Honeymoon in Metropolis – Matchmaker Style
Rated PG-13
Disclaimers: The characters in this story are property of DC, December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for a short time.
Lois and Clark now live in Clark's ‘old' apartment.
* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Previously:
Just then the computer beeped indicating that its FAX function had been activated. A few seconds later the printer activated and started printing out a report.
Clark moved over and started to read it. He said, "It's from Jimmy. Voting records of the House Defense Committee."
Lois had been staring at the jacket and the desire to look in that file was becoming more than she could stand. She saw that Clark was distracted by the FAX and made up her mind.
While his back was turned, she grabbed a hand held scanner and slipped it into her bag then said, "Clark, I'm going down to the lobby for a few minutes. I … need something from the drug store. You need anything?"
Absorbed in what was being printed, Clark replied, absently, "Okay. No, nothing for me. See you in a few."
"Okay, I'll see you in a few."
Clark was still looking at the printout as Lois exited.
The printout had finally finished and Clark was going over it when the phone rang.
Picking it up, Clark answered, "Hello?"
Clark immediately recognized the voices on the other end. Martha asked, "Clark Kent, what are you still doing in the honeymoon suite of the Lexor Hotel?"
Jonathan said, "We thought you had already had your honeymoon."
Clark looked at the time and said, "I thought you guys would already be in bed. Why are you calling?"
"We are in bed. We just thought we'd check and see how you and Lois are making out. You've been married a few weeks and we were hoping that you hadn't had any spats. Is everything okay?"
"Everything's okay, Mom. We haven't had a single argument."
Jonathan said, "You didn't tell us why you're in the Honeymoon Suite … again."
"Oh, that. We're undercover."
Martha laughed and said, "We know that's what the Honeymoon Suite is for! Plenty of time under the covers." She nudged Jonathan to let him know that her mistaking what he said was deliberate.
Clark rolled his eyes and said, "Ha ha ha. Very funny. We are on an undercover assignment."
Martha persisted, "Are you trying to tell me that you and Lois aren't spending any time under the covers? Come on. We know how the two of you were when you were here. You couldn't keep your hands off each other. When you came in from the barn … the hay in Lois' hair … that was a dead giveaway."
Clark could hear Martha's joyous laughter spilling from the receiver. Martha and Jonathan couldn't see it, but Clark was beet red. Martha really knew how to push his buttons. "How did you find out we were here at the Lexor?"
Jonathan answered, "Perry White gave us the number."
Martha asked, "Honey, is Lois there? Thanksgiving is coming up and I want to talk to her about it."
"Sure, hold on." Clark looked around and then remembered, "Oh, that's right. She went downstairs a little bit ago."
Just then the sound equipment picked up the chime of the arriving elevator. Clark said, "Hold on a minute."
Martha said, "Okay."
Clark looked across the way just in time to see Lois enter the office. He blurted out, "Oh, no. Mom, we'll have to call you back. I think Lois is getting herself into some trouble."
Martha answered with a single word, "Go!"
And Now:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 7
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lois' plan was half formed before she left. She wanted to get into that office, retrieve that key, pull out that file, scan it, replace it and leave before Bart or Roarke returned. She had taken the elevator down to the lobby and exiting the building through a door on an opposite corner had rounded the building corner and crossed the street to the building that housed the Apocalypse Consulting offices. By exiting through a door that wasn't directly across from her target, she hoped that any security cams would throw off any investigation. Once she was in the building she decided that she didn't have the time to climb the stairs so there was nothing other than the elevator, so she had to use it. The door to the office was ridiculously simple. Smiling to herself, she pulled out the key card to their Honeymoon Suite and used it to slip the lock.
Clark watched as Lois quickly moved to the inner office and turned on a desk lamp. She shuffled through papers on the desk, opened and closed several drawers and looked unsuccessfully for the videotape. She knew that Clark would be watching and she looked up at where she thought the Honeymoon Suite windows were and smiled. Finally she retrieved the key from Bart's jacket and unlocked the file cabinet. She pulled out a handful of file folders, carried them to the desk, and began to copy them with her pocket scanner. After a short time she heard something and snapped the desk light off.
