Hate Myself For Loving YouFolc4evernaday
Chapter 15: Dangerously Close________________________________________
Clark’s head was still swimming from the afternoon flight with Lois as he soared through the sky, finishing up his late-night patrol. He had just finished patrolling Hobb’s Bay, spending more time around the area in search of Sean McCarthy. As of right now, there was still no evidence that McCarthy was still in Metropolis but there was still no evidence he wasn’t.
He made his way toward the inner-city block of Metropolis, noting the lights still on at the Planet where Perry’s office window was. A sad smile crossed his face, and the question of just how late the Chief actually stayed at the Planet crossed his mind. He turned the corner, checking the abandoned alley and surrounding buildings for any sign of the escaped convict he knew still posed a danger to Lois.
After coming up empty from his search, he made his way toward Carter Avenue to do one last check-in with Lois. Even though she had brushed off his concerns – as she always did- he knew she was still worried about McCarthy still being out there.
“We will find them, Lois.”
<<“You don’t know that. No one knows where McCarthy is or who this other stalker is.” She let out a snort, “How long do you think Henderson is going to keep a patrol outside my apartment before he just up and gives up?”
“I’m not giving up.”
“You can’t be everywhere at once.”>> A loud crash reached his ears, and everything went on high alert when he realized the crash had come from Lois’ apartment. The muffled crashed was followed by a shriek from Lois and he quickly soared through the double window, opening and closing it at super-speed as he entered the apartment and yanked up the intruder just as he heard Lois yell out his name.
“Scardino?!”“Superman,” Scardino’s response came from beneath Clark’s strong grip as he held him in place, pinning his arm against the agent’s throat. “We really need to quit running into one another like this.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” Clark growled, glaring back at the agent as the lights flickered on. He could feel the adrenaline pulsing through him as he held the agent at bay.
“I ch-checked in with the unit out f-front,” Scardino’s response came. “Would you mind loosening that gr-iiip?”
Realizing how tight his grasp on Scardino was, Clark nodded, releasing his grasp on him and then stepped back, folding his arms across his chest as he glared the agent down. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
Scardino shot a look at Lois, who was anything but amused at the moment as she was still brandishing the plunger in her hands, seemingly ready to swing at any moment and use her makeshift weapon on anyone who thought to cross her.
“Metropolis P.D. and Superman, huh?” Scardino chuckled, “I guess you’re not taking any chances, huh?”
Lois folded her arms across her chest and glared back at him, “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by to check and make sure you were okay.” He shot a look in Clark’s direction. “The door was unlocked, so I decided to check it out.”
“It was
not unlocked,” Lois argued, narrowing his eyebrows as she stared him down.
“It was when I came by,” Scardino pressed, shrugging her off as he knelt down to turn the couch back over.
“Is anything missing?” Clark asked, turning to Lois.
“I…I don’t know,” Lois said, running a hand through her hair as she looked around. “Nothing looks out of place other than the couch.” She shot a glare in Scardino’s attention.
“I’m not going to apologize,” Scardino dismissed the glares being thrown in his direction. “I checked in with the patrol out front. I’m sorry I scared you. I saw an unlocked door to someone McCarthy has set his sights on. I did what anyone else in my situation would do.”
“If you thought Lois was in danger, why didn’t you call the police?” Clark finally spoke up, still not sure what to make of Scardino’s shoot by the hip tactics.
“I am a trained DEA Agent,” Scardino shot back with a sardonic smile. “Shootout at ADA Drake’s ring any bells? I can hold my own.”
“You’re still only one person. If you really thought McCarthy was in here, then why didn’t you call for backup? Why sneak around like a common criminal?”
“I wasn’t sneaking…”
“If it looks like a duck…”
“Do you know who you’re dealing with here, Superman? Sean McCarthy is a monster. His last victim was killed in a matter of seconds with a lethal dose of cyanide from nearly a block away.” Scardino let out a snort as he shook his head. “Little did I know when I was slapping the cuffs on that animal, he had just taken another victim.”
Clark caught something he knew all too well in Scardino’s eyes as he spoke. A pang of gut-wrenching guilt over knowing someone close to him had been hurt, and he should have been there to stop it. He could feel the dryness of his throat burning with a distinct prickle as he stared back at the agent with a less critical gaze than before.
