Episode 11x02 Metropolis

She slowly shifted her body toward the warm heat emitting next to her. She ran her hand through his soft hair as he licked her face.

Lois sat up in bed and scowled when she realized Shelby was in bed with her instead of Clark.

She fell back onto the bed in defeat. "Ugh Shelby… Stop that... You're hardly the big warm body I wanted in my bed thankyouverymuch…"

She playfully pushed the wriggling dog off the bed.

"I guess Clark didn't make it home after all…" Lois sighed as she walked with Shelby out of their bedroom towards the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee before she showered.

"It's ok…" Lois yawned." It's not like I was looking forward to a little alone time with my fiancé… if you know what I mean…" she winked at the excited dog as he happily followed her to the kitchen.

The aroma of coffee let her know that her fiancé had already been there. She bit her lip in amusement when she saw the bright red tulips sitting on top of the table and walked over to them with a grin on her face. Leaning over the table she inhaled the sweet scent and giggled.

"God Lois… Stop acting like such a girl…" she shook her head as she reached for the note on top of the flowers.

Good Morning! Sorry about last night and this morning. The league needed me down in South America but I'll be back for lunch… Hopefully… I miss you already…

Love Clark

She smiled broadly as she reread his note. "Seriously Shelbs, he stops to bring me flowers, a note, and he puts the coffee on… he's going to get so lucky if I can ever get my hands on him…" Lois said as she made her way back to the bathroom to get ready for another day in the busy city of Metropolis.

Sometimes, being a hero really got in the way. He'd had time to leave her the flowers and let Shelby into the bedroom. Clark smiled with amusement imagining her face when she woke up cuddled up to the dog instead of him. He laughed out loud, his laughter carrying off into the wind. But the truth was he'd much rather be lying in bed with his fiancé. Since the day before their botched wedding he hadn't gotten to spend any real time with Lois and he hated it. He knew she supported him and his destiny but there wasn't anything in his world more important than her and he needed to make sure she understood that. Plus not spending time with Lois made him moody, Oliver had said. Bart and the rest of the team had agreed quickly. Clark scowled. They were late.

She loved being at the Planet with the hustle and bustle of a busy newsroom. This was where Lois was always meant to be. There was only one place that felt better. She blushed when a secret smile graced her face. Being with Clark had really turned her into a sap. She distractedly backed into her office, stopping when she saw a pair of men's shoes resting on her desk.

"Finally!" Lois said a smile on her face as she spun around.

"Well Hello to you too Laney. I didn't think you'd be that excited to see me…" he winked.

"What are you doing here?" she rolled her eyes at him. "And what are you doing lounging on my desk?" She groaned as she slapped his feet off. He grabbed Lois pulling her onto his lap.

Clark walked into her office. The smile on his face from earlier fell to a frown. "LOIS!"

"Ahhh hell!" Lois groaned as she jumped up. "This is SO not what it looks like, Smallville!" She said as she proceeded to punch her old friend on the shoulder.

"Ok…" Clark slowly adjusted his tie trying to control his temper. "What is it then?"

Lois could swear she just saw red flash in eyes and not in the way she normally enjoys seeing it flash either. She stepped in Clark's line of vision wondering if her soon to be ex-friend knew how close he was to turning into a crispy critter.

"Well let me guess you must be the fiancé? Not exactly what I pictured. I'm…"

"An old friend…" Lois cut him off. "From when I was kid and daddy used to drag me around the world."

" Yes. I'm the fiancé. And who exactly are you?" Clark asked not liking the smug smirk on the other man's face at all.

"Oh, pardon my manners. I'm Bruce. Bruce Wayne." He offered his hand out to Clark.

Bruce was enjoying himself immensely wondering just how far he could push the super powered being. Bruce was pretty sure he was right in his assumption that Clark Kent and The Blur now Superman, were one and the same.

