Pheromone, More Likely: 10/10
by Nan Smith

Previously:

Lois moved forward almost instinctively, grabbing his arm. "Lex, no! If you kill Clark, that won't win you my love! We just need to get to know each other better!"

Lex didn't appear to hear her. He shook her hand free and lifted the weapon.

Reason wasn't going to get through to him, she knew, anymore than it had with Wally. In fact, only one thing had gotten through to Wally ...

Lois spun, grabbing one of the folding metal chairs that leaned against the wall, and as Lex started to squeeze the trigger a second time, she lifted it and brought it down hard on the back of his head. Lex folded to the floor, the revolver spinning away.

"What's going on in here?" a male voice asked. Lois turned to see a police officer standing in the doorway.

"Oh," she said. "Hi, Officer. I can explain ..."

**********

And now, Part 10:

Clark stood beside Lois as the police shepherded Miranda into a squad car, and Lex into a second one.

"I don't suppose the attempted murder charge against Lex will stick," Lois said, regretfully.

"I'm sure it won't," Clark said. "He was under the influence of Miranda's drug. Any first-year law student could get him off without half trying, and you can bet his lawyers are the slickest in the business."

"Yeah." Lois shrugged. "That's why I said what I did to the police."

"That he wasn't responsible for his behavior?" Clark said. He regarded her with a certain amount of apprehension. "What's cooking in that devious brain of yours, partner?"

"I'm not devious!" Lois protested, half-heartedly. Clark raised an eyebrow and she hedged. "Well, not most of the time."

"Lo--is..."

She grinned. "Okay, so I'm devious. I didn't want him to realize I'd figured him out. He knows I tried to get him off the hook with the police, so he'll probably still want to see me." She watched the cars pull away. "He even forgave me for hitting him with the chair."

"Was that what the two of you were talking about?"

"Well, I apologized," Lois said, blandly. "I only wish I thought he really didn't know what he was doing."

"You think he did?" Clark regarded her quizzically. The workings of Lois Lane's mind never ceased to fascinate him.

"I do think it distorted his thinking," Lois said, "but he knew what he was doing, all the same. I think he figured he could kill you and then claim the pheromone was to blame. He thinks you're a serious rival, you know."

Clark regarded her thoughtfully. "I guess you told him that he's wrong."

"Well, sure," Lois said. "If we're going to prove that he's the criminal you say he is, he has to keep seeing me." She pulled his arm. "Let's head back to the Planet and get this thing written. Then you get to take me out for a hot fudge sundae."

Stress relief, Clark thought. Chocolate was always her tranquilizer of choice.

"Besides, he *was* wrong," Lois said, as they walked toward the Jeep. "You aren't a rival. Nobody could be his rival, since I wouldn't have him on a silver platter. If it comes to that, I wouldn't want him if he were the last man on the face of the Earth. I'm only surprised some girlfriend of his hasn't tried what Miranda tried a long time ago."

"Throwing him in a vat of sulfuric acid?" Clark said. "Actually, in a way I can't blame her, even if I don't approve of murder."

"Killing him," Lois specified. "Don't be deliberately dense, Clark."

"Maybe some of them have," Clark said idly, but his mind wasn't really on the what-ifs and maybes of Luthor's relationships with the female of the species. The previous conversation was working itself around in his brain. Maybe things weren't as hopeless as they'd begun to seem. He had no intention of rubbing it in, but if Lois was attracted to him (and that had been made gratifyingly if somewhat embarrassingly clear to him in the last few days) then maybe he had a chance with her after all -- if he didn't draw attention to the fact that he *knew*, and didn't make any other stupid mistakes that put her on the defensive ...

"Are you sure you're all right?" Lois asked. "You seem a little distracted."

"Yeah," he assured her. "I don't think I thanked you for stopping Luthor, though."

"Well, I sure wasn't going to let him kill you!" Lois said.

He grinned suddenly at her. "I'm glad you didn't; that's for sure. Can I at least take you out for a thank you dinner tonight? Not a date or anything," he assured her quickly, at the slightly wary expression that settled on her features. "Just my way of saying thanks and celebrating the end of this thing." Casually, he added a bribe. "I know this little place that serves some of the best chocolate desserts in the city, at least in my opinion. They have a 'Death by Chocolate' cake that's as good as my mom's, and that's saying something."

