The Matchmaker Files - An Unusual Proposal
Rated PG-13
I want to thank Poussin for turning my high school French into idiomatic French.
* emphasis*
<thoughts>
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * time passed – scene change
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Previously
Her questions had been piling up and finally, Lois interrupted Herb and asked, "They received a phone call that caused them to flag her file? What's that all about?"
Nodding, Herb replied, "I didn't know it at the time, I had rather assumed that the call had been made by Claude, but it had not been. Actually, I looked into the source later and found that it had been made by Tempus."
Lois blurted out, "Tempus again! Why can't he leave us, uh, them, no I do mean us, they are us, in a manner of speaking. Why can't he leave us alone?"
Herb shrugged and replied, "It has almost become a psychosis. He is driven to distraction attempting to disrupt your union and thereby destroy utopia."
Lois continued, "Herb, that other call, the one about the guns, sounds like the call that I got. I went to the Congo on that investigation. I almost died there."
Clark pulled her closer and said, "I, for one, am very glad that you didn't."
Suddenly becoming very serious, Herb looked at Lois and said, "That call was also placed by Tempus."
Shocked, Lois and Clark both gasped and blurted out, "What? Tempus! Again?"
"Yes, Tempus. I can now tell you something that I had not been able to relate previously. Tempus was actively attempting to interfere in your lives much earlier than you knew. Earlier he tried to work from the shadows, much as you did, Clark, before you created the Superman persona. It wasn't until you met him when he was accompanying me shortly after our first meeting that he came out of the shadows into the open, as you did when you became Superman. That call came at a time when you could not be made aware of what was happening and your special destiny. I too had to work in the shadows as it were. I became aware of what Tempus had done and without your knowledge, I made the arrangements to get you out of your predicament and back to Metropolis."
"Yeah, I might have died if Derek Price, the office manager of the Brazzaville office, hadn't sent the national police after me. I wondered how he even knew I was in the country. I always wondered how they knew I was in trouble and just where I was. The police showed up in the nick of time. I was thankful that, Suzanne and Collette, the twins from the office, came with them. It was nice to have a couple of girls there. They helped a lot. I guess I owe you another thank you."
"It was my pleasure. Actually, it was your friend, Clark, the one from the first alternate universe; you know the one that helped with Tempus, who told me about the Brazzaville office. In his universe, when I took him back to find his Lois, he made friends with the staff. Those two girls helped him through a very difficult time, I must say. They were friends, in the truest sense. (See
Clark and Lois - The Lost Years Matchmaker Chronicles Volume 3 and
Clark and Lois - Despair to Hope Matchmaker Chronicles Volume 4]) That is all in the past now. But to return to this instance, I suppose I could have intervened, but it turned out that this Lois's life was not put in danger by his call so I chose not to. It never occurred to me that Tempus's purpose could actually have been as sinister and subtle as it truly was."
"Oh, yes, there is another thing that you should know. It was Tempus that created the controversy within the medical community that caused Sam Lane to immigrate to Canada. It was all part of Tempus's evil plan. This was one of his most far reaching and more subtle ploys."
Anxious to hear more, Lois said, "Well, don't stop there. This story is just getting interesting."
Herb smiled at her comment and replied, "Yes, it is, isn't it? All right, so … Lois received a call about illegal arms …"
And now
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 03
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After Lois received the call about the illegal arms shipment she went to Perry White. Nervous energy, the thrill of the chase prevented her from sitting or even standing still so she was pacing back and forth in front of Perry's desk, waving her arms for emphasis. "Perry, I just got a hot tip on a story! This could be the big one. This goes way beyond a Kerth! I mean this could go all the way to the Pulitzer Prize. Get this, illegal gun shipments, gunrunning from right here in Metropolis." She stopped her pacing, put her hands on the front of Perry's desk and leaned in almost nose to nose with Perry as she said, "Chief, you've got to let me run with this. This is
it! I can almost
taste it."
