Next part on Thursday!
Thank you again Nancy (anonpip), Rel and Michael!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both Sides of the CoinPart 25
TOC The next morning Clark leaned over Lois’ desk. “Howdy, partner!”
Lois grinned at him. “I wish Jimmy had gotten a picture of Perry’s face...”
Clark smiled. “Hey, I just got lucky...”
Lois swatted him. “Uh huh...”
“Lois, Kent! My office!”
<Kent? Guess Perry’s still a bit annoyed...>
<That thrills me beyond belief, Lois...>
They headed for the office and sat down. Perry eyed Clark for a moment before addressing the two of them. “I have a story for you two... It’s about the Ultimate Street Fight boxing...”
“Boxing!?” Lois shouted, lunging to her feet.
Perry continued, unruffled. “Not just boxing. The Ultimate Street Fight! The fight card of the century... of the Millennium! And right here in Metropolis!”
Lois’ eyes narrowed. “It's still boxing!”
Perry met her glare. “It's a civic event!”
“It's *sports*.”
Perry stood, his voice rising. “Lois, just do the story!”
Lois sighed and turned to stalk from the room only to freeze and turn back at the door. “This wouldn't have anything to do with... my connections, would it?”
<Connections?>
<Later, Clark.>
Perry only smiled. “You got connections in the fight game, Lois?”
Lois smiled and said sarcastically. “You know I do.”
Perry snapped his fingers. “Oh, that's right: How *is* your father?”
<Your father?!>
<Dr. Samuel Lane...>
<Oh...>
Lois grabbed Clark’s arm. “Come on, Clark...”
***************************
The couple arrived at ‘Menken’s Gym.’ Lois hadn’t said a word throughout the journey. Once inside, she became tense, her eyes taking in the people in the gym.
<You okay, Lois?>
<I... will be. Thanks, Clark...>
<If we weren’t on duty I’d...>
<I know... and it helps.>
Clark looked around. “I guess you know more than your average person about all this...” He motioned to a large trophy case.
Lois sighed. “Yeah, anyone my dad worked on I know all about...”
Clark grasped her hand and squeezed it.
She smiled at him before approaching the ring. “Um, Tommy Garrison?”
Garrison looked over and got a punch in the face. This was all it took for him to loose his temper. He turned on his opponent and leveled a punch that knocked the man clear off the ground and across the ring before he fell face down, out cold.
<Holy...>
<I... agree, Jay...>
<That wasn’t... normal...>
Garrison ripped off his mask. “Who are you?!”
Lois stared him down. “Lois Lane... and this is Clark Kent, we’re here from the Daily Planet.”
“Someone want to throw these two out of here?” the boxer called furiously.
“Hey! Quiet down, they’re ok...” A man came around the ring.
Lois’ face lit up. “Allie!”
She rushed into his arms and he swung her around. “Hiya, Pumpkin!”
<Pumpkin?>
<Quiet... or I’ll start objecting to ‘Honey’...>
Allie finally released her. “What happened? Perry White finally put you on the sports pages... where you belong?” He glanced at Clark. “She's *forgotten* more sports than I ever knew.”
Clark grinned. “But she’s so good at finding trouble...”
Allie roared with laughter as Lois smacked his shoulder. “Clark!”
Allie turned back to Lois. “How *is* Perry by the way? Still cheating at poker?”
Lois grinned. “So far as I know... but Clark here beat him with a royal flush last night...”
Clark grinned. “It was luck...”
Lois smiled at him. “No, you out-bluffed him, too. He was sure you had nothing but didn’t want to fold on your boss...”
Allie was now looking at the two more closely. “Pumpkin?”
Lois blinked and blushed. “Allie... this is Clark Kent, my partner at the Planet... and my boyfriend...”
Clark smiled. “How do you do, Sir?”
Allie was stunned. “Well, I’ll be,” he broke off, shaking his head. “So...” He cleared his throat. “What brings you two here?”
Lois sighed and got back to work. “You've got four fighters going for titles this Saturday. Maybe the biggest night in the history of boxing, and we can't get to the fighters. I don't get it.”
