A/N: Because I finally completed this chapter, and jackiek might burst if I don't post again soon... So today is a double-feature day! Havana/Long Way Down... Enjoy! Oh, and this is a longer chapter, just for the record.
Chapter Nine
They were both crashing by the time they got home, so a quick snack and an equally quick nap were in short order. Lois finally breathed easy as she collapsed onto her bed. Havana was a handful, but she’d been well behaved at the doctor’s office, which was all she could ask. Lois rested a hand on her forehead in exasperation, because the poor girl had been so well behaved all through so many doctor’s appointments already. It was torture dragging her through all this.
Dr. Klein seemed confident, and equally competent, but the most reassuring thing about him was the fact that he didn’t just reassure her. She’d been down this road so many times over, and each doctor or specialist seemed even more confident than the last. They loved to explain how different they were from her previous doctors, how they’d really help her, that they’d get to the bottom of this. Sure, none of them were irresponsible enough to make any promises, but their fake smiles and false predictions were grating at best. She couldn’t handle another one of those doctors. Bernie seemed calm, knowing, but not pushy about it. She could see why Clark liked him so much as to trust him with his secret.
A small part of her thought maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have him work with Havana. In an afternoon, he had been able to parse down her illness to a handful of variables, some related to Clark, some not. Havana’s pediatrician was good, but no one would know how to deal with her development better than the man who treated her father for the last ten years.
Her phone rang loudly, and Lois gasped in surprise. She jumped to her feet unsteadily and picked up the device before it had a chance to wake up Havana. “Hello?”
”Lois! You doin’ all right, honey?”
Perry’s slow drawl filled her with relief. “Fine, Perry. What’s up?”
”Nothing much. I know you’re going through some rough stuff right now is all, and I wanted to check on you.”
He meant well, she knew, but she knew there was a second question hiding underneath all his concern. “Thanks, Perry. I know you’re just looking out for me. Now, why are you really calling?”
”I was just checking to see if you were still on for the Luthor event tonight. Because if you’re not up to it, I was going to send Eduardo--”
“Not up for it?” Lois barked into the receiver, offended on multiple fronts. “How many times have I told you not to kid-glove me? I’m sick, and Havana’s father showed up in town, and I’m changing doctors again-- and not one of those things is going to make me less competent at my job. So yes, I will still be attending the White Orchid Ball tonight.”
”Just had to be sure. You did take the last two days off, Lois.”
Lois growled. “I’m aware. But I’ve been ready for this event for three weeks now, so I’m not going to let you give away my ticket just because Eduardo heard there’s an open bar and some rich ladies with loose morals.”
She could practically hear Perry shrug through the phone. ”Whatever you say, Lois. I’ll see you tonight then.”
Lois made her quick goodbyes and hung up the phone. She needed to rest-- Dr. Klein had taken ten vials of blood, and the almonds and cheese cubes were barely cutting it to replenish her system. Maybe Perry was right, she should stay home. But she staked her flag on this hill now, and she’d have to die atop it.
Her eyes couldn’t have been closed for very long when she heard the slam of her front door. “Lois! I’m here! Where are you?” A strangled sigh escaped her chest, and she resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn’t get any sleep today.
“Auntie Lucy! Auntie Lucy!”
Lois pressed her fingers against her eyelids, wishing she could just lay here and cry. It had been a long three days already, and the day just wouldn’t end. She sat up slowly, trying to ignore the woozy feeling she had as she did so. She just needed food, that’s all. A good meal and she’d be back up and running in no time. Her sister’s form appeared in the doorframe with a sad sort of smile. “Hey, sorry I’m late.”
“Late?” Lois asked groggily. “You’re early. What time is it?”
“It’s almost four-thirty.”
Lois inhaled sharply and shook her head. “Four? Did I actually fall asleep?”
“Apparently,” Lucy shrugged, and offered her sister a hand to get off the bed. Lois took a deep breath before hefting herself up, only slightly swaying on her feet. “Sorry again I couldn’t make it earlier-- my boss is being a real tool about taking tonight off already, you know how busy Thursday nights are--”
Lois waved her apology out of the air. “No sweat. I get it. Besides it went well, I think.”
“Good. Hopefully this time will be different. Where did you hear about this guy anyways?”
