I need to thank my wonderful beta KenJ for pointing out both mistakes and plot-holes.
As always, none of this belongs to me. I used some dialogue from the pilot that other writers have invented.
Hope you enjoy this part.
From Part 2:
Taking a deep breath, Lois sat back down on her chair and reached for the cup of coffee that had been sitting beside her half-dead plant for the past hour. She took a large sip of the stale, cold beverage. Normally, by now she would have used it to water the plant, bringing it a bit closer to its ultimate demise. This time, however, she felt that gulping down that last bit of coffee seemed to do the trick. She felt more grounded, more back at her usual game. As she sat down the cup, she knew what she was going to do.
“Jimmy!” she yelled as soon as she had spotted her younger colleague.
He flinched, looking up from whatever he was doing. A frown crept onto Jimmy’s face and he tentatively put down the screw-driver, which was a dead give-away that his current assignment was repairing something for Perry. Nevertheless, he got up, his expression a mixture of both hope and dread. He did not seem entirely sure who of the two he feared most – Perry or Lois. His curiosity won, however and Lois smiled to herself as she watched Jimmy approach.
“Do you want to do something that remotely resembles the work of a reporter?” she asked.
Jimmy nodded eagerly. “Anything you want.”
“Good. You remember the article you read the other day? The one about the mysterious rescue during the incident down in the manhole right in front of the Planet?” Lois continued.
“You told me not to read stuff like that,” Jimmy replied.
“Yeah, well, I changed my mind.” As he raised his brows incredulously, she went on. “Not about ‘The Inquisitor’, mind you, that’s still a rag,” Lois said dismissively. “But I’ve got a feeling they might be onto something, though I’m pretty sure they have no idea it could become a real story. What I need to know is, if there are more rumors about mysterious rescues.” Lois got up from her chair, picked up her bag and withdrew her wallet. She fumbled out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to Jimmy. “I want you to buy any tabloid you can get your hands on. Read them carefully and try to find any story that even remotely resembles what allegedly happened down the manhole”, she ordered. Another thought suddenly crossed her mind. “Oh, and Jimmy, can you find out if there investigation concerning the explosion of Dr. Baines helicopter has already turned up any results?”
Jimmy’s face lit up as she named his second assignment. “Consider it done,” he beamed.
“Don’t you dare forget about those tabloid papers,” she warned him, before she turned her attention at her computer screen again, trying to decide whether she was going to hint at the almost-sabotage of the Colonist Transport or whether she was going to omit that part for the time being.
... I Knew The Truth
Part 3
***Flashback***
The warm light of the candle flickered, almost dying with a brief gust of wind. Lois tried to ignore the shiver that ran down her spine, concentrating on her notes as if there was nothing else of importance. And there really wasn’t, because she would get herself the interview of the century, no matter what. The dim candlelight and the sparkling stars above her were a distraction she could not afford.
Lois looked up, doing her best to remain professional. “Both your father and mother died when you were fourteen, correct?” she asked, all business.
“Why don't I have my office send you a biography?” Luthor said, amused. The candle light cast a warm glow on his chiseled features, dulling the intensity of his eyes to a gentle honey brown. He put down his fork and reached for his glass of wine, taking a careful sip.
Before her mind’s eye, Luthor’s face merged with that of another man, she had had dinner with. Lois gave herself a mental slap.
“Because I don't want the standard line. I want to know the real Lex Luthor. What makes you tick, what you want, what you strive for...” she resumed her interview, desperately hoping that she had not spent as much time staring at him all moony-eyed as she thought.
“Pleasure. The pursuit of pleasure,” he offered, swirling his glass of wine as if to prove his point. A smile crept across his lips. He was clearly flirting with her “Does that surprise you?”
Lois found it increasingly difficult to keep up her act of not noticing his advances. “I would have guessed you'd say ‘power,’” she replied neutrally.
“Power is a means, not an end,” Luthor clarified, setting down his glass. His eyes never left Lois, as if he was taking in every inch of her body.
Lois was suddenly all too aware of her cocktail dress, of its plunging neckline and lacy design. It perfectly matched the evening, the carefully set table and the romantic effect of the candles. But this was not really a dinner date, it was business.
“But, achieving power must give you pleasure,” Lois insisted and studied the man in front of her intensely.
He nodded, seemingly impressed with her. “Very good.”
