- from part 13
"Well, sure," Lois started to reach up to his face, "I've got a bit of an advantage there. You do know that my boyfriend has a special relationship with Superman, don't you?"
"Boyfriend?"
Lois didn't bother with a reply as she plundered his lips with her own. She needed to build up his self-confidence and she couldn't think of a better way of boosting it. Or one that was more fun for all involved.
*.*.*.
Part Fourteen
*.*.*.
"Lois?"
She looked up to see Perry stride over to her desk from his office, a printout of what appeared to be her latest story clasped in his hands. "Yes, Chief. What is it?"
"About this STAR Labs and Superman story that you sent me..."
"What about it?" she asked, immediately on her guard and ready to fight her corner against his accusations.
Perry paused as he looked from her to his copy. "It's a fantastic piece, I mean, it's terrific, it's just that over the years I've become used to your writing style and while I can see it in this article, it's... Is this *all* your own work?"
She stood up, anger written across her face. This was even worse than she had feared; this wasn't a comment about spelling or grammar, he was accusing her of plagiarism. "Are you suggesting that I've stolen someone else's story?"
"No, not really, I know you too well but I just can't help but feel like you might have written this with someone."
Lois sat back down again, chastised and a little bit embarrassed about her overreaction. "I had a little help but I wrote it. Most of it. Well, at least half of it."
He sighed and pulled over a chair to sit beside her, hoping that they could continue the rest of the conversation calmly without Mad Dog Lane butting her nose in. "Lois, if this is at least partly someone else's work I've got to credit them for it. You know that."
"I can rewrite it, make it all my own," she stretched out for the paper already mentally editing out anything of Clark's she'd forgotten to change but Perry held it just out of her reach, for some reason not willing to let her take it back. "I can. I can edit out his words; I know which bits they are."
"That's as well as may be but I don't want you to."
"Perry!"
"Lois, you are my top reporter and your writing is brilliant, you know that. However, whoever this mystery person is, their writing style complements yours and if anything, improves it. Who is it?"
Lois relented, not quite believing what she was hearing. She admitted that Clark had some talent for writing and perhaps she hadn't bothered altering his story as much as she could have because of it but for him to impress Perry like this was not something she had expected to happen. "Clark Kent."
"Never heard of him."
"It's enough to take over my byline with. Happy?" she snapped, turning back to her desk in order to delve into her work and try and forget her anger.
Unfortunately he wasn't, Lois realised as Perry continued to grill her about Clark. "What does he do?"
"I met him through STAR Labs," she said, noticing that her continuing vagueness was further irritating her editor. She relented and answered his question, hoping that he'd soon find another reporter to pester. "He's currently unemployed."
"Is he looking for work?"
"I guess."
"In that case, you can tell your friend Kent that he can expect a cheque for his help with this article and that if he would like a job at the Planet, I would like to give him an interview. If he can create articles on his own to this standard, he'd be a valuable asset to the paper."
"Perry, no!" Lois wailed as he started to walk away from her, the reality of what Perry had said came crashing down on her like a ton of bricks. "He can't work here!"
He paused and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "And why exactly can't he work here?"
Lois realised that their rather loud discussion had attracted the attention of the nearby staff. She walked over to the editor in order to avoid shouting across the newsroom and announcing everything to them. Her love-life had already been the subject of newsroom gossip far too much for her liking. She wasn't prepared to freely give them more ammunition. "Because I'm sort of involved with him. Romantically," she told him as calmly and quietly as she could.
Perry smirked at her but continued to talk in the same volume he had been using previously. "That's not my problem. I'm in charge of hiring and firing around here, not you. And I'm not promising him a job either. I'm impressed by his impact on your work, so I'd like to meet him and read something he's written on his own. If it's as good as this indicates, then he'd make a good reporter. That's all. Give him my message."
*.*.*.
Clark scanned the cafe's menu for the fiftieth time although he still hadn't really read what was in it. He sighed, and looked at his watch. Martha smiled as she watched him. "Why don't we just go ahead and order? She's obviously running late."
He took his eyes off the time and looked across the table at her. "That's what's worrying me. I've barely known her two weeks and during that time she's been kidnapped, tied up and nearly blown up twice. Sure, she could be stuck in traffic but she could equally be being held captive somewhere," he was fidgeting, fighting the temptation to fly away and look for her. He was overreacting, he knew that. It was all over, she was safe, *he* was safe. He needed to relax.
"I'm sure she's fine, Clark. Don't worry. She would've called for help if she needed it. If you're that worried, call her work and see if she's there."
Clark scraped his chair back, then gave his new mother a questioning look. "Would checking up on her because she's ten minutes late be seen as sweet and caring, or patronising and stifling?"
