Previously, in Chapter ten:

Lex and his Aunt arrived several hours later. Attempting to honor his friend's secret, Lex had not advised anyone that he knew that Clark was Superboy. His scientific curiosity about his abilities and where they originated, however, were starting to get the better of him. He knew that Clark was adopted, but now, taking that to the next level, adopted from where? Earth? The solar system? Somewhere in the galaxy? He knew it would not be long before he would have to confront Clark and pepper him with questions. For the present time, however, he would have to content himself with a nice relaxing dinner at his old friends, the Kents. Meeting the new girlfriend would be interesting also. The great Lois Lane, who stole Clark away from Lana. <What a special lady she must be>, Lex thought.

Clark answered the door when the bell rang. "Hey! Happy New Year! Come on in, strangers! I want you to meet Lois."

Lex and his aunt, Lena Lovell, entered the foyer of the Kent farmhouse, removing their snow boots while Clark found Lois in the kitchen. Lois had on a red velvet top with matching black velvet ¾ length skirt. Her shoulder length brown hair was curled and she looked absolutely stunning. Clark was so proud to be showing her off to his lifelong friends!

Lex later thought to himself that he would never forget the moment he first laid eyes on Lois Lane. Not only did he understand Clark's infatuation with her, but he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen!

"Lex…Lena…. Meet my girlfriend, Lois. Lois, this is Lex Luthor and his Aunt Lena. We've been friends forever."

Lois offered her hand in greeting to Lex, who unexpectedly picked it up and kissed it. "The pleasure is all mine, Lois. May I say that you're very beautiful? Clark has always had the best taste in women."

Lois, feeling a bit flushed, responded, "Oh, that's right – you must know his ex, Lana."

"Yes, I've known her since she was in grade school. Don't worry, she's no competition for you, Ms. Lane. Doesn't hold a candle to you - not at all."

"I'm Lena Lovell, Lois. So glad to meet you," Lex's aunt said, trying to stop Lex from making a fool of himself. She had never seen him so smitten before – and since it was his best friend's girlfriend, it seemed quite out of place as well.

Lois was grateful for the interruption. "Mrs. Lovell – it's lovely to meet you also. Let me take your coat; Martha's in the kitchen." The two women joined Martha, leaving Clark and Lex alone in the foyer.

Just then, Jonathan came in carrying firewood. "Lex! Happy New Year! Come on in the living room; I'm going to make a fire – let's catch up!"

Lex followed Jonathan, but turned to Clark with a wink and a "thumb's up" sign.

<I take it that means that Lex approves of Lois,> Clark thought to himself.

And now, finally,

Chapter Eleven

Senior Year, Met U; off campus housing apartments (conveniently owned by Lex Luthor)

"Lois, honey! We have to get a move on. Only 15 more minutes to get to the Metro Center where they're measuring us for caps and gowns!"

Lois rolled her eyes at her roommate/fiancée. "Clark… I'm just finishing my hair. I can't move at super-speed like Superboy does, you know!"

"I think it's time he was called Superman, honey. After all, he's going to be 21 soon. I heard that on good authority, anyway!"

"I'm going to have to check with my psych professor, Smallville. It's just not healthy to talk about yourself in the third person like that," Lois joked. "I'm ready, by the way."

~~~~~

After their gap and gown fittings for the upcoming graduation, Lois and Clark strolled arm in arm thru Metro Park and found a bench to relax on. It was adjacent to a babbling brook lined with lavender and tulips. "Spring is just so beautiful, Clark. I can't believe we're finally graduating. Have you thought more about Lex's offer?"

"I have, honey. I'm still in shock over the whole thing. Imagine Lex has known that I was Superboy since freshman year and he never said a thing to anyone. That's a great friend, huh?"

"Tell me the story, again, Clark. I never get sick of hearing you tell it!" Lois urged.

"Honey… I think you're going into the wrong profession. Maybe you would have been better off as a reporter, like Lana. You love to interview people!" Clark joked.

"Maybe in a different lifetime…" Lois replied, almost thoughtfully, as if she was really considering Clark's words. "Forget about that. Go on!"

"Well, about two weeks ago, when we were in Smallville visiting Ma and Pa, Lex popped by."

"Where was I, again?"

"Out shopping with Ma. What else do you women do, anyway?"

"That's right. Well, your mother never has anyone to go shopping *with*. I *can't* say *no* to her."

"Any more than I can ever say *no* to *you*, honey," Clark remarked, flashing Lois a broad smile. "So while you ladies were gone, and Pa was out riding on the tractor enjoying the spring weather, Lex chose that moment to come see me."

"Almost like he knew you would be alone," Lois observed.

"Exactly! And he was rather ominous about it, too. He said, 'let's take a walk, Clark', so I said 'OK, Lex. What's up?' Then he began his speech. It seemed like it was almost rehearsed, in fact; almost as if he had practiced it in front of a mirror or something."

