A little explanation is necessary... 'Blurring the Lines' was written first, and it is basically a reimagined Smallville Season 9 and some of 10, starting with when Lois comes back to the present after her trip with the Legion ring. (I really enjoyed writing this fic and I hope you stick around for it!)
This prequel came about because I felt like Lois got cheated between 'Stiletto' and 'Doomsday' at the end of Season 8 -- understandably because they had so much going on with the Kandorian arc, if regrettable. We didn't get to see much development of her relationship with the Blur. This story attempts to fix that, while at the same time develop her relationship with Clark, and even tries to give some true closure to the Lana arc.
For those who like to read complete stories, you're in luck.
Both stories have been beta-ed and are complete.
Happy reading!
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Prequel to “Blurring the Lines”: Light in the ShadowsRating: PG-13Disclaimer: All characters belong to WB. Some dialogue and situation taken from episodes Stiletto and Doomsday, written by Caroline Dries, Kelly Sounders, and Brian Peterson. Written for fun and not for profit.
~\S/~
“My editor would kill me. But I don’t want this story. What I’ve really been wondering is – what is it you need?”Lois replayed the conversation in her mind, surprising even herself that she hadn’t wanted to push the Blur for a story. She hadn’t realized it until the words were out of her mouth, but what she really cared about was understanding him. How did he manage to do it every day, saving people—and on more than one occasion, saving her? Each time it had happened, she had tried to remember the exact moment, the ephemeral second when he had held her in his arms, snatching her away from a bullet or an out-of-control car. She could barely remember those whispers of sensation on her skin: strong arms wrapped around her, all too briefly.
She had really only felt safety and comfort…
Sometimes she thought she could remember him standing over her, gently brushing back her hair as she fought her way back from unconsciousness… but he would always disappear before she could confirm his presence.
She realized early on that his anonymity was for the best. Lois was known for taking risks in general, but if the criminal element of Metropolis thought she knew the Blur personally—she would immediately become a target. She had understood the reasons for his secrecy, and yet had quickly embraced the idea of having her own personal hero—even if she could never meet him.
But she had sensed something so—fundamentally good about being saved by him, something about the man himself drew her to defend him in the pages of the Daily Planet whenever she could. Still, the impressions he left on her, those moments of absolute comfort in his arms, compelled her to want to know him, even against her better judgment. So she became eager for any contact with the Blur, even if it was only through a phone booth and a voice scrambler.
Because, what she wondered most of all was – why had the Blur chosen to look after her?
And why had he finally agreed to talk to her?
She realized and said as much to the Blur, that he was probably lonely, unable to share his secrets with anyone. And yet, she knew he was a force for good. If he weren’t, he could have easily abused his powers and done real harm to Metropolis. But instead… he had taken upon himself the burden of becoming Metropolis’ sworn protector.
She wondered why he had taken an interest in her at all. And that trust made her realize she could and would never use her connection to the Blur for a story, unless it was to help him. She didn’t want to expose the Blur or share his secrets with the world. For once, she didn’t want to expose the truth and splash it across the pages of the Daily Planet—and that was what stunned her, what kept her staring at the paper that the Blur had magically dropped at her feet with her invitation to talk to him.
The Blur was so much more than a story.
Because the Blur was
her hero…
~\S/~
The next morning, Lois couldn’t keep the grin off of her face, even as she sat down to get to work. She had indulged in fantasizing about who the Blur really was as she had gone off to sleep last night, and the magic of that first phone call hadn’t worn off, even with the morning sun. She had no idea when she might hear from the Blur again, but she hoped it would be soon.
Lois’ practical side warned that she was playing with fire. She didn’t really know who he was, and yet, she implicitly trusted him. How could she not? After saving her bacon so many times, the least she could do was give him the benefit of the doubt. She knew he was one of the good guys.
