~From Part 5~
“So who has the capability or knowledge?”
They stared at each other. The same thought echoing in their minds.
In unison, they shouted, “Jimmy!”
************
~Part 6~
Perry heard the shout from Lois and Clark, and knew it was time he finally stepped in. Walking to the closed conference room, he knocked before opening the door.
“Kids,” he started, not exactly sure how to take control, “what’s going on in here?”
“Perry…”
“Chief…”
Both Lois and Clark began in unison. But it was Clark who continued.
“Perry, we just found out that very personal information about Lois is being sent through e-mails to various people. We don’t know why or exactly how it’s happening, but it is.”
“I know.”
“What?!” Lois yelled, hands motioning in the air, just missing Clark’s head in the process, “You knew and you didn’t tell us?”
Perry remained silent, watching Lois eye him suspiciously. He knew in about two seconds she was about to launch into Mad Dog Lane mood and he was had to defuse it.
“Had the two of you been on time this morning, I might have been able to tell you before you found out whatever way you did.”
The two scolded reporters looked at one another and blushed.
“I thought so. Firstly let me say, I’m happy for you two. It’s about time you two admitted to your feelings.” He smiled then. “But you might as well know, I’ve seen the questionnaire. Franklin Stern brought it in here about thirty minutes ago.” He watched Lois sink into a chair, “Lois honey, what Elvis’s name possessed you to fill that thing out here?”
“Yesterday, Lucy sent me a questionnaire to fill out. With the lack of good stories and the dog columns I’ve done this week, I thought it would pass the time. Boy, had I known…” she paused then looked at Clark, “Nah, I still would have filled it out.”
Lois and Clark smiled into one another’s eyes for the first time since he’d been in the room together with them. He could tell being with Clark, even this short of a time, had really changed Lois. He knew they were perfectly suited for each other.
“Ah-hem.” Perry cleared his throat, getting the two lovebirds to focus once more.
“Sorry.” She looked back at him. “I hadn’t planned on sending it back to Lucy. I had just realized some things about my feelings for Clark that I needed to sort out. So I sent it to my personal e-mail address so I would have it at home. In the process, I must have clicked on Clark’s e-mail out of habit. But we were the only two who possessed it. What happened to the questionnaire after that, we’re not sure.”
“I think I can fill in that part. As much as I hate to rat him out, Jimmy was supposed to have told you two by now. He *accidentally* read part of the questionnaire behind Clark yesterday.”
“Is that how you found out about Clark and me?” Lois asked him. He was anticipating that question.
“Well actually I didn’t find that part out until this morning. I knew about the tattoo last night.”
He watched Lois’s face fall into her hands. He then watched Clark sit beside her and put his arm around her.
“Great.” She mumbled but then looked up once more, “Just how many people did Jimmy tell?”
“Four.”
“Four!” Lois stood up in anger. “What do you mean four?!”
“Lois…” Clark tried to calm her down.
“No, Clark. He had no right to tell anyone about it. You know, I wouldn’t have cared so much if his big mouth had told everyone about you and I. I might have been a little upset about it but the way we feel about each other, I’m sure it’s going to be hard to hide anyway. But my tattoo was for only two people to know about. You and me.” She finally took a breath but quickly continued, “So yes I’m angry. Jimmy took personal information he found out about me into his own hands and told at least three people about it. And I’m also quite embarrassed…you have to remember I had no intentions for you even to see it. And it definitely wasn’t something I wanted,” she looked at Perry, “no offense Perry, but it’s not something I wanted you to know about, let alone anyone else.”
“Uh Lois honey. Jimmy didn’t just blurt it out like you’re thinking he did. He unintentionally slipped up when he was talking to me.”
“That’s one.” She held up her index finger, “Who else?”
Perry looked at her, knowing how much she was not going to like the next list of names.
“You’re not going to like this but Cat Grant knows.”
“That’s two.” She now held both her index and middle fingers up.
He watched her carefully noting that she didn’t seem all that surprised by his announcement. He briefly wondered why.
“And Cat found out how?” Lois asked, her voice betraying just how bitter she really was.
Perry sighed. She was about to find out number *three* in his next statement and knew she wasn’t going to like it any better than finding out Cat knew. He watched her walk around to stand on the other side of Clark, both looking at him intently.
“Cat found out when she overheard Jimmy talking to Lucy about your tattoo.”
“What?” Lois squeaked out.
“From what Jimmy told me and Cat confirmed, he and Lucy were talking about you two here when she was standing behind him the entire time. In his defense, Cat finding out was an accident.”
“Yes, but him talking to Lucy wasn’t an accident.” She retorted back, “And I’ll deal with Lucy later.”
“So if Lucy makes three, than who is number four?” Clark asked, hoping to get Lois’s mind off her sister.
“Franklin Stern.”
Once again, Perry noticed Lois and Clark not surprised by his answer.
“And he found out?” Lois questioned him.
“Actually, at first I didn’t think Jimmy had anything to do with Stern knowing but I was wrong. Jimmy accessed your original e-mail containing the questionnaire, why I’m not sure yet, but Ralph…”
“Ralph! Ralph knows?!” Lois started pacing at that point, “I give up. Ralph the Mouth is going to tell everyone in a thousand square mile radius.”