Clark was getting worried. There would be a problem if Superman suddenly showed up to spirit Lois away. That would definitely give them away, but if she was discovered he would have to act. He couldn't allow anything to happen to Lois. He would have to trust to her experience and unique talents for getting herself into and out of trouble, but he knew that it would have been easier before they had been married. He needed to be ready to intervene.
Lois had heard the elevator. She quickly crossed to the inner office door and closed it softly, throwing the lock as she did. Then she returned to the desk picked up the files and shoved them back in the file drawer. Once she had done that she pushed in the button to lock it and then put the key back in Bart's jacket pocket. She looked out the window and gave Clark an imploring look, mouthed, “Help,” then she scurried back to the desk, knelt down to see if hiding under it would be feasible. She saw that the space was too small. She didn't realize it, but when she knelt down to look under the desk, the door key card to the Honeymoon Suite fell from her pocket onto the floor.
While Lois was doing this Roarke entered the outer office, flipped on the lights and moved to the inner office door which he found locked. He looked accusingly at Bart who simply shrugged as if to say, ‘Force of habit,' and pulled a key ring out of his pocket.
While he was sorting through his keys looking for the one to the door, Lois moved to a small closet and squeezed inside.
Bart was taking too long finding the correct key and Roarke grabbed the key ring from him and found the key right away.
Seeing what was happening and seeing Lois call for help, Clark had been growing increasingly worried so he had exited the Honeymoon Suite and taken the fire stairs to the roof. He spun into the Suit and flew across to the other building.
Just as Roarke got the key in the lock, the outer door opened, a blue clad arm reached in and flipped the lights off. Then twin beams of heat vision, invisible to the unaided eye hit the sprinkler head in the middle of the ceiling.
The sudden darkness had startled Roarke. Then immediately following on that event bells started ringing and water started pouring on his head.
Disconcerted by what was happening, Bart grabbed his jacket and holding it over his head like a raincoat, he and Roarke both fled the office slamming the outer door behind them.
Lois heard the door slam and made her way out of the closet. As soon as she was out she was hit by the water. Holding her bag over her head to try and keep her hair at least a little dry, she ran for the inner office door. Once through that she felt herself being picked up and held. Knowing exactly who it was she said, "Took you long enough."
Clark laughed and flew them to the stairs, up and out and back to the Honeymoon Suite so that they could watch events unfold. Even as high up as they were they could hear the sirens in the street below.
They were both standing there at the window, dripping on the carpet as they watched.
Suddenly, Lois sneezed and Clark's attention was directed to her. "I think you need to get out of those wet clothes."
"Is that a proposition?"
"No, I think at least one of us needs to continue to watch to see what transpires." He spun into his clothes and gave her a look.
"Show off. Okay, I guess you're elected. I'll go change."
"You might want to take a shower. You don't know just how clean that water was."
Lois brought her arm up and sniffed her sleeve. She made a face and said, "I see what you mean. Okay, I'm for the shower. Let me know what happens." She turned and went into the bedroom.
Clark rewound the tape in the videocam and then played it forward to the point just before Lois broke in and started recording over it to remove any evidence of Lois' B&E."
After Lois left for her shower Clark continued to watch. He saw the firemen enter the Apocalypse Consulting office and check around. After a time they collected their equipment and filed out satisfied that it had been a false alarm.
A few minutes later, Lois came out wearing the robe and drying her hair with another towel.
He was relieved that nothing serious had happened during her little excursion, but he was still irritated that she hadn't even thought to ask his opinion or so much as tell him what she was planning. He challenged, "What did you think you were doing? If they'd caught you, who knows what they would have done."
"But they didn't."
"Only because I set off the fire alarm."
"That's what you're supposed to do. Back me up!"