Yet there was another danger here, too. One that she was already teetering close to the edge of doing---falling for him. Even Lois scoffed at her ridiculous notion that she could love an invisible hero—yet, she knew, there was a part of her that was inexplicably drawn to him.
As she chomped on a maple-glazed donut, her mind started wandering… She wondered what the Blur actually looked like. Again, those too brief moments in his arms came back to her – she was certain he was tall, broad-shouldered… She imagined he was ---
“Hey Lois,” Clark said, setting down some papers on his desk, snatching her out of her daydream. He flashed today’s paper at her, pointing to their story on sacking the money launderers the other night. Miraculously Lois had managed to stop her Stiletto story from going to press—but they still ended up with a good headline. “Looks like you made deadline,” he said, with a teasing smile. “And no Stiletto marks to cover up.”
“Ha, ha,” she said humorously, slightly irked that Clark had interrupted her Blur fantasy. But then she remembered the price of her Stiletto foolishness-- Clark getting in the way of a bullet meant for her, and she backed down.
“Donut?” she asked, pushing the box towards him. She felt herself blush guiltily for a moment, dying to ask how he was feeling, but unable to utter her thoughts.
“Sure,” he said, reaching for the box. He didn’t seem encumbered by his wound, but she still cried out for him.
“Clark! Be careful!” she cried out. “Don’t want you to risk opening up that—“ she swallowed, unable to say the word. “Just take it easy, okay?”
He nodded, and scrunched his brow in what looked like slight pain.
Lois looked away, and searched for another topic. She glanced reflexively at her cell phone. How would the Blur get her a message? How would she know to go to the phone booth again? She decided she would go at 10 tonight, just like last night, in case he wanted to call her.
“Expecting a call?” Clark asked, with an unexplained amused grin on his face.
Lois felt her cheeks flush, “Y—I mean, it’s none of your business, Smallville.”
He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Sorry I asked.”
She relented a bit and gave him a small smile. “No, I’m sorry, Clark. Just—a little jumpy after last night I guess.”
“Lois, even though I’m relieved that Stiletto has hung up her boots, I’m glad you were there last night. If you hadn’t shown up when you had… well, I don’t know what would have happened.”
She gave him a genuine smile this time, “Any time, Smallville,” she said, taking another bite of her maple donut.
A new email popped into her account. Like the dozens she received a day, this one was from one of her police friends giving her a heads up.
“Bruno Mannheim to be released on bail…” she read aloud. “Oh hell no. I don’t care who he is-- owner of the Ace of Clubs or not-- he should not get away with what he did to you that easy!”
“Lois, where are you going?” Clark asked in a warning voice, seeing her make a move to grab her coat.
“To talk to the DA. Ray Sacks has some explaining to do about his cozy relationship with Metropolis’ mob bosses!”
“Lois, let me go with you?” He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.
“So you can slow me down? I don’t think so, Inspector Gadget. Just keep the home fires burning. I’ll be back soon enough with a headline,” she said, throwing on a scarf as she turned towards the elevators.
~\S/~
Lois felt her blood beginning to boil with anger as she stepped into the Metropolis Court House.
She had considered Ray Sacks to be the makings of a great story if she could prove his dirty dealings. She’d been collecting a notebook on him for months.
But this was going too far. Not only had Mannheim been arrested for creating counterfeit money, but he’d been laundering it through the Ace of Clubs. Not to mention the personal assault charges that Jimmy had pressed. Clark, the sweet guy that he was, said he was just glad to get out of there alive.
But if Smallville wouldn’t stand up for himself, then Lois would have to do it for him.
“I’m here to see the District Attorney, Ray Sacks,” she demanded unceremoniously to the secretary.
The young buxom blonde looked up from filing her nails, an unapologetic look of contempt on her face. “Ray Sacks don’t see no one unannounced,” she said, with a heavy accent that indicated she was born and raised near Suicide Slum.
Lois narrowed her glare and lowered her voice, demanding blondie’s attention. “I’m not just anyone. I’m—“
“Lois Lane,” she turned as she heard her name spoken behind her in smooth tones.
