Here is a short (very short) part... I'm currently working through a block, and things are going slower than I'd hoped. The next few parts will probably be posted once a week, unless things pick up with my Muse. I know where the story's going, but I'm having trouble with the actual telling. And Lois and Clark keep going off on these little tangent conversations... There I'll be, proofreading something and making sure all my tenses are correct, and suddenly one of them will think of something to say or something to add, and then off they go! For instance, just now, in the part below, where they're... Oh, never mind.
From part 21:
It was a good thing they were in the newspaper business. She could probably use the ‘meeting a source’ excuse ad infinitum without getting either of them in trouble. Good thing they hadn’t chosen to be lawyers or surgeons or something. She could only imagine how awkward – how impossible, really – it would be for him to make an excuse during some big trial, or mid- open-heart surgery, or something…
She smiled at the thought and returned to work. He’d be back eventually.---
The Girl Next Door, part 21.5:
And now here he was.
She looked up when she heard his heartbeat. Clark was striding down the ramp, straightening his tie.
“Ah, partner, there you are. Got what we needed from that last source?” She barely suppressed a grin.
He dropped into the chair next to her, leaned forward, and said very softly, “Sorry it took so long; *two* car accidents… What have I been up to?”
She barely restrained herself from kissing him. If he insisted on being so close, she couldn’t *really* be expected to resist temptation, could she? “Well, let’s see… We saw the first accident on LNN –“ She tossed a thumb over her shoulder at the row of television monitors across the newsroom. “…I guess we don’t have a story on that one. I can’t think of a good way to place you on the scene for a Superman interview or a write-up of the accident itself.” She heaved a theatrical sigh that made him smile. “Where was the second one?” she added.
“On Michigan; not too far away from here.” Smugly, he added, “I got some exclusive Superman quotes from that one.”
“Gee, that was lucky,” she said with a straight face. “Too bad you didn’t have a camera.”
He laughed. “I’ll admit that would be a little harder to pull off. But at least we have the story.”
“I might have to think about that camera thing…” she mused. “But yes, we do have the story. And in that case, you were meeting our source – the one whose meeting was delayed because of the fire. And on the way back you got the Superman story when you saw him helping at a car accident. …And you ought to hurry and write that up, partner.” She grinned at him.
“Okay,” he said cheerfully. <Thanks.> He rose and moved to his own desk.
<You can pay me later. I’m thinking… chocolate. Or kisses. No, wait – both.>
Any doubts that he’d received her reply were quelled when she heard his muffled snort of laughter.
<You’re on.>
“Time, everyone!” Perry yelled from his office doorway. Every now and then, some wag who laughed loudest at his own jokes would respond “Two beers, mate!” or “Another round, then, bartender!” or something similar in response.
Perry would either ignore it, or threaten the speaker with the dregs of story assignments. Most of the newsroom staff were convinced that he held onto such stories precisely because they *were* such duds, and worked so well as deterrents. Lois had been threatened with covering a dog show on a few occasions, although Perry had never followed through with any such assignment. Ralph, on the other hand, was the unofficial record-holder for Perry’s leftover stories.
Today, no one said anything. It had been a busy day, news-wise, so most of the staff had their heads down, busily finishing editing whatever they were working on prior to submitting it. They had roughly fifteen minutes before Perry cut off any more submissions for the day.
Lois had sent Perry the fire story earlier, and everything else she had was still pending – needing research or quotes, or something similar. So she just sat and watched Clark as he sped discreetly through writing up the car accident.
She hadn’t heard either of those accidents, but he seemed to have a better ear for emergencies.
They’d discussed that a little this morning. He’d shown up at her apartment after his early Superman patrol and since Perry had said they didn’t have to come in early, they had had a leisurely breakfast together at a place near her apartment, and had then driven in together.
“I think you hear people in need better than me,” she had told him.
“Don’t you hear them too?” he’d asked, somewhat surprised.
“Well, yes, sometimes…” She’d continued slowly, “But… It’s usually not real strong; I have to really concentrate. I just… don’t hear cries for help like you do.” She had hesitated, glancing at him rather anxiously. “It’s not that I don’t care about people, but…”
Clark had nodded sympathetically. “Well, you never really had a chance to talk about your abilities, though; you also never had a chance to truly live with them. It was more that you lived your life… *despite* them. Or… *around* them.”
“And I think maybe I can… tune it out better than you can,” she’d added. “Not intentionally, I mean….”