"Lois, if we had discussed it we might have come up with a better way."
"Or you might have said it was too dangerous and not let me do it."
"Well, it was dangerous!"
"I've done more dangerous things before I ever met you and I'm still here aren't I?"
"That's beside the point. We're together now. We are supposed to be a team, aren't we? That wasn't acting like we're a team. That was the old ‘loose cannon', Lois."
"Loose cannon?!?!? I'll have you know, I had everything under control."
"Right. I saw how you had everything under control. Hiding in the closet. Do you really think they wouldn't have found you?"
Contritely she said, "I had lots of stuff in that closet to hide behind."
"Lois, you didn't tell me what you were doing. What if I had been called away on an emergency? I thought you had simply gone downstairs. You lied to me! I wouldn't have known where you were and I wouldn't have been here to rescue you. You could have been hurt."
"Oh, come on, Clark."
"No, you lied to me and because of that you were in danger."
"Oh, like you never lied to me."
"That's not the same thing and you know it. I only did that so that I could go on a rescue. I wasn't putting my life in danger."
"And making me think you were two different people?"
"Again, that didn't put your life in danger."
"Look, Clark, that's who I am. That's the way I've always been. It's the only way I know how to get the scoop."
"Lois, I'm not trying to change you, really. I'm just asking for a little consideration. You're not just Lois Lane anymore. You're more now, you're Lois Lane-Kent, my
other half. If I lost my other half, I don't know if I'd survive."
Seeing how she had affected Clark she felt really bad and repented. "I'm sorry, Clark. You're right. I'm
not alone anymore. You are
my* other half and I need to keep that in mind. I need to let my other half know what I am doing. Please forgive me."
Clark pulled her into his arms and said, "Of course I forgive you. How could I not?"
"I'll try to do better next time."
Shocked, he blurted out, "Next time?"
"Clark, you know me. With me there'll always be a next time. It's my nature just like it's your nature to help people. Please don't be mad at me."
"I could never be mad at you, Lois. I love you too much. I just worry about you. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Did we just have our first fight?"
"I think so."
"Does this mean we've made up?"
"Yeah, I guess it does."
"You know what I've heard?"
"What?"
"Make up sex is the best sex ever." She grabbed his arm and started dragging him in the direction of the bedroom. She had only gone one step before he picked her up and supersped them into the bedroom. The breeze of their passage closed the door behind them.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next morning Lois and Clark were in the bathroom preparing for their day. Their usual routine at home was for Clark to get ready and then Lois would have her turn in the bathroom, but this morning they weren’t taking any chances with the maid so they were both going a normal human speed and sharing the bathroom. The confines of which were barely adequate for one person, let alone two.
Lois had finished her shower and was drying her hair with a towel when Clark said, “Excuse me, I need my tooth brush.” He reached in front of her and grabbed it from his bag. That was when Lois grabbed her brush and started to brush her hair. As she did, he said, “Can we change places, my toothpaste is in my bag.”
“Oh, sure,” and she passed around behind him to resume working on her hair.
He was in the process of brushing his teeth when Lois realized that her toothbrush was in the bag. She asked, “Could I … just … um … I need my toothbrush.”
Clark said, “Uh … sure,” or something to that effect around his toothbrush and passed around behind her.
After he finished with his teeth, Lois had her brush in her mouth and he said, “Pretty tough, huh?”
Lois asked, “What?”
“Sharing.”
Lois took her brush out of her mouth and said, “Yeah, a lot of people do it. I like our system better.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A little later they were in the newsroom. Lois had given the hand scanner to Jimmy to download and print what she had gotten with it. It was only a few minutes before Jimmy joined them with the printouts.
Jimmy laid the papers out of the conference room table and they all gathered around.
It was like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. As they found the pieces that were associated, Cat taped them together. Finally Cat read the heading of a sheet that seemed to be by itself, "Tsunami." Looking up she asked a question that demonstrated that she didn't have the vaguest notion of what it meant. "Is that the one with avocado and crab?"