Perry couldn’t remember when he had seen Lois this worked up before and he was pleased that she was so excited about this story, but he could see that she hadn’t checked the water level as yet. He needed her to go about this story in a way that would warrant publication. He agreed that if this story panned out it could easily result in a Pulitzer for his favorite reporter. In the time she had been working for him, Lois had wormed her way into his affections and he looked on her almost as the daughter that he had never had. He decided that he needed to bring her back down to Earth, so he leaned back and calmly asked, "What is your source? Where's your corroborating evidence?"
Instantly deflated by his lack of enthusiasm, Lois straightened up and thought before speaking, "Well, the source was anonymous, but that happens a lot.” She realized that she had approached Perry prematurely. She really knew better. It was simply the magnitude of the story that had caused her to leap before checking the water level. That was a problem that she would have to work on, but right now she quickly planned how to comply with his requirements. “I don't have any evidence, yet, but I'll get it."
Perry leaned forward again, folded his hands on his desk as he replied, "I agree with you, the story has potential, but you need to bring me something concrete. I need to see facts. Bring me some proof and I'll back you, but until I see something supporting the tip, it's a no go."
Lois was disappointed in herself for not making sure she had all of her ducks in a row before approaching Perry, but undaunted, she said, "Okay, Perry. I'll get my evidence and come back to you."
Perry liked her enthusiasm, he always had, it was one of the things that made her such a great reporter. She pursued every story with a level of enthusiasm that he had seen in very few reporters. He nodded and said, "You do that, Darlin’. Now get out of here I have work to do," he said as he picked up a blue pencil.
Somewhat subdued, Lois returned to her desk and with renewed determination started making calls. The first call she made was to the harbor master. He confirmed that a ship had sailed the previous night and that its destination was a number of ports along the African coast. She requested the itinerary. She scribbled down the names as they were rattled off and then she checked and found that one of the ports listed, Point Noir, was the main port city of the Congo. Lois made note of this and called the harbor master back and asked that a copy of the bill of lading be faxed to her. So far things were falling into place, nicely.
When the fax came in she started going over it, very carefully. There was one glaring entry, the cargo listed as being destined for the Congo was registered as farming equipment. Reading that, Lois snickered and scoffed, "Farming equipment going to a country that is mostly rain forest, really. If that isn’t phony I’ll eat my hat." The second piece of the puzzle had just fallen into place.
On the bill of lading she found the name of the company responsible. The name of the company was, 'L&M Enterprises, Inc.'. The initials didn't mean anything to her, but decided that if the rest panned out she would have to investigate the company. She would have to find out who the owners were.
She started checking on L&M Enterprises’ holdings and found that they had some warehouse space down by the docks. She thought, <If this isn’t a one off they may have more in storage. It might just be a good idea to check.> She checked on the address of the warehouse and determined to see what was still in it.
After work, Lois went home and changed into her snooping clothes, a black turtleneck, black jeans and black running shoes. She wore a small pouch on her belt that carried her ‘tools’ and carried a black ski mask that she would put on at the appropriate time. She bided her time until it was quite dark and then drove to the vicinity of the warehouse and parked. She remained in her car watching. It was a good thing that she did, because she spotted a roving guard. When she spotted him she watched his routine and timed his route. Her surveillance lasted an hour and a half before she satisfied herself that she knew his routine. As soon as he passed on his next round she knew almost to the minute how much time she had and quietly exiting her Jeep crossed to the warehouse and rounded a corner looking for a side or back door. Lois had never had a partner and that was the case now. That meant that she didn’t have anyone to watch her back for her. She knew that she had to find a door and achieve entry before the guard returned on his rounds. Finding a door at the back, Lois pulled out her lock picks and went to work. The lock on the door quickly yielded itself to her skill with her lock picks. Once inside she closed the door although she did not lock it. Since the building had no windows, without fear of discovery she pulled a mini-flashlight from her bag and began examining the contents of the warehouse. She quickly found a number of crates stacked on pallets around the floor in such a way that it was obvious that they were staged for shipment. The crates were stenciled ‘Farming Equipment’ in big black letters the same way as those on the bill of lading so she decided that she needed to examine the contents.
