Chapter 14:
Clark inhaled deeply as he strode through the bullpen, taking in the smells and sounds. It was a beautiful Monday morning, and he could hardly wait to come back into the office— especially given the all of the press the White Orchid Ball had gotten. Or more specifically, all the press he had gotten. It was everywhere— every paper, every news station, all the gossip rags, radio and talk shows— Clark Kent and his escort were plastered everywhere.
He was also secretly pleased by a side article in the Metropolis Star about how Lex Luthor and his girlfriend of a year seemed to be on the rocks, even after all of the celebration over the announcement of the new potential space shuttle. Which meant that his little tete-a-tete with Lex had exactly the impact he'd have hoped on Lois Lane.
Clark couldn't help but grin gleefully at that thought. The look on her face when she'd walked into the outer area of Lex's study and saw the sword in her boyfriend's hands, heard whispers of the words exchanged— it was so immeasurably valuable to Clark. She probably didn't even know the full extent of their conversation, which was good. He didn't really have anything else to say to Lex at the time— well, not that wouldn't have ended in something along the lines of an outburst of anger and profanity. But it was just the first step he needed.
An image from his nightmares, from his childhood suddenly streaked across his mind, halted his steps temporarily in his quest for Perry's office. An image of Lex Luthor's face the first time he ever met him— half drunk and grief-stricken, and pointing accusingly at the only man Clark had ever truly cared for in his life. That memory, among others, grounded him. Whenever he was starting to feel too confident, too loose, or just in general was forgetting himself, he called on one of those horrible moments, and it sobered him right up.
Clark shook himself, pushing past the memories that threatened to engulf him in pain and anguish as he pushed through the doors of Perry White's office and plastered his smile back on. "Perry, my friend! How was your weekend?"
Perry looked up at him with slightly diminished surprise— he wouldn't be surprised much longer if Clark kept popping back in "unexpectedly" like this. Clark settled himself into a seat in a relaxed manner, adjusting to get comfortable. Perry smiled in return. "Thanks to you, son, it was pretty fantastic. I had a great time at the Ball with Alice. And after," he hinted and Clark couldn't beat back his grin at that.
"Good! That's exactly what I was hoping to hear."
"How's about yourself? You seemed to leave a bit early...." Perry's voice rose with suggestion and a slow grin.
Briefly Clark's mind flicked back over that night, after the party, and he smiled. "Not half bad myself," he mused. "Actually, I came by to ask about the rest of the night. I, uh, ducked out a little early with my date. What was the announcement about?"
Perry guffawed loudly, thumping his hand on the desk. "You dog," he chided admiringly, before focusing more on the question asked. "Lex unveiled his latest attempt at conquering outer space. Space Station Lex."
Clark's brow furrowed at the older man's tone. "That doesn't exactly sound like you're too fond of Lex Luthor."
Perry shrugged. "I don't know what to tell ya. He seems like a fine guy and all, but he's a bit of a pompous rich kid sometimes. And I don't like him with Lois. I know he's serious about her, and he loves her, but he's just too old for her, and it just feels wrong. And I know it sounds stupid but—"
"No," Clark cut him off quickly, before clearing his throat. He averted his gaze a little, trying to come up with the right wording. "No, uh, I know exactly what you mean."
Perry's brow arched suspiciously at him, and Clark felt the sudden need to explain himself. Instead he shifted in his seat awkwardly, not meaning to have said anything of the sort. "And how exactly do you know what I mean?"
It was Clark's turn to shrug. "I don't know, he just... gives off this vibe. Comes across as fake, like he's hiding something."
Perry turned thoughtful at this, considering his words and trying to put them into context with the man he knew. "I suppose... Don't tell Lois I said any of this, all right?"
Clark nodded. "Of course. I just dropped by to ask about the party, remember?"
Perry White smiled in relief, apparently glad the young man could be trusted enough with this information. "Right. Well then, if there's nothing else...?"
"Nope, that's all," Clark rose with a smile of his own, outstretching his hand to shake the editor-in-chief's. "See you soon, Perry."
With that, he departed, heading for the elevators. His conversation with Perry had opened up some interesting new avenues. It was definitely worth exploring.
His phone rang in his pocket, and Clark quickly detoured into the stairwell to answer it, speeding up several stories so he was near the roof before taking the call. "Hello?"
"Sir, there's something wrong with the Messenger."
