Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic An Extraordinary Man II: Trials And Triumphs (23/31)

For those who wish to avoid the worst of the smoochies (which get into PG13 territory again), I suggest you ignore from to: The last comes immediately before "*****", so it should be easy enough to find.

Table of contents is here .


LAST TIME ON EMII:

His body was trembling with the effort of staying aloft. He had reached, and passed, his limits, and he had used up the last of his energy reserves.

A scream was wrenched from his lungs as he felt himself tumbling, plunging downwards. "[i]No!!!!" He was going to die, he thought, but he couldn't die, not until he'd seen Lois again, and not even then, because they had too much to live for. They had a future together, and he couldn't give up on that now.

The ground rushed up to meet him.

NOW READ ON...[/i]


CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE


No!

Startled, Lois's head jerked up and she stared around her in a moment of absolute panic. "What was that?" she demanded.

Jack lifted his head and asked, "What was what?"

Lois felt her brow furrow. "You didn't hear it?"

Jack shook his head, disinterested. "Didn't hear anything."

Maybe she'd imagined it, she thought uncomfortably, but she didn't think so. She'd never imagined anything so terrifying as that heartfelt syllable. It had been filled with horror, anguish and something akin to disbelief.

It was odd, but it made her think of CJ, though she couldn't quite understand why. Was it because this was how he felt whenever he heard people screaming for help? People that nobody else could hear?

It must be, she thought, because there was no way she could ignore that cry. It had pulled at her, like her insides had been squeezed. Certainly, it had left her feeling shaky, drained of energy.

And yet, somehow, she felt much, much better than she had done in hours. She wondered what the heck had just happened.

*****

He couldn't believe it.

He'd been plunging downwards. He'd known he was going to die. And then... Then, for a moment, he'd seen the conference room, almost as though he was looking through someone else's eyes. Jack had been there, working away, talking to... someone. Talking to... Lois?

Yes, he realised. Lois. He hadn't seen her, but he'd felt her, almost as though he was touching her mind. She'd been upset about... something. He wondered what. Whatever it was, it had disturbed her deeply, and he'd felt her reaching out blindly, wanting to help... something... pouring energy towards whatever it was.

And then he realised. They had touched – not physically of course, but with their minds. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised; he knew, after all, that he had some sort of telepathic abilities. He had to have, given that Clark did, too, but it was not something that they had explored together.

CJ and Lois had touched, and she had, without knowing what she was doing, poured her strength into him, giving him a few precious seconds of power to control his landing.

She had saved his life.

*****

She couldn't understand it. After she'd "heard" that scream, she had begun to feel better. She still felt tired, but it felt like the healthy sort of exhaustion brought about by too much exercise, rather than anything more sinister. Her brain cleared and her stomach settled; it was almost as if nothing had been wrong.

She wished that she could put the matter out of her mind, but she found that it would not be easily dismissed. Then she wished that she could talk to someone about it. She thought about talking to Jack, but realised that she didn't want to talk to just anybody. She wanted to talk to CJ.

And speaking of CJ...

She looked at her watch and frowned. It was after nine o'clock. Surely he should have been back by now. She counted backwards; he'd left over seven hours ago. How fast could he fly anyway? Pretty fast, she knew; she'd seen how quickly he'd responded to the tanker disaster out on the west coast. Okay, maybe he'd been pulling out all the stops that time, but he'd managed to get to London, do some investigating, make a side trip to Paris, and get back to Metropolis, all in the space of just a few hours, and he hadn't been particularly pushed for time then.

It wasn't even as though he would really have had to look for Jules Johnson in Bolivia; CJ had already known where he was. All he had to do was talk to the man and come back to Metropolis.

It shouldn't have taken him this long, surely!

She bit on her upper lip and wondered what might have happened to him. Maybe Johnson had given him another lead to pursue on his way home, or maybe he'd been held up by some bureaucratic nonsense or other at the prison, or... Just because he was later coming back than she'd expected didn't mean that he was in any kind of trouble, she told herself firmly.

