**Notes** This chapter took me a lot longer than I had intended, but I had so much help from my great betas. Superbek and ksarasara are a joy to work with and help me polish up my descriptions. I am becoming a better writer because of these two. Thank you so much ladies.
This chapter is another long one (over 8000 words), heck, even longer than the last one. And I believe the final chapter might even be longer. Enjoy.
Part 4
Clark walked into the kitchen Tuesday morning as he finished tying his tie. The tie, which was light brown with blue dots of various shades, contrasted with his more neutral charcoal pants and white oxford shirt.
He smiled fondly as he remembered receiving the tie from Lois as a gift last Christmas. Now, it was one of his favorites. He raised his eyes to see her, sitting at the table reading the morning paper. However, his smile quickly faded and his eyes widened in horror as he watched Lois stretch across the table for the salt shaker and almost pour salt rather than sugar into her coffee.
“Oh god, I’m a mess. I almost put salt in my coffee instead of sugar!” Lois stated, reaching for the sugar container instead.
“Lois...?”
She paused and looked up to see Clark offering her several sweetener packets.
She shook her head as she tore open one of the sweetener packets and added it to her coffee. Clark poured himself a cup of coffee, went to the refrigerator for the creamer, and then sat down next to Lois. He grabbed the sugar container and poured quite a bit into his coffee. He looked over at Lois, who was watching him intently.
“What?” he questioned, tilting his head slightly.
“I might need some of that,” Lois replied before taking a sip of her coffee. “I kept tossing and turning last night.”
“I noticed,” he responded, reaching over to take her hand in his. He’d returned from a rescue at about two in the morning and found her lying in the bed diagonally with her head on his pillow and her feet on her side plus the blankets thrown on the floor. “You’ve had a lot going on, Lois. I didn’t get a chance to ask you how your appointment with Dr. Friskin went yesterday.”
“She recommended that I go to see my mother and talk to her. I told her I’d rather ignore her,” Lois said, picking up her spoon and stirring her coffee thoroughly.
“And?”
“And she told me ignoring the problem won’t make it disappear. So I told her what if you and I fly off to an island somewhere,” she admitted, looking up at Clark with a smile.
“You didn’t?!” he questioned, raising the pitch of his voice.
“What? It’s not like we can drive to Hawaii,” Lois retorted shrugging her shoulders. “Anyway, it’s getting late, we should go.”
Clark watched as Lois stood up and put her mug into the sink. She then walked into the living room, around the bedroom, and back into the kitchen, obviously looking for something.
“Have you seen my bag?” Lois asked, stopping in front of him with her hands on her hips.
He stood up and kissed her briefly, then pointed over to the couch. Her bag was sitting right there in the corner of the couch where she had left it last night. She grabbed her bag while he put his coffee cup into the sink. She was heading up the stairs to the door, when he pointed out that she still hadn’t put on her shoes. After finding her black heels and getting a run in her stockings along the way, Lois was finally ready. A few minutes later, they were heading down the road in Lois' Jeep, on their way to the police station.
Clark drove because he knew Lois was struggling that morning. Almost adding salt to her coffee. Not being able to find her bag. Forgetting her shoes... He knew she was a wreck because she was stressed about the story -- a story that might very well be one of the biggest stories of their career. After all, the prospect of finally taking down Intergang was quite overwhelming! However, he also knew that she still needed to work through things with her mother, and that had to be weighing heavily on her mind too.
Clark got out of the Jeep, felt the sun upon his face and smiled. The temperatures fell around the low fifties which was warmer than the previous weeks. Clark watched as Lois tightened up her coat a bit, but didn’t put on her gloves or hat for the short walk down the street to the police station. He opened the door for Lois as they entered the Metropolis Police Department. It had been a few days since Lois and Clark had met with Gwen Bauer. Things had gotten a bit hectic since then with other cases and Superman rescues, so they hadn’t had time to meet with Inspector Henderson.
“I hope Henderson can help us,” Lois stated. Clark watched Lois rub the back of her neck. He knew she was opportunistic and that the evidence would bring down Intergang. They walked up to the front desk of the precinct, where Sergeant Alison Halstead stood. She was the desk sergeant at the 21st district office, which was where Henderson worked.
“Hi, Sergeant. We’re here to see Henderson,” Clark told the older lady, who knew everything about her people and how to keep things moving smoothly.
“He’s expecting you. Go on in,” Sergeant Halstead replied. She buzzed open the door that would let them in the hallway leading to the bullpen.
Clark grabbed the handle to pull open the oak door and let Lois into the hallway first. Clark rested his hand on Lois’ back as they walked down the hallway.
They found Henderson at his desk, and he stood up and led them to an interrogation room.
“Should I ask why we’re in here?” Lois wondered, putting her brown satchel on the table. Inside of the satchel were the pictures, receipts, and notes that Gwen had given them.
“I don’t want others to know what you’ve got,” Henderson answered, closing the door.
Lois and Clark sat next to each other at the table. Clark noticed Lois was still antsy, picking at some imaginary lint on her skirt while they waited for Henderson to settle across from them. He placed a hand over hers to calm her.