Lois smiled at that, feeling that she was regaining her confidence. “You took over your first big company at age twenty-one, but there were rumors that the buy-out was coerced,” she went on swiftly, tapping her pen on her notes to underline the fact that she had done her homework.
Luthor’s lips became smaller, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Lois waited, trying to gauge if she was onto something. His silence spoke volumes. Lois’ heart started to pound with excitement. She had Luthor right where she wanted him.
“Is it true the Board of Directors were paid substantial, unreported fees?” She dug her nails into the soft spot she had detected.
“Was the food not to your liking?” Luthor asked, reaching out to grasp her hand in his. His brows were raised in concern, his eyes sparkled again in that strange way they earlier had. A dizzying smile was back on his lips.
“Sure. It was delicious,” Lois replied automatically, stunned at the sudden turn of their conversation. Luthor had caught her off-guard. It irked her that he had actually managed to get her off her line of interrogation. She lowered her eyes, trying to regain her composure. Her glance fell on her still full plate, making her cringe that he had caught her in a lie as well. Embarrassed, she added. “Sometimes when I'm working…”
“All work and no play... is that your credo, Lois Lane?” he asked, making Lois wonder who was interviewing whom.
She stiffened. “I don't think…”
Luthor interrupted her, his voice gentle. “Can't we just enjoy the evening? Enjoy each other? Let down your hair, Lois. Loosen the tie…”
“But I'm not wearing…” Lois objected, but her voice died on her lips as Luthor turned her hand palm up and unclenched the fingers.
“You're so tense,” he murmured huskily. “Let the defenses down.”
Lois heart-rate picked up once more, this time for a whole new reason. An involuntary flutter filled her belly as she looked at their entwined hands. His carefully manicured thumb rested on the back of her hand, stroking it ever so slightly. She remembered Lucy’s speech on how she needed to date more. This was exactly what her sister had had in mind. But Lois’ thoughts also drifted off to another shared dinner, far less fancy…
She withdrew her hand from Luthor’s grip as if she had burned herself. “Lex, I think you have the wrong idea about this dinner,” she said, suddenly uncomfortable. She desperately tried to remind herself that she was here for work. Lois found it far too easy to forget about that fact, which only increased her discomfort.
“I hope you don't think we're here merely because you are a beautiful young woman.” Luthor’s expression had turned serious again. “That wouldn't speak well for either of us.” Lois felt his eyes on her, studying her intensely. She had no problems visualizing him as the tough businessman that he was. “You wanted an interview. A scoop. I understand that. But, quid pro quo, let me tell you what I want.” He leaned closer to her, as if he was about to tell her a secret. “My talent in life is not making money or juggling companies. It's character assessment. I sense things about you. Possibilities. Potentials. You have the intelligence, spirit, and vision to transcend the mundane.”
His words lingered in the air, rendering Lois speechless. Her heart started to beat madly. Once again her thoughts wandered back to a particular conversation she had had with her sister Lucy. Luthor had put into words, how Lois pictured her own future. She wanted so much more than just to get the next scoop. She longed for her name to be mentioned in the same breath as Woodward and Bernstein. Her whole life through, she had aimed to be the best. A lot of people were put off by her tenacity, but Luthor did not seem to be one of them. His gaze still rested on her face.
“And, so there are no misunderstandings, you are beautiful,” he concluded, sending her heart racing even more.
Lois lost herself in his eyes for a moment. She had a hard time picturing Luthor the way Clark saw him. Thinking about Clark, Lois managed to find her way back into the reality of the evening. Her gaze dropped towards her notepad and the tough questions she had written down that were still unanswered. Lois felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Luthor had completely thrown her off her game and it irked her. But judging from the past ten minutes, she was not going to get her questions answered. Some way to follow in the footsteps of her idols- Woodward and Bernstein certainly would not have forgotten the Watergate Scandal over some stupid flirt.
“Lex, I have a story to write tonight. I think I'd better be going.” Lois hurried to pack her things.
“No dessert?” Luthor asked, taken aback by her sudden change of attitude.
“No thanks, I never have dessert,” she replied, hoping that little lie would help make her appear more professional. She knew, once she was home, she was going to dig her spoon into a large bucket of chocolate chip ice cream. Whether that would be before or after she wrote the story, she had yet to decide.
“Really? Luthor asked in mock innocence. “You don't know what you're missing.”
