Chapter Twenty One

In a bid to secure supporters for his candidacy for mayor Lex threw a lavished fundraiser party with some of the wealthiest citizens of Metropolis in attendance and several politicians that offered their support to the tycoon.

"I don't understand why we both have to be here." She stated when they entered the room and immediately grabbed a flute filled with champagne only to have Clark take it away and put it back on the silver tray.

"We're on the job Lo. I don't think the chief would appreciate his favorite reporter getting plastered during a night like this."

"Says the man who can drink as much as he wants without having to deal with any of the consequences." Lois retorts when they sat down at the table with their names near the plates.

Clark just shook his head and let out a small chuckle while the night progressed from a very exquisite meal to keeping Lois away form the bar and interviewing the partygoers.

One of the congressmen had told an amusing joke that caused him to laugh with a genuine smile on his face and seemed to be actually enjoying himself for the first time in a long while.

"Enjoying the party?" Lex asked appearing at Lois's side while Clark chatted with the guests.

Lois just faked a smile and nodded to the billionaire candidate this party was being thrown for, "Judging by your recent interest in my work, I take it you want to know more about Superman."

"You're very perceptive." He responded taking a sip from his champagne flute, "You seem to know the blue Boy Scout better than anyone. Almost like he has an…" he begins searching for the right word to use, "affinity for you." He whispers the last part near her ear causing a chill to creep up her spine but didn't let it show.

She turns around flashing him her fake smile, "Superman and I have a business relationship nothing more. He's too busy saving the world to be bothered with such a thing." She turns back and almost bumps into Clark's chest as the friends gave each other a look before the kryptonian's attentions shifted back to her.

"Everything okay?" he asks her softly while places a comforting hand on her arm ignoring the look Lex gave him as she just nodded, "Good to see you again Lex." Those were his last words before they walked away.

Lex watched the two before downing the rest of the champagne in the glass and leaving it on a nearby table where a member of the serving staff would pick it up.

Once the coast was clear and they were sure no one could hear their conversation, Clark turned to look at Lois worried but she just squeezed his arm and gave him a reassuring smile that everything was okay.

Several hours later since the Lex and Lois incident the party was still going much to the reporter's chagrin as they just sat at their table bored out of their minds, "I'm gonna get another one." He said gesturing to his empty soda glass, "You want anything?"

"A reason to leave." She joked earning a small chuckle from her partner as he gave her head a kiss before walking off towards the bar to get a refill of soda when he paused with the feeling that someone was watching him but brushed it off as paranoia and continued on.

It wasn't until he turned around that he spotted someone familiar staring at him from across the crowd before disappearing when several people passed through his line of vision.

Clark immediately set his glass on the nearest table and began to squeeze through the crowd but found that there was no one there.

A hand on his shoulder caused him to turn around only to come face to face with Lois, "You okay Clark? You look like you've seen a ghost." She looks at his pale complexion with concern, "Maybe you should head on home early and check on Maggie, I'll hold up the fort here."

He would've heard what she said if he wasn't so distracted with finding a logical reason as to why he had seen someone that couldn't physically be here, "Maybe you're finally going crazy Kent." His inner voice states but he just shakes his head negatively and soon becomes convinced that he wasn't going crazy when he spotted her again this time near the entrance heading out into the empty hallway.

Lois watches him rush off towards the exit and quickly follows unbeknownst to him.

He stops in the middle of the empty hallway running his hand through his neatly combed hair messing it up while he lets out a disgruntled growl and vents his frustration out on the nearest wall, "What's the matter with me?"

The frustration and anger soon die away allowing the kryptonian to smooth back his hair and turn back where he immediately locked eyes with his partner, "Lois" he says her name with surprise.

She looks back at the party then back at him and slips her hand through his arm and begins pulling him in the opposite direction of the party, "I think we've both had enough of these yuppies and I know just what we need." A playful smile appears on her face when she looks up at the on edge kryptonian.

Their legs dangled off the edge as they sat there looking out at the skyline of the big city, "See this isn't so bad." Lois nudges him while popping a kernel in her mouth, "I come up here sometimes where I need to get away from it all kind of like how you like to go off into space and just hover above the earth."

He pops a kernel into his mouth as well and continued to stare out at lively city, "When Maggie was little I would take her up to this windmill where you could see the whole city like you standing on top of the world." He stands up careful not to fall over and turns to step down on the ground away from the ledge, "There's something I want to show you."

