If she had allowed herself a moment to think about something other than tracking down the city's elusive super hero, she might have stopped to consider the fact that he wasn't wearing a wedding ring.

As he thought about Clark's genteel nature and Ms. Lane's fire and passion, one thing seemed certain.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Clark rushed on. "Look, Ms. Lane, I'm sorry that you're angry I scooped you, but I'll have you know I'm not just some hack. I've paid my dues just like you have, and I would not have been hired here as an investigative journalist if I didn't have the skills *and* the credentials. If we're going to talk connections, there's also something else you've probably heard of--it's called professional courtesy. And right now I'm not feeling particularly courteous. If you're going to walk in here and call me a hack, you can just go and find your own sources."

If he had asked, I would have told him I'd just gotten my black belt in Tai Chi last month.

"Actually, that wasn't the only thing I did to him," Lois continued proudly, "but that's what had the biggest effect. If he had asked, I would have told him I'd just gotten my black belt in Tai Chi last month. Maybe if he had known that, he could have saved himself some pain and humiliation."

Clark was suddenly aware of his hanging jaw and snapped it shut. For a long moment, he continued to stare at this woman in a mixture of disbelief and newfound anxiety. A woman clearly well versed in using her feminine wiles, with the passion and fire to go after her stories like a mad woman, *and* a black belt to back it all up? He was in trouble. Big trouble.

Gathering information on unconventional story subjects called for using unconventional means.