His Girl Lois
by Kent28
The following story is based on the storyline in the old Cary Grant film, His Girl Friday. All characters are property of Warner Bros. And no copyright infringement is intended. This is strictly for fun—no money making going on here, boys and girls. Special thanks to LabRat for beta reading this. And this is only my second attempt at Fanfic, so be patient with me folks. I promise , if I can finish this thing, to put all my toys back the right way before putting them away. All feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Marcy
And now, for the story:
“Oh boy, here she comes....” Jimmy Olson mumbled to no one in particular, as his eyes caught sight of two very shapely legs in black heels. He followed his line of sight to a snappy knee-length burgundy business suit and then all that way up to the short, brunette bob that was Lois Lane as she walked... no she marched... down the steps of the bullpen toward Perry's office. It had been at least six months since those legs had graced the floors of the Daily Planet, and Jimmy, like any wise citizen about to face nuclear fallout, took shelter.
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“Now, Clark, you know, the King and Priscilla, they had problems too. She even walked out on him once. Why, it spurred him to write one of his all time greats, Suspicious Minds. But you see, the Colonel, he took him aside, and he convinced Elvis to go after her. And he won her back...well, for a while. Son, do you see my point?” Perry pleaded with Clark, his brows furrowed in what was obvious concern for his protege.
Clark smiled bleakly. “I see your point, Chief. And I have tried to win her back. It's just...”
At that moment, the door of Perry's office burst open, and in walked the previous topic of conversation.
Perry and Clark turned their heads toward her in unison, mouths slackjawed. Clark quickly recovered, and the once bleak smile turned to a beaming grin. As both men rose to greet her from their prospective chairs across from each other, Perry extended both arms and grabbed Lois up in a big bear hug. He was also the first to speak.
“Oh, Lois, honey, I knew you'd come back! Why, we'll have Jimmy in here to get your old desk cleared out for your return pronto....JIMMY!!” He thundered, more jovial than menacing in his intonation.
“Chief, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not coming back.”
Clark detected the resolve within her unflinching gaze, and tried to match it with his own. Swallowing back the lump in his throat, he interjected, “Well, why not? You haven't returned my calls...Did you get the roses I sent you? What about the faxes?”
Perry looked hopeful as well. “Yeah, Clark can write a darn good fax. Why, I'd come back to him if he sent me some of the faxes he sent you, uhh, not that I read any of 'em.” Perry backed toward the door of his office at the sight of Lois' icy glare. Humbly, he offered, “Well, I'll just leave you two lovebirds to hammer out the details of your return to the Planet, all right? JIMMY!”And with that he shut the door behind him.
Clark watched as Lois spun around, gliding gracefully toward him. For a moment, he was reminded of a scene from a documentary he had seen on T.V. the night before of a lioness creeping toward her prey.
Quickly, he masked his fear, and smiled hopefully.
Lois smiled back with a Cheshire grin. “Oh Clark, you are such a playboy. Yes, I got all of the roses, all 200 of them I'll have you know, and all 20 faxes, and I am still not returning to the newspaper business, or to you for that matter. I came up here to turn in my final resignation, to get your signature on the divorce papers, and to let you know you need to move on.” Challengingly, she awaited his response.
Clark pleaded, “Lois, you are the best writer the Planet has ever seen...and you know that together we were on our way to topping Woodward and Bernstein. Have you forgotten the other things we were an especially good team at?”
Grabbing her smoothly and pulling her into his arms, he began to sway with her to unknown music, while blowing gently against her neck. Involuntarily, Lois shivered before pulling herself away from him and laughing softly. Like an agile cat, she propped herself upon Perry's desk, as Clark leaned beside her.
Lois sighed. “Yes, Clark, I remember. What I also remember in our marriage is you running out on me all the time. Suffice to say, you definitely have fear of commitment issues. I mean, really, there's nothing like spending the first night of your honeymoon waiting alone while your husband covers a jailbreak upstate.”
Clark was obstinate. “That Superman exclusive won us a Kerth that year! And you didn't seem to mind the next night.” He waggled his eyebrows for comic effect.
Lois giggled at his boyish charm. “True enough, Farmboy. But you and I both know that good lovemaking does not equal a great marriage, at least not for us. We'll have our memories, but in the end it just wasn't meant to be.”
“I'll never believe that, Lois.”
Lois seemed sympathetic as she continued, “Clark, you have to. Because I came up here to let you know that I am quitting the newspaper business for good, and getting married. And I need your signature to do that. I know I have faxed the papers over at least ten times, to no avail. But today, I brought them over myself.”
Clark's eyebrows rose to his hairline, but immediately he composed himself. “Married? To whom? Can I meet this lucky man?”
“His name is Daniel Scardino, and, Clark, I really don't think....”
“And where is this Mr. Scardino?”
“Well, actually, he's in the bullpen by the elevators waiting for me, but I really don't think that's a good...”
Clark saw his chance and took it. Smiling, he ushered them briskly out the door. “Oh, nonsense! Introduce me to this lucky guy...”
**********************
Lois cringed inwardly as Clark ushered her gently through the bullpen, his arm pressed solidly against the small of her back, sending an electric heat up her spine.
<Why am I letting him take charge like this? Oh yeah! I remember. Because, Lois, you dolt! You ALWAYS let Clark take control like this! Oh sure, everyone thinks, 'Here comes Mad Dog! Scary Lois, poor Clark Kent. Why does Clark let her run over him like that?' But that is so not fair! I was always someone he could count on. But it was never the other way around, was it, Clark?>
Letting out a sigh, her thoughts washed over her in pale shades of sadness and loneliness, before she shrugged them off like wet clothes.