***End Flashback***
* * *
“Lois?” Lucy took off her ear-phones and jumped up from one of the love seats, where she had been studying for college, listening to her favorite music.
Lois closed the door with a shove of her behind. The grocery bag slipped from her grip and the contents of the bag scattered across the floor, but fortunately nothing broke. A low moan of relief escaped her lips as Lois got rid of her shoes and thus freed her burning feet.
“Where have you been?” Lucy asked, checking her wrist-watch and kneeled down to gather the various items of food. “Why didn’t you call to tell me that you were coming so late? I could have done the shopping.”
“Would you have heard the phone?” Lois asked, raising her brows.
“I guess not,“ Lucy admitted, slightly embarrassed.
“I was out chasing a lead,” Lois explained. “The store was on my way, anyway.”
“Hard day?” Lucy eyed her sympathetically.
“Uh huh,” Lois replied, watching her little sister as she took the bag and everything that had been inside it to the kitchen.
She felt guilty for lying to Lucy, since she had not exactly been chasing a lead. Right after sending Perry her article, she had packed her things and gone to the Apollo Hotel, the dump Clark had been staying at. Clark had checked out without leaving an address to reach him. Though that had not been completely unexpected, Lois was worried. She had spent the last few hours doing a lot of thinking about what had happened in the shuttle. Even though it still seemed completely impossible, she was convinced that the bomb had been real. That meant Clark had saved her life. By doing that, he had been forced to reveal a side of him that he had certainly not wanted her to know about.
< I can’t ask you not to print what happened.> The words he had said on the field still rang in her ears.
The bomb had not been able to harm him. He could have let it explode and walk away unscathed. Nobody would have been alive to tell the story. But he had chosen differently and saved her life. She was not going to thank him by exposing him to the world, at least not without talking to him first.
Lois put her hand-bag on the sofa. It was heavy with all the tabloid papers she had stuffed inside. Then she slipped out of her coat, smelling the faint scent of smoke that made her feel even guiltier than before. After finding that Clark was missing, Lois had spent most of the evening sitting in a café and reading the articles Jimmy had highlighted, hoping to find out more about her mysterious colleague.
So far, she had read about a shadow stopping a bus with bare hands. The flying man who had been seen by a homeless guy seemed less believable. But these hacks who were writing for tabloid papers would print about anything that made for a good headline. However, reading the article about the explosion right in front of the Daily Planet again had strengthened her conviction that indeed Clark had saved the guy. Even if everything else was just a hoax, it meant that two people already owed Clark their lives, three if one counted Lex Luthor.
Lois stretched her arms, trying to work out the kinks in the muscles of her back and followed Lucy into the kitchen.
“I was going to suggest Italian take-out,” Lucy shouted and closed the door of the fridge. She flinched as she spotted Lois a few feet away from her. “Sorry, didn’t hear you coming.”
“Italian sounds good,” Lois agreed and joined Lucy in front of the fridge. She opened the door again and took the carton of orange juice.
“I thought you might say that. Last time we ordered Chinese food, you seemed a little disappointed,” Lucy replied with a grin, took a glass out of a cupboard and gave it to Lois.
“Thanks,” Lois said with a sheepish smile and poured herself some juice. “Well, I was working late at the Planet with that new guy. After I tasted the take-out he bought us, this Chinese guy around the corner just isn’t the same anymore. ”
Lucy wriggled her brows. “Because of the food? Or the guy at work?”
“Stop it, Lucy,” Lois admonished her and put the carton of juice back into the fridge. “We’re not going to talk about this dating thing again.”
“You’re always so caught up in your work. Why don’t you allow yourself a little fun once in a while?” She asked, picking up the phone. “What would you like to eat?”
“I’m just not that good at dating,” Lois said miserably and took a sip of her juice. “Guys keep asking me out, but after the first date, they seem to lose their interest.”
“Because you scare them off,” Lucy told her bluntly. “You’re expecting too much. Dating should be fun; you turn it into an inquisition.”
“That’s not true,” Lois protested. “I’m just being careful. Why should I waste my time on someone who’s not seriously interested?”
“Lois, nobody is seriously interested on their first date,” Lucy said with a hint of exasperation. “You’re supposed to be testing grounds, see if you’ve got anything in common. Why can’t you get past this Claude-complex of yours?”
“I am past Claude. I just learned my lesson,” Lois stated. “And I’m glad I did it in time, before he had a chance to really hurt me.”
