Friends or Lovers?

Folc4evernaday | Rated: M| Chapter 2

Clark stared at his computer monitor in a trance. He had been blindsided by Lois' revelation. Lois knew. She knew he was Superman. She knew he had been lying to her since the day Superman had arrived on the scene. He knew she would be upset when he told her the truth, but he hadn't planned for this. He hadn't planned on Lois figuring it out. Her figuring it out herself wasn't going to bode well for him at all.

Clark looked up from his screen when Lois re-entered the newsroom. He watched her take her seat and get to work. She sorted through some papers and began typing up notes. She was professional and in control to the outside observer.

She was a wreck and he knew it.

Perry stuck his head outside of his office door and called, "Lois, Clark, in my office."

They both exchanged looks. Clark looked down at his feet in shame immediately after meeting Lois' glare. They both headed toward Perry's office in silence.

Clark opened the door and entered Perry's office behind Lois.

"What is it, Chief?" Lois asked as the door closed behind them.

"Lois, Clark, I'd like to introduce you to," Perry began as he gestured to the guest in his office.

Lois and Clark immediately recognized the man as the mysterious visitor they had evaded earlier at Mayson Drake's office. "You!" they accused in unison.

" — Agent Scardino," Perry finished. "I assume you have already met?"

"Small world." Agent Scardino grinned at the two of them.

"AGENT Scardino?" Lois inquired as she circled the man in question.

"Oh, please, call me Daniel," he replied.

"Why didn't you identify yourself at Mayson's office?" Clark inquired.

"What and spoil all our fun? By the way, you have got to show me how you did that trick with burning my foot. I've never lost anyone I've had at gunpoint until today; what was that? A trick laser or something?" Scardino inquired, changing the subject.

"Sorry, can't be giving out my secrets," Clark replied with a smug grin.

"What's the harm in sharing?" Scardino asked.

"Is there a problem here?" Perry butted in.

"There is if Agent Scardino is Washington's idea of solving Mayson's murder," Clark accused.

"Washington had nothing to do with it. In fact, they sort of suggested I keep my distance. They have this crazy idea I'm some sort of loose cannon." Agent Scardino shot Lois a dazzling smile. She shifted uncomfortably and rolled her eyes.

Clark caught the gesture but ignored it. He smiled inwardly at Lois' reaction to the man's obvious flirtation with her. "I wonder where they'd get a crazy idea like that." Clark snapped his fingers for emphasis.

Lois cornered Scardino once more. "If you're not here officially then why are you here?"

"Because, I know the man who designed the bomb that killed Mayson Drake, a con by the name of Sean McCarthy," Scardino replied emotionally.

Perry interjected once more into the conversation, "The guy responsible for that series of drug-related bombings in '89?"

Scardino nodded. "The same. I lost someone very close to me in one of those bombings."

Lois shot him a sympathetic look and then looked towards Clark. What would she ever do if she lost Clark?

Clark was still a bit skeptical. Agent Scardino just rubbed him the wrong way and he didn't like the way he kept eying Lois. "I thought McCarthy died in prison three weeks ago?"

Scardino smiled. "So they say. The hit on the D.A. says otherwise. I know McCarthy's M.O. like the back of my hand. I was the one who put him in prison. Somehow he's out there again. And I'm gonna nail him."

Clark replied, "So, your idea of solving Mayson's murder is looking for a dead man?"

Glad that Clark had essentially caught on, Scardino shot Clark a 100-watt smile. "I guess you could say that. So if you come across any information that might help, I'd appreciate you letting me know. I'm staying at the Bristol." He handed Clark a card and got up to leave the office. Clark just shook his head in disbelief. There was no way he was going to share information with this clown. He was obviously a loose cannon.

Agent Scardino stopped and turned to Lois. "Please, don't take this the wrong way. But are those eyelashes real?"

Lois shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze. "Of course they're real."

"Boy, they're pretty," he replied.

Lois stared at him for a moment in disbelief. She wasn't used to a man hitting on her so openly. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or offended. Getting a hold of herself she smiled and shot back, "Agent Scardino, those lines may have worked for you up in Washington, but this is Metropolis and they do NOT work here." She then proceeded to exit the office.

Clark followed behind, laughing to himself as he left the office. Agent Scardino just stared on in interest while Perry wore an amused look on his face. Clark smiled to himself as his super hearing picked up the small talk between Perry and Scardino.

"Is she seeing anyone?"

"Son, you are WAY out of your league."

