Title: Faustian Bargain
Author: Sue S.
Rating: PG-13
Email: sister_suze@yahoo.com
Summary: What if Lois asked Clark to become best friends with benefits? This starts out shortly after 'House of Luthor', in that netherworld between the first and second seasons. 'All Shook Up' happened in a different way. But that will be explained in flashbacks. Oh, and there's an A plot, of sorts.
Faust traded his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge. To "strike a Faustian bargain" is to be willing to sacrifice anything to satisfy a desire for knowledge or power.
For Hasini - because it was her idea.
And now for a round of disclaimers:
Warning! If you're expecting fluff, you've opened the wrong story. Don't get me wrong - there will be mind-candy and banter and some lighthearted exploits. There are also some really unhappy detours lying in wait for our heroes. Neither Lois nor Clark dies, so just put that notion to rest right now. But there will be some very severe consequences to the decisions that they make. You can't abandon your principles and not pay for it somehow. To put it less subtly - there are WHAMs in this story.
I wasn't a science major so I did an exhaustive (to me) amount of research in the course of writing this story. I've tried to stay true to the basic properties of electricity but there will, no doubt, be inaccuracies to anyone who really does know what they're talking about. I hope that an author might be given a little leeway in a science fiction story. Right? Please?
The characters in this story don't belong to me. Indeed, some of the dialogue they use is quoted directly from the ABC television series. I'm not making a profit - this was written solely out of love and admiration for said television series. You know what they say about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery…
Speaking of riding on the coattails of geniuses, I would be very remiss if I didn't single out Hasini, DJ, Andreia, alcyone, Julia and Sara for praise and gratitude. This story wouldn't exist without their guidance and support. Longer declarations of love and undying devotion to my amazing betas will be posted at the end of the story.
<><><>
He was doing it again.
For at least the sixth time since the meeting started Clark was chewing on the end of his pencil and it was driving her crazy. Actually there were a lot of things about Clark that drove her crazy. He was a singularly annoying person. He was like Dudley Do-Right without the horse, constantly clouding any angle on a story with his over-simplified views of right and wrong. Maybe he was smarter than Dudley, but not by much. Clark was one of those athletic guys with great shoulders and a small mind. She definitely knew the type.
All right, fine. So he didn't actually have a small mind. He was just bordering on unimaginative - never a good quality in a reporter. He was definitely nothing like Superman. And she didn't mean the superpowers. She meant charisma and force of personality. Like practically every man she knew, Clark Kent didn't seem to have either of those qualities going for him. When was the last time Clark had swept a woman off her feet?
And that night didn't count.
Lois looked away from the hapless pencil. One time. You sleep with your co-worker one time and this is what happens. No, she was not going to think about that. They had both sworn never to mention it. Never even to think of it. It was an aberration. A fluke. It never happened.
But it had. And now he was sitting there nibbling on his pencil and it was driving her absolutely take-that-thing-out-of-your-mouth-you-don't-know-where-it's-been insane. A tiny little corner of her mind brought up the possibility that it was actually the thought of where that mouth had been that was driving her around the bend but she quickly discounted it.
He was an amazingly talented kisser. That had been her downfall. Then again, she supposed there wasn't much else to do in Smallville on a Friday night and Clark had no doubt refined his technique on Rachel Harris or some other corn-fed gingham-wearing farmer's daughter who voted for his 4-H project at the county fair.
Damn, but he had good lips. It had started with a very firm and decisive kiss - exactly the opposite of the sloppy wetness most men seemed to think counted as passion. Not that she had ever given much thought to kissing Clark Kent before that night.
And since that night? Oh, since that night she had wasted far too much time remembering his unexpected assertiveness. They had thought it was the end of the world, she told herself. And he'd had amnesia. He would never have been so bold if he had been himself. That night he had shown almost the same kind of take-charge intensity as Superman had when he was drugged and kissed her. Now there was a kiss! Why couldn't Superman try something like that again? God knows she'd dropped more than a few hints that she was perfectly willing to be more than friends with him.
Cat Grant, seated next to Lois, leaned over to whisper, "I'd love to be that pencil right now, wouldn't you?"
