It seems I'm on a role this week! Thank you all for the encouraging words about this story. I'm excited to continue moving the relationship along...

A/N: I realize that this "rule" is a bit out of order (it is actually #4 on the real list) but I felt that it fit better as Chapter 2. I hope you enjoy. Please leave feedback!

..::Rule 2: If something seems too weird to be true, it probably is::..

'UFOs FROM MARS' HITS $50 MILLION MARK
By Clark Kent

The critically panned, UFOs From Mars has managed to secure the attention of kids and teens across America. The film, directed by Zachary McIver, is the typical alien invasion story. Young Jeffery Marrow, a New York City college student, is thrust into the middle of an apocalyptic adventure when his dorm room is overrun by hundreds of militant green men.

UFOs was made on a limited budget and it shows. The effects are typical of 1960s schlock science fiction; one could practically see the strings hanging from the saucers. But that didn't stop many Metropolitans from lining up hours before, outside the Rialto to secure their ticket to the hottest film this season.

McIver insists that he knew all along that the film would tap in to a market that has been starved for a good science fiction action film. "People forget that the under 16 market has disposable income as well," stated McIver at the Metropolis Film Festival where it premiered two weeks ago to an audience that jeered and booed its conclusion.

Despite so much criticism, analysts are predicting that UFOs will become this years highest grossing film, surpassing hits like Long Gone Winters and Foxy Lady, Frozen Arctic.

...:::...

"I need to speak to Lois Lane!" The voice rang out amidst the bustle of the Daily Planet newsroom. "Where can I find Lois Lane?"

"Right here," Lois called out, throwing her hand in to the air, a pencil tucked messily into her hair. "What can I do-?"

"I need your help," interrupted the woman. She looked to be in her early 40s. Her short dark hair was matted to her face, the shirttails from her blouse haphazardly hung from the waistline of her pencil skirt. "My son… He… he…" Her voice trailed as a sob caught in her throat.

"Here," offered Clark jumping from his desk. "Have a seat."

Lois leaned forward, giving Clark a sideways glance. Her reporter's intuition could smell a story brewing before her. "What happened to your son?" The myriad headlines spun before her.

Runaway leaves mother heartbroken

LexCorp runs experiments on young boy

Mysterious illness plagues junior high student

'Lois!" Clark gave her a warned look. "Take a deep breath," he said to the woman, his hand gently massaging her shoulder. "Whenever you're ready…"

"My son…" she began, hiccupping through the sobs. "My son was kidnapped by… by…"

Lois leaned forward. "By…?" She urged.

"By… aliens!" Spat out the woman.

Lois fell back in her chair and rolled her eyes, releasing the breath she'd been holding in. "Listen, Ms—?"

"Kristofferson."

"Right. Listen, this is the Daily Planet," she explained, annoyed. "If you want to shell out alien stories you've got to go down the street to Buldig Boulevard. I'm sure the Inquisitor would love to publish your story… Right next to the one about Big Foot's baby," she finished under her breath.

"Lois!"

"I'm confused," said the woman, looking to the two reporters. "I thought you were Lois Lane."

"I am."

"Aren't you the author of the stories on the meteor infested riverbeds in Smallville? And those strange lights over Mueller's field?"

"Yes," Lois confirmed, shooting a confused glance toward Clark.

"My son was kidnapped by aliens," Mrs. Kristofferson repeated.

Lois narrowed her eyes. "You said that already."

"Mrs. Kristofferson, it's not that we don't appreciate the community's involvement in our paper," Clark explained. "But if your son is missing, that's a matter for the police."

"You don't understand," Mrs. Kristofferson insisted. "My son isn't missing."

"But I thought you said that he was?" Questioned Clark, bewildered.

"I said he was kidnapped," she explained. "Not that he was still missing."

"So if your son isn't missing, then what seems to be the problem?"

Mrs. Kristofferson dropped her voice and leaned toward Lois. "They're here."

"Who's here?" Asked Lois, matching the woman's tone.

"The aliens."

Clark raised his eyebrows, a look of alarm shooting across his face. "Mrs. Kristofferson, I think I should show you –" He started to reach for the older woman's arm.

"Wait!" Lois called out, stopping Clark from going any further. "What makes you think there are aliens?"

Mrs. Kristofferson's green eyes traced the basement of the Daily Planet, leery of employees who could be listening in on her story. "My son," she said, beginning to pull a wrapped package from her purse. "He made this in school." She pulled the figure from beneath its coverings.

Lois frowned. "It's a clay circle."

"It's not a clay circle, Miss Lane. It's the space craft that took my son."

