![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/smilie/froehlich/e010.gif)
He had done his best to get out of his apartment before Lois could tempt him into staying longer.
LOIS:
I only removed my shirt. I was still wearing a bra when Superman suddenly heard a fire across town…
If he had stayed, and she'd turned to him for comfort, events could have spiraled out of control.
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/midi/frech/g042.gif)
Who was he kidding? Events were already beyond his control. Lois was being stalked by Lex Luthor. There was a serial arsonist loose in the city. Not only were they burning down vacant buildings, but they were also randomly leaving behind kryptonite.
On the upside, it’s all tied up in one nice bundle.
LEX:
He called me ‘nice’!
It was entirely possible that all those things were related.
Look who’s eaten his smart stuff.
SMART KIDS:
It was also only six blocks away from his apartment; close enough for him to hear if Lois called out for Superman.
Like when she’s ‘relaxing’ in his bed?
Twenty minutes later he was in a dingy room on the fourth floor, trying unsuccessfully to stop himself from wondering if Lois had put on that t-shirt yet. Was she sitting on his couch, watching television? Was she on his bed and reading a book?
Or maybe she’s just undressing, getting ready to shower. Or maybe, she’s even inside the shower already, soaping up all the right places…
CLARK:
Maybe that was the lure? What if it had nothing to do with her brilliant mind, her driving ambition, or a body that made desire well up in him like a spring each time he saw her. Maybe he only wanted what he couldn't have.
Wouldn’t that be awkward? Although, it *would* explain his lack of interest in Cat.
or a moment Clark let himself imagine what might happen if he went back to his apartment and confessed everything. How would Lois take it?
LOIS:
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/smilie/konfus/a030.gif)
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/smilie/liebe/d010.gif)
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/smilie/boese/g030.gif)
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/smilie/liebe/d025.gif)
If it was Luthor, why was he toying with Superman?
Cat:
Mouse:
Clark paused, hovering above the building, to listen in.
Is that…legal? Also, is he properly outfitted with navigation lights, so passing helicopters won’t collide with him?
"She has to be somewhere," Luthor growled with a barely concealed impatience. "She can't have simply vanished into thin air. What about Perry White?"
TEMPUS:
"He's down at the shore, but we haven't spotted her there, either. Perhaps she is en route?"
Perry’s close to the water? Maybe he could take a walk on the pier and have an ‘accident’? Or maybe he’s going out fishing on a small boat and misses the cargo ship coming straight at him from starboard?
It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Clark descended rapidly to land on the deck outside Luthor's office.
Aaahhh…there it is. Pride does come before a fall.
Clark didn't budge from where he stood. "You said there was no need for pretense between us, so don't flatter yourself that there is anything you could do for me."
To be fair, Lex *could* use one of his prized Japanese swords to perform seppuku.
"And you need to accept that I cannot simply walk away when there is the potential that she might be in danger."
Danger from him.
LEX: And your point being…?
Luckily, he didn't seem to have it anywhere in the room at the moment.
Yeah…about that…
"Please be careful, Superman," Luthor called out. "It would be a tragedy if anything should happen to you."
Why…how…what…?
She washed her face, swished a dollop of Clark's toothpaste in her mouth in lieu of brushing her teeth,
Shouldn’t he have some spare toothbrushes lying around?
then changed into his t-shirt. Lois wondered what Clark would say if he could see her now. Would he be annoyed? Intrigued? Make fun of her because her legs were too skinny?
CLARK:
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/midi/frech/g045.gif)
Also, fun juxtaposition with the legs!
Then again, so was his compulsion to edit her copy. Maybe there was one thing she wasn't going to miss about their partnership.
Right…
EDITORS: We certainly do miss him!
Maybe it was his girlfriend, calling to leave a message.
That would be awkward.
Equal parts irritation and embarrassment coursed through her as she lifted the receiver. "He told you? Superman told you I was here? He promised me he wouldn't tell you!"
Also…Oops?
"What else did he tell you?" she demanded.
Like that she looooves him? That she wants his baaaabies?
"True," he said, his voice pitched in what she knew was him affecting a mockingly reasonable tone. "I only work so I can support your need for clandestine locations."
I guess it’s as good a reason as any…
Lois stretched out beneath his covers and settled deeper into his pillow. His sheets and pillows retained the faintest scent of Clark, making it feel like the next best thing to an actual hug from him.
He’s probably never going to wash those sheets again.
"You do realize that, so far, you've lived a pretty fulfilling life without knowing either one of those things. Why does it matter who I'm in love with or what Superman wears to bed?"
So she can plot a demise and have a healthy fantasy life?
"Would you want Superman to know what you wear to bed?"
That’s a loaded question.
She could practically hear his grin, even before he spoke, still using that low tone that was really starting to do something for her. "Are you in my bed?"
Ooooh! I know where this is heading!
"I guess that depends on what you're wearing."
"Nothing but boxers," she said with a giggle. "I hear they're all the rage in nighttime attire this year."
Was this some psychological thing where she was so afraid of losing Clark that she was going to start blatantly flirting with him? Or was it because he'd admitted he enjoyed messing with her and she just wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine?
There’s a difference?
Either way, it seemed like a good idea to use her most sultry voice to coo into the phone, "Sweet dreams, Clark."
Oh boy…
If Superman asked Lois to stay put, there was a fair chance that she'd do it.
Yeah, like probably almost even odds?
There was the casual kind of flirting that you did with a co-worker, and then there was how she'd sounded tonight. Maybe it was finally time to come clean. Maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't reject him after all. It was the biggest, and riskiest, maybe of them all.
Then again, maybe Lex will incapacitate him first with Kryptonite and use Superman being a hostage to force Lois to walk down the aisle.
Or had he long since passed the point where he could safely tell her anything? Maybe he had gone too far now with his deception and his lies for her to ever be able to forgive him. L
So, maybe he should simply keep on lying about him being Superman? I mean, it’s not like they’re genetically compatible so their kids would start to fly. And he could explain his late night walks with a mistress and a gambling habit, mixed up with some late night work thing on occasion?
LOIS:
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/smilie/frech/e040.gif)
Even though he'd wanted the distraction, a shiver shot down his spine when a siren began to shrill out its alarm.
Oh boy…
Michael