"Clark Kent…" he responded taking Bruce's hand in his. Lois looked on horrified at the clear display of male aggression as they proceeded to squeeze each other's hands.

"Ok!" Lois said as she threw her hand over theirs. "That's enough of that. I am still in the room. And for the record Clark, Bruce is being an ass… it's kind of a permanent condition. And Bruce, stop messing with Clark… we both know you're in no way actually interested."

She was exasperated with both men.

Clark squeezed Bruce's hand just a smidge harder before he finally let go. He moved as close to Lois' side as he possibly could without literally hauling her into his side. Lois raised her eyebrow at him with annoyance knowing he was already marking his territory around her.

"Wait! Bruce Wayne? As in Wayne Industries?" Clark asked.

"The one and only. But please call me Bruce. Laney does."

Clark looked at Lois. "Laney?"

"Didn't I already tell you to stop calling me that?" Lois clenched her teeth.

"Another Billionaire? Really?" Clark asked with an eye roll. He turned to Lois with more annoyance than earlier.

What was with him and billionaires and why were all the women he dated constantly surrounded by them?

Lex's private jet landed in a small airstrip on the outskirts of Paris. He'd finally tracked down his elusive ex-wife. It turned out Lana Lang-Luthor had a flair for the dramatic. Since he'd found her hiding in plain sight teaching art in a small village under the name of Laura Leger. It was clear that he'd married her for more than just her pretty face.

He was right outside her classroom at the end of the school day and he could hear her encouraging words to her students.

"C'est ça…" she was smiling at the one blonde haired boy who smiled up at her.

"l'image dans votre esprit en premier…" she winked at a bright-eyed girl clearly in the throes of hero worship.

"Et juste laisser couler…."

He felt as entranced by her as her students. He wondered what went wrong. Why he'd ever let this enchantress go.

The bell rang bringing him back to reality.

"Au revoir, à demain… " She called as they all left. She was putting her things away with her back to him when she spoke.

"What do want Lex? Haven't we done this dance enough times already?"

He had to admit he was impressed. She had made no indication she knew he was even there.

"Well?" Lana asked exasperated as she turned towards him.

What did he want? She'd hoped he'd just forget about her but then again she knew Lex better than that. She supposed she could've asked Clark for protection but that no longer felt right. He'd moved on and while a part of her would always miss him she was happy the ride was over.

"Look, haven't we done this already…. Shanghai comes to mind… It never ends well, Lex."

"Laura Leger… I have to say its brilliant… Your mother's name and your father's name in French... But it might have worked better if you'd resisted the urge to alliterate." Lex smirked hoping she wouldn't see past his façade at the anxiety he was actually feeling.

"Maybe we could go somewhere and talk…" Lex said leading her out the door with his hand reaching her lower back.

Lana glanced down at his hand quirked an eyebrow.

She was intrigued it'd been some time since Lex was this out right congenial. He clearly wanted something and she'd play long. She knew how to play this game better than anyone.

"Ok, but only because I expect you to forget you found me afterwards." She said as she reached for her purse leading him to the nearby café.

"What are you even doing here?" Lois asked trying to get a handle on the deteriorating exchange.

"Oh… I just wanted to make sure I was around in case you needed saving again…" Bruce answered with a wide grin. It was clear to Lois that he was enjoying himself.

"Again?" she heard Clark blurt out.

Lois just threw herself back onto the sofa in exasperation.

"Tsk tsk… Bad girl, Laney, not telling the fiancé about our adventure…" Bruce really was enjoying himself. He'd forgotten how much fun he had whenever he was any where near the lovely Miss Lane.

"Lois. What haven't you been telling me?"

Lois looked at Bruce wishing she were the one that could shoot fire out of her eyes after hearing the concern in Clark's voice.

Clark was feeling completely out of the loop. Lois hadn't said anything to him last night. Of course he'd had to leave the minute he'd set her on their roof. And Bruce Wayne… just how well did they know each other he wondered with annoyance.

