I was really happy with how this chapter divided and with the changes I made. Hope you enjoy it as well.

DOUBLE IDENTITY

Metropolis, same night

Walking to meet Jimmy after the fiasco at the nightclub, Lois was feeling a little out of it from the earlier events. She was also wishing she'd worn more comfortable shoes. Overall, the day was starting to catch up with her. How did Clark do it? Oh, right, he had super speed.

Clark Kent's the Blur.

Lois was still trying to grasp the idea. Just when she thought she knew everything about him, he threw her another curve ball. He'd been doing that since they met. In her mind she could hear his comments years ago while they were walking to the remains of Chloe's safe house.

"That doesn't happen to you often, does it?"

"What?" Lois asked.

"Not being able to peg someone right away," Clark concluded.

"Oh, get over yourself, you are not that complicated."

She wouldn't admit it back then, but he was right. Lois was pretty good at figuring men out; she'd had a lot of practice on the different military bases. It was a survival skill she depended on. Clark had never fit any of the known patterns. He still didn't.

Maybe that's why she was so conflicted where he was concerned. Part of her wanted to draw him out and banter with his wit, another part wanted to lean on his strength, still another part of her wanted to shelter-

Lois pulled her phone out of her trench coat and dialed. Tonight, the need to protect won out.

"Are you in costume?" She asked, listening for the response.

"I'm sure you look great. I'm about five minutes away," Lois responded to the voice on the other end. She listened further. "All right, I'll look for you when I get there… and remember to be quick." Lois hung up.

Even as she considered her plans, a completely selfish part of her was frustrated and angry. After all, Clark hadn't needed her help the first time around. He'd managed just fine by lying and keeping secrets. All that time, he'd pretended to be someone else- talking to her and listening while she poured out her feelings. She'd told the Blur things she'd never told anyone else; she even talked to the Blur about Clark.

How could she have been so stupid?

She stopped in the street and took a deep breath, trying to wrap her mind around the reality that this Clark wasn't the Blur who'd tricked her in the past. It wasn't fair to hold those things against this him, especially since her mission was to get to know Clark better.

Well, she'd certainly learned things she never expected.

She continued walking at a slower pace, pondering how much her perspective had changed with the knowledge that Clark was the Blur. At one time, Jimmy's "Good Samaritan" had consumed her thoughts; the highlight of her day had been talking to him.

Knowing he was Clark all along …

Her breath hitched at the thought. Reconciling the two was going to take some time. Right now, Lois was afraid that the two of them combined made for a person who could hold her whole heart.

Rubbing her forehead as if that would ease her jumbled thoughts, Lois stopped again, this time in the middle of the sidewalk, as she felt an uncomfortable sensation hit her gut. Taking slow steps, she looked around and saw nothing, but she could feel eyes watching her. Picking up the pace, she practically ran to the next street light.

Before she reached it, the sound of her phone made her jump. Quickly, she checked the caller ID and recognized Jimmy's number. "I'm walking a mile to get there and my feet are killing me, so you'd better not be canceling," Lois answered.

Although she'd never say it out loud, she had to give the photographer credit. He'd put the Blur/Clark connection together on his own and kept his theories to himself, promising to meet her here for some "hero hunting."

"Uh, no, I just wanted to tell you that C.K. is with me. I didn't think you'd mind," Jimmy told her.

"Clark is with you?" Lois asked.

"Sure, uhm, he wanted to see this guy for himself," Jimmy replied.

"Okay, but tell him no nonbelievers on this excursion… and he'll need to keep up," Lois smirked as she disconnected, thinking about Clark's reaction. What was he up to anyway? He wouldn't be out with Jimmy unless he was trying to put the photographer off the scent.

That could be a problem.

She tried calling J'onn but got no answer. Throwing her phone back in her purse, she sprinted around the corner and stopped, looking for him. Up on the roof top she saw movement. Relieved, she started walking but then she saw more movement on the rooftop two buildings down. A flash of red caught her eye.

Crap.

Down the street, she could see Jimmy and Clark walking together. She reached into her purse for her phone and out of her peripheral vision spotted a car cruising past her toward the two men. She gave up on the phone and started waving her arms in the air, hoping to get J'onn's attention, all the while trying to look like she was signaling to Jimmy and Clark.

Just as the two men started across the street, the car Lois had seen earlier accelerated and headed straight for them.

A shout caught in Lois' throat.

Before she could call out a warning, a figure in blue and red swooped down and push the men out of the car's path. The caped champion continued on as the car sped away, rising through the night until he was standing at the top of the building across the street, red fabric billowing in the breeze.