Lois shook her head, disappointment clear on her face. "Look, I realize that you think your son was kidnapped by aliens, but there's nothing I can do if all you have as proof is a clay circle."

"You don't understand Miss Lane," she said. "My son wasn't the only one who made one of these. All the other kids in his class made one too…"

...:::...

"You've got to admit Clark, it does seem rather odd," said Lois as she slipped a coffee cozy on to her paper cup, tossing an emptied sugar packet in to the nearby trash can.

"But aliens, Lois? I would think that even you were beyond Inquisitor style journalism." Clark followed Lois out the doors of Remy's Café.

"You heard what she said. The entire class made those little space crafts," she shook her head. "Listen Clark, if it's a dead end, then mea culpa. But it can't hurt to try and see if there's any truth to this alien thing. Can you imagine if there was something to it though…?"

"Why?" Clark asked as he attempted to control his voice to keep it from sounding panicked. "What do you think would happen?"

"Imagine if there were aliens among us Clark!"

"No-o…" he stuttered.

"Oh grow up, Smallville!" She waved her hand dismissively at him. "It would be the biggest story since Roswell! Even you can't deny that fact. They'd probably give me the Pulitzer for it," she smiled at the thought. "I wonder what they look like."

"Like… little green men?"

"Maybe. But what if the little green men thing was just a cover?"

"A cover?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah. I bet they'd look just like me… or you for that matter."

"Me?" Squeaked Clark.

"Whatever… human. They'd probably look human. To blend or whatever it is that aliens want to do. To live among us, study us. Maybe they even wanna work at the Daily Planet!" Lois stopped in her tracks, her eyes bright with laughter.

"The Daily Planet?" Clark's heart began to pound in his chest. Did she know? How could she know? His thoughts raced searching for excuses and explanations to give Lois.

"Lighten up Clark!" Lois chuckled, punching his arm lightly. "I'm just joking." She turned and looked up at the building. "Here we are: PS 135." Lois clipped her press badge to her coat as Clark pulled the door open.

...:::...

As they walked the halls of the school, following the directions given to them by the office secretary, Lois glanced sideways at the lopsided fish, the sloppily painted drawings and turkeys made from hand cut outs that decorated the walls.

The bell rang and the halls filled with children pushing their way past the reporters, their backpacks knocking against Lois and Clark's sides.

"Ughhh…" she groaned. "I hate kids."

Clark laughed. "You don't hate kids, Lois."

"Wanna bet?"

"Miss Lane? Mr. Kent?" A young woman asked, peering out from one of the classrooms. "I'm Nancy Nickels, Michael's teacher."

They exchanged greetings and Nancy led them in to the classroom. "Basically they had to create something out of clay," she motioned them to have a seat at the student desks. Lois snickered as she watched Clark slide into the child sized chair, his knees nearly at his chest. He shrugged sheepishly.

"For whatever reason," Nancy continued. "Every single student did theirs in a circular structure." She walked over to the side of the classroom and picked up a clay disk, identical to the one Mrs. Kristofferson had shown Lois and Clark earlier. "Honestly, it was weird."

"Could the kids have planned to all do the same figure?" Lois asked as she took the disk from Nancy.

"It's possible." She bit her lip and sighed. "But my colleague down the hall did the same activity with her kids during the exact same period and all of them did the disk figure too."

"Oh." Lois furrowed her brows as she examined it further. It certainly did look like a spacecraft. "What do you think it is?" She handed the figure to Clark.

"Do you think it's what Mrs. Kristofferson said? That it's…" Nancy looked toward the door and lowered her voice. "Aliens?"

Clark took the clay figure from Lois and ran his finger along its base. "I doubt—" Clark was unable to finish his thoughts, as he was interrupted by a sudden burst of light. The room became engulfed with a bright light. The radiance emanated from the figure, seemingly pulling Clark and Lois into it.

"Clark!" Screamed Lois as she grabbed for his arm, the object pulled them inward with unbridled force. The room spun out before them, the white, brilliant light turning in to a luminescent blue and then back to white.

Clark's body hit the concrete sidewalk outside of the Daily Planet, shattering the stone beneath him. Lois' body landed with a thud against Clark, his chest softening her blow.

"Oof!" She cried out, pushing herself off of him. "Hitting you Smallville, is like hitting a metal plank." Rising to her feet, she dusted her skirt off. Her eyes wide, she stared toward the cracked sidewalk beneath Clark. "What in the world?"

"I can explain…" he offered meekly, standing up.

"Look!" Lois pointed toward the newspaper box just beyond the cracked sidewalk. The headline was different from than the one that Clark had seen earlier that morning. The date on the masthead also read months in the future.

