Chapter 1 – The Plan (
Prologue - The Pact)
Lois rode the elevator up to the newsroom floor, heart beating strongly.
It’s very early. The newsroom should be almost empty. Is he in there? Take a deep breath, Lois. Prepare. How are you going to start this day on top? “Hope you’re ready for a busy news day, Kent, ‘cause I’ve got a scoop for you,” she practiced into the empty elevator.
The doors slid open and she strode out as if she hadn’t a care in the world, then glanced down towards the twin desks.
Clark Kent
Lois Lane
The two nameplates stood out to her. Raising her gaze just a little she saw the empty desk. And the empty newsroom.
“He’s not even here,” she grumbled to herself, then growled as she strode down to her desk. “Argh. All that preparation for nothing.” She threw her bag down on the edge of her desk and dropped herself into her chair. Her bag teetered and tottered on the edge of the table and then dropped to the floor with a plop taking her name plate with it.
“What am I going to do?” She put her fingers to her forehead. “I’m turning thirty-four tomorrow. That means it’s his thirty-fifth in just a few months and thirty-five is the limit we set for the wedding. I’ve not had a date in ...” she paused. “Too long, if I can’t remember. I’ve been too focussed on my career to even want a date with anyone.”
Lois leaned back in the chair and looked around the empty newsroom floor while she nibbled on a fingertip. Bouncing the chair back and forth she gave in to her nervousness. “I can’t marry him. I just can’t. It would be too hard. It’s hard enough hiding my heart from him already, and we only spend work time together.” A little internal ‘lie monitor’ poked her but she refused to acknowledge, out loud, all the evenings and weekends that were spent together outside of work time.
She pushed herself up and out of the chair, picked up her fallen name plate, and wandered over to his desk.
Always so neat and tidy. Pens away in the drawer. Paper stacked at the side. She trailed a finger along as she walked round, picking up his name plate as she passed. Lowering herself into his seat she played with them in her hands, knocking them against each other.
When she stopped, and held them still, she noticed something. Clark’s was behind, his last name just peeping out.
Lois Lane Kent
When Lois realised she was smiling ... quite widely ... she dropped them immediately. “Oh no.” She jumped out of Clark’s chair and ran back to her desk. “This is not going to happen. I need to sort this out, and quickly. I need to find someone. Even if I’m only ‘dating’ then The Pact is invalid.” Lois nibbled nervously on her fingernail again. “But there’s no-one willing to go on a date with me anymore,” she admitted.
She twirled her chair from side to side.
“That’s it.” She sprung up. “I’ll find someone for him. I’ll find Clark
his soulmate.” She dropped back into her chair. “I just need to do it in only a couple of months.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Clark rode the elevator up to the newsroom floor, heart beating strongly.
I’m quite late this morning. Is she in there? Take a deep breath, Clark. The doors slid open and he strode out as if he hadn’t a care in the world then glanced down towards the twin desks.
Clark Kent
Lois Lane
The two nameplates stood out to him. Raising his gaze just a little he saw her sat at her desk, engrossed in something.
“So, what’s the scoop this morning, Lois?” he said brightly as he approached. She jumped out of her chair in shock.
“Didn’t they teach you not to sneak up on people, back in Smallville ...
Farmboy?” She frowned at him.
What? Why is she acting like I caught her doing something she shouldn’t? “Hey, you were so engrossed I could have sung the theme to The Ivory Tower on my way down the ramp and you wouldn’t have noticed.
He stepped towards her desk. Casually throwing his trench coat over to his desk he then sidled up next to her and leaned over her shoulder. She quickly reached out with a hand and flicked off her computer screen.
“Ah, private matter, Kent.” When he raised an eyebrow at her she stood and pushed him away. “Just because we’re partners doesn’t give you the right to see everything I’m doing.”
He shrugged and strode to his chair. Lowering himself he adjusted his glasses and then pulled out his notepad. He made some notes on the ‘incident’ which had made him late this morning then started to pull them together into an article.
Lois watched him become engrossed and then flicked her screen back on.
Clark tapped away at his keyboard but kept glancing over the top of his screen to his partner.
She could be so much more, Kent. If you went for it. He shook his head and went back to his work.
Superman is destined to be alone, he recited to himself.
You know that time is running out. For some reason she remembered the pact the following day. And then made you swear again when she was sober. Or maybe she wasn’t really that drunk to start with. Clark gritted his teeth to keep from further arguing with himself.
He'd come to terms with the level of friendship that Lois offered him years ago. He'd reconciled his heart and his mind and settled into deep affection. Or at least, he thought he had. But, as time went on, it became clear that his heart had been playing 'possum', letting his head think it had won. Well, now the 'possum' had woken up.
The affection he felt for his partner and best friend had blossomed over the last years, till he couldn't continue to ignore it.
But Lois hadn’t brought up the subject of The Pact in ... oh ... about two years.
Maybe she’s finally forgotten. That’s good. It would be too complicated being married to her, having to explain things, having to hide things. Yes, I’m glad she’s forgotten. But Clark knew he was lying to himself.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lois kept peeking over her screen to see if Clark was watching. She tried to type furiously. To get the application filled out as quickly as possible. Her heart jumped out of her chest when he stood suddenly.
“I’m just heading off for an interview, Lois. Back later.”
And he was gone, just like that. She peered round the side of her screen.
But he’s left his notepad? She shook her head and went back to the screen.
“OK. Name – done. Age – done. Interests. Music. Films. What does Clark like? Or rather, what does he want his perfect girl to like? Think, Lois, think. You need to fill this out so it matches him to the perfect girls.”
She typed away, inputting answers and then deleting as she tried to fill out the perfect profile. After pushing ‘submit’ she leaned back and smiled. “He won’t know what hit him. These girls are bound to be irresistible to him.”
A light bulb went on in her brain and Lois reached forward to the keyboard again. “While I’m at it why don’t I see if I can find my own Prince Charming? I just need to make sure I put in the right answers to score myself a super guy.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
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