Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Federal Disaster (19-20/37)

banner by CarrieRene

Chapter 19

Although they both knew that calling banks was a top priority, Clark insisted they take some time before diving into things. Lois was only too happy to oblige, still feeling emotionally raw and exhausted from everything that had happened. Instead, he’d carried her into the bedroom, and — despite the fact that it was only two in the afternoon — pulled the covers back and folded her into his arms.

He gently kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair as she drifted off to sleep, the soothing sound of his heartbeat helping her to sink into peaceful oblivion.

She woke to the feeling of Clark’s arms cocooning her in warmth and her stomach growling insistently. She sat up, rubbing at the last vestiges of sleep as her mind went from foggy to clear.

She didn’t often nap during the day, but when she did it took a while for her to get her bearings again. She yawned and looked over at Clark, who had also sat up and was now staring at her with a bemused and loving expression on his face.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he said softly.

“Hey, yourself,” she replied, loving the fact that he was here to wake up to, not just when she napped but all the time. “How long did I sleep?”

“A couple hours,” he told her. Her eyes glanced over to the clock and she noticed the time.

“Clark, it’s after five!” she exclaimed in surprise. “We have work to do. Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You looked like you needed the sleep,” was his gentle reply. “I…just didn’t have the heart.”

She wanted to be irritated with him. After all, Lex was a serious threat and time was running out. Just one look at him, however, rendered her completely unable to feel anything but love. The look on his face told her that he would always put her first — no matter what the danger. His love continued to take her breath away.

“I suppose we can call the banks tomorrow,” she relented with a sigh as she slid out of bed and stretched. Her stomach rumbled again, and Clark chuckled.

“I don’t think we can do anything without eating first,” he said with a grin.

“I guess I am a little hungry,” she admitted, realising that neither one of them had eaten since breakfast.

“I could make something,” he offered. “Or, if you’re too hungry to wait, I could just…” he made a flying gesture to which Lois nodded vigorously.

“Yes, please,” she said. “I feel like your cooking would be lost on me tonight anyway. I’m all out of sorts.”

“Any preferences?” he asked, making his way over to her, and running his hand gently down the side of her face. Her body instinctually reacted to his touch.

“You pick,” she replied, resting her forehead against his chest and enjoying the scent of him. “I’m not in the right headspace for decisions tonight.”

He wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed the top of her head gently.

“I’ll be quick,” he promised as he stepped back, spun into the suit and flew out the window. She had only just begun to set the table when he zipped back in, laid the food out on the table along with drinks and utensils and spun back into a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

The food smelled amazing. He’d brought back some kind of Indian curry with what seemed to be freshly baked naan bread. Her mouth watered as she sat down at the table.

“Where on Earth did you…no, wait, silly question.” She flashed him a grin. “You never cease to amaze me.”

“That’s the plan,” he replied. His tone was light but his eyes were serious. She was about to respond, when another gurgle from her stomach told her enough was enough. Making eye contact, they both laughed before eagerly digging into their food. Lois was ravenous as she ate. The food was incredible, and she and Clark managed to make light conversation — something she hadn’t thought herself capable of after everything that had happened.

Eventually, the food was finished and dishes and take-out cartons were put away. Lois watched as Clark immediately began to wash the few dishes they had used, using his heat vision to dry them. Without thinking, she walked up behind him as he was setting the last plate in the drying rack and wrapped her arms around his solid torso. She placed a kiss on the back of his shoulder, not being tall enough to reach anything else. The gesture caused him to pause and turn around, capturing her lips in a kiss that surprised both of them.

She gasped as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, deepening the kiss as he did so. His hands clutched her hips and then made their way around to the small of her back settling just underneath her shirt against her bare skin. His touch caused her to gasp against his lips and she felt a flicker of heat coil in her lower stomach.