“Jenna.” Lois interrupted his thoughts. “You’ve mentioned her a few times.” Her head cocked at an angle and she shrugged her shoulders. A long pause fell between them and she asked, “Who was she?”
Dan Scardino shook his head, seeming to drift off into the past, “My partner. She was bright, sensitive. A little mouthy sometimes, but then I'm not exactly a monk.”
“And McCarthy?” Clark ventured cautiously.
“He took her out with a tranquilizer filled with cyanide five hundred feet away right before the bomb went off, killing everyone inside.” Dan hung his head. “The real kicker was later when I had McCarthy in custody, and I was grilling him. I had no clue what had happened to Jenna. I spent twelve hours grilling that monster on his connections to Intergang and didn’t find out till I was out of the box. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
A look crossed between Clark and Lois before Lois broke the awkward silence between the trio. “That must have been hard…losing someone that close to you.”
“It was,” Scardino nodded, looking around the apartment. His gaze rested on a photo on her mantel and then switched back to where Clark stood still holding his arms across his chest. “I guess since there isn’t any danger and Superman’s looking out for you, I’ll go ahead and head out.” He paused, looking back at Lois with a frown. “Your door was unlocked, Lois. Just be careful.”
Lois nodded, her features across her face creased with concern as she watched Dan Scardino leave, closing the front door behind him. She leaned against the door, resting her forehead against the top wood panel as she turned each and every deadbolt lock, pausing for a moment to look up and check the locks with the sharp tug on the door before she reached up to slide the chain across the top of the door.
“Lois?” Clark called out to her, uncertain what to make of her silence.
“I
know I locked this door,” she mumbled more to herself than to him as she looked back at him.
“I believe you,” he reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Her uncertainty remained on her face, and then she folded her arms over her chest and stared at him, narrowing her eyes as if to prompt him into something, “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“What the heck were you thinking barging in here like that?!” Lois demanded, jabbing her index finger in his spandex covered chest. “I mean, why don’t you just take out an ad in the Planet and announce everything to the world?”
“What are you talking about?” Clark asked, taken aback.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that you barged in here as Superman and started threatening a DEA Agent as Superman – who has had the third degree from the other you and yet….” She let out a chuckle. “You couldn’t have at least feigned not recalling his name or act like information he had shared with ‘Clark’ wasn’t something Superman knew. Oh, and how exactly am I supposed to explain why Superman just barged into my apartment without raising even more questions?”
“I didn’t….” he began to argue and then stopped when he realized he had done just that.
“For your sake, let’s hope he’s too rattled from being beaten with a plunger to put two and two together, but you cannot just barge in and act like some overgrown baboon trying to come to the rescue – especially not with someone like that.” Lois admonished, pacing in front of him in a panic.
As much as he was kicking himself for the slight slip, he couldn’t help but smile at the panicked expression on Lois’ face. Even though they’d been in an awkward limbo for the last few days, it was clear she still cared and was worried about what his slip up might do to him and what it might mean for the both of them.
“What?” Lois finally asked, shrugging her shoulders at him in confusion. “This is not funny.”
“I didn’t say it was,” Clark said softly, taking a step toward her. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking. I just kind of reacted.”
“Are you admitting to jumping in without checking the water level?” Lois asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked back at him with amusement.
A soft chuckle escaped his throat, “Maybe, but I don’t make a regular practice of it.”
“Uh-huh,” Lois smiled back at him. “And just how often do you barge into situations without checking the water level? I mean, with how often you do lecture me on this practice, one might assume you’re an expert in this practice.”
“Enough times to know better,” Clark responded with a half-smile, feeling a blush spread across his cheeks.
“I see,” Lois pursed her lips and gazed up and down him as she circled around him, almost as if she was circling her prey. “So, you admit sometimes you’re a hypocrite?”
“I wouldn’t call it hypocritical,” Clark responded with a smirk.
“What would you call it?” Lois wondered aloud.
“Attempting to prevent the preventable.” He said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Sometimes that’s not possible,” she responded softly, catching his gaze as he took her hand in his.
“I can try,” he offered.