Finding a crowbar leaning against the wall, she proceeded to open a crate near the back. As soon as she started there was a loud screech as the nails were pulled from the wood and she stopped to listen, hoping she hadn’t attracted the guard’s attention. When there was no pounding at the door or any other sounds for almost a minute, she resumed, slowly, a millimeter at a time to remove the panel. Once it was open she saw that it was loaded with rifles - assault weapons. Since there were no windows she had no fear of the flash being seen so she took photos of what she found, crates and weapons alike, but this didn't prove what something similar was on the ship. What she had found so far was perfectly legal. Shippers can handle weapons, even those that are illegal in most localities with impunity. The problem comes in when they try to sell them to people that aren't supposed to get them. The markings on the crates could be excused as an error on the part of a warehouser.
Before placing the lid back on she ripped a piece of burlap from the wrappings of the weapons and used it to muffle the blows she delivered with the back of the crowbar. In this way she silently closed the crate back up. Checking her watch she saw that if she were to exit then she would walk right into the arms of the guard, so she waited. When she thought the time was right, she cracked the door open and peeked out. Seeing a deserted area she slipped out and relocked the door. After moving to a position with an unobstructed view, being extra cautions, she lay down in deep shadow at the corner of the building and waited for the guard to pass. Once he had passed, she arose and silently made her way back to the Jeep.
Lois was very pleased with how this trip had gone. She had gotten in and out, undetected and now she had the other half of what she needed for Perry to back her on the story. Now she could show that there were arms in the warehouse. That increased the likelihood that crates with similar contents were on the ship, but it also meant that she needed to see similar crates offloaded in Point Noir.
She knew that the ship was due to dock in Point Noir in four days according to what the harbor master had sent her. That would be just about the amount of time it would take to get there and be waiting for the ship to dock. She drove home in high spirits visions of Pulitzer Prizes dancing before her eyes.
After a restless night with little sleep, she headed into work. As soon as she was out of the elevator she looked around and spotting Jimmy, she shouted, “Jimmy!”
At her call, Jimmy’s head bobbed up and he shouted, “Yeah, Lois, what’cha need?”
She hurried down the ramp and handed Jimmy the roll of film. She said, “I need this developed, immediately!”
“But, Perry has me working on these obits.”
“I don’t care! This takes priority! Get right on it!”
“But what about Perry?”
“I’ll handle Perry. You just get yourself into the darkroom and if you wreck these photos, there’ll be Hell to pay.”
Realizing how useless it was to argue with ‘Mad Dog Lane’ when she got this way he acceded to her request and headed for the darkroom.
A little later Jimmy brought the prints to her. As he dropped them into her hands, he asked, “Are those what I think they are? Assault weapons?”
Lois nodded and said, “Right the first time. Now you see how important these pictures are.” Looking around, Lois saw that Perry was in his office. She picked up the bill of lading and added it to the prints of the pictures she had taken and went to Perry White’s office. She didn’t even knock, she just barged in.
When she did, Perry looked up from the copy he was editing and gave her a glare. “Can’t you see I’m busy? You know, most people knock before entering my office.”
“This couldn’t wait, Perry.” She strode to the front of Perry’s desk and as she dropped the prints on Perry's desk, she said, "How about that for evidence? There are the weapons, sitting in the warehouse, of the company that sent the shipment I had the tip on, waiting for the next ship."
“How do you know that and what’s to say that the same thing is on this ship?”
She produced the bill of lading and put it on top of the prints, "Farming equipment. Give me a break. The bill of lading specifies the same thing for the crates on the ship. I don't know any farming that requires assault rifles."
