Beyond the External
by Lieta
Disclaimer: This is a fan work based on “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.” All rights to the characters belong to DC Comics and Warner Bros. No profit was made off this work.
*Note: Like chapter 1, this gets very introspective with no dialogue. At least with what I've written so far, this is the last chapter to be style.
Chapter 3
Lois slammed her apartment door closed with a satisfying bang. Stalking into her apartment, she flung her purse onto one of her love-seats and threw the dratted notebook into a corner.
She wished that she'd never opened the thing. Rubbing a hand over her eyes, she set about starting her evening routine. But she couldn't settle her thoughts. She'd *yelled* at Superman! And he'd yelled *back*! That didn't fit the image she had of the hero.
Lois sniffled slightly, it felt like she'd lost something this evening. Her perception of the perfect hero was shattered. He was bullheaded in his convictions about Lex and had even lost his temper with her.
Who knew Superman even had a temper?
Well, if Clark and Superman wanted to denigrate her… whatever Lex was to her, she would just have to put her all into proving them wrong.
With renewed determination, Lois stalked over and grabbed Clark’s stupid notebook. She tossed it onto her coffee table and then got her own notebook from a stack of supplies she kept at home in case she needed them.
Opening her notebook, she decided to start with her own interactions and impressions of Lex. She could martial her defenses before addressing Clark and Superman’s ‘evidence’.
She met Lex only days after meeting Clark and roughly a week before Superman came to Metropolis. She had been trying for *weeks* to get past Lex’s secretaries and assistants to secure the first exclusive interview with the billionaire. She’d *finally* made some headway at the White Orchid Ball…
Lois frowned to herself. Sure, she’d turned Lex’s head at the ball, but she *still* hadn’t gotten that interview. Lois nibbled on the end of her pen as she reluctantly added details about that first dinner. Lex had immediately thrown her off her stride, side-tracking her out of her professional reserve. He’d wined, dined and flattered her and even kissed her at her door, much to the delight of Lucy, who had been visiting at the time.
Lois pondered that for moment with a sigh. She’d eventually shelved the idea of interviewing Lex. First of all, he was totally against the idea, and secondly, she’d felt she’d lost her objectivity by the time Lex had saved her life. She couldn’t do an expose on Lex any more than she could do one on Superman.
Shelving those thoughts with a physical shake, she returned her thoughts to the ball. Clark and Superman had had at least *one* good point: how long *did* it take to design a space station. However, all that meant was that Lex had been planning his own station. Maybe he’d scrapped launching his own when the International initiative had been put together and he’d pulled up those plans when the project looked in danger of being cancelled. Better to have a privately owned space station, than no space station at all, right?
She decided to skip ahead to the next time she’d seen Lex. She’d initially thought, after her aborted interview, that that would be the end of her relationship with the man so far beyond her normal social circle. But, he’d sought *her* out after the humiliating bachelor auction. After that there had been a few more dinners in his penthouse. Although, at the time, she’d still held out hope of convincing him to give her an interview.
Then he’d saved her life when Menken had taken her hostage. She had been leaving the Planet for the night when Lex had met her in the lobby. He’d shared his admiration for the spirit of her father’s work, if not the direction he had taken it and promised a standing offer of a job should her father want it. Then, Menken had come in, waving his gun around, and dragged her off.
Lex had somehow managed to follow Menken, and had rescued her. Lois tried to walk through that scene in her mind, but all she could remember was the vice-like grip on her arm and fear, followed by the thunder of Lex’s gun and being free. Superman had arrived moments later.
Lois bit her lip, after that time, she supposed she’d been dating Lex, however casually. They hadn’t kissed much, let alone anything more, but she was seen on his arm in public a few times, though thankfully her presence hadn’t made the likes of Cat’s column. He was a friend, a friend who could use a companion to pass the time with at boring functions who wasn’t trying to leach off his money or fame.
The next adjustment to their relationship had been after Clark sold her out with the Metro story. She had been *furious* with her supposed partner. Lex had arrived at her apartment after she’d left Clark and Toni to their… diversions… Lois suppressed a repulsed shudder. Lex had cheered her up, complimenting her singing and reminding her that she didn’t *need* a partner, being a far better friend than Clark was at that time. And she then tailed Toni and got the story *without* her backstabbing partner.
After that had come a time when she and Lex hadn’t crossed paths as much. He had been too tied up with business for their usual evening pursuits and he’d been out of the country a fair amount too.
However, when Lex had been taken captive by the Smart Kids, she’d been worried for her friend. Once he’d been freed, he’d barely been able to give her more than a brief summary of Carlton’s fate before he’d been tied up with resolving the credit card fraud and other problems the kids had gotten up to in their escapades.
She hadn’t seen Lex again until after Clark had dragged her to Smallville. Although, she’d gotten a solo byline on a good story for her trouble at least.
Lex had invited her to a celebratory dinner that evening. There had been a sumptuous meal and Lex’s fine company. Lex had wanted to know all about her time in the backwater town of Smallville. Lois flushed with shame as she recalled how, on Lex’s enthusiastic encouragement, she’d denigrated Clark’s hometown and even his parents. But Lex had seemed particularly interested in Trask. In fact…
Lois froze with a strangled gasp, then gathered up both her notebook and Clark’s and rushed for the door.
