Just a quick note: Thank you all SO much for all your wonderful feedback, suggestions, and most of all, your encouragement to keep going! Your nagging in the part 11 feedback thread really made my week.
Thank you!! I ran into a little glitch with part 12, and my invaluable BR, CC, went above and beyond the call of duty to help me fix it.
Anyway, it's now ready to roll! Thanks for bearing with me.
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From part 11...
But then the image of her editor storming around the newsroom when she told him she had nothing came to her. For one frightening moment, Lois even wondered if he would be angry enough to consider firing her. She felt a surge of panic. He had been known to fire seasoned reporters before; it wasn't unheard of. He was one of the best in the business, and ran a very tight ship. If he didn't feel like you were pulling your weight, you were gone.
She swallowed. The possibility hadn't crossed her mind before, but now that it had, she took a moment to consider it. 'Jim's going to be furious if you come home with the story you came here to get,' the nagging voice in head told her truthfully. 'Besides, this is your job. You have no one to blame but yourself for breaking your number one rule about letting yourself get involved with your story. Besides, this is the big story you've waited for so long, and it's right here in front of you. This is what you came to Metropolis to find, and you found it. You have your story. Now all you have to do is write it.'
For several minutes the battle raged between her head and her heart, and finally Lois couldn't stand it any longer. She was tired, and it was impossible to think clearly. Maybe in the morning everything would be clearer.
With a heavy sigh, she finally pulled her gaze away from Clark and tiptoed back into the bedroom. She shrugged off the afghan, then climbed under the covers. She suspected sleep was going to be a long time in coming. She had some decisions to make.
**********
Now, on to part 12...
**********
Lois woke up the next morning feeling tired and distracted. The couple hours of sleep she'd managed to get hadn't left her feeling very refreshed. There was simply too much on her mind. The big question remained: Did she write the Big Story or not?
She climbed out of bed and ran her fingers through her hair, her mind once again starting to churn. But before her thoughts could encompass her, she found herself breathing in deeply. She paused. Something smelled great!
Her stomach rumbled noisily. If the tantalizing smell was any indication, Clark was cooking breakfast. She'd never been much of a breakfast person; toast and juice usually sufficed. But this morning she was famished. She hadn't eaten since lunch the day before, and she found herself eagerly slipping out of her borrowed sweats and T-shirt and into her clothes from the day before. She made a quick stop in the bathroom to try to make herself presentable, then hurried down the short hallway into the kitchen.
The sight stopped her short. Clark stood in front of the stove stirring scrambled eggs in one pan and flipping sizzling bacon in another. He had changed into jeans and a white T-shirt, and Lois found herself more attracted to his rugged good looks than ever. The white of his T-shirt set off his olive complexion and dark hair, and the short sleeves showed off the powerful muscles in his arms. Then she felt a slight blush creep across her cheeks as she caught herself glancing lower, noting how well he filled out his jeans.
With more than a little difficulty, she pulled her gaze away and walked the rest of the way into the kitchen. As she did, Clark looked up. When he saw her, his face broke out into a grin. Her heart immediately somersaulted in her chest. What was it about that gorgeous smile of his that turned her to putty every time it was sent her direction?
"Morning," he greeted her cheerfully, though Lois could sense a cautiousness lurking behind that cheerful veneer. "I knew you had to be starving this morning, so I thought a big breakfast was in order. It's the least I could do after being so inconsiderate last night and forgetting dinner."
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Oh brother," she said as she walked over to him. "You don't need to feel guilty. I told you that last night." She peered into the pans and noticed he'd added onions and cheese to the eggs, plus several other spices, she guessed, from the sprinkle of colors across the yellowed bulges. "You look like quite the cook. I had no idea you could do this."
He looked up from stirring the eggs and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Sure, I cook. Don't you?"
She shrugged a little sheepishly. "No. Well, sometimes I make toast or oatmeal."
He laughed, then tried to cover it up by coughing. When he'd managed to control his reaction, if not his incriminating smile, he spoke. "Something that involves two ingredients and a toaster or a microwave doesn't count."
"Oh. Than I guess I don't cook." She shrugged again, then picked up one of the glasses he'd set out on the counter and poured herself a glass of orange juice. She took a sip as she leaned back against the counter and watched him cook. "Thanks for the use of your bed. I feel a little guilty about making you sleep on the couch."
