Rules of the Game
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 1
A/N Hope everyone enjoys this one. The story is complete already. 8 chapters. Lots of fun and playing with some of the villains. Enjoy!
***
“Morning,” Clark said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. A smile spread across his face when he saw the spread his mom had laid out. No more charcoal briquette bacon thankfully. Two days of his dad having to take on mom’s to-do list had left him thankful for his stomach of steel. Though he could easily whip up breakfast on his own, insulting his dad’s cooking wasn’t something he could do either. So for the last two mornings, he had choked down the grainy coffee, burnt toast and soupy grits his dad had made—thankful that the wager was only for two days.
“Morning, son,” His dad gave a good-natured chuckle, “As you can see the bet is over. I’m sure everyone’s relieved I’m no longer in charge of breakfast.”
Clark smirked, uncertain how to respond. Thankfully his mom chose to change the subject, “You got in pretty late. We saw the fire. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just a long night is all.” He said, not looking up from his plate where he’d made a breakfast sandwich from the eggs and bacon his mom had whipped up. He reached up to scratch his neck. still feeling the uncomfortable tightness back there from last night. Truth be told it had been unusually quiet last night. He’d been hoping for something—anything to keep his mind off how out of control things had gotten at Lois’ before they’d been interrupted. After his patrol, he’d spent two hours swimming laps in the Arctic. The closer they got the harder it was to maintain control over himself when he was around her. The flirting, the kissing, and the touching—
Oh, the touching… It was enough to drive him insane.
Though his experience was limited he had had a few serious relationships before Lois. But none of those relationships had tested his patience the way Lois had. Everything with Lois had been different. Unlike his past relationships, he could be himself—the real Clark Kent without having to hide anything. Being that vulnerable and exposed, especially after his proposal— made it harder for both of them to not push the boundaries on the physical side of their relationship. He’d been tempted many times before but his rationale had always been he couldn’t have a physical relationship with someone that didn’t know him—all of him. Lois knew him completely.
The bad timing of Mayson’s shooting and the arrival of the irritating DEA Agent, Dan Scardino in their lives had put a damper on any conversations about his proposal. After having every date or plan they’d made ruined over the last two weeks he’d gone out of his way to make sure nothing interrupted them last night. He just hadn’t taken into account that there were somethings completely out of his and Lois’ control. Ellen and Lucy showing up and killed any chance of resuming their date. It seemed like it would take an act of God to get some time alone with Lois these days.
“The news said they closed the block the fire was on,” Jonathan said, shaking his head. “Do they know how it started?”
“No, the fire inspector was still looking things over when I left.” Clark sighed. “One of the condos that burnt up was actually Lois’ mother’s.”
“Oh, no, that’s awful.” his mom shook her head, taking a sip of her coffee.
“Yeah, and thanks to the medical conference going on this week and Metropolis hosting the Meriwether awards dinner there are no hotel rooms so she’s going to be staying with Lois for awhile,” Clark explained, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.
His mom and dad exchanged a look before his mom gave him a mischievous look and asked, “So, how was dinner with Lois?”
“It was ...” Clark said, unable to wipe the grin off his face and he looked back down at his plate, picking up the sandwich and taking the last bite to keep from answering. He really didn’t want to have this conversation right now. He reached on the back of his neck to scratch it again. He’d showered repeatedly and still, the itching persisted.
“That good, huh?” Martha teased with a knowing look. “You did get back from your patrol pretty late.”
Clark felt the back of his neck flush as he recalled last night with Lois in vivid detail. “Oh, Martha, leave the boy alone.” His dad interjected, saving him from his mom’s teasing.
“I should get going. Perry’s going to want Lois and I there early for Mr. Stern’s announcement.” Clark said, hurriedly, standing up and carrying his dishes to the sink to wash them. “Thanks for breakfast, mom.”
“Uh-huh,” His mom grinned mischievously.
“Bye,” He called over his shoulder, grabbing his suit jacket and heading out the door before he could get bombarded with another round of questions.
***
“Morning,” Lois grumbled sleepily, taking a sip of her coffee as she maneuvered around her sister in the kitchen. Between the ruined evening with Clark and the bickering between Lucy and her mother she’d barely been able to get more than four hours of sleep last night. They’d spent at least three hours straight arguing through the guest room walls.
“You okay?” Lucy looked at her in concern. “You look like you’ve been hit by a truck. No offense.”
“Gee, thanks,” Lois gave her a wry expression, grabbing a piece of toast from the toaster and spreading some jam on it. Perry had told both her and Clark to be at the Planet half an hour before their normal time so between the early wake-up and the chaos from last night she was exhausted. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind is all.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Lucy smiled at her, setting her coffee mug down.“So, have you thought about it yet?” She edged cautiously.