Lois let out a small sigh of annoyance and didn't answer her. Clark looked up, took the pencil from his mouth and actually seemed a little disconcerted. Lois was pretty sure he didn't hear them but he could hardly have missed the hungry look Cat was giving him.
Actually, Clark had heard Cat's observation just fine. When he'd glanced over Cat had given him her usual flirtatious wink. But Lois - it was Lois' sigh and blush that made him take the pencil out of his mouth. She actually looked guilty. He glanced at the notepad in front of her. It was no surprise to see that she had spent the meeting sketching Superman's 'S'. She turned the pad over when she realized he was looking at it and shot him a dark look.
In retaliation, he put the pencil back in his mouth and deliberately sucked on the eraser. Both Cat and Lois let out faint gasps. Clark had to look away to keep from smiling. This was a rare moment, one that he should savor. The last time, the only time, Lois had ever looked at him like this she was under the influence of Miranda's perfume. Or, of course, every single time she had seen him as Superman.
What about that night? No - don't torture yourself. That night never happened.
He dared another glance at her but she was watching Perry now, her chin tilted stubbornly upwards. Was he mistaken? Or had Lois actually looked at him, however fleetingly, with lust in her eyes?
Did she ever think about that night?
<><><>
** 26.04.10 to Impact **
"Clark? It's Lois. I, uh, I was just wondering if you could stand a little company?"
"Sure. Come on over."
It wasn't until she was knocking on his door that she felt the first anxious flutters of doubt. What was she doing here? If he were Clark it would make perfect sense that she would be with him, but he wasn't really Clark right now. How do you find comfort with a man who has no memories? Maybe it was only his physical presence she needed for solace? Clark was a reassuringly solid guy. Was it taking advantage of him to find consolation in those sturdy shoulders now?
When he opened the door her eyes were drawn to his shoulders. He was wearing jeans and a tan long-sleeved shirt that only emphasized his muscular physique. Embarrassed that she was even thinking of him like that, she looked down and saw he was barefoot. Somehow that seemed far too intimate to her so she quickly dragged her attention up to his face.
"Hi," he said and then stepped back to let her in. "I've just been watching the news. They're about to launch the Asgard rocket to take out what's left of the asteroid."
Lois hesitated. She should have joined Perry at the Planet instead of coming here. She told herself it was only because she didn't want Clark to feel alone that she had come over. The poor guy had lost all his memories; she was being selfless in coming here. It was one last good deed to go out on.
Clark turned and was going back down the stairs into his living room. She shut the door behind her, throwing the deadbolt as a precaution. Clark didn't live in the best part of town and all hell had broken loose in the city the past couple of days. Right now his apartment felt like the last safe place left in the world. It was familiar and it had always seemed cozier to her than her own apartment. Maybe it was just that his furniture was more comfortable than hers?
She followed him to his couch and nestled herself into the corner of it. Somehow it was easier to breathe now that she was here. It dawned on her that she had always felt that way around Clark. She had taken it for granted, this feeling of safety and comfort that he imparted. This was why she had come, she realized, she just wanted to be with *him*. If these were her final hours, there was no one else she wanted to spend them with. No, that was wrong. If she had known where Superman was, she would have gone to him. Clark was just the next best thing.
He's better than that, she amended. At least you don't act like a schoolgirl with a crush around Clark. It was better to be here with him, then. Better to be able to maintain a thin edge of control. Better to be the one calling the shots.
Clark kept casting curious glances at her until she finally asked, "What is it?"
"I just… I guess I was surprised to get your call. I know you said we were friends, but it didn't sound like I would be the first person you'd call in a crisis. Are you only here because you didn't want to be alone?"
For a moment her eyes had flared with anger and then, just as quickly, she seemed to sink into herself. "I had other places I could be…" So why wasn't she there? Why come here? Was it because, even without his memories, Clark was familiar to her? Because just sitting here next to him gave her that sense of security and calm? "I guess I am alone. I've pushed people away my whole life. It shouldn't surprise me that no one wants to be with me now." This admission brought tears to her eyes and she quickly blinked them away.
"I want to be with you," he told her softly.
Lois searched his eyes and found only sincerity in them. "Obviously your memories haven't returned yet. I wasn't always nice to you, Clark. In fact, I was kind of a snot when we first met." She cringed inwardly as she remembered telling him that he was low man and she was top banana.
