Sorry for the huge gap in posting. frown Hopefully I'll get back to a more steady schedule now that the holidays and finishing up Strangers is over.

Part 20

Lois woke up feeling disorientated. Her bed felt strange, but comfortable. Yet she was in a different place, and it took a couple of moments of mental head scratching to remember that she was sleeping in the loft in Clark's apartment. Their apartment, she corrected.

The soft velvet-blue curtains hanging over the railing fluttered silently from the air circulating in the apartment. Her room was small, but comfortable. She and Clark had moved her things, mostly her bed and a dresser, upstairs yesterday and had hung the curtain for privacy.

Clark had wanted to take the much smaller room and give her his double bed, but she had insisted on taking the upstairs, claiming that she needed her own space. But her real reason was that she had not wanted to uproot Clark any more than he'd already had been. It had been quite an awakening for her to see how much not being super anymore affected him. He had let down his guard with her when they had packed the suits and they had danced, but for the rest of the day she had seen his armor go up piece-by-piece once again.

It wasn't fair. She was supposed to be the one with the brick walls and hang-ups, but it seemed that there was no room in her life for them now. Clark had enough for the both of them. Just as well that they decided to delay their blossoming relationship, there were too many issues that both of them had to work through.

The smell of coffee brewing tickled her nostrils. What was Clark doing up so early? She had known that he was a morning person, but this was way too early to even think about being awake, unless...

Then she remembered. Today was the day that they were to start working again at the Daily Planet! Butterflies began a chorus line in her stomach as she sat up in bed. She smoothed the hair out of her eyes and felt a dozen different emotions. Excitement to be returning to the newspaper warred with the apprehension of seeing Lex again.

Everything had changed for her in a matter of days. No longer was Lex someone who she was considering marrying, but the enemy of her new husband and now her enemy. She had no idea how she was going to react when she saw him. Throwing up on his expensive shoes was the first thing that crossed her mind, right behind decking him in one of her self-defense moves.

That would all have to be kept in check if they were going to find the evidence to put the billionaire away for good. Keeping her emotions on a short leash when she was emotionally charged was not exactly her forte. But she had to. It was time for her to step off her cloud and step up to the plate.

Her husband, the man who she had just acknowledged to herself that she loved, still needed protecting from an enemy, an enemy who wanted him dead. She had to keep her wits around Luthor. There was no room for flying off the handle and impulsively doing things her way.

It was very strange to have to be the strong one in a relationship now. After holding Clark in her arms for a long time after the music had ended, she had realized how fragile he was emotionally. She was finally able to understand an inkling of what he was going through. He wasn't going to be able to fly in and save her if she found herself in trouble, not like he had been. Now, for once in her life, she was going to have to watch out for someone else beside herself. That shouldn't be too hard, not when keeping Clark safe from a mortal enemy was at stake. Of course she had taken care of Lucy when they had been growing up, but somehow it felt a bit different watching out for a man she cared about, a man who had been Superman.

Taking another whiff, she realized this was getting serious. Some wonderful smells were filtering up to her loft, and she really needed to consider getting dressed and investigating what Clark was cooking up.

Once downstairs, she noticed Clark was already dressed in his work suit and was placing some waffles and bacon on the table. He looked particularly handsome this morning. She couldn't describe the difference. I was just that he was so... much more. Even his bright tie didn't seem so bright any more. His gorgeous face seemed to light up the whole room.

"Good morning," he said with a bright smile. Clark pulled a chair out for her, and she sank down gratefully. "How was the loft?"

"Oh, pretty comfy. I think it'll do."

She immediately grabbed her napkin in attempt to do something so she wouldn't give herself away.

Clark remained concerned in spite of her positive answer. "Are you sure, Lois? I really wouldn't mind sleeping up there."

She patted his hand, trying to reassure him. "I know, Clark, but honestly, I'm fine."

"You look like something is bothering you. I just assumed it was the loft."

Lois took a bite of waffle and sighed. "I guess when I thought of going back to the Daily Planet, it would be a happy occasion. Now I'm dreading it."

"We don't have to, Lois. Let's see if Perry needs any reporters over at the Star. It really doesn't matter where we work. As long as we're a team, right?"

"It's okay, Clark. We need to do this. I have to face Lex sometime. I may as well get it over with, and I really do think that we can find more dirt on him if we're right under his nose."

"What are we going to tell him about us? Frankly, I'm scared. I have strong suspicions that he was behind the boat nearly sinking, but we can't prove it. Who knows if he was after Superman, or if he found out that we're married now. Not knowing what he knows is very frightening to me."

"I'm scared too, but we've got to pull together if we're going to beat him. Running away is not the answer. I suppose that's why I think that, no matter what, we need to find the evidence and put him behind bars."

