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J is for Jet Set
part 8
by Pam Jernigan

from last time...
"Save your money," she advised him. He opened his mouth indignantly, but the protest died when she finally looked up and he saw the sexy look on her face. She leaned close, patted him on the chest, and said, "You'll need it -- you're paying for our hotel room tonight."

****

"Well, okay, here we are," Lois chattered as she led Clark into the lobby. "Nice lobby -- that's the good thing about going with a national chain, you always know what you're going to get. Ooh, look, they have a little fountain. And..." she scanned the perimeter of the room. "over there is the check-in desk. Come on, let's go."

She adjusted the duffel-bag that she wouldn't let Clark carry and started walking. She resolutely refused to acknowledge the icy ball in the pit of her stomach. Before dinner, the idea of sharing a hotel room with Clark had been thrilling. Dinner had been good -- it was questionable, food-wise, but it was worth it just to sit across a table from Clark, teasing him into a reluctant good mood. At that point, the idea of getting a room had still been pretty attractive. Even if they hadn't talked about it. But once they'd gotten into the car and started looking for a hotel, bad memories had come flooding back.

Memories of waking up to disasters. It had taken Lois two or three disasters before she'd wised up and realized the pattern. Things could be going great, but the moment she slept with a guy, it would all fall apart. The possibility of another repeat was twisting her stomach in knots.

Which was ridiculous, she told herself. This was *Clark*! She liked him, *more* than liked him, she trusted him, and he had a body to kill for. This was going to be very, very good. There was absolutely no reason to be nervous. They wouldn't be doing much of anything they hadn't done before, after all. Not much that she hadn't dreamed or fantasized about repeatedly.

And she'd already agreed to this -- had suggested it, in fact. And before then, she'd spent the better part of two days flirting and throwing herself at him. She couldn't back out now.

"Lois?" Clark's voice was uncertain. "Can we just talk about this for a minute?"

She turned to scowl at him. "No, we can't. Come on, let's just get a room. My feet hurt," she added as an extra incentive that also happened to be true.

Clark hesitated, watching her indecisively, but then nodded. "Okay, I'll check us in. You can sit here until we're ready to go up."

Lois smiled brightly. "Okay, good plan, you go do that. I'll just stay here for a little bit -- oh, look, they have magazines." She picked up a travel magazine and began reading about lower Botswana with great fascination.

When she got up to the room, she'd be okay. Of course she would. This was just a stupid case of the jitters.

In a very short time, he was back. "Here's your key, Lois." Clark handed over a plastic hotel key that matched the one he was keeping. "We're in room 468."

"Okay, let's go." She smiled up at him with only a small amount of effort. They took the elevator and located their room with a minimum of conversation. Once they were in that room, Lois decided, she'd kiss Clark, just to get things started. No sense wasting time.

"Ah, here we are," Lois commented as Clark held the door open to let her into the room first. "Pretty standard hotel room layout," she reported. The hallway in which she stood went past an open closet and a bathroom door.

She moved further in, focusing on the furniture directly ahead of her. "So, we've got a desk, and a bureau... oh, look, they have list of all the hot spots in Wichita -- that should be a short read -- and a channel guide to go with the TV."

She heard Clark coming along behind her with all the bags, and nerved herself to turn around. He was dropping her duffel bag on the bed ... and placing his own bag on the second bed. Waittaminute -- two beds? She would have thought a king-sized bed would be preferable. Maybe the hotel didn't have any of those available.

Well, they could always get a king-sized bed next time. That thought steadied her a bit. This wasn't some passing fling, here. Clark wanted a relationship with her, that much was obvious. And she wanted one with him, too. And, frankly, sooner or later they would end up back in bed. So this was just a little sooner than later, that was all. It didn't make any difference.

Now would be a great time to go over to Clark. He was right there over by the bed and everything.

She turned her attention back to the stack of brochures on the bureau. "Now, this is nice," she observed, surprise briefly triumphing over nerves. "It's a list of local restaurants that will deliver to the hotel rooms here. I mean, I'm sure they charge an arm and a leg, but it could be worth it..." Her fragile calm disintegrated as she finished the thought. "If people didn't want to leave the room."