“Not after I got through with him, he’s not.” Perry informed her, “In order to keep his job, Ralph has promised that he will never repeat anything he read in that questionnaire,” Perry chuckled slightly, “and we all know that boy will never get hired anywhere else. Anyway, from what Ralph said, he passed by Jimmy’s desk and being his nosy self, caught sight of his computer screen. He ended up reading what was on it, which happened to be your message. He then e-mailed it to himself except he never received it. But that’s where Frank comes in; he received the e-mail from Ralph instead.”
Perry watched the couple soak up the new information. They had been in for quite an awakening so far this morning. He felt for them but it was good for their relationship; it was going to make them stronger together. He was on the verge of smiling but thought differently when he saw Lois spin around so she was facing both him and Clark; she had stopped her pacing rather quickly.
“Wait a minute. Ralph’s e-mail didn’t go to where it was supposed to go…”
“And maybe that means all the intended parties of the other e-mails didn’t receive them either. Like the Washington Star.” Clark finished off her sentence, obviously following her line of thought.
Their boss watched on as Clark stood up and walked to Lois, gently caressing her cheek with his hand before kissing her softly on the lips. They parted long enough to wrap their arms around one another. Perry hated to interrupt but he had no idea what just happened for them to celebrate.
“Ah kids, care to explain what just happened?”
“Perry we…we were just…” Clark began to stutter. The look of help he gave Lois didn’t escape Perry’s attention.
Perry rolled his eyes, “I was talking about the other emails not the kiss.”
“Oh.” Lois blushed then bumped her hip against Clark’s not being able to keep her giggle in. “That’s easy. Clark’s mother received an e-mail from Cat, which was intended to go her editor Tom. She borrowed Joe’s computer and thought it necessary to write her column about Clark and me, as well as my tattoo.”
“I’m sorry, honey. I guess it was premature to think that threatening her would do any good when I’m not her editor anymore. She had mentioned using her newfound information earlier when I called her and Jimmy in on it. I guess Cats never change their spots.”
“Don’t worry I’ll get even with her when we see her.” Lois stated matter-of-factly, an impish look gracing her face, “Anyway, that’s not all of it. Bobby Bigmouth called me a little bit ago and informed me that he received my questionnaire from Mr. Stern.”
“From what Bobby told us, Mr. Stern found it amusing and was sending it to his wife.” Clark filled in the blanks for him.
“So that transmission was faulted as well.”
“Chief, Clark and I had already figured someone was tampering with the e-mail system.”
“And your first thought was Jimmy, right?”
“Actually, no. Sure he had the knowledge but we,” she looked at Clark, “never thought he would do this. If anything, we thought he might be able to help us. We didn’t even know he was involved until you told us.”
Perry suddenly realized when he heard Lois and Clark yell ‘Jimmy!’ it was no different than they would any other day.
“Lois is right. Jimmy wouldn’t have purposely tampered with the e-mail system, not even as a joke. At least, not *this* kind of a joke.” Clark added.
“But he’s not off the hook. He did go too far with talking to Lucy about Clark and me, and accessing the questionnaire without permission.”
“Yes, he did. And it’s time that boy faced the music.” Perry walked to the door and opened it. “And I know where to find him.”
************
Peaking through the blinds and watching Perry walk to the Ladies Room, Lois couldn’t contain her amusement anymore. Even though she was still upset with Jimmy and the careless way he treated her personal business, she had to admit it was funny to know how scared of her he was.
“I can’t believe Jimmy thought he was safe in there?”
“You’d think he’d know by now there’s no place anyone can hide from Lois Lane.” Clark snuck up behind Lois, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“Careful Farmboy. You wouldn’t be thinking of hiding from me, would you?”
“I couldn’t even if I wanted to, which I don’t. You’ve already caught me.”
“Yes, I did, didn’t I?” She turned so she could see him, “And I’m not letting you go, ever.”
She kissed him lightly on the lips, letting her breath mingle with his.
“Good, because I’m not letting go of you either.” He whispered back, love lacing his every word. He leaned down to capture her lips in another sweet kiss. After a moment, he looked deep into her eyes. “I’m sorry all this happened today.”
“Not as sorry as I am. I didn’t want anything to taint our first official day together. But what was I thinking? Of course, something was going to happen.” She wrapped her arms around Clark’s waist, letting her eyes settle on his chest. “I could handle this better if my tattoo wasn’t a topic of discussion. For once I wanted something to just share with you that nobody knew but just us.”
Clark ran his hands up and down Lois’s arm, conveying his love for her through his caress.
“Lois, just because some people know doesn’t mean they really know.” He told her, his voice a soft, low rumble next to her ear, “I mean, *I* will be the only one to know what it is and where exactly it’s located.”
“Yes, there is that.” She agreed, a shy sensual smile gracing her face. She took one hand from around his waist and placed it on his chest, splaying her fingers over his heart.
Taking her gaze from his chest, she looked up into his face—and what a gorgeous face it was—her eyes locking with his. She didn’t know how he did it but he always knew how to soothe her when she needed it.
How she had waited so long to admit her true feelings for the man standing in front of her, she’d never know. She was just glad she did.
“Thank you.” She whispered.
“For what?” He asked just as softly, not wanting to break the intimate moment they created around the chaos they found themselves in.
“For being you. For always knowing what I need, even if I don’t.” She brought her hand from his chest to his cheek, caressing his face. “I love you.” Not taking her eyes off Clark, Lois raised her voice for the audience she knew they now had, “Oh and Jimmy, you should have just asked *us*.”
************
to be continued...