"Ok he's..." she was pointing at Bruce as she continued. "He's exaggerating. I had everything under control." Lois finished purposely speaking to only Clark.

"Oh, sure that's why you were stuck under Lex's desk just as he was about to sit behind it." Bruce winked leaning his back on the closed door as he crossed his arms.

He'd also been curious about "the back from the dead" Lex Luthor. Not to mention wanting to prove his theory about Superman/Clark Kent. But he didn't see why he couldn't enjoy himself in the process.

"Ugh! Could you stop talking?" Lois growled rolling her eyes at Bruce. Though usually she enjoyed her old friend this was not how she'd have had him meet Clark.

Plus another part of her couldn't help but wonder what Batman wanted in Metropolis as well.

"You didn't mention any of this last night Lois." Clark said with a frown.

"Hmmm... trouble in paradise..." Bruce debated dropping hints about the kiss but he was pretty sure Lois wouldn't forgive him for it. And well it could prove useful in proving his theory, he smiled to himself.

"Hmmm… Bruce why don't you tell us what you're doing in Metropolis… And if you brought your night owl friend along for the ride." Lois asked hoping that mentioning his alter ego would finally put a mussel on him.

Bruce smiled down at her. "Never leave home without him"

"Your very own AMEX card… how sweet…." Lois smirked.

Clark looked back and forth between the two, clearly they were talking in code and Clark didn't like it one bit.

He cleared his throat. "Am I interrupting again? Should I leave you two alone?"

"Clark…" Lois sighed. This was new territory for her. How does one introduce one's kinda sort of ex-boyfriend whose still very much a friend and just a friend to your fiancé? Lois was feeling a bit out of her debt. Clark was usually the one with the awkward, emotional relationship baggage not her.

"Well that's my cue to go..." Bruce said as he walked out the door with a knowing smirk.

Clark was about to walk after Bruce when Lois jumped up to stop him. "Clark, will you stop letting him bait you like that?" Lois asked. "Bruce is just an old friend. Nothing more… there's no need to go all 'me Tarzan, you Jane' on him." She smiled trying to insert a bit of levity into the situation.

"Oh? So you didn't go to Lex's penthouse without me? And you didn't need help getting out of there? Oh and let me remind you that you were sitting on his lap when I walked in?" Clark asked his voice rising at every interval.

She was taken aback at first. Clark didn't talk to her like that ever. It was clear that he was really upset but then her Lane instincts took over. Like the General always says "never admit defeat".

"First of all…" she started while poking her finger at his chest. "When exactly was I supposed to fill you in? You've been MIA all night and morning…. Second, Investigative Re. Port. Er. Clark! It means investigating's kinda a big part of the job. And I can't sit at home and knit while I wait for my big strong man to investigate for me. I mean have we met!" She mocked extended her hand. "Lois. Lois Lane, Daily Planet."

"That's not the point, Lois, and you know it!" Clark said. She had a point and he knew it. He also knew that he'd be reacting a lot better to the information had he not walked in to her sitting on another man's lap. He was jealous. He was man enough to admit it.

"Really? Then what is the point?" Lois frowned with her hands on her hips.

"Ididn'tlikeseeingyouonhislapok…" Clark mumbled.

"What? Is Clark Kent admitting he was jealous?" Lois asked raising an eyebrow. She'd won this round and they both knew it.

"Don't go gloating now, Lane. You still have a lot of explaining to do too." He said as he reached for her pulling her into his embrace.

She smiled up him. "And I had every intention of filling you in on everything as soon as I saw you."

"I'm sorry about that, Lois. I know I've been gone a lot lately. I just… I didn't…"

"Clark, it's ok. I get it. You've gone global and now that you've gone public you can't just speed off. You'll find a balance and in the mean time we'll take our time when we can get it."

"Well I wish I could get it now." Clark said making Lois laugh which in turn made me him blush.

" Lois, I wasn't… that's not…"

She laughingly gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I get it, Smallville, no worries. But Freud really would have a field day with you."

