Thanks to Nancy, Alisha, Beth, Pam and Cat! [Wow - I'm just glad I've got readers left after that list
- seriously, they've all helped with various aspects of this
.]
This chapter was stuck for about 3 weeks. Finally, I decided that we've all seen the ep, the changes I've made should be pretty obvious so ditch trying to write the Aplot and move on
. So there...
Last time:
Lois felt his fingers slide under the straps holding her dress up.
"Is there some secret to this?" he murmured into her neck.
She shook her head.
He kissed her again, long and deep and passionate before stepping back slightly.
She kept her eyes closed as his fingers came up and over her shoulders, still hooked under the spaghetti straps.
"Are you sure?"
She nodded and, in unison, his fingers moved the straps down her arms until gravity took over, pulling the dress to the floor.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, lowering her to the bed before bending over enough to kiss her lower abdomen.
Where the baby was.
And then... He put one knee on the bed and lowered himself next to her, careful, she was sure, to keep his full weight from resting on her.
They lost themselves in each other, in the sounds and sensations of two halves once again becoming a whole.
Chapter 9Lois slowly came to realize that it was morning.
And that she was alone.
Late morning, if the clock was right.
But she was still alone.
She stretched, realizing that she still wasn't wearing any clothes.
And that there was a key turning in the door.
She grabbed her robe and shut her bedroom door, quietly, hoping that Lucy wouldn’t see her do it.
"Lois?"
"Just a minute," Lois called back. She glanced at her room. Her dress and assorted undergarments were strewn about the room but Clark's tux was gone. She didn't have time to think about what that meant as she scurried around, picking it all up and shoving it all in her closet, shutting the door to prevent it from spilling out. She grabbed a pair of pajamas out of the drawer, quickly pulling them on and wrapping her robe around her before going to the living room.
"Just get up?" Lucy asked with a smirk.
"Don't start," Lois warned. "You know how much I've been working lately. I finally got a day I could sleep in so I did."
"Where's Clark?"
"How should I know?" she snapped. She didn't. Did she? Maybe she should. All she really knew was that she'd woken up alone. She sighed. "Sorry. I'm still waking up. You know how I am before my first cup of coffee." That said, she headed to the kitchen to start a pot. On the counter was an envelope with her name on it.
She slid a finger under the flap and tore it open before pulling the sheet of paper out.
'Lois,
'I'm sorry to leave while you're still asleep and I hate that you'll wake up alone, but I'd guess you really need the rest. I had to get to work and probably won't be back until late. I would have cleaned up some more, too, but I didn't want to wake you. I did polish the article and email it to Mr. White. I haven't heard back yet.
'We really need to talk – there's a couple things I need to tell you, but I don't know that I'll be back early enough to do them justice. Hopefully, they won't need me until later tomorrow and we can talk in the morning if we don't tonight.'
It wasn't signed.
"What's that?" Lucy asked, walking into the kitchen.
Lois shrugged. "A note from Clark. He left before I woke up, obviously. Just says he went to work and doesn't think he'll be home until late."
"Are you going to tell me what the deal with you two is?"
"No." Lois turned away, moving back to the counter to put the coffee grounds away.
"How long have you known him?"
"Long enough."
"Why haven't you ever mentioned him?"
"Because I haven't."
"Lois, what's going on?" Lucy asked quietly.
Tears filled Lois' eyes, quickly spilling over and streaking down her cheeks. Instantly, Lucy was at her side, holding Lois in her arms. Together, they sunk to the floor.
How long they stayed like that, Lois didn't know, but it was a long while before she pulled back.
"Thanks, Luce," she whispered as Lucy reached for some napkins in one of the drawers. Lois gave a half laugh. "Napkins?"
Lucy shrugged. "Kleenex are too far away."
Lois leaned her head against the cabinet. "I guess I should tell you the whole story."
"If you're ready," Lucy replied softly.
"Remember when I went to go see Molly a couple months ago?"
Lucy nodded.
"I met a guy. Molly had to work unexpectedly and he and I... We spent the afternoon together exploring the town."
"Clark?"
Lois nodded. "Yeah. Then... something happened. I don’t know what, but I don't remember much of the next couple hours – and before you ask, Clark didn't do anything to me. I told him I wanted to get married. We did. We went to the courthouse and then found a bed and breakfast with a chapel and got married. My memory really picks up about the time we got to the room. I woke up the next morning and snuck out while he was asleep. I came home and..."
