Authors’ Notes Sara: Well, once upon a time, Socomama said in #loisclark Discord, “I feel like Phoenix was a bit of a missed opportunity as one-bed tropes go. Like, ‘they spill the champagne all over the sofa, so now Clark can’t sleep there’ would have been an obvious direction in my mind.” And so... Phoenix Plot Bunny was born. This is only kinda that story...because it collided with another plot bunny of hers and gained an a-plot (and anyone who knows me will NOT be surprised to find out that my “It was supposed to be a fluffy one-shot” is now close to 30k words). Anyhow...
Socomama said I could take her plot bunny and run with it because she was busy and didn’t have time. Except...every time I PM’d her to chat about the story, we brainstormed so much and she offered up so many wonderful snippets of dialogue... well, I decided she was co-writing this story, but I wouldn’t tell her until it was finished. I did end up telling her around the time it morphed from fluffy one shot to amazing, full episode rewrite, at which point we actually did write together and collaborate on everything. And the rest is history! Congrats on your first L&C fic, Socomama!!
Socomama: Ahhh! I don’t know how this happened. One minute, I’m innocently teeing up some ideas for Sara to write me a story and the next I’m writing the story with her. She didn’t know what she was in for asking me to write this—things on my end were chaotic, so she has the patience of Clark Kent himself for putting up with me. Once we started noodling on it, we realized there were some other issues in this episode (and one major HOL plot point) we wanted to fix. Why the heck wasn’t anyone more concerned about Lex (especially Clark)? Wouldn’t Lois’ safety have been of paramount concern? Why did the writers cheat us out of a classic one-bed trope opportunity? Shouldn’t “The Phoenix,” being the turning point in their relationship, have been a two-hour episode, with one hour devoted exclusively to their almost-first date on the boat? Many thanks to KSaraSara for her endless patience and guidance. This was fun. We hope you enjoy!
Summary: Lois and Clark are just on the cusp of a relationship when Lex Luthor comes back from the dead. With the threat of danger hanging over their heads and Clark’s protective streak running in overdrive, how will they deal with a stakeout in close quarters, a postponed first date, and a race to catch Luthor before it’s too late? A rewrite of the episode “The Phoenix.”
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You By Socomama and KSaraSara
Chapter 1Tonight was the night. Their first date. The thought both thrilled Clark and terrified him, but mostly, he was feeling unusually optimistic that today could be one of the most important days of his life.
Clark had arrived in the office earlier than normal, eager to see Lois and hoping—though the reporter in him felt guilty for it—the day would fly by uneventfully with no breaking news or Superman rescues to speak of.
Mentally, he was floating on air, wishing he'd taken some time on the way into work to do some barrel rolls in the sky. He almost felt like nothing could spoil his good mood today.
So, of course, his heart tripped a little when he looked up and saw Lois walking briskly into the newsroom, making a beeline for his desk.
“Clark, I, uh, I need to talk to you...now.”
He jumped up to follow her into the conference room, detecting a panicky pitch to her voice. He closed the door and shut the blinds.
“Lois, what is it?”
“I—uh, well, Clark, I...” Her eyes were wide, almost wild. Lois at a loss for words was rare, and nearly always meant she was in trouble. Clark took her gently by the shoulders, trying to calm her.
“Lois, whatever it is, just tell me. You’re scaring me,” Clark said. He hadn’t anticipated this, although given their track record, maybe he should have.
“Lex,” she blurted, as if it was the only word she could conjure.
“Luthor?”
“I, uh, saw him? I saw him. Last night. Talked to him, actually,” she sputtered.
“You talked to...Luthor? The
dead Lex Luthor?”
“Formerly dead. He’s alive, Clark. He’s Lex. He’s...bald? I actually saw him the night before too—he was disguised as an old man in a wheelchair. I helped him across the street. Today, I—I—I...I saw him again, and well, it was definitely Lex.”
