Winner Takes All
Folc4evernaday
Part 9

***

“Did you get it?” Nigel asked.

“Piece of cake!” Phil said, handing Nigel the videotape.

Nigel handed Phil an envelope of cash, “The boss appreciates your loyalty.”

“As long as ‘the boss’ keeps rewarding me with the green I’ll be his biggest fan.” Phil gleamed.

“Just keep an eye on them,” Nigel muttered, putting the videotape in his jacket.

“You got it!” Phil gleamed. Nigel turned on his heel and left. Phil tucked the envelope of money in his jacket and smiled, “Easiest thousand dollars I’ve ever made.”

***

Lois and Clark made their way through the double doors of the hotel, drenched in water. “I cannot believe this!” Lois hissed, trying to wring out her dress shirt.

“You okay?” Clark asked, tentatively.

“I’m fine.” She said hurriedly. “I’m just cold…and wet…and really ticked off! What kind of fire alarm system do they have over there? I mean, for the sprinklers to go off like that…”

“Well, at least they went off when they did; if not we could have gotten caught.” Clark reasoned, pushing the call button for the elevator.

“Don’t remind me,” Lois muttered, stepping on the elevator. Clark followed close behind. A middle-aged couple was in the elevator with a bellboy.

The lady was in her late forties and the man looked to be a few years older. She turned to Lois with a smile, “Which floor dear?”

“Oh, um, the Penthouse,” Lois said hurriedly.

“Which section?” the lady asked. “Left or right wing?”

“Uh, right...” Clark said hurriedly.

The woman’s eyes twinkled as she hit the button for their floor. “The Honeymoon Suite?” She turned to the man standing beside her, “Oh, look, honey, she’s blushing…”

“Gretta…” the man warned.

“You two are absolutely adorable. I can tell you’ll last…” Gretta gushed.

DING.

The elevator stopped at the 16th floor. “This is our floor.” The man said, hurriedly, tugging lightly at his wife’s arms. “It was nice to meet you both. Enjoy your honeymoon.” With that, the middle-aged couple left Lois and Clark alone in the elevator with the bellboy who was trying hard not to say anything.

***

Lois and Clark hurriedly closed the door behind them and locked it. “What is it with everyone around here?” Lois asked incredulously. “Where does it say that you can make sexual innuendos about people’s sex lives just because they’re on their ‘honeymoon’?”

“I don’t know.” Clark sighed and laid the keycard. “I’m sure the bellboy meant well…” he tried to reason.

“Ha!” Lois said mockingly. She took the soaking wet files she and Clark had swiped from the file cabinets and placed them on the coffee table to dry. She turned toward the fax machine to check if they had missed anything while they had been out. “Here’s a fax from Jimmy. It’s the background check on those jumpers from earlier today.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and start going through it? I’m going to take a quick shower.” Clark said.

“Okay.” Lois nodded, reading through the report in front of her. The report gave a detailed description of each jumper’s life, job, friends, family, and the condition they had been in both before and after their suicide attempt.

The sound of the shower starting broke Lois’ concentration. She looked up. Where was Clark? The sound of the curtain being pushed back in the bathroom caught her attention. Shower. He was in the shower. She sighed inwardly. She could almost picture the water dripping down his hard chiseled body. She shuddered involuntarily. She was half tempted to join him in there…

What was the matter with her? Join him in the shower? Would he even want her to?

<< “What do you want, Lois? What do you need?”

She let out a frustrated growl, “Clar...I...I...need you…” >>

No, he wouldn’t mind. She sure wouldn’t mind an encore performance of their earlier activities either. There was something so erotic about the idea of making love in the shower. Maybe it was the idea of being so close to one another; skin on skin…or just the idea of making love somewhere other than a bed?

She quickly began peeling her clothes off, preparing to surprise Clark. She grabbed one of the fluffy bathrobes from the closet and slipped it on then headed towards the bathroom.

RING

“Of course.” She muttered. She turned on her heel and stormed over towards the couch where the phone was. “Hello?”

“Lois?” an elderly feminine voice hesitantly asked.

“Who is this?” Lois asked accusingly. After the evening of interruptions, they’d had she wasn’t sure what to think anymore.

The elderly woman spoke with a hint of humor in her voice, “Uh, this is Martha Kent…I was looking for Clark…”

“Oh, um…” Lois felt the heat rush to her cheeks immediately. “I...I’m sorry. …. I’m Lois.”

“Uh, Martha.” There was laughter on the other end of the phone. “Is Clark around?”

“Uh, you just missed him. He’s in the shower. He should be done in a few.” Lois explained.

“Uh-huh,” Martha said skeptically.

“How’d you get the number here?” Lois asked.

“Oh, your boss, Mr. White gave me the number,” Martha said. “So, uh, just tell Clark to call me when he gets a chance.”

“Uh, sure,” Lois said.

“Well, it was nice talking to you, Lois.”

“Uh, you too, Mrs. Kent,” Lois said.

“Good night,” Martha said.

“Night.” They both hung up their respective phones. Lois stared at the phone tentatively for a moment before remembering her reasons for stripping down. Clark was still in the shower. She couldn’t help but grin at the prospect of surprising him. She got up from the couch and made her way to the bathroom.

RING

The phone rang again. Lois blew at the stray hair that had fallen in her face. “What is it with everyone tonight?” she muttered, stalking over to the phone once more she sharply picked up the phone. She really wanted to curse into the phone, but recalling who the last caller had been she figured it wasn’t a good idea. “Hello?”

“Lois?” Ellen Lane’s voice echoed through the phone line.

Lois cringed at the sound of her mother’s voice. “Hi, mother.”

“Lois Lane, what in the world are you doing in the Honeymoon Suite? Do I mean that little to you that you wouldn’t tell me you were getting married…let alone invite me to the wedding? You are just like your father…inconsiderate.”