Lois blanched a little, not sure how to answer that question. “Uh, it’s a long story. I’ve got to get dressed Lucy, and eat, so would you mind starting something for dinner and we can talk once I’m ready?”
Lucy eyed her suspiciously-- the brat always could tell when she was lying-- but she dropped it for now. “All right. I’ll go make some dinner, and then we’ll talk. You need any help getting dressed?”
She scowled at her sister darkly, and Lucy backed out of the room with her hands above her head, only lowering them to close the door behind her. Lois breathed a sigh of relief, because she had a few moments to get her story together. She didn’t have to mention Clark at all, or at least maybe not mention who he was to Havana. She wasn’t sure how that would all go over with Lucy-- she knew the situation, that she’d had a fling on a story and was never able to get in contact with the father. It wasn’t like he abandoned her with child or anything. Her mother would flip her lid, but Lucy might understand. Especially if he was going to play any more of a roll in Havana’s future.
She still wasn’t sure what to think about that.
Lois tossed her top on the bed and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she walked across to her closet. Her stomach knotted up at the fresh bruising that dotted her trunk inexplicably around where her bra sat, painting splotches of purple over older, mottled yellow spots. She sighed and gently traced a spot on her ribcage. She didn’t understand how these came about. One doctor told her that her capillaries were too thin, another that her blood wasn’t clotting right. It wasn’t like she was getting beat up all the time, but she looked like she’d been worked over good in a boxing ring.
What caught her attention was her arm, though. Her left arm was bruised around the bandaged spot, and her stomach sank. Perfect. Just perfect. At least the ones on her ribcage would be covered by whatever she wore. The dress she had planned didn’t have sleeves long enough to cover the spot on her arm, but the sleeves themselves were too much to justify wearing gloves. She huffed a sigh and tried not to think about it, instead grabbing the dress anyway and stepping into it. She was determined to be the first reporter to get an official interview with Lex Luthor, if it was the last thing she did-- she tried not to think too hard about that phrase-- and a little bruising wasn’t going to stop her. “Hey, Luce?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you bring your makeup bag? Your concealer is better than mine.”
Lucy poked her head back in the room with a grin. “Never leave home without it-- oh, Lois! You look beautiful.”
She smiled wryly at her sister, ran her hand across her neck self-consciously, and swished the dress around a little. “Yeah? It’s not too loose?”
“No! It’s perfect, it drapes beautifully. Hey, Hana, come see how pretty your mommy looks!”
Lois bit her cheek with amusement as her little girl came running in, greasy hands reaching out when she saw the midnight blue satin. Lucy caught the girl at the shoulder and leaned down before she could get stains and fingerprints all over the gown. “Ah-ah-ah. We look with our eyes, not with our hands, remember?”
Havana purred in wonder, eyeing the gown like it was made of magic. “Pretty,” she crooned softly, smiling up at Lois’ face. “Mama’s so pretty.”
“Thank you, baby,” Lois felt her daughter’s words warming her from the inside out. She really was such a sweetheart.
Havana gasped in excitement, a sudden realization coming to her. “Mama, you’re princess and hero! Like ‘tory!”
Lucy laughed at that, but Lois felt her gut clench as her sister asked the question. “Oh yeah? What story was that, Hana-Banana?”
“Clark’s ‘tory.”
And there it was. She eyed her sister nervously, feeling like a deer in the headlights. She was trapped, with nowhere to run, while her sister slowly put the pieces together. “Clark? Who’s Clark?”
Lois interjected with a distraction. “Havana, why are your hands so greasy? What did Auntie Lucy feed you?”
She knew she wouldn’t like the answer based on the way the girl bounced up and down excitedly. “Belly Burger!”
Lois scowled. “Really? I thought you were going to make dinner, Luce.”
“I told you I was late. And you know I don’t cook. Besides, you could use some heavy, greasy protein anyway before this shindig. Now tell me: who’s Clark, Lois?”
Lois pursed her lips and brushed her fingers through Havana’s hair, leaning the dress away from the girl’s sticky fingers once again. “Hana-Banana, why don’t you go finish your burger, okay? We’ll be right there.”
The girl bounded off in pursuit of her salty greasy goodness, and Lois tried her best not to make eye contact with her little sister. “Please tell me that Clark is just the new kid in her daycare class, and not who I think it is.”
She grimaced tightly in response. “Guess again.”
