Next part on Monday!
Thank you again Nancy (anonpip), Rel and special thanks to Michael! =P
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both Sides of the CoinPart 17
TOC The reporters in the newsroom were a seething mass. They all scurried around on various tasks but the main topic of conversation was centered upon a single topic: Superman.
Lois had commandeered the office’s sketch artist at her desk and had badgered him into creating a portrait of Superman. Clark stood by her side, looking highly provoked. He felt something brush his arm and jumped. He turned in surprise to find Cat plastered to his side. <Lois...>
Lois’ eyes turned from the developing sketch and narrowed on Cat before turning back to the sketch. <You’re on your own, Flyboy...>
“Great shades of Elvis... what are we here: the Daily Planet or second stringers for the Weehawken Gazette?!” Perry’s voice barged in. The editor was grilling Jimmy over a set of proofs from Superman’s debut. He complained loudly over delays on blow-ups and various other unsatisfactory details.
<Looks like your boss needs more paava leaves...>
<What are paava leaves?>
<I’ll explain later, Lois.>
<She heard me?!>
<Yeah, Jay, you’re going to have to work on hitting just me, I guess...>
Perry surveyed the small group before him. “Staff meeting. Tomorrow. Six A.M.” He glared at Jimmy. “*With* blowups...” Then he stalked off.
Lois turned back to the sketch. “No! The color’s wrong!”
Cat leaned over Clark to view the drawing and purred, “More... almond-shaped...” she motioned on the drawing with her hand.
Clark threw a panicked glance at Lois but she was still focused on the developing sketch.
The artist was at the end of his patience. “You said *brown*.”
Lois rolled her eyes. “Not... *brown* brown... not dull insipid *mud* brown-” A sly gleam entered her eyes. “-like Clark here.” Clark glared at her and she lightly slapped his chest without looking up. “No offense, Clark.”
Clark’s eyes narrowed. “Mud?” <Lois! That already looks *nothing* like us...>
<That’s the *point,* Clark...>
<I guess... but do you have to be... insulting?>
<I’m *teasing*.>
Lois never looked up from the drawing. “More... vibrant... more... *radiant*...”
Cat leaned even further across Clark and was now leaning across him and over the artist. “Bedroom eyes...”
The artist gave her an odd look.
Clark moved slightly away from the woman.
Lois noticed his retreat and snuck a sly smile at him.
Clark glared at her before taking yet another small step away from Cat.
Jimmy joined them. “But if he’s an alien... maybe he doesn’t get the old... you know... itch...” he tried to say offhandedly.
Lois stared at him, trying to fight a wave of laugher.
Clark’s eyes went wide as his jaw slowly unhinged.
Cat just smiled and purred, “One way to find out...”
<Yeah... ask my pregnant wife!>
Lois’s eyes widened as Clark’s closed in humiliation. Lois forced scorn into her voice as she finally looked up at Cat. “A visitor from another planet arrives on Earth and all you can think of is hauling him off to your lair and trying him out?” <Not that you’ll ever get the chance...>
<No argument there...>
<None at all...>
Cat smiled condescendingly. “Test-drive Lois... A couple hours behind the wheel and I’d know for sure if we’re talking import or domestic...” She stalked off.
Clark again moved closer to Lois... and more importantly away from Cat.
Lois just looked skyward and shook her head. With Cat gone she looked back at the drawing. “No! The features are too coarse. Think... noble...” she peaked at Clark and smiled smugly to herself and continued softly, “Think... Greek God!”
<Oh really now?>
<Uh... Lois?>
<Did I say that out loud?>
<Oh yeah... wait ‘til Rach hears that one...>
The artist stared at her, one eyebrow raised. “Greek God?”
<I really did say that out loud?!> Lois felt a blush steal across her face.
Clark chuckled softly, <Yeah, Lois... You did...>
She tried to backtrack, “I... we need to start fresh...”
Clark bit his lip and looked around the room. He noticed a coffee pot about to topple on an unsuspecting co-worker and that a workman’s ladder was beginning to tilt. He grinned. <Lois, watch...>
Lois had commissioned a new drawing and was currently elaborating on Superman’s chin. <What, Clark?> Her eyes widened as Clark disappeared in a blur, righting both the coffee pot and the ladder, grabbing a donut and returning to the spot he started from without anyone noticing.
<Cal, are you an idiot?>
Lois turned forcibly away as the artist grunted out, “Like Clark?”
Her eyes widened again. “No! *Not* like Clark... This is *Superman* we’re talking about... Not some Tom, Dick or...” her tone dripped in derision. <...*how* did no one notice that little stunt?!>
Clark glared at Lois. “You know... he didn’t seem that special to me... Except for the flying and the uniform, he could have been any ordinary guy!” <People notice what they expect to see.>
<...and we are trying to get Superman *not* to seem like a normal man...>
<And Clark Kent being jealous just makes people focus on the not normal parts...>
<...that’s actually a good idea...>
“Ordinary? Give me a break!” She turned back to the artist, “Look... what we’ve got here is an example of human evolution: before and after... Clark is the before... Superman is the after...” She looked at Clark, eyed the donut, then reached up and carefully pulled his tie off of his shoulder and straightened it. “...make that the *way*, *way* after...” She walked off.