Maybe he'd simply gone straight home, and hadn't thought to check in with her. They weren't joined at the hip, after all. He didn't have to tell her everything, even if she was beginning to expect him to do so. Or maybe he'd tried to call her at home. After all, it was getting late. Even stalwart Jack was packing up to go home, and the lights in the main news room had all been switched off.

Yes, she decided. That must be it. She'd get home and he'd either be waiting on her front stoop or there would be a message on the answerphone.

But when she reached her apartment it was to find the stoop stubbornly empty and the answerphone silent.

Her concern segued into fear.


*****************
Thursday 8 May, 1997
*****************

"Lois?" The telephone line was full of static and his voice was almost drowned out by the competing background noises of echoing announcements and passers-by, and Lois had never been so happy to hear from anyone in her life.

"CJ! Where are you? I've been worried sick! Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "But I couldn't help it. My powers... They gave out while I was flying—"

Unwelcome images of CJ plunging downwards, out of control, flashed through her mind. Were they hospital noises she could hear behind him? "Are you all right?" she asked anxiously. She heard the distorted and incomprehensible blare of a public address system in the distance and decided that, no, he was not in a hospital. It sounded more like a bus terminal, or maybe an airport lounge. Somewhere cavernous, anyway.

"Yeah," he said, "I'm fine," but he sounded tired to Lois. Still, if that was the worst of it, then she would be forever grateful. "I managed to land on the edge of a small town, and I hitched a ride to Richmond—"

"Richmond?" asked Lois in disbelief. "Richmond Virginia?!"

"Well, yeah." The way CJ answered made it sound as though he thought that Virginia was obvious. "That's where I am now. I'm going to have to take a train back to Metropolis, but it won't get in until just after two, so I thought I'd better tell you not to expect—"

"I'll meet you," interrupted Lois.

"You don't have to do that," he answered, and Lois thought he was speaking over a yawn. "No reason for us both to lose sleep. I'll come by in the morning."

"I know I don't have to CJ, but I want to meet you. I want to know how you got on, and I've got stuff to tell you, too." And I want – need – to see for myself that you are okay, she added mentally, but didn't say it. She had been worried about him; she had paced around her apartment for almost two solid hours – a better workout in its way than most she managed at the gym – but she couldn't quite figure out how to explain her worry to him. It hadn't been logical, and how could she justify her panic without sounding stupid.

Except... She'd known something was wrong somewhere, and then she'd fretted about CJ, about where he was, whether he was all right and... And she'd been right to worry.

There was a crackle on the line, then CJ's voice said, "Okay, Lois. I'll see you then. The train's due in at 2.07. And... thanks."

"You're welcome," she murmured automatically, before she realised that he'd already put the phone down.

*****

The concourse of Metropolis Central Station was imposing, a relic from the glory days of steam. The walls were made of huge slabs of limestone. There were Ionic columns at all the entrances, and wide staircases led down towards the platforms. Lois had never before realised quite how creepy the station could be at a quarter to two in the morning.

Then again, she wasn't sure that she'd ever been there at that time; she wasn't really a train person. Given the choice, for local journeys, she preferred to drive and, for longer ones, she liked to fly.

Despite the hour, there were still a few people around, though nothing like the packed hordes of commuters that passed through at either end of the working day. Most of the ticket booths had long since closed for the night, and shutters had been pulled down over their windows, leaving them looking dark and forbidding. Only two were still open, the salespeople behind them lounging sleepily in their chairs, talking to each other in a desultory fashion and drinking coffee out of paper cups.

Three men in dirty blue dungarees were cleaning the concourse, two with long-handled brooms and dustpans and one riding around on a small vehicle with polishing pads attached to its underside.