Lois stopped in her tracks and watched as Clark pointed to the roof and Jimmy immediately started taking pictures. The flash of the camera was bright on the darkened street and soon passersby were crowding around Jimmy and Clark, looking up, their faces filled with excitement and awe at the red-caped hero.

Jimmy was clearly fooled by the substitute- clicking away with enthusiasm- but not Lois. She didn't know who was up there posing, but she understood that the man was simply a stand-in, because her plan had been exactly the same. Somewhere J'onn was waiting on a different roof ready to swoop down and save the day. He was even wearing the same cape.

She would've laughed out loud if she hadn't been suddenly engrossed by Clark's reaction to the crowd. As he looked around, Lois could see his surprise at the crowd's excitement.

Would the man ever understand his own value?

Lois shook her head. Of course not; he was a mild-mannered farm boy first and foremost. Standing on the street surrounded by people admiring a substitute Blur, Lois felt like a blindfold had been removed. All of the pride and admiration she'd ever felt for the Blur swelled as she looked at her partner. It was if she was clearly seeing Clark-the-hero for the first time. Here was the man- not seeking attention or accolades- simply trying to do the right thing like his parents had taught him.

Clark will save people without asking anything in return. Surely you can give some of that back to him?

Garth's words propelled her toward the object of her esteem. She wasn't sure what she was going to say or do when she reached him but she wanted to do something supportive.

Before she could think about what that would be, she was grabbed and a hand was covering her mouth. Immediately, she started kicking her legs but the larger man dropped her body in response until her legs were being dragged along the pavement. Unwilling to give up, Lois tried to bite her captor's hand but the man knew enough to keep it flat across her mouth. The entire time, she continued to struggle but the arm around her was keeping her pinned.

"Stop it," the man muttered in her ear. "I'm just here for the blue crystal and then I'll let you go."

The blue crystal?

Lois hadn't seen it since the night she went to the mansion. Had Tess sent this guy? Headlights appeared and Lois increased her struggles. If they got to the car, she was a goner. When her movements made no difference, she changed strategies and let her body go limp.

Her captor grunted under the additional weight but his grip didn't ease. Lois let her head drop along with her body, stiffened her feet against the pavement and slammed the back of her head as hard as she could into the kidnapper's face. That did it. His hand loosened enough for Lois to shout out before he covered it again.

In a flash, the red-caped hero who saved Clark and Jimmy dropped down in front of them.

"Let her go!" a familiar voice commanded.

Oliver? Lois squinted toward the mouth of the dark alley.

Picking up her foot, she slammed it into the leg of her assailant. He cried out but didn't release her. Instead, his grip tightened.

"Stay out of this," his gravelly voice warned.

A commotion erupted in the car behind them and her captor quickly pulled her to the side, trying to adjust to this new situation. Suddenly there were two potential threats. Lois turned her head to see who was on the other side but saw nothing behind the bright headlights and the rocking of the car.

Oliver stepped forward, and Lois felt the hand on her mouth shift and tighten.

"Come any closer and I'll snap her neck," the guy threatened and Lois knew he was in the right position to do it.

Oliver must have known it too because he stopped moving. Before Lois could attempt another diversion, the activity in the car stilled and a second figure emerged, also wearing a red cape.

"What the..." her kidnapper queried. "Now there are two of you?"

For a minute no one moved. Then Lois felt a stiff breeze behind her and her assailant dropped like a stone.

Her legs gave out just as two sets of hands reached for her simultaneously. "You guys look cute in your matching outfits," she smirked and watched with amusement as Oliver and J'onn warily eyed each other. "Excuse me, caped wonders, but can we get out of here?" Lois coughed and her eyes rolled at each one's tough guy expression.

When Oliver reached for one arm, J'onn gently tugged on the other. Lois gave both of them a direct stare and jerked her arms away. Shaking her head, she walked- just a little unsteadily- to the mouth of the alley, wanting to get some by-stander quotes to go with Jimmy's pictures.

She wasn't ready to face Oliver or J'onn at this point. Besides, she knew if she stuck around, she'd feel compelled to point out that these two substitutes were not as good together as the one real Blur.

Kent farm, early next morning

Sleep wouldn't come no matter what Lois tried. Sighing, she rolled over and flipped the pillow laying her head back down on the cool side. The clock on the nightstand said it was two in the morning. She needed sleep but everything that happened kept replaying in her head.

She couldn't stop thinking about the moment when Clark reacted to the people cheering the red-caped rescuer. His expression of absolute amazement made Lois' heart ache to hold him. He was so insecure when it came to his work and yet he never expected anything in return. It was heartbreaking and inspiring all at once.

