From part 5:
When Lucy left, Clark sighed and headed to the conference room to fill Lois in on what her sister had told him.
He opened the door, expecting a barrage of questions, when instead he found Lois sitting on the floor in tears.
“Lois?” he asked gently.
“I haven’t seen my sister for over two years. And I can’t even tell her I’m alive,” she said.
Clark gathered her into his arms. “I think you’ve done enough for one day. How about I take you home?”
*~*~*~*
And now part 6:
Lois was quiet on the way home. They got back to Clark’s apartment, and she made her way listlessly to the sofa.
“You okay?” Clark asked.
She simply shook her head, barely glancing at him.
“You—want to talk about it?” he asked, noticing her eyes were glassy with unshed tears.
Again, she shook her head.
He sighed and sat down next to her. He reached for her hand in comfort. She squeezed it briefly and then reached over him to where he had set the bag with her Rolodex down.
“Okay, first I think we should try Bobby Bigmouth. You have to pay him in food. Lots and lots of food, but if anyone knows anything, he should,” she said, businesslike in tone, although she swiped a stray tear from her eye.
“Lois, we don’t have to do this right now,” he said.
“We do, Clark. We absolutely must. We have to do it now and end this,” she said with finality, her brown eyes boring into him. “Because---I don’t want to live feeling like a trapped rabbit anymore.”
She flipped her Rolodex and took out Bobby Bigmouth’s card, handing it to Clark. “Please?”
*~*~*~*
They spent the next two hours going through a good third of Lois’ contacts. Many of them wouldn’t talk to Clark, and some of them opened up a little when he mentioned that Lois may be alive and that they were her only chance. Clark didn’t get much information either way except that there was definitely someone in Metropolis called the Boss who may have had some less than savory dealings in places like the Congo. No one knew who he was, though.
Lois eventually retreated into silence, frustrated by their lack of progress, and possibly still distraught over seeing her sister and not having been able to say anything. When Clark asked her about it, she immediately changed the subject, which was becoming a sure sign to him that he was onto a touchy topic. He also still didn’t know much detail about what she had gone through in the Congo but he knew it must be tearing her up inside. Though if she wasn’t willing to talk about seeing her sister, he knew for certain she wouldn’t be ready to say anything about what happened in the Congo.
After their marathon call of her contacts, Lois flipped on the television, giving Clark time to do some surreptitious speed-reading. He concluded that Lois was going through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which was common for war veterans. And he knew she needed to talk about it in order to move on, but she was as tight-lipped as an oyster. So instead, he’d decided that for now, he would just take care of her as best he could, earn her trust, and see where things went from there.
*~*~*~*
After several hours of fitful silence absently watching TV, Lois came into the kitchen to watch Clark as he sautéed some chicken for dinner. She eyed him silently, leaning against the fridge with her arms loosely crossed.
“Hey, how are you doing?” he asked quietly, throwing in some chopped veggies with the simmering chicken.
She merely nodded, barely acknowledging his question. She came over to him, though didn’t touch him, and watched intently what he was doing.
“You know, I never had much of a family,” she admitted out of the blue.
He didn’t answer, but just turned to her slightly, afraid to speak lest he scare her back into her shell.
“My parents divorced when Lucy and I were teenagers. Lucy and I stuck together like glue after that... until I went to journalism school. But she still followed me into the big city. And our mother... well, she coped with a bottle of wine. Several a day, sometimes,” she said bitterly.
“And your father?” Clark quietly prompted, reaching past her to take down some plates.
Lois side-stepped to let him past, playing with her hair a bit, twisting it and pulling it nervously over her shoulder. “Well, Dad was not there so much. He... had cheated on Mother. Not just with women. He was obsessed with his work.”
“I’m sorry, Lois,” Clark said sincerely, reaching to gently squeeze her shoulder.
She gave him a wan smile. “The thing is, I was never *that* close to my family, and yet—“ she choked on a sudden sob, “I was --*am* willing to do whatever it takes to protect them.”