About twenty homeless people lay on benches, trying to get what little sleep they could amidst the intermittent station announcements and the artificial yellow light, which rebounded almost painfully off the walls and the high domed ceiling, several storeys above.

Lois's sneakers sucked hungrily at the floor, the sound echoing noisily in her ears, as she walked towards the arrivals board. She found CJ's train, and saw that it was showing as running ten minutes late.

Feeling a little uneasy, she moved to stand with her back against one of the closed ticket counters; hopefully, if anyone meaning trouble was hanging around, the two nearby clerks would act as some kind of a deterrent, and she felt better with something solid behind her. At least nobody would be able to sneak up on her.

In that paranoid state of mind, Lois waited.

Finally, five minutes later than even the board had indicated, CJ's train arrived and, a few minutes after that, she saw him wearily climb the stairs from the platforms.

Lois rushed at him, flinging her arms around him, her momentum almost pushing him over.

"Hey!" he said. "What was that for? Not that I minded, of course, but..." He yawned and muttered, "Sorry," from behind his hand.

"I'm just so glad to see you in one piece." And she truly was, though, now she was examining him carefully, she could see just how exhausted he really was. He looked ashen, almost grey with fatigue, and she suspected that he'd made light earlier of whatever had happened to him when his powers had failed.

She hooked her arm around his, trying to get him to lean on her, to let her be his strength, because she could see he needed whatever help he would accept. "Come on, CJ," she said. "Let's get you home."

*****

The first thought CJ had upon waking up was that the mattress was too firm to be his, and there was an unfamiliar floral scent about the sheets. He panicked for a moment, wondering where he was. He couldn't remember much of what had happened after getting on the train.

A series of disjointed images flashed through his memory: a man snoring and dribbling across the aisle from him in the carriage; darkness, occasionally punctuated by the electric lights from isolated houses and towns pressing against the windows; the guard shaking him roughly awake so that he could check CJ's ticket; stumbling onto the platform at Metropolis Central, barely able to keep his eyes focused or to put one foot in front of the other; Lois...

He frowned, and struggled to remember more.

Lois, dressed in old sweats and sneakers, had sprinted at him across the concourse, and had flung herself into his arms. He'd talked to her, but he couldn't remember what he'd said, only that he'd never been so happy to see anyone in his life. Then... A blank.

He remembered nothing more until waking up in this unfamiliar bed.

He blinked his eyes open and rolled over.

And blinked again, startled.

He wasn't alone.

Before yesterday, he would have known that she was there. He would have heard her heartbeat, smelt her... But now...

Now that his powers were gone, he felt cut off from his surroundings. It was like trying to hear with earplugs in, to smell with a stuffy nose, to touch while wearing gloves... All sensation was muffled, blunted, and he realised that it would take a while for him to get used to being normal again.

However, he'd known that this was going to happen sometime, and he knew that he had to make the best he could of the situation.

Meanwhile, what better way was there for him to get used to his changed circumstances than by looking at the woman he loved most of all in the world.

The woman who, whether she knew it or not, had undoubtedly saved his life last night.

CJ lay still for a while, content to simply watch her – she was close enough to him that he could see her clearly without the aid of his glasses – and listen to the soft sounds of her even breathing.

He'd dreamed of waking up next to Lois, but he'd never imagined it happening quite like this. For one thing, he belatedly realised, he was still fully clothed, although at some point he had apparently lost his shoes, jacket and glasses. He wondered whether he had taken them off himself, or whether Lois had removed them for him. It was another thing he couldn't remember.

From what he could see, poking out from under the covers, Lois was also dressed. She was still wearing the old sweatshirt he remembered from the train station. Most of her brown hair was fanned across the pillow, but a few strands clung to her cheek and forehead.

Her eyes were closed, her mouth open a tiny fraction, and her cheeks were tinged with a healthy pink glow. She was, he thought, as beautiful asleep as she was awake.

He lifted a hand to her cheek and carefully brushed her hair behind her ears with his finger tips.