<No! I refuse to do this! I have Daniel now. And a new life to start. And I will not ruin that waiting for a Clark Kent who refuses to grow up. Clark, if you think you're going to play games with me, buddy, watch out! Let the games begin.>
Distancing her body slightly ahead of Clark's hand, she bounded up the bullpen steps as her eyes met those of a man reclined on the bench beside the Planet elevator. Sitting with his legs sprawled out and the latest edition of the Planet spread across his lap, he smiled warmly back at Lois. His red, Hawaiian print button shirt, Levi boot-cut jeans complete with cowboy boots, and the sunglasses perched atop his wavy brown hair were an enigma among the Daily Planet's more conservative, frenzied environment.
Lois smiled appreciatively as he stood up and moved toward her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Clark cringe almost imperceptibly as Daniel began to speak.
“Lois, darling, you ready to head on out? You know how Mother is.”
Clark saw his chance and jumped into the conversation. “No, Lois, tell me. How is Mother?”
He watched with smug satisfaction as the Scardino guy bristled.
Lois patted Scardino's arm, like a master holding a dog back on a leash. “Dear, ignore him. He's just jealous. Dan, meet my ex, Clark Kent. Clark, meet Daniel Scardino, future husband of one very happy Lois Lane.” And with that she reached over to kiss him for effect. As their lips parted, Daniel turned. Reaching toward Clark to shake his hand, he addressed him directly.
“Please, call me Dan. I hope there are no ill feelings, pretty boy. I mean, after all, you had your chance with Lois, and blew it. And I am just the lucky guy who came along right after and was there for her.”
Clark's jaw ticked. “No, Dan.” He hesitated to regroup, as just saying the guy's name provoked an intensely unpleasant visceral reaction. Squeezing Dan's hand only slightly too firmly, he added, “No hard feelings. I'm sure you're offering Lois the kind of life I couldn't. When is the wedding?”
Dan grimaced slightly at the discomfort from the strong handshake. “Next month. Mother and Lois are planning everything, and she always thought it would be nice to do an early Summer outdoor ceremony in the backyard of my childhood home. Lois agreed.”
Clark encouraged him to continue. “Sounds wonderful. Where are you going to live after the wedding?”
Dan seemed wistful. “Well, actually we're moving back to my childhood home in Oklahoma with Mother. We own a ranch out west, and Lois is going to manage the family business with Mother, while I continue working for the DEA from home. I'll probably have to travel a lot, but we both think it will be a nice place to start a family.” At this, he grabbed Lois up possessively in a sideways hug, beaming from ear to ear.
Clark hid a smirk. His sarcasm was evident only to Lois. “Wow. I can picture it now. You and Lois, and Mother, and your ten little Scardinos all on the farm together. You know, Lois always did enjoy helping my dad milk cows when we visited there in Kansas years ago. Oh, this is going to be a dream come true for Lois. She never enjoyed dangling over the jaws of death much with me. But I'm sure you've talked all about that.”
Pulling away from Dan, Lois spoke. “Yes, we have, Clark. And I was the one who suggested giving up the newspaper business. I've had enough excitement to last anyone a lifetime, and I'm tired of it. I'm ready to settle down.”
Looking down at his watch, Dan whistled regretfully. “Lois, if we're going to grab some lunch, we need to go, We're supposed to meet Mother at the AmTrack station at two o' clock, and we have a plane to board tonight, and a lot to do before then.” Lois nodded absently.
As they turned toward the elevator, Clark grabbed them both on the shoulders and began moving them all toward the elevator. “Lunch sounds great. I was just getting ready to leave myself, and it will give us all a chance to get to know one another better. Besides, Dan, it's almost like we're family! Me and you and Lois and Mother. What do you say?”
Dan seemed confused. Lois attempted to rescue the situation, but it was too late. Clark ushered them into the elevator before pressing the button for the ground floor.
Stepping back outside the elevator doors before they closed, Clark added, “I'll follow you over to Luigi's. Lois always loved Italian. I just need to grab some story notes from my desk. See you over there.” And with that an open-mouthed Lois Lane watched the doors close between them.
**************************
Virtually undetected by anyone within the bullpen, Perry and Jimmy peered anxiously through the blinds of his office door and watched as the action transpired.
As the elevator door closed, Perry commented to Jimmy, “Jimmy, this is bad. You know, that boy would walk on water for Lois, or drown tryin'. And right now, it looks like he's drownin'. I'm beginnin' to think this may be a situation which calls for some help from reinforcements.”
Jimmy looked puzzled. “What do you mean, Chief? What kind of reinforcements?”
Perry stood back slightly from the door window. His eyes remained focused intently on Clark, who was scurrying to gather notes from his desk. For a moment, Perry resembled a five-star general inspecting his troops, instead of a mere newspaper editor.
Then he spoke. “Jimmy, I need you to get hold of Lois' rolodex. It should be in the box of her desk belongings she left here that we packed away. Git it, and bring it to me.”
“Why, Chief?”
Perry's face reddened as his voice raised an octave. “Jimmy! I'm in the givin' orders mode. What mode are you in?”
Jimmy jumped. “Uh, Chief, I'm in the....uh, getting Lois rolodex mode?”
Perry calmed slightly. “That's better. Now hop to it. That girl was my star reporter, and I'll be a monkey's uncle before I'll let that cowboy ride in here and ruin her life!”
Jimmy hid a smile as he quickly backed out of the office. He wasn't sure exactly what the Chief was planning, but he had a feeling it was going to be fun to watch.
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(okay, now me hides from tomatoes! It's my muse's fault she's brought Scardino!)
