Am going to go ahead and post this... I think I've fixed some of Clark's turdiness and deleted some more... :p . Think I've got a better idea how it's going to play out too - thanks to Kathy and Happy Girl for that!
On the up side - I found ch. 16-25 already outlined
. I thought the book looked familiar but after a while one US History II book reads pretty much like another [for the most part anyway :p ]. Figured I'd gotten a copy of it and then not taught out of it but found a copy with highlights in it so I must have so I dug through the EX-HD and found them
. Of course, I'd already redone 16-18 and half of 19 :p . I still have to do 5-15, 26-30 but I'll take what I can get...
So... as a celebration [?] of both those things, I'm going to post. Probably Wed for the next one.
Last time
"Why? My relationship with Clark isn't anyone's business but our own. And if you really want to know you could probably ask the grapevine. I've heard the news of our marriage has already reached the circulation phone pool and that there's a betting pool on when we're going to announce I'm pregnant. I don't think that even the new girl is that far out of the loop, so why are you asking?"
The door opened suddenly. "Lois, you've got a call on line three," Jimmy said, looking from one woman to the other. "Everything okay?"
"Everything's fine." Lois smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I was just telling Sarah that Clark and I did actually get married and that, no, it wasn't a shotgun wedding. I was also going to tell her how much I appreciate her asking for clarification before acting on any feelings she might possibly have." She nodded towards the other woman. "Excuse me?"
Sarah's face was unreadable as she nodded.
Lois went back to her desk, closing her eyes and taking a couple deep breaths before reaching for her phone. "Lois Kent." She pulled out a notepad and pen, putting the other woman out of her mind and focusing on work.
*~*16*~*"You about ready to go?" Clark leaned back in his chair to look at Lois, still typing feverishly away.
"Almost." Her bottom lip was stuck between her teeth, her brow furrowed in concentration.
A small smile played across his lips as he watched her working and his mind wandered towards his – their – apartment later that night. He'd promised her in Smallville that he'd show off for her later, but he hadn't – not really – and his mind was filled with the possibilities of what the evening could hold.
His daydream was interrupted by the shrill ring of his phone. He sighed and picked it up. "Lane."
"Meet me at the house in an hour."
There was a click and that was it. He looked at the phone, bewildered.
"What was that?"
"A guy. Said to meet him at the house in an hour." His brow furrowed much as hers had been.
Lois bit on the end of her pencil thoughtfully. "Miller?" she asked after a moment of contemplation.
Clark shrugged. "Could be. It's the only house I can think of except Gramps' and I don't get why that would be it."
Lois lowered her voice. "Maybe Superman should check it out really quick, just to be on the safe side."
He nodded, pushing back from his desk and moved towards hers. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He glanced around the newsroom to make sure no one was paying special attention to them. He leaned over and kissed her softly. "Love you."
She smiled back up at him. "Love you, too."
Clark headed for the stairs only to find himself pressed up against the wall by a certain auburn haired gossip columnist.
"Cla-ark, you've been holding out on me," she practically purred.
"Excuse me?" He felt more than a bit trapped.
"Those little things on Lois' finger..." She grabbed his tie and tugged him closer to her. "What's that all about?"
He held up his left hand. "They go with this one."
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you still undercover or did Clark 'I'm as straight laced and unexciting as they come' Lane elope? My first guess would be undercover but the assignment's over so that leaves eloped."
"Something like that."
"Do tell."
Clark sighed. He wasn't going to get away from Cat without telling her a version of the truth. "Love at first sight. Didn't tell anyone until after we'd told our families."
Cat let go with an exaggerated sigh. She walked off, the normal swing in her hips. "Lucky girl," she called over her shoulder.
Clark rolled his eyes. He was the lucky one – to get away from Cat without a scratch. He headed towards the stairs, taking to the sky as soon as he could.