"You shouldn't," Clark told her. "I can sleep anywhere. I suppose it's one of the benefits of being invulnerable."
The reminder of his super powers hung heavily in the air, overshadowing the companionable feelings of just moments before. Lois frowned and took another sip of her juice. All her thoughts and internal arguments of the night before started to weigh down on her once more, and her stomach started to knot up again. She made the mistake of sighing. She'd forgotten about Clark's super hearing, and was a witness to how effective it was when he turned back to her, a look of concern on his face.
"You look tired," he observed. "Didn't you sleep well?"
She shook her head slowly. "No, I didn't. I had a lot on my--" She suddenly broke off, deciding he didn't need to know her conflicting emotions. She took a long drink of her juice, then picked up the plate Clark indicated she should. She shrugged as she moved to stand next to him at the stove. "Well, anyway, it was just one of those nights."
Clark didn't say anything as he picked up the plate next to the one she'd gotten, and started spooning out bacon and eggs onto each. She didn't have to finish; he knew exactly what she was going to say. She was trying to decide whether or not to reveal his secret. A brief flash of panic seized him at the thought. She wasn't really still considering it, was she? The fact that she was still trying to decide told him he wasn't entirely out of the woods. He frowned. He had thought after their conversation last night that she would see how dangerous it was to both him and his loved ones for his secret identity to be revealed. Apparently, the jury was still out.
Neither one of them talked as they carried their plates and juice to the table and sat down to eat. Just when Clark didn't think he could stand the uncertainty and silence for one more moment, Lois cleared her throat.
"There is something I've been wondering about," she began tentatively.
Clark looked up at her apprehensively, his fork stilled halfway to his mouth. "Oh?"
She nodded. "If you're so concerned about keeping your family and friends safe by not giving everyone too much information about yourself, why did you share so much information about your powers in your article?"
Clark's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Well, in your article, you told everyone about the powers you have. Do you really think that was smart? Don't you think spelling it out puts you at a disadvantage?"
Clark's look of confusion deepened. "I don't understand."
Lois sighed in frustration and tried again. "Didn't you think far enough ahead to know that there would be a criminal element out there just dying to find a way to use you to their advantage? To hurt you? They're going to want you out of their way, and you gave them a jump start on what they need to know about you."
Clark stared at Lois is stunned silence for several long moments. He'd never thought of that before. She was right. What had he been thinking? When he finally managed to get his voice working, he stammered, "I--I guess I didn't see the harm in it. Obviously I wasn't thinking."
Instinctively, Lois opened her mouth to chastise him for being so naive, but then stopped herself. That was exactly the problem, she realized. He was so naïve, so kind and pure hearted that he *wouldn't* have thought to think about things from a criminal's perspective. 'Oh, boy,' she thought with an internal grimace. 'This man is going to be eaten alive.'
She sighed. "Clark, look. It's obvious you really didn't think out this whole two identities thing. There are clearly aspects of it that you need to be a little more careful about. Didn't your parents help you talk out these kinds of things?"
"No," he admitted sheepishly. "It really didn't occur to me that someone might come after *me.*"
"You may be invulnerable, but that doesn't mean the bad guys aren't going to try to find some kind of weakness they can use to their advantage. That's what criminals do to get what they want--they find a way around the system. And right now, you're it."
Clark looked down at his food and pushed his eggs around his plate. "I never thought about it that way." His expression was sheepish when he finally looked back up to meet her gaze. "You must think I'm incredibly naive."
The hint of a smile played across her lips. "Yeah, well, other than the fact that it's going to get you in trouble someday, I find it kind of...endearing."
Clark's expression brightened and he looked hopeful. "You do?" he asked, his breakfast forgotten.
"Yes, but don't let it go to your head," she answered as she stood up and took her empty plate to the sink. Then she turned back to him. "I've got to get back to the hotel to pack. Do you mind if I use your phone to call a cab?"
Clark opened his mouth to tell her he could fly her there, but then thought better of it. She'd just said she found him endearing. It was a big step, to admit something like that to someone you'd only known a couple of days. He didn't want to scare her off by doing too much, too soon.
He listened as Lois placed the call, feeling a little sad knowing that she was really going. He found himself wishing he had even a few more minutes with her before she got on her plane. Suddenly he had an idea.
