Hey, everyone! Here it is, the longest chapter yet. Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Seek and Find

Clark did leave after the movie. Lois had fallen asleep snuggling against his chest, and he had carried her into room, carefully tucking her into bed. He hesitated for a moment before leaning down to softly kiss her on the forehead.

He took the elevator up to her apartment roof, shed his work clothes, and took off into the sky. As he went about his nightly patrols, performing small rescues here and there, he thought over the evening. Lois had been bizarrely friendly, not that she hadn't been friendly before, but she had never shown such a need to be touched with Clark. The last time she had been so warm towards him was back when she discovered he was Superman. Though then, things had moved far beyond cuddling.

Cuddling was not going to be her response if she figured out his secret again. That couldn't be what was going on. Still, something had changed to make her behave this way. Clark wasn't complaining. It just seemed to good to be true. It was a quiet night, so he turned in early, falling asleep to dreams of Lois.

He work up to the sunrise shining into his window. He had picked this apartment because of the large eastern windows in the bedroom. In many ways, the sunrise refreshed him more than whatever scant amount of sleep he had gotten the night before. He got up and walked over to the window, letting the golden rays of early morning soak into his skin.

Once he felt sufficiently awake, he crossed the hall to the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. Clark always turned the water as hot as he could. As he washed his hair and skin, he thought over his day.

Technically, Saturday was a day off, but many of the reporters came in anyway, filing last minute stories or dealing with paperwork they had procrastinated on all week. With everything that had been going on, he had joined the last-minute squad, and his absence yesterday had set him further behind. He would probably have to stop by the office before going to see Lois to make sure she was doing okay.

Clark dressed more casually than usual, forgoing the usual suit and tie for khakis and a plaid button-down. He had grown increasingly irritated lately with the means needed to hide his Superman suit under his clothes. Quite frankly, the whole bumbling hick routine had grown a little unbelievable. Surely, a successful journalist who had traveled the world would know enough to buy suits that fit. Unfortunately, the ill-fitting business suits hid his other suit as well as disguising his real size and build.

Still, he had been progressively dropping much of the fake Clark persona and acting more like his real self; his current wardrobe seemed out of step. Sadly wearing the suit under his clothes still seemed like the best method. He had started experimenting with methods to go without it, but so far none of them had quite worked. They either slowed down his changing process or greatly increased the chance of exposure.

He headed to work, getting in early enough that the bullpen was empty. He got to work on all the paperwork he was behind on. About twenty minutes later, he heard the elevator ding but didn't glance up. Thirty seconds later, he wished he had.

"Oh my God, is this actually Clark Kent without his constant companion? I thought you two never left each other's sides. What an unexpected treat!" Cat almost seemed to purr in delight.

Clark looked up at the gossip columnist. "Good morning, Miss Grant. You're in early. I would think," Clark glanced at the time on the computer screen, "7:47 would be a bit ahead of schedule for you."

"I told you call me Cat." Cat grinned before sitting down on Clark's desk. This was not going to go well for him. "Trust me, the news waits for no woman. I had to make sure I got in some of the newest juicy tidbits before someone else scooped me." Cat leaned down flirtatiously. "What brings you in here so early? Rise with the sun, do you? I could live with that though I'm a night owl myself."

Clark was getting really tired of this game. "Cat, can I be frank?"

"Oh course, darling. I enjoy straightforward people."

"Fine, I'm not interested in you."

"I know."

Clark eyes shot up in surprise. "Then why...?"

Cat continued. "Because it drives Lois crazy. That and you might change your mind. I would be thrilled if you did. I'm not looking for anything serious. A quick fling would be sufficient."

Clark put his head in his hands. How did he get in this predicament? A woman throwing herself at Superman he would understand, but Clark Kent?

"Let me ask you one more question. Why me?"

"Honey, if you don't understand why you are more stupid than I thought. You can dress an attractive man in bad suits and dorky glasses, but that doesn't change what he is underneath. And I like what's underneath the best."

Clark just stared at her in shock. How had Cat Grant figured out things about him in less than a month that Lois still didn't see after knowing him for years?

Cat smiled. "I thought so. You are hiding it intentionally. To be frank, that's probably a dumb move. Beauty can get you pretty far when you let it."

Clark said nothing. If Cat figured out that he was hiding, she might just figured out why he was hiding. That would be bad.

Cat continued. "Now it's my turn to ask questions. Just answer me this. Are you and Lois sleeping together?"

Clark started to panic inside. First Jason and then Cat had suggested that he and Lois were more than friends. He felt like his whole persona was falling apart. Maybe it was. He pulled himself together enough to answer. "Don't be ridiculous. Why would you think that?"

"I'm not stupid, Clark. You and Lois scream "couple" in so many ways, it hurts. I know, most of you "serious" reporters dismiss what I do. How hard could it be to write about charity events and celebrity trysts? Not hard at all if all you want is to do is cover what everyone already knows. But if you want the secrets, you have to see through the lies and the facades, read between the lines."

"So you read between our lines and decided that we were together? I'm sorry to disappoint you, Cat, but Lois and I are just friends."

"Suit yourselves." Cat stood up and started to walk away. She glanced back. "If you ever change your mind about my offer, you know how to contact me."