“Not all men are jerks like him, Lois,” Lucy reminded her.
“I guess not,” Lois admitted softly. “But it sure doesn’t hurt to double check. I’m going to head for the shower.”
“You do that,” Lucy agreed. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Lasagna,” Lois replied, glad that her sister had decided to drop the matter for tonight.
Lucy dialed the number of their favorite Italian Restaurant and placed their order, before she went back to her spot on the sofa and put her ear-phones on, shutting the world out.
Lois set her glass on the counter and made her way to the bedroom. She opened the window and then turned around to undo the buttons of her blouse. Along with her skirt, the piece of clothing landed on her bed, as did her tights. Grabbing her bathrobe, Lois entered the bathroom, barely trying to stifle the yawn that escaped her lips. With a sigh of contentment, Lois stepped under the shower and turned the water on. She purred as the warm liquid hit her body and flowed over her back, soothing the lingering aches of the day that lay behind her.
Lois reached for a bar of soap and began to lather her body, trying to rinse off the memories that Lucy’s mention of Claude had evoked. She did not want to think about him, the man she had dated. Lois had met Claude a few years ago, when she had still been pretty new at the Daily Planet. He was French and his accent had been kind of cute. It certainly had not hurt that he had been good looking, too. He had had a way with women. His compliments had made her feel special and Lois had fallen for him, fast and hard. She had been over the moon when he had asked her out, spending hours shopping for just the right dress.
It had been a lucky coincidence that the lady’s room had been closed for repairs on the day of their third date. Lois had chosen to use the men’s room instead of walking down to the floor below, because she had been in a hurry. No one had seen her slip inside. When Claude and another one of her co-workers had walked in, Lois had gotten to know the man behind the charming exterior. Claude had made a bet that he was going to spend the night in her bed. That had not been his exact words, but Lois still blushed when she remembered what he had said.
Lois had spent that night crying and angry with herself that she even deemed Claude worthy of tears. Lucy had tried to soothe her, saying that she had most likely spared herself a night of lousy sex. Thinking of that comment, Lois chuckled softly as she laid down the soap bar and reclined her head to let the water flow down her neck. Lucy had probably been right.
Lois turned off the faucet and reached for a towel that she wrapped around herself. She felt better- clean again as she stepped out of the shower and onto the soft towel that lay on the floor. Lucy was right – not all men were jerks like Claude or her father. Paul for example had been a decent guy. Granted, he had fallen for Linda instead of Lois, but at least he had told her so, instead of leading her on.
After rubbing herself dry, Lois changed the towel for her bathrobe. Then she brushed her hair and tied it to a pony-tail, before she stepped out into her bedroom. A shadow in front of her bedroom window caught her eyes and she stopped dead in her tracks. The shadow returned her gaze, his eyes wide with shock.
“Clark!” Lois breathed.
For a while neither of them moved an inch. Lois did not even dare to so much as blink, afraid that he might be gone again the next time she opened her eyes. But he stayed, leaving Lois the time to wonder how it was even possible that Clark Kent was outside her window, one floor above the ground. Eventually, enough feeling returned to her body for her to move closer to the window.
“I… I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Clark stammered, self-consciously fumbling with his glasses. “I…I guess I’ll just go.” He turned in mid-air.
“Clark, wait…” Lois called to him quietly. “I didn’t get to thank you.”
“Thank me?” he echoed, puzzled, turning again to face her.
“For saving my life,” Lois explained and after a beat, she added. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”
“I didn’t intend for you to see me,” Clark admitted. With a sigh, he said, “Guess, I wasn’t quick enough.”
“No, I guess you weren’t,” Lois agreed with a small smile. “Will you come in?”
“I… no, it was a mistake coming here. You’ve already seen more than you should have,” he said nervously.
“Relax, Clark. I’m not going to print any of this, I promise,” Lois vowed. “If it makes you feel better, anything you tell me is strictly off the record. Unless you decide to sweep me up into your arms and fly us straight into the newsroom, nobody is going to believe me anyway.”
His brows climbed towards his hair-line and for a moment, he just stared at her, completely taken aback. Lois opened her window a little further and flashed him what she hoped was an encouraging smile. Her heart however pounded in her chest, afraid that she had overstepped her boundaries and scared Clark off.