"But I liked you," he persisted.
"Yeah, I guess you did. I have no idea why."
"Don't you?" His gaze was steady and she blushed at what he was implying. Was there something else in his eyes? Something else she had never wanted to notice? No, she had noticed it before - she just never wanted to think too much about what it meant. She had figured if she ignored him long enough he'd grow tired of the game and find someone else.
Lois hesitated. "Well, I guess there was an attraction there," she allowed. "I mean we are two fairly attractive people working closely together. It's only natural that…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought. If it was only natural then why had it never materialized? Or had it? Had she allowed him close in those moments when she thought it didn't count? She must have, because somehow he had wormed his way far enough into her affections that she chose being with him over everyone else she knew.
"You felt it, too?" he asked, his eyes never leaving hers.
Had she felt it, too? Between his intense gaze and the world possibly ending tomorrow she found she couldn't really lie about it. What did it matter now? It wasn't like he could go bragging around the water cooler about it tomorrow. "I guess, maybe. There were moments. There was this one time, when we were working late on a story and ate at our desks. You sat back and smiled at me and I felt… Well, then I said something snotty to push you away."
"Don't fall for me, farm boy?"
"Yes! You remember that?" God, please don't let him actually remember *that*. Let him remember something else, something less abrasive. Like what? She was horrified to realize she couldn't think of a single time she had praised him or told him how nice she actually thought he was.
"Sort of. It's like a dream or something." Clark's forehead furrowed as he tried to remember more but it was gone.
"Do you remember anything else?"
"No, sorry." He shook his head in frustration.
"It's okay." Lois was kind of grateful that he didn't remember just how poorly she had treated him. Or, in the case of that pheromone perfume, how she had thrown herself at him. She looked away, unable to continue to meet his eyes, and caught sight of his bare feet resting on the edge of his coffee table. Had she ever even seen his toes before? Why did it make her feel so off-balance to see them now?
"So we never… it was strictly platonic between us?"
"Yeah," she said quietly, looking past his feet at the television just in time to see the words 'Approaching Apocalypse?' display across the screen. "It was strictly platonic."
With a jolt she realized why she was here. She could have been safe underground with Lex in his bunker. She could have gone to the Planet to be with her surrogate family. Instead she had come here. Because, when it came right down to it, she didn't want to be alone. Lex and Perry were company, someone to commiserate with, but they weren't Clark. Clark was the one person, besides Superman, with whom she felt absolutely safe. Tonight he was the only person in the world who could keep the rising panic inside her tamped down.
"I have a feeling I wished it was more," he said wistfully.
Lois looked at him, feeling as though she were seeing him for the first time. In a way, she was. There had to be something more than friendship here. She could feel a tidal pull of attraction for him. The look in his eyes told her he felt the same thing.
"You know what, Clark? So do I."
<><><>
The meeting was now over and Lois sat at her desk, staring absently at her computer monitor. She should be putting the finishing touches on the article about the construction of the new power plant, but her mind was still on Clark's pencil. Or, if she was absolutely honest, where that lucky pencil had been.
"Remember the scientist from STAR Labs who was killed in that freak electrical accident on Monday?" Clark asked as he touched her shoulder.
Startled, Lois looked back at him. "Anthony Weir? What about him?"
"It's happened again."
"Where?" Lois turned off her computer's monitor.
"On the corner of Twelfth and Bessolo. I'm heading down there now."
"I'll come with you." She stood up and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair.
Clark smiled and took the jacket from her, holding it out to help her into it. "I thought you might."
As they walked to the elevator she gave him a curious look. "How did you hear about this?"
"Police scanner."
"Oh, right. How long ago did this happen?"
"Maybe twenty minutes."
When they arrived at the scene it was controlled chaos. A police line had been set up and throngs of curious on-lookers had begun to assemble. They flashed their press passes but the policeman shook his head. "I can't let you through, it's too dangerous."
"Oh, come on!" Lois was irked. "We're not going to step on anything metal, just let us go in."
"If we can't go in, can we ask you some questions?" Clark asked, trying to position himself between Lois and the cop to head off the argument he knew was coming. "What happened here?"
The officer sighed and lifted the tape so they could pass beneath. "No way I'm talking to the press. Just stay clear of the immediate scene, okay?"
