Thanks to Maggs and kmar for their beta. I hope you'll enjoy this piece
From Part 2:“I’m afraid that I won’t ever be able to forget this night,” Cat said somewhat later. “How am I supposed to go out and enjoy myself, if there’s a madman waiting for me behind the next corner? How...” Her voice broke. “After all I just went to the newsroom!” she added with a desperate sob.
“What happened isn’t your fault, Cat. It was bad luck that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Clark said gently.
He didn’t know what else he could say to soothe her. He couldn’t claim that Cat would wake up the next morning and everything would be okay again. That just wasn’t true. Time would help to make the wound smaller and hurt less. But Cat wouldn’t be human if a night like this didn’t leave as much as a scar.
It was almost too late for getting to bed when they finally did. He wanted her to take his bed, but Cat won over and spent the night on the small, but pretty comfortable sofa. They said good night to each other, both feeling that they had found an unexpected friend.
Nightmares
Part 3:Lois looked at the pile of folders that lay on her desk. Stubbornly, she forced herself to read the same paragraph over and over again. It was futile because the words didn’t make any more sense than they had the other twelve times she had seen them. She didn’t learn much more than that black letters were printed on white paper.
She was not going to look at him. Not even if somebody paid her for it. Clark didn’t deserve her attention. He shouldn’t think that she paid any interest whatsoever in his private affairs. This was his business. If he was happy with it, so be it. His inexpressibly bad taste in women truly wasn’t her problem.
But why did he have to act like this in front of all their co-workers? The pencil Lois held in her hand broke, falling victim to her anger and disappointment like so many other things had during the morning. There was her bathroom mirror, for example, that had been bold enough to show Lois her tear-stained eyes. Or her cup of coffee that hadn’t ducked away quickly enough as Lois had entered the kitchen.
Clark’s behavior was embarrassing to put it politely. Lois couldn’t understand what had gotten into him. She had always thought him to be considerate and sensible. But that was only true until his brain had stop working. Now something else had obviously taken over the lead, causing this ridiculous scene.
Despite all her efforts to ignore what was going on just a few feet beside her Lois couldn’t help but take another peak. It was worse than ever. Cat was standing behind Clark, whatever she actually wanted there. That bitch was supposed to be in Paris. Or in Timbuktu! She should go jump in the lake.
Cat’s hands were wrapped around him and she was looking over his shoulder, her cheek touching his. Why wasn’t she sitting on his lap instead? That would get her closer to the action! Lois closed her eyes. She didn’t want to know what else Cat was doing. Clark seemed to enjoy her attention, listened to every word that Cat purred into his ears, while she caressed, well, whatever it was that she caressed.
Lois blindly stared back at the passage she was pretending to read. She realized that she had absolutely no idea what it was about. She was angry at Clark and at herself for being so unhappy about what Clark was doing. She wasn’t interested in him. Period. He could share his bed with anyone he liked. Even with Cat if he had such bad taste in women. That really wasn’t her problem.
After another glance at Clark and Cat Lois knew that they weren’t going to carry on their *flirtation* in the newsroom. He was just dragging her towards the conference room. She could very well imagine what they were going to do there. Lois closed her eyes and tried to fight the unwanted imagination of Clark kissing Cat with the same longing she had felt as he had kissed her during their night in the honeymoon suite.
The mere mental image made Lois just as devastated as she had been the night before. She urgently wanted to smash something to pieces, like for example Clark’s foggy mind. Of course she wasn’t likely to be successful with this. Maybe she could secretly set-off the fire alarm, or she could kill Cat slowly and painfully. One day Clark would certainly be grateful for this. As if on their on account, Lois’ hands began to ransack her desk for a Double Fudge bar. Maybe the pain would become less intense, then.
* * *
“Stop it, Cat,” Clark said through clenched teeth as he shut the door of the conference room behind him, trying to restrain his anger in order to keep from strangling her. He had never been so close.
“I’m doing you a favor,” Cat replied and sat down on a chair, laughing as she saw the mixture of despair and intention to kill in his expression. “Come on, Clark. Don’t look at me like that. I know that I owe you a lot. I’m just trying to reciprocate!” She looked at him like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. But her efforts to help him only served to destroy his last hope for reconciling with Lois.
“You’ve got an interesting way of doing that! You and I know that we’re never going to be anything but friends. I’m not the kind of guy you’re really interested in, and well…” he felt his ears turn pink as he realized that he had been about to tell Cat that he didn’t find her attractive. That was impolite. At the same time he wondered why he was still trying to be nice. She had already pushed him so far that he was about to regret having helped her. Cat was stressing his patience, extremely so.