“You can’t do that anymore,” Lois added, desperate for him to hear her plea.
Clark nodded, hearing the desperation in her voice as he reached over to cup her cheek. “I hear you. I’ll be more careful. I promise.”
She nodded, reaching her hand over to cup her hand over his. Her eyes met his for a brief second that he was sure lasted an eternity as he felt her eyes sink into his with a fierceness that enveloped him in the most exquisite intoxicating mixture of infatuation and desire as his lips inched ever so closer to hers.
“Promise?” her question squeaked out in a soft murmur as he nodded a non-verbal agreement before snaking her arms around his neck and pulling him to her, sealing her mouth over his in the most intoxicating embrace he had ever been privileged enough to find himself in.
His hands roamed through her damp hair, feeling the wedges of his fingers through the damp strands as he gave in to the burning need that had been simmering inside him for as long as he could remember. A weightlessness fell over him as his lips roamed over Lois’ lips, tasting the intoxicating chocolate and coffee mixture that still tingled on the tip of her tongue.
He wanted to hold her close and never let go for as long as she would let him. Her arms loosened around him, and he slowly pulled himself back, focusing on slowing down the pace of each soft caress against her lips, silently pleading with her for what he had so desperately needed from her. A chance. A chance to give their relationship a real chance and take that leap of faith into the unknown future – a future he prayed would end with both of them together.
Her mouth spread into a broad smile as she pulled away, “I…probably shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why?” he asked curiously. A soft sigh escaped from her throat but she hadn’t pulled away from his embrace.
“I don’t know,” she frowned, looking down. “I just…this is so confusing.”
“What is?” he asked, brushing the strand of hair that had fallen across her face out of the way so he could look into her eyes.
“Everything.” She answered with a noncommittal shrug. “There’s how I felt before and how I feel now, and they’re both so…conflicted.”
“I’m still the same person, Lois.” He reminded her, resting his hand on her cheek as he held her in his arms, praying to whatever gods above them had blessed him with this moment that she wouldn’t bolt for the nearest exit.
“I know. I mean, I think I do.” She shook her head. “That’s just it. I don’t even know anymore.”
“I know this is a lot,” Clark admitted gently.
“I went from feeling like I knew you better than anyone to not knowing you at all.”
“What do you want to know?” Clark asked.
“Everything.” She responded with a crack of her voice.
He nodded and offered her a half-smile, “You already do, Lois.”
“Do I?” she challenged, shaking her head. “Because it feels like there’s this whole other part of you that I had no clue existed and…I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“You know me better than anyone, Lois. You always have,” Clark reassured her.
“So you keep saying,” she smiled back at him. “So, where exactly, does this leave us?”
“Well, maybe instead of tip-toeing around one another, we try to get back to where we were before I had the brilliant idea of dropping this on you in the middle of chasing down a serial bomber?” Clark offered with a shrug. “I am sorry for that.”
“Sorry, you told me or just the timing?” Lois asked. Her tone was playful but he could tell from the questioning gaze she gave him she was serious.
“Timing,” he responded firmly. “I knew I had to tell you, eventually. I just wished it was a little more planned out.”
“I think it was better this way,” Lois sighed, placing a hand on his chest.
“You think so?” Clark asked curiously.
“I asked for the truth, and you gave it to me,” Lois responded simply.
“So, you’re happy I told you?”
“The shock has worn off. I’m still mulling over some things, but I am becoming more and more comfortable with the news.”
“I noticed,” he responded.
“Therein lies the question that keeps being asked. Where does this leave us?” Lois asked.
“I have zero complaints with the last twenty minutes,” Clark grinned back at her, tightening his arms around her waist.
“There is a patrol out front that would blab Superman’s presence to the nearest tabloid rag if they knew you were in here.” Lois teased, tracing the emblem to his ‘S’ shield as she looked back at him shyly.
“How about dinner…tomorrow night?”
The question was out there. He stared back at her, hoping against hope that her answer would be yes, and he would finally be free from this isolating prison of uncertainty, wondering which way to turn. He could do this. They could do this.
“Dinner, huh? I’ll have to check my schedule.”
“Of course.”
“Where exactly would we be going?”
“Greece,” he grinned back at her.