Martha gave a small chuckle as she watched him wrestle with his conscience. "By Lois? Probably the latter."
He groaned, settled back into his seat and returned his attention to the menu. "I'm sorry, Mar-- Mom. We could get drinks, there'd be no harm in that. I'd rather not order until she gets here." The sound of a well-known heartbeat broke into his thoughts and Clark looked up to see a rather frustrated Lois pushing her way through the crowds towards the cafe. He stood up as she walked over to their table and she glared at him as if he were the cause of whatever was currently annoying her.
"Clark, it's the twentieth century, you don't need to be so formal," Lois scolded him as she sat beside Martha.
"Sorry," he mumbled, sitting down and looking once more at the menu, "I was just trying to be polite."
Lois' expression changed as she smiled at him and gently squeezed his hand, letting go of her anger. "I know. It's sweet really; I'm just in a bad mood."
Martha looked at her questioningly, "Why's that?"
She made no answer, just opened her purse and pulled out an envelope which she handed wordlessly to Clark. He gazed at it curiously, then opened it and looked at its contents. "What's this?"
"Remember the piece you gave me on Superman and STAR Labs? I never really *completely* rewrote it and my editor-in-chief noticed, so that's for your help in writing the article."
"And that's why you're in a bad mood?" Clark asked puzzled, trying not to feel too pleased that Lois had deemed at least some of his writing good enough for her submit without rewriting.
Lois looked away and picked up a menu, studying it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "So what are we having? Have you two ordered yet? The pasta salad sounds nice."
"Lo-is."
"Fine!" Lois laid the menu down onto the table with an audible smack. "Perry was impressed with your work."
"And?"
She sighed, sweeping her hair away from her face as she fought to form the words with her tongue. "He... He was... He said..."
"What?" Clark asked impatiently, wondering what on earth her boss had said to get her so upset.
"Well, like I said, he thought it was good, well, alongside what I wrote of course. Said, if you're looking for work, then, if your own stuff was good enough then he might, *might*, be able to offer you a job."
"Oh," Martha beamed, ignoring the younger woman's distress at the concept, "that would be perfect. We've been looking for an apartment for Clark in the city but it's so expensive. The money from Bureau 39 would only cover it for a couple of months. We were discussing Clark getting some work, but of course he has no experience in anything. We wondered if maybe Dr. Klein would be able to get him a job at STAR Labs but that would be wonderful. The two of you would be working together."
Lois' eyes widened in horror as Martha verbalised her nightmare. "Exactly. That's the problem."
"Thanks," said Clark a little hurt, immediately making Lois feel contrite.
"I didn't mean it like that Clark. I know we haven't really known each other that long and our relationship is kind of new but I don't want to stuff it up. I've been with someone from work before and it didn't work. I want to keep my job and my love-life separate, which I wouldn't be able to do if you worked at the Planet."
Clark reached out to hold her hand in order to try and reassure her. "You mean that Claude guy you told me about?" Lois bit her lip and looked away. "Lois, you know I'd never do anything like that to you. Would it be so bad, us working together?"
Martha was beginning to feel in the way. She collected up the menus. "You know what, Lois, I think you were right about that pasta salad. How about we all have that? Clark?"
"Sure, Mom," he smiled broadly at her as he called her 'Mom', "that'll be fine."
"Good. I'll be back in a bit."
They watched as Martha walked over to the counter to give them some privacy. Clark then looked back at Lois. "Look. You said that he *might* give me a job. It's not a definite thing; I might not even like reporting, although I have to admit that I think that I would. I enjoyed writing that article, even with the whole being kidnapped thing. Do your stories always put you in mortal danger?"
Lois laughed, "No. Sometimes Perry gets cross with me and sends me out to cover dog shows. Then it's not *me* who's in mortal danger."
"I really don't know what you're worried about, Lois. As far as I'm concerned, the more time I get to spend with you, the better."
"You think that now, but in a month's time you'll be sick of me."
He smiled. "That sounds like a challenge to me. Seriously though, apart from your lack of self-esteem when it comes to men, do you really have a problem with the idea of me working at the Planet with you?"
She sighed, gripping Clark's hand tighter. "I guess not. And your article was good, I didn't need to do anything to it, only add something to make it mine. That obviously didn't work either. I also suppose, given the amount of people who keep trying to kill me when I'm on a story, having you and your talents around to keep me alive would be handy. Are you sure it's what you want to do, though Clark? You're finally free, after all this time. You could explore the world and fall in love with beautiful women who aren't riddled with neuroses and insecurities, just ride off into the sunset and do anything you want. Why would you want to stay in Metropolis, after everything that's happened to you in STAR Labs?"