Lucy swore under her breath and she sank onto Lois’ mattress. “Wow. You found him. I can’t believe you found him.”
“Well, if I’m being perfectly honest, he found me. Totally by accident, too.”
“Where did you meet him?”
Lois snorted and turned to her mirror in order to do something respectable with her hair. “The Planet, of all places. He was interviewing for a job. Had no idea I even worked there, let alone my name.”
“You’re kidding me! He’s a journalist, too? What are the odds! So you’re working together now?”
“No,” she spoke through gritted teeth, trying to hack at the knot that had somehow formed at the base of her neck. “Perry didn’t hire him. He did say he’s starting a new job, but I don’t think he mentioned where.”
Lucy came up behind her and eased the brush out of her hand. “Here, let me.” Lois sighed and luxuriated in the feeling of someone else brushing her hair. “That’s insane. All this time, and he shows up out of nowhere. It’s like something out of a Hallmark movie.”
Lois rolled her eyes, only to have Lucy land a firm hand on her head to hold her still again. “It’s nothing as romantic as that.”
“I don’t know, Lo. Feels like kismet to me.”
She scowled into the mirror as if she could burn a hole in her sister’s head by doing so. “It’s not kismet.”
“Fate, serendipity, star-crossed--”
“Stop. Lucy.”
Lucy leaned away and locked gazes with her sister in the mirror. “What?”
She dashed a tear from her eyes discreetly and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat so quickly. “Just, don’t. You’re not helping.”
A sour look crossed her sister’s face, settling into something mournful. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Just… it’s nice, maybe. Right?”
Lucy’s hesitance made her laugh, and she sniffed a little. “Sure. It’s nice in some ways. He’s nice.”
“Well, he’d have to be, to be ‘the best lover in the world,’ as you say.”
She felt her cheeks flame hot. “Omigod, I did not!”
“You soooo did.”
“Are you just about done? I still have to fix my makeup.”
Lucy stepped back with her hands in the air. “There. It’s magnificent. You should let me do your hair more often.”
Lois rolled her eyes at the cocky brat, but she wasn’t wrong. She tossed her head back and forth to see how it looked, and grinned. “Thanks, Luce. You’re the best.”
“I know. Do you want me to do your makeup too?”
Lois squirmed uncomfortably, covering her arm discreetly with the opposite hand. “No, I’ve got it.”
Lucy scrutinized her carefully, but let it go to pull on another thread. “Look, I know it’s going to be difficult, dealing with this change, and you don’t believe in fate or whatever… But don’t let your walls get in the way of Havana’s happiness, alright?”
“I wouldn’t. I haven’t.” Her shoulders slumped a little.
“I know-- but you’re my sister. I know you. I know when you’re feeling vulnerable, you get angry. And you’ve never been more vulnerable right now.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Lucy.”
She pinned her with a hard stare. “Lois.”
She sighed heavily and brought a hand up the her forehead. “I know. I’m not going to jump back into bed with the guy-- any relationship right now would be completely irresponsible for any number of reasons--”
“She said for the hundredth time in the last three years.”
“--But,” she glared at her sister’s rude interruption, “I’ll get to know him. If he really is as nice as he seems, and so far he has been, if not a little weird… If he sticks around for Havana because he really wants to, then I won’t push him out of her life. She could use another person in her corner, at the very least. Especially if… if worse comes to worst.”
Lucy sighed in turn and shook her head with an upturn of her lips. “No more tears tonight, okay? You’re okay right now, you look gorgeous, and you’re going to an actual ball. How cool is that?” She snorted and turned to the mirror to fix her makeup. “So just have fun tonight, and Havana and I will see you later.”
“She can’t stay up that late,” Lois shouted over to her sister’s retreating form. “Lucy? Did you hear me? Eight is late. I repeat: Eight is late!”
Lucy growled something back at her over her shoulder and Lois shook her head good-naturedly in the mirror. “That girl.” She sped through her makeup, making sure to cover any visible marks or bruising, and walked out to the living room, finding Havana and Lucy watching cartoons on VHS. She rolled her eyes when she saw the little characters running amuck on screen. “I hate this show.”
Havana gasped and launched herself onto Lucy’s lap, prompting a low groan from her sister. “Mama, no!”
Lucy eventually grinned, adjusting the girl to a more comfortable position on her lap. “It was this or Barney.”