They stumbled backwards together towards the couch as his lips captured hers over and over in increasingly passionate kisses. Her entire body seemed to come alive, and she found herself needing to touch him. Her hands found their way under his t-shirt and up the expanse of his back as his tongue swept through her mouth, effortlessly causing heat to spread to all the pleasure points in her body.

They reached the couch and Lois urged him towards it. He took the hint and sat down, pulling her into his lap. She broke the kiss briefly, and placed her hands against his chest. Something about the way his skin seemed to jump whenever she touched him or the way his breathing sped up every time she shifted in his lap made her feel powerful and alive.

She remembered their conversation from earlier that morning now in all too vivid detail. She remembered his request and the way he’d made her feel with just a look — desired, cherished, and sexy. He was giving her that same look now — and it had the same effect as before.

“Lois,” he said tightly. A muscle worked in his jaw and she noticed for the first time just how hard he was trying to maintain control. “You’re driving me crazy right now.”

“The feeling is mutual,” she replied, her voice foreign to her own ears as her hands continued questing and she shifted slightly against his hips again.

His hands were still by his side where they had been ever since he’d pulled her into his lap. Every now and then he would lift them as if to touch her, then place them back on the couch.

“If you keep doing that —” he started to say, but was interrupted as Lois leaned forward to kiss him deeply and soundly, making sure that her tongue teased his in a way that left no room for doubt as to how he was making her feel.

“You were saying?” she said innocently as she pulled back from him. His hands were suddenly on her hips now, and she could tell just how much he wanted her.

“I was saying if you keep doing that, I’m not going to be able to stop,” he admitted, his eyes intense as he fought for breath. “And we weren’t going to…do this yet, right? I mean, this morning…”

He was right. She knew he was right. She wanted to take things slow and get to know each other’s bodies the way they had agreed to. But it was just so easy to get carried away. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to stop this time. Not completely.

“This morning you made a promise to me,” she said, shocked by how sultry she sounded. “Does the offer still stand?”

She could read his every thought and desire in those brown eyes and yet he hesitated.

“I want to,” he told her, his voice rough with need. “But I’m worried that now might not be the right time. Today was rough and I —”

“Today was rough,” she agreed as she moved off of him reluctantly. She sat beside him, trying to get her own traitorous body under control. “And that’s part of the reason I want you…need you.”

“I get that,” he told her softly. “But when I first…do this for you, I want it to be for the right reasons, not because you want to forget.”

“That’s not why I’m asking.” she promised, her voice equally as serious now. “You make me feel so loved and so safe. But you also make me feel…sexy in a way I’ve never felt before and I want to feel that. Tonight brought back some memories and a lot of fear. But being with you…there’s not room for fear. And that’s what I want to hold onto. The way you love me. Please, Clark. Will you…?”

“Yes,” he rasped, turning and capturing her mouth in a deeply possessive kiss. Before she could react, he’d already lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

****

Lois had never felt so loved or cherished. Sitting together on the bed afterwards, his arms encircling her, she marvelled at the sense of wholeness she felt when she was with him.

“You were perfect,” he told her, still sounding slightly in awe.

“So were you,” she replied. He gave a self-conscious laugh and ran a hand through his hair.

“I better, uh…go fly around for a bit,” he said. “That was intense. But after…when I come back, I mean…can I hold you?”

“Of course…or I could…help you?” She gave him a meaningful look and the look in his eyes told her he understood and was barely holding it together. “After everything you’ve done…I mean it doesn’t seem fair for you to not…”

“Some other time,” he said gently. “You don’t owe me anything.”

A lump formed in her throat at his simple statement and she fought to hold back tears. So many others she’d known had seen love as a transaction. A give and take that had to be matched or it meant nothing. Not Clark. He gave himself freely and with no conditions. Were all aliens this thoughtful? Or was he this special in more than one solar system?