"Wait."
"What?"
"You're married?"
Lois nodded.
"To Clark?"
Lois nodded again.
Lucy's head fell back against the cabinet. "Wow," she whispered.
"We hadn't been drinking or anything like that, but it's like getting drunk and married in Vegas or something."
"So the ring..."
Lois twisted the ring on her finger. "Yeah. I don't remember it, but I guess we bought rings. It really does help keep unwanted guys away though," she said, resting her head on Lucy's shoulder.
"So why is he here? Did you not call a lawyer? Or him?"
"His name was smudged on the license, but I could have found him if I really wanted to. He's from a small town in Kansas where everyone knows everyone else. He never knew my last name and didn't know how to find me."
"Kansas? You saw him last weekend?"
"Yeah."
"So why's he here now?"
Lois took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Because I told him he's going to be a father."
Lucy was silent for a long moment. "You're pregnant?"
Lois nodded. "Yeah."
"So Clark just showed up?"
"About half an hour before you did."
"What's the plan for you two then?"
"I don't know. We've both mentioned calling lawyers but..."
"But what?" Lucy asked after a long moment.
Lois hesitated again. "Last night..."
"It's a good thing I went home with Jimmy?"
Lois nodded. "Though if you'd been here... It wouldn't have happened, I'm sure."
Lucy nudged her with her shoulder, as she tried to suppress a grin. "Was it worth it?"
Lois laughed. "Lucy, it was super, but that doesn't mean..." Her voice trailed off. "Just because the sex is good doesn't mean we should be married. I don't know him well enough to know if we should even consider dating, much less anything else."
"He gave you the story," Lucy reminded her. "And he's here."
"He did give me the story, but..." She sighed. "He's a drifter. He says he's here to stay but... He's lived twelve different places or so in the last two years. How can I put myself or my baby in the position of depending on him if he's going to run off again?"
"Are you in love with him?"
"I've known him for like two days total. Of course, I’m madly in love with him," Lois said sarcastically.
"Why'd you let him stay here then?"
"Because I let him stay here, I should be in love with him?"
"If you're not in love with him, why did you?"
Lois sighed. "I don't know. He showed up at the door with his suitcase and asked if I knew a cheap hotel. I don't know why I offered to let him stay here. I offered to let him stay on the air mattress," she finished quietly.
"Why didn't you say something when I got here?"
"What was I supposed to say? Hey, Luce, my husband showed up and needs to sleep on the air mattress?"
Lucy winced. "I see your point. So did he sleep in the bed?"
"He offered to sleep on the floor but I told him he didn't have to."
It was Lucy's turn to lean her head against Lois. "I think you are a smitten kitten."
Lois sighed but didn't respond to that. "I've got to get ready. I do need to get some work done today."
Neither one of them moved until the phone rang. Lucy reached up and handed the handset to Lois.
Lois stood as she answered it. "Hello?" Silence. "Listen, whoever this is, I don't have time for this." She started to put the phone down when there was a reply.
"Lois?"
"Perry?" Lois leaned against on the counter.
"Um, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm looking for Clark Kent. This is the number Jimmy gave me. I thought it looked familiar but..."
"He's not here."
"But you know how to reach him?"
Lois leaned her elbows on the counter and rested her forehead on the palms of her hands. "Yeah. He got another job yesterday and he's there now."
"Well, have him call me, would ya, darlin'? I got his article on the theater and it's good."
"I know," she said softly. "I read it. Not my style, but good."
"Well, when you see him, let him know I want to talk to him."
"I will. I'm going to head down and follow-up on the Metro fire here in a bit." It had nothing to do with the fact Clark would be there. Not at all. She needed to convince herself of that.
"Be careful, darlin'. The Metros should be taken seriously."
"I know, Perry. Don't worry about me."
They spoke for another minute before Lois hung up the phone. Lucy had long since moved to the living room and turned on the television.
She headed into her room and found a pair of formfitting shorts that made her legs look even longer than usual and a white shirt that she could tie up. Given what she'd overheard the day before, it was likely they were going to be looking for more showgirls. And this undercover gig couldn't be any worse than being a scruffy teenage boy. And even though her clothes weren't fitting quite as well, it certainly wasn't obvious that she was pregnant yet - even in this get up.