“Mother, it’s not what you think…”

“What I think? What I think is my eldest daughter’s run off and gotten herself hitched to some man I’ve never met...How well do you know him? He could be a career criminal for all you know. Oh, knowing my luck he probably is. Why can’t you date someone sophisticated like your sister is? Did you know she’s dating Lex Luthor?”

“Well, that remains to be seen…”

Ellen ignored Lois, “I just found out tonight. I ran into them at the Country Club. Oh, they are just adorable together. I can tell he really cares for her…”

“Mother…”

“Your father never liked the Country Club. I always had to go alone. So, who is it you married?”

“Mother, I’m not married…”

“You better be careful, Lois. Your father and I got married in the heat of the moment and look how well that turned out. Pretty soon he’ll be having flings behind your back. You’ll find phone numbers in his jacket pocket. How do you know you’re not the other woman? I’ve heard of those cases…Men marrying more than one woman at time….”

“Oh, my God, Mother…Wha-How did you get this number?”

“Your Editor, Perry White gave it to me. He’s such a gentleman. Quite a rarity in men these days.”

“Was there a reason you called in particular?”

“Well, Lucy said you were staying in the Honeymoon Suite for a few days and I needed to talk to you about your cousin, Cindy’s wedding….”

Lois groaned, “I’m not going.”

“Lois, you have missed two of her weddings thus far. You should go…She’s always spoken so highly of you …even if you never cared to settle down...”

“Mother, would you please just stop it?” Lois felt her temper begin to flare as her mother’s tirade continued.

“Lois that is no way to speak to your mother. I raised you better.” Ellen scolded. “Anyway, about Cindy’s wedding…”

Lois heard the bathroom door shut and looked up. She let out a low whimper when she saw Clark walk out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was reaching for the knob of the bedroom door when she called him over, “Clark!”

He looked over at her questionably and she motioned for him to come towards her. He seemed hesitant but came willingly. “What?” he asked.

“HELP!” she said in a frantic whisper, handing him the phone. “It’s my mother…” She got up from the couch and headed toward the bathroom for her own shower. All ideas of surprising Clark in the shower had gone out the window when her mother had called. All thanks to Lucy and her big mouth. She was going to get her back for this.

***

Clark took the phone hesitantly, unsure of what exactly Lois wanted him to do. “And another thing, Lois, don’t you think it’s time you moved out of that horrendous apartment and invest in a home to call your own?” Ellen seemed to notice Lois’ lack of response. “Lois? Lois are you there?”

“Uh, she’s in the shower,” Clark said hesitantly.

“In the shower? Who is this?” Ellen asked suspiciously.

“Uh, my name is Clark Kent. I’m your daughter’s partner at the Planet.”

“Partner?” She asked dubiously, “Young man, you have a lot of nerve whisking my daughter off without even talking to her family. That doesn’t bode well for you in my eyes at all.”

“Uh, Mrs. Lane, I think you have the wrong idea here…” Clark began.

He was cut off by Ellen once more. “MISS Lane. I haven’t been MRS. Lane for several years, young man.”

“I apologize, Ms. Lane.”

“Now, what exactly do I have the wrong idea about? You are in the Honeymoon Suite with my daughter, are you not?”

“Yes, but…”

“No, buts. And you have yet to have introduced yourself to me or her father…”

“Ms. Lane, if you would just let me talk…”

“I think it is just atrocious the way young people have relationships these days. In my day, you couldn’t get married without having family present. Now, there’s drive-thru wedding ceremonies. It’s a shame really. People cheating on one another. No respect for the institution of marriage; not that my ex-husband had any respect for our marriage…You better not even think about hurting my daughter like that, young man, or I will find you and hunt you down…”

Clark sighed, “Ms. Lane, you REALLY have the wrong idea here. Lois and I aren’t married...”

“Oh, really?” She challenged. “Then what in God’s name are you doing with my daughter in the Honeymoon Suite?”

“Well, I’m…”

“Are you married?”

“No...”

“What are your intentions with my daughter…?”

Clark was growing very impatient with this woman. “Ms. Lane, what exactly did Lois tell you she was doing here?” Clark challenged.

Ellen stopped a moment. “Wha? I’m not sure. She said something about not wanting to go to her cousin, Cindy’s wedding…”

“Ms. Lane, I’m Lois’ work partner. We are in the middle of an INVESTIGATION. Undercover. That’s it. We’re not married. Believe me; if we did get married my parents would wring my neck if I even tried to elope without inviting family.” Clark sighed in relief once he had gotten his statement out.

“Hmmm…sounds like your parents and I would get along.” Ellen mused. She was quiet a moment before she spoke again, “You said you’re her work partner?”

“Yes.” He sighed.

“Oh. Have you thought about marrying my daughter?”

“I, uh…” He wasn’t sure how to answer that question.

“You have?” Ellen’s tone dripped in enthusiasm. “It was nice talking to you, Clark. Tell Lois I’ll call her later.” With that, she hung up.

Clark sighed, hanging his head in defeat. The whirlwind that was Lois’ mother was definitely a force to be reckoned with. He ran a hand through his hair and couldn’t help but laugh. Now he knew where Lois got that fiery spirit.

A sound from the bathroom caught his attention. The shower was running and he could hear the soft feminine moans coming from within, “Oh, God…”

She wouldn’t….”OH!”…She was. He recognized that sound anywhere. How would she react if he just slipped in the shower with her?

***

Lois threw her head back against the cool tile of the bathroom wall. If she couldn’t fulfill her fantasy of making love in the shower; she could always fantasize about it while …

“Lois?” Clark’s voice intruded her thoughts.