He pulled her into his arms then, dinner forgotten as again, quiet tears wet his shoulder.
“Do you know what that’s like?” she asked mournfully. “To sacrifice everything to protect your family?”
He turned her to look at him, thinking of his own secrets, and knowing that even though he couldn’t have saved his parents from that car accident so many years ago, he knew that he would have done anything to protect them should the world have found out about him.
“Yeah, I think so,” he said as truthfully as he could.
She looked up at him, questions suddenly in her eyes. “And... your family? How... what are they like?” she asked, wiping her eyes with a tissue he held out to her.
Clark cleared his throat. It had been a very long time since he had talked about his folks, though they were on his mind daily. But if he wanted to earn her trust, he’d have to give a little as well.
“Well, my parents... died when I was ten,” he said, the images of that horrific night immediately coming back to his mind. He had just been starting to get his powers, and could run faster than any of the kids at school. But he hadn’t been fast enough... the *one* time his parents had truly need him, and he hadn’t gotten there in time...
“Oh, Clark!” she said sincerely, brushing a lock of hair off his forehead as she searched his eyes. “I’m *so* sorry!”
He patted her hand gently. “Thanks... I... learned a lot from my parents, though. They taught me a lot about caring for others. You see, I was sort of adopted,” he said, and then stopped. He hadn’t meant to tell her that much.
“What do you mean, ‘sort of adopted’?” said Lois, her eyes boring into him with questions. He suddenly could see the sharp reporter that she had been, and still was, though she may not realize it.
“My parents... found me, actually. I don’t know who my real parents are,” he said sadly. “But my adoptive parents, they were the best parents a kid could have,” he rushed on, lest she didn’t think he appreciated them.
“They must have been. They instilled in you a great goodness and gentleness...” she said, looking up at him with admiration in her eyes. But then he saw her face suddenly cloud over as she retreated into herself again, and he felt like saying, ‘no, no, come back to me!’ Instead, he held her closer.
“What is it, Lois? Why are you upset?”
“Because I’m so thankful you found me... and at the same time, I feel like I don’t deserve you in my life,” she said, pulling away. “You’ve been a wonderful---friend. No, more than that... I just---until this is over, I just don’t see how we can be together... I mean... if you *want* to be together...” she finished lamely, looking helplessly at him.
“What do you want?” he asked patiently.
“I want to see the Boss--- whoever he is--- behind bars, for one! I want to be sure my family is safe... and... I want... I want...” She suddenly hurled herself at him, kissing him fiercely. “I want you,” she whispered in his ear, sending shivers of pleasure up his spine.
He kissed her in return, as she pushed him against the stove. His hand fell on the hot plate, invulnerable to the heat, but he couldn’t let her see that. He felt behind him, turning off the stove, even as he kissed her. He picked her up as she wrapped her legs around his hips, still kissing him. Clark carried her to the sofa, gently kissing her face, her collarbone, lower...
Her hands were on his chest, feeling, seeking. He felt aroused and protective of her at once.
“Make love to me,” she whispered, her words echoing from that one other time...
He didn’t want to resist, he wanted to give in to her, but he didn’t want to make the mistake he had made that one night. She simply needed comfort, to feel alive and protected, he knew. This wasn’t love...
He regretfully pulled away from her, trying not to let the hurt in her eyes change his mind.
“I’m sorry, Lois. I—we can’t. Not—yet,” he said, his breathing ragged.
“W-why? I mean, we have before---“
He looked at her intently, acknowledging what had passed between them before. “It was reckless, Lois. And though I don’t regret it, I regret how it happened. And... well, we need to-- take care of some things before we go there again.”
She nodded, not looking at him, but started buttoning her blouse and moving away from him. “No, you’re right, Clark. It was a mistake... I---I--- think I’m going out for a bit,” she said suddenly, grabbing *his* jacket as she headed to the door.
