clarkfan325: Thanks! Clark needs Lois, and Lois heard Clark (even if he didn't voice it out aloud), hence she woke up :) Aren't they amazing? :)

Guest #1: Thank you! I know right? I kind of took the long way around to finally start bringing these two together :)

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LoisNClark4Ever: Hi! Zatanna to the rescue! Oh, and don't worry, they are going to talk ;) Thanks for reading :)

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Sorry for the delay but it has been really hectic. I hope you all like this chapter :)

Chapter 15

"You do know that a butler would be a very welcome addition to your household staff."

Clark looked up from the ledgers he had been reading to see Bruce standing at the doorway, leaning against a jamb. Clark just smiled and returned to the ledgers as his friend sauntered inside the study.

"You know my mother, she wanted to do everything by herself. I had to convince her that it is not so."

Bruce gave a short laugh as he sat on the chair opposite him at the table. "It is possible your mother can pull it off. She is an incredible woman."

Clark looked up to smile at Bruce. "That she is."

"How about the other incredible woman? Where is she?"

Clark tried hard not to let the smile falter from his face. He knew he can discuss any topic with Bruce, but somehow, talking about her with him leaves a sour taste in his mouth. Clark knew he was being irrational, but everything that involved Lois has been completely phenomenal, utterly indefinable, and absolutely unparalleled that he wanted to keep her to himself.

"If you are talking about Miss Lane, I think she is still in her room."

"You think?" Bruce scoffed. "How long have we been friends, Clark? You believe you can fool me with that false nonchalance when I know, owing to the years we have spent together since time immemorial, that you have her every move watched and monitored?"

Clark hoped that the heat he felt in his face did not translate to a blush. But then again, it would be of no use because Bruce has been one of the most perceptive persons he knew. To hide his embarrassment, Clark turned around to the bookcase behind him to pull an unnecessary folder from it, pretending to study apparently what were last year's ledgers.

"She is under my care, and I do not take the threats on my w—" Clark paused to catch his words, which he knew Bruce did not let pass. "—on the people who I am responsible for."

Bruce decided not to comment on his near gaffe. "You can always pass the responsibility to another willing person. I am certain Chloe and Oliver are more than able to provide protection. And isn't she the daughter of the retired General Sam Lane? Even I can take her from your hands."

Clark turned around so fast to face his friend that Bruce's eyebrows shot up in amusement at Clark's clear feelings towards Lois.

"I am forever tied to her." Clark replied, then shook his head at the implication, lest he gave a different intention to Bruce. "What I meant was this incident has included both of us. I was married to someone who I thought was Lois. If there is someone who should put light to this, that would be me."

Bruce then gave Clark a piercing look. Clark groaned inwardly. It was no use lying to the man. He can tell a man was lying from a mile away. Clark just continued what he was futilely doing ever since Bruce arrived and started badgering him about Lois, and he told him about it. "Stop harassing me."

Bruce had the gall to look surprised. "I am not harassing you, dear friend. I am merely offering a suggestion. I reckon it is better if you divest yourself of her so you can focus on your investigation. Your mind is full right now, and a burden off loaded would be of great help to you."

"Lois is not, and will never be, a burden to me." Clark said emphatically.

Bruce mentally punched the air above him in triumph.

"And besides, who would take care of her?" Clark added. "I cannot give her to her father, knowing there is still a threat out there. And from what I gathered from you, Oliver also has his hands full because of this unknown condition Chloe is in."

"So what you object to is her being under my wing."

"Yes!" Clark said then quickly recanted at Bruce's delighted smile. "No!" Clark's shoulder slumped, knowing it was a lost cause when his verbal opponent was Bruce.

"You know I am only fishing, my friend." Bruce said. "However, it is quite telling from your reactions what your feelings for her are. Tell me, what made you certain now that this Lois was not the one you married?"

Clark's mind drifted, recalling the two glorious kisses he had with Lois. He felt that he could not share it with anyone else. "I'm afraid that I have to keep the answer to myself."

