PREVIOUSLY...
“Well, the reason I ended up getting the story about Diana Stride was because of my... friendship with Mayson.”
“Okay, I can see that.” Her voice remained slow, measured. He really hadn’t said anything yet to get upset over.
“But...” He glanced at her before looking away. “...well, actually that was sort of the beginning of... me dating Mayson.”
AND NOW...
* * * * * * * * *
Chapter Twenty-Six
* * * * * * * * *
When he saw the expression on Lois’ face, he quickly continued. “You’d made it very clear that it was over and...”
“I get it, Clark,” Lois said in exasperation. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it. I suppose you even ended up spending the weekend at that cabin with her. You weren’t a virgin anymore so I guess that’s understandable. It’s okay. I get it. We weren’t together. Will never get together. So I can hardly blame you for starting a relationship with Mayson. It’s not as if you were cheating on me or...”
Lois’ string of words was cut off by Clark’s mouth on hers.
“Mmph,” she mumbled against his lips before responding to his kiss.
When he felt her relax, he finally pulled back.
She slowly stroked his cheek. “Okay, so tell me about Mayson.” Her voice was a lot calmer, but still slightly wary.
Clark pulled a bit of a face, but still he began, putting the pieces together for himself as he did so. “Okay, well, let’s see. You know that I met her back when Baby Rage tried to burn down your uncle’s restaurant. We spent time together around that time... mainly with her helping me get the Baby Rage story. After that, we sort of lost touch.” He shrugged. “I never really pursued it. It wasn’t until the Diana Stride investigation that I saw her again.”
“Wait a minute! It seems to me I remember you two seeing each other during the investigation where the mad scientist flashed his knowledge transfer laser in my eyes.”
“That was in our reality. In this one, I never worked on that story. You were the one attacked, after all. So I never had any contact with Mayson at that time.”
Lois nodded. “I remember that she was the D.A. working on that case. In fact, I think I spent more time trying to find out what her relationship was with you than I did investigating the story. After all, I’d seen the two of you at your apartment kissing. And since a few weeks later, I had spent the night with you...” She shrugged.
Clark nodded slowly. “I guess that’s understandable. Thing was, I didn’t see or talk to her from the end of the south side investigation until the investigation of Diana Stride.”
“So she never invited you for a weekend in some remote cabin?”
Clark lifted Lois’ hand, giving it a quick kiss. “She never invited me to spend a weekend with her. Or... at least she didn’t then.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Then what are you sure of?”
Clark let out a breath as he attempted to think back. He knew Lois was upset. He was a little concerned about where this story was going to go himself. After all, even in their reality, he had found Mayson attractive. And he had enjoyed her company. And since in this reality, there was no Superman for Mayson to dislike... And given how heartbroken he’d been following Lois’ rejection... He was worried that neither he nor Lois might be too happy finding out what was to come.
But they needed to know, so taking a deep breath, he began his story.
**Linda and Clark left their boss’ office. It seemed that a key member of Intergang had been arrested and was going to testify in exchange for a deal. The D.A. wasn’t releasing details, calling him only Mr. X. But apparently, Intergang had been killing world leaders for decades, making the deaths look like accidents. Mr. X. was going to finger their number one assassin.
Carpenter was determined to get the full story before anyone else - especially the Daily Planet. In fact, he’d been furious with the number of stories the Daily Planet had been getting recently.
“Well, Preston was certainly in a foul mood,” Linda said as they walked back to their desks.
“Do you think he was serious about firing us if we let the Daily Planet get there first?”
Linda took a seat at her desk. “I doubt it. We’re the only reporters here who can hold our own against the Daily Planet. He can’t afford to fire us.”
Clark nodded as he sat on the corner of her desk. “Still, I’d prefer not to test him on this. So... any ideas where to start?”
“Don’t you have a contact inside the D.A.’s office. The woman who helped you on that story about Baby Rage?”
“Mayson Drake,” Clark said, nodding slightly.
“Okay then,” Linda said,, picking up the phone and holding it out to him.
Clark hesitated for a moment. He didn’t know Mayson well, but she’d made it quite clear during the short time they had spent together, that she was interested in more than a professional relationship.