"There's one rule I'm going to insist upon for both of us," Clark said empathically. "We can never allow ourselves to be caught alone or lured away from a crowd. Wherever you go, I want to be there. It's too dangerous. Do you promise me?"

The frightened deer-in-the-headlights look in Clark's eyes scared her. He was still so vulnerable, so unsure of himself, yet he was willing to face his enemy head on. Yes, this was something she could promise him. Well, she could promise she would try.

"Okay, I'll do my best. I won't go anywhere alone, if I can help it. The same thing applies to you, too." Lois covered his hand with hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We've got to be a team, sharper than ever, on our toes at all times."

Clark simply nodded, silent. Too silent. Then he gulped the rest of his coffee and stood up.

Grimly, he said, "We'd better go get this over with. You ready?"

Lois nodded, feeling his somber mood as she removed herself from the table. "Come here," she asked, opening up her arms.

Clark paused for a brief moment, then sagged against her, his arms wrapping tightly around her body. "God, Lois! If anything happens to you, then I don't know what..."

She rubbed his back reassuringly, possessively, as her heart filled with protectiveness. "I know *exactly* how you feel. Now, come on. Let's go to work, partner."

She kissed his cheek and pulled away, patting his chest affectionately. Clark rested his forehead against her shoulder and sighed.

Quietly, he looped his arm around her shoulder and pointed her towards the loft. "Get your purse. We need to go."

******

The globe was back in place, shining with a fresh coat of silver chrome. A familiar sight, though now it held a foreboding presence. No longer representing good, it was a wolf in sheep's clothing, a Trojan horse beckoning them to come closer. Now a lion's den, it was a lair of the enemy - Lex Luthor.

Lois slipped her hand subconsciously into Clark's, felt his reassuring squeeze, and then to her surprise, he pulled away.

"We'd better act like we're just partners. We can't let him know we're newly married," he whispered in her ear. "At least until we can feel things out."

She could sense Clark's tenseness and was beginning to wonder if it was worth putting him through what was going to be a dangerous and trying time. No, they'd both decided that this was what they needed to do – work for Luthor in an attempt to root out his weaknesses and expose him for the dangerous criminal that they knew him to be.

As they stepped through the new revolving door, the lobby was alive with employees, bustling about, each purposefully going about their business. But there was a distinct lack of familiar faces. A stern-faced bully had replaced Willie, the old security guard who had been put in jail a couple months ago before the bombing, and the clerk behind the front desk was no longer there. Two well-dressed women now held the job that Dirk Sanderson had occupied for many years.

'Out with old, and in with the new' seemed to be the prevailing theme, Lois thought as they approached the elevators. She touched the familiar wood of the elevator door, tracing a pattern in the engraved front panel. At least something stayed the same.

They stepped into the elevator, and after a couple seconds, Lois noticed Clark growing stiff in his stance. Not his usual stressed-out posture that she had learned to detect, but something more. She began to speak, but at his slight, almost undetectable shake of his head, Lois shut her mouth.

Taking a clue, she remained quiet at his side, hoping that she would find out later why.

The doors opened up onto the bullpen, and Clark immediately drew her aside, glancing surreptitiously around them as he did so.

"Cameras. We're being watched," Clark mouthed.

Lois' mouth slightly opened in surprise, but she gathered herself as she looked around the reconstructed newsroom for the first time since it had been completely renovated. When Lex had taken her here a few weeks ago, the bare-bones construction had only been completed. Now, as she took inventory of her beloved newsroom, she could hardly find anything that was familiar; even her old desk had been replaced by some shiny, sterile metal contraption. No longer would she be able to carve her notes in the wood or count on it to absorb her plant's random waterings.

This wasn't home. She wanted her old Daily Planet back. Perry wouldn't be bellowing from the editor's office anymore, and Jimmy wouldn't be interrupting them at the drop of a hat. The new staff seemed as stiff as their surroundings, mostly young up and comers ready to stab her in the back at the first chance.

Unaware, she sighed, and Clark was immediately attentive.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, touching the small of her back.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's just a shock, that's all."

"I know." Clark paused for a moment, and shifted his weight uncomfortably. "You could have had all this at one time."

"Yep. All this steel, cement, and sterility? What a prize," Lois retorted drolly.

"You could have made a difference here. Any regrets?" Clark asked tentatively.

She looked at her husband and felt his insecurity. "Hey, I know I've made the right decision, and don't you forget it, farm boy." She bumped him slightly with her hip and leaned back to feel the reassuring pressure of his hand on the curve her back. "Don't ever question my choice again, or I'll tear off your leg and dare you to limp."

"Yes, dear." Clark managed a tiny smile and nudged her shoulder. "Come on. I think we need to find our desks."