Bruce just nodded. "Just as well. What are your plans next? After Dr. Hamilton informed you of what Zatanna had told him."

He was about to answer, when something caught his eye outside the window. He rolled his eyes and stood up. "I have to attend to something. Feel free to ring up for anything you need while I am gone."

Bruce was confused at Clark's sudden departure, but one look at the window at whatever caught Clark's attention has him shaking his head. His friend is in way to deep, if only he would acknowledge and act on it, then all would be well.

Thank goodness stubbornness ran in their family. If not, Lois would still be cooped up in her room.

It was not really that difficult leaving her room. First she had to persuade the upstairs maid to let her out. Lois even promised her that if she got caught, which she would not be, she would absolve her from all guilt and that Lois would take full responsibility and call it an 'escape.'

Once she was out of the room, she carefully planned her route. At this time of the day, the dowager duchess would now be in the kitchen, preparing for the next meal. The servant's exit would not be a good idea. The duke, Lois hoped, would be in his study doing whatever dukes must be doing. So maybe it was the front door after all.

Walking stealthily, Lois thanked the heavens above that Martha employed a small number of servants. On tiptoes, Lois took the stairs slowly, and she was certain that no one saw her once she reached the foot of the stairs. The front door already in view, Lois looked to her left and then to her right, and scurried to the front door, opening and closing it gently.

Freedom. Lois inhaled a lungful of air and exhaled it slowly, enjoying the fresh air immensely. With a spring to her step she started walking towards the stables, her mind already filled with horses, hay, and puppies. But just as she was about to pass the rose bushes, she heard her name being called. She stopped and closed her eyes in dejection. The window above the rose bushes belonged to the duke's study.

"What are you doing up and about? You are barely recovered."

Lois pasted a smile on her face and turned around to a striding duke. Clark stopped in front of her, studying her face, no doubt looking for any reason to return her to her room. However, his intense stare caught Lois unawares and her stomach did a somersault at his inspection.

"Your grace." Lois started, looking down at her shoes to hide her embarrassment. "I only wish to breathe fresh air."

"Windows only need to be opened for you to have fresh air. And frankly, it would put me more at ease if I know that you are staying in your room."

"More like imprisoned in my room." Lois said, her smile belying the censure in her words.

Clark returned the smile. "It is not an imprisonment, my lady. More like a confinement."

"It is good to know you have a wide vocabulary, your grace." Lois said. "But this confinement of mine has been truly limiting. I reckon it would be better for me if I walk about. A bit of exercise would not be taxing. It is not as if I was exerting effort, like when I am having my fencing lessons."

Clark nodded. It might be indeed good for her recovery. "I believe we have already found a way to settle our differences in the future."

Lois smiled, ecstatic that he did not find her masculine pursuits, as her father had put it, repulsive. "I shall keep that in mind, your grace."

"Well then, would you allow me to escort you to anywhere you wish to be?" Clark said, offering his arm.

Lois smiled accepted the offer. "My destination is your stables, your grace."

"Then I will lead the way, you might get lost."

Lois laughed, feeling more carefree even when they still have a threat in their midst. Which brought about what had happened a few days ago; she was still in the dark about the event at the picnic, but whenever Lois asked Clark, he would always reply that he will tell her when the time was right. Lois supposed now was the right time.

"Your grace, perhaps now you can tell me what happened to me at the picnic."

The duke's smile faltered and his pace slowed, but Lois was surprised when Clark started telling her.

It was not a long story, and by the time they reached the stables, Clark has already finished his tale.

Lois was astounded, pausing by the stable entrance to look up at the duke. "Never in my wildest dreams would I find myself in such a plot. Magic, you say?"

Clark only nodded. "It was truly fortunate that Dr. Hamilton is acquainted with a sorceress. If not, I fear we might not be having our conversation right now."