She felt pressure on her waist and jumped. "Clark! You startled me."

"Sorry." He embraced her from behind. The warmth of his body was very comforting, reminding her just why she'd been flirting in the first place. He ran his hands gently up and down her arms. Oh, yeah... She closed her eyes, leaning back against him.

"So..." Clark kissed her temple. "You seem a little... Are you okay, Lois?"

Lois's eyes popped open. She twisted around in his arms, smiling brightly. "Of course I'm okay, Clark. How about you -- are you tired?"

"Not really." He smiled faintly. "It's only six o'clock. I figure I'm good at least until, oh, eight."

Lois's smiled turned real, her stomach relaxing. Now that she was here in his arms, all her earlier worries began to fade. She stretched upward far enough to kiss him, anxious to get things started. She'd be okay once they got started.

After a moment, though, he pried himself loose, looking down at her in confusion. "Okay, Lois. You wanna tell me what's going on here?"

"I thought it was obvious." Lois smiled, with only a moderate amount of effort. "You're a man, I'm a woman... do you want me to draw you a diagram?" She pulled one arm down to caress his chest.

He just stared at her. "Lois, you say that with all the enthusiasm of someone getting a flu shot."

She flushed, then twisted out of his arms, sitting down on the edge of one of the beds. "I'm sorry, Clark." She should have known she'd screw this up, she thought in despair. Now the rest of the evening would be awkward and uncomfortable, and it would all be her fault, for talking big but not delivering.

Clark sat next to her, close enough that his hip and thigh pressed against hers. "Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for getting your hopes up," she mumbled. "Leading you on and everything. I'm such a mess."

"No, no," he soothed, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Honey, you're just fine. I wasn't expecting anything tonight."

She peeked up at him. "Really?"

"Well, okay, so maybe I was hoping, a little..." he said, with a brief note of humor. He turned serious. "Look, Lois -- I would love to make love to you again. You've no idea how much, and I know I was a little intense today, after lunch. But... well, it's no good if you don't want it just as much." His voice dropped. "It kills me to think I'm scaring you."

She looked up quickly. "No, Clark. No! You weren't scaring me -- I know I can trust you. It was just a case of nerves, that's all."

"There's nothing to be nervous about. We don't have to do anything here, okay? In fact," he added on a lighter note, "if you find me a Bills game on TV, you won't even have to talk to me."

That drew a real smile. She sighed, leaned sideways to lay her head on his shoulder, and reached up to hold the hand he'd draped around her. "I'd love to make love to you again, too, Clark. But... maybe not tonight."

"There's no rush, sweetheart. I promise." He gave her shoulders one more squeeze, then stood up and stepped away. "Let's just get our stuff unpacked for now, and then we can talk about what to do next."

"Okay, that sounds sensible." Lois stood up as well, feeling much lighter than when she'd entered the room.

There was a moment of peaceful silence, before Clark spoke again. "Hey, I noticed a store downstairs that's got some board games. You wanna play Scrabble?"

Lois laughed, and felt the last of her tension evaporate. "Nah, I wouldn't want to humiliate you."

"Oh, competitive, are we?" He lifted one amused eyebrow.

Lois considered this, trying not to grin. "Let's just say... you'd better hope those superpowers of yours come back, or you'll be permanently eating my dust."

"Now, that sounds like a challenge, Ms. Lane." Clark grinned at her. "You're gonna eat your words."

"Promises, promises," Lois scoffed, pulling her makeup case out of the duffel bag. There were small containers of shampoo and conditioner in there, too, but she decided those could just stay out of sight. For now, anyway.

"Well, let's do something non-competitive tonight," Clark suggested, flipping through the "what to do" guide to Wichita. "There's not a lot going on, 'cause this is a weekday, but we could always see a movie."

"Now there's a good idea." Lois ran a brush through her hair, and made sure she had her purse and her hotel key. "I'm ready."

