A/N: It's been a while. I've no doubt at least some of you must have figured this fic was dead, and frankly, I don't know when the next part will be ready. But rest assured, I am working on it; tweaking the outline, working on the scenes that absolutely have to happen at some point, and trying to make the whole thing flow coherently. I hope the effort pays off. In the mean time, if you need to catch up or review, the ToC is here. I hope you enjoy!
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Part 35Michel gazed across the little table at Susanne, smiling as she animatedly detailed everything wrong with her brother's latest girlfriend in between sips of coffee. He still wasn't sure what had caused her to finally start warming up to him, but he was grateful. To be out here with her, like this, with the warm sun and hot espresso taking the sting out of the cold January air while the city went about its morning business, was more than he had ever dared to ask for.
His pleasant thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shout of "Dr. Renaud!" cutting through the din of the crowd. He wasn't sure why the voice sounded familiar until its owner reached their table, breathless and beaming and looking unusually rumpled.
"Miss Lane?!" he sputtered.
Susanne raised an eyebrow at him. "Michel? Who is this?"
Miss Lane, apparently either understanding the question or simply realizing that he wasn't alone, stuck a hand out to Susanne and started to moo out an introduction.
On seeing Susanne's wince, Michel took over and switched the conversation to English. "Miss Lane, this is Dr. Susanne Soileau, my...er...colleague. Susanne, this is Lois Lane, a reporter for the Daily Planet."
"Top reporter," Lois corrected.
Something like recognition flashed behind Susanne's eyes, and her expression suddenly shuttered. She set her cup down on the table, then turned to Lois with a smile that Michel found strangely suspicious. "Oh, is that not all the way in America? How does an American reporter know Michel?"
Michel stiffened in his chair.
"Oh, Dr. Renaud came to Metropolis a little while after Superman first appeared, and he occasionally visits to help me and Clark with our stories," Lois cheerfully replied. "He even helped us exonerate Superman during the heat crisis!" She turned a smile onto Michel. "Did a great job, too!"
Susanne nodded. "Ah, yes, when your people made Superman go to court for being a hero." She turned to Michel, ignoring the scowl that suddenly appeared on Lois's face. "But was that not the day you had to visit your sick aunt in Canada?"
Oh, crap. "W-well, the two countries are right beside each other," he stammered, then abruptly turned to Lois. "Why are you in France?" he asked, hoping to steer the conversation onto safer ground.
Lois snagged an empty chair from a nearby table and dropped into it, seemingly oblivious to Susanne's brief glare. "Well, Clark and I are looking into that co-worker of yours, Phillippe Boucher?"
Susanne stilled at the name, but Lois prattled on.
"The one who supposedly stole something top-secret and then came to Metropolis? Only get this: he apparently never arrived!"
Susanne crinkled her nose. "So he lied?" Under her breath, she muttered, "Again?"
Lois shook her head. "The flight records showed him getting on the plane, but not off. So, unless he just jumped into the Atlantic from a mile up, something very funny is going on. Do you think you guys could tell me more about him? What he took? Who he was last seen with?"
Susanne stared down into her coffee, obviously not wanting to relive the whole debacle that was Phillippe.
Michel raised an eyebrow at Lois. "Did you really come all the way to Paris just to ask us these questions?"
Lois looked a little chagrined. "Well, no," she admitted, combing her fingers through her mussed hair. "I was investigating an art forgery ring back in Metropolis, and wound up in a crate being taken to the Louvre."
Both he and Susanne stared blankly at her.
"But I'm fine, now," she continued, "So all I have to do is call Perry, and in the meantime, why not work on that other case while I'm here?"
"Well, I suppose we..." Michel began, then saw Susanne's frown. "Perhaps you should talk to the people who worked in his department," he offered. He fumbled in his wallet for a business card and handed it to her. "That is the address for the main building; you want the second floor. Ask for Cherise Marchand; she speaks English and will probably like to help you."
"Thanks!" Lois replied with a grin. "I'll let you get back to your coffee. See you around!" After returning the chair to approximately where it belonged, she took off, vanishing into the crowded streets beyond the café patio.
Susanne snorted and reached for the remains of her coffee. "So that was Lois Lane. Do you suppose you can tell me what Superman sees in her?"
"Eh?" Michel blinked in confusion.
"Well, the rumor is that there is something between them, no?" she elaborated with a shrug.
"Oh!" Michel shook his head. "Superman is only a friend to her. She's seriously involved with her reporting partner." Of course, the matter was complicated by the fact that Superman *was* her reporting partner, but that wasn't really his business, let alone Susanne's.
"Is that so?" For some reason, Susanne's smile seemed almost relieved. It didn't stay for very long, though. "So, she and her reporting partner know about Phillippe?"
Michel hesitated. "Well, Superman was concerned about where he took the Kryptonite," he admitted.
Susanne gave him a curious look, then nodded slowly. "It truly was a magnificent sample of Kryptonian geology," she admitted, "but, thanks to Nightfall, we at least have some others. Surely he could be content with that?"
"He is more concerned about it falling into the wrong hands," Michel explained with a shrug. "Superman has made some powerful enemies who would gladly use it to kill him."
Her cup nearly dropped out of her hands. She caught it semi-gracefully and set it back on its saucer with a clatter. "Oh. I see." For a while, she stared at the cup as if she'd never seen it before, then she looked up at Michel with a worried frown. "Do you think that maybe he does too much?" she asked him, softly. "I mean, I'm sure the world appreciates Superman's help, but...well, he would not have enemies if he only dealt with disasters and such, don't you think? Why not let the police deal with the criminals? Sure, some might escape, but it would be better than risking everything by angering the wrong person, don't you think?"
Michel barely suppressed a snort. "That may be true," he said, "but I happen to know that Superman is very passionate about justice. That is just how he is, and we can't really expect him to change."
She gave a sad little sigh, staring down into her cup. "No, I suppose we can't." Then, with a dismissive shake of her head, she smiled up at him again. "Well, at least he is still alive today, yes? And perhaps, the next time you see him, you could caution him to at least be careful."
"Of course," he replied automatically, then hastily back-peddled. "Er, if I see him, that is."
"Of course," said Susanne, her smile growing.
Michel chuckled. "And really, what would be the odds?"
"Of course," she agreed again, her mysterious little smile seeming brighter than the sun. "So. How about some more coffee?"
TBC...