Clark wasn’t ready for anything like that. It had only been six weeks since he and Lane had spent the night together. Might she not still change her mind and give him a chance? Not that she’d taken any of his phone calls. In fact, he was pretty sure she was screening her calls these days.
Not that he could explain any of that to Linda. So, with a sigh, he took the phone, dialed in the number for the D.A.’s office and asked for Mayson Drake.**
“So what happened when you met with Mayson?”
“Well, let’s just say that Linda tends to think like you do.”
“She stole Mayson’s beeper?” Lois asked in disbelief.
Clark shrugged.
“Anyway, as we were leaving, Mayson made a comment about how we had sort of left things up in the air between us. So I sort of... ended up leaving her with the impression that I’d call.”
Lois rolled her eyes. She’d watched Clark try to avoid giving Mayson a straight answer in their reality; she supposed she shouldn’t expect it to be any different in this one. “Did you call her?”
“Well, not exactly. After we found Mr. X’s hideout, and an attempt was made on his life by Diana Stride, Mayson had questions.”
“Like she did with us?”
Clark nodded. “Anyway, I told her that we’d stolen her beeper.”
“Wait a minute. In our reality, you told me that you’d support whatever I did. Why didn’t you do that in this reality?”
“I did. Linda thought Mayson would take the information better coming from me. Seems she doesn’t have your courage when it comes to taking responsibility for her actions.”
“So she dumped the whole thing in your lap?”
Clark shrugged. “Anyway, it did give Mayson and me an opportunity to talk.”
“And... What did she say?”
**“I really thought better of you, Clark,” Mayson said, looking down at her beeper.
“It was sort of an impulse decision, Mayson. I’m sorry.”
“You know, what I should do is have you charged.”
“I’d understand.”
Mayson looked at him for a long moment. Finally, she shook her head. “What would be the point? After all, from what I hear, you actually managed to save Mr. X’s life. But, Clark, I’m warning you... don’t ever use me like that again.”
Clark nodded.
Mayson rose to her feet before turning towards him. “Oh, and about that talk...”
“I’d understand if you weren’t interested anymore,” Clark said, almost hoping that was true. It would make things so much simpler.
“No, actually... I wanted to suggest... Well, I know this might sound a little forward but... I really like you.”
“Thanks. I like you, too,” Clark responded, resisting the urge to bolt from the room. He didn’t want this.
“Good,” Mayson said, obviously not noticing his discomfort. “That makes it easier. I have a cabin in the mountains. I’m going up for the weekend, leaving tomorrow after work... I was wondering if you’d like to join me. It’s cold this time of year, but there’s a fireplace and a wood-burning stove and... what do you say?”
Damn! He really wasn’t ready for that. “Uhh... look, Mayson.”
“Oh, god, I blew it didn’t I. Too forward. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying...”
“No, no, no,” Clark said, stepping in immediately when confronted by her distress. “I just... well, I just ended a relationship and I’m not really ready yet for...” His voice trailed off. What was he doing? Giving Mayson hope? How could he do that?
On the other hand, after feeling so rejected by Lane, Mayson’s interest was flattering if nothing else. “Look... maybe in a couple of weeks... we could go out on a date or something... Why don’t I call you when things calm down a bit?” He wasn’t sure why he’d done that. Hadn’t he just decided that he wasn’t ready to move on?
Mayson looked as if he’d just handed her the world. “I’ll look forward to it,” she said, before turning and practically floating out of the newsroom, a smile on her face.
“So how did she take it?” Linda asked, coming over to join him when Mayson left.
“Better than you would have expected,” Clark responded, still staring at the closed elevator doors, lost in thought.
“If it went okay, why do you look so serious?”
Clark shook his head. “It’s nothing, Linda. So... what do you say that we get to work on that story about the attempt on Mr. X’s life?”**
“One thing I don’t understand, Clark,” Lois said as he finished his story.
“What?”
“Well, Linda... In our reality, she seemed interested in you. Why wasn’t she in this reality?”
“In our reality, I was your partner and your date to Carpenter’s shindig. You and I were friends, and maybe a little more. I don’t think Linda’s interest had anything to do with me. It was about driving you nuts.”