A slow smile spread across her face. “Greece?”
"Or Bangkok. " he smiled back at her. “Or wherever you want.”
“It might be hard to get dinner in Bangkok with the whole time difference issue.” Lois pointed out.
“So, maybe we stay a little closer to home.” Clark shrugged. A smirk crossed his face, “Is that a yes?”
She nodded, looping an arm around his neck, “Goodnight.”
________________________________________
McCarthy On the Run!
By Clark Kent
Dan Scardino turned the newspaper over to find himself staring at Sean McCarthy’s mugshot from the last time he had brought him in. He checked the time on his watch, noting that it was still early but late enough in the morning for offices around the city to be opening. In all the chaos with bringing in Diego Martinez, there hadn’t even been a whisper from Mayson Drake. The quiet always seemed to bring with it a storm. A storm Dan Scardino was not prepared to take on while hunting down McCarthy.
The erratic behavior from the ADA had been troublesome at best. He still couldn’t make heads or tales out of the ramblings that all seemed to be focused on the reporting duo Lois Lane and Clark Kent. Whether he wanted to or not, he was being pulled into the chaotic spiraling. Mayson Drake had a target on her back as did Lois Lane. Who McCarthy would go after first was anyone’s guess. Though Mayson seemed to have every erratic argument against working with Lois Lane, Dan had found the reporting duo to be quite resourceful and useful in his investigation. How good of an idea it was for him to work with the reporting duo was sure to end up a subject of debate with the higher-ups, but for now, what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.
The city bus came to a stop with a slight shudder, jerking Dan back against the seat as a reminder to check his surroundings. He smiled to himself when he saw the steps to City Hall through the window and stood up, making his exit from the bus through the crowd of passengers by all appearances seemed to be on their daily commute in ties and suits. He nodded his thanks to the bus driver and stepped off, preparing himself mentally for his confrontation with Mayson Drake.
________________________________________
Lois wandered from one end of her apartment, hurriedly trying to get ready for work as her mind continued to run through her conversation with Clark last night. Something seemed to have lifted, and for the first time since Clark’s revelation, she felt like things would be okay.
<<“I went from feeling like I knew you better than anyone to not knowing you at all.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
“You already do, Lois.”>> The smile that had forced its way across her face last night when she had found herself unable to resist the deep yearning in the pit of her gut and breakthrough the steel barriers that had made even the most casual touch or look non-existent seemed to be a permanent fixture across her face. After some prodding and the promise of a dinner date, Clark had left to finish his patrol leaving Lois to contemplate on just what the future might hold.
<<“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.” >>It was a strange feeling. Knowing that at one point, the questions she had been seeking to be answered a year ago were finally to come to fruition. But instead of having those answers be the biggest story to grace the front page of any paper, they would be something much more important. A secret she would hold closer than any secret she had before.
She moved through the apartment, gathering up her things, preparing to face the day with her travel mug of coffee, and her satchel filled with notes from the previous day’s interviews and investigation into the coroner. Once she was sure, she had everything she pulled the keys out from her purse and worked on unlocking the swiss army array of locks on her front door. Finally, reaching the last lock, she opened the door and let out a sharp gasp when she saw Detective Riley on her doorstep.
“You guys really don’t have to do the whole door to door thing,” Lois said, letting out a shuddered breath.
“Agent Scardino mentioned the confusion surrounding your locked door, Ms. Lane,” Detective Riley said, pointing to a long brown paper bag around her doorknob. “Expecting anything?”
“Um, no,” Lois said, recognizing the handwriting on the bag with her name on it as Clark’s. She reached over to grab it, and Riley stopped her.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Ms. Lane.”
Lois took the bag from the door and pulled out a card. “It’s just a gift from a …uh, friend.” She smiled as she pulled out a single long-stemmed rose and a small pastry bag that could be from anywhere. Inside the bag, she found a folded note with Clark’s handwriting and opened it.
//Thought you might want something more than coffee this morning. Superman has to help escort Martinez into federal custody this morning. I’ll be in as soon as I can.
~ CK//Lois smiled, tapping the rose against the pastry bag for a moment and sniffed the heavenly smell of the pastry inside. With a smile, she headed into work.
