Lois headed to the Daily Planet a short time later. She tried Oliver several times again, but got nothing. She scanned through her phonebook, her thumb hesitating over pressing the ‘call’ button when she passed over Clark’s name. She was still hurt at how he had been so closed off to her the last time she saw him… yet, it had been three weeks ago. Had he even been worried about her?
Resolutely, she slammed her phone shut. If he had been worried, then there should have at least been a text message from him…
Lois stepped into the elevator at the Planet, glad that she kept a change of clothes at work. And the Planet had a gym and showers, so she could get cleaned up before she did any more investigating.
As she entered the bullpen, her eyes couldn’t help but flicker over to Clark’s empty desk. Not that she wanted to see him, really, not in this state. But for some reason, knowing Smallville was nearby usually did help her through her day.
She swung open her deep bottom drawer where she kept her emergency duffel bag for late stakeouts. She also grabbed a chocolate bar from her backup stash. She hadn’t eaten anything since the hospital, and she could tell she was running on low sugar.
“Where you been, Lane?” asked one of the guys who worked in classifieds.
“Oh… you know… on a story,” she answered vaguely, promising herself she’d get a cup of coffee too before she left the building.
She spotted the latest gossip columnist, Rebekah, and Lois waved her over. “Hey, um, have you done any write-ups on Oliver Queen lately?” she asked. She knew Rebekah knew she had dated Ollie, and the columnist couldn’t help smirking as she laid her latest article under Lois’ nose.
“I don’t know why you bother, Lane. Oliver Queen has taken a major nosedive…” she said, pointing to a picture of him drunk and laughing outside of the Ace of Clubs, his arm wrapped around some blonde starlet. “Rumor has it he’s been street fighting, down near Hobb’s Bay. But even I won’t go down to that den of iniquity on a Friday night.”
“Thanks for the tip, Bekah,” Lois said with a smirk as she hoisted her bag over her shoulder. She had no such qualms in hunting Ollie down.
~\S/~
As Lois headed down to Hobb’s Bay later that night, she wished she had called Clark after all. If Ollie was in as much trouble as she thought doing what was in all probability illegal street fighting, he might not be much use in helping her fight against this assassin.
Still, a girl had to have some pride. She and Ollie had a history together, at least. He would want to help her. Smallville on the other hand, was a complete mystery, and one she didn’t like to dwell on. He blew hot and cold with her, and she needed someone solid on her side for this. She sighed, wishing she could just call the Blur to help her out… but all she had was the phone booth. Short of throwing herself off a building, she really didn’t have a way of contacting him.
She thought of the ‘S’ symbol she had seen at the train derailment… Lois had done some digging at the Planet earlier, and it turned out that the Blur had started using the symbol a few weeks ago, shortly after she had vanished. He had stopped appearing in red and blue as well… She wondered what had happened to him. Lois didn’t dare think his change in M.O. had anything to do with her disappearance, but from all accounts, the Blur had become less visible and yet more visible, all at once. He no longer wore red and blue, but he now felt the need to leave a calling card whenever he did a save… If she ever spoke to him again—no, when she spoke t o him again, she’d have to ask him what’s going on. She didn’t like how the press she had seen called him a vigilante, and she planned on
writing a piece detailing his latest exploits as soon as possible.
But that symbol… it had also been in her vision and she couldn’t help wanting to know exactly what it meant…
~\S/~
Lois found Ollie down at a warehouse at Hobb’s Bay as Rebekah had suggested. He was fighting that night, but the bouncers up front wouldn’t let her back to talk to him. That is, until she offered to fill in for a missing score card girl.
As Lois waited to make her ‘debut,’ she watched through the chain link fence as Oliver took one punch after another. He would swing and get in a few hits of his own, but she could tell that the reason he was doing so poorly was because he was actually quite drunk. Watching him get pummeled, she felt something she never thought she’d feel for Oliver-- pity. Why did he feel the need to resort to street fighting? She knew he was full of guilt about something, but she had no idea what had brought him to this.
The bell sounded, ending the round, and Lois was shooed in to be ogled at and wave the score cards over her head. Ollie was on the ground, writhing in pain, and she fought the urge to help him up.
“Hello Legs,” came his greeting through a grunt of pain.
Lois continued to walk around the ring with the scorecard above her head. “Legs? Really? Is that a good idea?” She glanced down at him and gave him a slightly pitying smile. “You’re drunk.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Didn’t you get my messages?” she asked in return.
“My phone has been M.I.A. for a while… How did you know where to find me?”