“Thought about what?” Lois asked innocently, knowing full well what she was referring to.
“You know what.” Lucy countered, arching an eyebrow.
“Yes, but I’m still thinking about it,” Lois said in a harsh whisper. “And I haven’t told mom so if you don’t mind…” She made a zip motion over her mouth with her hand and Lucy laughed.
“You know he’s head over heels in love with you.” Lucy teased happily.
“It’s not about love.” Lois began cautiously.
“Since when is marriage not about love?” Lucy practically choked.
“I’m done talking about it right now.” Lois cut her off, shaking her head. “I’ve got to meet Clark at the Planet.” She grabbed her bag, thankful for the escape.
***
Mayson looked around the heavily guarded cabin wearily, taking a sip of her latte as she climbed the steps. “Don’t you think the Humvee out front is a bit much?” She asked. “Not exactly blending in.”
“We’ve got round the clock surveillance.” DA Michael Clemmons said, motioning for her to follow. “Now this is one of the biggest cases for us. I need my best people on it. Are you up for it, Ms. Drake?”
“I’m ready. I’ve been working the Intergang angle since I arrived in Metropolis, sir.” Mayson reminded him. “This is the first big break we’ve had. Whatever you need.”
***
Clark looked around the dimly lit walls of the lobby. Mike was just setting the newsstand up with the latest copy of the Daily Planet and newly printed magazines for the week. “Morning, Mike,” He said, laying a dollar on the counter. “Coffee brewing yet?”
“I just started a pot,” Mike said, pointing to the pot behind him. “The usual?”
“Yeah,” Clark flashed him a smile.
“A bit early for you to be in,” Mike observed, grabbing two to-go coffee cups by the stand as the last of the coffee dripped into the pot.
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Clark said wryly. “Lois and I are supposed to go over some stuff this morning with Perry.”
“Boy, you two never stop, do you?” Mike asked, pouring the coffee into the cups and stirring in the appropriate creamer and sugar and low-fat cream and low-fat sugar in the other. He placed two to-go lids on the cups and handed them to Clark. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Mike.”
“Oh, it’s way too early in the morning for this,” Lois complained behind him.
He smiled, turning to hand her her cup, “Here maybe this will help.”
“
Ohhh, you’re a lifesaver.” She said, holding the cup with both hands as she took a long sip, savoring the smell and taste for a moment before meeting his gaze. “Morning,” She smiled at him.
“Morning,” He whispered, allowing his eyes to linger on hers for what felt like an eternity.
“Quiet in here,” Lois observed, running a hand over his chest briefly before pulling away and heading to the elevator.
He followed behind her, clearing his throat. “Yeah, it’s less busy for sure.”
“So, how was everything?” She gave a flying motion with her hand after he pressed the call button.
“Quiet. Unnervingly quiet.” He frowned. “I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“It has been a busy few weeks though.” Lois reasoned aloud. “Maybe the criminal element has taken the hint?”
“Maybe,” He said, stepping onto the elevator with her.
***
A poster hung on the wall advertising,
‘Diana Stride’s Top Copy - Sundays at 8:00.’ The room was covered in framed posters from some of the rich and famous she had interviewed over the years. William B. Shockley. Ryan White. Ted Bundy. Ferdinand Marcos. Jimmy Doolittle. Diana Stride wore a chic white business suit with a long slit in the skirt that came just above her knee. She looked to the reporters and executives sitting at the conference table and laid the morning edition of the Daily Planet in the center for them to see. A photo of Superman standing with two firefighters from last night was on the cover with a large red question mark across the page.
“The story of the century!” Diana cheered, pacing around the executive office. Rolf sat in the corner with an encouraging smile on his face. “Face it. Our show has always been uplifting and intellectually challenging. And that's why our ratings suck. So I've decided—People want dirt? We'll give them the
dirtiest, starting with Superman. Everything the public is dying to know. What are his weaknesses? Who are the women in his life?”
“I for one would love to meet those girls,” Rolf said, jabbing one of the fellow photographers in the side as he grinned.
“But most importantly... who is he when he's out of uniform?. Does he have another life... a secret identity? If he does, we're going to expose it on worldwide television, it'll be sensational, it'll be…”
***
“ ... the story of the century,” Perry said, setting a black and white photo on the table in front of Lois and Clark. A man in a black hood was being escorted under heavy guard out of the courthouse. “A key member of Intergang's been arrested, made a deal... and is gonna testify.”