Clark pulled a face at the sound of Nigel's voice. "What?"
"The Messenger. The Space Shuttle? There's been a small malfunction with one of the engines, and now they're talking about cancelling the launch altogether."
Clark felt the bottom fall out of his stomach. "But that would mean that Luthor's plans—"
"Yes, sir, it would."
"But his station—"
"How would you like me to handle this, sir?"
Clark ran a hand over his brow anxiously, walking up the final few flights of stairs contemplatively. This would be great news for Luthor. He would barely need to wait before getting the go ahead from NASA and the government, and his space station would be in the air. And after all of the work Clark had put into dwarfing Lex's publicity these last few weeks? Lex Luthor's name would skyrocket to the top of the headlines once again, and Clark Kent would fade into the background, a relic of last week's news. Not to mention, it would paint Lex as the hero, the savior, swooping in to save the day at the last possible—
Wait a minute.
Clark's steps suddenly halted and his hand hovered just over the door handle to the roof as genius struck. He grinned like the cat who ate the canary. "Nigel, isn't it just so convenient that something like this happened just two days after Luthor's big announcement?"
"Sir?"
"I mean, what if, say, it was leaked that Luthor's plans were initially going to be denied. And then, it came out that this... malfunction of sorts, was really sabotage?"
Clark could practically hear it the moment it all clicked in Nigel's mind. "It would seem quite suspicious, sir."
"Do we have anyone working on the Messenger who might cooperate?"
"I'm sure we can find someone who might be persuaded."
Clark finally grinned and he opened the door to the roof, taking in the fresh air and sunshine. "Good. Then go with that. I'll take care of the logistics."
He turned, a satisfied grin on his face and phone pressed tightly against his ear— when he saw her. His smile dropped and a shiver of trepidation travelled up his spine at the idea of nearly being caught.
She turned around to see who it was that had just entered and he locked eyes with her. Instead of saying any parting words, Clark simply hung up on Nigel and smiled at Lois Lane. "Sorry. Didn't know anyone was up here, thought it would be fine to take a call."
She shrugged, but was unable to keep from fidgeting nervously. "It's fine. You didn't need to hang up so quickly."
"Eh, we were done talking. It was just business stuff anyways."
She didn't seem to care what he was saying, twitching her fingers anxiously. It was then that he noticed the cigarette in her hand, and it made sense.
"Ah," he replied with a nod. Clark tucked his phone away into his pocket and retrieved a lighter from another. "Need a light?" He offered, flicking the lid off and the flame to life in one fluid movement.
Lois eyed the tiny fire with longing, glancing between the unlit cylinder in her hand and his face apprehensively. She didn't seem like she wanted to smoke, even as her expression filled with more want.
Clark fished out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket with a nonchalant shrug and lit himself one. He took a deep lungful of smoke in his mouth and briefly allowed his eyes to flutter shut. The tobacco had no affect on him whatsoever, but for some reason, the smoothness of the sensation was relaxing. It was like coffee— the caffeine really didn't have an impact, but simply the gesture of the action was reassuring and rejuvenating. The power of suggestion, he supposed. He puffed at it a little longer before removing it from his lips and exhaling slowly, enjoying the drift of the plumes as they floated up into the atmosphere, absorbing the pungent scent of it.
He caught a glimpse of Lois out of his peripheral, and saw her staring longingly at his smoke. He grinned and turned to face her more fully. "You're trying to quit, aren't you?"
She collected herself, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear distractedly, and walked away from him towards the ledge of the building. Clark stared at her warmly, her silhouette draped in sunlight as she looked out at the view of the city from their vantage point. His skin tingled, and not just from the warmth of the sun.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so condescending about it. Good for you. You shouldn't give in just out of a moment of weakness." She didn't acknowledge that she'd even heard him. Clark stepped towards the edge with her, trying again. "How long has it been?"
She crossed her arms and stared at the cigarette in her hands once again. "Two days."
Clark barked out a short laugh, before coughing to cover it up. "Sorry," he grinned sheepishly. "That's good."
Lois rolled her eyes. "Oh, for God's sake! Give me the lighter!"