~~~~~

Quote
"Clark, I've known you since you were a kid. You're like a brother to me. You know that, right?"

"And you're like a brother to me, too Lex. I don't know what I would have done without you all these years," Clark replied. "I would have been *so* bored in school if it weren't for your tutoring. You saved my butt."

"Clark, I understand why you might have hidden part of yourself from me all of these years, but I can't say that it didn't hurt. I thought we were closer than that."

Clark swallowed hard, trying to quell the butterflies abounding in his gut, for he had a sinking suspicion of what was coming next. "Lex, just spit out what you're trying to say."

"Ok. Clark, I know you're Superboy. I know the Kents adopted you. You're an alien. But it doesn't matter. I've known for almost four years and haven't told a soul, not even Hank or Bridgette."

With Lex's superior intellect, Clark realized it was pointless to argue with him. "How do you know all this?" he managed to reply.

"Do you remember the night that I came to visit you and ended up sleeping over in your dorm room?"

"Oh, yeah." <The night I caught Zack trying to rape that girl!>

"You're not going to make this easy for me, Clark, are you?" Lex observed. "I guess I understand. If too many people know, the underworld will try to attack you through your loved ones – and, as your best friend, that would include *me* as well."

Clark said nothing, a look of shock/anxiety pasted to his face.

"OK, Clark. Here it is: I saw you fly through your dorm window that night. I saw you float back to your bed later. I tried to get you to open up to me, teasing you about the glasses and such - but I realized that you didn't feel comfortable doing so. I felt really bad that I was kept out of the loop."

"Lex, you're one of the most forthright, direct guys I've ever met. I can't believe you didn't just come out and tell me you knew. Ma and Pa have almost brainwashed me into hiding my alien persona – they thought some guys in white coats were going to haul me away and do awful experiments on me, and they'd never see me again – make a lab rat out of me. I'm all but programmed to hide who I really am. Please don't take it personally, Lex," Clark pleaded.

"I assume that Lois knows?" Lex asked.

"Only because she saw me flying when I was under the influence of Red K – when we met later, by chance, at Met U, she remembered me. She was the second person to know, besides my parents."

"Red K?"

"Red Kryptonite. It's like a drug to me – it releases my inhibitions. There were a few reddish meteor rocks embedded in the field where my ship landed. The majority of the fragments were green; they weaken me and make me feverish, negating my powers. It turns me into a normal guy for about 48 hours after exposure to it. The red specimens, in contrast, make me act a little crazy – I get cocky and a bit wild. The first time I was exposed to them was on my eighteenth birthday. I started to shoot my mouth off to my folks, and then I picked Ma up and flew her to Niagara Falls, landing in front of a crowd. Turns out Lois was right there; she was on a high school field trip and she took a picture of me."

"Wow. Niagara Falls? It must have been destiny for the two of you to meet. You are one lucky guy, Clark. If you hadn't already hooked up with her, I would have tried to give you a run for your money with her. Beautiful, smart, great legs -"

"Stubborn – pigheaded – constant babbler -" Clark continued, displaying a mischievous grin. "Lex, you're happily married to Bridgette…aren't you?"

"Most of the time, marriage is great, Clark. But your Lois - not too many guys would kick *her* out of bed!"

Clark flashed Lex a dirty look. It occurred to him that possibly his best friend's often-disputed "playboy" reputation might not be *all* fiction.

"Ok, Clark. Yes, I love my wife. I know that you need to hear that. Anyway, now that this is out in the open between us, this is going to be fantastic! I want you to meet with Hank and tell him all of this! He's been scouring the skies for signs of extraterrestrial life for so long. Together, the two of you can help humanity meet its brothers and sisters on the far side of the universe!"

"I don't know, Lex – it's one thing for *you* to know, but –"

"Clark – I'm sure he already knows, too. The man's intellect rivals my own."