It was hard to tell where the immediate scene was. A blue van with "MetroEdison - Power For The People" on its side was parked half-on the sidewalk and three men in identical blue coveralls were arguing vehemently with each other next to it. An ambulance was parked a little further away and an EMT was checking out a woman sitting at an outdoor café table in front of the coffee shop. A plainclothes detective was talking to a fourth man in MetEd uniform, both of them looked grim.
"Let's try them first," Lois nodded towards the detective and the MetEd employee.
As they came closer they could hear the MetEd employee. "…Wouldn't have been so bad except someone watered the plants this morning." He pointed to a puddle on the ground, part of it had pooled on the manhole cover.
"But why was the manhole cover electrified?" Lois asked.
The man half-turned and then glanced at the detective. The detective shrugged and answered for him. "There was a stray wire that was left uncapped."
"Shouldn't someone check for that kind of thing?" Lois pressed.
"Absolutely!" The MetEd employee looked agitated. "I inspected this entire block a month ago and it was fine."
"You checked it yourself?" Clark tried to confirm without sounding accusatory.
"Yes, I did. I'm telling you it was completely kosher. The line was grounded! Someone spliced into the main line and ran a wire to underneath the manhole cover."
"Who would be able to gain access?" Lois asked.
"Anyone willing to go down in the sewer." The man made a helpless shrug. "I don't know why anyone would want to do this. That's just sick!"
"Is this the same kind of set-up as the accident that killed Anthony Weir on Monday?" Clark asked.
"Yes. And now we have two more victims. Luckily, one of them survived." The detective gestured at the woman, now sitting alone at the café table, her hands clasped in front of her. Lois tapped Clark's arm and indicated that she was going over to talk to her.
"Hello," Lois said softly, taking the seat next to the woman. "I'm Lois Lane with the Daily Planet and this is my partner, Clark Kent. Would it be all right if we asked you a few questions?"
The auburn-haired woman nodded numbly. "Rachel Eames," she said softly. "It was supposed to be me."
"What do you mean?" Clark asked, sitting down on the other side of Rachel.
"My co-worker, Tony? He was killed the same way two days ago. And then this morning, I was coming out of the coffee shop but that lady was in a hurry and she went to go past me. This man seated at one of the tables stood up and bumped into both of us, but she fell first. I got shocked but she… oh god, it was supposed to be me. I just know it."
"You worked with Anthony Weir at STAR Labs?" Lois looked over at Clark as she asked the question. His expression told her that he didn't believe it was a coincidence either.
"Yes, but I can't really talk about what I do there. I'm sorry." Rachel shook her head. "This is just so unbelievable. What if I hadn't come here this morning? What if I hadn't slowed down so she could pass me?"
"What did the man look like?" Clark asked.
"I don't know. Tall, thin… I really wasn't paying attention."
"Do you have any idea why someone would want to kill you? Or Tony?" Lois asked.
"It's unbelievable," Rachel muttered to herself, shaking her head. Then she looked over at Lois, her blue eyes welling with tears. "We just never realize how much our lives are based on chance. You make one random decision and everything changes. Don't you ever look back and say, 'What if?'"
<><><>
** 25.23.32 to Impact **
"The Asgard rocket has missed its target. Repeat, the Asgard rocket has missed its target."
Both of them sat unmoving on the couch, not wanting to comprehend what this meant. "Superman," Lois finally said softly. "He's the last hope we have."
"Jimmy found a piece of his uniform in a crater over in Suicide Slum. So he did make it back."
"Then he'll save us."
"So why hasn't he done it already? Why would he wait?" Clark felt a nagging sense of frustration at her mention of Superman. Was he jealous of Superman? It would seem that way, but it just didn't feel right.
"I don't know." Lois shrugged, trying to ignore the cold knot of dread that was growing in her stomach. "Nothing the past couple of days has made sense to me."
Clark chuckled, a sound darker than his usual laugh. "I know the feeling."
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't think…" She felt like an idiot.
"You never do, huh?" he asked.
This wasn't Clark's lighthearted teasing; she had to keep reminding herself that this man was a stranger to her. Even more frightening was the fact that he was figuring her out pretty quickly.
Lois flushed and muttered, "You're just guessing now."
"Yeah," he admitted as his eyes took on a sad look. "I wish I remembered you."