He really was adorable. Especially when he blushed.

He cleared his throat again trying to refocus the conversation. "And what about Bruce Wayne? Are you going to fill me in on what that little back and forth pertaining to night owls was all about?"

Lois didn't know what to do. She didn't want to keep anything from him but he better than most should understand that it wasn't her secret to tell.

"Hmmm... what…?"

Clark's cell rang.

"It's mom… guess you've been saved by the bell." He frowned as he picked up Martha's call.

"Clark! Good! I'm so glad I caught you." Her anxiety was clear to him in every word.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Clark asked as Lois turned toward him with concern etched on her features.

Clark tilted the phone so that Lois could listen in on the call.

"Oh Clark, I was trying so hard not to tell him anything until… I don't know I guess I was just hoping that when I told him about Tess I'd have good news." Martha ended on sigh.

"So where is Conner now, Mom?" Clark asked.

"I don't know… that's why I was calling you. I was hoping he'd go straight to you."

"Maybe he's at the Hospital?" Lois tried.

"Oh hi honey, I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"No of course not… we're always happy to hear from you, mom." She said with a smile hiding their earlier disagreement.

"Mom, what exactly did he find out?" Clark asked.

"That's just it sweetheart… I can't be sure! It could've just been that she's in the hospital or that Lex stabbed her… Clark, what if he went…" She didn't even finish her sentence as she felt the whoosh on the line. "Lois, was that Clark speeding off I just heard?"

"Yeah…" Lois sighed. "Am I ever going to get used to that?"

"Probably not dear… probably not…" Martha smiled knowingly at the young woman's voice on the line.

He sat at the edge of the ottoman lost in thought as she stretched awake noticing his presence.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Chloe asked bringing Oliver out of his thoughts.

"What? Oh… why would I want to disturb such a lovely sight?" he asked with the charming smile he was so famous for firmly in place.

She smiled back a bit sadly. "You should've woke me up; I'm always here to listen to you."

"I'm sorry, Chlo. I'm just feeling a bit out of sorts lately… I'm not sure if I'm happy about once again having my secret identity. I mean thank you for acting so quickly…"

"I'm sorry Ollie… maybe I should've asked you before I erased all of the footage of you actually admitting you were Green Arrow but when I realized that Darkseid had possessed so many and that they seemed to only remember bits and pieces of what had been happening over the last 6 months… I just thought it was the perfect time to set something right…"

"Don't get me wrong… It does make my life easier…hell it makes your life easier… I don't know what I'm saying… It's just if you could do that why haven't you…"

"Rejoined the world as Chloe Sullivan?"

"Well… yeah…"

"I don't know… I'm not ready? She isn't who I am anymore..." she shrugged before smiling softly. "I… I… love you."

"I love you too." He leaned in to drop a chaste kiss on her lips before getting up from the ottoman and walked away to change out of his Green Arrow clothes and head back to the office.

"Where is he? He almost killed her and he's not going to get away with it!" Clark could hear Conner's voice as he flew into Lex's office.

He was relieved to see he was in his superboy outfit. At least he wouldn't have to explain to everyone what Clark Kent's cousin was doing terrorizing Luthor employees while using superpowers.

"Superboy! Stand down this is not time or the place. You're better than this." Clark's voice was deeper and more intimidating.

Conner dropped the half conscious guard. "I… is…" Conner lowered his head knowing he should've controlled himself better. The idea that someone, his father… creator… it was just too weird… had stabbed his sister filled him with rage. Tess always took care of him and protected him he should've been there to do the same for her.

" I should've protected her." He whispered a voice only another super being could hear.

" I know the feeling." Superman said as he led the boy out and flew them to the hospital.

"I'm sorry about…" Conner said to Clark as they landed behind the alley of the hospital.

"No permanent damage done. But you have to think about these things. And don't think I don't understand the urge to want to track down Lex and hold him accountable, but that's not the way."