And even though she wasn't sure exactly what the deal was between her and Clark, he'd be there, too and there was no way he'd let her get hurt, if for no other reason than she was having his baby.
She pulled on a pair of jogging pants and a T-shirt over her clothes, sticking a pair of heels in her big bag and putting tennis shoes on instead. No need for Lucy to know her plan.
"I'll be back later," she called to Lucy as she headed out the door. "Don't wait up."
"Wait," Lucy said.
Lois stopped and turned. "What?"
"Do you want me to find somewhere else to go? I mean, I could go to Jimmy's but you've been there – his place is a sty and the neighbors are so loud..." Lucy bit her bottom lip. "Once in a while, like last night, is one thing but..."
Lois sighed. "It's up to you. If you want to go somewhere else, I won't complain because of... everything, but at the same time, you're always welcome. You know that."
"I know," Lucy said softly. "I'll leave a note if I go somewhere. Love you, sis."
Lois smiled at her sister. "Love you, too, Luce."
With that she headed to the Metro Club.
*****
Clark wiped his hands on towel and examined the wall in front of him. It looked good. The Metro Club was going to smell like fresh paint when it opened in a couple hours but the vestiges of the Toasters would be gone.
"Very nice, Mr. Kent," came the sultry voice behind him.
He turned to see Toni standing there. "Thank you."
"You've painted before."
She was flirting or something close to it.
"Almost always something to paint back home," he said.
"Hey, you," Johnny's voice cut across the club. "With the legs."
Clark glanced up at the stage to see who Johnny was talking to.
Lois.
Somehow he should have known.
Toni said something to him and he turned his attention back to his boss. It was an hour later before he had a chance to talk to Lois.
"What're you doing here?" he hissed as he pulled the curtains to her dressing area closed behind him.
"My job," she said calmly. "Something's going on here and I'm going to find out what it is."
"It's dangerous," he said in a harsh whisper.
"Your point?" she whispered back. "You're going to be here the whole time and you're not going to let anything happen to me. Besides, I'm careful."
He gave her a skeptical look. "I'm not sure I buy that."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm *not* going to do anything that's going to put me or the baby in danger – don't worry about that. I'm just getting the Metro story – that's *all*."
The first part of the evening was pretty uneventful, though Clark did get a kick out of watching Lois dance in the chicken costume.
He kept an eye on her as she waited tables with ease and he found himself wishing some of the men in the club would stop leering at her.
Eventually Johnny, Toni and a number of the other men Clark suspected of being gangsters went into one of the back rooms. He noticed Lois arguing quietly with another waitress before she headed towards him, a tray situated on her hip.
"I need drinks for all of them," she said nodding towards the conference room door.
Clark sighed and poured enough drinks for all of them, including the long overdue Long Island Iced Tea for Toni. "Be careful," he said quietly as she picked the tray up.
"Don't worry." She headed into the room and he heard her as the door swung shut. "Thirsty, boys?"
A minute later, shots rang out.
*****
"What the hell were you thinking?" Clark hissed as the apartment door slammed shut.
Lois winced, and not just because she was sure eight of her neighbors would mention to her that they'd heard it in the middle of the night. "Lucy's asleep," she hissed back.
"You could have been *shot*," he said in a stage whisper as he followed her into her room.
"But I wasn't," she said quietly, but calmly. "And I got the inside scoop. Johnny's out and Toni's in. And that reminds me, I need to write it up before I go to bed."
"Your deadline is three in the morning?" he asked skeptically.
"No, it's noon. But I want to get it down while it's fresh in my mind, send the rough draft in to the night editor so he has an idea of what it is and how much space to hold and let him know that I'll send a final draft to the weekend editor tomorrow before noon. He may or may not call Perry first."
"Right."
She pulled her laptop off the side table and situated herself cross-legged on the bed. "You can do whatever you want, but I'm writing a story."
Clark sighed as he shrugged off his vest and tossed it and his tie onto the chair. She tried not to look as he untucked his shirt and toed off his shoes. "Can I help at all?"
"I think I got it, Farmboy." She was being more than a bit rude and she knew it. But she was trying to avoid thinking about what had happened the last time he'd worn a tux – and in this very room, on this very bed. She didn't need the distraction.
She tapped away on the keyboard very aware that he was just sitting there. Finally, she turned and looked at him. "What?"
"What what?" he asked, looking at her.
"Why don't you go take a shower or something instead of just sitting there?"