Lois couldn't decide how she felt about it all.

It didn't help that her own capture and rescue was weighing on her. Who were those guys? What had they wanted with the blue crystal? She hadn't seen the thing since her impromptu visit to Tess' house. Maybe she should look into it again…

Rolling to her back she stared at the sliver of moonlight on the ceiling, trying to avoid thinking about Clark. Of course, her contrary thoughts immediately turned to her rescue. Clark had truly been a blur when he'd dropped her captor. Lois closed her eyes and, for a moment, she could feel the breeze on her skin from where he'd passed behind her in the alley. She shivered under the sheets, releasing her breath slowly.

Thoughts of Clark were not helping her sleep. Her emotions were all over the place where he was concerned.

She tried to think of anything else and couldn't hold back a chuckle when she remembered tonight's two red-caped masqueraders. She'd never considered that Clark would develop a plan of his own or that it would mirror her own. Thank goodness only one of the heroes had been seen by the public. Even Jimmy would have known something was up if he'd seen two "Good Samaritans" running around in red capes.

Luckily, if Clark probably wouldn't say anything to her because he'd be revealing himself. Still, she'd be surprised if he didn't confront J'onn at some point. Lois was glad that they J'onn agreed with her that Clark didn't need the added stress of knowing that someone else was aware of his secret. She was confident that, whatever happened, J'onn wouldn't disclose Lois' part in what happened tonight.

She assumed that Clark had been the one to recruit Oliver.

Did that mean that Oliver had forgiven her partner?

Lois hoped so. Oliver had all but disappeared after Lois' birthday party and all of them- Chloe and Clark included- had missed him. If she believed the tabloids, the millionaire had been enjoying his role as playboy, but Lois knew him well enough to know that wouldn't last. Oliver needed work; it was about time he got back in the game. Eventually, Oliver would confront her about tonight but she had time to think of an excuse. The upcoming interrogation would be worth it if it meant her friend was here to stay.

Lois rolled to her side and punched her pillow, her happiness at seeing Oliver turning at bit bitter. Oliver obviously knew about Clark being the Blur, which means he'd lied to her in the future. Of course, she couldn't yell at him about something that hadn't happened yet, but she wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to. She was still reeling from her discovery that the men she'd been fascinated with all those years ago was her partner Clark.

She'd thought she knew Clark Kent so well only to find out that he was capable of so much more; that he was the Blur; that the Blur was Night-

Not going there.

Lois shifted again, huffing with frustration when she realized she was thinking about Clark again.

This time, she forced herself to think about what happened earlier in the evening at the Ace of Clubs. Apparently, Sebastian Kane now suffered from complete amnesia as a result of his contact with Lois and J'onn. Lois suspected that he'd also lost his powers, considering what happened to J'onn. Surprisingly, Kane's loss was her friend's gain.

"So, you've found out that Clark is Jimmy's Good Samaritan," the Detective murmured while he was standing with Lois. They were watching the medics put Kane into the ambulance.

Lois tried not to let her surprise show. "How do you know?"

"I could hear it in your thoughts." A sense of wonder appeared in the man's eyes, along with that sparkle that Lois knew so well from their future time together.

"How is that possible?" Lois whispered. "I thought you… I mean, you weren't using…" she sighed. "I thought you lost your powers."

J'onn smiled at her stuttering. "I've always suspected you knew more than you were letting on," he said softly. "And now I understand why you know so much." His eyes showed his interest in her memories. "I always felt something was different about you."

Lois snorted.

"I'm not certain how it happened but Kane's meteor ability must have triggered my natural telepathy," J'onn continued, his brows wrinkled as he concentrated. "It doesn't feel like anything else has returned, just the thought processing."

"Thought processing, is that what you call it these days?" Lois teased. "So," she added before J'onn could respond. "You know why I'm here."

"I do… Lieutenant."

Lois knew she should be concerned but it felt so good to be able to share with someone she trusted, and she knew she could trust J'onn. "We should probably talk sometime," she told him, the events with Kane triggering memories of this night the first time around. "But for tonight, how would you like to help out a mutual friend?"

J'onn studied her expression and shook his head with a sigh. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?"

Snuggling into the covers, Lois relished the idea of having J'onn on her side again. She hadn't missed the Darkness or the things that went with it, but she missed him. She'd missed the friendship she'd developed with the man. She was looking forward to sharing with him some of the events of her future-

A noise in the kitchen interrupted her thoughts and made her sit up. Heart pounding, Lois grabbed the knife she kept under her pillow and waited. When she didn't hear any other sounds below, she threw off the covers and headed for the door. This night wasn't made for sleeping, evidently.