She shook her head; she couldn’t believe how much he had fallen. “Well, all I did was follow the trail of paparazzi and tabloids…” she said, a little too sardonically. “But your sexist boy’s club wouldn’t let me in. So I improvised,” she said with a little pride at her clever plan.
Oliver was still struggling to get up. He shook his head as if to clear it. Whether from alcohol or the knockdown he had received a moment earlier, Lois couldn’t tell. “Well, I should forewarn you, Lois. I’m not having my best round here.”
She didn’t want to hear his excuses, and inwardly she wished she had just sucked up her pride and called Clark. She sighed, “I noticed… Look, you may have some death wish fast track, but I could really use a little dose of hero right now,” she said, letting out a little of her frustration in a rush.
Oliver gave another grunt, still struggling to regain his feet.
Lois gave up the pretense of being a sign girl and let out an exhausted sigh as she rested the edge of the large card on the toes of her boots. “Look, I just found out I have been missing for three weeks, and then I reappeared on a monorail with some ninja chick after me.”
That seemed to get his attention, as he looked up at her, forgetting his own problems for a moment. “Can you repeat that?”
Suddenly, a hole was ripped out of the warehouse. Lois glimpsed the crazed assassin woman from the train, but before she could do anything, Oliver had Lois on the ground, his body covering hers. “Everybody down!” he yelled.
“Ollie, what the--?” Lois said, only hearing a whoosh around them.
After a moment, he sat up and Lois looked around once the coast was clear. She had no idea what had just happened, but she saw the Blur’s ‘S’ emblazoned on a bit of metal and she couldn’t help but smile. He was looking out for her, it seemed.
Lois glanced over at Ollie… he didn’t look very heroic at the moment, but he had tried to protect her. She still felt some affection for the Green Arrow, despite all of his flaws, so she leaned over and helped him up.
“Come on, you look like you could use some assistance,” she said kindly, helping him over to an area that passed for locker rooms.
She dug around and found some alcohol, swabs, and bandages. She set Oliver down on the bench a little more forcefully than she meant to, still disheartened by his fallen state. She had come to him for help, but she knew with him like this, he wasn’t capable of offering her any.
“I’m disappointed in you, Ollie,” she said, beginning to swab his cuts.
“See? Now you sound like every other ex-girlfriend I ever had,” he said self-deprecatingly, adding a dose of the charming Queen smile to soften the blow of his words.
“Yes, but I’m not like every ex you’ve ever had,” Lois retorted.
“No you’re not, but you—I haven’t been able to coax you back into my bed.”
She knew this wasn’t the real Oliver Queen talking. It was a front. But she wasn’t going to let him get away with it.
“You risk your life to help strangers,” she said softly. “So you can plaster that frat boy grin across your face all you want, but I know you’re a real hero underneath.”
Oliver seemed momentarily nonplussed by her statement, but quickly resumed his arrogant swagger. “Come on, Lois. You know I’m nothing more than a playboy… I got the tabloid covers to prove it.”
“Then how do you explain the whole Green Arrow thing?” she said forcefully, trying to resurrect the hero she knew was buried in him somewhere.
She could see pain in his eyes, but again, he pushed it away with a cocky remark. “It distracted me for a while…” Then, just to add salt to an old wound, “So did you.”
She pressed the alcohol swab a little deeper into the cuts on his face in answer, causing him to wince. “You’re an obnoxious jackass,” she said flatly, thoroughly disappointed that she wouldn’t find the hero that she needed in him tonight.
“See, now you’re finally starting to catch on,” he said with a wave of his hand near his head, indicating to Lois that he was still quite drunk. “Look, I’m sorry if you ever thought I was anything more than that, Lois. But it’s not my fault.”
She stood up, about fed up with his hurtful and idiotic remarks. “You know what? That’s okay.”
“Really?” he asked in some surprise.
“I guess you know yourself better than anyone, right?” she countered, finally calling him on his game.
He stared at her, a little dumbfounded. Apparently he had thought his insults should have led to a pity party.
She glanced over at the emblem the Blur had left behind. “Maybe I don’t really need you, Ollie,” she said softly. “ I’ve already found my real hero.”
~\S/~
Lois left Oliver a short time later to either lick his own wounds or bury them deeper in more alcohol—the drinkable kind. She couldn’t bear to see him destroying himself, but she didn’t know how to stop it either. Normally, she’d take him out for a beer and they’d have a good laugh, but she didn’t want to stoke that fire. He was already pissed enough…
Lois decided to head to Smallville. Chloe would have forgiven her by now for skipping out on the hospital, and Lois needed a good night’s sleep. She found her jeep at the Daily Planet parking garage, and was relieved that no one had bothered it while she was gone. But at the same time, none of her friends had seemed to look out for it either.