“No, it’s more of an instinctual thing, I think,” he had agreed. “Except in rare situations when you’re… right on top of a situation, you know? If it’s happening in your immediate vicinity, you don’t tune it out.”
He’d been right. She’d learned very early to suppress that sort of thing, until it was second nature. “Sometimes, I just… I *couldn’t* listen - because I couldn’t help. But… you did say that before Superman, there were lots of times when *you* couldn’t help, either… ”
“But unlike you,” he’d replied seriously, “I had my mom and dad to talk it over with. You didn’t have anyone, Lois. I think… maybe you couldn’t let yourself hear cries for help, or even think about it, or it would have destroyed you.”
“And I… don’t really know… *how* to help, anyway, Clark.” As she had pulled into the Daily Planet parking garage, she’d added, “Except… you know, by other… non-super ways. I mean, I can, and do, use my powers to help me do my job as a reporter; there’ve been times when it’s been a huge advantage. But… as a reporter, I can fight and expose corruption. I *have* exposed corruption. And evil, and exploitation – and hopefully, I can make things change for the better. And that’s the only way I know how to help.”
He’d hugged her against his side briefly as they walked toward the elevators. “But that’s a perfectly good way to fight those dragons, Lois. And you do seem to have a real knack for it,” he’d added, smiling.
They’d had to put the conversation on hold at that point, since there were other Planet employees arriving for work.
She was roused from her musing by Clark, who stood up. “All done, partner,” he said cheerfully. “Written, proofread, and submitted. Ready to go?”
“That depends,” she said haughtily, but the effect was ruined by the smile she couldn’t hide. “Where are we going?”
His grin widened into a full-fledged, brilliant, float-inducing smile. It was a good thing she was still sitting down; she grabbed the edge of her chair’s seat just in case her control failed.
“I thought we’d go to my place; I’ll cook you a nice meal and we can just… hang out. Watch a movie, or something…” He winked at her.
<Or something?> She rose to her feet as he held the chair for her. “Sounds good to me.” Her voice sounded normal, even though her insides felt all tingly.
<Mmm hmmm. Talk, maybe. Fly…> She felt the wave of love and desire roll over her. <…Kiss.> “Let’s go, partner.” His voice sounded normal, too – if slightly deeper to her sensitive ears.
She wasn’t sure she’d be able to walk; her brain was almost fully occupied with the anticipation of a… delightful evening. <Um. Having a little trouble concentrating, partner.>
With a low chuckle, he offered her his arm. They made it to the elevators arm in arm, with Clark talking idly of the somewhat nebulous story ideas they’d been discussing earlier in the day. And after a minute or two, she was able to hold up her end of the conversation.
They separated, waiting for the elevator, still chatting idly. There were only the two of them; other staff members were still packing away various items preparatory to leaving. When the elevator arrived, Clark gestured her in, then followed and pressed one of the buttons on the control panel. The doors closed.
Instantly, Clark’s arms were holding her securely against him. “I love you,” he whispered just before his lips came down on hers. She responded with enthusiasm, and the world around her faded. She felt their feet leave the floor as she was overwhelmed with sensation, and then there was only him.
They were interrupted when their heads gently bumped the ceiling as the elevator stopped with a small jolt. They both returned to the floor as the doors opened onto the basement parking garage. Dazedly, she looked out into the garage, then looked up at Clark. He still held her against him, which was good – she probably couldn’t stand on her own – and he looked equally dazed. He was leaning back against the elevator wall; apparently, they were holding each other up.
He reached out and pressed the ‘door open’ button and held it. “Um.” He shook his head slightly as if to clear it, and his other arm loosened around her. “Did we mean to come down here? Or was I supposed to push the ‘up’ button?”
She straightened up. “Wow, flyboy. That was…” She drew a deep breath. He expected her to be able to think after that kiss? “Uh… I think we drove in, didn’t we?”
“Yeah. Yeah, we did.”
She was still feeling a bit dazed. “You’re very good at that, you know?”
He leaned down and kissed her again, gently. “You inspire me.” It was a brief kiss, and as if he couldn’t help himself, he followed it with a second, more lingering one.
Then he straightened, hugging her against his side briefly, and let her go. Releasing the ‘door open’ button, he stopped the doors as they began to close and gestured for her to precede him.
As they exited the elevator, he took her hand. She curled her fingers around his, and they walked in comfortable silence to her car. Within a few minutes, they were driving through the city toward his apartment.
---
To be continued