"Blur captured, held in kryptonite cell. What in the world is kryptonite?" Lois asked, turning to Clark for answers.

"It's meteor rock," he replied stunned. The sudden shift in reality left him unsure of what they were experiencing and where they were. "Lois, look at the other headline." Clark pointed toward a secondary article that ran along the right side.

"Lois Lane to marry Ray Sacks." Lois reached out to Clark, her hand griping his arm. "District Attorney Ray Sacks?"

Clark nodded slowly, just as confused. "And apparently you're getting married to him."

Lois reached into her pocket and pulled out 50 cents. She slipped the coins into the slot which released the front of the paper box. She pulled a copy out and began to skim the articles.

"The Disabled Powers Legislation has been passed by Congress," she said. "That's why the Blur's in prison. He continued to use his powers…"

"What about you and Sacks?" Clark prompted, curious at this strange turn of events.

"The article's vague. Apparently the political world is in an uproar because no one even knew we were dating. Hell, I'm the one marrying him and I didn't even know!"

"Do you think that it's possible those space ship models sent us here?" Clark asked, perplexed.

"I don't think, Smallville. I know."

"I sent you here," a voice interjected. "Journalists… always giving credit where it isn't deserved."

"Hey!" Decried Lois, offended. "Where do you get off?"

"Mikhail?" Clark asked, looking at the familiar face that stared back at him. The dark hair was cut similarly, and his Eastern European accent was just as thick as he'd remembered. Could it be the same Baltic exchange student from Smallville High?

"Clark Kent. I'm glad to see you remember me."

"You know this guy?" Lois asked, shocked.

"Mikhail Mxyzptlk." He held out his hand. "It's a pleasure."

"What a mouthful," muttered Lois.

"We went to school together for a short time," Clark explained. "I thought you went back to Europe?"

"Let's just say that Lex Luthor offered me a deal I couldn't refuse. When he died, our contract expired."

"I don't suppose you know why we're in Backwards Land, do you?" Asked Lois.

"I brought you here," he replied simply. Noticing the confused looks on the two reporters' faces he continued. "I can not have this legislation pass. They have the technology to take away my powers and only you two can prevent it." Mikhail lifted his hand. "We will talk to Other Lois. She'll explain." With a snap of his fingers Lois and Clark were transported to the front steps of a Brownstone on the outskirts of Metropolis.

Without missing a beat, Mikhail pressed the doorbell.

"Wait!" Lois cried out. "Won't I recognize myself?" She shook her head, confused by her own words.

Mikhail laughed, his green eyes flashing maniacally. "You must think me to be an amateur. I altered the way people see you. To everyone else you look like two kids in high school." With another snap of his fingers he produced a small mirror. "Here, look for yourself."

Lois took the mirror from Mikhail and stared at her reflection. Looking back at her was a young red haired girl wearing glasses. "What the hell?" She muttered under her breath. Behind her stood a blonde haired Clark, neither looking remotely as they'd appeared before.

"Can I help you?"

Lois gasped as she stared at the alternate version of herself. This version looked tired and worn, as though the weight of the world were on her shoulders.

"Are you okay Lois?" Clark asked. He must have also noticed the haggard appearance of the doppelganger before them.

"Do I know you?" She asked startled by the familiar tone Clark had taken.

"We're from Metropolis High," Lois covered shooting Clark a look. "We were wondering if we could ask you some questions about… the Blur."

Her eyes widened at the mentioning of the Blur. She looked over her shoulder and discreetly moved toward the first step, closing the door gently behind her.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, or why you think I'm just going to give up information about the Blur," she said quickly, in a low voice. "But I can't be having this conversation with you… You'll put him in danger."

"Is that why you're marrying Sacks?" Clark asked.

The alternate Lois was quick to shake her head. "No, no. I love… Ray. I'm marrying him for love," she said, her words hollow. Her voice betrayed the lie she'd spoken.

Clark shook his head. "That's not true. I can see it in your eyes."

Lois watched the exchange before her. Her alternate version was startled by the familiarity that Clark questioned her with. It was obvious she was beginning to soften because of his approach which had challenged her declaration.

"Who are you?" She asked again, staring at Clark.

"You need to trust us. We want to help you," Lois assured her lookalike. "We can't explain, even if we wanted to… just trust that we are here to help you."

She nodded slowly, unsure if she should believe the two high schoolers before her. Her gut urged her forward, telling her to reveal the truth to these strangers. There was something in the young boy's eyes; he reminded her so much of Clark…

"It was my fault," she said distantly. "I couldn't stop the legislation, but Cl—the Blur… he just wanted to help people. He couldn't tune the cries or the voices out. He had to act. You can understand, can't you?"