Allie became pensive and withdrawn. “Max Menken'll talk to you for as long as you want...”
Clark frowned. “Menken's the promoter. We want to talk to the fighters.”
Allie sighed. “Sorry, Clark, I can’t do...”
A towel slapped down onto Clark’s shoulder. They all turned to look at Garrison, “You want to talk to me? Okay. But you can't learn anything from down there. Come up here: see what it feels like...”
Lois looked wide-eyed at Clark. <Clark...>
Clark took a breath. “If that’s what you want...”
Allie’s eyes widened. “This isn’t a good idea...”
Lois stared at Clark. <Clark Kent, what are you up to?>
<He can’t hurt me, Lois... and maybe he’ll actually talk to us...>
Clark entered the ring. Garrison immediately started to circle him. “You look pretty solid. Ever been in a fight?”
Clark smiled tightly. “I try to avoid them... but I have a brother... They happen...”
Garrison sneered at him. “Your brother? That’s not a fight...”
<It is when we’re testing our control... Cal, what are you doing?>
<You two tested your strength on each other?>
<Who else should we have practiced on?>
<You practiced *fighting*?!>
Clark ignored the discussion, focusing on Garrison.
“How can you write about boxing if you don't know what it's like? Ever seen a punch like this?” He suited actions to words and leveled four punches in the air around Clark’s head in rapid succession.
Clark didn’t even blink and his hands remained relaxed at his side.
Garrison was obviously angered. “Come on! Give it back to me! Take your best shot!”
Clark only smiled.
Garrison erupted. “No? Then try to avoid me!” He began to level punch after punch around Clark’s head, taunting him all the time. “Look out *Princess*... that one almost connected!” he sneered as he missed Clark’s face by a fraction.
Clark had yet to show any concern for the situation.
Garrison’s frustration was building. “Get your guard up, Honey, someone’s gonna knock you through the ropes... What’ll you do then?”
Clark’s smile widened. “You might be surprised...”
Lois called from the side. “Clark, that’s enough... Come down...”
Clark’s eyes never wavered from his opponent. “I’m fine, Lois.”
Lois turned to Allie. “He’s just playing, right?”
Allie remained silent.
Garrison attempted to back Clark into a corner but at the last second Clark neatly side stepped him. Garrison’s temper was now gone. He lunged for Clark only to have Clark dodge again, leaving him to throw himself into the ropes. He let out a yell and rushed Clark, who easily caught him and threw him over his shoulder to land on his back. The wind whooshed out of Garrison’s lungs even as he stared at Clark in shock.
<Clark, how did you...>
<That was... impressive, Cal, I don’t think you even used your powers...>
Clark looked at the other man. “I may not know boxing... but I studied several forms of martial arts over the years... and often the secret is to use your opponent’s anger and energy against them, like I just did.”
Garrison let out a feral shout and started to rise.
“Garrison! Hit the showers!” came a new voice. Max Menken had discovered the commotion. “Everybody. Let’s go.”
Garrison glared at Clark. “This isn’t over...”
Clark only smiled serenely before moving to exit the ring.
Allie was staring at him. “That was amazing, kid...”
Lois straightened his jacket. “I agree, though I think the lesson was lost on your pupil there...”
Clark smiled at her. “It doesn’t matter...”
Lois sighed. “He was a jerk...”
Clark winked at her. “I guess you can get away with a lot... when you're the strongest man in the world.”
Menken had noticed them again. “*One* of the strongest. Saturday night you can see them all. The Ultimate Street Fight! The most spectacular night of boxing there ever was ... and the winner’s gonna fight Superman.”
<Oh really?>
<How come we didn’t get that memo, Cal?>
<No clue, Jay...>
“The eyes of the world right here on Metropolis! Write about that.” He pointed at the two reporters. “Now excuse us: the gym is off limits to the press.” He pointed at Allie. “You should've known better.”
Lois and Clark saw Allie stiffen but he laughed it off. “Everybody's a little nervous. There's a lot riding on this...”
Lois hugged him. “So I see. Take care, Allie. And good luck on Saturday.”