"Because we need to talk."
"At three in the morning?" she asked skeptically.
"Soon," he said quietly. "Something happened yesterday – I did something – and I don't think anyone suspects but..."
"What happened?" she asked in tones equal to his.
"I'm the reason why the fire didn't spread yesterday." He didn't look at her but stared at his hands.
"What?" She stared at him.
"I put the fire out." He still didn't look at her.
"How?"
"Remember the champagne?"
She closed her eyes and thought back to the hotel suite.
And the strawberries.
The chocolate.
The champagne.
It had been on ice but that had long since melted by the time they got around to eating strawberries and drinking champagne.
But it had been cold when she'd sipped it.
He was lying stretched out on the bed in his boxers. She'd been wearing his shirt again – or still, whichever.
He'd held the champagne in front of him and...
Blown on it.
And then it was covered in... frost.
She sighed and looked at her comforter. "I remember," she said quietly.
"Like that."
"But you don't think anyone noticed?" Lois was skeptical at that. How would Henderson not notice frost everywhere?
"No." He leaned back in the chair. "This is part of the reason why I've bounced around so much the last few years. 'Stunts' Dad calls them. Using what I can do to help someone. Put a fire out or saving a little girl from being run over by a car or helping a mudslide decide to go towards the lake and not the village. Someone would see me do something I shouldn't be able to do and I'd have to leave."
"Why?"
"Because no one could – can – know about me." He finally looked at her. "You *can't* tell anyone. They can't hurt me but you, the baby..." She could have sworn there were tears in his eyes. "They could get to you, my parents, the baby – you'd all be in danger if some crazy xenophobe decided that they wanted to hurt me."
"I won't tell anyone," she promised. "But why can't they – whoever the random they is – hurt you?"
"I'm invulnerable," he said with a shrug. "At least so far. Since I was ten or eleven, I guess. I don't know if the baby will inherit everything I can do, but I was pretty normal as a kid so..."
"So you're going to have to leave here before too long then, won't you?" She couldn't look at him.
"I don't want to. I want to be here – I want to be a dad, but at the same time I can't risk anyone finding out about me. What kind of dad would that make me? If I'd put my child in danger because someone saw me do something I shouldn't be able to." He ran his hands through his hair. "But what kind of *person* would I be if I didn't help when I could? But my... family has to come first, but I guess, I don't always think before I act. I just... do it. Like yesterday. I just put the fire out."
She thought for a minute. "So it's not that you don't want to help, it's that you don’t want to be recognized?"
"I guess."
"Wear a disguise," she said with a shrug.
His head jerked up. "What?"
"A disguise. When something happens and you need to help, change into a disguise. You're fast enough that you can change and get wherever you need to get quickly, right?"
He nodded slowly. "I suppose. But what? Black jeans and shirt and a ski mask or something?"
She chewed thoughtfully on the end of her pen. "No. A ski mask would tell the world you had something to hide. Take your glasses off," she commanded.
He looked questioningly at her.
She motioned at him with her hand to just do it.
He sighed and took them off, tossing them on the bed.
"Now, slick your hair back."
He sighed again but did as he was told.
She nodded. "Remember what I said in the Jacuzzi?" She was getting into her idea and was amazed that she didn't turn bright red.
"You said lots of things in the Jacuzzi."
"You look different without your glasses and with your hair slicked back like that – like when it was wet."
"Right. I remember that. But do you really think that's enough to keep someone from recognizing me?"
"Well, no," she shrugged. "But get a disguise that's bold and splashy enough that no one will really look too closely at your face."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, but surely we can come up with something." She reminded herself suddenly that it wasn't *them* that would be doing this, but *him* - once one of them got around to getting a lawyer. "I came up with the idea. You take care of the details."
"I'll call my mom tomorrow. I bet she can come up with something."
She turned back to her computer. "I'm sure she can." She started typing again. "Was there something else?" she asked.
He sighed. "I think that's enough for now." He stood. "I guess I'm going to hop in the shower if that's okay."
"Sure." Lois looked at him. "Um, I told Lucy everything earlier. Just so you know. About us, I mean, not you."
Clark nodded. "Okay." He gathered some things together and headed for the bathroom.
Lois sighed and read over the story one more time before sending it to the night editor. She quickly changed into pajamas and slid into bed before Clark exited the bathroom.
Before she knew it, she was sound asleep.
*****
TBC