The artist looked at Clark in silent commiseration.
***************************
Lois and Clark walked up to CJ and Rachel’s home. Clark had the finished sketch from earlier in his hand as he opened the door and motioned Lois inside.
Inside they found Rachel resting on the couch. She looked over at them as they closed the door and smiled. “What are you two up to?”
Clark grinned at her. “Well... we have a souvenir from the Planet for you and Jay-” He held out the sketch to her. “-other than that, Lois and I have a date tonight so I’m getting ready before we head over to her place.”
Rachel opened the paper and burst into a fit of giggles. “Oh, this is great!”
The sketch showed a man with a heavy scowl baring his teeth at the viewer.
Lois snickered. “I know! And it looks nothing like them either...”
Rachel giggled. “I don’t know... Clark! Come see if you can imitate this look!”
Clark just rolled his eyes on the way to his room, “I’ll be out in a second, Lois...”
Lois glared after him. “I just bet you will... That is so not fair...”
Rachel grinned at her. “I know... makes you want to strangle them, doesn’t it?”
The women’s eyes met for a moment before they collapsed into another fit of giggles.
As they calmed, Rachel looked over at Lois. “You know... I’ve never had a woman to really talk to about them before... There’s Martha, but she’s their mother so it’s not the same...”
Lois frowned at her, “What about Clark’s old girlfriends?”
Rachel snorted. “For one... his longest term girlfriend was in high school. Lana was a ditzy blond... I wouldn’t have chosen to talk to her if I hadn’t had to in order to talk to Clark! After they broke up the boys moved out to go to Midwestern Uni... I assume Clark dated some in college and after but there was never anyone important enough to mention back home...” She smiled widely at Lois. “For two... Clark never considered, even for a moment, telling Lana about himself... and that makes a *huge* difference...”
Lois smirked. “He didn’t really have a chance to consider *telling* me...”
Rachel grinned back. “But he certainly wasn’t upset by it...”
Lois smiled. “True... and why would he be? Now he doesn’t have to try to hide it from me...”
Rachel’s grin turned sly. “And you also get to hold it over him for the rest of his life that he slipped up so quickly...” That’s all it took to send them into another fit of giggles.
Clark emerged a few moments later. He had showered and was in fresh clothes. He paused by the two giggling women and tilted his head as he watched them, “You two okay?”
Lois struggled to pull herself together and stood. “Well, Rachel, we’d better be off...”
Clark looked between the two of them. “Should I ask?”
Lois grinned at him. “Nope! Let’s get moving, Flyboy!”
***************************
The next morning at the staff meeting, Perry was squinting through a magnifying glass at some blow-ups of Superman from when he came into the newsroom with Lois and Clark. He was lamenting the lack of quality and overriding Jimmy’s tentative rejoinders. He finally cut Jimmy off. “Go on... sit down.”
Jimmy instantly complied.
Perry began to stalk across the conference room, a fierce smile on his face.
<This should be interesting...>
Lois flicked a glance at Clark. <Get used to it...>
“How did everyone sleep last night?” He paused for the chorus of answers and his face hardened, “I didn’t get to sleep... Last night after work I got a call from our publisher... He was confused... He wanted to know how we had Superman drop, literally, in our laps-” His voice began to rise, “-and yet... we didn’t get an exclusive!”
<Because you and I have to figure out how to handle it...>
<Cute, Lois...>
Perry watched as his reporters began to shift and fidget. Then he continued in an even tone, “I took this as a direct criticism.” His voice maintained the same even and reasonable tone. “So I guaranteed him that each and every one of my staff would chip in.” Then he exploded, “That we would not rest until Superman was ours!”
<Each and every one?>
<This could get ugly...>
<Yeah... A dogfight over Clark and me sounds like a great time...>
Perry met the eyes of every one of his employees. “Are we clear on this?”
<Is it worth fighting, Lois?>
<No... A token argument wouldn’t hurt though...> Lois launched to her feet. “But Perry! *We*-” She motioned to Clark and herself. “-were the ones *with* Superman... *We* wrote the piece on the shuttle *and* the pieces on Trask... We *found* him!”
Clark wisely kept his mouth shut.
“Actually... I think he found you... both times...” drawled Cat.
“Thanks, Cat...” Lois glared then turned pleading eyes on Perry. “Chief, this isn’t fair... We have rules for follow-ups... We should get the exclusive...”
Perry was unmoved. “The rules are off... this is too big.”
“But...”
Perry cut her off, “Drop it, Lois. Superman is fair game. Every reporter for him or herself.”
Jimmy lit up. “All right!”
Perry smiled. “Enthusiasm... I love it...”
<CJ! For the record... If you give away our exclusive I’m going to find a way to kill you...>
<Clark protect me!>
<No way, Jay...>
<You’re too henpecked already...>
<Boys! Stop...>
Jimmy glowed at the praise. “I’m with you, Chief!”