Lois smiled. "I have yet to extend my gratitude to this sorceress. The next time the doctor visits I will ask him to extend my appreciation." With a nod she turned to enter the stables, only to stay rooted to the spot, staring at one of the magnificent creatures she has laid eyes on.

"That is a pure bred Eastern." Lois said, eyeing the beauty of the black horse which was new to the stables.

"That is my horse, Sultan." Clark said, entering the box, stroking the horse's mane. "I decided to have him sent here in case of another emergency. The day you fell ill I found that I needed speed more than ever, and the horses here are unfortunately of lesser calibre than the ones in my stables in Metropolis, the reason I had Sultan transported here."

Lois smiled at the implication, but resolved that she would not delve deeper. Something more important was still at hand.

"Let me help you find the perpetrator." Lois said. "The crime was done to me. I am of sound mind; I will not be a hindrance to your investigation."

Clark stepped out of Sultan's box and grabbed Lois by her arms. "No Lois. You will not endanger yourself any further. I already have the Duke of Gotham assisting me, and you will only serve as a distraction as I might worry about you every second of every minute of every hour of every day!"

Other women might be flattered by the duke's obvious concern, but she was not like the others. Furious at what she perceived was his degradation of her intellect and capacity, Lois growled. "For heaven's sake, do not tell me that you are one of those old-fashioned cronies who believed that women are only good for sewing, cooking and procreation!"

"What?!" Clark asked incredulously. She was obviously misinterpreting him. "That is the farthest thing from my mind. I firmly support a woman who can think on her own and choose her own path."

"Then why would you not want me to help you? I assure you I will not be a dead weight."

"Because I do not want you to get hurt again!"

Lois paused at Clark's raised voice, but more so at the dread that his answer conveyed. At a loss for words, Lois looked down at her shoes.

Knowing he rendered her speechless, Clark carried on. "You are under my watch, Lois. I feel guilty knowing that all this happened to you because of me."

Lois swallowed the disappointment she felt when the duke mentioned the guilt he felt.

"I have wronged you in so many ways, and I intend to make it up to you by catching this felon, for only then will I be at peace after I return you to your father and we are to go on with our own separate lives."

And the disappointment fought its way back up, and Lois could only hide behind her obstinacy. "I still intend to help you. You cannot stop me. Besides, I believe I have formed a friendship with the Duke of Gotham. Surely he will give me details that you will withhold from me. Furthermore, I am still in the same amount of danger as I have been before. What makes you think that the criminal has backed down, now knowing he has failed twice? Wouldn't he have a higher rate of success if I was left alone while you play investigator? We can solve this faster with me in tow."

Panic crept up inside Clark. The scenarios she had presented filled him with fear, and he had no choice but to yield to her request. His shoulders slumped with defeat and he let out a sigh. "Tomorrow we start. I intend to interrogate all present to the picnic, see if they remember anything unusual or strange that time."

Lois clapped her hands once in glee. "You will not regret this, your grace."

Clark smiled. Her joy was contagious. "After everything that we have been through, I think you should start calling me by my given name. You do slip once in a while, and I would prefer that it happen more often."

Lois cocked her head to the side, eyeing him carefully. That she unconsciously bit the corner of her bottom lip did was an assault to Clark's senses. He was about to change the topic, when he heard a quiet whisper from her.

"Thank you, Clark."

Simple words, yet it had an impact to Clark that up to now, he was still adamant to put a name to. It was better to weather this storm first, before delving into a hurricane which was Lois Lane.

Lois awoke with a start at the feeling of the wind blowing on her face. Looking around, the fire in the hearth still burning brightly, she realized that the window was open. Clark must have opened it after he left. Ever since she had awoken from her fever, Clark had stayed with her until she was asleep at night.

Standing up, she walked sleepily towards the window and closed it, securing the lock before returning to her bed.

As soon as her back touched the mattress, all hell broke loose. A pillow descended upon her face, robbing her of air and suffocating her. Lois scratched and clawed, but she was at a disadvantage with gravity working against her. Thinking while fighting to remove the pillow, Lois finally stopped, hoping that the intruder would be stupid enough to check if she really was dead.