Lois grinned and searched out her burger on the kitchen counter. “Barney is educational. Barney teaches lessons. This one’s just inane nonsense, and that's when it's not bordering on innuendo.”
“Yeah, and no one ever wants nonsense from a cartoon. Only the most realistic animated television series for Lois Lane’s daughter.” The little character slammed the door on another character, to be met with raucous laughter. "Besides, the jokes aren't meant for Havana. They're meant for me. If I hear the Barney song one more time, Auntie Lucy is going to go bananas."
She shot her sister a glare as she unwrapped her burger from it’s wax paper wrapping and carefully cut it into pieces, Havana laughing in the background as one of the wacky characters did something else moronic. Lucy looked on in horror as she took a bite with a fork. “What?” she spoke around a mouthful of food.
“Are you eating a burger with silverware?”
She gestured to herself broadly with an eye roll. “I don’t wanna get grease all over my dress, Lucy!”
Lucy burst out laughing, and Lois suddenly realized what a picture she must make. She rolled her eyes and tossed a crumpled up napkin at her. “Whatever. Mama’s gotta go. Bye, Hana-Banana.”
Her eyes were riveted to the screen, and Lucy had to jostle her to bring her focus back to her. “Bye, Mama!”
Lois squared her sister with a serious stare. “Eight.”
“I know, I know, eight is late. Get out of here.”
Lois sighed and wished her sister goodbye, retreating into her head the entire ride over to LexCorp Tower.
Lucy was right. She should let him have more time with Havana. He wanted more time with her anyway, but there was still a small part of her that wanted to hold back. She trusted him-- he seemed to be a good man, who genuinely cared for both Havana and herself-- but she wasn’t sure she could trust him to not break her heart. She shook her head. Havana’s heart. What if he left again? What if he wasn’t suited for fatherhood? A darker thought crossed her mind… of what would happen if he was forced to leave, like all the other places where he’d been caught using his abilities and couldn’t stay? Sure, having a disguise might help, but it would also put a major target on his back. Would he be able to handle it? Would Havana?
She’d worked her stomach into a knot by the time she arrived, and it wasn’t until the elevator doors opened up that she forgot some of her troubles.
“Wow,” she breathed quietly, looking up at the high-vaulted ceilings, the massive chandeliers, the array of rich and famous people in their fancy gowns and black tie tuxedos. It was gorgeous. Lavish. She was so very curious to meet the man behind it all… and just like that, she was back in reporter mode, on the hunt for the man of the hour.
“Lois! Glad you could make it.”
“Thanks, Jimmy. Any sign of him?”
The young man shook his head eagerly. “No, not yet. I’ve been getting tons of shots though, hopefully Perry’ll let one be in tomorrow’s article.”
“I’m sure he will if you’ve got anything good.” Her eye drifted away on clocking Linda King, schmoozing it up with some old guy and she rolled her eyes. She didn't have time to lose focus on people who didn't matter right now. “Keep a sharp eye out. I don’t want another soul getting near him. Lois Lane will be the first person to interview Lex Luthor.”
Jimmy nodded his assent, and Lois moved on to the bar. She grabbed herself a single flute of champagne that she planned on nursing throughout the night, and took a small sip to calm her nerves.
Out of the corner of her eye she heard a commotion, and coming down the stairs was none other than Lex Luthor. She pushed her way through a cluster of people and waited for him at the base of the stairs, repeating her planned line over and over again in her mind.
He was finally within reach, and she put on a smug little smile to take him aback. “Lex Luthor, why haven't you returned my calls?”
His eyes found hers and she forced herself to maintain firm eye contact. He smirked at her and drifted to her side. “I can assure you, I won't be making that mistake again. Miss…?”
“Lois?”
The sound of his voice put a knot in her stomach, and she flicked a glance over her shoulder to find a pleasantly surprised Clark Kent. She scowled at him and turned back to Lex. “Lane. Lois Lane, Daily Planet.”
Lex made some noise in the back of his throat that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a growl. “Beautiful. A pleasure, Miss Lane.”
He leaned down to kiss her hand, and she squirmed a little. She could feel Clark scowling at her back, but he was a problem for later. “The pleasure is all mine… or it will be, if you agree to an interview, that is.”