“I know,” she said, surprised to realise that for the first time she genuinely didn’t feel as if she needed to do this out of obligation. She wanted to. “I just want to show you…”

“I know,” he said, his voice ragged. “And believe me, I can’t wait. It’s going to be all I can think of for a while. Well, that and what we just did together. But tonight was for you. We have time. I’ll be back soon.”

Lois nodded, as she understood just what it was he’d been trying to say. She’d asked for something from him — a beautiful memory to replace some of the fear and self-doubt she’d been feeling and he’d given it to her a thousand fold. He was right. There would be time. And when that happened, she’d have the chance to show him just how much he meant to her.

She watched as he spun into the suit and flew out the window, the tell-tale sound of Superman breaking the sound barrier echoing in the night. She let out a deep sigh, threw on a t-shirt when her legs regained their strength and snuggled under the covers, waiting for Clark to return to her as he always did.

Chapter 20

Lois slept well that night, which was a surprise to her. She’d assumed that given everything that had been stirred up during the day that her sleep would be troubled by nightmares, and yet with Clark’s arms around her, it felt like nightmares couldn’t touch her. His arms offered nothing but peace and she was grateful for it.

She woke before he did, which she was also grateful for. Any other day she’d have snuggled back against Clark, or better yet, woken him with a kiss — something she was learning that she really enjoyed. But this morning, she opted to slip out of his arms, throw on a robe and pad into the kitchen where the list of banks she needed to call awaited her.

She checked her watch and saw that said banks would not be open for another twenty minutes, so she made herself busy by making coffee and toast.

He couldn’t help her. She'd realised that almost seconds after she’d opened her eyes. He would want to help, of course, but he couldn’t. Still, that wouldn’t stop him from trying. Clark would insist on being right next to her while she called bank after bank, but there was nothing he could actually do. He couldn’t make the calls for her.

And in realising that, she also realised that she would feel better doing this on her own. It wasn’t that she wanted to shut Clark out — far from it. The very thought of picking up the phone to call the first bank on the list caused her hands to shake. But she also knew that Clark still blamed himself for not interceding sooner when it came to Lex. He would want to be able to do something tangible to help her, and not being able to would only cause him pain.

She would spare him that pain if she could a hundred times over. And even though she knew she needed to stop punishing herself, there was a tiny part of her that believed that making these calls on her own constituted a form of penance. Something to discuss with Doctor Frisken for sure. She’d like to be able to jump up and declare that she was all fixed, but she knew she still had a long way to go.

Starting with these phone calls. She finished the last of her toast and coffee and glanced at the clock once more.

The banks were open.

She looked briefly towards the bedroom but didn’t need super hearing to know that Clark was still fast asleep. She wasn’t sure if the emotional overhang of yesterday’s events had affected him as well, making him really tired, but she knew she probably wouldn’t have a lot of time before he woke up.

She took a deep breath, and dialled the first number on the list — Metropolis Credit Union.

A perky teller answered her, letting her know her name was Angela and inquiring as to how she could help her this morning. Lois closed her eyes and spoke, her voice wobbling ever so slightly.

“Hello, it’s Lois Lane calling. I just wanted to check the balance of one of my accounts.”

“Absolutely,” Angela said, her perkiness grating on Lois’ nerves already. It was going to be a long morning if they all sounded like this. She heard the faint sound of typing on the other end.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Lane,” she said and Lois could almost hear her frowning. “I don’t see an account under that name registered here with us. Are you sure you have one?”

“This is Metropolis Savings and Loan is it not?” Lois asked, playing dumb as a wave of relief washed over her. One down, several more to go.

“No, I’m sorry, this is Metropolis Credit Union,” Angeal replied, taking the bait.

“Oh, my mistake,” Lois replied, trying her best to sound like she was embarrassed about the mix-up. “I must have called the wrong bank. Thanks anyway.”

“No problem,” Angela said, the perky returning to her voice. “You have a lovely day.”

