for the door to the garage. "Keep me in the loop, I'll be back in a while."

"Where you going Bossman?"

"Metropolis. Lois had to have notes about what she was working on somewhere." Nodding at them, he pulled the door open. "And thanks. I know we're walking right on the border with this one."

Whitney laughed, but Ian was the first to speak up. "The rules get boring. Why else do you think I'm still working here instead of making more money in the city? It's never dull for too long with you guys lately."

Clark really laughed for the first time since this all started. "I guess… thanks?" Waving he was out the door.

Whitney looked over at Ian. "You really got offered more money?"

Ian nodded. "A good bit. But I'd have to move to the city, and we're thinking about starting a family soon. So that doesn't look too appealing." Putting the files back in the envelope he smiled. "You haven't received offers? Even Clark was offered a job with Metropolis PD."

Whitney tapped his fingers against his chin. "Well damn. I guess I'm not that special after all."

Ian sighed, patting his friend on the back. "Oh Whitney, don't say that. You're definitely… special. Very special." With that, Ian left the garage heading back to the offices.

Whitney grinned as he started to put equipment back into place. Suddenly he looked up, staring at the wall. "He didn't mean that in a good way."

He heard snickering from behind him and noticed a deputy looking through the supply cage across the floor.

"Duh," the deputy chuckled to himself before turning to walk out of the cage and bumped right into Whitney.

"You say something newbie?"

"Ummm… no sir. Nothing at all."

Whitney nodded to him. "Got some work to be doing?"

The deputy nodded quickly before rushing past him and out of the garage, leaving Whitney chuckling to himself again. "Let's see brain boy do that. I am special."

/

Letting himself into the apartment, Clark shut the door quietly. Making his way to Lois' office, he flipped the light switch on, zeroing in on the desk and the files strewn over it. Smiling, he let out a deep breath. "Car might be clean but at least some things are still the same."

Sitting at the desk Clark started going over the papers, looking for anything that would give him a link to whoever hurt Lois. After making it through several stacks of obligatory files on businesses and politicians the paper most likely had her looking into, he found an unmarked folder. Opening it he found several police reports on women who had been assaulted in the Metropolis area. Some had similar injuries to Lois, and some had been hurt even worse.

"What do you think you're doing here?"

Looking up, Clark saw the one man he didn't want to standing in the office doorway. "I'm trying to find out who hurt Lois. You know… your daughter?"

General Lane grunted. "I thought I told you that you weren't wanted anywhere near this?"

"No sir, you told me I wasn't wanted at the hospital, which I believe is merely your opinion. I'm trying to find out who hurt Lois and planted her on my doorstep."

"Have you looked at any of the men you've put away? I'm sure they'd try to get revenge on you by going after your friend."

Clark stood behind the desk. "Lois means more to me than a friend, as much as you don't want to acknowledge it. And my people are looking into all leads at the moment."

The general stepped further into the room. "Tell your 'people' that they aren't needed. I have called in a team to look into this. They're professionals."

"So am I."

General Lane chuckled dryly. "Oh yes, you've done a wonderful job keeping control of things in your own town. As you said, she was left on your very doorstep Kent."

Putting his hands on the desk, Clark leaned closer to the general. "Ever stop to think that maybe it wasn't me someone was sending a message to here?"

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Clark smirked. "I mean Fort Ryan isn't that far from Smallville or Metropolis. And I'm pretty sure it's safe to say you've pissed off a good many recruits in your time around here. Maybe this should really be laid at your feet, General." Clark nearly spat the last word out.

"I will not be talked to like that by a backwoods rent-a-cop!"

"I'm not one of your grunts, I don't have to watch my tone. What's wrong, you can't take a little of your own medicine General? Not so fun when the blame is aimed at you is it?"

General Lane tossed his hat onto the desk, lips curling in a snarl. "You watch your mouth you little bastard, don't forget who you're talking to here!"

"I haven't forgotten. But I find it ironic that the first time you start acting like a father is when your daughter is unconscious in a hospital and unable to call you on your bullshit!"

Unbuttoning his jacket, General Lane smoldered with rage. "That's it. You're going to learn respect for once in your life Kent."

Clark grinned as he walked around the desk. "You're going to tech me respect, sir? You sure you're not going to break a hip?"

"I would figure that at some point in your past you'd have gotten some sense beat into your thick skull."

Clark chuckled. "As much as I'd like to take the bait and put you in a hospital bed right next to your daughter, I'd hate to be the one who had to tell Lois I'm the guy who kicked her old man's ass. That might really put a damper on things when I ask her to marry me, sir."

Clark had to admit that for his age, Sam Lane was still pretty fast. And pretty strong. The punch coming at him quickly connected with his jaw and sent him over the desk, falling to the floor in a pile of files and papers.

"Anything else you want to add, smartass?" Lane stood across the desk, smirking down at the young man on the floor.

Clark stood up quickly, blinking his eyes and whistling. "Wow. Ok, you got a little fuel in the tank still. I didn't hurt your hand did I?"

General Lane grunted again. "You just don't know when to quit do you?"

Clark held his hands up. "I'd be more than happy to pay you back right now, but someone needs to be looking for whoever hurt Lois. Besides…" Rubbing his thumb across the gash in his lip, Clark smirked. "I'm gonna be the bigger man and walk away." Picking up his cap, Clark moved to push past the general on his way out of the office. "And that's assault of an officer. Don't leave town General. I might be seeing you again real soon." Smiling, Clark walked out of the office, heading for the front door.

"You're a cocky little shit, Kent. You will never marry my daughter, not as long as I'm breathing."

Shutting the door to the apartment Clark gripped his jaw, wincing. "Damn that hurt." Walking down the hall, Clark pulled his shirt up and reached under it, pulling the unmarked file from where he tucked it into his jeans to sneak it out. He knew the General would never have let him walk out with it, and he was too sharp not to notice him sneaking it into his pocket. The punch hurt, but it was necessary.

Flipping his cell phone open, Clark punched in a speed dial. "Whitney, make sure Ian's ready to work when I get back, I think we have a lead." Cutting the call off, Clark stepped into the elevator and hit the ground floor. "Alright Lois. Now we got something."