“Ray Sacks,” she snapped in retort, facing him with her hands on her hips in defiance.
“I’ve been wondering when you’d pay me a visit,” he said with a lift of his eyebrow.
“I’m here to know why Mannheim got released on bail. There was plenty charged against him to keep him in jail for life.”
Patronizingly, Sacks draped his arm around Lois’ shoulders, and she resisted the urge to shake him off. He steered her towards his office. “Miss Lane, the dealings of a city is complicated business. Sometimes, what seems a poor choice is really what’s best for all involved.”
Lois shrugged him off her and turned to face him squarely. “You’re telling me that assault and money laundering and God knows what else, gets a free ride in this city? I know you’re playing for the wrong team, Sacks, and one of these days, I’m going to prove it,” she said boldly.
His face turned serious, as he stepped closer to her. “I’d back off if I were you, Miss Lane.
Sometimes, children who put their noses where they don’t belong get hurt.” He turned away from her, and picked up a cigar and cutter from his desk. “Now, get out of my office,” he said, not looking at her.
Lois, feeling more threatened than she wanted to admit, left the office--but not before she had scored a picture with her mini-camera of some plans that had been lying on his desk.
Sacks didn’t know that he was playing with fire when he decided to tangle with the great Lois Lane.
~\S/~
“Jimmy!” Lois called out as soon as she hit the bullpen.
She made a beeline to her desk, taking off her coat and scarf on the way. She noticed that Clark had gone, but suppressed a sigh of disappointment. She didn’t need him here anyway, getting in the way of her pursuing her next great story.
“Jimmy!” she called again, this time with some exasperation that he wasn’t responding right away.
At last, he came around the corner, a camera dangling around his neck. “What is it, Lois? Karl in Travel wanted me to go with him—“
“Forget Karl. I need you here,” she passed him her phone. “I got this picture, but it’s not as clear as I need it to be. I need your professional eye to see if you can get a better resolution on it.”
Jimmy hesitated a moment, and then shrugged his shoulders, giving in as he always did to Lois’ requests.
“Get your USB connector. We’ll have a look at it in my work room.”
~\S/~
Some thirty minutes later, Lois was losing patience with the camera software Jimmy was playing with. “Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I didn’t get anything good,” she said with disappointment.
“No, hold on. The angle was a little off, but I think… there. Still a little fuzzy but—“ Jimmy glanced at Lois. “What is it?”
“It’s the facility under the Ace of Clubs – where you and Clark--,” she couldn’t finish, remembering how Clark had dodged in front of a bullet to save her. “Anyway, it’s the plans for that place. I think the DA knew about it all along. Of course, he’s working with Mannheim! …Or for him? I wonder which way it goes? Who pulls the strings?” she said, thinking aloud. She turned to Jimmy decisively. “Jimmy, we need to go back to that facility tonight. We need to see if it’s operational again or if there are any clues—“
Jimmy lifted his hands in refusal, “Oh no, Lois. I’m not getting involved. Besides, what good would it do to go snooping around there? Wasn’t Mannheim sent to prison?”
Lois relished his reaction as she shook her head. “That’s why I went to the DA’s office. Mannheim was released on bail. I smell a rat. And I’m pretty sure his name is Ray Sacks.”
Jimmy sighed, sensing that Lois was on the verge of getting herself into some more hot water.
“Lois, please just let this story drop. We all had a rough night last night, and your whole Stiletto thing… haven’t you had enough adventure for one week?”
“Little do you know, Jimmy. The week’s just gotten started,” she said, hitting the print button on her newly edited photo.
“Just… be careful,” Jimmy said helplessly.
“I’m always careful,” she said, getting up to leave after the photo printed. “Thanks for your help, Jimmy.”
~\S/~
Lois didn’t run into Clark the whole rest of the day, for which she was almost relieved. She knew if she breathed a word to him what she was up to, he’d try and stop her. Clark was great to work with, but he could be a little overprotective at times.