He shrugged. "Metropolis is my home. Jon-- Mom and Dad said I could stay with them in Smallville, learn how to work the farm and everything. They could do with the help, especially with the more difficult tasks and as I'm now their son I'm likely to end up inheriting it all anyway. I thought about it, but I want to be here with you. I would like to see the world with a beautiful woman by my side. But I figured that I could fly you anywhere we wanted to go at anytime we wanted. There's no rush for any of that. We've got the rest of our lives for us to decide where we want to see."
Lois was surprised at the tears she felt gathering in her eyes and quickly blinked them away. "How did you manage to grow into such a romantic in a laboratory?"
Clark reached out and gently touched her cheek. "I don't know. I don't think I ever was until you came bursting into my room that night. You took my breath away, you know. I think I fell in love with you on sight. So do I have your approval to see if I can get a job at your paper?"
She reached up and cupped his hand, pulling it to her lips so she could give it a light kiss before she let it fall back down to the table. "OK. But in return I want you to fly me to a remote tropical island one evening, where we can lie in the golden sands and watch a beautiful sunset together, listening to the waves lap at our feet."
"Boy, you sure do drive a hard bargain!" he chuckled, "and *you* think *I'm* romantic?"
Lois found herself laughing with him and she leant in to give him a kiss. Maybe he was right; maybe working with this man wouldn't be such a bad thing. So long as she could keep him away from every woman in the office. Even with his new glasses, he was certainly going to be the receiver of more than a few admiring glances. She supposed she was going to have to fight to keep him, no one would believe he was dating Ice-Queen-Lane. Would she fight for him, or would she let him leave because men always left her regardless of her feelings on the matter? She withdrew and looked into his eyes. Suddenly she wondered whether she'd ever be able to lose him even if she wanted to. Which she didn't. Ever.
*.*.*.
Perry White looked at the nervous man who was sat opposite his desk. He watched as the stranger peered out of his office windows for a second time, his face lighting up his gaze fell on Lois, who was busy working at her desk. Perry took the time to read his resume, then he shook his head as he cleared his throat to regain the man's attention but couldn't help smiling at the guilty look on Clark's face when he realised he had been staring at Lois instead of paying attention to his interviewer. "Kent, I was really impressed with that work you did with Lois."
"Thank you, Mr. White. I was quite surprised at how much of what I wrote made it into the paper." That at least was true. After that lunch with Lois, Clark had bought a copy of the paper partly out of curiosity and partly to see his new name in print, as well as to support his girlfriend's work. What Lois had done to his work had certainly greatly improved it but it hadn't completely changed. Maybe he did have what it took to be a reporter like her.
Perry scanned the sheet of paper again. "You, er, you don't have much experience, do you?"
Clark shifted nervously in his seat. He had known that would come up; he had talked it over with Martha and Lois, as well as in a brief phone conversation with Jonathan. "No. I've been travelling and working on my parents' farm for most of my life. I suppose it is a little late to be starting a career but I've reached a stage in my life where I want to settle down and I never really wanted to be a farmer."
"It's never too late, son, especially when you're still young," Perry chuckled, "and experience isn't everything. You've got some good qualifications here but what I'm more interested in is what you write."
Clark opened his new briefcase that was sat on his lap. Truthfully he didn't have anything old for Perry to read, which he hoped he didn't notice. Lois had assured him that no one would think too much about it but he still felt self-conscious when questioned. "I haven't written much. I have the article on STAR Labs I wrote before I gave it to Lois. Also I kind of stumbled across a Superman rescue this morning that I wrote up before I came here. It's still quite rough though, I didn't have enough time to edit it before this interview."
He gave him a friendly smile, "Well, give 'em here, let me have a look." It felt like an eternity passed as Perry read Clark's work in silence. "Hmm. It could use a little work but I get worse things turned into me by reporters who think they've produced a Pulitzer."
Perry put the paper down on his desk and eyed the young man. "You've got promise, Mr. Kent, I think you could be good enough to rival Lois in time but as of right now you certainly don't have the experience needed for me to hire you on a permanent basis as a staff reporter."
Clark nodded sadly but resigned, "I understand, sir."
"But I could probably swing a temporary contract as a junior member of staff. You'll be busy helping the reporters, doing research and maybe writing a couple of smaller articles. You keep up this level of work for the next few months and we'll make your position permanent and you can start working your way up to becoming a full reporter," he stuck out his hand for him to shake, "Clark Kent, welcome to the Daily Planet."
Fin.
*.*.*.
End Notes:
The Pilot was written by Deborah Joy LeVine.
I want to end this by thanking Carol for beta'ing this for me and everyone who's left me feedback along the way.