"I wish you did, too." She gave him a small smile and moved closer to him so she could take his hand in hers. "If you did remember me, it wouldn't have taken me so long to come over here tonight. You're the best friend I've ever had."
This confession sprang freely from her heart and she cursed herself that she had never told him this before. All those qualities that she had found so irksome in him - his steadiness, his goodness, his easy-going nature - seemed so much less dull tonight. In fact, tonight they seemed to be the only things keeping her grounded. There was a rising sense of urgency to everything tonight. Last time, she told herself, this is the last chance you'll ever have to tell him that you do care about him. That there was more than just an eensy weensy microcosmic part of you that's attracted to him.
"Really?" He looked pleased with that tidbit of information. "Tell me something about us. Anything. Your favorite memory."
Lois looked at their joined hands. "Well," she said slowly as she thought about it, "I have this teddy bear that you won for me at some corn festival when we were on assignment in your hometown."
"How did I win it?"
"Feat of strength," she grinned at the memory. "It took a few tries, but you got it. I barely managed to get my suitcase closed to bring him home with me, but I just couldn't throw him out."
"Him? Did you name the bear?"
She flushed and would have pulled her hand away except he had gently tightened his grip. "I didn't really name him, I just know he's a he."
"So where do you keep this bear?"
"He sits on my bed."
"Do you sleep with him?"
"Maybe, sometimes." She could feel a blush starting - what did it matter if she slept with the damn toy?
"Then I hope you named him 'Clark'."
This time she did pull her hand away, uncomfortable with the thought that sleeping with Clark was sounding more and more like a really good idea. What would it hurt? Superman would never need to know that she'd been unfaithful to him. Was it really being unfaithful? Superman had never really returned her affections and heaven only knew where he was now. He had abandoned her first. Clark, on the other hand, she could depend on Clark. She always could - she just hadn't realized it until now.
"What else?" he asked. "Tell me another story." He gave her one of Clark's guileless smiles.
Lois looked away. It was one thing for Clark to be charming - he never crossed the line. This new Clark she wasn't so sure about. The thought kind of thrilled her in a way she didn't want to dwell on too much. What if he made the first move? That would be okay - it would prove she wasn't chasing him like Cat had been.
"A few weeks ago we were on a long stakeout. We had to spend two days stuck in this hotel room, and we passed the time playing games. It was fun. It was… nice." Nice and fun seemed a flimsy way to tell him about those two days in the honeymoon suite. It had been comfortable and even kind of sexy, in a weird way. He really did look decent first thing in the morning. She hadn't minded his little digs and teases either. Unlike other men she had worked with, Clark flirted but he didn't cross the line.
And that little stunt on the bed? Driven by necessity. He hadn't prolonged it any longer than was needed. And he had never told a soul, despite the ribbing he had endured from some of their colleagues to spill the details about what had gone on behind closed doors.
Clark grinned. "You're a sore loser."
"You're just guessing again."
He shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I have a very distinct impression of you arguing with me over a word or something."
"Chumpy?" she prompted.
"Chumpy's not a word."
"How would you know? You don't remember anything!" She lightly shoved his shoulder as her eyes sparkled, belying the harshness of her words.
"I haven't forgotten my language skills. There's no such word." Something like delight filtered through him when she touched him as she argued with him. This is us, he thought. This is what we were like.
"You know what? I'm not going to argue this with you twice. I was right then, and I'm still right now." Lois felt a flicker of irritation. Amnesia or not, he could still push her buttons.
"I didn't let you use that word. And you were a sore loser over it." This time he really was guessing, but it felt like more of an educated guess to him.
"I didn't lose the game!" Did it even matter anymore? With the world ending tomorrow? Somehow it was important that he didn't think she was a loser. He had to remember that much.
"Lois, will you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"If you really haven't named that bear yet, maybe you could call him 'Chumpy'?"
She laughed before she could stop herself. "You know, I wish I could say it was the amnesia, but I think you were always like this."
"Like what?"
"Infuriating. You always acted so nice and naive but you're just as bad as me."
"Bad? In what way?"
"You think you're always right."
"Are you saying I'm not? I bet my track record is pretty good."
"Maybe," she said grudgingly. "You have been wrong before, though."
