Her entire world felt off-kilter, but Lois couldn't quite articulate why. She should be enjoying herself. For the past two hours she had been wined and dined along with Metropolis' most powerful and influential citizens, including an extremely attentive Lex Luthor.
It’s called ‘having a bad feeling about this’. Just like on Endor. On an unrelated note… /marks 3 1/2 months on calendar/ It had better be good…
Losing her partnership with Clark was a small price to pay for that kind of security.
/cocks eyebrow/
And they still worked together; just maybe not as closely as before. Why in the world did that make her feel so forlorn?
Mayhaps cause she will see him again in postcard form a couple of weeks after her honeymoon and then again when he is returned in a shoebox after he does an undercover assignment in the Congo?
She should be feeling safe and cherished right now. Lex had barely left her side all night. His fingertips were constantly brushing along her arm or her shoulder, or his hand was planted firmly at her waist as he put his arm around her.
Okay, maybe ‘safe and cherished’ isn’t the right word. Maybe more like Leia did in Jabba’s palace?
CLARK: She does have a golden bikini!
She should be feeling safe and cherished right now.
[…]
And yet it didn't quite feel like affection to her. Lois couldn't shake the thought that Lex's new possessiveness was at least partially due to the guest of honor at tonight's charity event -- Superman.
Aaaahh…I was wondering. Lex does want to keep her cherry safe.
It hardly seemed worth the effort Lex was putting into his displays of affection since Superman had barely glanced in their direction all night.
CLARK: I prefer to have Superman not throw up in public during charity events. Makes people think Superman’s imbibing too much.
The supermodel had even gone so far as to pat Superman's chest right where his 'S' was.
Something about his demeanor made Lois think it wasn't the first time someone had tried to get personal with him.
CLARK: I’ve had plenty of experience with Lois getting close and personal with me.
Lois wondered how Superman could stand it.
CLARK: It’s torture. But I do manage.
ICEBERGS:
To be mauled, however gently, by total strangers had to be unnerving.
Rubbing a Kryptonian’s chest is good fortune.
TYRION: Yeah, Kryptionian’s get their bodies rubbed and dwarves their head. Life just isn’t fair.
PROSTITUTE: I’ll rub your body for a silver stag.
She wondered if Clark's plane had landed in Miami yet and how long he'd be gone.
Yes. And he’s back already.
She had no idea where he lived, or if he even had a home.
Maybe if she offered her spare bedroom?
She was chagrined to realize that she, too, had freely groped Superman on occasion. In her defense, though, once you were touching Superman's bicep, it was nearly impossible not to linger.
RALPH: Hey! When I used that excuse during the sexual harassment hearing, the judge almost slapped me before having me hauled off in attempt of the court.
But maybe that only meant that she was no better than any of his other groupies.
Hmm… ‘gropies’?
"I was surprised to see you here tonight," Superman said. "From what I understand, it was a $500 a plate dinner."
She had a benefactor. And so did he.
![[Linked Image]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/1359932148_wile_e_coyote_and_road_runner_wallpaper-29519.jpg)
"I don't know. I mean, in a perfect world, the answer would probably be you."
"Unfortunately," he said quietly, "we aren't living in a perfect world."
A flare of disappointment shot through her, then a hazy sort of gratitude that at least he was letting her down gently.
Maybe she needs a subtext dictionary? He basically admitted that he’d love nothing more than to show her how to behave in this rooftop park if they were over yonder.
He half-smiled and shook his head. "Not every night, no. But I don't mind showing up when it's a worthy cause."
Like Lex trying to secure outside funding for his name-branded charity efforts?
"Does it bother you to have people constantly touching you like that?" Lois tilted her head to gauge his reaction. "Or are you used to it?"
I guess it’s like it’s for a stripper, huh? It’s part of the job and like most strippers, he probably doesn’t have many alternatives.
"Maybe they think your powers will rub off on them."
To be fair…
He shook his head slightly. "Unfortunately, I don't think that's likely to happen."
*Un*fortunately?
Had Luthor kissed her good night? Had she welcomed that kiss? Were they kissing right now? He could easily imagine them in the back of Luthor's limo, or outside Lois' door, or even inside her apartment with their arms wrapped around each other as they kissed deeply.
The possibility that they might be more than friends wasn't one that Lois seemed likely to entertain. It really wasn't a perfect world.
Isn’t it great how well those two communicate?
Perhaps he was just clever and obsessed enough to speculate about why Superman was suddenly active in Miami at the same time Clark Kent was there.
Maybe Superman and Clark Kent are more than just friend? Maybe Lois is just a beard for them?