She knew that Chloe had been dealing with the nightmare that was Davis, so that was understandable. And Oliver had obviously been… distracted. Clark would have been the next logical choice, but he had put all of this distance between them… She wondered if he was still hung up on Lana, even though she had broken his heart and left him-- repeatedly.
Just that name made Lois sick to her stomach. That moment at Chloe’s wedding would forever be burned into her brain—Clark had been about to kiss her, and then Lana had stepped in and ruined everything. Thank God the little brunette seemed gone for good now. But still, every time Lois thought there might be some interest in her on Clark’s end, he’d back away.
Lois found herself driving past the Talon, heading instead to the edge of town. She told herself that she was just going by the Kents’ to see if anyone was home, that’s all. She wasn’t going to bother Clark if he didn’t want her there… but she just had to see the farmhouse. Her childhood had been full of new places, new cities, and very few homes. It was ironic that the Kent farmhouse was as close to home as she actually ever had, and it wasn’t even her own family’s. But with all of the confusion around her right now, she just needed to see it, and feel its comforting presence once more.
She was surprised to find the house completely dark. It was only just after eight, and if anyone had been home, surely some lights would have been on. But even the porch light was dark. Lois killed the engine and debated going in. She finally justified it by telling herself that if anything was wrong, the Kents would appreciate her looking in on things, especially with Mrs. K away in Washington.
Lois grabbed her long-handled police flashlight from her trunk, just in case there was any danger. She didn’t turn it on, but kept it by her side in case she needed to use it as a weapon.
Lois shuffled up the porch slowly. She felt her heart hammer a bit, wondering if this was a fool’s mission. What if that assassin had tracked her down to the Kents’?
“Calm down, you’re just overreacting because you’re exhausted,” she said to herself. She realized the door was open, as she heard something move behind the screen.
“Hello?” she called out tentatively.
Then she heard a dog whimper, and she let out a sigh of relief.
“Shelby,” she said, setting the flashlight on the porch. If the dog was okay, then there wasn’t likely to be dangerous strangers lurking around.
She stepped inside and knelt before Shelby, giving her a pat, even as a sneeze tickled her nose from the dog dander. “Hey, there.”
Lois stood up and flicked on some lights in the kitchen. Things looked much better with the lights on and she began to relax. Reality or not, she was home.
As she surveyed the kitchen, she noticed it was a bit dusty. She swiped her finger through a layer of it on the counter and shook her head. “Mrs. K wouldn’t approve,” she mumbled.
She glanced down at Shelby, who was standing by her dish. It was full of food, which puzzled Lois even more. “If Smallville’s not here, who the hell’s been feeding you, Shelby?”
Even more puzzling was the general state of neglect at the farmhouse. Where had Clark disappeared to? Again she pulled out her cell phone and debated calling him. She sighed, knowing she was too exhausted to deal with a verbal confrontation right now. Eventually she resolved that she’d at least call his mom tomorrow.
Lois opened the fridge, not surprised to find nothing to eat. She checked the freezer and found a tub of Rocky Road she had left there over a month ago—which to her was only a few days ago, really. She dug out a spoon from the drawer and made her way to the living room.
Lois wrapped herself in a blanket on the sofa, absently noticing it smelled like Clark. Soap, fresh air, wool, and leather. She switched on the television and dug into her ice cream.
~\S/~
Clark had more questions than answers… but what was new?
He had taken care of the assassin that had followed Lois from the future, but he was worried about what she had told him. Would he really become a threat in the not-so-distant future? And if so, how did he stop it?
Clark saw headlights pull into the driveway.
Lois.
She couldn’t know he was here… He hadn’t even realized he’d been standing in the dark, staring up at the sky from the barn window for the last half hour; he’d been so wrapped up in his thoughts.
Especially about the future.
It terrified him.
Jor-El claimed he had a special destiny here on Earth, one that separated him from the humans. Yet Clark knew deep down that he was a man, with real emotions and real worries. He couldn’t isolate himself forever, no matter what his destiny ultimately was. It’s why he came back to the farm… why he made sure Shelby got fed… why he would find himself on lonely nights listening to people’s lives go by from atop the buildings of Metropolis…
Why he felt his heart stop when he realized that Lois was here.