“Well, she managed to accomplish that.”
“I noticed,” Clark said with a slight grin. “You were a little... intense.”
Lois swatted him, but didn’t contradict what he had said. “So anyway...” She gave him a look to quell his teasing. “...at a time when you and I should have been planning our first date, you were asking Mayson out?”
“Well, not exactly. Or... at least that’s not how I think it went.”
“Then what... Kyle Griffin,” Lois said, interrupting herself.
“Kyle Griffin,” Clark responded.
**Lois had spent most of the day trying to track down Griffin, but without any luck. It wasn’t fair. It really wasn’t. She’d put Griffin, aka the Prankster, in jail twice now. And yet he was out again, this time with some kind of freezing weapon and an innate desire to humiliate her.
The lights at the Daily Planet suddenly began to blink off and on. Before she could figure out why, the phone rang.
“Lois Lane,” she said into the phone.
“Lois! Great to talk to you again.” Lois recognized Griffin’s voice immediately. “I know you’ve been wondering where I was and I’d hate for you to be kept in the dark.”
“You’re controlling the lights at the Planet?” she asked, knowing immediately that he was.
“Oh, I’m pretty much in control of the whole darn city. Take a look outside.”
Lois put down the phone and jogged to the window. Outside, in a building across from the Daily Planet, all the lights suddenly went out, only to light up again to say, “HI LO.”**
“I remember that,” Clark interrupted. “The Prankster breaking out of prison was big news. And when I saw the building flashing ‘Hi, Lo,’ I knew it must be meant for you - given his obsession with you. So I told Linda that I had a lead to follow up on and dashed over to the Daily Planet. Standing outside, I activated my superhearing and x-ray vision - desperate to make sure you were all right.”
**She was safe. She was inside, on the phone, but most importantly, she was safe. He let out the breath he’d been holding since seeing that message.
“What do you want now, Griffin?” Lane said into the phone.
Griffin? She was actually talking to the man? That guy really was some sick, twisted psychopath.
“Well, since you’re my favorite reporter,” Griffin said. “I thought I’d let you in on an electrifying story. I’ve been able to access the computer banks at Metropolis Power and Light. Should be a real party when I shut down the airport. Talk about flying blind. Ta-tah.”
Lane was suddenly listening to a dial tone.
The airport. Maybe he should get over there and see what he could... And what exactly could he do? Nothing. Not if he wanted to have any sort of normal life. Besides, he was certain that the airport must have a contingency plan in case of a power failure. Still, maybe he should go check it out - just in case.
He saw Lane pick up her coat. “Corey, tell Perry I’m going to follow up on Metropolis Power and Light.”
And suddenly, all thoughts of the airport fled his mind. Lane was actually planning on going to the very place Griffin was most likely to be. There was no way he was letting her go alone.**
“Why do you always do that?” Clark asked. “Dangle over the jaws of death.”
“I really didn’t think I was doing that. Yes, I was trying to find Griffin. But given his comments about the airport, I really thought that was where the danger was. It wasn’t my fault that...”
**“Griffin,” Lois gasped in surprise when she turned to find Griffin standing in front of her with his light weapon pointed in her direction.
“I knew you’d come. Reporters are so predictable.”
“What’s this all about?”
“What’s it about? It’s about magic. It’s about wonder. It’s about power. Lots of power. But most of all, it’s about revenge. I’m going to kidnap the President of the United States and then demand lots and lots of money to get him back. And I have the perfect weapon here to make sure his secret service won’t be able to stop me.”
“Griffin, if you give yourself up now, you’ll still...”
“Yakety, yakety, yak. Now, there’s only one thing that can go wrong with my plan. You. So I’m going to take care of that problem right now.”
Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed in her eyes. The next thing she knew, she was tied to a huge boiler, and by the look of the dials, it was about to blow.
“Help!” she yelled, even as she began struggling against her bindings.
Where he came from, she wasn’t exactly certain. But almost before she knew what was happening, Kent was there, untying her bonds.
“Kent...”
“Come on.” Grabbing her hand, he practically dragged her to her feet.