“I know, I know,” Cat said with a shrug. “Relax, Clark. It’s all working according to plan,” she winked at him and smiled broadly.
“According to plan?” Clark asked, nearly choking. “This isn’t a plan, this is a disaster!” he emphasized and silently wished that someone would pinch him in order to wake him from this nightmare. Ever since Lois had seen him and Cat in his apartment, nothing really went the way he would have liked.
Cat put her hands on her hips and looked at him, provokingly. “You’re being ungrateful,” she admonished him wryly, playfully. “Haven’t you noticed how jealous Lois is?”
“Cat, please… My life is already difficult as it is. I didn’t ask you to make her jealous or whatever it is that you’re actually trying to achieve. My feelings for Lois are strictly my own business and I can’t believe I ever told you about them,” Clark replied testily. “Would you please stop doing me any favors? It was my pleasure saving you and we should leave it at that, Cat. No need to *thank* me!” Sarcasm was dripping from his voice and Clark couldn’t believe he was being so harsh. Cat was only trying to help, or so he liked to belief. She was shallow, not malicious.
“There was no need telling me about them,” Cat remarked. “I would need to be blind not to notice that you’re a drooling fool when it comes to her. God knows why, I don’t. But the point is that Lois would never admit that she feels the same about you. This is our chance to make her fight,” Cat explained, sure of victory. She smiled at him cheerily.
Clark shook his head. Cat just didn’t want to understand what the point was. After Paul and Claude and everything Lois had told him about her father, she certainly wouldn’t put up a fight in order to get Clark. As long as she thought that he slept with Cat, she’d be far too afraid of burning her fingers. She wouldn’t even think of having a relationship.
"Look, Clark. All I’m trying to say is that you will need either a psychiatrist or a lot of help to survive rejection after rejection. After all you’re trying to compete with Superman,” Cat continued.
“Thanks for reminding me,” Clark said bitterly.
Lois would never stop worshipping her hero, if Clark was going out with other woman, that much was certain. Mayson’s admiration was already causing him trouble. Cat was just another nail in his coffin.
“Oh, Clark…” Cat sighed sympathetically. Solicitousness was a character trait Clark hadn’t expected to find in Cat. She managed to hit his soft spot. Once more Clark realized that he simply couldn’t be angry with Cat, although he desperately wanted to. Clark had come to know Cat better than he ever thought he would. “You’re a Superman, too. What you did for me was so courageous… I guess I wouldn’t be here without you.”
“You’re exaggerating,” he replied uncomfortably. “Anyone would have saved you, Cat.” And I didn’t even need to gather any courage to do it, he silently added.
“Maybe,” Cat replied, but didn’t sound like she really meant it. “But who would have been there for me afterwards? I’m not exactly someone who deserves that much care, particularly not yours. I was the lady trying to take advantage of your amnesia to get you into my bed, do you remember?”
“No, actually, I don’t,” Clark said wryly, sounding a lot softer. He winked at her and smiled. “Cat, I know you’re only trying to help and it means a lot to me. Really. But you know Lois. She thinks that you and me in an apartment means, well…” Once more Clark ears went pink. “I don’t think it’s the right way to make her see me.”
Cat shook her head. “She won’t see what a great guy she has unless she’s about to lose you. As long as you’re at her side 24-7, she can easily keep dreaming of Superman.”
Clark groaned. “Cat, please!”
“Oh, Clark! No one who knows you would honestly assume that you and I…” Cat had to bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. “Anyway, I still think that a little jealousy on her part will work wonders. But you’re the boss.” She rolled her eyes and uttered an extreme sigh.
Clark watched her suspiciously. Just like Lois, Cat was stubborn and he didn’t believe that she would give in so easily. He had to admit that in some way Cat was right. If he didn’t want to lose Lois he was well advised to fight for her. Pretending to have an affair with another woman certainly wasn’t the best idea. Cat’s plan had one serious downside – Lois wasn’t really jealous. A small frown had been the sole indication that she had paid any attention at all to Cat’s uninhibited flirting. Maybe she was indignant that Cat should be his choice, but most definitely not jealous.
* * *
As Clark returned into the newsroom, Cat said goodbye, this time without attacking him. Almost relieved, he went back to his desk, pondering about how to reconcile with Lois. But before he could even think of a way that might help him, Lois was standing in front of him, as large as life. Her expression was very annoyed.
“Come on,” she said shortly and turned around.