Still, she didn’t mean to go into this completely alone. She hoped to talk to the Blur that evening before she went to the Ace of Clubs, just in case she needed some backup.
Only a little slither of guilt crept into her heart, worrying that the Blur would think she was making him her bodyguard. But still, if anything happened to her, she knew she could count on him to get her out of a jam.
She got to the phone booth she had first talked to him at 9:55. There was no pre-set plan, but she hoped that he’d call…
She waited patiently---
Until 10:01.
“Please call,” she sighed, suddenly worrying about chasing down this story all alone. Maybe she should have waited until she could have spoken to Clark about it or even Oliver…
The phone suddenly sprang to life, jarring her out of her thoughts.
“Hello?” she answered. “Is it really you?”
“Lois, how did you know I’d call?” the Blur asked with some surprise.
"How did you know I'd pick up?" she smiled. Lois shrugged her shoulders, but then said, “I didn’t know you'd call. I just hoped you would. I’m glad to see you didn’t disappoint me.”
“Lois, is there some reason you wanted to speak to me?”
“Well, actually, yes. I mean—I admit that talking to you is a little overwhelming, but I just feel—that I can trust you.”
“I appreciate that, Lois. I know I can trust you as well.”
She smiled, and then brought herself back to the reason she had wanted to speak with him. “Here’s the deal: my friend was shot last night. He’s okay, but the guy that shot him was released on bail. I think he’s working with the DA and I mean to expose them both.”
“Lois, that sounds dangerous—“
“Which is why I’m telling you what I plan to do. I saw pictures of the plans of the facility that Clark—my partner—got shot in last night.”
“Partner?” the Blur interrupted, with some amusement in his voice. “I thought you worked alone?”
Lois realized she had misspoken a bit, and tried to backpedal Clark’s rank in her life. “Well, he was my intern. But he’s quite good at his job – better than anyone expected him to be, actually. Myself included… and, well, we work well together. So sometimes partner, how’s that?”
“Just tell me what you plan to do.”
“Right. Well, I plan on heading back to that facility and see if it’s operational again. If it is, it will definitely prove, along with my photo, that the DA is involved with Mannheim!” she finished triumphantly.
The Blur suddenly sounded very worried. “Lois – please, don’t go back there. It’s too dangerous.”
“You could be my wingman,” she gently suggested. “I mean, I’m sure you’re busy and all—but if I need the backup?”
“Lois, I—can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?” she asked, a mounting fear growing in the pit of her stomach.
“Both. Lois, I’m sorry. There’s a reason—“ he stopped, seemingly hesitant.
“You can trust me, I promise.”
“Look, just promise you won’t actually go inside?” he said, changing the subject slightly.
“I may. Depends. I need to get the necessary incriminating photos. But if you’re that concerned, I’ll be careful.”
“I’d rather you not go at all, Lois. I can’t always protect you.”
“I’m not asking you to. I—I just can’t let this mobster get off Scott free. Not after what he did to Clark. Smallville’s too nice of a guy to do anything about it. But not me.”
“Smallville?” he asked, and she could almost hear the smile in his voice.
“Yeah, it’s sort of a pet name that stuck. Clark is… well, let’s just say that it’s not Smallville when he’s not there.”
“Lois, I know you mean well, and it’s admirable to want to fix the injustices in the world, just please promise me, you’ll be careful.”
“Of course I will… and, should I expect another call from you tomorrow night?” she asked, trying to keep her hopefulness out of her voice.
“I can’t always promise, Lois. But I will try. Some nights we may miss each other. And Lois?”
“Yes?”
“I’ll always do my best to watch over you.”
~\S/~
Lois climbed to the roof of outbuilding that she had swung in through the glass ceiling of the night before. A large gray tarp was over the area, so she couldn’t see directly inside. But she could
hear someone speaking in the room below. It was definitely in use.