They changed into civilian clothes made their way toward her room silently.

Conner finally spoke. "It's just that she's always taken care of me and the one time she needed me to-"

"Conner, you can't blame yourself for this." He said as he rested his hand on the boys shoulder.

"So, apparently your knack for guilt is genetic. That's good to know." Lois said with amusement in her voice as she approached them.

She rubbed Conner's arm soothingly. "How about you go in there and let her know you're here…"

She nodded towards the door. Conner smiled with a nod of his head before walking in.

"Genetic?" Clark, quirked an eyebrow with a grin.

"Now… Now… Smallville don't go getting your tights in a twist." Lois said as she leaned up to whisper in his ear.

Clark laughed. "Well then it's a good thing I keep you around. Since you always manage to put a smile on my face."

"Keep me around, huh?" she smirked as she straightened his tie. He put his hand over hers.

"What?" Lois asked stopping what she was doing.

"You really have you know…" Clark said with seriousness dripping in his voice." You've always just made it all weigh less, right from the beginning."

Lois smiled softly. "Teenage Clark might disagree with that. I recall he was often quiet put out with me."

Clark smiled back at her. "Put out…? I guess that's one way to put it. And yeah, I don't think teenage me was ready to appreciate your particular brand of honesty. But even he would admit that he desperately needed someone around that didn't let him take himself so seriously."

"Hmmmm…. Is Clarkie saying that he liked me?" she dragged out clearly enjoying herself.

Clark cleared his throat. "Well, at the risk of sleeping on the couch I wouldn't go that far. But I can say that teenage Clark was very… very… very aware of the young Miss Lane. And although I never would've admitted it, I loved bickering with you."

Lois laughed.

"Kicking you out of bed might hurt me just as much…" she said in that sultry voice she knew drove him crazy as she twirled her fingers through his tie.

He pulled her in just a bit closer, but she leaned back just out of his reach.

"Oh, and I totally knew you were checking me out. Cause hello! I'm hot and you were a teenage boy. How could you resist all this?" she asked sweeping a hand over herself as his eyes followed along.

"How could I indeed." he agreed as he leaned in to kiss her.

Oliver smiled as he walked by his friends. They hadn't even noticed his presence. It was nice seeing them so happy. Somebody needed to be and after everything they'd been through they definitely deserved it.

He didn't like how he left things with Chloe. It seemed like she was pulling away and he couldn't say he blamed her but it was clear he wasn't as ready to move on as he had thought he was. Had he been hiding behind the safety of his relationship with Chloe? It was uncomplicated and easy. Had Chloe being doing the same? Was she healing from the pain of losing Jimmy?

"I'm so sorry Tess…" Oliver heard Conner saying as he walked into the room.

"Hey Kid…" Oliver greeted with a grin. He frowned when Conner flashed him a scowl. "You did nothing wrong, Conner… she didn't tell any of us what she was doing…"

Conner wiped a tear from his eye as he looked back up at the older man. "It's just…"

"Trust me on this one, I understand. But she wouldn't want either of us to blame ourselves for what happened. And I'm sure she knew that we never would've just let her go to that psycho's den without back up."

Suddenly Oliver remembered whom he was talking to. "Sorry… I…"

Conner waved him off. "It's cool. I know I'm technically related to him. But my family is Tess, Clark, Lois, and Martha. They're the people that love me and that's what family is, right?"

"You're absolutely right." Oliver nodded with a soft smile. "And we'll make sure Lex doesn't go unpunished. So don't worry about that either."

"Oh man. Did Clark tell you what I did?"

Oliver laughed. "No. But he didn't have to. The cameras I have watching LexCorp were happy to though. But don't worry I made sure they all got wiped and it'll just be your word against theirs about what actually happened."

"Thanks. You know for looking out…"

Ollie laughed. "Well you're not an 'official' member yet but you're still part of this team and we always have each other's backs."