"Okay, you've convinced me. Maybe we should alert the authorities."
"I'll do that once I'm in country. I want to be there to record the bust."
"Okay, I’ll authorize the trip. Arrange your flight through the travel office. I'll see you when you get back and be careful. These kinds of people can be dangerous."
"I know and I will be. When I arrive, I'll check in through the Brazzaville office."
"Yeah, check in with Derek Price, he's an old friend of mine. I haven't seen him much since he took over in Brazzaville." Perry decided to hedge his bet and notify him of Lois’s arrival just in case while in route she decided to act all on her own, the way she usually did.
"I'll do that, Perry. See you in about a week." She rushed out of his office and called travel from her desk. She made arrangements to pick up the ticket at the airport and went home to pack.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When she arrived in Brazzaville two raven-haired beauties were there to meet her. They introduced themselves as Suzanne and Collette Black. They were identical twin sisters that worked in the Brazzaville office of the Daily Planet. Perry White had called Derek Price and alerted him about Lois's trip and he had dispatched them when he had heard that her plane was due.
"Bonjour, je m'appelle Suzanne, et voici ma sœur Collette. Nous allons nous occuper de vos bagages et aller au bureau." {Hello, my name is Suzanne and this is my sister, Collette. We will collect your luggage and go to the office.}
Lois was surprised at being addressed in French, but responded in kind. "Merci, j'apprécie votre aide. Vous parlez toujours en français ? Ça fait quelques années que je n'ai pas pratiqué le mien, depuis que j'ai quitté le Canada pour m'installer aux Etats-Unis. {"Thank you. I appreciate the help. Do you speak French all of the time? It has been a couple of years since I have used my French, ever since I moved to America from French Canada."}
"Bien sûr. Nous étions une colonie française. Le français est devenu notre lanque principale, devant l'anglais." {"Of course. This used to be a French colony. French has become the first language with English the second."}
They collected her luggage and took her to the office before taking her to their hotel.
When they arrived at the office, she found that Derek had decided it would be unsafe for Lois to travel by herself, so he had assigned Suzanne and Collette to accompany her.
The twins had offered to put Lois up in the apartment they shared. Lois spent that evening with Suzanne and Collette. They had dinner at Le Jardin and then went to the Twins apartment where they had an impromptu pajama party drinking wine, eating cheese and discussing everything from friends and family to work. Lois enjoyed the time with the twins immensely and enjoyed being able to use her native French again.
Since the girls had a Land Rover the three of them loaded into it the following morning for the trip to Point Noir.
On the trip the twins were all excited about a man they called Coquinos that had recently been working with them. He was one person that they hadn’t mentioned the previous night. He was a journalist that was traveling around the world and picking up short time positions with papers to earn enough money to continue his travels. Both of the twins had been attracted to him. He was friendly, but somewhat distant. The twins couldn't say enough about him. He was tall, dark and very handsome. To put it succinctly he was a dreamboat. He was an excellent writer, although they both laughed at the subject matter of some of his articles. There was one article that they found particularly amusing, ‘The Mating Habits of the Knob-Tailed Gecko' which he had written for a paper on Borneo. They decried the fact that he just couldn't seem to stay in one place for very long. They said a lot about him, but the one thing that was never mentioned was his name, he was always, Coquinos. He had just left the previous week and they were hoping that he would decide to come back.
The use of the nickname ‘Coquinous' told Lois that there was a loving feeling attached to the relationship and since both of the girls used the same endearment it seemed that both of the girls had a crush on him. The tone of the endearment was slightly sexual (very slightly). it is formed on the word 'coquin' which could means either puckish or naughty which told Lois that the girls had tried, perhaps in vain, to make a pass at him. That would explain their use of that nickname as some funny way to accept his refusal to have a relationship with them. Lois regretted that he had left because she was intrigued by the girl’s description.