Lois' gamble paid off. Once the pressure on the pillow lessened, Lois grabbed both wrists and with the element of surprise threw her attacker off her. It was a man, and Lois knew that while she could fight, she would be no match to his strength.

"Clark!"

Standing on the bed, Lois saw that her attacker stood up as well, but still intent on finishing what he came for. He tried to grab her, but Lois was fast. She sidestepped, followed by a quick kick to the side of his face, which again resulted in him being sprawled on the floor near the window. For a man, he sure was weak. Lois had a feeling he could take him.

But suddenly she felt like choking, but when she tried to grab at her neck, she could not grasp at anything. Recalling her earlier conversation with Clark, Lois knew instinctively that magic was involved. Looking back at the man, she saw that water was shooting out from his hands, formed into a rope-like object that was now squeezing the breath out of her.

She saw victory in his eyes and she did not let terror overtake her when he started walking towards the bed, finally climbing it coming face to face with her.

"Finally, I will see the life sucked out of you." he said menacingly. "At long last, vengeance is within reach."

"Lois!" With a bang the door flew open and Clark was framed in her doorway. "Wes?!"

The distraction was enough for Lois to put in another kick, this time to his stomach, and the force of her strike dislodged him from the bed to land in front of the fireplace.

What happened next was beyond Lois' comprehension. In front of her very own eyes, Wes, as Clark had called him, had transformed into a woman.

"Linda!" Clark exclaimed.

"This isn't over."

Clark ran over to restrain Linda, but he could only seize what appeared to be smoke as the woman vaporized in front of them.

Clark looked at Lois standing on top of the bed, and in one leap joined her, enveloping her in his arms, clutching her tightly at another close call.

"Are you all right?" Clark said, releasing her only to cup her face to look into her eyes.

"Yes." Lois replied truthfully, albeit still a little bit shaken from the assault.

Clark pulled Lois to him again, and only now Lois realized the state of their undress. He was sans shirt, and through her thin nightgown she could feel the trousers he was wearing. She pulled away, vowing to look only at his face.

"I think this is highly inappropriate, you and I on one bed."

"You think about the dictates of propriety when just moments ago someone almost murdered you?!" Clark let go of Lois and jumped down the bed. He started pacing deep in thought.

"At least now we have a lead." Lois said, leaving the bed and sitting on it watching him pace. "You said names."

Clark ceased his walking, looked at Lois, and nodded. "Wes was the one the other Lois committed adultery with."

"Oh."

"And Linda was the other Lois' maid." Clark resumed his pacing. "This was done to get to me, of that I am certain now. But I do not know which one was real. Was it Wes pretending to be Linda or Linda pretending to be Wes?"

Lois stood up to put a hand on Clark's arm, which effectively stopped him. "I think it is Linda pretending to be Wes."

"Why would you say that? For all we know it was the other way around to throw us off their scent."

"I got a couple of good kicks to him, or rather her, and I distinctly thought that for man, he sure is lacking one's strength. He, I mean, she, tried smothering me with a pillow. If it were really a man, I would not have been able to push him away from me."

Lois knew her reasoning was sound, and Clark believed her. But he still needed to know the motive. For now, there was only one course of action.

"Tomorrow we return to Granville."

"I will be ready." Lois replied.

Clark just nodded, and refrained from telling Lois that he still was undecided if she would join him or not. "You better get your rest then."

Clark turned to leave, but felt Lois' hand on his arm again, her touch searing itself to his skin. Clark looked at Lois, who was suddenly looking very shy.

"Stay?"

Clark restrained himself from taking Lois in his arms again, recalling and loving the feel of her pressed to him and how they fit perfectly. He succumbed to the temptation, wrapping his arms around her in a strong embrace.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Again sorry for the delay, and of course the mistakes, and I hope you like this. I should warn you though, an M rating chapter might be on the horizon. You know the drill. Thanks again and love you lots! :)