“Who is it?” Lois asked, glancing at Perry as he paced in front of them.
“We don't know,” Perry answered. Lois glanced across the table at Clark, frowning when she noticed him rubbing the back of his neck. “The DA's calling him Mr. X. Word is, Intergang's been killing world leaders for decades, making it look like accidents, and this fella's gonna finger their number one assassin.”
“I’m guessing we don’t have a name on the alleged assassin yet either.” Clark guessed, looking at Perry.
“Not yet,” Perry said with a shrug. “That’s going to be your job.” He pointed at her and Clark. “Now I want the story on this guy so by the time he takes the stand, the Planet has the headlines — who he is, where he came from, what he's gonna say. All right? ” Perry tapped his hands on the table indicating the end of the meeting.
They stood up, gathering their things when Perry stopped them, “Lois, Clark, hang back just a minute will you?”
The rest of the reporters made their way out into the newsroom and Perry held the door, looking out in the newsroom for someone. Lois glanced at Clark, “It’s almost nine and still no sign of Franklin Stern. What do you think this big announcement is?”
“Maybe we’re getting raises?” Clark suggested with a smirk.
“I’ve been barking up that tree for over a year and Perry isn’t budging on that one,” Lois said dryly. “Although, those annual reviews are coming up…”
Franklin Stern appeared in the doorway, “This a good time, Perry?”
“Yes, of course, Mr. Stern, we just finished the staff meeting,” Perry explained, gesturing for him to enter. “You remember Lois and Clark.”
“Yes, you two have kept the rest of the journalists on their toes this past year.” Mr. Stern said with a broad smile, holding a yellow envelope in his hands.
“Well, it's not our fault that they can’t keep up.” Lois joked smugly. “They should get better sources.”
Mr. Stern and Perry chuckled good-naturedly, “Let’s hope they don’t.” Stern said, handing them an envelope. “Just came in over the wire. I wanted to personally congratulate you two on a phenomenal job this year.”
“Thank you, Mr. Stern,” Clark said, taking the envelope from him.
Lois opened the envelope and pulled out two tickets to the Meriwether dinner Friday evening. Only the reporters that made it on the shortlist were invited. The award would be presented to the winner. She had yet to make the short list until now. A smile spread across her face and for a moment, she forgot about the audience she and Clark had. She looked up at him, grinning ear to ear. It was an honor to be nominated but it was an even bigger honor to win such a prestigious award. “We made the shortlist!” She said excitedly, patting Clark on the shoulder enthusiastically.
"Yes, the dinner starts at six. So dress sharp and..."
She didn't hear the rest of what Mr. Stern said, instead she reached up to plant her lips against Clark's, forgetting the fact that her boss and the Planet's owner were in the room with them. In that moment, she didn't care. His arms moved to her waist and she grinned, feeling the somersault her stomach did before he pulled away.
“I assume you both only needed two tickets.” Mr. Stern said with a knowing look.
They pulled apart briefly and Clark shook his head, “No, two tickets is fine.”
“Congratulations you two,” Perry said, patting them both on the back. “This will go a long way in cementing the Planet’s place as the number one source for news.”
“Enough for a raise?” Lois inquired with a smirk.
Perry visibly cringed, “We’ll talk after you bring home that Meriwether.” He moved toward the door and walked Mr. Stern out.
Lois watched them leave then turned her attention back to Clark, flinging her arms around his neck. “Can you believe it? A Meriwether Award? I’ve never gotten this close to winning one before.”
“Well, maybe we can bring one home this time.” He grinned back at her, moving to cup her face before leaning in to kiss her.
She ran her hand over the back of his neck and frowned, pulling away, “What is that?”
“What?” He asked, looking over his shoulder. “I’ve tried everything I can think of. I’m not sure what it is.”
She stood up on her tip-toes to see the white residue on his neck. “Clark, there’s…” She ran her hand across his neck again and frowned. “It looks like super glue.” She circled around him to get a better look, forcing him to bend forward at a forty-five-degree angle. “There’s something there.”
His head jerked up with a faraway look on his face, “I’ve gotta get out of here.”
“What?” She looked at him in disbelief. She was accustomed to
‘I’ve gotta go there’s a fire or someone who needs rescuing’ not
‘I’ve gotta get out of here.’“In the elevator.” He pointed his head toward the elevator where Perry and Mr. Stern were waiting for the elevator car to arrive. “Diana Stride. She just said something about Superman being in the building.”
“What?
Clark!” Lois’ eyes widened, seeing the elevator doors opening.
“Just cover for me.” He said hurriedly, racing toward the corridor where the supply closet was.