“I’m glad the two of you could finally come in. I’ve been chomping at the bit to see what you have,” Henderson said as Lois started pulling out some papers from her bag.
“We have receipts, correspondence, and pictures,” Lois replied, pushing the papers over to Bill.
“I can take this to the DA and see what he says, but I’m sure we can get Mindy Church on something with these,” Henderson said, looking at some of the photos.
“We have confirmation that she was at that meeting with the crime bosses around Christmas,” Clark stated, shuffling through the pile to find a picture of Mindy entering a restaurant with some of the most dangerous mobsters Metropolis has seen in years. Two hours after the picture was taken, all of the mobsters were dead, and Mindy was nowhere to be seen.
“I’m not sure if this will be enough to show that she was the one that poisoned them, but I can show all of this to the DA,” Henderson responded, stacking all of the information into a neat pile.
Lois pulled out a manilla envelope she had in her bag and handed it to Henderson with a smile.
“Thanks,” Henderson said. “Now I hear the two of you are living together. How is that going?”
Clark realized Henderson was staring at him with his head tilted and a grin across his face.
“We’re not living together. I still have my apartment and he has his place,” Lois stated, wiping her hands on her skirt.
“I was asking Kent,” Henderson laughed as he stood up.
Clark looked over at Lois, who crossed her arms in front of her chest, and gave him a stern look. He faced Henderson.
“It’s fine,” Clark answered Henderson with a smile. Clark knew better to say anything else, but it was great to have Lois with him. It was a wonderful feeling to curl up on the couch together with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie. It was amazing to have her be the last thing he saw every night as he closed his eyes to go to sleep. And it was incredible to wake up next to her in the morning. It was everything he’d ever wanted.
Several minutes later, Lois and Clark were in her Jeep on the way to the Planet. Lois sat there as Clark drove, and he could tell she had something on her mind by the way she fidgeted with the radio.
“I know you have a lot going on, honey, but why would you tell Henderson that we aren’t living together? When was the last time you stayed at your apartment?” Clark asked. He wanted to be fully committed to this relationship, but at times he felt like Lois always had one foot out the door. Lois’ past relationships and her parents’ marriage gave her insecurities that he was hoping to solve with her.
“Since my mother came into town,” she answered with a huff. “I thought you liked me staying with you.”
“Of course, I do. Yet I’m starting to think maybe we should just make it official,” Clark suggested. He noticed how she stiffened up instantly. “No, not marriage, even though you did tell your mother we were engaged. She knows you are staying with me. Why don’t we just move in together, officially?”
“Clark, what’s going on?” Lois wondered. “This really isn’t a time for us to make those types of decisions.”
“When is the right time? You wanted more time when I asked you to marry me last year. We decided it was a big step and we would wait. So instead of marriage, why don’t we just take the next step.”
“Did your parents say something about me staying with you?” Lois asked, biting her lip.
“What do my parents have to do with this? No, they didn't say anything, but of course they know what's going on in my life. I do talk to them, you know,” Clark scowled before he realized what he had said. He opened his mouth again to say something, apologize maybe, but nothing would come out. He didn’t know why he had said that.
“Ouch,” Lois murmured, lowering her chin to her chest.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound like it did, but you know I have a good relationship with my parents. And I thought you did too,” he wondered, gripping the steering wheel. He could tell by her body language that she was upset. Her shoulders were slumped over, and he worried she may be about to cry.
“I adore your parents, but I didn’t grow up like you. I didn’t grow up in a loving home with two parents who adored each other,” Lois mumbled looking out the window. “I wasn’t so lucky.”
Clark turned into the parking garage of the Daily Planet, finding a parking space as fast as possible to get out of the confined space of the Jeep. He wanted to apologize to her, although he wasn’t sure why. Yes, he was frustrated by her lack of communication and her inability to commit to him. Yet, he loved and cherished her no matter what, and he would never want to change her.
However, just after they'd exited the Jeep and exited the parking garage, his super hearing picked up a cry for help. Lois kept walking and didn’t notice that he had stopped. He was torn, he looked out from where the cries for help were coming, then turned to Lois. They needed to talk, yet Superman duties came first. Sometimes the life of a superhero meant flying off in the most inappropriate times.
“Lois,” he called. She was already about ten feet in front of him, and she didn’t stop, so he ran up to her and grabbed her arm. “I have to go.”
“Go,” she told him, stepping away from him and pulling her arm back.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I’ll talk to you later,” Clark stated, and he reached over to kiss her before she could protest. Then he turned around and ran down the alleyway next to the parking garage.
***
Lois stood there in shock at what just happened. First, he had to remind her that she didn’t say ‘yes’ when he proposed to her. Then, he talked about taking the next step, suggesting they move in together, and implying that she didn’t talk to her parents.. Men! And rather than stay and talk about it, he decided to fly away instead. No, she wasn’t in the mood this morning. What had happened between his apartment and the police station that made him act like that?