He waited impatiently as Lois arranged for the cab, then finally hung up. Trying to sound more casual than he felt, he asked, "How would you feel about a little company? I could ride with you in the cab to your hotel, wait while you pack, then go with you to the airport?"
Lois raised a dark, shapely eyebrow at his offer. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was just as reluctant to have her go home as she was. "Don't you have plans? I don't want to disrupt your Saturday."
He shook his head. "You wouldn't be."
"Then that would be great," she told him with a smile.
The cab arrived a short time later, and Clark climbed into the cab with Lois. They chatted on the drive to her hotel, but neither of them mentioned the decision that was entirely Lois's to make. It hung in the air, unspoken, and Clark was certain it was as much on Lois's mind as it was on his.
Before he was ready, the cab dropped them off at the hotel, and Lois left him in the lobby while she went upstairs to pack. Clark glanced around the nicely decorated hotel lobby and walked over to a smartly upholstered rolled-arm chair in a corner that granted him a view of the elevators. It would help him know the second she arrived, and allow him to hurry over to help her with her luggage.
He leaned back in his chair and glanced at his watch. He knew she was going to have to hurry if they were to make it to the airport on time. As the minutes ticked past, Clark found himself growing increasingly nervous. Several times since he'd woken up that morning, he wanted to ask what she was planning to do. Was she going to write the story or wasn't she? His life as he knew it hung in the balance, and he hoped something he might have said to her or shared with her would tip the scales in his favor.
Suddenly another thought occurred to him. Lois had told him that morning she thought he was naïve, and trusted people too readily. Had he trusted her with everything about himself when he shouldn't have? He tried to put aside his instinct to trust people for a moment. The thoughts that surfaced when he did were disturbing. What if she were up there in her room right now, calling the story in to her editor back in San Francisco? She had come to Metropolis for the story, and now she had it. What was stopping her from doing that?
His throat constricted. She wouldn't do that, would she? He found himself considering that long and hard. He hadn't known her for very long, but she didn't seem like the kind of person to do that. Sure, she was tenacious, went after what she wanted with a vengeance, even breaking the law to get what she felt she needed for a story.... Clark froze. This wasn't boding well for her credibility, he realized. But even at the realization, something deep inside of him told him to trust her, that she wouldn't violate his trust like that.
He glanced at his watch once more, then back up at the elevator. He only hoped his instincts were right.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Lois scurried around her hotel room in an effort to pack up her things. She knew she was going to have to hurry if she wanted to make it to the airport on time. It was hard to concentrate on the things she needed to do, though, when her mind was on other things. As hard as she tried, she couldn't seem to set aside the internal debate over whether or not to write the story as it raged on in her mind.
As huge as the story was, the thought of splashing Clark's identity across the front page of a newspaper appealed less and less.
She smiled as the memory of Clark standing in front of the stove cooking breakfast that morning popped into her mind. He had looked great, but even more appealing to her was the sweet, naive manner he had. There were times, though, when he had seemed wary, almost nervous. The thought made her shake her head in disgust. 'Of course he feels nervous,' she thought. 'He knows what you're capable of, and he's trusted you by telling you everything about him. Do you really plan on betraying that trust?'
Lois continued to mull over her options as she finished packing, then double-checked the room to make sure she wasn't leaving anything. Her eyes fell on the large flower arrangement from Lex. After a moment's deliberation, she decided to leave it. They didn't evoke any special emotions, and they wouldn't exactly be easy to travel home with.
Remembering the jealous tone in Clark's voice when he'd ask her how her date had gone with Lex, she found herself wondering what Clark might say if he knew Lex had sent her flowers. Would he be jealous? Would he care? Another smile emerged as she thought about how hopeful he looked when she mentioned she found his naivety endearing. Yes, he was as interested in her as she was in him. There was no doubt.
'If that's the case, that's even more reason for you not to expose him,' he heart seemed to say. 'Exposing him will only kill your chances of seeing if you could have a future together.'
Lois almost laughed at that. He was Metropolis's super hero and the world's media darling. She'd heard first-hand what women thought of him at the fire her first day there. Surely there were thousands of women around the world who would give their right arm to go out with him, including movie stars and models. Where did that leave her? How could he possibly be interested in somebody like her?