“Lois, wait,” he said, worried about her wandering the streets upset.
“I’ll be fine, Clark, really. I just need... some time alone, to think. ” She turned to him, hearing the pleading in his voice. “Please, Clark? I’ll be fine. I’ll be back in an hour, okay?”
He nodded, “If that’s what you think you need. I’ll... be here, I guess,” he said, gesturing to the dinner he had just finished preparing for them. “Just, be careful, okay?”
“I’ll eat when I get back,” she said, shutting the door behind her, leaving him feeling bereft, and very worried.
*~*~*~*
Lois walked down Clinton Street, Clark’s leather jacket pulled tight around her. She didn’t even have her own jacket, for crying out loud! They had gone shopping yesterday for some basics. Lois had gotten the bare minimum, not wanting to feel obligated to Clark anymore than she absolutely must, although she was already for all kinds of reasons.
She pulled the collar up to her nose, breathing in his scent. It comforted her somehow, made up for that embarrassing moment that had forced her out of the apartment. She was absolutely attracted to him, and she was grateful to him for getting her out of the Congo, even if it complicated things. And that was just it; she knew she couldn’t rely on him simply because he was attractive and helpful. His kindness was just too much. She wanted to pay him back somehow, and well, what other currency was there for a woman without a dime to her name?
She felt her cheeks blush with shame. That’s not how Clark would look at it, and she knew it. She didn’t really believe that either, even if she had let herself get carried away and think it. She simply longed for that connection, that wonderful moment when they had first made love and she had felt completely safe, loved even. She had never felt so right in any man’s arms as she had in Clark’s. It scared her and... completed her all at once.
Maybe Clark was right, that they should take things slower now that she was back in Metropolis. Things might just get more complicated if they slept together again, as much as she longed to lose herself in his embrace...
She shivered... it was certainly getting colder. She buried her nose in Clark’s jacket and started fishing around his pockets for some gloves. She didn’t find any, but she found something else that intrigued her. It was small, oval, and cold. Puzzled, she pulled it out of the pocket and looked at it under a street lamp. It was a fired bullet... why would Clark have a fired bullet in his pocket, a man who obviously eschewed guns?
She looked at it closer, trying to puzzle where it may have come from. The casing was smooshed, but she could see some numbers on it, though the middle ones were blurry: “C48**94,” she read aloud and then got chills up her spine.
“No, it couldn’t be, could it?” she asked herself aloud. The markings were the same as *her* bullets. That would have to mean that this bullet had been fired from *her* gun... and had hit something to crunch up like that, like steel.
How could he have found it in the dark that night, in that short time between her firing it and her running to his arms? She hadn’t seen him bend over to pick up anything... How would he have gotten this bullet?
The only explanation was that he had *caught* it somehow, bounced off the helicopter maybe, though she knew that was patently absurd. And if he had somehow found it without her noticing, then, did he know she had shot at him?
And if he knew, what must he think of her?
*~*~*~*
Lost in her thoughts, Lois hadn’t paid much attention to where she was going. She had somehow wandered over to her old neighborhood though, and decided to take a peek at her old apartment. It was two long years ago that she had lived there, which seemed like a lifetime ago. She found her old building easily and looked up to the fifth floor to spot her apartment. A light was on, and she wondered who was living in it now.
She had loved that place. It had been just the right size for her, had a decent view, and was the first place she had rented without assistance from either of her parents. She noticed a woman’s shadow in the window and it made Lois smile, wondering if it was some young professional living there – someone not unlike she had been. Lois saw her lean over the ledge of the window and Lois suddenly realized the woman was being threatened as the woman dodged something being thrown at her. Lois looked around, wondering what she could do to help. She no longer had keys to the apartment, having lost them long ago in the Congo, so she couldn’t easily get in the building. She watched helplessly as the woman struggled with a man at the open window.
“Help!” cried the woman as the man lunged for what looked like her throat, though it was difficult to tell exactly what was going on from the street.