The gentle touch provoked a response from her, and even before she opened her eyes, she was smiling.

*****

"Mmmm," she murmured.

There might be better ways to wake up than to find your favourite man gently stroking your cheek, but at that moment, Lois couldn't think of any.

She opened her eyes, smiled slowly and sleepily whispered, "Hi."

"Hi, yourself." His words were a gentle caress.

CJ looked surprisingly good, she thought, for a man who'd been so out of it the night before. He no longer looked grey with fatigue; his skin had regained its more usual sallow hue, and he looked as though he might actually be aware of his surroundings once more. He certainly hadn't known where he was when she'd hauled him into the bed. Then he'd been dead on his feet.

Now, his face was coloured with five o'clock shadow and, while she'd never been a fan of the Don Johnson Miami Vice look, she had to admit it looked pretty good on him. "How are you feeling this morning?" she asked.

He seemed to have to think about that for a few moments. Finally, he answered, "Okay." Then, he asked, "How did I get here?"

"You fell asleep in my Jeep last night," she said. "I didn't know what else to do with you, you were so out of it. It was all I could do to wake you up enough to get you up the stairs."

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

She shook her head fractionally, dismissing his apology as an irrelevance. "It was no trouble. We're in this together, remember."

His lips stretched as his smile broadened. "I remember," he said. "And... thank you."

He leaned forward on his elbow so that he could reach her with his lips. They were warm and soft against hers.

She rolled towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, stretching her body along the length of his. He drew her closer towards him, one of his hands snaking between her rib cage and the mattress, and the other moving around the other side of her body towards the small of her back.

Lois pulled back out the gentle kiss for just long enough to breathe, "You're welcome," before touching her lips lightly to his once more.

And then they were nuzzling each other, exploring with none of the inhibition or constraints of their earlier encounters. His hands sneaked lower, seeking the bottom of her sweatshirt, gently coaxing it upwards.

She obliged him, pulling away from him so that she could kneel on the bed. She crossed her arms in front of her body, grasped the shirt's hem, then, with one fluid movement, pulled it over her head.

There was wanton warmth in his eyes as he watched her, but she didn't know if it was the grace of the movement or her body that he was admiring. Perhaps it was both.

She reached towards him, and began to unbutton his shirt, gradually exposing the smooth skin beneath. She'd felt it before, but she'd never really seen it, not even in their more adventurous moments.

As she pulled away the creased cotton, she felt her breath catch. She ran the fingers of both her hands lightly across his chest, feeling the firm pectoral muscles, and then dragged her fingertips lower to his washboard-hard abdomen. He was everything she'd thought he would be and more.

The slight moan in the back of his throat told her that he liked the way she was touching him, and she felt herself smiling at him.

He shifted onto his knees so that they were facing each other, and he allowed her to peel the shirt back off his shoulders and down his arms and back. Between them, they eased the still-buttoned cuffs over his hands, then cast it lightly aside on the floor behind him.

They stared at each other for a few moments, each drinking in their view of the other and trying not to feel self-conscious about this new level of intimacy. Then, moving as one, they leaned into each other, capturing one another's mouths again.

Lois was aware of CJ fumbling with an endearing lack of expertise at the catch of her bra even as their tongues stroked each other, as her hands roamed his back, as she left his mouth to butterfly kiss along the line of his neck and shoulder...

It was only afterwards, as she lay snuggled in his embrace, warm in the afterglow of their love-making, that Lois realised that their first time had been nothing like she'd expected it to be. After the heated groping session in that abandoned corridor, the last thing she'd ever expected CJ to be as a lover was gentle, almost shy.

And inexperienced.

Oh, it was obvious that he'd had a lover before – maybe more than one – as, indeed, had she. But they'd both needed to explore each other, to find out how to please one another, and they'd both checked regularly with the other that what they were doing felt right. Nobody, Lois thought, could fake that degree of naiveté, and she felt utterly charmed by it.