Gasping in surprise, she replaced the shower head back on its stand then cautiously poked her head out from behind the shower curtain. Clark was standing there with his arms crossed still dressed in a towel. “Yeah?” she asked.

“Mind telling me why you left me to deal with whirlwind Lane while you’re having all the fun?” he asked amused.

Lois blushed slightly. Was it that obvious what she had been doing? “Sorry...” she apologized. “My mother can be a bit of a handful at times...”

“You think?” he asked, pushing back the curtain. He wore an amused expression on his face. “Shower head, huh?”

Lois gave him a seductive wink, “Well, my original plan backfired…” she explained.

“Ah, and your original plan being?”

“Nope. Can’t tell you...” she said, closing the curtain.

“Hey, wait a minute…” Clark argued, pushing the curtain open.

“No, it’s no use. Can’t do it now.”

Clark watched her with an amused look on his face. “I think you owe me. I just had to diffuse a very serious situation out there.”

“My mother is always a serious situation.” Lois shot back.

Clark took a step inside the shower. He still had the towel wrapped around his waist and he still wore his glasses. “Exactly. Which is why you owe me. Where in the world does your mother concoct such crazy ideas?” He asked pulling Lois to him.

“Mmm, I blame Lucy,” Lois said, linking her arms around his neck. She leaned up to kiss him.

“Mmm…” He moaned against her mouth, “Lucy?” he asked quizzically.

“She’s the one with the blabbermouth.” She whispered against his lips.

“Ah…” He sighed, leaning down to capture her mouth. “So, what was it?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

“What?” she asked slightly distracted. She could feel his arousal pressing up against her through the soaking wet towel.

“Your fantasy…” He prompted.

“Huh?” She looked down at the knot where his towel was tied around his waist. He had to be uncomfortable with that towel on.

***

“You had to be thinking of something when you were …” he grinned back at her, knowing full well he didn’t have to finish his sentence. She visibly blushed at his statement. He noticed her gaze had drifted to the towel that hung loosely around his waist. “You gonna talk?” he asked, “Or am I going to have to resort to more drastic measures?”

She looked up at him with a gleam in her eye, “Drastic measures?” He leaned in to capture her mouth, pressing her back against the wall. “Oh…” she moaned against his mouth.

“Was this your fantasy?” he asked against her mouth.

She gasped in pleasure as he pressed his hard frame against her. He dipped his head down to taste the moist skin along her neckline. “Oh, God…” she moaned arching her back towards him.

“No, you were a lot louder than that.” He teased, lowering himself down to her collarbone. “Here?” he asked.

She gasped in pleasure as he nibbled along her collarbone, “Cla….” She mouthed the rest of his name as she watched him continue his sweet torture.

“No, not the same cry.” He felt her hand slip to the waistline of his towel. He swiftly removed her hand, “Not yet. We still haven’t gotten to the bottom of this mystery yet.” He lowered himself down to her chest.

Lois gasped as he lowered his mouth to her chest, “Cl…” she moaned, pulling him further down. He smiled against her skin.

“No, not there either.” He lowered himself down to her navel.

“Oh, Cl…Clar…” She moaned, tracing her hand through his dampened hair. The shower head was directed directly towards the ground. He was only being hit by reflective sprays of water from the shower head. He dipped his tongue inside her belly button, eliciting a low growl from her.

“No, not there either.” He lowered himself until he was on his knees looking up at her. She was holding onto the metal support bars with both hands, struggling to catch her breath. It was obvious she was as turned on by the teasing as he was, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to end her torture just yet. He pulled away slowly. “That’s definitely the spot.” He whispered, looking up at Lois. Her head was thrown back, her knees were slightly bent and her eyes were closed as she nodded mutely, unable to speak.

He smiled against her and pulled away, standing up. She whimpered her protest at the loss of contact, “I told you I’d resort to drastic measures…” He rasped out with a heated gaze.

“..Please…” she pleaded, reaching out for him. He grabbed her wrist, shaking his head.

“Ah ah ah...” he warned. “Say it…”

“Fine…I was fantasizing about making love in the shower…” she rasped out hurriedly. He couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across his face. “Clark, please…” she pleaded with him, arching her back towards him.

He nodded and leaned down to capture her mouth. He smiled against her mouth when she flung her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. He felt her smile against his lips. She then wrapped her legs around him; he struggled for a minute to reclaim his balance. He didn’t want to accidentally expose himself to her before he was ready. He held her in place by her backside as she tightened her legs around him. “You are so impatient…” he murmured against her lips.

“Clark…” she whimpered.

“See? Impatient...” he grinned back at her before lowering his mouth to capture her mouth once more. Her breathing was ragged and she clung to him desperately, trying to increase the contact between them.

“You are so mean…” she cried, letting out a shuddered breath.

“I’m mean?” He let out a ragged breath. His sweet torture and assault on her body had not been lost on him. “I thought I was being very very nice…” he whispered.

“Not nice enough.” She rasped out.

“I thought you said you wanted to take things slow…” he challenged.

“Too slow.” She said, shaking her head. “Just…please…I...I need you …now…”

***

Echose from their recent lovemaking echoed through the tile walls as she came back to the present. He leaned down to kiss her, holding her close. She let out a shuddered gasp as their kiss ended. “Wow…”

“So, did that fulfill your fantasy?” He asked.

“Surpassed …” she gasped out, “…way…way…past…” she replied shakily.

“Good.” Clark leaned down to kiss her again when a sound from outside caught his attention.

CRASH!

“What was that?” Lois asked, looking towards the door.

“I don’t know,” Clark said, releasing her from his arms. He stepped out of the shower, grabbing a fresh towel to wrap around himself. He turned back toward her, “I’m going to check it out. Stay here.”