Lois hung up and dialled the number of the next bank. A very similar conversation resulted as Lois asked to check the balance of her account, and then feigned confusion and an honest mistake as she was told that there was no account in her name there. She called three more banks and had the same luck. She was almost halfway down her list and so far nothing. She was beginning to hope that maybe their theory had been just that — a theory.

Calling the First Bank of New Troy, she went through the same routine conversation, this time with a woman named Carol. However, this time Carol didn’t simply tell her that they didn’t have an account listed in her name. The typing stopped and Carol spoke.

“I…see your account here with us Ms. Lane, but your balance is such that I can’t give it to you over the phone. I am sure you understand with a balance this substantial, we need to see some valid identification. You’ll have to come down to the bank, and we will be happy to help you then.”

Lois said nothing. She could hardly breathe. She wasn’t even sure if she had dropped the phone receiver until Carol’s voice came through again on the other line.

“Ms. Lane? Ms. Lane, are you there?”

“Y…yes,” Lois said, feeling suddenly very shaky and lightheaded. She worried that she might pass out and reminded herself to take slow, deep breaths. She’d found the account. It wasn’t a theory. Somehow, Lex had gotten her to sign a document opening a bank account she knew nothing about with God only knew how much money in it.

“Thank you,” she told Carol, trying to steady herself just enough. She now regretted her decision not to wake Clark and have him near her while she did this. She desperately wished he was holding her hand right now. “I’ll uh…be there sometime this afternoon.”

“With an account this size, it’s best I book you in for an appointment. Mr. Carstairs, our bank manager, will personally help you. Will noon work for you?”

“Yes, that will be fine,” Lois said, her voice hollow. It was then that Clark made his way into the kitchen, hair ruffled from sleep but his eyes noticeably alert. His super hearing must have caught enough of it.

“Wonderful,” Carol said enthusiastically. “You’ll need at least two pieces of government identification. We will see you then.”

Lois heard the click signalling that Carol had hung up the phone but didn’t put her own receiver down until Clark gently took it from her and placed it on the base. She hadn’t even realised she was crying until Clark reached out and gently wiped a tear from her cheek.

“It’s true,” she said, her voice thick with emotion as the tears rolled slowly down her face.

“I know,” Clark replied and his voice cracked ever so slightly. He pulled her tightly to him and she allowed his arms to wrap around her, cocooning her while she cried softly into his chest.

This time there were no body shaking sobs like the night before. That reaction had been born of shock and unresolved trauma. This was different. She’d known this was a possibility — no, a probability, and she’d processed that at least as much as anybody could.

But now it was confirmed and the emotions she was feeling were less about shock and more about grief. And grief was sometimes a much harder emotion. It ebbed and flowed like a tide. She’d been grieving ever since she’d found herself used by Claude and manipulated by Lex.

But time, and Clark, had helped to heal a lot of that grief, and even as she cried, she knew this too would pass. And sure enough, the tears eventually subsided and when they did, Clark tipped her face up to meet hers, leaning down to kiss her.

When they parted, she drew a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

“I take it you heard all of that?” she asked, though her voice was not accusatory. She knew that he would never listen in on anything truly private. He nodded.

“Not all of it, but enough to know that we have a meeting at the bank at noon.”

Lois loved the way he said ‘we’. She loved the fact that she wouldn’t have to do this alone…that she would never have to do the hard things alone again.

“I need to get dressed,” she said, running a hand through her hair. She knew she must look like a complete mess right now — her face blotchy from crying, and her hair not brushed. Clark must have read her mind because he leaned towards her one more and claimed her lips in a deep searching kiss that left her breathless.

“You’ve never looked more beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes soft and serious. When he looked at her that way, she couldn’t help but believe him.

“Come on, farmboy,” she said as she took his hand and dragged him towards the bedroom, “we have some time before the meeting. I want to spend the morning in bed with my fiance.”