With one last look around the room, she finally slipped her garment bag over her shoulder and picked up her attaché and suitcase. She turned the lights out and shut the door, then took the elevator down to the lobby. When the doors opened, she immediately spotted Clark sitting in the lobby, watching the elevators intently. His face was creased with tension, and he practically leaped to his feet when he saw her. He was beside her in an instant.
"Here," he said, reaching for the suitcase at her feet, "let me get this."
Their hands brushed, and once again Lois felt the tingling sensation move up through her arm. She braved a glance at him. If his startled expression was any indication, he had experienced the same thing. With only the shortest of hesitations, Lois pulled her hand from the suitcase handle and straightened, but not before Clark was lifting the garment bag from her shoulder, as well. She started to object, about to tell him they could get a bellboy to help them. But just as quickly she remembered he was the strongest man in the world. Carrying two bags certainly wasn't going to be an imposition to him.
It was weird, she decided as they crossed the lobby silently and walked out to the waiting cab, to try to merge the two men together in her mind. Clark Kent seemed so different than the person the media was starting to call "the man of steel." Maybe it was because she'd gotten to know him first, Clark, that she had a hard time accepting he had the super powers of the media sensation who had taken the world by storm only a few days before. He was just Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet, the ruggedly handsome man who had somehow managed to steal her heart with his compassion, old-world manners, and charm. Would she ever be able to think of him as anything else? Would it be hard to eventually resolve the two men as one in her mind?
She sighed as she sat back in the cab, careful not to let her arm brush against his. She was already having a hard time deciding what to do. She didn't need her obvious physical attraction to Clark complicating things.
**********
Clark glanced at Lois out of the corner of his eye. She was pressed up against her own door, putting as much distance between them as possible. He cringed. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
Ever since he'd met Lois at the elevator in the lobby she'd been acting preoccupied and distracted. He wondered briefly if she had indeed phoned the story in to her editor, but he sensed no feelings of guilt from her, or expressions of success. She had given no indications she had done so, but there was still a sense of deliberation about her that led him to believe she was still trying to decide what to do.
He found himself breathing a sigh of relief. If she hadn't exposed him, maybe there was still a chance she wouldn't. But then, he knew how tempting the story must be to her. After all, she was good journalist. Heck, she was one of the best. He could tell from the first time he met her that she went after her stories with a vengeance. But would she follow through with this one? She knew what was at stake; he had told her as much. He only hoped that his gamble to open up and tell her everything about himself would pay off. He had inadvertently asked for her trust by fully giving of his. He just hoped he wouldn't be disappointed.
He looked over at her discreetly once again. She hadn't moved, and for a moment he wondered if it meant she couldn't stand to be near him physically. But as quickly as the thought came, he shook it off. There was no doubt they still had chemistry; he had felt the little jolt of electricity pass between them as their hands had brushed on her suitcase's handle. No, he doubted the reason for her pressing herself against her cab door was that she was turned off by him. Maybe she was just having as tough a time saying goodbye as he was, and was hoping to put a little emotional distance, more than physical distance, between them.
Clark anxiously watched one mile post after another fly past along the highway, knowing that with each one they drew closer to the airport. His nervousness continued to build until finally he saw the exit sign overhead that read 'Metropolis International Airport.' By the time the cab stopped in the unloading zone, Clark felt as though he could hardly breathe.
He climbed out of the cab wordlessly, glancing once again at Lois. Her expression was masked, and she avoided his gaze. He swallowed. No, this was definitely not good.
His chest walls tightening around his heart, he silently intercepted her path and lifted her luggage from the cab's trunk. Then he followed her inside, careful not to look at her. He was afraid of what he might see in her eyes if he did. They checked her luggage, were given the status of her plane's departure, then sent on their way.
The silence continued to suffocate Clark as they walked through the airport. As they neared the security areas, their steps slowed. He dared to bring his gaze to hers. A myriad of emotions seemed to flicker across her face as she glanced toward the security checkpoint, then finally looked back at Clark. She smiled, but Clark noticed it didn't reach all the way into her eyes.
"Well, I guess this is it."
Clark's jaw tightened, and he could feel the pulse in his neck thumping. "I guess it is."
They looked at each other for a moment, then Lois looked down at the floor. She reached up to adjust the shoulder strap of her attaché. Finally, Clark couldn't stand it any longer.