“How is it possible he could still be alive?” Clark said, his thoughts racing, panic blooming in his chest.
Lois. The cage. Lois. “I don’t know, Clark! I mean, we know it’s possible. Dr. Hamilton brought back Bonnie and Clyde and their gang from the dead. Superman brought
you back from the dead! I think this brings us to the logical conclusion that people can be brought back from the dead. I don’t have an answer for everything. I’m just telling you what happened!”
“Okay, Lois, okay. So what happened? What did he say to you?”
“Well, at first, he was just this elderly man, the same one from the other night, but I knew something was off—I just couldn’t figure out what it was. He started telling me the story of the Phoenix. Then he peeled off his makeup, his...face—oh what do you call it—this prosthetic mask. And he said he came back for me, that even death couldn’t keep us apart. He kept saying things like, 'we’re together again, that’s all that matters.' He said all the terrible things he did were for me. I don’t even remember it all, Clark. I could hardly believe it was happening.”
“Lois, why didn’t you call me last night? I would have come over.”
And I would have stayed, his mind supplied. If not at her apartment, outside of it, all night long. “Or the police? Why didn’t you call the police? We need to find him—now—and put him behind bars.” His heart was racing.
Luthor. The cage. Lois. “I think I was in shock. I think I still am? But I don’t think he’s going to hurt me, Clark. And I didn’t call you last night, because...well, I knew you were going to want me to come over and stay at your place, and I didn’t think with, well, you know,” she gestured between them, “that would be a very good idea right now. Not that I wouldn’t have wanted...you know I always love being with you. I just, I don’t know what the protocol is here, with us dating, or almost dating, and—”
Clark softened a little at her adorable ramble—grateful for it, though he was still tense—and smiled at her, gently cutting her off. “I know, Lois, it’s okay.”
It really wasn’t okay; the blood was swirling around his ears and his heart was pounding so hard he feared she could hear it.
Luthor was back.
Lois. The cage. It was still painful for him to remember Lois’ wedding day; it was a hazy, unrelenting nightmare that finally ended with Lois in his arms, and Luthor, dead on the pavement. He had almost lost everything that day.
The cage. He'd never found out what happened to it; by the time the police completed their investigation of the Lex Tower, it had vanished.
Protecting Lois was nothing new for him, as Clark or as Superman, but Luthor had nearly killed him with his kryptonite cage, and he knew that if something happened to him now, with Luthor on the loose, Lois was as good as gone.
“But I don’t know, Clark, he seemed...harmless, really,” Lois said, interjecting into his racing thoughts.
Clark could hear it in her tone, her trying to assuage his fears. She was clearly flustered by seeing Luthor, but why wasn’t she more concerned for her own safety? This wasn’t some run-of-the-mill criminal, though those always had him on edge too when it came to her. This was Luthor.
“Luthor is
never harmless, Lois. He
always finds a way.” He clenched his jaw as he tried to keep a lid on his fear. And his anger.
“But he has no money...no resources...how, Clark?”
“That just makes him even more dangerous, because he's desperate,” Clark said, at the same time just realizing himself the fresh layer of danger this newly revived Lex Luthor might bring. "Who’s the first person he sought out when he came back?”
Lois said nothing but averted her gaze.
“And you said it yourself—he's obsessed with having you back. You're in danger here, Lois, don't you see?" Clark put a hand on his hip and raked a hand through his hair, trying to think through their next move. “You need protection until we can find him and get him locked up,” he said firmly.
“That is ridiculous, Clark! I don’t need a bodyguard. If he's still in love with me, I hardly think he'd hurt me,” she said.
“You don't know him like I do, Lois.”
The cage. The cage. Where had the cage gone?
Lois. What if I can’t protect her? “We need to tell the Chief, and I’m going to go call Henderson. Lois, please, don’t go anywhere until we know more.” He gently returned his hands to her shoulders and looked in her eyes, pleading with her to listen.
She swallowed, then nodded begrudgingly. He rushed out of the conference room.