He darted a glance over her shoulder, amused. “You know I never give interviews Miss Lane… but for you, I might just make an exception.” He turned to Clark but directed his question to her. “I'm sorry, do you know this gentleman, or is he making you uncomfortable?”
Lois shook her head with an eye roll. “Oh, him? That's just Clark--”
“Clark Kent, sir. Metropolis Star. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Luthor.”
Lois did a double take, and narrowed her eyes at him. Did he say the Star? Oh, they'd be having a conversation all right, as soon as this thing with Luthor was in the bag.
“The Planet and The Star, huh? Looks like we got ourselves a little rivalry, here.”
“Oh don't worry, I'm not the jealous type,” Clark grinned smugly, stepping in closer to her. Lois shot him a withering glare, and he stepped back, chagrined. She glanced back at Lex only to find him scrutinizing them carefully, and she shot him a bright smile.
“I can see that. Excuse me, I have to make other appearances.”
The second Lex Luthor was out of her eyeline, Lois spun and smacked Clark with her clutch. “Clark, you moron! What the hell are you doing here? Besides ruining my interview.”
“Hey, I'm working. I told you I got a job.”
She scowled bitterly at him before tossing back the rest of her champagne and flagging down a waiter for another. “You didn't tell me it was for the Metropolis Star. But I understand why you wouldn't-- it is the Star after all--”
“Hey, I don't see the Planet dropping any major bombs, lately.”
“You also don't see it involved in half as many lawsuits,” she bit out, snatching the next flute off the offered tray with a little more force than necessary. “The Star is crooked, and it trickles down straight from the top.”
He opened his mouth to reply when a hand snaked over his shoulder. “Do I hear Lois Lane? At a society event of all things?”
Lois felt her gut clench. “You've got to be kidding me.”
Linda smiled and leaned into Clark a little unsteadily, Clark subtly leaning away. “Clark, how do you know my old pal Lois?”
Lois scowled and just walked away, draining another glass and setting it down on another passing tray. She didn't have to put up with all this, especially not tonight. She was this close to securing an interview with Lex. Clark's existence and Linda's whining weren't going to impact her plans.
“May I have this dance, Miss Lane?”
She was taken aback by Lex's sudden intrusion into her thoughts, and it took her a few seconds too long to say yes. He nobly held out his arm for her and led her out to the dancefloor gracefully. She felt a little like she was floating on a cloud the way her midnight gown swept up behind her. Her throat felt tight.
“I do hope you’ll forgive me for darting away like that, Miss Lane. I didn’t want to continue our conversation in front of your... compatriot.”
Lois shook her head and found her voice. “Oh, it’s nothing, Mr. Luthor. And he’s nothing. I-- I really did just want that interview with you.”
He tilted his head slightly to the side, a spark of something curious hiding in the depths of his brown eyes. It felt a little like staring into the eyes of a lion, toying with it’s food. “Just?”
She floundered for a response, her stomach in a knot. “Yes. Just an interview.” She smiled weakly at him. “Unless you’re open to… doing a whole series of interviews?”
His laugh boomed, garnering some attention. Lois darted a glance away only to find Clark’s eyes staring back at them, a frown creasing his brow. She wanted to be mad, but her first instinct was to chuckle-- because somehow, Havana had those same forehead creases when she was concerned. And to see it in reverse-- her baby’s expression on a full-grown man’s face-- was just about more than she could handle.
Fortunately, Lex assumed she was laughing with him, and didn’t notice Clark in the least. Lois turned her attention to the man she was actually here for. “So, interview?”
Lex twirled her in his arms, her gown swishing around her luxuriously as she spun, and a soft, delighted smile pulled at her lips. When she circled back around to face him, he smiled at her warmly. “Why not? Perhaps over dinner tomorrow?”
She knew the angle he was playing, setting it up over dinner, but he’d underestimated Lois Lane if he thought it would be that easy. She shot him a toothy grin. He didn’t know what he was in for. “Deal.”
He looked a little proud, and she imagined he was already planning the prettiest lighting for his features, the best lines to put him in the limelight and her good graces. She’d bait him like a fish and then back him into a corner. She squared her shoulders, prepared to hook him just a little more--
“Mind if I cut in?”
Oh, he was so dead. She'd find a way to do it, the invulnerable bastard.