Lois sat down heavily at her desk and stared at her monitor in disgust. She had no idea what to do about the story or Clark. She watched as Clark came up behind her and took the seat at his desk. He keyed in a few strokes and then picked up the phone. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm trying to see if I can find Sean McCarthy's obit." At her confused look, he shrugged. "He's the only lead we have right now." He then turned his attention to the person on the other end of the phone line. After a brief conversation, he hung up then keyed in a few more strokes on his keyboard. "Ah-ha. Survived by his mother, Colleen McCarthy."

Lois managed a weak smile. "I guess we owe her a visit."

"Yeah." He sadly looked at Lois then mentally shook himself. "You ready?"

She nodded, "Let's go."

Lois let out an exasperated groan as they entered the Jeep later that afternoon. Clark laughed at her antics as he closed the door behind him.

"Come on, Lois, it wasn't that bad. At least we got the letters."

"Yes, we got the letters after listening to how 'adorable' her Sean was for only God knows how many hours. No wonder the man turned to crime; the woman is a nut!"

"Lo-is"

"It's true, and you know it."

"Yeah. Now we have to figure out who tried to blow her house up. Someone obviously doesn't want these letters to be found."

"I don't know. In that last letter, it sounded like he knew he was going to die."

"Maybe … "

Lois recognized the look he was giving her. He wasn't thinking about the story right now. "What?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"It's kinda nice getting back to our old routine," he said softly.

"Arguing is our routine?" she countered, but then added lightly, "I'm still mad at you."

"I know. I am sorry. I was planning on telling you. It's just everything got so complicated."

"Well, lying does that. It catches up with you." Lois started the engine and they drove off.

Albie opened the door to a luxurious office where Stanley Gables was sitting reading the newspaper in disgust. He looked around nervously.

"Mr. Gables?"

"What is it, Albie?" Stanley Gables gestured to the article he was reading.

"Look at this, Albie. A scientist invents a new diet pill at STAR Labs. I guess they'll give him a new office or a blue ribbon. All they ever gave me was a pink slip."

"Uh, Mister…"

"You can't make progress by following all the rules. They should know that. Instead of taking responsibility for the pain they caused me, they booted me out the door."

"Sir?"

"Well, I tried the legal system, and it failed me. So now I will use my own methods of revenge on Metropolis. What is it, Albie?"

"Metropolis, sir? I thought you were just going after STAR Labs?"

"If I wanted to destroy STAR labs I would have burned it to the ground. Nobody cares about my pain, so I don't care about theirs."

"I … I care, Mr. Gables."

"Oh, yes, you do, Albie. What was it you wanted to tell me?"

"The letters weren't destroyed as anticipated, Mr. Gables. Superman showed up at the last minute."

"Albie, this isn't good." Stanley turned to his desk and hit a buzzer.

"I know, Mr. Gables. Please don't stress about this. It's not good for you. Maybe you should rethink this."

"Albie, I don't need to rethink my plan. I just need to revise it a bit."

Sean McCarthy appeared in the doorway. "You needed something, Mr. Gables?"

"Yes, we need to proceed to phase two of our plan."

Lois looked through the letters on the coffee table, sifting through them, one by one. Her gaze shifted from the letters to a picture of herself with Clark at the Kerth Awards earlier that year. She looked at it wistfully before slamming the picture face down on the coffee table.

"This is all your fault," she muttered. She took another sip of her wine and continued to sulk when a knock came at the door. Lois got up to see who it was.

Clark stood hesitantly in her doorway. "Hi. Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah." She gestured for him to enter and closed the door behind him. "I...I've been going through those letters ... "

"Lois … "

Maybe if she just kept things professional she wouldn't have to think about how much he'd hurt her. "… I haven't really found a whole lot yet, but just give me some time. Have you found anything?"

"I'm not here to talk about the case."

Lois crossed her arms in defiance. "Then why are you here?"

"Because we need to talk."

"Oh, now you want to talk?" Lois accused bitterly. Two years he'd had to talk and he hadn't told her the truth. "Clark, I don't know if I'm ready to for ... "

Her lips were silenced when his mouth came crashing down on hers. God, he was good at that. Her anger and resentment disappeared for a moment, as she lost herself in his arms. His arms encircled her waist, pulling her towards him as the kiss deepened. There was no way she would ask him to stop.

She whimpered in protest when he pulled away from her, stepping out of her embrace. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I just…"

Lois looked up at him through her eyelashes. He was struggling to catch his breath. He was just as affected by their embrace as she was. She shifted her gaze up and down his body for a moment before launching herself into his arms. She was hurting, but right now all she wanted to do was lose herself in his arms.

She moaned in pleasure as she explored the feeling of his body against hers. Two years of fantasies fueled her exploration of his body. She gasped as she felt the living room wall against her back. "Oh, God…" she sighed when she felt a hard muscle twitch to life against her hip. He felt so much better than any fantasy.