She drifted off to sleep, lulled by the steady drumbeat of his heart against her ear.

*****

He hadn't expected it to happen that way. He'd thought that they would plan for their first time, that there would be a band and fireworks, or at the very least flowers and soft music in the background. He'd expected to either seduce or to be seduced.

He hadn't expected it to happen naturally, by a silent and mutual agreement. And most of all, he hadn't expected it to be so relaxed... so easy.

So wonderful.

He held Lois, now asleep, close against his chest. If he concentrated, he could detect the faintest hint of yesterday's perfume in her hair, the tang of perspiration... But he didn't care that he couldn't hear her heartbeat anymore because, when he was touching her, he didn't care about the loss of his senses. When he was touching her, he could feel the world.

And when they were making love, the whole universe was his.

*****

When Lois next awoke, it was to find rays of sunlight streaming through her bedroom windows. She could tell immediately from their angle that she had overslept. Given the night – and, for that matter, the morning – she had had, she supposed that wasn't altogether surprising.

Reluctantly, she eased herself out of CJ's loose embrace. Even in his sleep he must had felt her go, because he made an inarticulate grunt of disapproval before shifting his position slightly.

Lois looked down at him and smiled. He looked so peaceful, she thought. And beautiful. His dark hair gleamed, contrasting sharply against the background of a white pillow case. One arm stretched out across the bed, as if he was reaching out for her, and the top half of his torso was exposed. She could see the slow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

It was so tempting just to climb back under the sheets, to snuggle up against him, to inhale his scent, to run her fingers over—

But no. She had to get ready for work.

With a wistful sigh, she turned her back on CJ and headed for the bathroom, and a shower.

As, minutes later, she stood under the water jets, running her soapy hands across the contours of her own body, she found herself thinking. This is where he touched me... This is where he kissed me... She closed her eyes and her lips parted a fraction as she allowed the memories to play through her head, a pleasant echo of their love-making. Her thoughts drifted pleasurably for a while, before becoming more focused again.

She'd been so scared before CJ had phoned, and so relieved when she'd finally heard from him. What she couldn't understand, though, was how she'd been so sure that something had happened to him. She would have to ask him about that, she decided, and she would, right after she asked him what had happened in Bolivia.

By the time Lois had finished in the shower, CJ had woken up, too. As she went back into the bedroom, clad in a bathrobe with a makeshift turban fashioned out of a towel on her head, he rolled onto his elbow and softly, almost reverently, said, "Good morning."

"Good morning yourself," she murmured, feeling a moment of shyness, before remembering that she had nothing to feel shy about. Jerking her thumb in the direction from which she'd just come, she said, "Bathroom's free."

"Thanks, Lois."

Maybe he also felt that incongruous shyness because he hesitated, unwilling to flaunt his nakedness in front of her. In fact, he pulled the sheet up higher, almost to his neck. Lois felt herself blush, but managed to say, "It's okay, CJ. Remember, I've seen it all already." Then she covered the awkward moment by turning her back on him and rummaging around her wardrobe.

Her comment seemed to have diffused the situation, however, because he chuckled and she heard the slithering of flesh against cotton, and then the muffled padding of footsteps through carpet.

And then she felt the gentle touch of his hand caressing the back of her neck and the whisper of lips against her cheeks. She shivered at his touch, turned to meet him, and brushed her own lips against his, an acknowledgement of his presence and a promise for later.

They parted, both smiling fondly at the other. Then he turned away from her, and headed towards the bathroom.

She dressed quickly, and by the time she was finished, she could hear the distant drumming of water against the sides and base of the shower stall as well as the vague splashing sound as he moved around. Her mind painted pictures of his hands lathering his body... of pristine white foam clinging against his skin... of water droplets beading and running over taut muscles, which rippled as he moved...

Had he imagined anything similar when she'd been getting washed?