***

Lois turned the water to the shower head off and stepped out of the shower, grabbing her own towel from the rack. She picked up the robe from the floor and securely wrapped it around her body then grabbed another towel and wrapped her hair in it. She then turned toward the door and stepped out of the bathroom and into the suite where she found Clark already dressed for bed, checking the tape in the camera.

“That’s odd,” He said with a confused expression.

“What?” Lois asked.

“The tape we had in here is gone,” He said confused.

“Gone?” Lois asked.

Clark nodded, pulling open the camera for her to see the missing slot where the videotape had been earlier.

“What about the audio?” She asked, referring to the audio tapes they’d been recording along with the videotapes.

He turned to check and sighed, “They all seem to be here,”

“Think someone’s onto us?” Lois asked.

“I don’t know,” He shook his head. “Whoever has the tapes knows we’re undercover, though,” He put the camera down and sighed.

“Well, there’s not much we can do at….” She glanced at the clock, “eleven at night,” She tugged on his hand and pulled him towards her. “Come on...”

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Bed...” she responded. “This way if either of us have any…ahem…frustrations during the night we can…” she didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. Clark had already scooped her in his arms and carried her into the bedroom to finish what they had started earlier.

***

Downstairs in the lobby, Phil shakily recounted his break-in to Lois and Clark’s suite to Nigel. “Yeah, you were right. They broke into that building across the street from the Lexor.”

“Yes, I’m familiar with it,” Nigel said, obviously bored.

“Yeah, well, anyway, I followed them in there and set off the fire alarm to make sure they didn’t find anything just like you said.”

“Were you able to see if they had gotten their hands on any of the documents?” Nigel asked.

“No. I tried to break into their room later, but I wasn’t on duty so I couldn’t use the master key...” Phil explained. “I was able to get in, but when I got in I heard ‘em in the shower. Man, he was really giving it to her if you know what I mean…”

“Intriguing,” Nigel said, undisturbed by Phil’s interest in Lois and Clark’s sex lives.

“Anyway, I kinda knocked the coat hanger over and the guy almost caught me. I don’t think they saw me.” Phil sighed.

“Hmmm, don’t worry. We’ll take care of it. Just keep monitoring.”

“You got it,” Phil said with a grin.

***

The next morning, Clark awoke to the sound of a police radio describing a ten-car-pile-up on the Metropolis Bridge. Looking down at his sleeping partner whose body was still intertwined with his; he grudgingly pulled out of her embrace to attend to the wreck. He stopped at the last minute to jot down a quick note for Lois and left.

***

“It seems one of our labs received a very interesting deposit over the weekend, Nigel,” Lex said, puffing at his cigar. “A piece of a meteorite….from Smallville, Kansas….Ring any bells?” Nigel stared blankly at Lex, waiting for him to continue, “The same place where Lois Lane’s partner, Clark Kent is from. Now, call me a paranoid person, but it seems a bit too coincidental for my liking. Mr. Trask was convinced Kent could contact our friendly neighborhood alien…I think he would be interested in this information, wouldn’t you think?”

“Yes, sir.” Nigel nodded.

“Now, are you sure they don’t have any tapes left of these meetings? Remember, Nigel, evidence is the only thing that separates the criminal from the law abiding citizen….” Lex asked.

“I’ve had the bellboy sneaking in their room and swapping out the tapes. We actually came across something very …interesting during our …ahem…trade.” Nigel moved towards the flat screen on the wall and inserted a videotape into one of the many slots on the wall. He grabbed the remote and pressed play.

The image showed Lois pinned to the wall with Clark pressed against her. The soft cries of pleasure echoed through the room as Lex watched with interest. Nigel paused the footage. “So, Ms. Lane is screwing her partner.”

“Actually from the footage, I’d say Mr. Kent is screwing her, sir,” Nigel said, smiling at his own joke.

“Yes, so it would seem,” Lex said. “This kind of footage could be very damaging to both of their careers….Their reputations as professionals could be ruined if the world knew they were the type to tape their sex lives.”

“Shall I leak it to the press?” Nigel asked.

“No, Nigel, I think this kind of leverage should be saved for…just the right moment,” Lex said. “You know I’m quite disappointed. I thought for sure Ms. Lane would have better taste….It's a shame.”

“Should I put this up for safe keeping?” Nigel asked.

“No, Nigel leave it. I’ll take care of it.”

“Of course, sir,” Nigel said, nodding at Lex.

He then turned to leave. Lex leaned back in his leather chair, puffing on his cigar. With one swift motion, he lifted the remote and pressed play. “And she said, she never had dessert…” he mused.

***

“Clark?” Lois looked around the room, frowning at the absence of his warm body next to her. She sat up and noticed the note lying next to her on the bed. “Lois, I had to run by my apartment real quick. If I’m not back in time; I’ll meet you at the Planet. Yours, CK.” Lois smiled at the note. Last night hadn’t been a mistake. He had left a note. He hadn’t just left her to wake up by herself…alone in an empty bed. She blinked away the stray tears that had escaped from the corner of her eyes. What was the matter with her? She and Clark had only been on one date. Two if you count the time after their escape from Dr. Baines’ clutches. The sex was definitely incredible, but wasn’t it too soon to be feeling this way?

Could it be possible? Could she be falling for him this quickly? Was her mind just turning her lust after Clark into love or was there more to it than that. Lois sighed, getting out of bed; she made her way to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for work. “It’s too early for thinking about stuff this complicated.” She muttered.

***

Clark smiled when he spotted Lois coming out of a taxi cab in front of the Planet. She was loaded down with a stack of files in her arms. “Here. Let me get that.” Clark grabbed the files from her and gave her a smile.

“Thanks.” She smiled at him. She was looking at him with such wonderment. He really wanted to kiss her. She looked so beautiful…but how would she react? He still wasn’t sure what the protocol for office romances at the Daily Planet; let alone in the world of Lois Lane. She seemed to have a rule for everything, but she didn’t have a problem breaking any of her rules either.