“Everything okay, Ms. Lane?” Detective Riley asked.
“Perfect,” Lois responded. She looked back at the detective with a shrug.
“Security is on high alert this morning over the transfer of Martinez, so an extra unit has been added to the detail on you and Ms. Drake,” Riley said, pointing to the door in front of them. “Any visits from friends or boyfriends will need to be cleared with your patrol unit to prevent…unwanted circumstances.”
“So, no going about my business like it’s my business. Got it.” Lois let out a heavy sigh. The security was a necessary step. She knew that, but at the same time, she also felt as if her security was coming at a great cost. Freedom to make impulsive decisions or even the simple benefit of knowing there wasn’t someone lurking around the shadows or in a patrol car watching her every move.
“We’ll catch him, Ms. Lane,” Riley gave her a reassuring smile as they made their way toward the exit of the apartment building.
________________________________________
Dan Scardino tightened his grip on the edge of the doorframe as he watched the cleaning crew work on the repairs to the window that had been shattered from where the glass panes had been shot out during the shootout. His attention moved from the corner of the office to where Mayson Drake was seated behind the desk, spinning from side to side as she tapped her hand frantically on the tabletop.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Mayson commented with a purse of her lips, jutting her chin out as she stared back at Dan.
“Mayson,” Dan called her name out calmly as he stepped inside the office, feeling the crunch of broken glass beneath the heel of his leather boot. He released a long breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding and approached her with caution. He hadn’t seen her since she had stormed off from Colleen McCarthy’s residence, and he hadn’t heard a peep from her when the news of McCarthy’s escape from capture had been broadcast across the media news circuit. “Glad to see you made it back to Metropolis in one piece.”
“I am a big girl, Agent Scardino,” Mayson commented, unimpressed as she shrugged her shoulders and pointed to the newspaper scattered across the floor by her desk. “I see you were still unable to catch your man.”
“Well, we got some of them, but McCarthy is still on the run with this Albie character,” Dan explained, taking a seat in front of her. He leaned down to pick up the newspaper, noting the small dark holes that had been poked through the paper. He frowned when he turned the paper over, attempting to fold it and spotted the bio picture next to the article that had been published where Lois Lane and Clark Kent’s photos were printed below the headline on the capture of Stanley Gables.
He slowly shifted his eyes up and met the steely gaze from the ADA. He cleared his throat and let out a sigh, “I guess you heard about the medical examiner being in on the scandal with Resurrection?”
“I
do read,” Mayson responded, not looking away as she continued to stare him down.
“So, is the District Attorney’s office going to pursue the case against her?” Dan pressed, shifting uncomfortably under her unwavering gaze.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Dan’s brow furrowed.
“Nope,” Mayson shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in her chair, continuing to stare back at Dan, locking herself onto him like a lion hunting an antelope. Her features remained stern until he finally stood up and made an excuse to leave.
Something – he wasn’t sure what – was wrong here. He quickly backed out of the office and headed to the Daily Planet with the torn front page tucked inside his jacket. ________________________________________
Camera flashes went off from every direction as armed agents with bulletproof vests with yellow DEA stamped across the back exited the prison doors with Diego Martinez in custody. Police officers had the area marked off for the pathway from the Metropolis prison to the awaiting steel van Martinez was to be loaded into for his transfer to federal custody.
Clark let out a long breath as he floated above the crowded scene from his viewpoint atop the Metropolis Savings building where two snipers were positioned to take out any possible attempts on Martinez. It was believed that given the history with McCarthy and Martinez, the fugitive serial bomber would try to make a move to exact his revenge on Martinez. Whether there was any merit to the perceived threat was to be decided in the next few minutes as Martinez would be secured in federal custody once he crossed the bridge with the FBI Agents to their setup in Hell’s Kitchen.
________________________________________
Lois leaned back in her chair as she skimmed through her notes from the interview she had finished up with Detective Ryder. Melissa Scott was still under lock and key with the department, but she was able to get some information regarding the case being built against the former assistant medical examiner. Her gaze shifted to the news coverage of Diego Martinez being transported into federal custody.