"Tell me one of those stories. When have I been wrong?"
She didn't even have to think about it. "I was undercover and you deliberately honed in on my story, then you exposed my cover and threw me in a dumpster."
"Wow. So I'm a jerk?"
"No, not a jerk. Just… infuriating."
"You already said that." His eyes twinkled in a tease and for a moment she wondered if he was making this whole amnesia story up just to mess with her. Surely Clark wouldn’t go to this much trouble for a joke?
"So? I didn't realize I was being graded." She narrowed her eyes at him in assessment.
"You're not. I'm just curious about me. And about you. About us." This was spoken without a hint of irony; he couldn't possibly be that good at lying. If there was one thing Clark would have known, it was that there was no "us".
No, that was wrong. He wasn't the liar - she was. There was an "us", it just wasn't that kind of "us". So what was it? Whatever it was, it had drawn her here tonight. There were so many things left unfinished in her life, she didn't want Clark to be one of them.
"I'm not sure what it is between us," she told him. "There isn't really an us, not like that. You should know that I'm in love with someone else."
"Superman?"
"Yeah," she gave him a weak smile. "Is it that obvious?"
"Pretty much." His hand reached out to stroke over her cheek, a move that surprised both of them. His fingers lingered for a moment before combing through her hair to the back of her head. He was so certain in the gesture that Lois felt her head tip back to rest against his palm as though he had willed it to happen. He's going to kiss me… Her heart trip-hammered at the thought.
She parted her lips to speak but any words she might have formed were lost in the firm pressure of his mouth on hers. His lips moved deliberately against hers, enveloping her upper lip, pulling it into his mouth and smoothing the leading edge of his tongue across it to get a good taste of her. Then his head tipped back so he could look at her.
"We've kissed before," he whispered. It wasn't a question.
Lois took in a shaky breath. "Sort of. I mean, I kissed you so that I could get close enough to give you a message when we were being held by this psycho named Jason Trask. And then you kissed me when we were on that stakeout…"
"The maid was coming," Clark murmured, nuzzling her ear and placing a tiny kiss on its lobe.
"Right! That's good, you're starting to remember." Lois suddenly felt dizzy, as though the world's axis had shifted. Clark would never have been this bold with her. Would he? Was this just Clark freed from all restraint? The thought sent a little shiver of something dark and sensual right through her. Was this why she had come over tonight? Oh god, she realized, it was.
"It was only those two times? I know I've kissed you more than that." He pulled back, both his hands framing her face, and regarded her with serious eyes.
Lois gave him a weak smile. "It must have been in your dreams."
Clark smiled back. "I can believe that."
He kissed her again, this time with ever-increasing intent. Clark slipped one arm low around her waist, drawing her along with him as he leaned back against the cushions. She came willingly, a fact that seemed to send all his blood south. Her mouth opened to him and they shared several long, slow kisses. Lois wrapped her arms around him, freely yielding herself to the sweet oblivion he offered. His tongue slid against hers, tasting her deeply while his fingers brushed lightly over her jaw. After they were both dizzy he broke the kiss, letting them catch their breath.
"I think," he said in a husky whisper and then paused to clear his throat, "I think you might want to leave soon." His hand had slipped beneath the hem of her shirt to languidly stroke over the soft skin of her back. God, he wanted to touch her everywhere.
"Why?" She knew exactly why - she just didn't want to go. She was feeling drawn to this more brazen version of Clark. If she went home now, she'd just lie awake all night and wonder about him. There was nothing left to lose in taking a chance tonight. "Don't you want me to stay?"
She wanted to stay. Wanted him. She wanted this to last. She wanted someone to hold, something to distract her from thinking about how her perfectly ordered life meant nothing now. All she really wanted was to be loved, cared for and desired one last time. That was what she had ignored in Clark's eyes and actions all this time. He really did love, care for and desire her. He had all along. Even losing his memories hadn't changed that.
"I may not remember who I am, Lois. But I do know how I feel. And I know what I want."
"I know what I want, too," she told him, her heart pounding at the realization. "I want to stay."
<><><>
End 1/?
There is another version of this story on the nfic boards which runs 20 parts, but I'm not certain yet how much will end up on the cutting room floor in the PG-13 version so I've left the number of parts open-ended for now.
