It Can Be
On Monday morning, the bullpen was hopping and Clark couldn't get Lois alone for a minute in order to reveal the true identity of the Red Blue Blur. The day previous could've been a quiet Sunday where, sitting across from Lois on the couch, he could've shared the most intimate details of his life. Instead, he had spent the majority of the day in heroics while Lois had further investigated the information left by Lana.
Around lunch time, things began to settle down and Lois came to his desk, perching on her usual spot and looking down at him, a quirky smile on her face. Usually that smile meant that she had found a lead to chase. Holding in the breath he wanted to exhale, he reached for her hand, rubbing the pad of his thumb over her knuckles. "Hey, Lois, you have that face on."
"What face?" she queried, trying to suppress the look.
"The one that means you have a great idea for a story. The one that lands you in the middle of some crazy mess. The one where you almost die and the Red Blue Blur has to save you."
"Oh, Smallville," she replied, bending at the waist to give him a quick peck on the nose. "You know me so well."
Grimacing, Clark waited for Lois to tell him what lead she had found, and wondered how he could dissuade her from chasing it until after lunch. It was time the truth came out. But a soft voice in his ear gave him pause. "Lana's here," he told Lois, wondering why she had entered the Daily Planet and wishing she hadn't. It would be that much harder to tell Lois the truth with her hanging around.
"Lana?" Lois did not seem to be pleased with it either. "Well, you should be excited. Especially since you love her so much."
Noting the hint of teasing in her voice, Clark just rolled his eyes, placing a hand on Lois' knee so she wouldn't move.
"How do you know she's coming anyway?"
How he knew would take longer than thirty seconds to explain so he opted to, instead, greet the woman who was now approaching them.
"Lois, Clark," she said, sending them both a warm smile.
Both regarded her warily. "Hi Lana," said Clark at last.
"Lana," echoed Lois, icily.
Wringing her hands, she appeared very nervous. "I know what both of you must think of me after Saturday…and all I can say is sorry. I was hoping that the two of you would join me for lunch?"
After a shared look, Lois clapped her boyfriend on the back. "Clark here can but I have a lead to chase."
Swiveling his head to give Lois a look of death, which she completely ignored, Clark said out of the side of his mouth, "Sounds great Lana."
"Good," said Lana. "Now? Or should I meet you later…"
"Now's fine," replied Clark, trying desperately to hide his grimace. Fortunately, Lana didn't seem to notice. Lois, on the other hand, did. With one jab in the ribs, and a flash of a smile, she bid the two goodbye, declaring that she hoped they just had a 'peachy' time. After sending Lois one last glare, Clark followed Lana up the stairs, out of the basement and into the bright sunlight of midday.
"So," chirped Lana spinning around. "What do you feel like eating?"
Knowing that Lana had was partial to Chinese, he almost suggested a place down the street he had discovered with Lois. Reflecting upon the times he had spent there with Lois, he bit his tongue. "There's a great deli right over there," he told her, indicating the place with a finger.
The idea seemed to settle well with her and soon the two were seated together at a table, about to partake of the deli's giant sandwiches. Lana sunk her teeth into the turkey she had ordered letting out a moan of pleasure as soon as the food was in her mouth. "This is delicious," she commented, taking another bite.
Watching her for a moment, Clark refrained from eating. In his mind, he couldn't help but recall the one time he had eaten there with Lois. She had ordered a turkey/roast beef/salami combo and had finished the sandwich, taking humongous bites, before Clark had finished his. When he had pointed out the fast consumption of the meal, she had told him that constantly running around the city in order to find a story left her famished. At the memory, he chuckled, causing Lana to stop in mid sentence.
"How is that funny?"
Pressing his lips together gave Clark a few seconds before answering. "Um…sorry Lana. I was spacing out. You were saying?"
- - - - - -
Across town, Lois stepped out of her taxi and onto the sidewalk, paying the driver while keeping an eye over her shoulder. Once the taxi pulled away from the curb, Lois smoothed down her top and headed towards the restaurant. In an effort to appear inconspicuous, she informed the hostess that she was meeting a friend there. The hostess, of course, had no reason to doubt Lois' story and soon Lois was sitting at a table conveniently located near the back of the dimly lit building. The menu soon covered most of her face. Her eyes peaked out over the top, scanning for a certain congressmen and a certain lobbyist. Sure, the two could've been friends simply sharing a nice lunch. But Lois had learned never to take anything at face value and, more importantly, never to trust a congressman. Especially one about to propose a bill that a particular lobbyist group had interests in.