His lips never left hers as she helped him shrug off his jacket. She tugged at the knot of his tie, attempting to loosen it. His hands rested at the hem of her blouse, unmoving as he concentrated on kissing her. She moaned in frustration at his Boy Scout behavior as she tossed his tie to the floor, moving her hands up and down his solid chest. His hands stayed unmoving, but his lips began an exploration of their own.

She hissed in delight as he nibbled at her earlobe, tugging at it with his teeth. She linked her arms around his neck for support as she felt her knees getting weak. She linked her right leg around him, steadying herself. She moaned in pleasure when she felt the contact of his arousal against her inner thigh.

"Lois…" he moaned against her lips.

"Clark, please…" she whimpered, arching her back against him. She reached between their bodies to stroke him through his dress pants and he pulled away.

Why was he stopping?

Too fast. This was too fast. What had just happened? He could still feel her erect buds against his chest as he held her in his arms. How had she gone from being angry with him to wanting to trying to feel him up? Was she testing him? Trying to fulfill some kind of fantasy?

"Clark," she whimpered against him when he withdrew the heat of his body from hers. It was his name she moaned. It was obvious what she wanted, but he wasn't ready to give it to her. Not until they'd resolved their issues.

"We have to stop…" he managed half-heartedly as he stepped away.

Lois looked up at him incredulously.

He knew what she must be thinking. 'Why?'

He watched as she readjusted her clothing, taking a seat on the other side of the couch, leaving plenty of space between them. "Clark..."

At the same time, Clark turned to her. "Lois..."

They both chuckled. They had this knack for being able to read one another's thoughts. The closer they'd gotten over the past few months, the more often it occurred.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let things get so...out of control," he whispered.

"I wasn't exactly trying to beat you off of me," Lois said with a slow smile.

"I never meant to hurt you, Lois. I was going to tell you, but everything just kept getting so complicated." He raked a hand through his hair.

Lois sighed and nodded in agreement. "I guess my swooning over Superman for a year didn't help things."

Clark shook his head. "I never should have gotten involved with you without telling you. That was the stupidest thing I could have done. I trust you more than anyone … "

Lois brushed a few stray tears that had escaped from the corners of her eyes as he spoke. "Then why? Why didn't you tell me? If you trusted me, then why the lies and the secrets?"

"Because I love you," he whispered solemnly. "I didn't want to lose you."

Lois stared at him incredulously. Love? He loved her? Of course, he'd been lying that day in front of the Planet when Mr. Stern had announced they were back in business. He'd told her he didn't love her. She had spent months trying to convince herself that she only cared about him as a friend. "You lied."

"Yeah, I've lied a lot, but only about where I was." He moved closer to her, holding one of her hands in his palm. "Lois, I never wanted to hurt you and I know that I did; I'm sorry for that."

Why did he insist on talking about this now? At least when she'd been in his arms she didn't have to think about how he'd hurt her, how she'd been so easily fooled. The world famous investigative reporter had been duped by a change of hairstyle and a pair of glasses.

"That's not what I was talking about," she retorted bitterly. "That day in front of the Planet after Mr. Stern announced the reopening … you lied."

"Oh." Clark seemed to register what she was referring to. "I thought it would be easier on you not to deal with anything else … "

"Who are you to decide what I can or can't deal with?" Lois snapped. "You decided I can't deal with you being in love with me, so you snatch that away. You also decided I couldn't deal with you being Superman … "

"That's not true … "

"Isn't it?" Lois challenged. "When were you planning on telling me?"

"I don't know. I needed to know that you loved me - Clark - not Superman or his powers … just me."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life," Lois snapped. "You ARE Superman. So why is it so hard for you to deal with someone liking YOU?"

"No, Superman is what I can do; Clark is who I am," Clark reasoned.

"Do you always talk about yourself in the third person?" she asked inquisitively.

"It helps me sort things out in my head," he explained with a wry smile.

"Oy," she sighed, rolling her eyes. He made no sense whatsoever. "So, let me get this straight, Clark is who you are, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then why do you get upset when Superman has to deal with Intergang coming after him?"

"Well, I … "

"I heard you defend Superman countless times to Mayson. Why?"

"Because … "

"Because she didn't get that Superman was a part of you too." Lois gave a light laugh. "I still can't believe it took me so long to figure it out. You knew things about the other you shouldn't have. Those lame excuses … " She wiped away a few tears on her cheek. "You know what really hurts the most is the fact that you lied to me, Clark. I mean, you're the one person I thought I could trust and now that's gone. Shattered."

