“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Lois asked, stepping to the side to allow him to enter the apartment.

He hesitated at first, but then he nodded, obviously recognizing the need to inject some caffeine into his demeanor.

Lois poured a second mug of the brew and handed it to him, gesturing to the sugar and creamer on the counter.

“If someone would bring me my coffee every morning before I dressed, I would be very happy. It would change the day,” she muttered jokingly, returning to her mug.

“What about our other room?”

Lois smiled slyly and stepped close to him. “There is no other room,” she said in a low voice, reaching an arm to his waist level. “I told the front desk we'd be busy.”

With a wink, she hung the “Do Not Disturb” sign that she'd been holding on the doorknob, and then stepped back.

Clark let out a slow breath before moving to trail her down the rear stairwell.

“Do you always carry evidence containers in your purse?”

Lois smirked. Not only had she provided collection vessels during their earlier search of Cyphren's runoff, she had supplied latex gloves, tweezers, and a soil brush.

“It's a bag… not a purse. Purses are for dinner dates and shopping trips. A *bag* is a work tool. So, yes, when I have my bag, I carry a kit.”

Earlier that day, she had suggested taking a frog from the Cyphren property so that it could be examined for chemical poisoning. Clark had immediately become hostile to the idea. Then she'd asked if he'd been the type of student who fainted during middle school biology frog dissection. His response had been to stalk off angrily, leaving her wondering what it was that she had said.

Clark grabbed her arm before she was able to take her third step. “Society makes the rules,” he protested.

“Well, in that case, you have to make the decision on principles.” She glanced down at the hand on her arm but didn't pull away. “My principles are truth and justice. What are yours?”

Clark let go of her arm and ran his hand through his hair. “I can't believe we are having a discussion about the ethical principle of breaking and entering.”

Lois rolled her eyes and pulled the hood off of her head. “Fine, you win.” She turned and started walking toward the front of the building.

“Now, where are you going?”

Lois turned her head to reply over her shoulder as she walked, “To knock on the front door.”