“Great,” Lois muttered, walking back toward her desk, saying a silent prayer when she spotted Diana Stride with a cameraman behind her. She held a handheld device in her hand that kept beeping.
The reporters that were usually busying themselves finding their next lead had frozen in place seeing the celebrity talk show host in the newsroom. “Get the camera ready.” She heard Diana say as she walked past her desk.
“Superman is definitely in the building.” She heard the cameraman say, holding his camera steady as the device beeped louder and louder.
“Superman might be disguised as anyone, so whoever the tracker says we tagged—”
‘Over my dead body.’ Lois thought to herself, spotting Diana as she moved toward the restroom Clark had disappeared in. “Excuse me!” Lois shouted, trying to distract them and hopefully give Clark enough time to come up with a plan.
“—get it on film.” Diana finished saying.
“Is that who I think it is?” she heard Mr. Stern say from behind her.
“Lois Lane,” Diana smiled at her, trying to peer past the corridor where the restrooms and supply closet were. “If you’ll excuse me…”
“Covering a story?” Lois bobbed and weaved, trying to block Diana from entering the corridor.
“Why yes, my latest piece on …” Her smile fell and her eyes widened. Lois turned behind her and breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Clark in the Superman costume. “Superman.”
“The Planet has a policy about paparazzi in the building,” Lois said tightly. “Did you check in with the front desk?”
“I am not the
paparazzi.” Diana grinned broadly, turning to Clark, “Why, Superman, whatever are you doing here at the Daily Planet?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Lois interjected with a disapproving look as Diana hooked her arm into Clark’s arms that were folded tightly across his chest.
“Let’s just say I heard something from a little birdy that I didn’t like.” He said, removing her hand from his bicep forcefully enough to ensure she didn’t attempt the gesture again.
She frowned, “Superman. You didn't hear about my story, did you?”
“Afraid so,” Clark growled tightly.
Diana’s face tensed for a moment before a smile quickly spread across her face, “Well, there goes my surprise.” She turned to the room, “Everyone—I'm Diana Stride and Top Copy is doing a tribute to Superman.” A light applause filled the room but Lois didn’t budge. She didn’t trust Diana Stride as far as she could throw her. Clark looked like he was thinking the same thing.
“We know he has a lot of great friends here at the Planet and I want to interview all of you. I had hoped it would be a surprise for him—” Diana looked back at Clark and shrugged with a smile, but I guess there's no keeping secrets from the Man of Steel. So. Let's get started, shall we? Who wants to talk about Superman?”
Fellow staffers shot their arms up vying for attention and the chance for their fifteen minutes of fame. Lois rolled her eyes and Diana turned to Clark, “And Superman, I can count on you for an interview soon?”
The device in her hand was still beeping. “Careful, whatever you’ve got in your hand there…” Lois suppressed a laugh as she watched Clark aim a short blast of heat vision at the device, “... has a short. Let me take it before you get burned.” Clark took the device from her, crushing it with his hand and staring her down.
Lois smiled smugly, watching as Clark turned to leave, disappearing in a gust of wind. “Well, look at that. I guess you won’t be getting that interview after all. Gosh, I was really looking forward to
not watching it.”
Diana smiled at her, “Lois Lane. Tenacious as always I see.”
“Well, I try.” Lois shot back dismissively, suppressing the urge to throttle her. She was trying to go after Clark. That wasn’t something she could allow to happen.
“This is a real honor,” Diana said with a smile. “ I understand there's no one in the world closer to Superman. I hope we can spend some time together on camera.”
“I don’t
give interviews. I
do the interviewing.” She scowled, looking at the camera in the cameraman’s hands. “You know, being a reporter and all.”
“Yes, well, maybe you’ll change your mind.” Diana smiled at her.
“I don’t think so,” Lois said.
***
“No.” Mayson shook her head defiantly, standing up to leave. Lois had asked to meet her for lunch. She thought it was just an innocent lunch given the dynamic had changed between them after they began working together on the Luthor case. Unfortunately, it seemed Lois’ motives for lunch had been about her mystery witness.
“No?” Lois echoed in disbelief. “It was just a question.”
“That I can’t answer,” Mayson said, looking around the cafe for their waitress. “Excuse me, miss? Check?” She made a motion with her hand to signal the need for the urgent bill. “I knew this was a mistake.”
“Look, all I’m trying to find out is if it’s true or not.” Lois pressed, “Do you have a witness against Intergang in police custody?”
“I can’t confirm or deny anything officially.” Mayson countered. “Look, I can’t help this time. There’s too much at stake.”