Knife at the ready, she stopped on the stairs and crept forward, seeing light coming from the kitchen. On the landing, she spotted Clark at the refrigerator, only the dim interior light shadowing his profile as he drank milk right out of the bottle. Just the sight of him stopped her dead in her tracks. He was half-naked, wearing only his sweatpants with his chest bare. His hair was tousled from sleep and he looked-

Lois swallowed.

When he didn't immediately react, she let her eyes drink him in- starting at the floor with his masculine feet, which were bare, long and narrow and continuing upward, she noticed that even the gray sweats couldn't hide the outline of his well-developed legs, narrow hips and firm… back. Without his usual t-shirt, Lois could see his tanned chest and powerfully built arms.

Mesmerized, her eyes followed one of those arms as it turned the bottle up to his own full lips, which wrapped around the opening as he drank. She watched as his throat muscles worked when he swallowed and felt her body temperature start to rise. Even when he lowered the bottle and placed it on the shelf, she couldn't drag her eyes away.

Her churning thoughts from earlier screeched to a halt as she stared at him, her entire being absorbed by the view.

"What are you doing up?" The softly spoken words were directed at the refrigerator and it took Lois a minute to understand that they were meant for her.

Suddenly the fact that she'd been so absorbed made her unaccountably nervous. Did he know she was staring at him? Feeling slightly dazed by the thought, she backed up to the bottom step, one hand gripping the rail while she surreptitiously tucked her knife behind her with the other.

When she didn't answer, Clark turned and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Lois felt her undisciplined gaze followed the trail of it across his lips and she sucked in a breath.

He's the Blur.

She released it shakily.

Get a grip, Lane.

"Your mother would tell you to get a glass," she pointed out, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"But you won't, will you?" His words were still quiet, his eyes suddenly on her.

The look in them made her heart beat faster. Was that affection she heard mixed with exasperation? She watched, tongue-tied, as he ran a hand through his hair.

Definitely exasperation.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked.

"Heard a noise down here," Lois answered, her voice sounding gravelly. She coughed to clear it and then winced at how loud in sounded in the darkened room.

"Hmm, usually you can sleep through the sound of a marching band," Clark observed. "Unless you were already awake?"

"Just thinking about things," she replied, pursing her lips at the confession; she hadn't meant to answer.

"Things… like what, your date? How was it?" Clark asked, closing the refrigerator door and plunging the kitchen in darkness.

"Typical," Lois responded with a smirk, feeling more herself now that the half-naked Clark was simply an outline. "He left in an ambulance."

Clark's white teeth flashed in the dark. "Wasn't your type, I take it?"

"It wasn't really a date, Clark," Lois answered seriously. Now that Sebastian was no longer a threat, she didn't feel like deceiving him about that. "I was working on a story. The guy was one of Lex's lab rats at Black Creek and I recognized him."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

In the light of day, Lois would have produced a glib response but in the intimacy of the dark kitchen, the truth spilled out. "He was dangerous, Clark. He could read peoples' memories and thoughts. You didn't need to be exposed to that." The passion in her words hit her when Clark didn't react. She was ready to flee when he eventually responded, voice low and sincere.

"Thanks for trying to protect me."

Something about his tone sent a tingle through her. Was he talking about the date or something else? Did he suspect something about the Blur bungle? Either way she was warmed by the appreciation in his tone. "Anytime, Smallville," she answered, turning wary when Clark stepped closer. The darkness, the bedtime attire and the warmth in her body was all too much. "That's what friends are for. After all, you've been babysitting me for a week. Turnabout is fair play and all that…" Her voice drifted off when she realized she was babbling.

She took a step back.

Clark stopped and tucked his hands in the pocket of his sweats. "Well, looks like Jimmy got his story. Metropolis has its own hero," he said and Lois could practically feel his questioning gaze. Was he fishing for information?

Luckily she was a woman who knew how to deflect. "Actually, Jimmy got the photos but I got the quotes from the crowd," she told him. "Looks like Lane and Olsen will be pooling their resources on this exclusive."

"Oh, I thought you didn't share bylines…"

Unsaid but clear was except with me. That was interesting. Lois wondered when Clark had become possessive about their working relationship. She pushed the question to the back of her mind to consider later.

"This is a big story-" she stated eagerly, but stopped when Clark tensed at her words. Despite everything that had happened tonight, he was still worried about his identity. Lois took a deep breath and tried to slow down. "Actually, this is more than a story. This hero represents hope for a city that desperately needs some right now."

"How do you know this guy is what the city needs?" Clark's asked her, uncertainty in his tone.