He hovered over the house in Pittsdale for a few minutes, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, before heading back to Metropolis and hovering again – this time over his apartment. After finding nothing unusual there, he headed back to the Planet. Even if he drove, he'd be there well before the hour was up and hopefully get a jump on whoever it was. He thought about flying but he didn't know the neighborhood and wasn't sure if there was a good place for him to land and change – and he needed to be there as Clark, not Superman. Besides, it would give him a bit of time with Lois. Talking out some ideas would be good.
He was still straightening his tie as he exited the stairwell. He looked around, but didn't see Lois anywhere.
"Jimmy." Clark stopped the younger man with a hand on his arm. "Do you know where Lois went?"
Jimmy shrugged. "Dunno, but she left a note on your desk, I think."
"Get anything on Dave Miller yet?"
Jimmy shook his head. "Sorry, man. He doesn't work for Century Twenty-two but that's all I got."
"Thanks, Jim."
Clark looked on his desk for a note, but didn't see anything anywhere. Finally, he sighed and headed to the parking garage. He climbed into the Jeep and drove as quickly as he dared towards the house where they'd met Dave Miller earlier that morning.
His uneasiness grew the closer he got, prompting him to push the speed limit more than he normally did. Why hadn't he just flown?
He parked along the street in front of the house, his heart leaping from his chest as he heard a cry from inside.
Lois.
He sprinted, barely containing himself to human speed, towards the door before bursting through.
The first thing he saw was Lois, lying crumpled against the wall.
"*Lois*!" He started towards her to find his way blocked by Dave Miller. He'd never wanted to hurt someone so badly in his life as he did in that moment. "What did you do to my wife?" he hissed.
"She was in my way," the other man replied with a shrug, his eyes never leaving Clark's. "But you have a bigger problem, *Super*man."
"What?" Clark tried to act puzzled but could feel the blood draining from his face.
"You heard me." Miller gestured to one side.
Clark turned to see two screens against the far wall. One showed his balcony. The other, Perry and Alice, tied up on their back deck.
They were supposed to be on some kind of marriage retreat starting earlier that afternoon, but obviously Miller had gotten to them before they left.
"You have a choice to make. Bomb A." He made a grand gesture towards the screen showing Clark's apartment. "Save all of Metropolis. Bomb B." He pointed towards the other screen. "Save your friends."
"He can't make that choice," Lois grunted, shifting slightly.
"Everyone makes choices every day," Miller told them flippantly. "Low fat or regular? Calvin Klein or Versace? Live or die? You have to choose. The bombs are electronically linked. Disarm or otherwise neutralize one and the other goes off."
"Why?" Clark asked him, one eye on the timer sitting on top of one of the screens.
"We have to know."
He turned towards the door to the kitchen to see Sarah standing there.
"Have to know what?" he asked. "And what do you have to do with this, Sarah?"
"Tick tock," Miller said, interrupting whatever Sarah was about to say. "You have to choose."
"He'd have to split himself in two." Lois winced as she moved further upright.
"Too bad that's not one of his superpowers, isn't it?" Miller said condescendingly.
Something occurred to Clark and, quick as a wink, he swept Lois into his arms and took off out of the house. He wasn't going to leave her there.
Seconds later, he dropped her off in a mall parking lot, whooshing away before either could say anything.
He stopped next at his apartment to get a better look at the bomb and wondering why he hadn't seen it when he'd hovered earlier before flying through STAR Labs, wincing as papers went flying. He left a note for Dr. Klein having taken the device that split the laser into two. He'd seen it when they were there earlier, talking about the transmitter, and Lois' comment about splitting himself into two had reminded him of it. He couldn't split *himself* into two, but he could split his heat vision into two.
He hovered high over Metropolis directing one beam at his apartment and the other at Perry and Alice's suburban home. Seconds later, both bombs were worthless.
He took the time to release the Whites before heading back to the parking lot where Lois had slumped onto a bench.
"Hey," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"
She shook her head. "No. I don't feel so good."
He scooped her into his arms and flew off towards the hospital.
*****
TBC