It was strange how she seemed to know him better than anyone, even though she didn’t know the truth about him. He was surprised by her insight about what he was going through when he talked to her as the Blur. And he was often touched by her kindness—even through her tough exterior—when he talked to her as Clark.
They’d always had a friendly rapport between them, but somehow Lois touched him deeper than any of his other friendships. And when she had disappeared three weeks ago—he’d realized that she meant more to him than he’d been willing to admit before. He’d danced around the attraction between them, and had even let himself be pulled into Lana’s orbit when she had reappeared. But all of that was over… and the time Lois had been gone had given him time to think.
He realized that Lois brought levity into his life, and yet she grounded him at the same time. And when that tether to goodness, to humanity had disappeared three weeks ago, he had thrown himself into becoming the Kryptonian his father Jor-El had always wanted him to become.
But when he had saved that train the other night, and had seen her on board—all thoughts of destiny and heritage had fled. His heart had concentrated to her… and he realized just what she meant to him.
She meant being human. Even being flawed… She meant life.
And understanding.
Lois Lane had always understood him on a level that surprised and sometimes scared him. And that connection was what he was finding so hard to sever—no matter what his father wanted him to do.
Clark knew he should just speed off to the Fortress, as Jor-El was expecting him. But he just wanted to see her, to be sure she was okay. What had made her come to the farm anyway?
Once she realized the house was empty, surely she should have just turned her jeep around and headed to the Talon. But she hadn’t—she’d gone inside, and he wondered if she planned on staying.
Clark sped over to the front porch. He didn’t want her to hear him or see him, as he didn’t know how he would handle her questions, which he was certain she would have.
He peeked in the window, and saw that she was sleeping on the sofa, a tub of Rocky Road on the table next to her. She looked peaceful… beautiful.
He was touched that she would feel so comfortable here, in his home, where she had lived with him a few years ago. He also thought it was telling that she had chosen to come here, rather than the Talon where she was currently living. She looked comfortable and content sleeping on his sofa. Clark was happy to let her consider the farmhouse her home as well—after all, it hadn’t been much of a home since his father died and his mother had become a Senator. At least someone should feel at home here…
Against his better judgment, Clark stepped inside the house. Shelby came over and Clark let the dog out so there would be less noise. He stepped quietly over to Lois, watching the even rhythm of her breathing.
He noticed she had drawn his ‘S’ emblem into the dust on the table. Was she still hung up on the Blur? He kind of hoped so… though she couldn’t know what she meant to him; she was his hold to the world, to humanity, and even though Jor-El resented Clark’s connection here, he knew that he was lost without her.
The last few weeks had been hell without Lois, wondering where she was. He had suspected a while back that Lois may have found the Legion ring, though Chloe finally confirmed it for him this afternoon. What had Lois seen in the future? Did she remember any of it? And based on what the assassin had told him about destroying the planet—did he want her to remember any of it?
Her forehead suddenly scrunched up in concern… She tossed a bit, causing the blanket to slip off her torso onto the floor. She was wearing an old tank top and jeans, which couldn’t be that comfortable to sleep in. She shifted again, kicking off a few sofa pillows as her features contorted in pain. He heard her whisper, “Zod.” The name sent a chill up his spine. He wanted to calm her, comfort her. He wanted her to return to the blissful sleep of a moment ago…
In his guilt-ridden mind, he wondered if his very presence had brought her pain. Had she somehow sensed his presence even in sleep? He couldn’t seem to avoid hurting those he loved…
Clark hesitated a moment, but then bent down to retrieve the blanket. He laid it across her gently, letting his fingers rest for just a second on her arm as he did so. After a moment, her features relaxed into a deeper sleep, and he let go.
He watched her longer than he knew he should. But he couldn’t help himself. Seeing Lois, alive and in his house had sent an unexpected thrill of pleasure through him. Her very presence was a boon in what had become a pretty lonely life.
At last, he stood up, leaving the light on as she had left it. The tub of ice cream was empty, so he left that as well. There was nothing to tell her that anyone had been there.
He even let Shelby back in and was glad to see the dog hop up on the sofa to sleep at Lois’ feet. She would have some company tonight, at least.
Clark repressed a sigh and headed out… maybe he’d patrol Metropolis for an hour or two before heading back to the Fortress.
Maybe it was his imagination, or maybe Lois had sensed more asleep than he thought she could. But as he headed down the steps of the farmhouse, he was certain that she had whispered his name. And even in the chilly fall air, his name on her lips warmed him to his soul.
