Meant to be read as if "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" actually happened (yes, I know it's horrible but there are some nice things to come out of it.)
Characters: Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Lacy Warfield, Clark Kent
Prompts: Metropolis, Bullpen, Ace of Clubs, Cigar/cigarette and friendship
Loueen looked up from her desk and called out over the din of the Bullpen, “Hey Lois! There’s someone here to see you!”
“Who is it?” Lois asked as she shuffled through her notes on her overcrowded desk. Some of her notes fell onto the floor and she leaned down to pick them up. Pointed red heels with silken calves came into her line of sight.
“Well you haven’t straightened up any since I left. How can you work on such a mess of a desk?” came a sophisticated voice from the woman whose heels were right in front of Lois.
Lois looked up to see none other than Lacy Warfield. “What are you doing back in Metropolis? I thought you were going to Smallville to try and take up farming or something?”
“I hated the dirt under my nails and the men there? God, Clark’s a one in a million if you ask me.” As Lacy said that Lois’s face shuttered and took on a shrewd look. Almost possessive. Lacy noticed and changed the topic. “I would love to chat about it but it looks like you’re busy right now. How about we get together over drinks and we can catch up? Say, the Ace of Clubs is still here, isn’t it?”
“Yeah it is. So a Girl’s night? Meet you there around 8pm?” Lois said with a question in her voice.
“I’ll be there,” Lacy said as she looked around. “Is Clark here? I wanted to say hello to him before I headed out.”
Lois’s eyes again took on a possessive look as she said abruptly, “He’s out on a story.”
Sighing a little, Lacy said “Just my luck,” she said a little glumly. “Well I’ll see you later.” Lacy turned and looked over the bustling bullpen before carefully making her way to the elevators.
Moments later Clark came into the room and saw the back of Lacy Warfield and his face took on a quizzical look before he looked over at Lois and his face took on a softer smile. He made his way over to Lois’s desk. “Was that Lacy Warfield I just saw? I thought she had bought some land out in Smallville.”
Lois’s eyes peered at him jealously at the curiosity in his voice. “She couldn’t handle the fresh air and fresher men I guess,” she snarked before looking up at him. “I’m supposed to meet her over at the Ace of Clubs for a girl’s night and catch up.”
“Oh,” Clark said then smiled at Lois letting the glow of affection crinkle his blue eyes under his glasses. “Well, hope you enjoy yourselves.”
Lois looked deeply into his eyes wishing she could say that no matter how many times he tried to wipe her memory it always came back. She knew and she couldn’t say anything about it. The knowledge of just who he is resided deeper than any memory he could try to suppress. “I was wondering… are you busy… this weekend?” Lois asked hesitatingly before looking up in surprise.
Clark’s eyes brightened in delight, “Are you asking me out?”
Lois straightened her spine and looked at him challengingly. She remembered that the direct approach seemed to work best with Clark. For whatever reason he liked his women direct and forceful, “Maybe I am. It is the modern age after all. Women ask men out all the time.”
“I’d be happy to go out with you. I think the Metropolis Philharmonic is performing a free concert at Centennial Park Sunday afternoon.”
Lois’s eyes lit up as she said a little quietly, “I’d like that,” she said as her hand brushed his as he handed her his notes from a story they were working on together.
* * * * *
Lois looked over the crowd of visitors trying to find Lacy. Lois spotted Lacy waving at her from halfway across the club in one of the VIP corners. She was relaxed at a table with a Long Island Iced Tea and very obviously in her element. Her slinky outfit perfectly fit the bright style of the club. Lois looked down and tugged slightly at her hot pink skirt and tube top and felt uncomfortable and out of her element.
“There you are! I was just wondering if you were going to show!” Lacy exclaimed as she jumped down from the high stool, let one of the bouncers know Lois was with her and hugged Lois brightly.
“I had to meet a source and then get home to get changed. There was NO way I was going to meet up with you here in what I have to wear to get that source to talk to me. Skimpy doesn’t begin to describe it.”
“I bet it would attract a lot of hot guys,” Lacy said cajolingly.
“Yeah, hot guys who are sleazebags of the worst order. No I prefer my men either sweet and kind or handsome and heroes.”
“You just described both Clark and Superman there,” Lacy said as she waved a waiter over to their table. “What are you going to have?” Lacy asked Lois, “The first drink's on me to celebrate seeing old friends.”
“God, I don’t know,” Lois said as crinkled her brow in thought. “I don’t usually drink all that often anymore. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
“A hard iced tea it is then!” Lacy said as she waved the waiter away. “Now what I want to know is what’s going on between you and Clark,” Lacy said shrewdly with a look in her eye. “I wouldn’t want him hurt if you’re still holding a flame for Superman.”
Lois carefully thought of her answer before saying with her eyes hidden by her bangs, “I guess I’m finally at a point where I have to think about what I want in life. Do I want a hero who won’t always be there for me or a kind, caring man who understands me and accepts my quirks?” Lois finally looked up to see Lacy looking at her with sad disappointment in her eyes.
“I know what you mean,” Lacy said startling Lois. “I dated a Metropolis fire chief once. Met him at a Firefighter’s charity Ball. Blonde hair, green eyes,” Lacy said lost in the memory. “He was the hunkiest thing in the world but he was called out to fires ALL the time. He would miss dinners and have to cancel on me CONSTANTLY. At some point I had to ask myself, ‘Is this what I want in life? Could I be second place to all of Metropolis?’ My answer was no. I wanted to be first and foremost in their life.”
Lois felt the need to defend him even though Lacy didn’t realize just how close to home she had hit with Lois. Oddly Lois felt a kinship with Lacy after her story. “I know that Clark is going to be busy too. We’re both the top reporters for the Daily Planet after all. We get called to meet with sources at the drop of a hat. I know he’s not going to make it to dinner all the time.”