She strolled into the Planet lobby and ran straight into Camilla. Once again, the Latino looked amazing, and Lois felt horrible.
“Good morning, Lois. How’s Henderson doing?” Camilla wondered as the two women stepped onto the elevator. Camilla held a pastry in her hand – a chocolate pastry at that – and Lois couldn’t stop staring at it while Camilla took a bite. “Skip breakfast?”
“Yes, and I’ve got a weakness for chocolate. How can you eat that and still look like that?” Lois asked while her eyes looked the woman up and down, admiring Camilla’s bright pink mid-length dress, brown leather boots, and matching coat, which hung down slightly past her dress. Lois couldn’t wear anything like that, eat like Camilla did, and still look that good.
“Believe me, chasing around a three-year-old all night and spending an hour on the stairmaster in the morning does a lot,” Camilla answered, taking another bite. “Where is Clark this morning? I thought the two of you were going to go see Henderson together?”
Lois shifted from one foot to the other and looked at the floor. Coming up with excuses for Clark’s disappearances had become second nature to her.
“He had a source he had to meet,” Lois lied, pushing the button for the bullpen a few times.
“Are we still on tonight? Darrin is looking forward to a night of dancing,” Camilla said. She swayed her hips a bit to some imaginary music, grinning at Lois as she added, “And so am I. I can’t tell you the last time we doubled or I got out on the dance floor.”
Lois had forgotten for a moment that she and Clark had agreed to go out with Camilla and Darrin a couple of days before. Camilla had mentioned that she loved dancing, and Clark had said that he had learned to dance from a Nigerian princess. Camilla doubted him and said he would have to prove it. So now the two couples were set to go out dancing while Jimmy babysat Angelica.
“I’m not sure. I have to check with Clark, but I could sure use a night out,” Lois stated as the elevator doors opened. “Plus I can’t wait to see Jimmy with your little one! That will be quite an experience.”
Both of the women stepped out of the elevator. Camilla walked down the ramp, and Lois headed straight for the coffee. Even though it was only a little after ten in the morning, she definitely needed more coffee. One cup was definitely not enough.
As Lois stopped in front of her desk, she noticed a single yellow rose on her desk along with a little brown bag that looked familiar. Opening the bag, she smelled the sweet smell of buttery chocolate. Looking around, she tried to see where Clark had disappeared to, but he was nowhere to be found.
Jimmy passed by Lois with some books in his hand. He looked frazzled and in a rush, but Lois needed to know if Clark had come back already.
“Jimmy, do you know who dropped these off?” Lois asked, grabbing his arm.
“Not sure. They were there a few minutes ago when I came out of the Chief’s office. Oh, by the way, the Chief wanted to speak to you when you came in,” Jimmy replied as he started walking away.
“Thanks, Jimmy,” Lois stated, hanging up her coat and putting her bag on her chair.
A moment later, Lois knocked on Perry’s office door and walked in. Perry was on the phone, probably talking to someone in advertising, she thought, as she watched his hands wave around animatedly and cringed at his loud, gruff voice. Without cutting off his conversation, he motioned her inside and pointed to the chair in front of his desk, indicating that she should sit.Within a couple of minutes, he hung up the phone and didn’t hesitate to get right to the point.
“What did the inspector have to say?” Perry wondered, raising his eyebrows and leaning in toward her.
“Henderson doesn’t know if it’s enough, but he is going to take everything we gave him to the district attorney and let us know,” Lois explained, leaning back against the cushion.
“And your mother? Lois, you know I don’t like to get into my reporters personal business, but your mother called three times so far this morning,” Perry stated, handing Lois the little pink While You Were Out notes.
“Why doesn’t she get the hint?” Lois said angrily, grabbing the papers from Perry.
“The hint about what? What is going on?” Perry asked, tilting his head slightly.
“She has cirrhosis of the liver and needs a transplant. My mother decided I’m the best match, even though I’m not sure how,” Lois muttered. She wasn’t sure why her mother had come to her. Yes, she was the eldest daughter and, other than Lucy, the only direct blood relative still alive. But she was sure her mother should be able to get on some sort of transplant list or something...although she knew a blood relative would probably be a better option.
“It would be a good idea to help her. And you could have a few weeks off to recharge and recuperate,” Perry suggested as he leaned over and put his hands on the desk. “Maybe I can even manage to have Kent with you for a couple of days.”
“It’s not that, Perry. Believe me a vacation would be nice, but I’m not the type to sit around and do nothing. Plus, it’s my mother. The only good thing she has done for me was give birth to me. She can’t even take responsibility for her drinking, and she still blames my dad for everything,” Lois explained, pulling a piece of lint off her navy skirt.
“She’s still your mother, though. Believe me, when she is no longer here, you will likely regret it,” Perry insisted.
“I appreciate the concern, Chief, I do…I just… I don’t really want to talk about it, especially right now.”
He nodded curtly and she knew he understood. “Okay, onto a different topic, then. Where are you on the Mindy Church story?”