She hurried back to her desk, took her coat and than ran over to the elevators. Confused, Clark remained standing beside his desk and watched her. Suddenly it dawned on him that she had advised him to follow her. Hurriedly, he ran after her and just managed to catch up with her in time before the elevator’s doors closed in front of him.
On the ride down Lois didn’t say a word. She didn’t look at him but stubbornly stared into space. Her lower lip was trembling and her pretended unresponsiveness couldn’t hide that she was not only furious but also deeply hurt. Was Cat right? Did Lois want more than mere friendship? The thought was almost too wonderful to be true. But if this was actually true, then Clark was so thoroughly messing with his chances that it came close to being well planned and intentional.
“Lois,” Clark said quietly. He was glad that there was no one else in the elevator but Lois. Even so, the conversation remained difficult. “Lois, I’m sorry, I...” She didn’t blink or turn her head. Not a single movement indicated that she was actually listening. “Cat is not my girlfriend. Yesterday...”
“I don’t care, Clark. We’re partners at work. What you’re doing in your leisure time is none of my business,” Lois interrupted him coldly. “I left you so abruptly because I had forgotten something. I’m sorry, I should have said good bye.” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. She made it clear that as far as she was concerned the conversation was over. Turning her back on him, she continued to stare into space. Every inch of her was a professional reporter, a text book example of Mad Dog Lane.
Clark wanted to say something, but his voice refused to work as he received her angry glance. That surely hadn’t worked according to plan. The elevator stopped as they arrived in the lobby of the Daily Planet. Still unable to say anything, Clark followed Lois as she stormed out of the building. She didn’t tell him where they were heading and when he asked her, she remained silent and waved for a cab.
As they got into the cab, Lois asked the driver to take them to a shopping street that was a few blocks away. He didn’t learn anything else. Lois had obviously decided to treat him with even greater disrespect than she had during their first investigation. What had he done?
The cab stopped in front of a jeweler’s store. A bunch of people were standing there, curiously looking at the shop. Some policemen were carefully watching that the viewers kept their distance from the crime scene, while their colleagues searched for leads and witnesses. Clark thought about asking Lois what had happened, but then decided that he would find out on his own.
When Lois wasn’t ignoring him, she shot him angry glances. Clark stifled a sigh and peeked over the rim of his glasses. The jeweler’s store had obviously been robbed. Showcases that had also served as counters framed two sides of the sales room. They were all broken. Rings, bracelets and necklaces were lying on the floor. Pieces of glass and money were spread across the ground. The villain must have been strong, but nevertheless he hadn’t managed to steal anything. A body was lying on the floor, covered. Clark swallowed hard. He should have helped instead of arguing with Cat.
Clark forced himself to have a closer look at the body. Choking, he realized that the dead body wasn’t human. Or since when were humans made of metal?
* * *
Lois thought that she was really doing okay. She was asking questions, Clark was asking questions. They were working together. They didn’t necessarily have to talk to each other to do so. They were professionals, a team that could do without words. And if there really was anything they had to talk about, they just did. She wouldn’t have a problem continuing their partnership – Lane and Kent, the hottest team in town. Perry really couldn’t blame her for not being cooperative. And after all it hadn’t been her making out in the newsroom for everyone to see.
Clark had just finished interviewing a policeman. “They’re still not able to say anything about this...” He said slowly while he came over to her.
“Cyborg, Clark. The word is cyborg,” Lois interrupted him impatiently as he was hesitating.
“Cyborg, right. Well, the police have absolutely no idea where it’s from,” Clark added a little irritated.
Lois shook her head, annoyed. If he wanted to be her partner he should be careful that his bed stories wouldn’t distract him. From the very beginning she had known that a hack from Nowheresville just wasn’t prepared to live in a big city like Metropolis.
“So, let’s find out who is doing research on cyborgs at the moment,” Lois said matter-of-factly. “Who of these persons could possibly be criminal? That should shorten the list.”
Clark nodded. “I’m going to work on that. And you...”
“I am meeting with Lucy. She is in town and I’ve promised mom to take care of her”, Lois said instantly and managed to look down on Clark although he still was about a foot taller than her. Actually, Lois had wanted to take Clark to the meeting as well. He had something like a calming influence on Lucy. In his presence, her sister wasn’t so combative. But Cat turning his head was already more than she could endure.
“Lois, I...” Clark said, but she didn’t let him finish his sentence. She didn’t want to hear that Cat had changed, that she was someone special or whatever he imagined in his love struck brain.
“See you later, Clark,” Lois replied rudely and ditched him in front of the jeweler’s store.
to be concluded...