"All right. I'll think about it. But I heard he was working with Jason Trask. He's very alien-phobic, you know!"

"Trask is just a has-been G-man – don't you worry about him."

"Let me talk to the folks first. Anything that smacks of Jason Trask sends my Dad right over the edge."

"Ok. Meanwhile, I have a business proposition for you."

"Really?"

"Wouldn't you like to be on the cutting edge of disasters? Be able to save more lives?"

"Of course," Clark replied immediately.

"Wouldn't you like to be able to see Lois more often during your workday?"

"Well, yeah, we're going to be newlyweds soon. Ask me again in ten years or so," Clark joked. "I might have a different answer."

Lex rolled his eyes at Clark, knowing how in love he was with the woman. "Yeah, right! That day will *never* come to pass!" As great looking a guy as Clark Kent was, he just couldn't come off as a womanizer convincingly. Way too much of that straitlaced Midwest upbringing!

"Anyway," Lex continued, "I was thinking that instead of looking for jobs that don't really exist right now in the field of agricultural engineering, you might instead consider a career as an EMT owner/operator."

"Lex – that sounds great – but I have no money, just a bunch of big student loans to pay back."

"I said this was a business proposition, Clark. I'll provide the funding – buy the van, pay for the EMT course - you provide the manpower. I've already got the name registered – L & C Ambulance and Emergency Services – with the tag line: L&C gives you TLC! You'll be able to save lives and get them to the hospital where Lois, who already has a job as an ER nurse at Met General as soon as she graduates, will take over from there. What a team you'll be!"

"It does sound good, Lex, I'll admit. Really good. Another agenda item to chew over with my parents. Why are you doing this? Here I kept my biggest secret from my best friend all of these years, and you're still there for me anyway. You're unbelievable!"

"Clark, if I hadn't tutored you back in those high school days, I might have gone back to Metropolis and turned into a clone of my greedy, materialistic parents – rest their souls. You and my aunt gave me purpose – kept me focused on what was really important in life. And your folks – they're wonderful also. And, working right away will allow you to start paying off those student loans faster!"

"Lex, that's extremely generous of you, and I really appreciate it. I have to admit it will make it easier to be at the scene of disasters. But who will work with me? Someone has to drive the van and several people have to remain in the back with the victims."

"Well, I was thinking that that would be me," Lex replied with a devilish grin.

"*You*? Lex, isn't that an underutilization of your talents?" Clark exclaimed. "You’re a wealthy executive with a research foundation and you're going to drive an ambulance?"

"Well, Clark, your partner has to be someone who knows your secret – who will cover for you when 'Superboy' has to arrive on the scene and fly the victims to the hospital - where his 'wife' will take over. I figure the rest of the time, with your strength, as long as I drive, you can handle the moderately injured victims single-handedly."

Clark considered Lex's words. "That's true. However, surely you won't be available all of the time. Your schedule is a real nightmare as it is."

"If you'll allow me to tell Bridgette as well as Hank, all of us can all take the EMT course and pitch in. We're all humanitarians at heart, and our goal is to help. What better way is there to help than to provide EMT services to the gravely injured?"

"You're a hard man to argue with, Lex. I'll give you my answer by graduation day, okay?"

"Fair enough, Clark. Hey, how about a flight around Smallville? I've been dying to ask you for about four years now!"

Clark smiled. "I guess that's the least I can do, considering your extreme generosity and loyal friendship." With that, Clark spun into Superboy and within seconds, he and Lex were floating above town.

"Where would you like to go, Lex? I mean, you've seen this all from your own private aircraft!"

Lex was wide-eyed as he replied, "I haven't seen it all, Clark… until today. This is fantastic! How about the pyramids of Egypt? There's supposed to be evidence of extra-terrestrial visitors there!"

"Can we do that one another day, Lex? Lois is going to be wondering where I am. She'll be back from shopping with my mother in about a half-hour, and a trip to Egypt flying with a passenger is an all-day affair."

"Sure, Clark. We'll set aside a day soon to do it. Just floating about Smallville with you is great…the air rushing across your face… the feeling of freedom….wow~"
~~~~~

"So, Clark…what are you going to do?" Lois pressed. "You're going to say 'yes' to Lex, right? You know you want to…"

Clark looked Lois square in the eyes. "Ah, Lois Lane, you are my poison. I just can't say the word 'no' when I'm with you."

TBC

Chris

"Together we are stronger than each of us is apart"