She let out a long breath, reaching her hand up to finger the silky strands of her hair, shifting her gaze away from the fluorescent light emitting from her monitor and focusing on the long-stemmed rose gently leaning against the rim of the vase. For a moment, she pushed away from the stress of the story she was chasing and allowed herself to ponder on what the future might hold.
Though there was still so much, she wasn't sure of in regards to her relationship with Clark, the one undeniable truth she knew was how she felt. The intoxicatingly overpowering rush of emotion that pulled her to him continued to grow stronger despite her mind's cry of foul over his recent revelation. How she felt and what she thought continued to be two considerably different things but no matter what, there was no going back.
She knew the uneasy limbo they'd both been in would only grow worse the longer she quietly obsessed over the deception while her heart ached for the gaping hole inside her to be filled from where she had banished her once closest friend. The world-shattering truth had been said. The only thing left to do was pick up the pieces and move forward. She wanted this to work. She wanted to move past this gut-wrenching state of uncertainty and find the next step.
A slow smile spread across her face when she recalled her and Clark’s conversation from the night before. It had been the first time both of them had dropped the facade of niceties and said what had been weighing on both of their minds.
"You keep making that face it'll get stuck like that." A voice behind her interrupted her thoughts.
She turned her head and let out a low groan when she saw Dan Scardino standing behind her. "Haven't you had enough of this place yet? Gables is behind bars with Martinez. I would have thought you'd be all over this custody transfer."
"Martinez isn't who I’m after," he remarked softly, glancing down as he took a seat at her desk.
"Any leads?" Lois asked, subconsciously biting the inside of her lower lip.
"No, " he frowned.
"So, you're here to hunt down leads from us?" Lois prompted, folding her arms across her chest with a disapproving glare.
"No, " He reached up to rake a hand through his dark hair and then folded his hands in front of him as he leaned forward and whispered. "I know you don't know me that well and you have every reason to be suspicious. I get it. You're a reporter, and I’m just some federal agent getting in your way.”
“You did break into my apartment last night,” Lois reminded him, raising her eyebrow as she continued to stare him down with a disapproving glare.
“The door was unlocked.” He insisted. She didn’t respond, continuing to stare him down, and he let out a long sigh, admitting defeat as he shook his head. “I shouldn’t have gone into your apartment without knocking. I’m sorry. You happy now?”
Lois sighed, reaching over to tap her hand on her desk. “Is there a point to all this?”
“Yes,” Scardino insisted.
“Which is?”
“I need to tell you something.”
“About the case?” Lois prompted.
“No,” Scardino frowned.
“Then what…?”
“Look, you don’t know me. I get it, but if you get to know me, you'll find I’m not that bad of a guy.” He offered a quick smile before he continued to plead his case, “I like to make noise with the higher-ups and keep them on their toes. It's how I keep things interesting."
Lois paused, arching an eyebrow up at him as she waited for whatever bomb he was about to drop on her. Whatever it was that he was leading up to seemed to be something big as she noted the way his hands remained clenched on his knees as he spoke, and the lines around his eyes were tense, relaying how visibly upset he was with whatever was bothering him.
"I’m listening." Lois prompted, letting out a long sigh.
Dan looked behind him, checking to make sure their conversation wasn’t being overheard. “I found this on Mayson’s desk when I went to check in with her this morning.” He set a folded newspaper on her desk, tapping at the side of it to allow it to unfold before her to reveal the front-page article of the Daily Planet with her and Clark's by-line photos. Her eyes focused on the pen markings covering her photo.
"What?" Lois stared at the newspaper, unsure how to respond as Dan Scardino continued.
"Look, I don't know what's going on with you two. I know there's a history there with her and Kent's relationship …”
“What are you even talking about?” Lois scoffed, reaching over to grab the paper, staring hard at the frantic pen marks and indented tears into the newspaper where her by-line photo was. She sat up straight suddenly as she tried to process everything g Dan Scardino had dropped on her. “Relationship?”
His brow furrowed as he looked back at her even more confused, “Wasn’t she and Kent in some sort of relationship before you two, um…?”
Lois folded her arms across her chest, growing more and more irritated by the second as she stared him down. “Before we …what, exactly?”
“I mean, aren’t you two…” he motioned with his hands and whispered, “you know?”