She needed no further encouragement. Finding her legs, she ran for everything she was worth.
“Get down!” Kent suddenly yelled, pulling her to the ground and throwing his body on top of her just as the boiler exploded. She could feel the heat of the explosion everywhere that her body was not covered by his. And if that was what was happening to her...
She struggled to get out from under him the moment the explosion was over, desperate to find out if he was alive. He moved immediately, assuring her that he was. Still, he had to be hurt. Her hands searched his body, examining every inch of him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Am I okay?” she asked in disbelief. “Are you?”
“I’m fine,” he said dismissively. “But when I saw you tied to that boiler...”
“You saved my life.” Her expression softened. “Again. Thank you. But how did you know...”
“I was here to figure out what was going on with the power in the city. I figured the Prankster had to be behind it. And instead I found you. What are you doing here?”
“Same as you, I guess.” Picking herself off the ground and brushing herself off, she found that now that the danger had passed, she was not able to look him in the eye. “Well, I’ve still got a story to get. So I guess...”
“Wait!”
She stopped and looked at him.
He seemed to struggle to find the words. “I just... Well, Lane, it seems to me that the Prankster wants you dead. Please... Spend the night at my place.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“I promise not to try anything. I just... I need to know that you’re safe.”
She gently touched his arm, immediately conscious of the electricity that seemed to leap between them. Sleeping together obviously had done nothing to dim the sexual tension lurking just below the surface - in fact, it might have intensified it. And that was why... “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Kent. And... well, a friend has already offered me his couch.”
He looked disappointed, but resigned as he nodded. “Just know that I’m here for you if you need me, okay?”
“I’ll be fine, Kent,” she responded before turning and walking away, forcing herself not to glance back at the soulful look she knew would be on his face. How was anyone supposed to resist those puppy-dog eyes?**
“Clark, did you follow me that night?” Lois asked.
“What?”
Lois rolled her eyes. “You heard me. When I left there... Actually, even after I went to Jimmy’s, I got the feeling you were watching me.”
“Okay, so sue me. I was worried.”
Lois smiled. “I love it that you worry.” She let out a breath as she thought back once again.
**Lois couldn’t stand it anymore. The sound of the television blared throughout the apartment. Jimmy had said he needed the sound of the television to get to sleep. Well, surely he was asleep by now. And besides, that 976 infomercial about ‘Girls, Girls, Girls,’ was starting to make her suicidal. Or... homicidal would probably be more accurate. In fact, ten more minutes of listening to breathless girls and she was probably going to go on a killing spree - of any man who believed that the breathless beauties on the show were the ones he was actually going to be talking to if he called that number and paid twenty-five dollars a minute. Please.
She rolled over, holding the pillow over her head to dim the noise.
“Okay, enough of this!” Lois finally said, pushing aside the blanket. She stormed over to the television, flicking it off.
Letting out a sigh, she plopped back onto the couch. She’d just curled up and closed her eyes when...
“What are you doing?” Jimmy yelled, startling Lois. “How could you turn that off? I’m doing you a favor by letting you stay here. But I don’t suppose you care if I can’t sleep. You’re just going to expect me to be all bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow anyway. Running around, getting your research.”
Huh? “It was a 976 infomercial, Jimmy!”
“It was my 976 infomercial. My apartment. My choice. If you don’t like it, too bad! I told you I need the television on to sleep!” He walked over, flicking the television back on, before storming back into the bedroom.
Lois pulled her pillow back up over her head, trying to dull the noise enough to get to sleep.**
“Jimmy apologized the next day. Apparently, that’s just how he wakes up if there isn’t any noise. He even went out and bought a pair of headphones. Said that would solve the problem. So the next night...”
**The pounding brought Lois out of sleep and into a fighter’s stance all in less than a second. It took her a moment to realize that someone was at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Jimmy said, rushing into the room.
She wrapped the blanket around her and glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight. What type of person burst in unannounced at this time of night?