Lois panicked quietly inside as they made their way down the aisle towards their old desks' location. Luthor had never confirmed that there would be a workspace waiting for them. She just hoped that, for Clark's sake, they didn't have to face their 'boss' anytime soon.

To her surprise, her new hygienic-looking desk was waiting with her nameplate sitting prominently on display. She immediately looked up to see if Clark had found his old spot. A younger woman, probably an intern, had found a desk in the general direction where his old one had been.

Determined not to have Clark left out, she boldly approached the unknown co-worker.

"Excuse me. I do believe you're new here, but let me introduce myself. I'm Lois Lane. One thing you'll need to know before we start sharing the same building is that I'm not new; my Kerths will prove it. I've been around the block more than a few times here, honey, and I need this space for my partner. So gather up your little things and scram. There's a vacant desk over by the snack area. It looks like you could use a few more pounds."

The woman's jaw dropped as she recognized the famous reporter. Stuttering a few words about being told by an important looking person to find a vacant desk, she picked up her purse and notepad and left.

Clark watched the smooth display of Mad Dog Lane and couldn't help the grin that stole onto his face. "Lois, you nearly scared that poor girl to death," he chuckled.

"Interloper."

"You could have asked a bit nicer."

"It was quicker this way. Besides, one look at you and she'd never want to leave." Her eyes darted away quickly, feeling a bit shy at her admission of Clark's attractiveness. No, she'd have to stop doing that. This was not the place to wear her newfound love on her sleeve.

Clark's cheeks colored slightly as he moved towards his recently appropriated desk. "I wonder if Luthor deliberately placed all the desks around you so far away."

Lois frowned as she looked at the other desks surrounding hers. "No one else has a nameplate. Just me," she observed, feeling a bit creeped out by her special treatment. "Come on. Help me scoot your desk closer. If anyone asks, we need to be together so we can work together properly."

Clark pushed the desk closer to Lois' until it was about two feet away, so they could talk easily without screaming across the room. He still favored his injured hand, a constant reminder of what Luthor had done to him.

"So now what?" he asked quietly, sitting stiffly in his new chair. "Do you know who we need to report to? I haven't seen anyone with a attitude that even suggests 'authority'."

"Me neither," Lois whispered back. "It's rather funny that no one questioned us when we came in. For all their new-fangled security, you would think someone would have approached us by now."

Clark grinned teasingly. "After your treatment of that intern, I would even be afraid to cross you. How about a cup of coffee? You only had one cup so far today."

"Are you saying, Mr. Kent, that I need coffee to be socially acceptable?"

"You said it, not me. I guess I need to keep busy. I haven't spotted any more of those cameras, but that's not to say they aren't planted out of sight."

Lois covered her mouth partly with her hand and mouthed words that only Clark could see. "We'd better watch what we say."

Clark nodded in agreement and pulled away from his desk. "Let's me get that coffee. I'll be right back; don't go anywhere."

After Clark left, she began to open her desk drawers to look for hidden bugs. She most certainly wouldn't put it past Lex to plant a few on both hers and Clark's possessions, or anyone's, for that matter.

A cold hand suddenly descended on her shoulder, and she heard his chilling voice again. "Lois, my dear. So nice to finally see you again. I was getting worried when you hadn't returned my calls."

"Lex!" she squeaked almost inaudibly, bracing herself before turning around to face him. Her chair swiveled slowly, and she wasn't sure whether she was doing it herself or if Lex was making it turn.

She rose to face him to be on an even level, an instinctive reaction to not have him dominate over her. Standing firm on her feet, she finally met his eyes, glimmers of dark coal, mocking, even behind his pasted smile.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Lex stared at her triumphantly for a couple of seconds. Lois couldn't back up, couldn't retreat without shoving her chair out of the way and making a scene.

"I hear you've been shopping lately," he crooned, shifting on his feet, inching closer with each tiny step.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Lois croaked, feeling the edge of the desk biting into the back of her thighs.

"Your mother called to congratulate me on my marriage. And I hear you have bought a wedding dress. Does this mean that you're finally saying yes?" Lex's arm slipped behind her shoulders.

Lois blurted out. "We need to talk. I'm not sure where you've got your informa..."

"Everyone!" Luthor yelled loudly as he inched even closer to Lois. "She finally said yes! Lois Lane desires to marry me!"

A silence rapidly filled the newsroom. Every eye and ear was tentatively trained on the billionaire. A couple of people began to clap, then a whistle shrilled in the background.

Lois stood horrified at Luthor's proclamation, unable to speak or to move. Encouraged by the catcalls and encouragement, he leaned in and met her soundly on her lips.

A strong, but familiar voice spoke from beyond. "Get your slimy hands off my wife, Luthor!"

Lex turned around, only to face a solid fist rising in the air, heading towards his face...

*****