Looks like my apology wasn't necessary, doesn't it? 
I don't know yet.
Thanks to LaraMoon!
Enjoy! (And tell me how you liked it, will you? Please?) From Part 2: Clark hadn’t forced his attention on Lois; he hadn’t even known she was there until he had heard her heart. Usually, he didn’t hear other’s hearts. That had only happened back in school when his ability had first presented itself. So, why did it happen now? There was only one answer to that question: he *had* searched for it, unconsciously.
Part 3:Since he already knew where she was, Clark followed the steady sound. Lois was sitting at her desk and reading something. She was obviously completely immersed in it. The sight of her was breathtaking. While reading, her tongue slipped out and moistened her lips, which was quite a sexy gesture. But there was more to it than this. It showed Clark her commitment and love for her work. That was even stronger than her ambition to be the best. This woman touched him like no other had ever been able to. And at the same time, he felt danger. He knew that he was playing with the fire and that, for once, he risked getting burned. Clark shook his head. He wasn’t going to fall for her, or at least he wasn’t going to fall deeper than he already had. His life was complicated enough and there was no need to add problems to it.
Clark approached her desk until he stood right in front of Lois. “Good morning, Lois.”
Lois flinched, startled, and looked up. “Oh, it’s you, Clark. I didn’t expect you to get here so early. Wait a few minutes, I just want to read this and then I’ll give you a private tour.”
“Sounds good,” Clark replied with a smile. Lois returned it and Clark couldn’t help but be amazed by the effect her smile had on him. It made him instantly happy and he forgot about his conversation with the principal. Lois returned her attention to the paper she was reading. Clark heard the sound of high heels on the floor; *very* high heels. Before he managed to turn around, he felt a hand on his upper back.
“Hello, handsome,” a woman purred as she walked around him. She was tall and in some way attractive, at least Clark assumed, since she did nothing for him. Her hair was blond and considerably longer than her skirt. Even without using x-ray vision he was able to see pretty much all of her. Truth be told, it was more like he *would* have been able to see it, had she not been standing so close to him that he might have knocked her out by looking down. One of her hands was resting on his shoulder, the other lay on his chest. “I’m Cat Grant,” she introduced herself.
“Hi Cat, I’m Clark Kent,” Clark replied and tried to get more distance between them. “I’ve read your column.” He sounded as matter-of-factly as possible. Clark recognized her now. He had seen Cat on the day he had had the interview. Obviously, his impression had been right then. She was really hunting men. He didn’t plan on becoming one of her victims.
“And did you like it?” Cat returned, leaning towards him.
“Uh, yes,” Clark replied, forcing himself not to run as fast as he could. The woman was scary!
“We could talk about it, tonight. I think I’ve got a bottle of champagne somewhere in my fridge,” she purred seductively and her hand trailed down his chest.
Clark’s mouth fell open. Never had any woman offered herself to him in that way. Or was it his coming from Smallville that had him so bewildered? He shifted uncomfortably, not sure how to decline without sounding rude.
* * *
Lois had been completely concentrated on reading a paper. She had forgotten about Clark until she heard Cat. The nerve of that woman! She was purring like a cat, assured that this was irresistible to men. Lois smiled inwardly. Clark would be hard work for Catherine Grant. He knew what he wanted and he was a kind and caring father; unlike her own. Lois was starting to think that Clark Kent was different. He had fought for his little daughter when she had been rude to both of them. Lois still blushed at the memory of mistaking Rebecca for Clark’s girlfriend. She decided to leave the paper and watch Cat Grant being rejected. When Lois looked up at them, she froze.
It didn’t look like a rejection. Not at all! Cat’s hand rested on Clark’s belly and stroked it. Clark watched her like she was the most incredible woman on earth. His mouth gaped open and he just stared at…well, Lois assumed it wasn’t her face. Lois felt anger washing through her and for some reason she was angry at Cat. She should be grateful that this woman had warned her before Lois fell for the man. She had made that mistake once and she certainly wouldn’t do it again. Clark wasn’t different; he was just like any other man. Cat had opened her eyes to that fact and now she knew that Clark wasn’t safe. Yes, Lois should have been grateful, but she felt annoyed instead.
“Forget about him, Cat. He’s married!” Lois almost spit out. Why had she said this? She didn’t know for sure if he was married. But his daughter had to have a mother. And she didn’t see Clark as being someone who didn’t marry the mother of his children. *Yeah, Lois. You didn’t think he would fall for Cat, either.* Actually, it hadn’t really occurred to her until now that Clark could be married. She didn’t particularly like the idea, though she had no clue as to why this should bother her.
“Even more interesting!” Cat replied coolly. “I like a good challenge.”