Lex’s smile was waxy and fake as he turned to face her-- Clark. Not her anything. “Of course.” He leaned in on the pretense of pressing a kiss to her cheek, and whispered in her ear, “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” before ducking away. Lois brushed the hot air from her cheek discreetly as Clark swooped in to take Lex’s place. He scowled darkly after the man.
“Clark, you idiot! It’s taken me a year to get this close--”
He pulled her close against him, their bodies barely a hair’s breadth apart, and her breath left her chest in a rush. “This close?”
Lois tamped down her initial thrill of arousal and pushed him a few inches back, blush staining her cheeks. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d think this was professional sabotage. You’re a fool if you or Linda think you can scoop me on this.”
Clark chuckled, and the sound vibrating against her form twisted up her insides delightfully. She’d forgotten what it felt like to be held in his arms, to dance with him... “I wouldn’t dream of it. Besides, I think Mr. Luthor would much prefer your company to mine.”
She scowled darkly at him. “Nothing of the sort.”
“I don’t know, he seemed to be very… possessive of you.”
“Lex? Possessive? Pot, meet kettle,” she scoffed irritably, crushing the butterflies in her stomach before they made her do something stupid and irrational.
If she’d expected him to be offended, she was sorely mistaken. He dipped her smoothly with a wry smile and whispered the word against her ear. “Guilty.”
Her head felt light, airy, when he brought her back up, and she took a moment to compose herself. His eyes were sparkling with amusement, and in the intensity of his gaze, she forgot everything except that he was a man, and she was a woman.
She ran her hand down his arm as he pulled her in a little closer to his body, still enough of a distance to remain appropriate. She bit her lower lip, wondering what the other side of appropriate would feel like, before she stopped herself. What was she thinking? She was in public, at an event, and with a man she hadn’t seen in over three years. She shook her head to physically shake the thoughts away, and the little bit of wooziness came back. “Clark, stop.”
His movements immediately ground to a halt, and concern knit his brows together once again. “What is it? Are you okay?”
She breathed in deeply, trying to push past the coppery taste in the back of her mouth. She was careful not to move her head, breathing out her response softly. “I need air.”
His eyes darted around over the rims of his glasses, and he seemed to spot something. “There. Come on, follow me.”
She tried to keep her distance and stand upright; the last thing she needed was for everyone to watch her throw up in the middle of the ballroom, let alone that she did so while leaning on a competitor's arm. She breathed deeply and followed, exuding calm with every footstep. She only slumped against him when he closed the door behind her.
“Are you okay?”
“What's it look… oh, God.” The room swayed at her feet. Clark's firm hand landed on her back and she focused on that sensation, grounding herself to it as he slowly guided her to the open balcony door. The fresh night air brushed across her face gently, the smell of rain somehow calming her stomach. She breathed deeply as she dared, and finally sighed in relief, sagging against Clark absentmindedly.
“Better?”
His voice was smooth, gentle, comforting. Her eyes drifted shut and a smile crossed her face. “Yeah, I think so.”
“I’m sorry. I dipped you too fast--”
She snorted a laugh. “Clark, even if that had an effect, it’s not your fault. Take a night off from shouldering the world.”
He was eerily silent at her back, and she turned towards him suspiciously to find his eyes searching her face for something, surprise etched in his features. “What?”
“Nothing,” he commented quietly. “That’s… that was just a really nice thing to say.”
Sympathy flashed through her like the bolt of lightning through the darkened sky, and she reached out to put a hand on his cheek, watching his eyes go wide and flutter shut gently at her touch. “You probably don’t get a lot of nights off, do you?”
He shrugged, took her left hand in his distractedly as he ran his fingers across her skin. “I guess not. It’s hard to, when you hear so much.”
She smiled sadly, seeing him a little differently for the first time since he’d appeared in her life. Heavy is the head… “Well, I’m absolving you of this one, so take a load off. Besides, it probably had more to do with the two glasses of champagne on a nearly empty stomach than anything else.”
He scowled at her, the concern back again. “You didn’t eat anything after Bernie’s?”
“I did!” she defended, hand falling from his face. “I had a snack of almonds and cheese, and then Lucy brought burgers by, but I didn’t have time to eat much of it.”