Clark opened the hotel door, and stood there gallantly. "Ladies first."

Lois smiled, and as she passed him, she quietly whispered, "Thanks."

****

By the time the movie was over, Lois was once more feeling at ease with Clark. At first, she'd been hesitant to touch him at all, but that had evaporated fairly quickly. The discomfort in touching him was exceeded only by the discomfort of *not* touching him. Now, leaving the theater, he had his arm around her shoulders as they walked together.

"Well, that was a fun movie," Clark commented, without much enthusiasm.

Lois grinned. "Sure, if you don't count the gaping plot holes..."

"Or the crummy dialog." He grinned back at her. "I've never met anyone who talked like that."

"Apart from that, though..." Lois laughed.

"Well, you've got to admit, the special effects were terrific. Great explosions."

"And lots of them," she agreed. "But what the heck, it wasn't a bad way to kill two hours." Especially not as it involved sitting next to Clark, sharing popcorn, and exchanging barbed film commentary in the nearly-empty theater. She glanced at her watch. "It's just after eight, now... things will start closing in a little while. How are you holding up?"

He shrugged. "I'm okay... a little tired, and my shoulders are a little bit sore... but it's nothing I can't handle. And you know," Clark said in a pensive tone. "That movie gave me an idea." He gave Lois a sideways glance and a sly smile. "How do you feel about a little B & E?"

"B & E?" Lois frowned at him. "Do I want to know what that is?"

"I'm surprised at you, Lois. Especially with your vast experience."

"What are you--" Suddenly, the light bulb flashed on. "Oh, B & E! Right." She laughed and bumped him with her hip as they walked. "Mr. Kent, I'm shocked. I think you can get arrested for that sort of thing here in Kansas."

Clark laughed. "I think you might be right."

"Seriously, Clark... breaking and entering? I assume you mean the Post Office."

"We have to try something, Lois." Clark shrugged uncomfortably. "Just knowing that that stuff is out there gives me the creeps."

"I'm not real happy about it, either. Well, we can check out their security system. It might be easier than trying to negotiate with the lab people tomorrow."

"And if the sample never even gets there," Clark added, "there won't be any records at all."

"I like that part. Okay..." Lois chewed on her lip, formulating plans. "We're going to need to pick up a few things, but first... let's go case the joint."

****

"I had no idea it would be this hard to find a simple stupid little box!" Lois grumbled, handing him their new purchase. "And it's heavy." They left the store behind and headed for their car.

"Well, it is lead," Clark pointed out. It was just a little dark-colored rectangle with a hinged lid. Clark tried not to be reminded of coffins. "And it's not the sort of thing people normally need."

Lois snorted. "Thank goodness for whacko survivalists!"

"And the stores that carry their supplies," Clark agreed. "Well, only one store, I guess. I can't imagine there'd be enough business to support any more."

"Me, neither -- but then I wouldn't have thought there was enough business for one."

"I keep telling you, you're underestimating the great state of Kansas." Clark grinned at her as they entered the car.

"No, it's just that I thought all the nut cases were out in Idaho." There was a moment of quiet as Lois negotiated her way out of the parking lot and onto the lightly-traveled street. "How are you doing?"

"Better, I think." She looked unconvinced, so he added, "Maybe I'm getting my second wind."

"Oh, good. Well, then... guess it's time to hit the post office."

"Yeah, I guess." The interior of the car was lit only by flashes of street and store lights. Clark took a deep breath. "So you think the side entrance is our best way in?"

"Yeah, it's right next to the loading docks, which is where all the mail comes in... they probably don't move it much further into the building before sorting it. And what do you mean, 'our'? You can't come with me."

Clark shook his head. "Well, I'd rather not -- but you need me. Have you any idea how much mail goes through that building every day?"

"They've got a sorting system, and we know where it's headed," Lois argued, frowning at him briefly as they stopped at a light.

"Yeah, but can you figure out their sorting system, is the question. And has the package even been sorted yet? You can't spend all night checking every box in there. Believe me, I'll know when we're close to it." Maybe if he stayed at a distance, it wouldn't be so bad.