Perry eyed him speculatively. “We’re a team?”
<Poor Jimmy...>
<Oh?>
“Yes, Sir!”
“Fine, here’s what I need from you...” Jimmy scrambled for pen and paper. “Two... no three donuts, jelly, from Lucille’s... tell her they’re for me, got it?”
Jimmy deflated. “Got it...” He trailed off.
<Ouch...>
<Told you, Clark...>
Perry turned back to the room. “Okay... Think people... What could draw him out? Use you instincts. Beat the bushes.” He suddenly bellowed, “Get me *Superman*!”
Lois saw Clark flinch. <Clark?>
<That actually hurt my ears...>
The conference broke up as Perry took a call.
Lois exited, pouting all the way.
Clark tried to follow her but was cut off by Cat.
She smiled seductively at him. “So, Clark... since you aren’t roped in to working with Lois... How about *we* go after Superman...”
Clark took a step back and his eyes went wide as he noticed just where Cat was holding a magnifying glass in an attempt to flaunt the view afforded by her current outfit. He studiously kept his eyes locked onto hers. <Oh, man... Lois? Save me?>
<Save yourself, Kent...>
“Hmm, *we* could start now...” She played with his tie. “Isn’t ‘oui’ French for yes?” She gave him another stunning smile as she leaned closer.
Clark freed himself and forced a laugh, “Not in... Smallville...” He quickly escaped and joined Lois.
Cat followed him. “So, Lois... Ready for some... competition?”
Lois glared at her. “You wish, Cat. We’ve had the most contact with Superman... He’s more likely to open up to us.”
Cat just laughed and slinked away.
“So...” Clark started, “where should we start?”
Lois shrugged. “For now, we wait and think up questions. The next time he shows up, we’ll see if we can get him to commit to an interview.” <After all... we can’t have this appear like we have special privileges...>
<True... it’s going to be quite a tight-rope walk...>
Lois sighed. “Would radar be able to track him?”
<Shouldn’t... We move too fast for the receivers to follow... You would get anomalous point values instead of an indication of a moving object...>
<CJ? Do you ever let Clark alone?>
<No, he doesn’t...>
<I’m bored! I have office hours and these kids never come!>
Clark grinned at Lois. “It would depend on how fast he moved... and whether any facilities would allow us to use them to scan for him or give us access to what they’ve already done.”
“What do you bet a dial tone would be the answer to such a question...”
“Hey Kent! Your phone’s ringin’!” one of the other reporters yelled.
Clark hurried over. “Hello?”
Clark listened to the caller and scribbled down an address. Lois arrived at his desk with a fresh cup of coffee. “Important call?”
Clark sighed, “The manager for an apartment I want to look at *finally* showed up... I need to get over there quick to be able catch him...”
Lois smiled. “Well, let’s go look.”
***************************
The manager showed the couple around a run down apartment. Pieces of cement covered the floor and an air of neglect coated the whole place.
<Clark... this is awful...>
<Yeah... but between CJ and I we could actually fix it up pretty quickly...>
<I’ll remember that.>
The manager was extolling the virtues of the place, “Quietest building in Metropolis...” A siren interrupted him and he quickly said, “Are you two... married?”
Lois glared at him. “Co-workers...”
He turned to Clark. “So... you have a girlfriend?” He received no reply so he tried again, “Boyfriend?”
Clark finally turned to him, brows raised.
Lois choked down a laugh.
<Why, Clark... I had no idea...>
<Jay...>
Deciding to change subjects the man asked, “Where you from?”
“Kansas,” Clark said as he began to explore. He opened a cabinet only to have the door come off in his hands.
Lois stared at him. <Watch your strength, Clark...>
<I was Lois...>
<Oh... this is worse than I thought, Clark...>
The manager shrugged. “Few screws...”
Lois tried the sink and jumped back as noxious water leaked out.
“Minerals... Good for the liver...”
Clark moved to a set of windows and saw a view of a brick wall.
“Nice view... you see out, no one sees in... Walk around in the buff... I do.”
<I did *not* need that visual...>
<Me neither, Lois... However, this would be perfect considering my... extra-curricular activities...>
<If you say so.>
Clark sighed and looked at the manager. “How much?”
“950...”
Lois just laughed and grabbed Clark’s arm.
The manager frowned. “Nine even...”
Clark sighed again. “Can I renovate?”
“I... guess.”
Clark nodded in resigned acceptance. “When can I move in?”
The man beamed. “When the check clears... I’ll have extra keys made... How many do you need?”
Clark considered for a moment. “Five.”
They left the apartment and Clark wrote a check.
Back on the street Lois looked at Clark. “Five?”
Clark smiled at her and counted on his fingers, “Me, CJ and Rach, Mom and Dad, a spare, and you...”
Lois stared at him. “Me?”
Clark stopped and kissed her lightly, “Yeah, you’re already my closest friend here as well as my girlfriend, why not?”
Lois glowed at this concrete show of trust. “Thanks, Clark...”
tbc...