Throwing caution to the wind, he leaned down to kiss her, “Morning.”

“Morning.” She returned his kiss enthusiastically. Delighted by her response, he placed a cautious arm around her waist, deepening the kiss.

“Hey, lovebirds, I don’t have all day.” The cab driver called.

“Oh!” Lois pulled away from him a bit embarrassed. “The fare. I almost forgot.”

“Here. I got it.” Clark pulled out his wallet. “How much?”

“Clark, you really don’t have to...”

“Twelve fifty.” The cabbie said.

Clark paid the man and then turned back to Lois. “What is all this?” He asked, gesturing to the files in his hands.

“Well, some of it is the files we got from our escapade last night. The rest is from the fax Jimmy sent about the two jumpers. We got a bit side tracked last night and didn’t get a chance to go through it.” Lois explained, lightly bumping his hip.

“We also need to find out who broke in and stole that tape,” Clark added.

“I know. Given that Roarke is working with Nigel it's not a huge leap that Luthor would be involved but….” At Clark’s questioning expression she sighed, “I just know I don’t trust him.” Lois said as they stepped into the crowded elevator.

“Nigel or Luthor?”

“Both,” Lois said, shooting him a smile.

DING

The elevator arrived on the newsroom floor and they both departed to their respective desks. Clark watched Lois as she began to sift through the files, trying to figure out where to begin. Noticing she hadn’t gotten her coffee yet, he went toward the coffee maker to begin making a cup for himself and Lois. Never taking his eyes off Lois as he prepared the cups, he smiled to himself as he recalled his and Lois’ recent lovemaking. Yesterday, they had been so cautious around one another, afraid to upset the other one by saying the wrong thing. Now, they were in a different place. A better place.

“Forget it, Kent. The Ice Maiden ain’t worth your time.” Ralph, one of the reporters from Gossip approached him from behind.

“Ice Maiden?” Clark’s eyes narrowed at the man for using such a description for Lois. She was anything but. She may seem tough on the outside, but on the inside, she was the most incredible, compassionate person he had ever known.

Ralph laughed, not noticing Clark’s tone of disdain. “Yeah. I heard she ain’t nothing but a frigid bitch. If you get her drunk enough you’d probably get her in bed, but…” Clark wasn’t sure what had come over him. He just wanted the man to stop talking. Describing Lois…or any woman for that matter…. in such a degrading manner was unacceptable. How the man could sit here and talk this way about her he had no idea.

He placed the coffee mugs down on the counter in front of him then got right in Ralph’s face, “Do NOT talk that way about my partner.” When Ralph seemed unthreatened by Clark’s threat, he grabbed him by the collar, “If I hear you talk that way about Lois; or spreading any more lies about her again I will make your life a living hell.” He hissed out.

“Okay, man, just take it easy, Kent. I...I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just telling you what I’d heard.” Ralph stammered.

“Who exactly did you hear this garbage from?” Clark asked.

“Uh, Claude...Claude Cluny…” Ralph stammered. “I ran into him at the Metropolis Press Club last night.”

Clark stared him down coldly for a minute then let him go. “Yeah, well, you can tell your friend, Claude, I’ve got his number. If I hear any more rumors being spread around I’m coming to you. Got it?”

“Absolutely. Sorry.” Ralph stammered. “I didn’t know it was such an issue for you, Kent.”

“Talking about any woman like that is ALWAYS an issue for me. Don’t let me catch you doing it again.” He then turned to grab the two coffee mugs he had set down and made his way toward Lois and his desk.

“Damn. He’s got it bad.” Ralph said, adjusting his jacket.

“Here.” Clark handed Lois a cup of coffee.

“Thanks,” Lois said, taking a sip.

“Any luck?” Clark asked.

“I’m going over the background check on Jules Johnson. It’s so weird. The mental evaluation reads like he didn’t even mean to jump.” Lois said, pointing at the report in front of her.

“Well, he did seem pretty quick to change his mind about jumping when Superman arrived.” At her questioning look, he covered hastily, “Um, according to the police and Superman...Where’s the report on Monique Kahn? Maybe we can cross reference their backgrounds? See if they may have crossed paths?”

“Ah, you think it’s a conspiracy too,” Lois said, poking at his chest in triumph.

“Well, Inspector Henderson did say it was suspicious to have two people jump at the same time like that.” Clark shrugged.

“Clark, you’ll learn this pretty quick. Inspector Henderson is suspicious of the lady that serves hotdogs on 3rd street. He trusts no one…nothing...nada...”

“You two must get along perfectly,” Clark replied jokingly.

“Oh, so funny.” Lois rolled her eyes, “That man is the most irritating man in the world. Everything by the book. No loopholes. Nothing. Never …not once can he bend the rules for the greater good.” At Clark’s questioning look she continued. “I was working undercover on that car theft ring story and he tried to charge me with accessory before the fact. Perry pulled some strings with the Chief of Police and got them to back off.”

“Ah.” Clark nodded, understanding Lois’ upset with Henderson a little more clearly.

“Don’t get me wrong. Henderson is a good cop. He’s one of the few we have left in Metropolis. He just doesn’t know when to quit..you know. There has to be the balance between doing your job and the rest of your life. I mean, face it. Nobody can save the world 24/7. I don’t even think Superman could. He’d probably get burnt out. Henderson seems to think he has to BE a cop all the time. You can’t live like that.”

“I guess that makes sense. I never really thought about it like that.” Clark said, thoughtfully.

“Here’s Dr. Newman’s report on Monique Kahn,” Lois said, handing him the report. Lois was still scanning the report on Jules Johnson.