Allie smiled at her, then held a hand out to Clark. “Nice meeting you, Clark.” His gaze sharpened. “You take care of her, hear?”
Clark smiled and took his hand. “I will. And nice to meet you, too.”
Allie departed. Clark snagged Lois’ briefcase and handed it to her. “Let’s go, Pumpkin...” She glared. “...sorry, *Honey*...” He took off in a jog for the door.
<Clark! Get back here!>
Lois caught Clark outside the door to the gym. She looped a hand through his arm as they started down the street. As they got past the building, Lois yanked Clark to a halt and pulled his head down for a kiss. <You really were great in there...>
“Lois?!”
Both reporters jumped apart and turned to face an older man. Lois’ face went pale. “Hi, Dad...”
Dr. Sam Lane approached the couple warily. “Who is this?” He nodded to Clark.
Clark instantly held out a hand. “I’m Clark Kent...”
Dr. Lane ignored the hand. “Lois?”
Lois sighed. “He’s my partner at the Planet and my boyfriend...”
“You’re dating someone you work with?! Your partner no less?!”
Lois stiffened. “It’s my life... and anyway...”
“I’ve been trying to call you to see how you and your sister are doing...”
“I know... but I’ve been busy lately...”
“So I saw...”
Lois’ face turned scarlet.
Clark stepped in. “Dr. Lane, we were here to try and interview some of the fighters in The Ultimate Street Fight.”
Dr. Lane glared at him. “Yes, you were certainly focused on *business* when I saw you...”
“Dr. Lane...”
“Besides, Menken has a strict no-press policy. The fighters are jumpy enough as it is... Now if you’ll excuse me... I should get in to work.” He stormed into the gym.
<That was... awkward. You okay, Lois?>
<It’s nothing new, Clark...>
<Probably still hurts...>
Lois sighed and buried her head against his shoulder as he pulled her into an alley for a super-shortcut back to the Planet.
***************************
That evening Lois and Clark were preparing to go home for the night, “You okay?”
Lois smiled. “I’m not going to shatter, Clark... It was hard seeing him... Even harder with him catching us kissing... But I’ll be okay...”
Clark kissed her forehead.
A moment later, Lois’ phone rang. She frowned and answered it. “Lois Lane... Allie? Calm down... Okay, what’s wrong?... Okay... where and when?... I’ll see you there...” She hung up and met Clark’s curios gaze. “That was Allie... He said he needs to talk to me about the big fight night... but he wanted to see me alone...”
Clark sighed. “What do you want to do?”
Lois looked at him. “Go... but can you... keep an eye out for me?”
Clark grinned. “You know I can...”
***************************
About an hour later Lois arrived at the meeting point. <You there, Clark?>
<I’m sitting on a roof of the theatre, not in the suit though...>
<I see him...> Lois sped up, “Allie!”
Allie waved and started across the street. Lois watched in horror as a car came careening straight for him. Allie turned and stared in shock at the car but at the last second a red and blue blur grabbed him out of the way. Lois waited for Superman to land but nothing happened. <Clark?!>
<He’s having a heart attack; I’m getting him to the hospital... I’ll be back for you as soon as I can.>
***************************
The next morning Perry found Lois and Clark still at the hospital. Lois was visibly shaken and Clark was comforting her as best he could.
Lois looked up at Perry. “I’ve known Allie almost my whole life... To see him like this...” She buried her head in Clark’s shoulder. <I can’t...>
Perry took in a deep breath. “How is he?”
Lois moved closer to Clark. “He had a heart attack and Superman brought him here. By the time I got here he had been put on sedation by the doctors because he stressed himself out so badly wanting to talk to me while they were examining him. They’ll let him off in a couple days to see how it goes.” She tried to hold back her tears as she burrowed into Clark’s embrace.
<It’s okay, Lois... The doctors said he will be fine...>
Clark tightened his arms around her as he looked at Perry. “The police are calling it a drunk hit-and-run...”
Perry eyed the couple. “But... we aren’t buying that...”
Lois pulled away from Clark. “I was there, Perry. It was no ordinary hit-and-run... the car went *straight* for him... No reaction... No weaving... It just bore down on him...”