She opened her mouth to respond and then stopped herself, clamping her mouth shut before she said something she would regret. After a long pause, she found her voice and responded in a slow eerily calm tone as she glared back at Dan, “My relationship with Clark is absolutely none of your business—or Mayson’s.”
“Even if she’s making it out like you’re the crazy one that stole him away?” Dan prompted, pointing to the paper in her hands. “I don’t care what happened between you all. But I do care about the fact that this is a very serious sign of instability in someone that’s leading the investigation into McCarthy.”
“Henderson and Ryder are leading the investigation,” Lois corrected.
“And exactly who is doing the legwork with the DA’s office?” Dan prompted, pointing to the paper.
“She’s been under a lot of stress,” Lois gave a noncommittal shrug as she flipped the paper over and saw the frantic scribblings on the other side in an eerily familiar handwriting.
“What is it?” Dan asked.
Lois dropped the paper, flipping it back over as she shook her head. “I…I have to go.”
________________________________________
Bill Henderson slammed his fists on the table in front of him, taking delight as he watched the prisoner in front of him jump in his seat. Henderson’s brow furrowed as he tapped his fingertips against the tabletop and pushed the file across the table, grinning to himself when he saw the sweat beads begin to dribble down the side of his prisoner’s forehead.
“Where is he?”
________________________________________
The wind blew through Lois’ hair as she paced the rooftop of the Daily Planet. The panic from the bombshell that had been laid on her just a few short hours ago. A sick sinking feeling continued to overtake her as her thoughts were filled with question after question. Should she go to the police with her suspicions? Clark?
‘You don’t know anything for sure,’ she reminded herself.
‘Don’t I?’The deep sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach continued to ache as she paced the rooftop, staring up at the rounded beams that formed the sculpture of the Daily Planet’s logo. If what she suspected was true, then not only would she have the answer to the burning question that had been running through her mind for the last few nights but she would also have a very newsworthy angle on the story she was working. She should be elated with the prospect of having answers but she didn’t. All she could focus on was how this could potentially destroy someone she respected as a colleague – even if she had been threatened by her.
'Maybe.'"Lois?"
She jumped, startled by the sound of her name being called and turned to see Clark standing behind her in a tan business suit complimented by a blue dress shirt and as usual an outlandish tie that was just—Clark. She felt the wind bristle through her hair as she stared back at him, unsure what to even say or how to respond to his questioning gaze as he closed the distance between them. He hooked his arm across the back of her shoulders, allowing the silence between them to continue for just a few more minutes before he broke the silence between them.
“You can’t just disappear like this, Lois,” he let out a shaky breath as his hand gently squeezed her shoulder. “Perry’s about to lose his mind, and the officers out front were about to scale the Planet floor by floor.”
Lois closed her eyes, feeling a wave of regret wash over her at the reminder of just how ill-advised her trip to the roof had been. In her rush to escape the newsroom and think through the news Dan Scardino had dropped on her, she had forgotten she was supposed to be under protective watch. “I’m sorry. I forgot.”
His brow furrowed, and he brushed it off with a quiet wave, “It’s okay.” He reached his hand over to cup her cheek, tilting her chin up to look at him. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” she heard her voice crack as she looked back at him with tears shimmering in her eyes.
“You don’t know?” he asked, frowning back at her.
Her voice trembled as she shook her head, searching for the words to explain the wave of uncertainty that filled her mind. “I…I think I might know who the other stalker is.”
His thumb brushed against her jaw, and the question came from his eyes while the only thing that escaped his lips was her name. She reached her hand up to cup his hand with hers and felt the weight of what she was about to say press against her chest.
“Lois?”
She closed her eyes, feeling the moisture from her tears burning as she held back the tears. She knew she had to say it. She couldn’t hide what she knew. Even if she wasn’t completely convinced, it was Mayson behind the threats, the evidence was certainly there and worth a critical look.
“I haven’t told Henderson yet. I’m honestly not even sure what to tell him.” Lois began, pulling the folded paper out from her jacket pocket. She handed the damaged newspaper to him. “Look familiar?”
“Where did this come from?” Clark asked as his arm fell from her cheek to rest across her shoulders.
“Apparently, it came from Mayson Drake’s office.”
________________________________________
TBC...
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