The trip to Point Noir took about six hours, the better part of the day, and they were stopped a couple of times by bandits that wanted bribes that they called tolls, for the use of the road.
Before leaving Brazzaville, Lois had called the national police force and reported the name of the steamer and its expected arrival time in Point Noir. She and the girls timed their arrival so that they would be there when the ship docked.
They met the detachment of the national police when they arrived and they waited for the ship to dock. When the ship didn't dock on time the constable in charge went to the harbor master's office to make an inquiry.
When he returned he had a downcast expression. He called his team and the girls together before he gave his report,"Je viens de parler avec la capitainerie. On m'a informé que le bateau navire que nous poursuivions a coulé dans la tempête d'hier.. Toutes les marins ont été perdus en mer. Nous ne seront pas confisquer toute cargaison. Au moins les rebelles n'obtiendrez pas cette cargaison d'armes." {"I have just spoken with the harbor master. I have been informed that the ship we were after sank in the storm yesterday. All hands were lost at sea. We will not be confiscating any cargo. At least the rebels will not be getting this shipment of arms."}
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To say that Lois was disappointed would be an exercise in understatement. She was bitterly chagrinned. All that was left was to return to Metropolis, which after a tearful farewell to the twins, she did.
When she got back the first thing she did was go to see Perry, "What a lousy break. The ship went down in a storm and took all of my evidence with it."
‘Those are the breaks, Darlin'. There are plenty of stories right around here that still need to be written."
They had been together for only a few days, but Lois had formed a lasting friendship with Suzanne and Collette and kept in touch with them via e-mail.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Time went on. Stories came and went.
Three months after the Congo trip, Lois busted a carjacking ring. By disguising herself as a boy she had infiltrated the gang and had gotten the evidence. After turning the evidence over to the MPD she had been there for the bust.
The day after turning in that story she had been feted by the staff. Everyone in the newsroom was gathered around her desk, coffee mugs lifted in salute. Lois complainingly said, "Come on, you guys, it was nothing, really."
One of her co-workers held up the latest edition of the Daily Planet. On the front page was a picture of Lois, dressed as a guy, performing interviews as the MPD arrested the car thieves. The headline was in bold 38 point type,
Million Dollar Car Theft Ring Exposed. The by-line read,
by Lois Lane.Jimmy was in awe and it showed in his voice as he said, "I still can't believe they thought you were a boy."
Lois quipped, "The moustache helped. And thanks for teaching me how to boost a car."
Jimmy smiled and replied, "No problemo." He raised his coffee mug and said, "To Lois Lane ... still going where no reporter has gone before ..."
Perry, who had been standing off to one side chided, "Don't, encourage her, Jimmy. Her head's as big as the Metrodome as it is."
Lois replied to this sally by saying, "Nice to know I'm appreciated around here, Chief."
Perry reposted, "What do you expect? Garlands strewn at your feet?"
Lois kidded back, "No, but I'd like a raise."
As Perry replied he pulled out his pants pockets to show that they were empty. "Yeah? Well,
I'd like a 145 foot triple masted schooner with a teak interior, but times are tough." Then he turned to Jimmy and asked, "By the way, where did you learn how to boost a car?"
Apology was written all over her face as Lois looked at Jimmy. He grinned back at her and then replied to Perry, "One man's felony is another man's skill."
Perry looked around and then barked out, "Okay, what's everybody standing around for? This is a newspaper, not happy hour at Buckingham Palace." As everyone started to disperse back to their own work areas, Perry turned and headed for his office. Jimmy dogged his heels.
When they reached his office, Jimmy said, "Chief? I've got an angle on the mini-mall murders. I figure there was blood on the burritos because ..."
Perry cut him off, "Not now, Jimmy. I have an interview coming up. Did you finish those obituary updates?" Seeing Jimmy's sour look, Perry tried to encourage him, "Never underestimate the need for a good obituary." Perry moved around behind his desk.