"Oh, so you're volunteering to be a canary in a coal mine?"

His lips twitched at her phrasing. "Something like that."

"Uh-huh. And has anyone ever told you what happened to those canaries?"

"Lo-is. Yes, okay, the canaries were more susceptible to toxic gases than the coal miners, so the miners would know to get out when the canaries started keeling over. Trust me, I do not want to carry the analogy that far." He searched for another way to phrase it. "I'm planning to be more like a Geiger counter. I'll just complain really loudly."

There was silence from the driver's seat. Then Lois said quietly, "I really don't like this plan."

"Yeah, well... I'm not crazy about it myself. But it's our best shot."

"I hate it when you're right."

Clark couldn't help but crack a smile at her grumbling. "I'll try not to do it very often, dear." It was hard to tell in the intermittent lighting that flashed through the car, but he was pretty sure she rolled her eyes.

****

Wichita's downtown area was fairly deserted this late at night, so they were able to get a parking space very close to the door they planned to use. Lois made sure to feed the meter with quarters -- the last thing they needed was to have the car noticed. Besides, she was pretty certain Martha and Jonathan wouldn't appreciate having the ticket on their record.

She looked over at Clark. Plan or not, he couldn't be looking forward to this. The streetlights tinted everything slightly orange, but even so, he looked pale. But determined. "Okay, let's get this over with."

He looked up and down the quiet street, then gestured for her to go first. "I'll keep an eye out for anyone coming by."

"Good." She led them up to the shadowed doorway. To distract them both, she added, "If you see anyone, just grab me and start kissing."

There was a brief pause. "Yes, ma'am." In a voice tinged with laughter, he added, "See, this is why I like your plans better than my plans."

Well, if he could joke about things, that was a good sign. "And don't you forget it," she replied absently. Lois pulled out her improvised lock picks and started working on the door. They were fortunate that this was an old building, and it hadn't -- as far as they could tell -- been upgraded with much in the way of security systems. With any luck, they could be in and out without anyone ever knowing they'd been there.

At least she hoped so. She didn't relish facing federal charges.

After an endless moment, she felt the click as the lock opened. "Yes," she whispered. She put the lock picks away and put on a pair of gloves, bought especially for the task. "We're in." With some trepidation, she reached out and opened the door. Light spilled out from the hallway within, but other than that, nothing seemed to happen.

"I don't see any cameras," Clark commented. "Usually if they have them they're pretty obvious."

"Right." She turned around and kissed him. "For luck."

They moved quietly into the building and let the door close almost all the way -- after taping the lock so that it couldn't re-engage. The first door on their right opened up into a large open space. Well, technically it was open. In practice, it had mail piled everywhere, letters stacked neatly and packages in loose piles, on counters, in bins and in wheeled carts. Lois admitted to herself that Clark had been right -- there was clearly some kind of sorting going on here, but it was far from obvious which pile was headed where.

Clark touched her arm, and said softly, "This all looks sorted... and I'm guessing, but those carts on the side look like they're ready to be loaded onto mail trucks, to be delivered in the morning."

Lois looked where he was pointing. "Yeah, might be. Wonder which one...?" She started walking towards them, noticing with approval that Clark was lagging behind her. She pulled out the paper where Wayne had written down the address he'd used and noted the zip code; that ought to narrow down the range of carts to check. As they approached the row, she saw small signs, and turned to Clark. "Look -- they've tagged each cart with a zip code. They're even lined up in numerical order."

Clark glanced at the note in her hand, then looked back up. "How kind of the postal workers."

"I'm guessing they didn't do it for our benefit," Lois replied as she began going down the row, checking numbers. "I think I'm getting close..."

Suddenly, Clark was behind her, whispering, "Someone's coming!" They ducked down and split up, each moving between two carts on opposite sides of the row, hoping that would shield them. As Lois got her breathing back under control, she began to hear the approaching footsteps.

****
tbc