She brushes off her hands and follows suit placing her hand into his as he pulls her close much to her surprise, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do." She replies and begins to feel a cold breeze crawl up her spin causing her to look down and see that they were flying.

Clark let out a laugh when she immediately clung to him for fear that she would fall but winces when she taps him on the chest, "That isn't funny Smallville. A little warning would've been nice."

"I thought you would like the scenic route but if you want…"

"No!" she exclaims cutting him off before he could finish and her body began to relax against his, "Its fine." She places her head against his chest listening to the thumping of his soothing heart.

Clark looked down at her with small smile and raised his arm propelling them higher in the sky slicing through the clouds so that the giant full moon greeted them.

While she looked around he just stared at her with a small look on his face as they drifted amongst the clouds, "I've never done this anyone before." He admits causing her to look at him surprised, "I mean I've flown people to safety but I've never really just stopped and just hovered like this. There was always someplace better I had to be." He looks up at the stars while Lois watched him this time.

"What upset you at the party?" she asks suddenly without realizing what she had just asked and immediately regretted it by the apprehensive look on his face, "I'm sorry. I just can't shut off the reporter in me sometimes."

He just smirks, "I like that about you Lois. You're not afraid to ask questions." He thought it over before finally confessing, "I thought I saw someone I knew but it was probably my mind playing tricks on me. I've been really stressed lately since this whole metal guy fiasco."

"Metallo." She corrects and explains, "Someone needed to name him and we cant keep calling him metal guy." They share a quick laugh when Lois starts to shiver causing Clark to wrap her tighter in his arms, "I don't know how you can stay so warm when it's freezing."

"It's a kryptonian thing." he replies keeping her close as they began their descent back to the ground.

"Checkmate." Maggie said after her bishop took Alec's king for the third time that day, "Not bad for a newbie." She gloated while resetting the game, "What else do you want to play?"

He just shrugged, "You've beaten me at everything. How is that even possible?" he asked

She paused and began to wonder the same thing herself, "Maybe it's a family trait. My grandpa is the master of family game night." She begins cleaning up the mess when she notices something peeking out of Alec's backpack, "What's that?"

He looked over towards his backpack and immediately berated himself for leaving it open, "It was going to be your birthday present but I guess the secret's out." He reached in and pulled out a book, "Here."

When she looked down at the book cover her eyes immediately lit up and she wrapped her arms tightly around her friend just as the door opened and Clark appeared in the doorway with his jacket slung over his arm, "Daddy!" she jumps up and rushes towards him with the book in hand, "Look what Alec got me."

Clark gazed down to see a book about Robin Hood, "That's great honey." He said with a smile as he smoothed down some of her hair, "Get your stuff ready. We're going home." She nods and goes back to give Alec another hug before going to pack up.

Once she was ready and after Clark thanked Alec's aunt for letting her stay over with her nephew the pair left the small home towards the beat-up old pickup truck, "How was your day?" he asked while holding the door open for her as she climbed into the passenger side door, "Did you have fun?"

She nodded and Clark shut the door before walking around the other side when Maggie asked, "How was the fundraiser?" and followed it with the same question, "Did you and Ms. Lane have fun?"

"Yes we did." He replied while he started the engine and began to head on home when thought popped up, "What do you think of Lois?"

"I think she makes you happy." Clark gave her a glance, "Whenever she's in the same room I notice that you smile more, you never smiled like that when I was growing up." Maggie looks over at him, "Why are you asking?"

"Well some kids don't like it very much when their parents start seeing other people."

"I just want you to be happy dad." She gives him a pat on the arm earning a quick smirk from her father before reaching over to turn on the radio which was playing Tim McGraw's My Little Girl as father and daughter just sat in silence the rest of the way home.

TBC

There was dialogue that was cut because it just seemed like I was having Clark take two steps back instead of forward like I want him to. It just didn't feel right especially now that there's progress on the clois front. Then there was a part that had Lois look insecure and that part definitely didn't sit well with me because when I think of Lois I think strong and confident so that's another reason why that dialogue was cut.

Also if you ever have the chance listen to My Little Girl by Tim McGraw. It captures the father/daughter relationship perfectly and is a really beautiful song.

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