"Would like anything to drink while you decide on what to eat?" came a cheery male voice.
Glancing up at the waiter, Lois refrained from shooting him a dirty look. Couldn't afford offending the help and risk getting thrown out of the establishment. It had happened one too many times in Lois' past so Lois had grown rather good at being polite, even to those who were impeding an investigation. "I'd like some coffee. And, actually, I think I'll have a starter salad while I wait for my date."
Nodding, the waiter left, taking his cheerfulness with him.
Sighing, Lois immediately returned to her former task, her eyes bouncing off every patron. Several minutes passed by before Lois gave up. Whoever had leaked that information to her had apparently been wrong. The trip amounted to nothing then and Clark was in another part of town sharing a cozy midday meal with his ex. Feeling like kicking herself, Lois was prepared to leave when a voice stopped her.
"Why, Ms. Lane. What are you doing here?"
The man who belonged to the voice slid into the seat opposite her, regarding her with eyes only half open.
All the noise around her faded away as their eyes locked. Then, slowly, she spoke the words that had flooded to her brain upon first seeing him. "So Lana was right."
- - - - - - -
Propping her chin on her hand, Lana attempted her best at polite listening.
Unfortunately, doing so was not an easy task since all Clark wanted to talk about was his adventures with Lois. As he droned on about Lois finding herself at the wrong end of the barrel of a gun, yet again, Lana wondered if her plan to win back Clark's affections would prove successful. The light in Clark's eyes as he talked about how Lois had managed to escape the gun man, without the help of the Red Blue Blur, known to a select few as Clark Kent, led Lana to believe that her mission could only end in failure.
Seeming to realize that he had been talking too much, Clark cleared his throat, then asked Lana if she had liked her lunch.
Looking down at the barely eaten sandwich, Lana told him that she had but just wasn't feeling that hungry. Hearing countless stories about Lois and Clark made it difficult to keep anything down.
An awkward silence settled between the two before Clark, checking his watch, told her he probably should be getting back to work.
Holding in a sigh, Lana rose, discarding the sandwich she probably wouldn't get around to eating later anyway.
They made their way across the street to stand in front of the Daily Planet then each waited for the other to say the first word.
Blinking rapidly, Lana decided that it must be she who spoke. Part of her wanted to tell him that she was staying in Metropolis and hoped that they could stay in contact. But that was part of the plan and she could tell that Clark was far too much in love with Lois for the plan to work. "I'm moving," she informed without really thinking about her words.
"Moving?" Clark appeared surprised but not upset. "Where are you moving to?"
She hadn't really thought that far ahead but, suddenly, she remembered a friend who had offered to help her had she ever decided to move to his city. "Gotham. I ran into Pete some months back and he told me that he would always be willing to help me settle there."
"Sounds you have it all figured out."
Truth be told, she didn't but there was no way she would inform Clark about that piece of information. Smiling, she went up on her tiptoes to give Clark a peck of a kiss on his cheek. Holding back tears, she came back down on her feet and asked, "Even though I'll be in Gotham, do you still think we can be friends?"
"Of course," he assured her, smiling as if to emphasize his point.
Not at all happy with his answer, because she had been hoping for a strong no and a kiss to make her forget everything but him, she sent him a smile back that masked her real emotions. "So I guess I'll see you…sometime later then." Hailing a cab, she looked back, hating the "goodbye" that fell from his lips. Once in the taxi, she turned her cab, feeling a pang in her heart as Lois walked to stand beside Clark.
It seemed to be the place she belonged.
- - - - - - -
"Should I be jealous?"
Turning toward his girlfriend, Clark suppressed a smile. "Oh. You saw the kiss, did you? Well, Lois, you should be jealous. I had a wonderful time at lunch with Lana and we're thinking about resuming our relationship."
Rolling her eyes, Lois ignored his comment and grabbed his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. "What did you two talk about?"
Sensing that something else was on her mind, he skimmed over that topic, asking her, instead, what was wrong.
She hesitated a minute, then said, "Lana was right. Lex Luthor is alive and I just had lunch with him."
After the initial shock wore off, Clark asked, "You had WHAT with him?"
"Lunch. With him." A slight shiver went down Lois' spine and she moved closer to Clark, as if he could get rid of her inward chill. "The congressman wasn't there. Lex was the one who tipped me. He wanted to meet me there."
"Did he do anything to hurt you?" Clark asked, wrapping his free arm around her waist and holding even tighter to her hand.
"No. He said he wanted me to write the story about his return. I refused but couldn't tear myself without finding out if what Lana discovered was true."
"And?"