As he did, snarkily, Jimmy replied, "I can think of one right now."
Perry didn't take the bait, he simply said, "I have an interview to prepare for. I'll talk to you later."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
While that had been going on inside of the Daily Planet building, in the street outside a bus pulled to a stop at the corner to allow passengers to disembark. Among them was a young man carrying a somewhat battered suitcase.
Stepping off the bus he set his bag down and did a slow spin, taking in the sights, smells and sounds of Metropolis. Smiling to himself he completed his turn as the bus pulled away. He started to reach for his bag, but as he did, he could hear tires screeching. Looking around he saw a municipal bus swerving from side to side and from lane to lane in the driver's attempt to avoid other vehicles. Along with the screech of the tires from the swerving there were horns blaring and a thump, thump as the driver repeatedly pounded on the brake pedal which without resistance was going all the way to the floor.
Seeing the bus approaching a busy crosswalk, the young man decided that there was no way to avoid interceding and stepping into the street, braced himself with his hands outstretched. If the bus wasn't stopped innocent pedestrians would die and he realized that he was the only one that could prevent that useless loss of life. It was a risk, but it was one he had to take.
Seconds later, the bus was stopped. The passengers were shaken up by the sudden stop, but otherwise unhurt. The pedestrians in the crosswalk, all but a single woman were blissfully unaware of the danger they had been in and she was so shocked at what she had seen, she was speechless.
As soon as the emergency brake was applied he sprinted back to the sidewalk, picked up his bag and merged into the pedestrian flow effectively disappearing into the crowd. Checking his watch, he realized that if he didn't get a move on he was going to be late for his interview. Quickening his pace he headed for the Daily Planet.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As Jimmy was leaving Perry's office to go work on the obits, a detestable task at best, he decided to complete another chore instead. As he passed it there was a commotion at the elevator. A man that, by his appearance was, homeless or an escaped lunatic, dressed in a long ragged trench coat with an equally ragged filthy hat perched on his unwashed, unkempt hair was shouting, at the top of his lungs, "Lois Lane!" Looking around he finally spotted her and as he raced toward her desk, two security guards pursued him. He shouted, "It's going to explode! Here …" As he was saying this he reached inside of his trench coat.
Seeing him reach inside his coat and hearing what he said, someone put two and two together and yelled, "He has a bomb!"
Panic reigned in the newsroom as this was heard and a majority of staffers dropped to the floor.
Looking around in bewilderment, he slowly pulled out a brown paper wrapped packet from under his coat. He explained, "My name is Platt, Dr. Platt. It's my credentials!"
Unheeding, the guards grabbed him. In the scuffle that ensued the packet fell to the floor, unnoticed.
One of the guards said, "We've had trouble with him before. The guy's a box short of a variety pack."
As the guards started to drag him away, he shouted, "You don't understand! Please! You have to believe me! The space program is doomed! The space station has been sabotaged! The Messenger is going to explode! Miss Lane! You must tell my story!"
The guards had an arm each as they hauled him to the elevator. He was more subdued as they waited. When the chime sounded that the elevator had arrived, they waited for the young man to exit before they stepped in with their prisoner.
The young man gave them a quizzical look as he passed, but then spotting Jimmy asked, "Where would I find Mr. White's office?"
Jimmy pointed and said, "Right over there. Good luck, you're gonna need it."
Giving him a surprised look, he said, "Thanks, I think."
"Don't mention it."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lois heard what Platt was saying as he was led away. Lois's curiosity was piqued and watched as a secretary picked up the packet that he had dropped and dumped it into a trashcan. Nonchalantly, trying not to attract attention, Lois walked over and stooping, picked the packet out of the trash. Once it was in hand she returned to her desk.
As she sat down someone turned up the volume on one of the TV monitors that carried the news station. What she saw sparked even more interest in what she had retrieved from the trash. Platt had claimed that the transport vehicle, Messenger, would explode. On the TV screen was an image of the Messenger vehicle itself. Lois listened as the news reader read her report.