“Clark and I were talking about finally doing an expose on Mindy and her background. Once her past is revealed, we think it will give the district attorney enough information to make a decision on Intergang,” Lois explained.
“Good idea. I want the first article for Monday’s lead,” Perry stated, leaning back in his chair. “Oh, and I decided we are going to start handing the Superman stories to Camilla.”
Lois was flabbergasted. She and Clark had always covered Superman. Why was Perry wanting to change it now? Of course, it might be a good thing if she covered Superman stories a bit less, she reasoned. After all, she'd noticed that Clark had been having more and more trouble lately with hiding his feelings toward Lois when he was in the cape.
“That might be a good idea, Perry. She hasn’t had much experience with dealing with someone like Superman,” Lois replied with a smile. “Great idea.”
“They didn’t hire me –”
“Because you can yodel. Yes, I remember,” Lois retorted.
A couple minutes later, Lois exited Perry’s office. She immediately saw Clark at his desk, his back to her, and she felt an urgent need to talk to him. Why was she so upset at him for having a loving relationship with his family? Oh, wait, it wasn’t that. It was the moving in together comment that had really gotten under her skin. They really needed to talk.
“Hi,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for the rose and croissant.”
“I’m sorry about earlier,” he replied as she turned to lean against the corner of his desk.
“I am too. I know I close myself off and get jittery when our relationship status comes up,” Lois explained, her hands folded together in front of her. “I don’t like change, so with everything going on right now, I think keeping my apartment for the time being is the best thing for us.”
“Okay,” Clark answered, reaching for her hand. “I know I shocked you with the idea of us moving in together.”
“No. Yes. Well, sort of. It is the logical next step. And you were right. When was the last time I stayed at my apartment? And what if your parents came to Metropolis? Where would they stay? All four of us can’t stay at your place,” Lois argued, nodding her head. “Then I thought about us moving in together a bit more, and I realized maybe it shouldn’t be your place or my place, but our place.”
“So finding somewhere new for us,” Clark thought out loud. “And you did all of this thinking since you got here?”
Lois smiled at him, then tapped his shoulder. She had thought of this before, just never voiced her opinions about it. There was history at her apartment. Before Clark had even come into the picture, there were dates, and even Lucy had lived there. No, her place was out of the question. And then, his apartment… She had too many memories of seeing tartlet blondes over trying to come on to him. Nope, his apartment was out of the question.
“No, silly. I think of these things, too,” Lois confessed with a smile. “I just don’t always say what I’m thinking.”
“Never,” he mocked. “Maybe we can start looking at a new place after Valentine’s Day. Where would you like to live? Closer to the Planet? Stay over in your neighborhood? Any type of style you like? We could always look at townhouses?”
“We’ll see. Nothing says love like going house hunting together,” Lois stated, before reaching over to put her hand on his cheek and kiss him.
“I love you,” Clark murmured between kisses.
“Umm, CK…Lois was looking for you earlier,” Jimmy explained, grinning sheepishly as he stepped up to Clark’s desk. “She was wondering if you were the one who put the rose on her desk.”
Lois pulled away from Clark and shook her head. Jimmy always had impeccable timing.
“Yellow roses mean friendship,” Camilla interrupted, walking up beside Jimmy.
“Yes, they do,” Clark responded, looking over at Camilla and then to Jimmy. “And yes, I did.”
“What did you do wrong?” Jimmy wondered, putting his hand on Clark’s shoulder. “I mean a rose and breakfast. It must have been bad.”
“Jimmy, men don’t need to give women gifts only when they want to apologize for something or for a special occasion,” Camilla stated, putting her hands on her hips. “It’s the little gifts here and there that mean even more.”
As Lois stood there watching Camilla and Jimmy talk about women, she realized how good it felt to have another woman in the bullpen with her. She had been outnumbered at work for what seemed like years.
She felt a hand on her knee and looked over at Clark, who was smiling at her with those big soft eyes. What would she do without him in her life?
“Perry wants us to start on a series of articles about Mindy. So, by the time the police decide to move forward, her past will be exposed already,” Lois said, putting her hand over his.
“Okay, I mean we still have all of the information we found in New Orleans about her. Didn’t you start an article on all of those details already?” he questioned, leaning forward a bit.
Distractedly, Lois watched Jimmy walk away with Camilla as she explained what women were really like. She smiled at how Camilla seemed to be fitting in with the little family they had created.
“Lois” Clark interrupted.
“Um, sorry. Yeah, I wrote up what we had when she opened the Raven,” Lois replied, standing up. “Let me send it to you.”
She walked over to her desk and got to work. The rest of the day went by without a hitch, well, except for Clark disappearing a couple of times when Superman was needed. Lois worked on another article that Perry had assigned her yesterday about the tax hike the city was thinking about.
After two hours of working at her desk, she stood up and stretched. Lois looked over at Clark’s empty desk and shook her head, then turned to the television behind her. The news anchor was giving details about a major flood happening in Oregon and how Superman was on the scene helping.
“Lois, do you know where Clark is?” Camilla asked, coming up to stand next to her desk.