“Hey, Jimmy. You’re up,” said a greasy haired kid, not much more, in Lois’ opinion, than sixteen. He seemed to be followed by his little brother. “Mom and Dad are at it again. We need a place to kick it for a few hours. Oh, hey... Pizza.” Without waiting for a response, the kids dashed to the remainder of the pizza Lois and Jimmy had for supper.
“Help yourself,” Jimmy said as the two kids grabbed the last two pieces of pizza and began eating.
“Hey, anything good on television?” the older kid asked, taking a seat on the couch beside Lois and picking up the remote.
No. She was not going for a second night with no sleep. She glared at Jimmy who just shrugged in return. Well, fine! It wasn’t as if she didn’t have other options. Grabbing her coat and pulling on her boots, she stormed out the door.**
* * * * * * * * *
**Lois wasn’t entirely sure where she was going when she left Jimmy’s. Oh, the thought did occur to her that a quick call to the police, complaining about the noise, might solve the problem. But for some reason, she didn’t do it. Instead, she drove around the darkened streets of Metropolis with no particular destination in mind.
When she realized where she’d ended up, she wasn’t particularly surprised. She’d been thinking about it... Or, more accurately, trying not to think about this option since he’d made the offer. Still, he’d promised not to try anything. And so... wasn’t she safe enough?
Besides, he was her best friend - maybe even something a little more. It was only natural that she was here.
Wait a minute! Where had that thought come from? He wasn’t her best friend. She hadn’t had a best friend for years - ever since she’d grown up and realized that she couldn’t count on anyone but herself.
Still, none of that stopped her from getting out of her jeep. She pushed aside the little voice in the back of her mind that told her this was a mistake. She ignored the voice that said he was not the one she was worried would try something. She walked up the steps, refusing to acknowledge that the real problem was what she might do. In fact, she ignored all the voices, screaming at her not to do this, when, at one o’clock in the morning, she found herself knocking on the door of his apartment.**
* * * * * * * * *
**Lois woke before the sun the next morning and glanced over at the man lying next to her in bed. What had she done?
Okay, so maybe last time was understandable. After all, he’d been injured and... it had just happened. No warning. No time to prepare. But coming over here last night... No, she couldn’t claim innocence this time. She’d been in his arms the moment he’d opened the door. He hadn’t stood a chance.
Not that he’d exactly fought her off. But she could hardly blame him for what had happened. Still, the second she’d kissed him, she’d been a goner. The sweet taste of his kiss had Lois feeling lightheaded. She had moaned as he pulled her closer, molding her body against his. Every nerve ending in her body felt as if it were on fire.
She wanted him. Had she ever wanted any man as much as she wanted Kent in that moment?
It seemed as if he felt the same. His hands wound their way under her shirt, one of his hands running intimately up her body. She moaned, throwing her head back to push herself further into his hand even as she trusted him to catch her. He did. His lips left hers to trail hungrily up her neck, nibbling at her earlobe before working his way back down again.
Her leg slipped around his to pull them closer together. She buried her hands in his hair, running them through the dark, thick locks. It felt good, right between her fingers.
His lips came off her throat and he pulled back far enough to look into her eyes, breathing heavily. She gasped as she looked into his eyes, so dark they could almost be black. Fire leapt from them, sending sparks down her spine to spring to life in her belly.
He turned them, pushing her against the wall. Bringing his hand up, he began to pull open the buttons on her shirt. Once it hung open, he began working his way down her body until he was kneeling in front of her. She moaned, fisting her hands back into his hair as his lips trailed across her stomach.
“I want you,” she whispered. “I want you so much it hurts.”
He was standing in front of her an instant later. His mouth returned to hers immediately, seizing it with a new hunger. Bracing himself against the wall, his body came into intimate contact with hers until she could feel every shape and curve of his body. The rippling of his muscles, the pounding of his heart, the strength of his passion. She moaned, wrapping her arms around him and snaking her hands up under his shirt, wishing she knew a way to crawl inside his skin.
A moment later, she was in his arms, kicking off her shoes, as he strode towards the bedroom.**
“Wait a minute,” Clark cut in. “Doesn’t that sound an awful lot like...”
“...what happened between us last night,” Lois concluded. “How is that possible? We hadn’t even remembered this incident at the time?”
TO BE CONTINUED...