Twenty minutes later, Clark was sitting across the conference room table from Lois, an uncomfortable silence between them as they waited for Perry to get off the phone with Henderson. How quickly this day had taken a turn, he thought wryly.
While Lois had indeed stayed in the conference room this whole time, her having listened to him this once was hardly a comfort. Not while no one knew where Lex was. Clark was torn—the thought of letting her out of his sight sent him into a panic, but at the same time, he had a desperate urge to take to the skies and scour the city for Luthor.
Lois had tentatively mentioned their date after he'd come back from telling Perry everything. His heart had barely buoyed at the reminder. He'd smiled at her, trying his best to hide the disappointment that came with knowing Lex had now taken something else from him. From them. Of course they could still go, he'd told her. Anything not to leave her side right now. And maybe the loud music and screaming fans of Pearl Jam would help drown out all thoughts of Lex.
Perry came back in then, followed by Jimmy, who had a mug of tea for Lois. “What did Luthor say he wanted? I mean...besides you,” Jimmy asked as he handed Lois her tea.
“That’s all he said, really. He loves me, and...wants me back,” Lois said, ducking her head but meeting Clark’s eyes sheepishly.
Clark shifted uncomfortably in his seat and released a long, exasperated sigh, trying to shake off some of the tension as well. It had taken time for both of them to heal from the fallout of Luthor’s whirlwind engagement and near-wedding to Lois, and his subsequent death. Months to get here, to this place where Lois was ready to finally see him—maybe even, dare he hope, love him—as more than a friend, and not like a brother. Luthor managing to come back from the dead just in time for their first date was almost Shakespearean.
Perry cleared his throat and mercifully rerouted the conversation. “Well, Henderson is on notice, but there's not much he can do without knowing where Luthor is. And according to what Jimmy found,” he paused to nod at Jimmy, “turns out three of the murders in the last week were all known Luthor associates—ones that turned state’s evidence to get out of jail free. So, it looks like Bender’s your only solid lead to finding Luthor.”
“Yeah, and he's in seclusion on his yacht,” Lois said. “Supposedly, he needs a break from the press.”
“Well, he's not going to get it!” Perry barked. “I want you two on him like flies on a T-bone. Round-the-clock surveillance.”
Clark tensed, his jaw clenching. Now was the exact wrong time to be stuck on a stakeout. He wasn't sure he had the patience for the slow, methodical approach. “Chief, when you say round-the-clock, you don’t mean—” Clark started.
“Yes, sir. You can set up shop down at Butch Kennebrew's. He's a friend of mine from the club. Keeps a little...uh, hideaway down there at the marina," Perry said.
“I’ll go, Chief," Clark said before Lois could say anything. "I’m not sure it’s a good idea for Lois to be this close to it. We'll get Henderson to send an officer to watch her." Then he could be alone to both check on Bender and search the city from the skies.
He could see the protest on Lois' lips, her eyes wide, so he hurried on. "Lex just said it himself—he wants her. She doesn’t need to be anywhere near him or his known associates.” He knew this wasn’t going to sit well with Lois, but he needed her safe, and he needed the Chief on his side.
“Hmm, that’s not a bad point, Clark,” Perry said thoughtfully. “Maybe you ought to go on your own with this one.”
“Excuse me, you two! I’m right here," Lois exclaimed, smacking her hand down on the table. "Since when has being a target prevented me from investigating the story? There’s a decent list at this point, but off the top of my head, Arianna Carlin, Jason Trask, Barbara Trevino—do those names ring any bells?”
“Yes, and I can name just as many instances where you’ve required Superman’s services to rescue you from dangling perilously above the jaws of death by the end of it,” Clark replied hotly.
“Oh really?! In the case of Jason Trask, I believe it was I who saved you from nearly being killed. And in the case of Arianna Carlin, it was I who...well, never mind. I basically saved myself.”
“Lois, this is LUTHOR. Luthor.” He stood abruptly, his chair skidding behind him.