Lois nodded and looked toward Clark who was captivated by what was being shared with them.

"According to the law if you're caught using your powers, regardless of whether you're meteor infected or a meta-human they create a weakness for you. For the Blur it was a prison of kryptonite." Lois noticed that her twin's eyes were welling with tears; this revelation and the knowledge of what had happened to the Blur were tearing her apart. "It's different for the others. Some have had their power torn from their physical body. There was a rumour that one had had his power removed right from his brain, turning him into a certifiable vegetable." Mikhail brought his finger to his temple and winced, shaking his head of the thought.

"Why are you marrying Sacks?" Lois asked. It was apparent to both of them that the relationship between the Blur and this Lois was stronger than either had initially realized.

"To save my partner's life," she replied simply, her face crestfallen.

Confused, Lois pressed, "your partner?"

"Me," Clark interjected, replying for her.

"Sorry?" Lois stared at the group before her and furrowed her brows. "Who did you say you were again?"

Before either could formulate a response, Mikhail had snapped his fingers and again they were transported. This time the reporters found themselves back to the familiar doors of the Daily Planet.

"Why'd you go and do that?" Clark demanded. He'd been just as curious as Lois to understand more about the relationship between this world's Lois and himself.

"If one knows too much about the possibilities of his own future…" he shrugged empathetically. "It can ruin some surprises."

"Then why bother taking us here at all?" Lois asked, frustrated. "What's the point to all this?"

"You'll find your answer in there," he replied pointing toward the revolving doors of the Daily Planet. "You won't have to go far. The receptionist will give you what you need."

"And then what?" Lois demanded, her hands tightening at her waist. "You'll bring us somewhere else where we'll just get more cryptic riddles and no answers to any of our questions?"

Mikhail shook his head, stubborn. "Go inside. You'll find your answers."

Furious and ready to launch a verbal assault on the Baltic stranger, Clark impeded her attack by grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the doors.

"You won't get anywhere fighting him, Lois," he cautioned. "Trust me. We might as well just play his game."

Lois huffed and relented, following him into the main foyer of the Daily Planet.

"Can I help you?" Asked the receptionist as she lifted the microphone of the headset away from her mouth.

Lois looked toward Clark, unsure of how to proceed. It was obvious Mikhail's spell which disguised them was still in effect.

"Um," began Clark, hesitantly. "Can you tell us where we can find Clark Kent?"

"Mr. Kent left the Planet a few months back," she replied. "According to his girlfriend at the time he went on a private assignment in Turkmenistan. No one's heard from him since."

Puzzled, Clark leaned against the desk and pressed for further information. "Is it possible we can speak to his girlfriend then? Perhaps there's a number we can reach her at?"

"Lois Lane no longer works for the Planet."

"Lois Lane?" Squeaked Lois. "Lois Lane and Clark Kent… dated?"

"Yeah," nodded the receptionist. "They were quite the team. I'm not really sure what happened, but it had something to do with the Disabled Powers Legislation." She shrugged her shoulders. "All I know is that one minute they practically can't keep their hands off of each other and the next Mr. Kent's gone and Ms. Lane's engaged to the District Attorney."

"What does that have to do with the passing of the legislation?" Asked Clark confused.

"Didn't you follow Ms. Lane's work?" He shook his head. In this alternate world he hadn't. "Well, you missed a good series of articles, let me tell you. Ms. Lane was all set to speak out at a citizen's assembly on the legislation. Everyone figured that once she spoke out against the bill, there'd be no way they could pass it. She had this way with words, you know?" Clark smiled and looked toward Lois whose face had coloured at the compliment. "Then the next thing you know Mr. Kent's gone and Ms. Lane quit, taking up with Sacks."

"Do you know why she didn't do the speech?"

The receptionist frowned and looked over her shoulder. Confident that there was no one within earshot, she leaned forward. "It's all speculation 'round here. Someone told me once that she'd almost gotten killed because she was threatening to speak out at the assembly. Rumour has it that the Blur convinced her not to do the speech… to save her life, I guess." The receptionist looked down toward her desk, a light flashed from the panel before her. "You'll have to excuse me, I need to get this."

Clark turned to Lois, clarity on his side. Lois, however, looked perplexed with confusion marring her own understanding.

"I don't get it," she said looking to Clark for answers. "Why would I agree to not do the speech? It doesn't sound like something I would do… either in our world or this one. Plus what do you have to with all of this?"

Before Clark could reply, Mikhail appeared between them. "We settled then?"