“Meeting a source,” Lois lied once again. She turned around and sat back down. Before she could get back to work, Camilla sat down next to her.
“He’s gone a lot, isn’t he?” Camilla asked. “I mean at the oddest times, he just runs off and is gone for hours. Doesn’t that bother you?”
Instantly, Lois stopped and turned to Camilla. The woman couldn’t already have figured out what took her two years to realize – could she?
“He’s a reporter, Camilla. You know how it is with sources; they want to meet at the oddest times and places,” Lois retorted. “And it’s not like he’s lying to me about where he’s going.”
Camilla stared at Lois intently, her expression a mixture of understanding and doubt.
“Are you sure? I mean, Clark is a fantastic guy. One of the most interesting men I have ever met, but he is still a man,” Camilla said, flipping her hair back over her shoulder.
“I know Darrin was unfaithful to you, but Clark isn’t like that,” Lois declared, sitting up straighter.
“I’m not like what?” Clark wondered as he came up behind Lois, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“Oh, well, you know… I was just telling Lois how it seems like you certainly are busy a lot… meeting with your sources and stuff,” Camilla replied before standing up and walking away.
Lois watched her walk away and shook her head. Seconds later, Clark sat down in the chair. He took Lois’ hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it.
“You know where I was, right? I would never think about cheating on you,” Clark assured her, kissing her hand again.
“I know.”
“Oh, before I forget, I bought you something back. I figured you had to be hungry since all you had today was that pastry,” he said, lifting up a brown bag next to him and handing it to her.
“What is it?”
“Tacos from a little place in Los Angeles. I flew down there after the flood,” Clark whispered, moving closer to her.
“Thank you. I was getting a little hungry,” Lois admitted, taking a taco out of the bag. She took a bite of the little taco, closing her eyes to savor the flavors of the homemade tortillas. “Mmmm, so good.”
“I hope you know that I am not like Darrin or your father,” Clark stated again. “I could never.”
As Lois ate her taco, she looked over at Clark and nodded her head. Clark was different from many men in her past. In fact, he was different from anyone she had ever known, and that is one reason she loved him so much. And yet, she couldn’t seem to let herself fully commit to him. She wished she could, but her head kept telling her ‘no’ when her heart wanted to say ‘yes.’
“I know you’re not, and I love you even more for reminding me of that,” Lois reassured him.
She loved that he reminded her how much he loved her and would be there for her no matter what. His boy-next-door charm was one thing she loved about him, as was the fact that he was the only person she could go toe to toe with and enjoy it. Lois was madly in love with him; she couldn’t help smiling when she saw him, and she loved every moment in his arms. Yet her insecurities seemed to be keeping her from taking that final step with him.
“I am sorry about earlier,” Clark said, looking down at his hands. “I want you to be happy. And I shouldn’t have pushed the moving in together idea so soon.”
“Clark, it’s all good, I promise. Let’s just finish our day, so we can go out tonight with Camilla and Darrin. It might be fun to get out with another couple for once. I haven’t really met him yet, anyway,” Lois explained. With a smile, she grabbed Clark’s tie and pulled him toward her. She had finished eating, so she kissed him. “Now get to work.”
Lois watched as he shook his head and smiled, then he got up and went to his desk.
The remaining couple of hours of their workday seemed to fly by. Before they knew it, five o’clock had rolled around, and they found themselves taking the elevators down to the parking garage. Minus later, Clark navigated her Jeep out onto he busy streets as Lois stared out the window, lost in thought. It seemed like it had been a long day since Lois wasn’t working on a big story right now. They were just in a waiting game with the police department and the district attorney’s office.
“Can you drop me off at my apartment?” Lois asked after digging in her satchel for her keys.
She noticed as Clark stiffened up and glanced over at her.
“I thought we were going out tonight?” Clark asked, moving his eyes back to the road.
“We are. I just don’t have the right outfit at your apartment,” Lois answered, reaching over to put her hand on his thigh. “Anyway, you can pick me at six thirty, and then we can go get something to eat and meet them at the club.”
“I have a better idea,” Clark admitted, covering her hand with his. “Meet me back at my place at six thirty. I’ll make us dinner.”
“I know you love cooking me dinner, but I wanted you to have the night off also,” Lois confessed with her deep dark eyes gazing at him.
“You mean the entire night?” he asked, his voice strained. “I mean unless there is a massive emergency, I can probably do it. I mean I have done it before.”
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but every night this week you have been out for hours. I think taking a night off will be good for the both of us,” Lois explained, squeezing his thigh again.
“Okay,” he stated. “I’ll drop you off and come back to pick you up. We will go somewhere nice for dinner then meet them at eight thirty.”
Soon, Lois unlocked the door to her apartment and tossed a week’s worth of mail on the end table. Her apartment looked like it always had with just another layer of dust added. Lately, though, it didn’t feel like home. Home to her was where Clark was and that made her feel even worse.