His eyebrows shot up in surprise as she snatched it from his hand and lit the drug in a flash. She'd moved at a speed that rivalled his own— and then conscious thought slowed for him as those ruby red lips wrapped eagerly around the end of the cigarette and began to suck the smoke down her lungs. Clark swallowed as he watched her, reminded of her striking beauty as she took a few breaths. Her sigh of relief was accompanied by a plume of smoke, and Clark couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from twitching up. "That bad, huh?"
Lois breathed heavily, lips curving in a smile around the butt as she spoke. "You have no idea. Just... It's been a long weekend."
Clark didn't respond to that, waiting for her to expound on her comments, but to no avail. Instead, she turned to him with a smile and asked a question of her own. "So. What important business brought you up here, Mr. Kent?"
Clark's eyes glittered mischievously even as the fear of getting found out chased another chill up his spine. "Business of the private variety, Miss Lane."
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him and puffed some more. "Fine. Don't tell me."
He laughed heartily at her, something Clark didn't find himself doing all that often. It felt... good. It was like a breath of fresh air. She was like a breath of fresh air.
It had taken close to twenty years, but finally, things were starting to go right in his life.
"You know, I didn't take you to be a cigarette sort of guy."
Her voice broke his musings and he smiled at her. "Eh, I don't know. I'll smoke cigars and stuff too, but there's just something about a good cigarette... It feels like home, you know?"
Lois nodded. "Yeah. I get it. My dad smoked for as long as I can remember. I hate myself for doing it, but," she shrugged.
"Yeah. My mom smoked. My dad did too, I think. And everybody else in Kansas," he joked.
She looked to him in surprise. "I didn't know you were from Kansas."
Clark felt his pulse jump unexpectedly— he hadn't meant to reveal that little tidbit. How did that slip out of his mouth? He was always so careful... what was it about this woman that had him opening up so much? He wanted to just come straight out and ask her, see if she felt the same about him. But instead, Clark cleared his throat and tersely answered her. "Uh, yeah. I don't like to talk about it much."
Lois' eyes glanced over him as he stood uncomfortably still beside her. He felt like somehow she was reading his soul, that every shadow and dark piece to his past could be puzzled together by her if only she looked long enough.
"You don't really have any trace of an accent."
"Thank you," he replied a bit too quickly, dismissing her comment.
Lois squared her shoulders and leaned back, seeming to have decided to respect his wishes and drop the subject. For now. "Can I ask you something? On a totally unrelated topic."
He glanced warily at her. "Shoot."
She hesitated, and Clark was unsure he really wanted her to ask her question. "What exactly were you talking to Lex about at the Ball?"
Clark shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing. Just... business."
"Of the private variety, I suppose?"
Clark turned to see her jutting her chin out with an air of defiance and he smiled. "You see, Miss Lane? Now you're getting the hang of it."
She huffed a laugh. "Right. That seems like as straight an answer as I'll ever get out of either of you."
"Luthor didn't tell you?"
A flash of anger passed over her face. "No. He just said it was business. And that he was showing you his collection."
Clark couldn't help but scoff at that. "I guess that's one way of putting it."
Lois eyed him curiously, but he made no other comment. He stood there, smoking once again, the wheels in his brain turning and leading him down a far away path. Taking a deep breath beside him, Lois finally spoke. "I'm sorry for how he behaved. I caught the end of what he was saying and saw what was happening— he had no right to act that way."
He shrugged loosely. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to come off the way I did towards you, I just wanted to get his attention."
"Why?" Lois batted the question back at him, and his eyebrows arched in surprise. "I just mean... why did you want his attention? Do you know him or something? He's never mentioned you."
Clark's jaw twitched as he shook his head vehemently. "Only by reputation."
As he turned to her with a small smile, he caught her eye, saw the question on the tip of her tongue. He knew what was coming, what sort of buzz would stir up in that reporter's brain of hers at his wording, and he had to cut it short. Clark took one last drag of his cigarette before putting it out, grinding the glowing embers on the concrete ledge with an air of dismissal. "I'm afraid I must be going, though. Business doesn't run itself, isn't that right, Miss Lane?"
She eyed him cautiously, trying to figure him out. "No, I guess it doesn't."
He smirked as he walked backwards towards the door. "We should do this again sometime."
That prompted a scowl from her, just as he'd expected. "Maybe we should, Kansas," she called out after him, hoping for a reaction. But all he did was shoot her a playful glare over his shoulder, a smirk toying with the corners of his lips. And with that he strode briskly back into the stairwell, allowing the door to slam shut behind him.