She struggled to clear her throat, opened the bathroom door a fraction and raised her voice so she could be heard over the running water. "You'll find clean towels in the cupboard under the sink, when you're done."

Why did she feel guilty about the fact that her eyes lingered, despite the fact that she could see little more of him than a distorted shadow against the frosted glass of the stall? It was stupid to feel embarrassed by the thought of CJ in her shower, especially after the graphic images her mind had just painted and after their earlier intimacy. She supposed it had something to do with old habits dying hard, and the fact that the shift in their relationship was so very, very new.

She forced herself to go back into the bedroom where she sat down in front of her dresser and deftly began to apply her make-up.

*****

CJ emerged from the bathroom, a fluffy pink bath sheet wrapped around his midriff, to find that Lois had made the bed and was in the process of tidying up his clothes, folding them perfunctorily and placing them on the counterpane. She acknowledged his presence with a tilt of her head, then said lightly, "Don't think I'm going to make a habit of picking up after you, buster!"

He chuckled.

Lois smiled at him and headed out into the kitchen, muttering something about breakfast.

When he joined her, a couple of minutes later, he found her staring balefully into the depths of the refrigerator.

He laid his right hand lightly on the small of her back and peered over her shoulder.

Ruefully, she said, "I can offer you ice or water. I've run out of coffee, and I ate the last of the ice-cream a few days ago."

CJ quirked an eyebrow, fascinated. Outside of a showroom, he'd never seen a completely empty refrigerator before. Usually, when someone said that their fridge was bare, they meant that it contained only a hunk of hardened and inedible cheese, a mouldy carrot or two and some sour milk. Lois, in this as in so many things, had gone one step further than normal people. With her, bare literally meant bare.

He didn't pass judgement, however. Instead, he simply said, "I take it we're eating out."

"Uh, huh," she answered. "Unless you think you can live on air." She pushed the refrigerator door closed and turned to face him.

"I'm beginning to believe," he said, "that with you anything is possible." And then he was leaning in towards her and they were kissing.

Who needed food, he thought, when they could have each other?

*****

They stopped off at a small café two blocks away from Lois's apartment where the aromas of freshly baked muffins and roasted coffee beans were almost bewitching in their intensity. Inside, the decor was dark yet warm and comfortable. The walls were painted in rich earth colours and the tables were made of wood. The drinks were served in brightly coloured mugs and the servers were politely friendly without being obtrusive. CJ liked it.

They found a table in a dark corner from which they were afforded views over the rest of the establishment and the street beyond the windows, but where they had a degree of privacy.

It didn't take him long to tell her about Jules Johnson. He also told her about Felipe, and she laughed in all the right places at his light-hearted retelling of his adventure. Then, more sombrely, he sketched out the events of his return journey, pausing when he got to Richmond. Abruptly he asked, "You don't mind, do you, Lois?"

"Mind?" she answered, and CJ could tell that she had no idea what he was getting at.

"That I'm back to being... well... me. No added extras. Just CJ Kent, a pretty regular guy."

"Apart from the tiny detail that you're probably an extraterrestrial."

"Yeah," he agreed, his lips quirking. "Apart from that."

"Of course I don't mind!" She leaned across the table and grasped his hand tightly in hers. "Why would you think I would? Especially after last night?"

He shook his head mutely. His doubts had been, he could see now, irrational.

"In a way I'm happy things worked out this way. Last night... I'm glad that our first time was with you, the real you. And you know what? The real you is pretty terrific."

"So are you," he whispered, hoping that she could hear the full extent of his sincerity.

"There is something, though," she said.

"What?" asked CJ, feeling a flush of trepidation. There was something about her tone that suggested concern, confusion, perhaps even embarrassment.

"What exactly happened when your powers failed?"

"I told you already; they gave out while I was flying north."

"But there was... more to it than that, wasn't there?"

CJ stared at her. "You felt it, too?" he asked in awe.