"Lois … "

"I need some stability here. I need to know you won't lie to me in some attempt to try and protect me again," Lois began to ramble.

"I won't," Clark whispered. "I have hated keeping this from you. You know me better than anyone; it killed me having to keep so many things from you."

"Like when Capone shot you?" Lois asked, recalling how much it had hurt when she'd thought he was dead.

"I was going to tell you," Clark stammered. "Lois, I just reacted … I didn't know what else to do."

"You made me think you were dead." Lois stared back at him coldly.

"I know." Clark hung his head shamefully.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"I was going to tell you everything after I got Capone put away. I was kinda afraid of telling you."

"I'm not talking about Capone, Clark. I'm talking about now. If I hadn't figured it out the other night, when were you going to tell me?"

"Oh." Clark caught on by the expression on her face. "I figured once we started actually dating … "

"We were."

"I know. My timing hasn't exactly been the best lately, but … "

Lois noticed the forlorn look in his eyes and reached up to caress his cheek. "Clark, you can't blame yourself."

"I missed her by a few seconds, Lois."

"I know." Lois looked into his eyes sadly. "I didn't want to go off on you like that, Clark. I was waiting for you to tell me, but you kept lying to me, then in the elevator you kept pressing me … so, I blew up. I know that was the last thing you needed right now. I'm sorry. I should have handled it better."

"Hey, we both kinda screwed up, Lois." Clark captured her mouth gingerly, conveying the love he felt for her. "Does this mean we've made up?"

At that moment there was a knock at the door.

"Great. That's probably Jimmy. Perfect timing as always," she muttered, lifting herself off the couch to answer the door.

Clark stood up to follow behind her, slightly ticked at the intrusion. If he didn't know any better he could swear Lois was trying to avoid answering his question. "Agent Scardino? What are you doing here?" Lois asked, opening the door.

"Please. Call me, Daniel. May I come in?" Agent Scardino sauntered in without even waiting for Lois' response. He examined her up and down a moment and winked at her. "Did I come at a bad time?"

Lois flushed at the remark's implications. Clark interjected, "What are you doing here, Scardino?"

"Well, well," Scardino grinned mischievously. "If it isn't the man with the smoldering eyes."

"What are you talking about?" Lois asked as she sat down on the couch next to Clark.

Scardino pulled out a small book from his jacket pocket and laid it on the table before them. "Mayson's diary reads like an Emily Bronte novel."

"You read Emily Bronte?" Lois' head shot up at that comment.

"What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic at heart." Scardino shrugged then turned to Clark, "I thought you said Mayson was just a friend. She wrote some pretty steamy stuff in there, mainly about you. You holdin' out on me, Kent?"

At Clark's solemn look Lois interjected, "Agent Scardino, you have to understand Clark was probably the only one in Metropolis that didn't know that Mayson was madly in love with him."

Clark was quick to change the subject. "Who's holding out on whom? You took the diary."

"Ah, touché." Scardino wagged his finger in Clark's direction. "But, I am willing to work together on this. I figure it'll be easier if we work together rather than apart. Share information, so to speak."

Clark continued to glare at Scardino. He didn't like the man one bit. Working with him was out of the question. He really didn't like the way Scardino kept eyeing Lois either.

Lois caught the glare and decided it was time for her to interject. "Clark, can I see you in the kitchen? I think the ramaki is burning."

"Ramaki? But you're not — " He immediately cut himself off at her glare. "Uh, right. Excuse us." He followed her into the kitchen. "What is it?"

"I think he has a point," Lois began.

"You have got to be kidding. The man is seriously unhinged. Inspector Gadget would be more help than him."

"Clark, do you trust me?"

"Yes," he sighed.

"Then trust my instincts." She patted him reassuringly on the chest. "It'll be easier if he's working with us."

"But, Lois — " She cut him off by leaning up to kiss him. All protests died on his lips as he concentrated on her rather than their uninvited guest in the other room.

"Just trust me," she whispered, pulling away from him. With that she walked out of the kitchen, not giving Clark a chance to respond. He sighed and raked his hand through his hair. This was not going to be easy. He could tell the only reason Agent Scardino wanted to work together was to get to Lois, and he was not about to let that happen.

Scardino smiled as he saw Lois enter the room again. His face fell slightly when Clark entered behind her. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Sure. What have you got?" Lois asked.

"Not so fast. I gave you the diary. Your turn."

"Fine," Lois conceded. "The last thing Mayson said was 'Resurrection'."

"The last entry in her diary was 'Resurrection equals McCarthy' with a question mark," Scardino said.

Lois and Clark exchanged a look. They were definitely getting somewhere.

TBC...