"Are you kidding? You should hear the quotes I got from the people tonight, like 'I'm glad there's someone out there willing to help,' and 'It's great that our city has its own super hero…' I must have taken a dozen or more statements like that," Lois answered unable to hide her own appreciation. "Metropolis is lucky to have someone like him running around."

In the shadows, she could see Clark take a step forward before he seemed to stop himself. "You don't really believe that, do you? This guy could be some kind of freak… some kind of meteor freak, I mean."

Lois felt her heart jump in reaction to his words and found herself longing to sooth his insecurities.

Clark will save people without asking anything in return. Surely you can give some of that back to him?

How could she make Clark understand that his heritage was so unimportant in the scheme of things, that he wasn't alone, and that this was about the person he was choosing to be? The man needed some confidence and, if she could, she would give that to him.

"Of course I believe it!" The words rushed out of her. "He's exactly what Metropolis needs. Personally, I don't care if he's a meteor freak, Elvis come back from the dead, or the E.T., the extraterrestrial. What's important is what he's choosing to do with his talents. He's a hero, saving people without asking anything in return. That's all that matters."

Clark stood frozen, his eyes fixed on her face. He'd stayed that way during her entire tirade, unblinking and unmoving. In the dim light she let her gaze meet his and the intensity of it floored her. Suddenly, shirtless Clark was making her nervous. In response, her hand reached for her neck and, next thing she knew, Clark was in front of her, gently pulling her hand away and lightly rubbing circles in her palm.

"Do you mean that?" He asked quietly and, in the glow of the moonlight, Lois could see the hope in his expression.

"Of course," she responded in a whisper, her heart aching for him. His wide eyes were like that of a little boy and Lois was enthralled by the appreciation she saw in them. He even stood a little taller as if her words had worked their desired effect. She felt herself straighten in response. Maybe this was the real reason she was sent back and, if so, she seemed to finally be doing something right.

It felt good.

Then, still grinning, Clark leaned forward, supporting himself by placing his other hand against the wall. Lois felt surrounded by his body heat and his scent; her eyelids fluttered as delicious sensations filled her in response to his closeness. Looking through her lashes, she waited, eyes on Clark's smiling mouth. Eventually, he leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thank you, Lois," he said, grinning like an idiot.

She couldn't help but smile back. He looked so carefree. "For what?"

As his smile faded, she mentally kicked herself for reminding him of his secret. She watched the play of emotions cross his face as he considered an honest answer. "For giving me hope… for this hero," he told her, taking a step back. "You know, I'm surprised you settled for bystander quotes and didn't go after the hero himself," he commented, and Lois recognized her own distraction technique being used against her.

Still lost in the sensation of having Clark's smiling face so close and having him touch her hand and kiss her cheek, Lois responded without thinking, "No, I think it should be his decision to go public," she said seriously.

Clark's gaze slammed in to hers at her response, suspicion and fear evident, just as she remembered that she'd overheard Clark say those same words to Jimmy earlier in the evening.

Great, now Clark knows I was eavesdropping.

"Anyway," Lois interrupted before Clark could ask questions she wasn't ready to answer, "I won't need to go after him, hero or not." Needing to distance herself from him before he could get the truth out of her, she turned, hiding the knife in front of her as she started up the stairs.

"What makes you think you think so?" The suspicious tone followed her up the stairs.

Looking over her shoulder, Lois raised her eyebrows suggestively and placed one hand on her hip. "He'll come looking for me."

"You don't know that. This guy may not want any publicity-"

"People will want answers, Clark, and this man's a hero which means he's helpful. Soon, he'll want to give those answers." After her recent debacle Lois spoke carefully, not wanting to reveal that she'd dealt with all of this in the past.

"Even if you're right, what makes you think he'll come to you?"

Lois grinned at him and wiggled her brows, trying to tease Clark out of his suspicions, "Hello… because I'm me."

For once Clark didn't roll his eyes at her but narrowed them instead and, even in the dim light, the emotions in them sent Lois' heart racing. "Yes, you are," he responded in a husky voice that Lois couldn't remember having heard before.

She turned and fled.

Slamming her bedroom door behind her, Lois stood with her back against it, trying to calm her racing heart. Clark's look had been almost... predatory. What had she done or said to cause that kind of reaction? He'd never reacted to her teasing like that before unless he'd been under the influence of elevated endorphins.

Replaying the conversation in her head didn't help. There was nothing.

As Lois crawled back into bed she realized that running from that kind of look was probably counterproductive but, right now, she needed to get her emotions in check. Knowing Clark was the Blur changed things. Developing a confident Clark changed things.

A girl needed time to recover.