Trying to speak past the sudden tightness in his throat, he asked the question that had been plaguing him since Lois had found out his secret. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked tentatively. "Are you going to write the story?"
Lois looked up, and for the first time since they'd climbed into the cab back at her hotel, her gaze was unwavering. She seemed to be contemplating her answer, a mixture of emotions flitting across her features. Her deliberation drew out until Clark didn't think he could take it any more. Finally, a look of resignation settled onto her face. She averted her gaze and stammered, "I--I can't."
Clark's relief was visible as his shoulders slumped and the tension drained from his face. Without hesitation, he took her into his arms as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do, then dropped his head to hers, burying his face in the thick curtain of her hair. "Thank you," he murmured, his voice a husky whisper.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Lois stood, enveloped in his embrace, she couldn't help thinking about how right it felt to be there. Hesitantly, she slid her arms around Clark's waist and hugged him back, breathing in his scent, and wondering how it would feel to be in his arms every day for the rest of her life.
When they pulled apart, Clark seemed to realize what he'd done and stepped back self-consciously. "Sorry," he murmured, but his gaze told her he wasn't entirely so. They looked at each other for a moment, then he glanced down at his watch. "Your plane doesn't leave for a few minutes. What if we go somewhere quiet and I can give you some kind of official interview to take back to your editor. At least that way you won't go back empty handed."
Lois agreed, and they walked until they found a quiet, uninhabited corner and sat down in the vacant chairs. Lois pulled out her ever-present notebook from her attaché, and together they briefly discussed suitable questions and answers. Fifteen minutes later, Lois had what she hoped would be an interview that would pacify her editor. She wasn't sure it would, but it would have to do. She simply couldn't expose Clark.
Just then the airport speakers announced the upcoming departure of her flight, and Lois turned to Clark. She felt an unexpectedly tightness constrict her throat at the thought of leaving him behind. "I guess that's me," she finally said.
He nodded, and she thought she caught a reflection of her regret mirrored in his eyes. They stood and walked back to the security area, each step getting harder for Lois to take. 'Home' just didn't feel like home anymore, not when this was where her heart wanted to be.
When they stopped, Clark cleared his throat nervously. "I know we just met a couple of days ago, but I can't help but wonder..."
Lois's heart stopped. "What?" she prompted, her gaze never leaving his.
He paused, his eyes searching hers deeply. "I can't help but wonder how things might have worked out between us had we had more time together."
She smiled. So he had been thinking the same thing she had over the last two days. Somehow, just knowing that made things easier. "I wonder, too," she responded quietly.
His countenance brightened a little then. "This doesn't have to be goodbye, you know," he told her, a slow smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "After all, I do have my own form of transportation. I can come down to visit you as often as you'd like."
"I'd like that," Lois agreed with a sincere smile. A moment later she was finally able to pull her gaze away from Clark's, and she started to search for her notebook. When she extracted it from her attaché, she ripped out a blank sheet of paper and uncapped her pen. She looked back up at Clark and ordered straight-faced, "Turn around."
Clark furrowed his brow in confusion, but he smiled a little at her strange request. "What?" he asked on a chuckle.
"Turn around," she repeated, motioning in a circle with her pen. "I need your back."
Looking at her strangely, Clark obeyed, then felt her press the paper against his back as she scribbled something onto it. When she finished, he turned back around to see her grinning.
"My phone number," she told him, handing him the paper. "And my email address at work. Jimmy already gave me yours, so I'm set."
Clark raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You asked him for my email address?"
"And Perry's. I was going to send both of you a thank-you email after I got home."
His face fell. "Oh."
Lois laughed and rolled her eyes. "Don't go getting all glum at me. Now that I have it, I'm sure I'll be using it for more than just that."
"I hope so," Clark said, his face brightening at the prospect.
Then Lois turned and glanced once more in the direction of the boarding gates. "I guess I'd better go."
With a sigh, Clark nodded reluctantly. "I guess so."
She turned back to him, and their eyes met and held. In the next moment, Lois's heart stopped as Clark lifted a hand to her cheek the same way he had done the day before in the park. The pad of his thumb stroked lightly across her cheekbone, and she leaned into his palm. Then, before she realized he was going to, he leaned down and touched his lips gently to hers. She closed her eyes, savoring the beautiful feeling of his soft lips on hers, the touch of his hand as it lingered on her cheek, and the loud beating of her heart.