Lois looked at the wall clock hanging in the kitchen and realized she didn’t have a lot of time. Clark would be picking her up in a little over an hour, which was barely enough time to shower, fix her hair and fix her make-up, and put on one of her new purchases that she had bought right after Christmas.
Forty-five minutes later, she stood in front of the mirror gliding on some red lipstick when there was a knock on the door. Lois was nervous, almost as though it was their first date once again. Barefoot, she hurried over, looked through the peephole just to make sure, and unlocked the door with a huge smile on her face. Her date looked as dashing as ever, reminding her again of the night of their first date.
“You’re early,” Lois said, opening the door and taking a deep breath.
“You should know me, it doesn’t take me long to get ready,” he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. Clark came into the apartment, closing the door behind him. He turned around and looked her over, the expression in his eyes making her blush. She watched as he put his hand over his heart. “Honey, are you trying to give every man in the place a heart attack?”
“You like?” She twirled around once in front of him so he could get a full view of her cherry red wrap dress. The halterneck design tied at the back, and when she turned around, the backless, knee-length dress showed off her slender figure.
“I have to put on my heels and earrings, and I’ll be ready,” Lois stated, putting her hands behind her neck.
Before she could disappear in her bedroom, Clark grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her passionately. She kissed him back with all her might, getting lost in his arms as his other hand fell on the bare skin on her back.
After the kiss left them breathless, she looked at his eyes, which were filled with love and desire.
“How about we just stay in tonight?” he whispered huskily in her ear before kissing the pulsating spot on her neck.
“I wish,” she admitted with a sigh.
Clark let go of her and straightened up his tie. Lois went into her bedroom while Clark sat down on the couch.
“Is that a charcoal suit you are wearing?” she asked as she walked back into the living room a couple of minutes later, now wearing red heels and a pair of emerald teardrop earrings in gold.
“Well, if it helps, my tie has some green and red in it,” Clark stated, pulling up his tie to show Lois.
“No, it’s just you wore a charcoal suit on our first date,” Lois smiled, grabbing her black purse.
“Yes, and you were wearing your little black dress with that pearl necklace,” Clark remembered, standing up. The night had cooled off tremendously, with the temperatures dropping fifteen degrees since late morning, so Clark walked over to grab Lois’ red princess-style wool coat with black faux fur around the edges and helped her into it.
“I love how you remember what I was wearing that night,” Lois admitted as she put her hand on his cheek.
“It’s a night I will never forget,” Clark said before kissing her and then tightening the coat around her. “I don’t need you to get cold out there.”
“Let’s go,” she told him.
Two hours later, Clark hung onto Lois as they stood outside amid the large crowd in line to enter the Havana Club, the hottest new club in Metropolis. The luxury gold building had large windows in front, which showed off blue lights shining from inside. Two glass doors led inside from the wide steps. The new venue was supposed to have three separate rooms with over ten thousand square feet total with custom-lighting and the newest sound systems.
“Do you know where Darrin and Camilla are supposed to meet us?” Lois asked after Clark handed the keys to the Jeep to the valet.
“Up front. Something about knowing one of the owners,” Clark answered as he took her hand in his and led them up to the two bouncers manning the entrance.
“You need to go back to the end of the line,” the larger bouncer said. In his button-down black shirt and black slacks, the man towered over Clark and looked like he could even take Superman down.
“We’re on the list. Our friend Camilla is expecting us,” Clark replied.
“Clark! Lois!” Camilla shouted coming up behind the bouncer. She looked over at the bouncer. “Bruno, they're with me.”
“No problem, Mrs. Eastman,” Bruno said, removing the velvet rope to let Clark and Lois through.
Lois turned around and glanced at the line when she heard people booing and shouting. She knew she would freeze if she had to stand out in that line very long.
A few minutes later, Lois stood by coat check with Clark right behind her. He pulled her back against his chest as they stood in line. With the darkness surrounding them, he seemed to feel comfortable kissing her neck. However, strobes of different color lights and the loud music made Lois feel out of sorts. This wasn’t really her type of place; she would rather be home with a bowl of popcorn, watching a movie and cuddling up next to Clark.
“You come in handy at times like these,” she said, tilting her head to let him gain better access to her neck.
“We don’t have to stay too long,” Clark told her. She fell back against his chest once again when they took a few more steps forward. She laughed when he wouldn’t let her go.
A couple of minutes later, Lois handed her jacket over to check her coat as a few of the men around them leered at her. She took the token for her coat and put it in her purse. Clark took her hand and led her toward the bar where he had last seen Camilla and Darrin.
Camilla looked up toward Clark and Lois as they approached. She stood up from the small circular gold table. The matching gold chairs made Camilla blend in with her silver sequined mini dress. Her deep V-neckline left little to the imagination, particularly when coupled with how form fitting the long-sleeved dress was.
“Finally you made it,” Camilla said, reaching out to give a slight hug to Lois and even Clark.
The loud Latin beats made it difficult to introduce Darrin to Lois. Darrin stood up, and Lois realized just how tall he was. He stood at least three inches taller than Clark and made Lois feel tiny in comparison.