"The transport vehicle Messenger, piloted by Commander Jack Laderman and carrying the final propulsion module for Space Station Prometheus, is scheduled for lift-off Friday at 9 A.M.
Many hopes are riding on the success of this mission, especially in light of the failure of last week's unmanned launch."The view shifted to a mock-up of the space station as the announcer continued.
"Space Station Prometheus, an international effort, is still lying in its low orbit, awaiting the arrival of the remaining modules, including the colonist habitation module scheduled to launch next week. once all are in place, the Station will be lifted into permanent orbit."The scene shifted again to a video tape recorded earlier. On screen were a number of white lab-coated scientists from Extra Planetary Research And Development (EPRAD) including Dr. Antoinette Baines, a beautiful physicist in her late thirties.
The announcer spoke over the video,
"Dr. Toni Baines, Director of the Extra Planetary Research And Development agency, reminds us that timing is crucial. A series of delays and launch failures has put EPRAD's back to the wall."The video shifted to an interview that had been done with Dr. Baines. In the video she said,
" Unless all modules are in place within the next weeks, Space Station Prometheus will lose its orbit and fall back into Earth's atmosphere. That kind of occurrence would surely spell the end to any future projects and the space program as a whole."Lois stopped watching the TV and spun back to her desk to examine Platt's credentials. As she did she accidentally swept them off her desk onto the floor. As Lois slid from her chair to kneel on the floor to pick them up, she was confronted by a long pair of legs that ended in spike heels standing directly in front of her.
As she looked up to see the owner of the legs, she heard, "Morning, Lois. On your hands and knees again, I see. I thought that ‘The Ice Queen' didn't do that kind of thing."
Lois was stung by this remark. She had never in her life done that with a man and she resented the implication. Looking up at Catherine Grant she saw that she was wearing a dress so tight that it clung to every curve and so short that it barely covered her derriere announcing to the world that she was all woman.
The best comeback she could come up with on short notice was, "Isn't it a little too early for you to be in, Cat? I thought ladies like you only worked nights."
Cat smiled and replied, "Part of my job as a society columnist ..."
Under her breath, Lois corrected her, "Oh, you mean mud-slinging rumor monger."
Cat continued without noticing, Lois's comment. "…. is to maintain an active social life. You remember what that's like ... or do you?" With that final barb, Cat leaned in and asked, "Who's the new tight end? Did you see him walk in?"
"No, I didn't notice. Now, I have work to do. Excuse me."
Dismissed, Cat spun on her spike heel and headed for her desk. Lois couldn't help noticing the stares she received from the males in the newsroom.
She muttered to herself, "What do men see in her, anyway? Don't they realize she's just looking for another notch on her garter belt?"
Jimmy was passing and overheard her. Shaking his head, he said, "Pathetic." Then thinking about what Lois had said, asked, "Have you actually seen this garter belt?"
/ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ */ *
Lois interrupted Herb by laughing. As she chortled she said, "Same old Cat. I actually miss those days. Now that she's out on the west coast we don't see each other that often."
Clark commented too, “You know, she kept throwing herself at me even after I made it clear that I wasn’t interested, but I believe that underneath, she was a good person.”
“Yeah, she started to change after she met George. Remember the guy she brought in that night at the Planet? The night I was with Lex and we were invaded?”
“Yeah, I noticed the changes too. She stopped pursuing me all of the sudden.”
Changing the subject, Lois asked, “Herb, that was Clark coming in for his interview?”
“Yes, that indeed was Clark. He was there for his interview with Mr. White.”
Curious, Lois asked, ”Did Perry turn him down the same way he did to my Clark?”
Herb thought for a second before answering, “Hmmm, well, not all thing parallel across the universes. I guess I’ll have to explain …”
comments go here TBC