When that turned up nothing, Olivia suggested that maybe the arrangements had been made through Lex Corp. All Lois' calls to Lex Corp in search of anyone who knew how to contact Clark were in vain.
One might almost think that Lex is deliberately trying to keep them apart. Nah…
When she finally paused for more than a second, Clark asked, "What about you? How are you doing?"
She’s now the official coffee fetcher for Chip?
http://tvline.com/2015/01/01/marvels-agent-carter-premiere-video/"At least give him a chance!" Lois shot back. "I thought you were all about giving people the benefit of the doubt."
Is the devil ‘people’?
"Apparently I'm supposed to stay down here for a few more days and get some local color or something."
But he already got a tan?
"Local color? Does that mean you're going to hang out on the beach and get tan?"
"It's tiny, it's dirty, and whoever picked out the bedspread was colorblind."
No, those spots aren’t ‘color’.
Because she imagines the bedspread looking like a steamroller flattened one of Clark’s ties?
Clark was laughing, too, as he added, "I'm not sure what I did to your fiance
Hit on his fiancée?
"Why? Because he knows I'm secretly in love with you?"
Clark made a dismissive sounding chuckle. "If I thought that was true, I'd fly back to Metropolis tonight.
And I’m guessing she’s going to not take that one seriously.
"Ha." Lois sighed and settled deeper into her pillow. "Fifty dollars says I'm still alive when you get back."
She didn’t mention ‘and well’ though. So Lex *could* carry her off into his alpine fortress and…well…
"So what are you working on now? I'll tell you if it's dangerous or not."
Lex Luthor.
CLARK:
"Excelsior International? Aren't they one of LexCorp's biggest competitors?"
Huh, who’d have thunk…
He was like the big brother that she had never asked for and only sorta wanted.
CERSEI: Just like me!
JAMIE: To be fair, she’s older than me, so it’s more like the little brother she always sorta wanted.
"Speaking of being ruled by your emotions, did you get a chance to tell her goodbye?"
"Who?"
"Your mystery woman?
Even so, he still found time to pick my pocket and steal my phone."
LEX: Cross-state calls are expensive with mobile phones and the Planet must save money.
"Okay, let me revise that. Owen picked my pocket and put the phone in my desk."
"Do you hear yourself? Are you paranoid much?"
It’s not paranoia if there really is someone out to get you.
"Lois, when was the last time I left my phone behind? I keep it with me. You know that."
What if Lois calls him while Superman’s standing next to her?
CLARK:
![[Linked Image]](http://cosgan.de/images/midi/konfus/e055.gif)
"First of all, just being nice to someone is not flirting. And, second of all, I'm not in love with Andrea. I barely even know her."
So it’s just a meaningless office fling on the side?
"And if I guess correctly, will you tell me?"
After another pause, Clark cleared his throat and said, "I guess so, yes."
Easy promise?
"Careful? What, you think she's going to scratch my eyes out in a jealous rage?"
And no, he’s talking about using protection since Lex has been who knows with whom.
He's killed people he thought were in his way."
But isn’t that against the law?
LEX:
but he wasn't power hungry by anyone's estimation.
NOR: See? Defective heir.
"What?" Her voice squeaked in shock. "Why in the world would Lex want to destroy Superman?"
Because he’s better than Lex.
LEX: Now, wait a minute. That’s just plain *rude*. Besides it not being true. He’s *not* better than me. He just got more brute strength. Like a gorilla. Would I be jealous of a gorilla?
GRODD:
LEX: Oh, shut up!
The idea of anyone, especially Lex, bent on destroying Superman was beyond insane.
TRASK:
LOIS: Fine, anyone still *alive*!
"Bye." Lois hung up before he could say anything else insulting.
/points at title/
Jealous that he's not rich or powerful. He can't fly his girlfriend off to Europe for dinner, so he's being petty.
CLARK: To be fair, ‘can’t’ and ‘won’t’ are two very different things.
Or he's insane. He'd have to be insane to say that Lex kills people and is out to kill Superman, just because.
LEX: She’s right. I don’t kill people just because. I do it for sport. Or because they’re in the way. Or because it’s an accident. But I always have a good reason, not just because someone’s a random dude out on the street and I want to test out my new gun. Which would be a good reason, actually…
she and Clark disagreed with each other on an almost hourly basis.
Foreplay?
No. It wasn't plausible. Lex had countless ways to achieve his goals; he didn't need to kill people to achieve them. He certainly didn't need to kill Superman.
LEX: Sometimes it’s the most efficient way?
But, what if? her mind persisted. What if?
Michael