“Nice to meet you,” Darrin said, shaking Lois’ hand.
“Likewise,” Lois replied. The two had to stand close together just to hear each other.
“Wow, Lois. That dress! I’m surprised Clark let you out in that,” Camilla laughed before the couples sat down.
Lois and Camilla were the ones at the ends of the table closest to the dance floor with Darrin and Clark sitting next to one another. Lois blushed as she felt Clark’s hand on her lower back. Lois, on the other hand, noticed a hardened look out of Darrin’s eyes when he looked at the crowd. After the group ordered their drinks, Clark moved his hand to the back of Lois’ chair.
“This place is booming,” Camilla stated as she started moving her shoulders to the beat. “I used to drag Darrin dancing all the time in Chicago.”
The intimate group watched as the crowd began dancing to the newest Latin hits. Lois’ shoulders relaxed a bit when she felt Clark’s hand on her bare shoulder. He kept finding any reason to touch her bare skin, from her knee to her neck. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself, and Lois was enjoying every bit of contact.
“Clark, didn’t you tell me you learned to dance from a Nigerian princess?” Camilla asked Clark across the table.
“Ah, well, yes, but it was ballroom dancing. I learned ballroom dancing from the princess,” Clark corrected.
“He learned how to salsa from spending six weeks in Mexico City,” Lois explained as she watched the dancers out on the floor.
“Well, then if you know how to salsa, come on,” Camilla stated, standing up and reaching for Clark’s hand. He looked over at Lois, and she nodded her head. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep up with the fast steps.
Darrin watched as his wife glided out onto the floor.
“She has always been the flirt, friendly with everyone,” Darrin told Lois. Lois looked over at him. He smiled at Lois, but she noticed that his eyes stayed on his wife.
Looking back toward the dance floor,Lois noticed that Camilla was looking everywhere but at her husband. Yet Clark kept glancing over at Lois and smiling. As Clark and Camilla moved their hips to the music, Lois looked down and blushed when Clark mouthed to Lois ‘I love you.’
“He’s crazy about you,” Darrin said, reaching for Lois’ hand. “How long have the two of you been together?”
Lois immediately pulled her hand away. “We started dating a year ago, but we were partners and friends for a year before that,” Lois admitted. “How did you and Camilla meet?”
“I thought that woman would have told you our whole life story by now,” he answered, shaking his head, then taking a slug of his beer.
“Not all of it,” Lois responded, taking a sip of her drink. “She told me you were a lawyer in Chicago and that your dad is a sports agent.”
Darrin put his head back and chuckled, then sat up more, straightening his shoulders.
“Of course, she would mention my dad. It’s how we met. My dad introduced us. He had come to the college to watch one of my basketball games, but what I didn’t know is he had done some research on other athletes. Camilla was a softball player who had a powerful swing. Her upper body strength is still legendary.”
“What’s legendary?” Clark asked as he came back to the table. He bent down and kissed Lois briefly while Camilla sat back down next to Darrin.
“Camilla’s hitting power. She held the record for most home runs in a single season her junior year,” Darrin explained, putting his hand across the back of Camilla’s chair. “I was telling Lois here that my dad is the one that introduced us.”
“Yeah, that was funny. This older gentleman comes up to me in the middle of the hallway and actually asks me if I would go out with his son. I didn’t know who his son was or anything,” Camilla stated before downing her fruity drink.
Camilla stood back up and turned to the table.
“Anyone need another drink?” she wondered.
Both Darrin and Clark held up their empty bottles. Lois frowned as she noticed the three empty beer bottles sitting in front of Darrin. She wasn’t sure how the man could hold his liquor, but at least she knew Clark would be fine.
“My dad is big on knowing the up-and-comers in college sports. He even took me to a MidWestern State game in Kansas once. Told me about a player that could have gone pro, but he said it didn’t look like the young journalism major was trying hard enough,” Darrin announced with a knowing grin.
Lois grabbed Clark’s hand, knowing full well who Darrin was talking about.
“I loved playing football, but I wanted to become a journalist more,” Clark admitted as he pulled his shoulders back. Lois felt proud of him for his choice.
Camilla came back with four more drinks and handed them out.
“The waitress will be coming over in a minute to clear the table,” Camilla said before sitting back down. Lois noticed as Camilla looked over at Darrin then at Clark. “So Clark, you kept up with me pretty well on the dance floor. Ballroom from the Nigerian princess and salsa from spending six weeks in Mexico. How much have you traveled?”
“After college graduation, I spent about three years traveling the world,” Clark replied before taking a drink of his beer.
“He freelanced while he traveled. He even worked for a while at the Borneo Gazette,” Lois teased, putting her hand on Clark’s thigh.
Lois looked over at Darrin who just sat there and drank his beer, seemingly uninterested in the conversation.
“Yeah, sounds like you made the right choice choosing journalism,” Darrin smirked.
“Darrin, that’s enough,” Camilla told him, giving him a hard stare.
“I loved every minute of traveling, but after three years it was time to settle down,” Clark explained, his fingers tracing Lois’ bare shoulder.