Before she was ready the kiss was over, and Clark moved his face back only far enough to look into her eyes once again. He smiled softly. "I've been wanting to do that since the first time I saw you."
Lois smiled breathlessly. "Really? Then I hope it was worth the wait."
"More than you'll ever know," he answered, giving her a wry smile. Then he stepped back and let his hand fall from her cheek. He grasped her fingers lightly, then released them. "Have a good flight. I'll talk to you soon?"
She nodded, her lips still tingling from his kiss. "I'll call you."
Turning and walking the few steps to the security station, Lois got in the short line. Then, unable to help herself, she glanced back over her shoulder at Clark. He was still there. His expression was tinged with regret as he watched her leave, his hands casually pushed into his front jeans pockets. When he caught her eye, he smiled and lifted a hand in a shy half wave. She waved back, then stepped forward as the security guard motioned her up. By the time she made it through the checkpoint and looked back, he was gone.
Lois walked to her boarding gate, her lips still tingling from Clark's kiss. For the first time in a very long time, she felt alive. And not just the 'I-nailed-a-big-story adrenaline rush' kind of alive.... No, this time it was her heart that felt alive. It felt great.
Lois smiled, suddenly feeling at peace with her decision. She had done the right thing, and not just for Clark. For herself, as well. She had given them a chance, and that's all she wanted.
**********
It was nearly midnight when Lois finally stepped climbed out of the cab in front of her apartment Saturday night. She was exhausted. Her trip home had been one that nightmares were made of. Her connecting flight in Atlanta had been cancelled at the last minute, and alternative flights out west were booked. When she finally managed to make stand-by, it was mid afternoon. Then she'd had to settle for changing planes twice in two different airports en route to San Francisco. Now, finally, here she was, back at her apartment. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and sleep.
She rode the elevator up to her floor and climbed out, carrying her luggage wearily down the hall to her apartment. She let it fall to the floor with a thump and was just slipping her key into the lock when Agnes' door opened and the elderly woman stuck her head out.
"Oh, Lois, it's you." Her smiled turned to a frown as she took in Lois's rumpled appearance and the bags at her feet. "I'm assuming you're just getting home, and judging from how exhausted you look, your trip home was not good."
Lois groaned. "You've got that right." She looked up and down the empty hall. All was quiet in their apartment building. "Agnes, what you doing up so late? Don't you have anything better to do than lie awake at night and wait for me to come home?"
"It's good to see you, too, Lois," Agnes replied with a smile. "And I wasn't lying awake waiting for you. I was waiting for the pizza man."
Lois lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. "At midnight?"
Agnes shrugged. "What can I say? I was hungry. So? How did your trip to Metropolis go?"
"Fine. Sort of." She grimaced. "I'm afraid I won't be able to give you a straight answer tonight, Agnes. I'm tired and a little jet-lagged."
Her neighbor smiled kindly. "Then you head off to bed and we'll talk tomorrow. I want to hear all about this hunky super hero you managed to track down. You did manage to interview him, didn't you?"
"I guess you could say that." Lois's grin held a hint of her usual spirit at the thought of everything that had transpired the last three days. "He is definitely...super."
"Ooh, this sounds like a story I can't wait to hear. Tomorrow," she clarified, pointing authoritatively at Lois's now-open apartment door. "For now, get to bed. That's an order."
Lois straightened up and did her best to look prim and proper. "Yes, ma'am," she responded with a smile. Agnes disappeared with a wink back into her own apartment, and Lois shook her head as she went into hers. In some respects, it was definitely good to be home.
She flicked on her apartment lights and carried her luggage into her living room where she dumped them unceremoniously onto the floor. Then she slipped her notebook out of her attache and headed for her desktop computer in the corner of the living room. She was exhausted, but she wanted to write up the interview that Clark had given her in the airport while it was still fresh in her mind. She could edit and tighten it up in the morning, and then give it final go-through later Sunday. Jim wasn't expecting it until Monday, so maybe she could even catch up a little bit on her sleep.
At the thought of sleep, a yawn forced its way out, but she did her best to smother it. Sleep could wait another hour. Right now, she had a story to write.
**********
Stay tuned for part 13... (hopefully on Wednesday, but we'll see how RL goes for both me AND CC
)