Lois froze in terror as she recognized the woman’s voice! It was her sister, Lucy!
“Help! Please!” Lucy cried again. Lois looked around helplessly, about to burst into the front door with force, when she saw *something* move into her sister’s apartment window, faster than she had ever seen anything move, and stop the man who was attacking her sister.
Lois couldn’t see exactly what was going on from five stories below, but she saw that Lucy was all right. Lucy leaned out the window to try to glimpse what had rushed in and saved her. Finding nothing, Lucy sagged against the windowpane in relief. Whoever had been after her was miraculously gone, snatched like magic from her apartment.
*~*~*~*
Clark hadn’t been able to let Lois blow off steam completely on her own, knowing that the Boss was out there somewhere, looking for her. So he flew above her, a quiet guardian watching over her as she walked listlessly around the neighborhood, apparently caught up in her emotions. He felt bad for pushing her away, yet he couldn’t allow her simply to hide from herself or her past by using her body. It wasn’t healthy, and he cared too much about her to let her do that.
As he watched her walk down his street, Clark’s mind busied itself piecing together the puzzle that was Lois, her strong will and deep heart---She was obviously fiercely protective of those close to her, even if it meant her own unhappiness.
Clark desperately wanted to help her. He felt something fine and infinite between them, possibilities they could reach if only they could set the world right and she could begin to heal. She was obviously deeply troubled, and he simply wished she would tell him the whole truth. Then maybe they could figure out how the Boss was connected to the gunrunners in the Congo and Lois could begin to really live again.
He suddenly noticed her digging for something in his jacket and his heart stopped. He had forgotten to dispose of that bullet! He watched as she dug out the bullet from his jacket and he felt a moment of panic, wondering what conclusions she would make from it. She seemed reasonably puzzled by it, and he knew it was a huge leap for her to think that he had actually caught it, but he still felt the insidious fear that if someone were to discover his abilities, his whole world could crumble. As much as he wanted to protect her, he worried he would put her in more danger if word got out she was living with a super powered alien.
Besides, what would she think of him if she knew the truth about him?
Suddenly, he heard a cry from a building near Lois. He recognized the scream for help as her sister’s. Without hesitation, thinking of nothing other than protecting Lois’ sister, Clark dashed over to the window, remembering to keep his speed up fast enough so that no human eye could see him. There was a man with gun, questioning Lucy about Lois.
“We know you went to the Daily Planet today, Miss Lane. Surely you must know something that you would like to tell us?” he threatened.
“I don’t know anything,” Lucy said, her voice shaking in panic.
Clark suddenly seared the gun from the man’s hands using his heat vision and whisked him out of the apartment. He took the villain to a rooftop, and lifted the man by the collar, facing away from him, making sure he couldn’t see Clark’s face. He hoped to scare him enough to get some information, at least.
Clark lowered his voice, summoning as much authority and intimidation as he could. “What were you doing in Miss Lane’s apartment?” he asked with a small shake.
“I—I—just put me down, will ya?” the man asked.
“Not until you answer my questions,” Clark responded.
“The Boss sent me to scare her, that’s all. He wants someone and he thinks the chick upstairs is her sister,” he said.
Clark tried for a direct approach. “Who is the Boss?”
The man laughed, “I have no idea, honest. I think he has a lot of money though, and a lot of pull in the city. But, I’m just doing a job, all right? Can you ease off?”
Clark realized he wasn’t going to find out more from him, but he didn’t set the man down just yet. “Leave Lucy Lane alone. She’s under my protection, and I’m always around.”
Clark flew him to an alley a few blocks away from Lucy’s apartment and then flew off before the man could glimpse him.
He at least had a clue. Whoever the Boss was, he obviously had his fingers in a ton of pies and gunrunning was just one of them.