“Don’t you have any gossip to dig out?” Lois asked, angrily.
“Lois, darling. It’s gossip. It just appears. No need for digging.” Cat grinned and blew a kiss in Clark’s direction before she left.
Lois watched her leaving, satisfied that she had won over her this time. But she couldn’t help the feeling that it wouldn’t take Cat very long to achieve her goal in seducing Clark. He still looked as if lightning had struck him and Lois felt a lump in her throat. Why did he have to be like all the others? Apart from his taste in ties, he was cute. Even she had to admit that. Lois dismissed the suddenly occurring thoughts. He was dangerous territory, maybe even more dangerous than Claude had been, because he looked rather innocent. Disappointment and anger fought for control within Lois. And there was something she would never even admit to herself: jealousy. Unconsciously, Lois begrudged Cat her ability to wrap men around her little finger.
Clark’s stunned silence annoyed Lois beyond belief. “Close your mouth, Kent!” Lois snorted furiously.
He looked at her, surprised. “I wasn’t…” he started an explanation.
“I don’t want to know,” Lois interrupted him. She knew men’s excuses and she was sick of them. She had heard enough from her father to last a lifetime. “Don’t worry, Kent. I didn’t blow your chances. Cat is not the kind of woman who cares whether you’re married or not. Go and run after her, but please be so kind as to do it in your leisure time.”
Clark’s brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. “What is it, Lois? Who decided that I qualified for the jerk of the year award?” he snapped angrily. “I didn’t expect to be confronted with sexual harassment on my first day. And I’m not interested in becoming Cat’s bedmate for that matter. Besides, even if I were, that would be strictly my own business, since there is no wife I could hurt.” He turned around and left her.
Lois swallowed hard and bit her lips. She had managed to do it yet again. She had offended Clark in the worst possible way. It wasn’t like she usually cared if she was stepping on someone’s toes. Inexplicably, she liked him and, though arguments with him were challenging, she hated them. Lois was confused and wished she hadn’t made that comment. How was she going to make up for it? She would be the last to admit it, but she needed Clark’s help on this assignment. Not only had she been more involved than it was good for the story, she had also spent most of the morning searching for her neighbor. It had been to no avail. The guy had vanished from the face of the Earth. Lois got up and followed Clark, not entirely sure where he was headed to. He didn’t know his way around the Daily Planet and she hadn’t even shown him his desk.
The beehive stopped its constant motion to witness a miracle. Though everyone always seemed so caught up in their own work, no one ever missed the little events that interrupted the normal course of life. Little did Lois’ co-workers know about her reasons for running after a man, but that didn’t count. It was important that she did. Several of the bystanders cursed the fact that they hadn’t had a camera to circumstantiate future tales of this historical moment. Anyway, the picture of Lois pacing quickly through the newsroom and pleading someone called Clark to forgive her was certainly the best anecdote of the year.
Clark stopped and turned around as he heard Lois calling his name. He didn’t know why he was waiting for her. Given his powers, he wouldn’t have had a problem escaping her. She had infuriated him with her accusations even more than the behavior of the principal had, earlier that morning. She was even worse than the dragon that had wanted to take Becca away from him. Or maybe it was just bothering him more; Clark couldn’t tell exactly. The only thing he knew was that he didn’t want Lois to believe that there was another woman in his life. He didn’t really understand why that was and tried to pretend it was out of a need to be honest. But it wasn’t that easy to fool himself.
“Yes, Lois?” he said testily.
“I’m sorry, Clark. I didn’t mean to insult you,” she mumbled self-consciously.
“I’m getting some sort of déjà-vu, Lois,” he replied dryly. “I really thought we had been through this.”
“Perhaps I’ve been a bit hasty in my judgment. Clark, I need your help with this story. Please help me. Don’t let this stand between us.” She almost begged and for a moment Clark was afraid that she would kneel down in front of him.
“It’s okay.” He sighed. “When is this press conference?” Whatever attraction he felt to Lois, Clark decided that there could only be a professional relationship with her. He wouldn’t try to get any closer. That was about the wisest thing he could do considering Lois’ skittishness.
“In an hour,” Lois replied, relieved. “Come on, partner, I’ll show you your desk.”
“I thought that we were not ‘partners’, just assigned on this together,” Clark teased.
For some reason Clark couldn’t really understand, Lois’ expression darkened. He had no intention whatsoever of finding out what this was about, he’d had enough trouble for today and wasn’t keen on another argument with Lois Lane. He was only going to lose. Silently he followed Lois through the newsroom and said hello to the people she introduced to him. Clark didn’t dare think about how long this truce would last.
to be continued...