Lacy pulled out a cigarette, “Mind if I smoke?”
“Not at all, I used to all the time.”
“Why’d you quit?” Lacy asked as the shook a cigarette out of the pack.
Lois smirked slightly, “When you’re dating a man who can see through nearly anything you learn to stop for your sanity…” then Lois’s smirk turned slightly teasing, “Unless you want him to peek that is.”
Lacy spluttered slightly in laughter, “He doesn’t,” Lacy said, “Please don’t tell me that he would check your lungs.”
Lois tried and failed to keep a smile under wraps, “Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t. There’s no way to tell with him. He’s too stoic to let you know unless he wanted you to know,” Lois said as she remembered his response to the interview question about her underwear.
Lacy leaned forward and said a little conspiratorially, “so what other secrets does he hold under that cape of his?”
“Oh please, like I’m going to dish on Mr. Superhearing. He could probably hear me all the way from his supposed Fortress of Solitude,” Lois said careful to NOT let Lacy know that Lois knew that the Fortress of Solitude was real.
“C’mon.…”
“No.” Lois said firmly before continuing, “I have to protect my sources after all. Can’t let him run off to talk to Toby Raines over at the Star. I’d never hear the end of it from Perry,” Lois said before taking a sip of her drink, her decision final.
“Fine.” Lacy said defeated before she took a sip from her hard tea and waved the waiter over for another.
“So what was Smallville like? Wasn’t that where Clark grew up?” Lois asked as she took a sip from her drink.
“Small, tiny really but very white-bread America. Let’s just say that I got those country-folk gossiping like crazy. According to those old biddies I flirted with every eligible male in town and some of them that weren’t! I looked and found nearly all of them were worse than most of the men here in Metropolis. The worst of the lot was that Brad.”
“Brad…” Lois mused quietly a moment before snappily replying, “You know, I think I remember Lana mentioning him once. He’s her ex and it was because of him she moved to Metropolis.”
“Lana?”
“Sorry, I forgot she had already moved on to another less stressful job by the time you were at the Planet. She used to be Clark’s high school crush. They dated for a while but she wanted more than he could give,” Lois said while remembering the real reason Lana had broke up with him.
“He may be the sweetest guy out there but if he can’t make a commitment to Ricky and me then I have to make a decision. Ricky just can’t take all this disappointment whenever Clark cancels on us and I don’t want to have a man who always has to run out the door.”
After Lois had seen Lana take her box of personal items to the elevator Lois murmured, ‘It seems like that’s a running theme for you Clark. It’s a good thing I know the REAL reason you have to run out the door like that. Wish I knew why you kept it a secret from even your girlfriend.'
Coming back to the present she said, “Lana told me that Brad was a bad apple and never truly saw it until AFTER she married the guy.”
Lacy tossed her hair back and looked Lois in the eye with a little tilt to her head, “I was interested in this one guy at this fitness club I went to all the time and brought Clark as a guest.” Lois got a smirk of trying to hold back a chuckle as she imagined what Clark looked like. Probably dressed in overbaggy sweatpants and sweatshirt most likely. “Paul was his name. Toned and buff in all the right places he liked to help me out at the gym all the time. Then I brought Clark as a guest and he started to look like a class-A jerk. Threw a 60 pound weight at poor Clark. It nearly knocked him out!”
“Sometimes I don’t know how Clark handles it sometimes,” Lois said when she was really thinking about the one time he attempted to knock a guy out in the diner in defense of Lois after he lost his powers. How could Clark hold back when all she would want to do to a jerk like Paul is punch the living daylights out of him?
Suddenly Lois noticed a small red head making her way through the club. Lois perked up. Now that Lana had moved on from Clark and started dating Perry’s nephew Lois had enthusiastically thrown herself into being better friends with Lana. All the better to find out some true tales of the man of steel. “Speak of the devil,” murmured Lois before standing up on her stool and shouting “Lana! Over here!” Lois turned to her tablemate, do you mind if I invite someone over that I know?”
“The more the merrier I say,” Lacy commented before raising her glass in a salute before taking a drink.
Lana made her way through the club and Lacy waved her into their private nook. “Lana what are you doing here? I thought you would be taking care of Ricky.”
“Richard is having a boys night with him and shooed me out of the house. I had no clue what to do so I was going to just sit in a corner and watch the younger gals than me dance the night away.”
“You just mean the single non-mothers, don’t you? I’m sure you can still carve up a dance floor,” Lois said as she nudged Lana’s shoulder with her own.
“Maybe if it was “Earth Angel” or Buddy Holly maybe but…” Lana stuttered off as she saw Lacy and Lois look down trying to hide their smirks, “What?”
“Nothing,” Lois said a little more used to the small-town sensibilities than Lacy, “I just haven’t heard that sort of music in years.”
Suddenly the throbbing beat of the club stopped while the DJ came over the sound system, “Ladies and gents, I bring you the new single by Cyndi Lauper, ‘Girls just wanna have fun!’ Ladies come on down and enjoy your groove!”
Lacy’s eyes widen and sparkle with excitement. “Oh we HAVE to get out there, it’s our theme!” she said as she jumped off of the chair and grabbed Lois’s hand to drag her out onto the dance floor.
“I’m comin’, I’m coming,” Lois groused as she took one last sip from her drink and grabbed Lana to drag her along with her. “C’mon this is your song too,” she called out to Lana as the music blared with the masses.
The girls faded into the crowd with smiles on their faces and Lois and Lacy’s bodies shivering to the beat of the music.