Patronizingly, Lois said, "Yes, Cat, that's the one." Lois looked around to make sure she had everyone's attention before she said, "I was about to copy that file when I heard something in the outer office." She looked pointedly to Clark because she knew he would understand before she continued, "What, we'll never know."
Still not understanding, Cat asked, "Why would they keep a file on Japanese seafood?"
Clark took pity on Cat and explained, "Cat, 'tsunami' isn't ... what you think it is."
Before Clark had a chance to continue, Jimmy explained, "It's a giant wave. Like a tidal wave."
Cat wasn't sure if they were all pulling her leg or not. She looked from face to face and saw that they were serious.
Perry held up a piece of paper and said, "Wave? I've got a wave here too!"
Lois had actually scanned the file cover along with the papers inside and Perry read, "Shock Wave / Preliminary Analysis."
What Perry just said, triggered a memory for Jimmy, he almost shouted, "Wait a minute, 'Shock Wave' ..." Jimmy jumped up and ran from the conference room.
Jimmy's outburst had surprised the rest and they simply watched as he dashed to his desk and grabbed a stack of printouts from the corner.
After Jimmy returned to the conference room he was a little winded, but managed to get out, "Harrington's committee voted on something called Project Shock Wave not too long ..." He sorted through the papers in his hand. He found what he was looking for and said, "Here it is!" He started reading, "'Appropriation approval for system test installation.'"
By this time, Jimmy had everyone's attention and they were all reading over his shoulder.
Lois spoke up, "It says that vote took place five weeks ago."
Clark added, "Passed eight to zero with one abstention." He paused for emphasis, "The abstention was Congressman Harrington."
Frustration in her voice, Lois blurted out, "But nothing about what it is." Then it hit her, "This is what they were talking about. Roarke wanted Harrington to have the vote reversed."
Perry offered, "Yeah, and his own system approved instead. Whatever that means."
Lois mused, "If we only knew what ‘Shock Wave' was."
Clark looked at Cat. So far she had almost completely been left out. He asked, "How'd it go with Harrington yesterday?"
Realizing that she was going to be judged on her performance and not wanting to be considered an airheaded gossip monger not worthy of working on ‘hard' news, she pulled out her notepad and read, "One-thirty: lunch with a semi-attractive blonde. Three o'clock: haircut and manicure. Four-thirty: drinks with a-so-so redhead. Seven p.m.: dinner with a mousey brunette ..."
Perry quipped, "Nice to know our tax dollars are being spread around."
As if she hadn't been interrupted, Cat continued, "Ten o'clock: drinks with a striking auburn-haired beauty."
On that last one, Jimmy made a comment, "Finally, a little class. Who was she?"
Cat, with the look of the cat that ate the canary answered, "Me." She accepted their startled looks as a compliment and then continued, "Like super glue, remember?" She paused to let that sink in before she finished, "Then he came back here to meet Roarke." She closed her notebook with a flourish and put it away.
Perry said, "Okay, Jimmy, you were supposed to be following Roarke."
Jimmy answered, "After last night's fire drill, Roarke and Bart drove to Pier 31 and went into a warehouse. They were still there this morning when I left to come back here. When I got back here I checked. The warehouse is leased to ... you guessed it … Apocalypse Consulting." Jimmy tore the page with the address out of his notebook and handed it to Lois.
Curious, Clark asked, "Did you get a look inside?"
Disappointment in his voice, Jimmy replied, "No windows."
Lois was frustrated and it was evident in her voice as she said, "We're spinning our wheels. Some test, monitored by Naval units, is taking place tomorrow at dawn, and Roarke is planning on sabotaging it."
Perry came to a fateful decision, "I think it's time. Time to go to the top. To the man who always knows what's happening. To the man who's
never let me down."
Jimmy gasped and in a hushed tone asked, "You don't mean …"
Perry nodded in a conspiratorial fashion and said, "I do mean … Sore Throat."
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