“You know Clark and I wouldn’t be irresponsible with the information,” Lois said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I already know you have someone in custody. Perry was all over us this morning about it.”
“Then why are you here?” Mayson huffed irritably. “You know how big of a case this is. I can’t afford to let anything slip out.”
“Oh, I don’t know maybe it’s the fact that we had to find out about this from our editor instead of the ADA who we thought would at least give us a head’s up on what’s going on?” Lois snapped angrily. “I mean, we’ve only been helping you build your case against Intergang since September!”
“This has nothing to do with that.” Mayson hissed, trying to keep her voice down as she looked around the crowded restaurant. “You’re going to make a scene.”
“You want a scene I’ll give you a scene. I thought you were better than this, Mayson. At least give us a...head’s up or something. Let us know the case is about to go public. I mean, I’d think after almost six months of providing witnesses and convincing sources to go public that we earned that much.”
Mayson’s face fell and she glanced at Lois, meeting the other woman’s eyes. It was more than just frustration of not being told information about a story. It was more than disappointment. It was hurt.
<<“I want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do. But I don't know who to trust anymore.”
“Seems to be going around these days.”
“I guess if you want trust, you have to start by giving it.”>>
<<“So what is it going to take for us to work together?”
“You tell me.”>>
<<“It seems silly to act like this. I mean we’re grown, adults. Professionals. We should be able to work together without letting our jealousy get the better of us.”>>
<<“I heard what happened. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”>>
<<“For the record, I’m glad they missed.”
“Me too…and thanks.”>>Though things had begun rocky between them, they had moved past their differences over the recent months and came to rely on one another. Mayson chewed on her lower lip unsure how to respond. Lois wasn’t angry about her story she was angry because she felt betrayed. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she’d come to think of Lois Lane as anything other than a nuisance but after working with her time and time again on the recent cases she’d come to respect her and even think of her as a friend. A friend that now felt betrayed.
“I’m sorry.” Mayson finally said. “You’re right. You and Clark have been more than fair to me and helped with a number of these Intergang cases. But my orders are coming from way up. This is huge. We can’t afford for anything to get out.” She said, reclaiming her seat and whispering in a harsh whisper.
“Do you seriously think we’d print classified information?” Lois asked in disbelief.
“No, but you have no idea what kind of pressure we’re under right now. It is literally kill or be killed in my office right now. Half the administrative staff has been replaced thanks to the leak of this information this morning.”
“Mayson, you know us. We wouldn't be irresponsible with the information.” Lois pointed out. “I know what Bender’s going to say on the stand next month but it still hasn’t seen the light of day now has it?”
“No, you kept that one close to the vest,” Mayson admitted. “And I appreciate that.”
“The story Perry was told was that this guy is going to ID an Intergang assassin.” Lois began cautiously. “You and I both know if that’s true they’re going to be coming for him.”
“Thanks to our leak, yes,” Mayson grumbled irritably. “We have him under round the clock protection.”
“If you want I could talk to Clark about having Superman help? He wants to see Intergang taken down as much as we do.” Lois reminded her.
“That would require disclosing his location and I can’t do that,” Mayson said, shaking her head.
“Not to us.” Lois countered. “It’s not like he hasn’t helped protect a witness before,” Lois smirked at her and then continued. “You said yourself there’s a lot at stake. Just think about it. Say the word and we can send him to your office no questions asked.”
“Let me talk to the person in charge of security and see what he thinks.” Mayson relented. “Given how big this case is it wouldn’t hurt to have an extra pair of eyes keeping watch over our witness.”
“Okay,” Lois set her notebook on the table. “Now this assassin do you think this person will being brought down will be enough to cripple Intergang?”
“All I can tell you is the assassin being named is apparently someone with a lot of power and influence. We still don’t have a name but from what I gather the assassin is very famous and had the opportunity to take down anyone Intergang saw as a threat.” Lois opened her mouth to respond and Mayson stopped her, “And no you can’t print that. Not until Mr. X has taken the stand and the assassin is in custody.”
“Can we get a one-on-one interview with the DA’s office after the testimony?” Lois inquired.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Mayson said.
“Okay,” Lois gave her a half-smile. “How’s the shoulder?”
“Starting to be able to move it more.” Mayson grinned. “I’ll just be glad when I can take this sling off.”
“Sorry.” Lois apologized. “I remember when I broke my ankle skiing a few years ago. Drove me crazy not being able to move in that cast.”
“Here you go ladies,” the server laid the bill on the table and stepped away, “Just take your time.”
Mayson rolled her eyes and Lois laughed, “Took her long enough.”
***
TBC....
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