She crouched down and carefully lifted the tarp, so as not to attract attention from those below her. She could see Ray Sacks talking to Mannheim! Lois suppressed a gasp of excitement, and readied her camera. She silently clicked photos, all the while thinking up a juicy headline.
“Mob boss in cahoots with shady Sacks”
“Sacks’ secret dealings with Mannheim Mob”
“Money hungry mob deals with dirty DA”
Or…Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She flipped herself over, only to come face to face with a pistol.
“The boss is not going to like this one bit,” said the thug. “Aren’t you that reporter chick who’s been causing trouble for some of my friends lately?”
“I’ll cause you some more trouble if you don’t let me go,” she said defiantly, though she could feel her heart about to thud out of her chest with fear.
The thug laughed, relaxing his grip on the pistol, giving Lois the in she needed to kick up in the air and nail him in the crotch.
As he doubled over in pain, she got up and scrambled for the fire escape ladder. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, came another heavy. He was able to grab her, and had a knife to her throat in a matter of seconds.
“Not so fast, cupcake. The boss would like a word with you first,” he said, tugging her inside the building.
“The Red-Blue Blur will stop you,” she said with forced bravado, managing to step on his toes with her heel. But it only made him hold her tighter.
“Spiteful b*tch!” he yelped, gripping her tighter. “Don’t tempt me to cut your throat now, with or without the boss’ approval.”
That tempered her enough to at least let him lead her down the staircase into the room below.
“Look what I found, Boss,” said the thug, obviously proud of his get.
The pair turned towards the ruffian. Lois noticed a stack of abnormally green cash in Mannheim’s fist.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the lovely Miss Lane come to visit. I thought you understood my warning earlier,” said Sacks, with a sneer.
“Yeah, well, I’ve never been good at taking orders,” she mumbled, the knife still held at her throat.
Mannheim gestured to his thug. “Tie her up in the corner over there,” he said, licking his thumb as he prepared to count another handful of bills. “We’re almost finished here. We’ll deal with her in a minute.”
Fearing a nick if she made a false move, Lois let herself be carried over to a wooden chair. At last she could breathe normally as the thug let go of the knife long enough to tie her hands tight. He came around to tie her feet and she managed to kick him square in the chest, causing him to fall over.
“Hey, what’s going on over here?” asked Mannheim, coming over with a pistol out. “Do you want to die right here, Miss Lane?”
She mutely shook her head, fear clenching her belly at the sight of another pistol aimed at her head.
“Then I suggest you let Ralph do his job.”
Ralph got up and again made a second attempt at tying her legs to the chair. Lois wanted to struggle, but then she realized that if they turned back to whatever they had been discussing, she might learn more of their plan. Besides, she might have a better chance of escaping without their eyes focused on her.
After seeing to her being securely tied up, they walked back over to the counterfeit money printer, resuming their conversation in low tones. “We can print enough money here to fund your re-election campaign and then some, Mr. Sacks. And with the money the Ace pulls in, well, we do a little mixing, and the Feds will never know the difference,” Mannheim said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Lois watched as Sacks considered the idea. “I don’t want a single greenback traceable to my office, you hear? Everything has to appear legit.”
“Scout’s honor,” Mannheim said, half seriously.
“Besides, I owe you for busting me out of the slammer. Did they ever find that Stiletto chick?”
“There wasn’t a mention of her in the paper today, which I find suspicious. But I have my men looking for her.”
Lois tried to hide her alarm, realizing exactly the kind of danger she had put herself in by pretending to be a superhero. Clark had been right. She hated it when he was right…
Suddenly, she felt hands on her ties, undoing them. She turned, almost half-expecting to see the Blur himself behind her, but was surprised to see instead Green Arrow, aka Oliver Queen.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered tersely.
“Saving your hide. Keep still while I cut the ropes on your feet,” he whispered back.
As Ollie bent over her feet to uncut them, suddenly a shot rang out.