"Really? Then why don't I know about it?" she challenged.

"It's only been around a couple of months. How about it?"

She hesitated, and he held his breath. "Well ... okay," she agreed, finally. "But it better be as good as you say, Kent."

"I'll leave that for you to judge," he said. "Come on. Let's get back to the Planet. We have a story to write."

**********

Lois checked her outfit carefully, craning her neck to see over her shoulder so that she could observe the effect from the back. Clark had assured her that it wasn't a date, and that the clothing should be casual, but even so, she wanted to look her best.

She *was* attracted to him, she admitted silently, not that she was going to say so, and he probably knew it anyway, but Clark, being who he was, wouldn't embarrass her by making an issue of it. This was simply two friends going out for a celebratory dinner. He wanted to thank her for saving his life, and it would have been rude to refuse, after all. After the gentlemanly way he had dealt with the last few days, she wasn't about to hurt his feelings. If her fancy had settled on any other man than Clark, she had a fairly accurate idea of what would have happened. If it had been Lex, now ...

The very idea made her shudder slightly. She had a pretty good notion of what his relationship with Miranda had been, and she wondered how many other women could tell a similar story. Apparently Clark hadn't been the only one worried about her relationship with Lex. Superman had been worried, too. She'd gotten the impression from Clark that the Man of Steel might have been keeping an eye on her while she had been dating the billionaire. Well, that wasn't such a bad thing, was it? It might mean that he was at least a little interested.

But if he was, he hadn't said so. In fact, he'd kept a discreet distance from the whole situation. Well, he certainly had more to keep an eye on than just her, Lois thought. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that he'd occasionally gone out of his way to give her exclusive quotes, she might have thought that he had no more interest in her than any of the other women that she had seen throw themselves shamelessly at him. A little uneasily, she wondered what she would have done if Superman had appeared in the newsroom while she was under the influence of the pheromone. It was just as well that he hadn't, she decided. She would never have been able to look him in the eye, again.

But Clark ... It was strange, but she was completely comfortable with him, even after everything that had happened. He was her friend, probably the best friend she had, in spite of the way she sometimes treated him. How many others could she ever have said that about?

Precisely zero.

Maybe, she thought, she should treat him a little better. After this last incident, he deserved that, if nothing else.

She considered putting on a dab of perfume and then rejected the idea. Considering what they had been through, she might never wear perfume again. A glance at the clock told her that it was nearly seven; Clark would be here any minute. It was funny, but she was actually looking forward to going to dinner with him, even though it wasn't technically a date. Maybe especially because it wasn't a date. There was no one that she enjoyed spending non-work-related time with more than Clark. With him, there was no pressure. Clark was a nice guy; fending off romantic advances was something she didn't have to worry about when she was with him so why should tonight be any different? She could just go out and have fun.

There was a knock on her door. She checked perfunctorily through the peephole to be sure that it was her partner and then unfastened the row of locks that secured it. Clark was dressed in a pair of slacks and a pullover shirt, and wearing a leather jacket against the chill in the autumn air. Somehow, he looked different, and it took her a second to identify the difference. He had his old glasses back.

Again she was assailed by that feeling that she had forgotten something important, but for the life of her, she couldn't dredge it up. Oh well, it probably wasn't that important. Besides, if she stopped trying it would most likely pop up on its own, eventually.

"Come on in," she invited. "I just have to get my coat."

He obeyed and stood waiting for her while she retrieved the short coat that she had selected for the evening. He was looking good, she thought, and again felt a tug of the attraction that she had become aware of ever since the disastrous two days when she had been under the influence of the Revenge. Maybe a real date with Clark Kent wouldn't be such a bad idea ... someday.

She slipped an arm through his. "Shall we go?"

He smiled at her, and the warmth in his expression drove away the last little traces of uneasiness. "Let's. I'm looking forward to hearing your opinion of this place."

"Oh, you'll get it," she promised. They stepped into the hall and Lois turned to lock her door. "I was thinking, though; after we eat, would you like to see a movie?"

"Sure," Clark said. "Which one would you like?"

"I'm sort of in the mood for a romantic comedy."

"Sounds good to me," Clark said. "We can pick up a paper on the way to dinner and see what's playing, and then you can decide where you want to go ..."


The End (... For now. Stay tuned for Part 2)


Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.