*****

They did just that, laying in bed as long as they could, kissing and snuggling and pretending the world outside the apartment didn’t exist. It was exactly how Lois would want to spend a day off of work with Clark once they were married. Well, with the addition of morning sex and the subtraction of having to deal with the fall out of her near-marriage to a psychopath.

Eventually, the real world did intrude, however, and Lois found herself reluctantly getting out of bed, showering and putting on her most expensive looking business suit. She didn’t know exactly how much money was in this account, but knowing Lex, it was likely an obscene amount. She would need to look the part as much as possible.

Not that there was any possibility that these people wouldn’t know who she was. Lex’s death and subsequent rise from the dead had been headline fodder for the last three years. Add to that her own personal standing in Metropolis as the other half of ‘Lane and Kent’, and no doubt Carol was gossiping to all her friends at the bank about who was finally coming into check on her account after three years of nothing.

She had to look as if she knew exactly how much money was in there even if she didn’t. Lex no doubt had people working for him in that bank, and so she had to assume the news of her visit would get back to him somehow. If it did, she wanted him to think she hadn’t been the slightest bit intimidated by him.

She was quiet as they drove to the bank, focusing on the road rather than on the destination. There was so much they didn’t know and so much she was uncertain about. Eventually, when they arrived and Lois had parked, Clark took her hand and gave it a short squeeze.

“It’s going to be okay,” he reassured her. “He can’t get to you and I am right here.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Lois replied, her mouth set in a grim line. “If anything, I am looking forward to how angry this will make him. This will shake him up…scare him. I want him to be afraid.”

“Lois…”

“I won’t do anything reckless, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she replied, knowing that would likely be his primary fear which was, to be fair, more than a little warranted. “In fact, I’m not sure what I’ll do…with the money I mean. We haven’t really talked about it yet. All I know is, regardless of the amount, I don’t want to keep it.”

“I agree,” he said grimly. “No amount is worth the blood that money is steeped in."

"But that still leaves the question of what to do with it," she said, frustration lacing her words. "Lex will have spies in that bank reporting back to him. Whatever we do, I don’t want him to be able to access it.”

“So, we transfer it to your account,” Clark suggested, “your real account. Withdraw it from this bank completely. That way he won’t know what’s being done with it. You want to scare him? That will do it. We can figure out what to do with it once it’s safe in your account.”

“Yes,” Lois agreed, getting out of the car and taking one last glance at herself in the mirror. “Let’s make him think he’s lost it all.”

The bank employees seemed to fall all over themselves the moment Lois and Clark walked through the door. It was all ‘yes, Miss Lane’ and ‘would you like a water with lemon, Miss Lane’. Briefly, Lois wondered if this was what it was like to be a celebrity. She was used to a certain degree of notoriety given their job and the fact that she had a close public friendship with Superman, but this behaviour was on another level entirely and it made her skin crawl.

They were instructed by a young woman in her early twenties by the name of Tara to follow her, and the two of them were shown to an extremely plush office where a man wearing a suit that would easily have cost Lois two month’s salary waited for them.

The moment they walked through the door he gestured for them to be seated in two extremely plush leather chairs and closed the door behind them. Two glasses of lemon water sat on the desk despite both of them having declined the offer.

“Lois Lane, such a pleasure to meet you,” the man said, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Lois noticed his nameplate read Richard Carstairs. Lois wasn’t sure why but something in her gut told her that this was Lex’s man on the inside — or at least one of them. There could easily be more. Mr. Carstairs looked at Clark and reached out a hand, though Lois noted he wasn’t as eager to shake it. “And you must be the other half of Lane and Kent. Pleasure to meet you both. I’m Richard Carstairs. What can I do for you today?”

Lois took a deep breath and reminded herself to sound as cool and detached as possible. She was at the bank inquiring about an account. That was all.

“I was hoping to learn the present balance of my account,” she said smoothly, meeting Mr. Carstairs’ gaze directly. Go ahead and tell him, she thought to herself.