She heard a terse, “Damn,” come from him, just as he finished untying her ropes. “Lois – run!” he commanded, and she noted with horror that he had been shot through the shoulder.
“I’m not leaving you here,” she said, quickly reaching behind him to grab his compound bow off his back. She had little experience with bows and arrows, but she knew these were pre-set to aim and shoot.
“How hard can it be?” she muttered to herself.
“This Lane chick is something else,” said Mannheim with some amusement, his gun casually in his hand as he gestured towards them. “Hey look, Sacks. We may get two for the price of one.”
Lois acted fast, seeing this as possibly their only moment to escape.
Where the hell was the Blur? She wondered silently.
Lois locked on to the trigger, but at the very last second, shot nearly directly upwards towards the tarp, causing all in the room to look up as the tarp was snagged down over top them.
“Go!” she whispered brusquely, as she pushed Oliver towards a back entrance during the momentary distraction.
“They’re going to come after us,” he said needlessly. Suddenly he stopped and pulled out a foldable grappling arrow that he aimed above them. “Grab on.”
Lois clung onto him as they were pulled up and over to the balcony at the Ace of Clubs by his anchored arrow. “Come on. It will be harder for them to find us inside,” Oliver said, taking her by the hand.
He led her to the back towards the men’s room.
“Ladies’ is always full. At least here, we have a chance of hiding for a bit,” he said, somewhat apologetically.
Lois didn’t hesitate and just nodded her acquiescence.
As soon as they were inside, Oliver scanned the bathroom. Seeing it was empty, he blocked the handle with one of his weapons. It would keep the average guest from coming in, but any serious pressure would knock it out of place.
Lois could now see, in the fullness of the florescent lighting, just how badly Oliver was hurt.
“First Clark, and now you…” she said, her voice full of self-recrimination. “You’d think I’d listen after a while… How you holding up?” she asked, turning on the water to soak a paper towel. “This will only clean the surface. We have to get you to a hospital or—“
“No. I can’t go to a hospital dressed like this, Lois. You know that. There—there’s someplace I can go, but,” he shook his head, which was now dripping with sweat as he seemed to be suppressing showing how much pain he was in.
“You can trust me, Ollie,” Lois said softly, hearing the echo of her words to the Blur. Sure, she trusted the men in her life, but how often had they trusted her?
“I know, Legs,” he said, his speech starting to slur from the pain.
“You only call me Legs when you are really a mess… We’ve got to get you out of here… Can I call Clark?” she asked with some trepidation, an unspoken question on her lips, as she nodded slightly at his Green Arrow getup.
Does he know you’re Green Arrow? She wondered, recalling the night her dreams of reuniting with Ollie had literally been shattered by the strange assassin woman who had the ability to smash glass with her voice. Lois would never forget the moment she realized who Oliver really was – and knew that they could never be together for precisely reasons like the situation they were in now.
After a moment’s hesitation, Oliver nodded.
Lois pulled out her Blackberry, discouraged to see no signal. She walked over to the small window on the far side of the bathroom, and eventually had a few bars of available service.
“Clark? It’s Lois,” she said, glancing worriedly at Oliver who was half-sitting on the sink, his head against the mirror. He held a wad of paper towels against his shoulder where he’d been shot, but she could see that he wasn’t doing too well.
“Lois, where are you?” Clark’s voice brought her back to the conversation. He sounded worried.
“I’m at the Ace of Clubs. With Oliver. He’s—badly hurt, Clark. I don’t know how to get us out of here. Maybe you can inform the police about Mannheim and Sacks’ dealings… I don’t know. Sacks’ thugs are probably still after us. I don’t know how much time we may have…”
Lois suddenly heard a whoosh of air, and Oliver was gone.
“The Blur,” she said with awe. “Clark, it may be okay. I think the Blur just rescued Oliver.”