“Yes, I know his name, Clark. I’m pretty sure he’s deduced that, if I know he’s alive, I’m going to be investigating him. Besides, he might be a crazed lunatic murderer, but like I said before, I really didn’t get the impression that he would do anything to hurt me.”
“Are you insane, Lois? You jilted him at the altar! If there’s one thing we know about Luthor, he hates not getting his way. And he always makes you pay.”
“That might be true, Clark, but I’m—”
“You’re what? You’re different? You of all people should not be anywhere near him, please trust me on this. You don’t have any idea HOW dangerous he is to you, Lois.” He knew his tone bordered on controlling, or unhinged, but he also hoped she realized how rare it was that he actually got in her way on a story.
This was different. This was Luthor.
“Really, well, why don’t you enlighten us, Clark?” Her eyes narrowed. “What do you know?”
Clark’s brain stalled.
Lois. The cage. Lois. Luthor. “I...I know that he’s a vindictive sociopath who has always had a fixation on you. That in his past life, he would have done anything—
anything—to have you. I know that he uses you to get to Superman.”
He blew out a heavy breath and ran his hand through his hair. This wasn't getting him anywhere. He needed to get her to listen, to understand. His tone turned gentle and conciliatory. “Lois, I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
They locked eyes for a moment, and he watched as she swallowed hard. His heart hitched with a tentative hope that he was getting through to her.
She replied softly, “You worry too much, Clark; I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Besides, don’t you think I’ll be safer on the stakeout with you than in my apartment alone?”
“She has a point there, Clark,” Perry added.
Clark startled a little—he'd all but forgotten they weren't alone in the conference room. Perry had his head tilted towards Clark and his eyebrows raised, expectant for an answer in agreement.
Clark sighed, defeated. “Fine. Okay.”
Her face lit up in a smug, adorable smile that made his heart catch despite his anxiety. “Good. I’m glad you see it my way,” she said.
“But until Luthor’s behind bars, we need to keep you safe.
I take the lead. We stay together. You don’t go anywhere without me knowing where you are. Got it?”
Lois scoffed, “God, Clark, you can be so overprotective. I don’t need you controlling my every—”
“Lois,” Perry cut her off, putting a hand on her shoulder. “This man nearly destroyed the Daily Planet for good. It’s either Clark, or we can talk to Henderson about hiring some extra security—your choice. Just until Luthor is no longer a threat.”
Lois quieted, studying her hands a little sheepishly as she thought it through.
“Fine,” she said softly. “I’ll stick with Clark.”
Clark exhaled, releasing some of the pent-up tension that had taken hold since Lois’ dramatic entrance into the newsroom this morning. She seemed to finally understand in that moment how important this was to him, as she blushed under the warmth of his gaze. He rewarded her with a broad, grateful smile that he hoped smoothed over any hard feelings she had about his need to protect her. “Good. Thank you, Lois,” he said quietly.
He watched as her own mouth betrayed her in spite of herself, twitching into something begrudgingly flirty as her eyes danced with his. Clark wondered if he would ever be able to tell her how she alone possessed the unique ability to render Superman vulnerable with just one look.
Perry’s eyes cat-clocked between them, as if he was detecting a strange new energy in the air.
“Well...” Perry cleared his throat, as though it would clear the air in the process, “I’m, uh, I’m glad that’s settled. I’ll give Butch a call. Assuming it’s available, you can start tonight.”
Lois’ face fell, and Clark couldn't help but feel a bit heartened that, despite it all, she was clearly still looking forward so much to their date. “You want us to start...tonight?” she asked, her voice containing an uncharacteristic whimper.
“Have you, uh, got anything better to do?”
"I guess not," she said, her eyes on Clark, giving him a regretful smile.
While he was out $200 bucks for the tickets, he was actually grateful that they'd be in a quieter, less crowded venue tonight. It'd be easier to keep his eyes on her at all times.
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