“Ahh, yes,” Mr. Carstairs said and he sounded a bit nervous. One look at Clark confirmed her assumption. He would likely notice the man’s change in heart rate after all. “We can absolutely do that for you. We, of course, will need to see two pieces of identification as well as authenticate your signature. With an account this size, I’m sure you can appreciate the precautions necessary to keeping it safe. Especially, given that this is the first time you’ve come to…check on it.”

And there it was. The tell-tale sign of a spy. Lois smiled, feeling her confidence grow by the moment as she fished her driver’s licence and passport out of her wallet. She handed them over to Mr. Carstairs.

“Absolutely,” she said brightly. She could feel Clark’s eyes boring into her. He’d been surprisingly quiet, but she appreciated him letting her take the lead. “You can’t be too careful in Metropolis, after all. I hope this is sufficient.”

“Quite,” Mr. Carstairs said, clearly uncomfortable now. He handed her a document that Lois realised was the original paperwork she’d signed to open the account. She fought down the urge to be sick and kept the smile plastered to her face. Mr. Carstairs placed a blank piece of paper beside the original paperwork. “I’ll also need you to sign your name on that sheet of paper so we can ensure the signatures match.”

“Is that…really necessary?” Clark asked with a slight frown. She could hear the suspicion in his voice and didn’t blame him. If this man did work for Lex, he might be worried she was signing something she wasn’t aware of somehow. Anything was possible where Lex was concerned — even something like invisible ink.

“Unfortunately so,” Mr. Carstairs said, his voice full of false sincerity. “After all, she might look like Ms. Lane, but could perhaps be someone else.”

"True,” Lois replied, her voice outwardly agreeable but with a hard edge to it. “Why, I could be a robot, or someone with a face that looks like mine or even a clone.”

She signed the blank paper with a flourish and slid it back towards Mr. Carstairs, never breaking eye contact.

“Excellent,” Mr. Carstairs replied, his voice becoming even more silky and fake with every hurdle she overcame. “Now, if you don’t mind, there’s only one final requirement. If you’ll recall when you originally set up this account, you created a personal six digit passcode for extra security. I’ll just need you to tell me what that passcode is before we can proceed.”

“This is getting a bit ridiculous,” Clark said, sounding more than a little irritated. Neither one of them had counted on Lex setting up a secret passcode, after all. She gave him a meaningful look, her heart feeling like lead as she spoke.

“It’s okay, Clark,” she said softly. She looked at Mr. Carstairs. “The passcode is 050894.”

Mr. Carstairs’ face fell and Lois knew immediately she’d gotten it right, though she wished she hadn’t. For all his evil, Lex was predictable in many ways, so it was no surprise that he’d chosen their wedding date for her passcode. Clark obviously understood the significance of the date as well because she noticed his expression darken considerably.

She suddenly felt tired. Tired of holding herself together and angry that Clark had to witness yet another reminder that she’d almost married a monster. She was irritated with this song and dance, especially since they both knew it would result in her getting exactly what she wanted. He had no reason not to allow her to see the balance and zero excuses left with which to delay it.

He must have known that as well because he nodded reluctantly and stood up.

“If you’ll excuse me, I will go and retrieve the most current statement for this account.”

He left the room and Lois felt her shoulders sag. Clark placed his hand gently on the back of her neck and gave it a gentle massage. Neither one of them said anything until Richard Carstairs returned with a piece of paper that he handed to her, his fake smile now replaced with a worried grimace.

“Your statement as requested, Miss Lane.”

Lois looked down at the amount and had to refrain from gasping aloud when she saw the number. Two hundred million dollars. It might as well have said a bazillion. She had no frame of reference for that sort of money. She’d expected it to be high but this…

She took a few deep breaths before looking back up at Mr. Carstairs who had a slightly smug smile on his face — as if he’d enjoyed the jolt to her equilibrium. She tried not to let her voice shake as she spoke her next words — words that would effectively wipe the smile off his face for good.