Clark nodded. “Superman disagreed with the police too, Chief...”
Lois took a deep breath. “Thanks to Superman he still has his life... but I have no idea what he wanted to tell me... Obviously it was important...” A few tears escaped.
Perry sighed. “What do you kids want to do now?”
Lois sagged. “I just don’t know Perry... We have to try to figure out what he wanted to tell me...”
“Think your father could help?”
Lois laughed bitterly. “I don’t know if he would want to... We ran into him yesterday and the encounter didn’t go well...”
Perry frowned. “It’s worth asking, Lois... After all, he knows Allie too...”
***************************
Lois entered the gym. Clark was beside her with a hand on the small of her back.
They found Dr. Lane seated alone by the ring, chin cupped pensively in his hands.
Lois gained his attention. “Sorry, Dad...”
Dr. Lane looked up, frowning slightly at Clark. “He’s a real character... If he doesn’t pull through...”
Lois sat next to him. “He’s tough...”
Dr. Lane smiled fractionally. “That he is... Always had a soft spot for you though... Used to call you ‘Pumpkin’...”
Lois smiled. “Still does... Clark was teasing me for that yesterday...”
Dr. Lane looked at Clark. “After our meeting yesterday I thought of something, you wouldn’t happen to be related to Dr. Charles Kent, would you?”
Clark smiled. “My twin, though he prefers to go by ‘CJ’...”
Dr. Lane nodded absently. “Interesting theories he had a few years back, on ways to test for extra-terrestrial life...”
<I’ll bet you had some *great* ideas on how to find alien life, Jay...>
<Thanks, Cal! It helped me get this job!>
<Which one: Luthor’s or the post-doc?>
<The one I *wanted*...>
Dr. Lane sighed, his mind back on Allie. “A hit and run... I never would have thought...”
Lois frowned. “We think it was attempted murder...”
Dr. Lane looked up, stunned. “What?!”
Lois continued. “I was there... I saw the car coming at him: straight and fast. It wasn't a drunk, and it wasn't an accident... Superman even said as much to the police...”
<Quite forcibly, too...>
<Quiet, Jay...>
Dr. Lane focused on one fact. “What were you doing there?”
Lois’ eyes widened. “Allie asked me to meet him.”
Dr. Lane got closer to her. “Did the driver see you?”
Lois stared at him. “No, why?”
He relaxed and ignored her question. “Lois, I want you to stay out of this...”
Lois was incensed. “This? What *is* this? What almost got Allie *killed*?!”
Dr. Lane closed off. “Nothing. It's just that there are some rough characters in this business.”
Lois stared at him. “You know... You know what Allie wanted to tell me... What was it? Was it about the fights? Are they fixed?”
He met her gaze. “No, they are not fixed... Just stay away...”
<They aren’t fixed... but *something* is up...>
<You’re right, Clark...>
Lois stared into her father’s eyes. “I’m a reporter... This is our story... but even more than that... they tried to *kill* Allie! I can’t stay away...” Another deep breath, “Will you help us?” Clark moved behind her, lending her silent support.
“No.”
The single word deflated Lois. “Fine, lie to me, to Lucy, to the world... but whatever you’re in almost got someone special to me killed... I *can’t* let someone else I care about die... like Mom did... or let their death be in vain if I can help it...”
Her father looked stricken. “I’m sorry, Lois, but I can’t...”
She met his gaze. “Can’t or won’t?”
He held her gaze. “Can’t...”
Lois took a deep breath. <Are you getting the same vibe I am, Clark?>
<You know I won’t let anyone get to you or Lucy... and all you have to do is contact Jay or me...>
Lois looked her father square in the eyes and said softly. “Me or Lucy... or both?”
Her father sighed. “Both...”
<He’s protecting us...>
<Yeah, someone threatened you two... He may not show it well but I think he really does love you two...>
Lois nodded fractionally. “I can’t drop it... but thanks for protecting us, Dad...” She moved forward and hugged him.
As she pulled back he whispered. “My office...”
She met his eyes and nodded.
Lois and Clark left a few moments later with Sam Lane’s eyes following their every step.
tbc...