She nodded. "I was still at the Planet, and I... I felt you CJ! I could hear your voice in my head. I heard you scream! So what happened, CJ?"

He licked his lips. "I don't know exactly. All I know is that I'd been pushing myself. I guess I pushed too hard; I should have landed earlier, when I realised what was happening. Instead, I kept on flying, wanting to get back to Metropolis. Then, when I realised that I wasn't going to make it, I realised that I had to get to a town. Somewhere there were people, anyway. But I'd left it too long for even that, and I..." He closed his eyes, remembering the terror he'd felt as he'd plunged downwards. "I couldn't keep afloat, and I fell, and I... I was sure that I was going to die, and all I could think about was you, and how we had so much to live for. I wasn't ready to die. And then..." He frowned, wondering how utterly ridiculous the next bit was going to sound. "For a second I could see the conference room. It was like... I think I was looking through your eyes. I couldn't see you, but I could feel you, and you were talking to Jack."

Lois nodded, an arrested look on her face as though she'd just had an epiphany.

"You were upset about something," he said.

She nodded again, and whispered, "I'd heard you, CJ. I didn't realise until now that that's what it was. But I heard a scream, and when I asked Jack if he'd heard anything, he said no. It made me think of you, but I just thought it was because that was how you felt when you heard people crying for help. I didn't realise it actually was you. But then, I'd had this feeling all evening that something was wrong, and afterwards I couldn't shake the idea that something terrible had happened to you. That's why I was so relieved when you called." Her voice shook with the force of the remembered emotions.

Almost as if she hadn't spoken, he continued. "You didn't know what was wrong, but you wanted to help, and I could feel you pouring energy into me." Then, in case she didn't understand the full import of what he was telling her, he added, "I think... Lois, I think you saved my life, because I managed to land safely, and without your help, I don't think that I could have done that."

"How...? How is that possible?"

"I don't know," he said. "But I do know that Clark has at least some telepathic abilities. It's not something we really explored, so I don't know how they work, but... I guess it has to have something to do with that."

"Can you often see into my head?" asked Lois sounding a little uncomfortable.

CJ shook his head. "No. That was the first time. I'm guessing it takes a near death experience to make it happen. And before you ask, no, I've never had anything similar happen with anyone else."

He was relieved to see that his reassurances seemed to make her happier. "So, I saved your life, huh?"

"I think so, yes. I guess I really ought to say thank you, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, you really ought." She laughed and he marvelled at the way she was able to accept yet another of his odd abilities so easily. "Come on. We'd better get going. I'll tell you about the stakeout on the way."

*****

Lois and CJ were holding hands, holding onto a fraction of their earlier physical intimacy, as they stepped off the elevator, onto the news room floor.

"That's ten bucks, Jimmy, thank you very much!" The words hit CJ out of nowhere, and he looked around for Jack, finally catching sight of him. Jack, CJ couldn't help but notice, was wearing a particularly self-satisfied grin and looking remarkably pleased with himself. He was also snapping his fingers in front of Jimmy Olsen's face.

Even without his powers, CJ's hearing was abnormally acute; it always had been, even when he was a child. It was, therefore, more or less inevitable that he would overhear the conversation between the two younger men.

"What for?" Jimmy asked.

"Our bet," answered Jack, nodding in CJ's direction.

"What b—" Understanding dawned as Jimmy turned in the direction of Jack's gaze. "Oh. That bet. So you think they... you know?"

"Don't you?" responded Jack. "I mean, look at the evidence. Kent looks positively haggard this morning, and he's wearing the same clothes as yesterday, which means that he hasn't been home. And Lois! She's two and a half hours late for work and have you ever seen her look that relaxed? Plus they both look like they won the state lottery and—"

"And they're holding hands in public." Jimmy sighed, pulled out his wallet and passed over a couple of bills to Jack. "Remind me never to wager with you again. You have a really nasty habit of winning."

Jack simply grinned.

TBC