“I would like to withdraw all the money from this account and close it.”

“I see.” Mr. Carstairs’ voice was now as cold as ice. All pretext and civility was gone now. “And might I ask why?”

“I have another account with a different bank,” Lois replied, feeling bolstered by the fact that she seemed to have made this man nervous. If he was nervous, Lex would be furious. “I don’t see any reason to have two accounts and two different banks, and so I wish to consolidate them. I plan to deposit this money into my other account.”

“With all due respect, Miss Lane, we’ve kept this money safe for three years now with no…problems. Why not simply close the account at your other bank?”

“Mr. Carstairs,” Lois said, leaning forward and pretending to take him into her confidence. “I’m sure you are aware that I set this account up while engaged to be married to Lex Luthor, who as we all know turned out to be a soulless killer. I regret ever having anything to do with him and want to disassociate myself from his legacy completely, which means concluding my business with your bank. I am sure you understand.”

“Yes,” he replied softly. “I understand.”

Lois could see by the look in his eyes that he did, and felt a thrill of satisfaction at the fact that this conversation would definitely get back to Lex verbatim and he would be helpless to prevent it.

“How long will it take?” Clark asked, gesturing to the account statement in front of them. “To get the money moved, I mean.”

“Well, it will take some time,” Mr. Carstairs replied, looking flustered. “This kind of money can’t be moved in a day, you understand.”

“I understand,” Lois replied. Then, inspired by an idea, she reached into her purse and pulled out a card from her wallet, handing it over to him.

“What’s this?” Mr. Carstairs asked as he took it from her hand.

“My attorney’s card,” Lois replied smoothly. “I will be informing him that we wish to proceed with the closure of this account and the transfer of funds to my current bank. He will be involved on my behalf in order to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible. But I’m sure it won’t be necessary. You’ve been nothing but co-operative, Mr. Carstairs.”

“You have a lovely day, Miss Lane,” Richard Carstairs replied with a sour expression on his face. He stood up and walked towards the door, opening it for them to leave. She stood up, followed by Clark and headed for the door, resisting the urge to sprint all the way to the parking lot.

She noticed he left the card on the table as they passed Mr. Carstairs.

“We’ll be in touch,” Clark promised.

The moment they were outside, Lois felt her entire body threaten to collapse in on itself. They made it back to the car and Lois sank into the driver’s seat. Her legs felt numb and her hands shook. She worried she might pass out, so she took a few deep breaths, her face in her hands as she attempted to regain control.

“Are you okay?” Clark asked. Then, before she could respond, he gave a bitter laugh. “Of course, you’re not. What a stupid question.”

“I’m…” she wanted to say ‘okay’ but the words wouldn’t leave her lips. “I don’t know what I am. Two hundred million dollars, Clark! How can I…what on Earth are we going to do with that kind of money? How can we even…”

“One thing at a time,” he said gently. His hand was rubbing gentle circles on her back and she could feel the rhythm of it calming her down. “First, we need to get that money out of that bank and into your account. That thing with the lawyer was inspired by the way. I didn’t know you even had a lawyer.”

“I don’t,” she admitted. “Not officially, I mean. The card was a friend’s from college who went into financial law. He gave it to me in case of a rainy day.”

“You’d better call him when we get back to your apartment,” Clark replied. “I’d say it’s pouring now.”

“I think we should stop at the Planet first. Claude said he would be there with Jimmy, working to track down Preston Mills and digging up dirt on the Vice President.” Lois felt that the pieces were coming together, but a small part of her was still worried. Lex always had something up his sleeve, after all. “I want to update them.”

“We’ve cut off his revenue stream, which means he won’t be able to pay off a lot of his loyal supporters,” Clark pointed out. “He’s going to want revenge. He might even send Mills after you before he goes for the President.”

“Then it’s a good thing I have you by my side, isn’t it?”

“Always,” he promised.