*~*~*~*
Lois made her way quickly back to Clark’s apartment. She was dying to tell him what she saw. She knew there was a story in what had just happened. She felt the excitement of it all the way to her toes, a feeling she hadn’t had since before she left for the Congo. Who was that super fast, super strong man or thing that had saved Lucy? This was big news, she knew it. Maybe she couldn’t write about it as Lois Lane yet, but Linda Kent sure could.
“Clark?” she called as she came in, her heart pounding with excitement. .
“You feeling better?” he asked, coming towards her.
“I feel wonderful! Clark, I have an idea for a story!” she cried, momentarily unconcerned about the bullet she had found in his pocket and simply being Lois Lane, ace reporter with a hot story on her hands. “I haven’t felt this excited in *years*! I want to call Perry! This is going to be big!” she said, suddenly reaching for the phone.
Clark pulled it deftly away from her before she could dial. “Hold on. What’s got you so excited?” he asked with some nervousness as he quietly set the phone down away from her.
She gave him a look of mingled exasperation and excitement. “I saw something amazing, Clark! Someone or some*thing* moved faster than I have ever seen and saved my sister! I was feeling a bit low and headed over to my old apartment... and actually, Lucy is living there! Now, I am worried that the Boss may suspect I’m here and has been threatening Lucy, but apparently, she has a guardian angel out there,” Lois said, grinning, as she paced back and forth before Clark.
She suddenly glanced at him, and noticed he had gone a little pale. “Clark? Are you all right?”
He nodded, “Yeah, but Lois, do you really think it’s a good idea to go after this story with your sister involved?”
“Well, I don’t have to print anything about that. But Clark, there is some sort of, I don’t know, super powered being out there and he seems like he wants to help!”
“Are you sure you know what you saw?” he asked, running his fingers through his hair nervously.
“Absolutely! I wish—“ she suddenly stopped in her tracks, the feeling of being held captive by circumstance dampening her excitement a bit. “I wish I could talk to Lucy about it,” she finished quietly. “If I could somehow interview her---*wait*! *You* could!” she said, turning to Clark. She stepped up to him and patted his chest gently.
“She talked to you the other day. You could just check up on her. I know Lucy. She won’t be able to hide something like this. She’ll be dying to tell someone. And who better than Clark Kent of the Daily Planet? You can interview her and we’ll both write the story!” she finished triumphantly.
“But what if this attracts the attention of the Boss?” asked Clark cautiously.
“It might be a good thing. Maybe we can draw him out. But I told you, we don’t need to mention Lucy.”
“How do you know this... person you saw is good?”
Lois stopped and looked into his eyes, needing Clark on her side about this. “He saved my sister. It’s as simple as that. He’s good, Clark. I’m sure of it.”
Clark swallowed visibly. “How—I mean, are you sure that Lucy was threatened? Are you sure that this... person or—whatever actually helped?”
“Well, we’ll find out.”
“How will we even contact Lucy? I mean, I only gave her my card—“
Lois rolled her eyes. “Look, I know my sister. I’m sure she was attracted to you. Even if she thinks you’re trouble, I’m sure she’ll find an excuse to call. And if not, we’ll think of something.”
*~*~*~*
Lois was making Clark thoroughly nervous. He stood in the bathroom, brushing his impervious teeth for far longer than necessary, mulling over what had just happened that evening. He was glad that Lois had perked up at the idea of a story, but he was terrified of the consequences, both for her and himself. Since moving to Metropolis, he had helped out surreptitiously when and where he could. His helping at fires and stopping small time criminals had gone virtually unnoticed by the press, and he had managed to sneak by with very few people questioning about who was helping. But now, with Lois curious about him, he had no idea what to do. He wouldn’t stop helping, and he would certainly do all he could to protect Lois and her sister, but he wondered at what cost to his secret. If he misstepped even a little bit, he might put Lois in even more danger. He had to think of something, some way to help, some sort of disguise maybe, that would help Clark Kent be entirely disassociated from the helpful blur that Lois was about to tell all of Metropolis existed.