“Is that when you came to Metropolis?” Camilla wondered.
“Over two years ago, and it was the best decision I ever made,” he answered before looking out to the dance crowd.
The music slowed, and a tune from the 1960s began to play, the remixed version having a distinct Latin vibe.
“Lois, care to dance?” he murmured in her ear.
Lois looked over at him with a smile and nodded her head. They went to the dance floor and started swaying to the music, his arms around her waist and Lois’ around his neck.
“I don’t think Darrin is having a good time,” Lois whispered, knowing full well that Clark could hear her perfectly even with the loud music. They shifted closer together, their arms tightening around each other.
Lois glanced over at the table and noticed Darrin finish another beer. He then stood up and left the table, and Camilla shot up and followed him.
“You know we don’t need to stay,” Clark said. “How about we get out of here?”
“Can we finish this dance, first?” Lois suggested, resting her head against his chest.
“Absolutely,” he said, pulling her closer.
Several minutes later, Lois was walking up to coat check when she heard her name being called. Turning around, Lois realized this night had just turned into a nightmare.
“Miss Lane, I wouldn’t think I would find you in an establishment like this,” Mindy Churchstated, her bodyguards surrounding her.
“Mindy, what a surprise,” Lois remarked with a fake smile. Lois tightened her shoulders and tried not to show her dislike for the woman standing in front of her.
“You didn’t come alone, did you?” the blonde bombshell wondered, her eyes studying Lois’ outfit, maybe even with a hint of jealousy. “I wouldn’t think Mr. Kent would let you come to a place like this alone when you’re dressed like that.”
“She didn’t,” Clark announced coming up to Lois. He put his hand on her back feeling calm and comforted by his touch. “What a surprise to see you here tonight, Mrs. Church.”
“Well, I happen to know one of the owners,” Mindy expressed with a smile as she flipped her hair around her shoulder. “Anyway, the two of you aren’t leaving already, are you?”
“Yup, early morning. You know, bringing down the evil in the world stops for no one,” Lois retorted as she stepped up in the line for her coat.
“Have a good evening,” Clark said before stepping away from Mindy.
A couple of minutes later Clark and Lois were standing outside waiting for the valet. Clark wrapped his arms around Lois trying to keep her warm since the temperatures had dropped at least twenty degrees from earlier in the day.
“Did you find Camilla?” Lois wondered.
“Yeah, I found her and Darrin kissing in a corner booth in the back of one of the dance rooms,” Clark laughed.
“They don’t seem very affectionate with each other,” Lois mentioned, and she leaned back into Clark as she enjoyed the feeling his arms around her.
“No, they don’t. But that won’t be us, Lois. Believe me, in thirty years I will still want to put my hand on the small of your back and put my arms around you,” he clarified, fluttering kisses down her neck. “I will always want to kiss your neck at this spot that makes your heart rate spike.”
“Mmm, good… I hope you will… Now, let’s get home so I can get out of these heels,” she replied, moving her neck slightly to give Clark a better angle.
“You can keep the heels on, but take everything else off,” he murmured in her ear with a smile.
Lois laughed and swatted at his arm as the valet pulled up with the Jeep. Soon, Clark was driving down the darkened streets.
“Am I taking you back to your apartment or to mine?” he asked.
“I figured your place, if that’s okay,” Lois answered, putting her hand on his thigh. “Anyway, I figured you owed me another dance.”
A little bit later, Clark and Lois walked through the hallway toward his apartment. As they went up the steps, Lois noticed his door was slightly open. Clark lowered his glasses, presumably to scan the apartment for intruders.
“Oh boy,” Clark mumbled as he guided Lois the final few steps to the apartment and pushed the door open all the way.
“Let’s take a wild guess who did this,” Lois said, shaking her head as she and Clark surveyed the disaster in front of them. The apartment was ransacked–couch cushions torn apart, books thrown off bookshelves, the television knocked over. “Do you think my place was ransacked also?”
“Call the police, and I’ll check your apartment. I’ll be right back,” Clark said before spinning into the suit and flying off.
Lois looked around for Clark’s phone and found it behind the couch off the hook. She dialed the police, and before she could even ask for Inspector Henderson, Clark was back. Her shoulders slumped from the look on Clark’s face. Within a couple of minutes, Inspector Henderson was on the phone with Lois. She told him that she was at Clark’s apartment and that it had been broken into.
“He is on his way with a couple officers,” Lois stated after hanging up the phone. Clark pulled Lois into a hug, and she buried her head into his solid chest, glad for the comfort of his embrace as she realized their night wasn’t going to end on a happy note she’d wanted. “I think Mindy knows we are onto her.”
Clark continued to hold her as they waited for the police to arrive, and Lois felt a little flare of excitement as she realized their story may be about to break. If their apartments had been broken into, it meant Mindy must have a mole in the police station. Despite how hard they had tried to keep the details of Gwen Bauer’s evidence a secret, the information had leaked somehow.
The hottest team in town was now being hunted by the ruthless Intergang once again.