His gaze was playfully patronizing, and Lois felt herself smiling in spite of herself. If things stayed like this, she could see something beyond now, something beyond just the two of them, reflected in his eyes. She could easily picture more of this-- the banter, the soft touches, the knowing looks and jokes-- but there was a shadow, something big and dark and insurmountable standing between them now and that moment in the future.
If only things were so simple.
She watched as the shutters came down in his eyes as well, and assumed he’d wandered down the same mental path she had. Lois pulled her hand from his and drew herself up to say something--
A throat clearing suddenly interrupted their moment, and Lois flushed as she turned to find Lex Luthor observing them quietly. She smiled brightly and wiped her hands across the skirt of her dress. “I hope you don’t mind our looking around. You have a beautiful home, Lex.”
His eyes lingered on Clark a moment more, before he returned an insincere smile of his own. “I see you’ve found my favorite spot in the place. Quite the view, yes?”
Lois smiled and nodded, her stomach aflutter once again but this time at the prospect of nearly getting caught out. “Yes, it’s beautiful.”
“Tallest building in Metropolis, right?”
Lex cut his eyes over to Clark’s, and Lois again felt a shudder of unease run through her. There was something in his eyes that was unsettling, calculating. He’d been all smiles before but now, in his private space, his posture and smiles seemed fake, menacing.
“That’s right, Mr. Kent. Very astute. I must confess a certain pleasure in knowing that everyone in the city has to look up in order to see me.”
Lois held back her eye roll. Those words may have been intended as a joke, but the vanity in his statement was disconcerting. Clark’s posture was firm, square, but she could practically sense him bristling at the man. Poor sap was never going to make it as a journalist if he didn’t develop a better poker face than that tense grimace.
“Oh, there you are, Clark! I was beginning to worry you’d bailed on me.”
Lois felt her shoulders tense up, and she berated herself for her own lack of a poker face around Linda. The woman grated on her every last nerve, and she didn’t mind who knew it. Clark’s face fell a little at the sight of his-- partner? Lois frowned. What was the relationship there? Were they just coworkers? Friends? He only got the job yesterday, she couldn’t imagine Linda being partnered with the man. Although Linda’s writing wasn’t very high caliber, so maybe Clark wasn’t so out of his league with her.
“Of course not. Uh, Linda, have you had a chance to meet Mr. Luthor?”
Lex turned to her with another one of those restrained smiled. “Charmed, I’m sure.”
Linda gushed a little and leaned into him flirtily to shake his hand. “Linda King, Metropolis Star.”
“Ah, so you work with Mr. Kent, then?”
“Well, above him,” she turned with a slight sneer to Lois, and Lois had just about had it.
Clark’s hand surreptitiously landed on the small of her back, and she reeled herself in just before she made a fool of herself. She shot her old rival a fake smile. “Well, you’ve gotta get a leg up some way, right Linda?”
Lex’s face split into a wide grin before he coughed into his hand politely. “Well, I hate to break up this little party, but we should be getting back. I think my announcement will interest all of you.” He held his arm out to gesture ahead of him, and it seemed their sojourn into his private quarters was at an end. He was being very clear about that. She squirmed away from Clark’s hand as she blazed ahead, determined to get through the rest of this night without embarrassment.
“Come on, Clark,” Linda’s voice cooed as she claimed one of his arms for herself. “Let’s go get a good spot.”
He shot her a look of apology as Linda dragged him away.
Lois scowled after him. Fine. She didn’t need him. She’d get the scoop on her own, just like she always had.
“Friends of yours, Lois?”
Lex’s voice was a slither at her back, and she’d almost forgotten he was there. She grimaced at him. “Of sorts.”
He hummed noncommittally. “I’ve had many of those sorts of friends. You should be cautious.”
She eyed him warily. Was he seriously warning her about them? Or was he trying to manipulate her into avoiding them? She wasn’t sure of his motivations, but she knew she could use his suspicions against him. “I can take care of myself, Mr. Luthor. But I appreciate the concern. Maybe we can talk more about it… over dinner tomorrow?”
He huffed a laugh-- a genuine one-- and she smiled at him. “You’re persistent, I’ll give you that, Miss Lane. Yes, dinner is still on. I’m sure your having dinner with me will bring great jealousy to your… friends.”
She wasn’t doing it for that, but she couldn’t suppress her little wicked grin at the thought of Linda reading her Lex Luthor exclusive. “Well, we’ll just have to find out, won’t we?”