“Sit tight, Lois. I’m—around the corner. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“And risk you getting hurt again, too? I don’t think so, Clark. Besides, the Blur is nearby. Maybe he’ll come back for me, too…”
Practically before the words were out of her mouth, Lois was in the Blur’s arms being carried away. She was standing at doors of the Daily Planet, as safe as ever in the blink of an eye.
“Clark? Are you there?”she asked, surprised her phone was still in her hand.
“I just heard a noise. Is everything okay, Lois?”
She smiled, “Yes, everything is fine. I’m at the Planet. The Blur just made another whirlwind save.”
“Please, Lois. Promise me you’ll head home? Or better yet, maybe even come to the farm? That way, your place won’t be the first place they look for you…”
Lois’ smile grew wider, though she tried to hide it, lest he could hear it in her voice. “Clark Kent, are you trying to play protector?”
“Lois, I just mean—“
“It’s okay, Smallville. I appreciate the offer. I’ll be over as soon as I can. Besides… I have a juicy story that I just may let you in on if you’re good.”
“See you soon, Lois. And please. Be careful.”
~\S/~
Lois did intend on heading to Smallville, but first she wanted to thank the Blur for getting them out of the Ace of Clubs safely.
She had put herself in danger, if truth be told. But all the same, the Blur should be thanked for saving her bacon – and Ollie’s.
She had so many questions about Oliver floating in her mind…
Why had he even been there in the first place?
Had he been on another mission and they just happened to cross paths?
… Or had the Blur sent Oliver ahead until he could get there?
If that were the case, then Oliver might know who the Blur was. Not that she’d ever press either of them for the identity of the Blur, but she did sort of like the idea that Green Arrow wasn’t fighting crime every night on the mean streets of Metropolis alone.
Lois picked up her pace as she made her way to the phone booth. It was 9:59 PM.
The phone started ringing just as she set her hand on the receiver.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Lois—“
“You saved me and Green Arrow. How can I ever thank you?”
“There’s no need, Lois.”
She hesitated, not wanting to seem pushy, but infinitely curious. “Did you know Ol—uh, Green Arrow, would be there?”
The Blur paused for a long moment. “No – I simply got there as soon as I could and found you two hiding in the bathroom.”
She felt slightly deflated… so much for the idea that Ollie and the Blur were friends… “How did you know where to look for us?”
“I—I can see through walls.”
“You what?” she asked in astonishment, her disappointment quickly forgotten. “How does that work, exactly?”
“Well, I just focus – and objects just disappear before my vision. Everything except things made out of lead, that is,” he added practically.
“You simply amaze me…” she said, full of breathless wonder. How many other things could the Blur do? But still, despite him saving her and Ollie, it was Oliver who had rescued her – and had gotten shot in the process. “Where did you take Green Arrow, by the way? He said he didn’t want to go to a hospital—“
“I took him to a friend’s. Don’t worry, Lois. He’s in good hands. And his identity is safe.”
“So you do know him?” she couldn’t resist asking.
“I—let’s just say that heroes of all stripes try to stick together.”
“Does he know your identity?” she asked, and then immediately backtracked. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that. I know it’s important for you to keep your identity hidden. But Green Arrow is a good guy – I’d be happy just knowing that you have a friend out there whom you can trust.”
“Thanks, Lois.”
“Honestly, I’m just glad you were able to get us out of there. You--- and I hate to admit it, Clark---were right… I should have been more careful.”
“Lois, you can’t always count on me to be there for you. I wish you’d stop taking so many risks.”
Lois could feel guilt come over her. “I’m sorry. I was just after a story and—I guess I just got a little over-confident… are you sure O--- Green Arrow will be okay?” she asked, uncertain whether she could or even should use Oliver’s name or not.
“Yes. He’ll be fine. Please, promise me you’ll leave Mannheim and his thugs alone for a while?”
She sighed, feeling like a reprimanded child. “Yes, I will. But this isn’t over. I already have some evidence against them. But I promise I won’t throw myself into the fire again.”