“Thanks.” Clark took the report from her; his hand brushed against hers for a second. He caught her gaze. Yep, that spark was definitely still there. She looked away hurriedly. He turned his attention to the report she had just given him. “This is odd. She was admitted to Metropolis General Hospital. She’s still there. Was Jules Johnson admitted?”

Lois shook her head, “No. He was released almost immediately.”

Clark pointed to the notes at the bottom of the report, “This says Monique Kahn was hysterical. She was ranting and raving about her fear of heights …”

“She’s afraid of heights, but she jumps off a thirty story building?” Lois asked.

“Doesn’t make sense, does it?” Clark asked. “She was also mumbling something about a test when she was sedated.”

“Test? Think it has anything to do with the test Harrington and Roarke were talking about?” Lois asked.

“Anything’s possible,” Clark muttered.

Lois flipped to the next page of the report, “Okay, Jules Johnson went to school at Stanford…”

“Monique went to Harvard.” Clark read off.

“Grew up in New York.” Lois read.

“Lived in Boston her whole life until she moved to Metropolis three years ago to work at LexCorp.” Clark’s facial expression grew grim as he read her workplace.

“Moved to Metropolis three years as well to work for LexCorp.” Lois grinned at him, “I think we found our connection.”

“Too bad it's not much. We’re grasping at straws here. We need something more solid.” Clark argued.

“Maybe if we ask nicely we could get Superman to hang Lex from the roof of his Penthouse and get a confession out of him…” Lois said half-jokingly.

“I don’t think that would work, Lois,” Clark said.

“You never know unless you ask,” Lois said with a teasing smile.

“Lois, Clark, Conference Room!” Perry bellowed across the newsroom. “Bring me everything you’ve got thus far!”

Lois and Clark grabbed the files they had on their investigation along with the files they had taken from Apocalypse Consulting the night before and headed toward the conference room.

***

Three hours later, Lois, Clark, Perry, Jimmy, and Cat sat at the conference table going over the files in front of them. One file labeled ‘Tsunami’ was smeared and looked mostly damaged. Cat looked at the file critically a moment. “Tsunami? Is that the one with the avocado and crab?”

Lois stared at Cat dumbfounded a moment then managed an exaggerated smile, “Yes, Cat. That’s the one.”

Cat grew thoughtful, “Why would they keep a file on Japanese seafood?”

Clark rolled his eyes, “Cat, ‘tsunami’ isn’t what you think it is.”

“It’s a giant wave,” Jimmy explained patiently. “Like a tidal wave.”

“Wave?” Cat asked, uncertainly. She seemed unsure of who to believe.

“Wave? I’ve got a wave here too.” Perry held up a file labeled, ‘Shockwave/ Preliminary Analysis.’ It's just a list of reports on the activity of the Metropolis Bay. Nothing really important there.”

“Shock Wave?” Jimmy pulled out a report from a stack of papers in front of him. “Harrington’s committee voted on something called Project Shock Wave not too long ago.” He began to read, “’Appropriation approval for system test installation.’”

Lois leaned over Jimmy’s shoulder, “This vote was taken five weeks ago.” She took the report from Jimmy and laid it on the table.

Clark picked up the report and scanned it, “Passed eight to zero with one abstention. Congressman Ian Harrington.”

“There’s nothing here about what Shock Wave is, though.” Lois said, “This must be what Roarke and Harrington were talking about. Roarke wants Harrington to have the vote reversed.”

“Yeah, and have his own system approved instead.” Perry mused. “Whatever that means.”

“How did it go with Harrington yesterday?” Clark asked Cat.

Cat smiled, flipping open her notebook. “One-thirty: lunch with a semi-attractive blonde. Three o’clock: haircut and manicure. Four thirty: drinks with a so-so redhead.”

“Nice to know our tax dollars are being spread around.” Perry mused.

Seven p.m. Dinner with a mousey brunette.” Cat continued.

“Spread around what?” Lois asked. “This guy’s got more comings and goings than the Metro Train Station….”

“Lois, I’m hurt. I thought that insult was reserved only for me.” Cat gave a fake pout.

Lois glared at her, “Would you just finish?”

“You are so impatient,” Cat muttered. She didn’t notice the blush that had crept in Lois' cheeks at that remark. “Ten o'clock: drinks with an auburn-haired beauty.”

Jimmy smiled, “Finally, a little class. Who was she?”

“Me.” Cat grinned mischievously. When she noticed everyone’s disapproving looks she continued. “Like Super Glue….Anyway, then he came back here to meet Roarke.”

“What about you, Jimmy?” Lois asked.

“After last night’s fire drill, Roarke and Bart drove to Pier 31 and went into a warehouse. They were still there this morning when I left to come back here. Warehouse leased to …Apocalypse Consulting.” Jimmy handed his notes to Lois.

“Did you get a look inside?” Clark asked.

“No windows,” Jimmy said defeated.

Lois sighed, frustrated, “We’re spinning our wheels. Some test, monitored by Naval units is taking place tomorrow at dawn, and Roarke is planning on sabotaging it.”

“We interrupt your regular programming to bring you this breaking new story…” Everyone turned towards the radio that was set to low. Jimmy leaned over to turn the volume up. “We have just received word that there has been a bomb threat made to the Carlin Building.”

“Aw, scooped…” Perry muttered. Clark quickly stood up and headed for the door. Jimmy and Lois were close behind. “Lois, wait!” Perry called. “Don’t forget to take Schwartz with you. I need some page-one shots. Olsen, you stay here and keep at it.”

Lois gave Jimmy a sympathetic look then grudgingly turned to Schwartz who had appeared at her side. She looked around for Clark. Not finding him, she asked, “Where’s Clark?”

“He must have already left.” Jimmy reasoned dejectedly.