Quietly, Lois began the story of her meeting with Lex Luthor.
"Why Ms. Lane. What are you doing here?"
"So Lana was right."
The bald man took the other seat at the table and sent her a smile that created a chill in her bones. "That I'm alive? Yes, Lana was right about that."
Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned back in the chair, not allowing herself to appear in the least bit intimidated by him. "You were the one who tipped me about the congressman, weren't you?"
His smile turned arrogantly smug as he rested his forearms on the table. "That's right Lois. How smart of you to figure out."
"Why did you want me to meet me here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I want you to write my story."
Wary of making anything that even resembled a deal with Lex Luthor, yet knowing it would make a great story, Lois considered his offer. It only took a second for her to realize it was a bad idea. "You can write your own story," she had spat at him.
One eyebrow raised at her response. "So, Clark's gotten to you, has he? Do you realize that an interview with Lex Luthor, recently returned from the grave, would be the biggest headline of the year?"
Feeling the need to deflate his ego, she had informed of an ever bigger story. "Biggest story of the year? I do believe you're referring to the interview I will get with the Red Blue Blur."
At the mention of the super hero, Lex slammed an open palm onto the table, causing the flower centerpiece to quiver. "The Red Blue Blur? Do you even know what he is?"
"A hero," was Lois' only reply.
"A hero?" echoed Lex indignantly. "He's an alien. And I found out who he was before…" Pausing, the man had raised shaking fingers to his lips, as if to stop himself from any further comment he might've made.
Unfortunately for him, Lois already knew. "Before you transferred all your memories to your new body?" His eyes narrowed at him but Lois wasn't about to stop. "Lana's info revealed that the real Lex Luthor is dead and that you are just a clone. Too bad not all of your memories were implanted. You've got holes up there, don't you Lex?"
Growing angrier by the second, but keeping himself from anymore outbursts that would only dray attention, Lex's eyes bored into Lois'. "You would never be able to prove any of that."
"I don't care to. The world isn't interested in the resurrection story of a billionaire madman anyway. As I said before, the Red Blue Blur is more popular. More popular than you'll ever be."
A storm was brewing behind Lex's eyes but he held it at bay. Standing, he gave her one last disdainful look before leaving without another word.
After he had gone, Lois let out a deep breath then unclenched the hands that she held tightly in her lap throughout the whole conversation with Lex. It was clear now who had kidnapped her in order to get the attention of the Red Blue Blur. It could only have been Lex.
"Are you sure?" Clark asked when Lois had finished telling him about her ordeal at lunch. "Sure that it was Lex?"
"Who else could it have been? He thinks the Red Blue Blur is an alien and is clearly jealous of him. I was the bait to trap our favorite superhero."
Swallowing, Clark nodded his head, though inside he was boiling at the thought of Lex trying to harm his Lois, especially in order to find out Clark's secret identity. "We should get back to work." Placing a hand on the small of her back, he guided her toward the entrance of the building.
Perplexed by Clark's lack of interest in the subject, Lois scrunched her brow, only to come to a stop, Clark bumping into her from behind, as the very person they had just been discussing appeared before him, Cat Grant close by his side.
"We meet again Ms. Lane," Lex said, completely ignoring Clark.
"Hi Lois, Clark," Cat sang, grinning at the two of them. "Guess which journalist will be writing tomorrow's top story?"
At Lois' face becoming stone, Lex stepped forward and placed a hand on Lois' arm. "You had your chance Lois. But if you ever want to meet over dinner for different reasons, I'm always available."
Puffing out his chest, Clark claimed Lois' arm from Lex and almost whispered, "She won't be interested."
Annoyed, Lois pulled her arm away from Clark and crossed both arms over her chest. "I can speak for myself." Looking at Lex, she narrowed her eyes. "I would never be interested and not just because I'm dating Clark."
Amused at the prospect of Lois and Clark being a couple, Lex let out a hoot of laughter. "It can't be! Lois and Clark? Together?"
"It can be and it is," said Lois firmly, taking Clark's hand and leading him away.
They hadn't gotten far when Clark brought them both a halt, grabbing her free hand with his. "I love it when you're possessive," he told her, leaning in to give her a kiss, not pausing to consider that Lois had never before been overtly possessive of him.
Grinning, she released his hands only to connect hers behind his neck. "I guess I should be possessive more often then…"
The Lana situation was a little anti-climactic, I know, but I don't like tons of angst. Anyway, it was more fun to have her be hopeless because Clark loves Lois so much more than he ever loved Lana... But Clark STILL hasn't told Lois the truth...