For long moments he remained hovering just outside her window, stiff like a statue until he eventually raised his knee enough to place a foot on the window sill. With another step he stood inside her bedroom, hands stuffed deeply into his pockets and staring at his feet. He allowed Lois to close the window behind him. In the light of her apartment, Lois saw that he was clad in black. Tight jeans accented his slender waist and muscular legs. The shirt did little to hide the chest that she had spent several nights dreaming about.
“You… you’re not going to print what you saw in the shuttle?” Clark asked hoarsely.
“Like I said, it’s not like anyone is going to believe me,” Lois replied.
“Guess, I didn’t think about that,” Clark said sheepishly and raised his head just enough to look at her with soulful brown eyes. Although she had spent hours in his presence, Lois had never realized just how deep those eyes were, how full of pain. She had never really looked past the glasses. Now they could not hide the flicker of fear, as his gaze darted through the room nervously.
“Clark, when I saw…” Lois started.
Clark interrupted her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he gulped, uncomfortably. “I just…” his voice trailed off.
“Well, it would have been nice if you had told me that with you around a bomb presented no danger,” Lois remarked, folding her arms in front of her chest. Clark blinked, staring back at her incredulously. It took Lois a moment to realize that he had not been talking about the bomb, but about himself. Her heart went out to him. “I was sure I was going to die, Clark,” Lois said softly and reached out to lay her hand on his arm. He flinched at her touch, but did not retreat. “I wasn’t scared of you.”
Clark drew in a shaky breath. “You weren’t?” he whispered.
“I guess I got a little freaked,” Lois admitted soberly. “But I had time to think. You saved my life, Clark. And I’m pretty sure that you also saved that guy in the man-hole.” His eyes widened at her words, leaving little doubt that her assumption was right. “What you do…” she paused, studying her partner, who still did not dare to look at her. “… whatever it is that you do, I think it’s pretty amazing. You shouldn’t hide yourself.”
A shadow crossed his face. “I’m a freak, Lois,” Clark said, turning his back on her. He looked out of the window, gradually shrinking in on himself. Resting his forehead against the glass, he whispered. “Believe me, not everyone would be ‘amazed’ at what I can do.” He heaved a sigh. “People would be terrified.”
“But why…” Lois started.
Clark turned around, breaking her off. “Because I’m strong enough to smash you with a dab of my pinky finger.” He held up the finger as if to illustrate his point. “Because I’m so fast you wouldn’t even know it was me,” he said almost angrily. “I can burn things with my eyes or freeze them with my breath.” His voice gradually faded to a whisper. “I could do all those things and no one would be able to stop me, because I’m invulnerable.”
“If you were really capable of all those things, you would have let me die in the explosion,” Lois stated simply. “You didn’t need to save me. Letting the bomb explode publicly might have even helped you to prove Luthor’s involvement.” She adjusted her bathrobe and once again folded her arms in front of her chest. “That’s all you ever wanted, wasn’t it? You had Baines statement. It would have been a short way from there to linking the whole thing to Luthor. Yet, you saved my life.”
Clark looked appalled. “I couldn’t have let you die.”
“My point exactly,” Lois replied smugly. “So are you going to tell me a bit more about yourself?”
He stared at her, silently. For a moment, Lois wondered if maybe he had not heard her. But then, he shook his head, still not saying a word. Instead, he once more turned his back on her, this time opening her window.
“I can’t,” he said after what seemed like an eternity. “I’ve got to go.”
“Are you coming back?” Lois asked. “I could use your help with exposing Luthor. You still got what’s left of the bomb. Together, I’m sure we could prove that he planted it.”
“I’m sure he didn’t do it himself. He always hides his tracks well. Besides, we don’t have the detonator anymore. I’m not going to explain to the public where it went. Believe me, it wouldn’t do any good to tell anyone that we were inside the shuttle,” Clark replied sadly.
“But Clark, if we published that the Colonist Transport was sabotaged, then everybody would know that there was someone else pulling the strings,” Lois argued. “With your help and the bomb as evidence, we could…”
“I resigned, Lois,” Clark broke her off. He opened the window again and stepped onto the sill.
“Perry didn’t accept your resignation, yet,” Lois told him.
Clark looked over his shoulder, pondering that piece of information for a moment. Then he shook his head again, this time wistfully. “I can’t help you, Lois. Not anymore. It’s too late.”
The curtains billowed in a gust of wind and Clark was gone.
to be continued...