"Hardly," huffed Lois.

Mikhail raised his eyebrows. "You have to do the speech. It's clear, no? Otherwise there will be no powers for me and no powers for the Blur; possible death for both of us."

"But it doesn't make any sense. The Blur…Lois… Clark… you….! And why did this world's Clark go to Turkmenistan?" Lois begged, hoping that they could provide her with answers.

Clark looked at Lois, wanting desperately for her to understand the truth. "She loves him."

"Who? The Blur or Clark?"

Mikhail's green eyes twinkled as he laughed at her question. "Both."

With his answer came a great explosion of light which threw both Lois and Clark from their feet. The blinding blue and white light surrounded them, swirling in a frenzy around their bodies. Feeling paralyzed, Clark watched as Lois was pulled further and further away. He willed himself to break through the invisible restraints to no avail.

As quickly as the sensations had come, they were gone. A sharp wind deposited them in the classroom they'd been in before.

"Mr. Kent? Ms. Lane?" A worried voice called out. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Clark opened his eyes and looked up. An unfamiliar face, stared down at him.

"Relax Mr. Kent. I'm the school nurse," the woman patted his shoulder. "You seemed to have passed out."

"I'm fine, really." Clark pushed himself to a sitting position. Next to him sat Lois, her head propped up by in her hands. "Are you okay?"

"I just had the craziest head rush," she said to him. "One minute I'm looking at the sculpture, the next I'm practically falling on to the floor."

"But you're okay?"

"Yeah."

"You two just blanked out," explained Nancy. "One minute you were looking at the sculpture and the next you were both staring into space."

"How'd I get on the floor?"

Nancy shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "When you wouldn't respond, I went and got the nurse. I came back and found you keeled over. It was quite the herculean effort to turn you on to your side."

"You both came to a few seconds ago," added the nurse. "Do you feel anything? Any odd sensations? Anything out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing at all." Lois nodded her head in agreement.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Nothing at all." Clark turned his head sharply toward Lois, silently questioning the truth in her response. Was it possible she didn't remember their visit to the alternate universe?

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Just the coffee I had on my way here."

Clark shrugged. The last time he'd had a full meal was probably at lunch yesterday. "Same."

"Well then that explains it. You too are probably just in need of some sugar. Here, have these." The nurse handed them each a granola bar. "I keep them handy in case one of the kids forgets their lunch."

Nancy picked up the disk shaped sculpture and held it carefully in her hands. "What should I do with these?" She asked, her green eyes flashing with excitement. "Maybe there's more to these things…"

"What those?" Asked the nurse. "Are your students into that movie as well?"

"Movie?"

"Yeah, UFOs from Mars. It's some movie that my kids saw the other day. They've been begging for me to buy them the toys ever since. The kids in your class probably saw the film too."

"It's from a movie?" Lois groaned.

Clark laughed. "The kids made these because of something they saw in a movie?"

Nancy shrugged. "I don't know. They've been talking nonstop about some film. I didn't realize that these were from it."

"Ugh. Kids!" Lois threw up her hands. "I should've known! C'mon Smallville. There's no story here. It's all been a case of 'overactive imaginatitis.'"

Clark chuckled and followed Lois from the classroom; thanking Nancy and the nurse on his way out. "Imaginatitis?"

"What? I made it up. It should be a real disease. There was never any story here. Mrs. Kristofferson probably belongs in a looney bin."

Clark grabbed at Lois' elbow and stopped her. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "you don't remember anything?"

"Nothing," Lois replied, her eyes wide and honest. "Why? Do you know something?"

"No—nothing," he lied.

"I've got to say though there was something about that teacher's eyes that just seemed so… familiar. I can't figure it out." She shrugged her shoulders and turned on her heels marching through the front doors of the school. "C'mon. Burgers are on me. I know a place nearby."

Deep down Clark knew he should be concerned. Perhaps it had all been a dream concocted out of a deep hunger; in all likelihood, it was a false reality created by Mikhail Mxyzptlk as a warning of a future that could happen. It was a future where Lois could be face to face with danger and Clark as the Blur would have to let her walk headlong in to it.

Squaring his shoulders, Clark walked out into the sunlight. Squinting, he sought out Lois.

"Over here, Smallville!" She called out. From across the street, she waved to him in front of Big Ben's Burger Barn.

While the future was uncertain and the results of the legislation even more so; Clark had long ago vowed to protect Lois, both as the bumbling newsboy from Smallville and as the determined hero of Metropolis. As he crossed the streets to join Lois, he silently prayed that Mikhail's foreshadowed visions were just that.

.:TBC:.