“Don’t just stand around here. Get!” Perry hollered. With that everyone scurried off, leaving Perry standing in the middle of the newsroom filled with a frenzy of activity. He wore a small smile, “I love the smell of fear in the newsroom.”

***

Outside the Carlin building, a large crowd mixed with the press and passers-by stood outside watching the scene unfold. Lois exited the taxi cab and made her way through the crowd. Linda Montoya stood in front of her cameraman reciting the events. “If you’ve just joined us, the original report of a bomb planted in the lobby of the Carlin Building has now been confirmed. Currently, the Bomb Squad is awaiting the arrival of what they term a ‘containment blister’ as well as a team of deactivation specialist. Once the blister is in place, they’ll attempt to neutralize the threat. Meanwhile, the building has been evacuated and we’re being told to move back….”

The resounding sonic boom echoed through the sky, announcing Superman’s arrival. Lois looked up in the sky to see Superman land. “Superman’s here! Superman is here and about to enter the building…Can we get a shot of that?”

Lois watched in anticipation as Superman brushed past them hurriedly, “Superman, Superman, could we get a statement?”

“Uh, not right now.” He brushed past them then stopped and turned around, “Sorry.” He apologized then bounded up the steps of the Carlin Building. Lois held her breath in anticipation.

***

Across town, Lex Luthor watched the scene unfold on his private surveillance monitors. He watched Superman enter the building then nodded to Asabi who held a handheld remote control. “Now.”

***

Lois watched in horror as Superman entered the building only to be met with a fiery explosion. Debris from the explosion flew through the air. She ducked, but to no avail. A small piece of shattered glass struck her forehead. She winced in pain, dabbing at the cut on her forehead with a napkin. “Oh, my God… Superman…” She sighed in relief when she saw the man of steel walk out of the building seemingly unharmed, but covered in smoke and soot from the explosion. “Thank God..” she muttered under her breath.

***

Lex stared at the television monitor with admiration. “Invulnerable.”

“A man of steel,” Asabi remarked.

***

Lois walked through the area of the explosion, examining the site carefully. There were injured people everywhere being tended to by ambulatory workers. She shook her head in disgust. This had been no accident. There was no way it was a coincidence that Superman walked through that building at the same time the bomb exploded. Where was Clark? She hadn’t seen him anywhere. She looked over toward the police cars were lined up around the building and spotted Inspector Henderson talking to Clark.

As she approached she noticed the table in front of them with melted bomb components laid out on it. “…somewhere within a two-mile radius, but that’s all we…”

“What’s all this?” Lois asked, interrupting.

Clark smiled up at her; obviously glad to see her. His expression changed from joy to despair when he looked at her, however, “Lois, you’re hurt…” He moved to look at her injury more closely.

“I’m fine.” She tried to shrug him off. She could worry about her injury later. Right now she was more interested in finding out what Henderson had to say about the bomb.

“Let me see.” Clark pleaded.

“Clark, I’m fine. It’s nothing.” Lois said.

“You guys want to hear this or not?” Henderson asked amused.

“Yes,” Lois said enthusiastically, brushing Clark away from her.

Henderson sighed, “The explosion was radio-controlled, activated from an unknown point of origin within a two-mile radius of this site. Also, there were video cameras installed in the lobby that were not a part of the building’s security system or any other system that the management company knew about. We think the two are connected.”

“So, what you’re saying is someone watched Superman walk into the building then blew it up?” Clark asked.

“That’d be my theory,” Henderson said dryly. “These are all preliminary estimations right now. Hopefully, we’ll be able to recover enough from these pieces here to try and track down the source of this.” He gestured to the table in front of him.

Lois crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her arms slightly to ease the sudden chill she felt. She looked across the street to watch an ambulance pull away, siren wailing. She felt Clark’s arms wrap around her from behind; the warmth of his embrace seemed to help drown out the chill she felt from the scene that had unfolded in front of her. Henderson watched them with an amused look on his face before excusing himself. “That poor man,” Lois said, shaking her head.

“What man?” Clark’s tone seemed confused.

“Superman.” Lois said, turning around to face him, “He comes here to help us...Can you imagine how he must feel?”

Clark nodded, “I think so.” His tone was thoughtful.

“It doesn’t make any sense. Who would want to kill Superman?” Lois leaned her head against his chest for a brief moment before pulling away from him. “This is getting out of hand. We have to find out who is behind this …and…and stop them…”

“Lois, it’s not like they’ll be successful in trying to kill Superman.” Clark reasoned, “Superman isn’t the issue here…”

Lois nodded, “I know. I know that. It’s everyone around here that gets caught in the cross fire.” Her determined fire back she grabbed Clark by the tie and tugged him along with her. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

***

They came back to the newsroom to find Perry and Jimmy pouring over the notes they had left. “Perry?” Lois knocked at the Conference Room door.

“Ah, Lois, Clark, come on in.” Perry motioned for them to have a seat. “We got a little more information on Shock Wave.” He motioned to the hand written notes in front of him.

“How?” Lois asked.

“Hey, I may not be on the beat anymore, but I still got sources…” Perry grinned. “According to my source Project Shock Wave is an experimental coastal defense network. Apparently, our Navy began lobbying for it’s own version of a Star Wars system a couple years back. Proposals were made. Guess who’s system was runner-up?”

“Roarke.” Clark replied flatly.

“Bingo.”

“Did you find out who’s behind Shock Wave?” Lois asked curiously.

Jimmy pulled out a page from his notebook, “Luthor Technologies.”

“Luthor?” Lois and Clark asked in unison.

“Well, you know, Lex Luthor’s always trying to do something with the military. He’s had the experience working with them before. He probably knows what they’re looking for in these proposals.” Perry reasoned.

“So, what does this Shock Wave do?” Lois asked.

“It’s designed to automatically analyze any foreign object within it’s sensory range and calibrate an appropriate response. A sonic curtain, if you will? No matter what you tried to throw at it; the sonic vibrations would protect you with an impenetrable barrier.” Perry explained.

“Yeah, Roarke had millions tied up in his own system…He’s close to bankruptcy right now. Paying off Harrington used up his last ten thousand.” Jimmy said.

“Sounds like the actions of a desperate man.” Clark mused.

“So, what do we do?” Lois asked.

“Well, we were recommended to get out of town.” Jimmy began.

“No.” Lois and Clark said in unison.

“Why don’t we go over those tapes one more time? Head back to the hotel and grab them for me, but first…Go ahead and write that piece up on the explosion from today.” Perry instructed.

“On it,” Lois said, heading for the door. Jimmy followed close behind. Clark got up to leave as well, but Perry stopped him.

“Clark, can I have a word with you, son?” Perry drawled.

“Uh, sure,” Clark said hesitantly, unsure what Perry wanted to talk to him about.

“I had an interesting conversation with Ralph earlier….told me you threatened him.”

Clark’s face fell in shame, “Uh, yeah.” He winced, “..about that.”

Perry patted Clark on the shoulder, “It’s good to see someone finally put that man in his place. The trash that man talks…Boy, if he wasn’t so good at digging up the dirt on these politicians I’d…”

Clark gave him a weak smile, “I stand by my partner, Chief.”

Perry’s head did a double take. “What in the Sam Hill is he spreading about Lois?” The fatherly concern was evident in Perry’s tone.

“I really can’t say, Chief. It's personal and private…” Clark explained.

Perry watched him for a minute critically then extended his hand out to Clark, “You’re a good man, son. Don’t let the vultures pull you down, ya’ here?”

“Yes, Chief.” Clark nodded.

“Good.” Perry said gruffly, “Now, get out of here.”

***

Lois and Clark finished writing up the story on the explosion then headed back to the hotel room. “I think we should just print what we’ve got. Once news leaks out about this test being sabotaged the Navy will have to cancel it.”

“Yes, but then we could get charged with espionage,” Clark said. “Military. Top Secret?” He prompted.

“Well, Roarke has to be stopped; he…” she stopped cold in her tracks when she opened the door. “Clark?” The room had been completely destroyed. The audio/ video equipment had been smashed to pieces, tapes destroyed, furniture overturned, sofa cushions torn, wallpaper peeled off the walls.

Lois walked into the bedroom and gasped at what she saw. ‘DIE!!’ had been stabbed through the linens and all over the walls. A muffled sound came from the other room. She came out of the bedroom to find Clark sitting on the couch. “Did you hear something?”

“No.” He responded.

Lois stared at Clark for a moment. There was something off. She could have sworn she’d heard something out there. She turned to go back into the bedroom. A bulk of cotton at the entrance of the bedroom caught her attention. “Oh, no,” she said, leaning down to pick up the object. It was the stuffed bear Lucy had given her for her sweet sixteen. It had been stabbed and unstuffed.

“What is it?” Clark asked from behind her.

She turned to him, brushing a few tears out of her eyes. “I’ve had him since I was sixteen.” She stood up and turned toward him. “Well, Roarke knows we’re on to him.”

Clark nodded, “Worse than that, he’s destroyed all our evidence.”

“He’s probably cleared out across the street too.” Lois reasoned. “We have to find him. That man is capable of anything.” She handed Clark the unstuffed bear then turned back to the bedroom to begin sifting through the destroyed room.

***

Lois curled up in front of the TV with a tub of chocolate ice cream and a tape of Ivory Towers. The show just didn’t draw her in the way it had before. I mean, the show was entertaining and she enjoyed the plot twists, but she didn’t really connect with the characters the way she used to.

Lois sighed, “Yet another thing that’s changed..” she murmured, clicking the TV off. She and Clark still hadn’t gotten any further on their investigation and they were running out of time. Perry said he would check with all his sources in Washington to see what he could find out about warning the Navy without incriminating themselves legally. The mysterious disasters around Metropolis were beginning to worry her. It seemed like she was missing something, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

The only thing she had been able to really focus on today was Clark. She felt like she had just been going through the motions while discussing the case with Perry and the rest of the gang. Every time she looked at Clark her mind kept flashing back to the hotel room and all the wonderful things he had done to her repeatedly the night before. She had never been turned on like this by any man. She had been attracted to a man before, but not like this. Little everyday things would trigger a memory; the way he bit his lip when he had been holding back on his own pleasure, the way he had teased her about being impatient, and the way his body felt pressed up against her own.

All she could think about all day was repeating last night’s activities. She had been so tempted to just lure him into one of the many supply closets, or the darkroom, or even one of the upstairs offices, but she hadn’t had the nerve to follow through with it. They were dating, but she wasn’t sure what the protocol on something like this. She’d never craved sex with Claude. It had strictly been in the bedroom; and only a few times. She had never enjoyed it. She had thought there was something wrong with her. Now, however, she knew it just took the right man.

She felt a familiar tingle in her belly and winced. Was it always going to be like this? Every time she thought about Clark she would get the urge to jump into bed with him? If only they were still at the Lexor. The manager had said he’d be in touch about their room, but they hadn’t heard anything. It appeared that they wouldn’t be sharing a bed tonight. She had felt so at peace in his arms last night. She had been disappointed when he hadn’t been there to wake up with. She knew he probably had to have had a good reason for leaving, but it still didn’t squash the disappointment she had felt when he hadn’t been there.

She really missed him. Would it be in horrible taste if she just showed up at his apartment? Not necessarily. Did she really care? No. She just needed an excuse to drop by. She looked over at the files on her desk. Perfect. Now, if she could just find something to change into…

***
TBC...
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