Twenty-four hours later, Clark alighted from the plane at the Metropolis International airport. He felt emotionally tired and physically drained from the hours of confinement.

And he missed Lois.

As he left the terminal, he pulled out his cell and turned it on. There was a message from Lois. He opened it and read - 'I love you, big guy.'

He smiled. He missed her so much he could feel his heart twisting.

He waited for his battered suitcases to appear and then walked towards the cabs. Passing a newsstand, he glanced in that direction, automatically seeking the Daily Planet.

His eyes, however, didn't get past the Metropolis Star.

Emblazoned on page one was a huge colour photograph of Superman and Ultra Woman - posing after the interview.

And the headline read - 'SUPER WEDDING!'


Part 36

Clark pulled his wallet from his pocket and rummaged through it for some US currency. He paid for a copy of the Metropolis Star and went to a discreet corner to read it.

The paper was offering Superman and Ultra Woman an all-expenses-paid wedding.

Clark read it quickly, his shock mounting with each paragraph. The story was written by Linda King and outlined the gala event in extravagant detail - all without any consultation with the proposed bride and groom.

Linda King suggested September 7th - the weekend of the Metropolis Summer Festival.

She'd enlisted 'official sponsors' - florists, caterers, jewellers, wedding attire rental ...

She had procured - from the office of the President, no less - official ratification for the legalities of the union.

She had tentatively booked the Lexor Ballroom for the reception. She thought a live band would be most appropriate ... with the guests dancing long into the night.

She recommended the honeymoon suite at the Lexor Hotel for the wedding night.

The Metropolis Star awaited a reply from Superman and Ultra Woman.

Clark stood - his physical stillness in stark contrast to both the bustle around him and the turmoil within.

Why would the Star do this?

Publicity, he guessed. If they organised and paid for the event, they were guaranteed the exclusive.

Not for one moment had he envisioned that Lois attending the interview would lead to anything like this.

His eyes gravitated to the picture of Lois. Even with the pink mask covering at least a third of her face, she was beautiful. He missed her. He yearned for her. He glanced at his watch, still set to Melbourne time. It was just past six in the evening. She wouldn't be home yet. Or would she?

His longing swarmed around his heart like a relentless throng and propelled him to a decision.

It was 4 am local time. He definitely had time for a trip to Melbourne.

Clark hurried out of the airport. Less than a minute later, he landed on the balcony of his apartment. He looked through the glass and groaned. A big chocolate cake embellished with the words 'Welcome Home' lay in wait on his counter. A glitzy pink envelope leant against it - a splash of unwelcome disparity in his muted colour scheme.

Once in his apartment, Clark scanned the envelope for less than a second just to ensure it was, as he suspected, from Mayson. It was.

He surveyed his apartment. He'd never heard whether Dan had continued staying with Perry or if he'd found other accommodations, but no one had approached Clark about anyone staying in his apartment.

After five weeks, it should be dusty. The air should be slightly stale. Instead, there was every indication that it had been recently cleaned.

Mayson. Again. She'd probably paid a cleaner. Mayson Drake would never lower herself to pick up a duster.

Clark really needed to change his locks.

But he'd done that once before, and she still managed to find ways into his apartment.

Clark stashed his suitcase in the concealed cubicle behind his closet. At first, it had been the ideal hiding spot for his Superman suits, but now he had the spares stowed in the roof space. He didn't trust that a fake wall would be sufficient to keep Mayson from snooping.

He scanned for any other indications of her presence - and felt unreasonably relieved that she hadn't sunk to installing surveillance equipment.

He showered, shaved, and dressed in his clothes for work at the Planet - smart charcoal trousers, a crisp white business shirt, a floral tie he particularly liked, and a grey jacket.

With a final frown at the chocolate cake, he returned to the balcony.

He wanted to be with Lois. He needed her.

A minute later, he landed, unlocked her door, and entered her unit at a speed undetectable to the human eye.

From her bedroom, he heard the music of her heartbeat. "Lois?" he said.

A delighted squeal sounded as she rushed forward and charged into his arms.

His eager mouth found hers, and he kissed her with the hunger that had built up during the long hours apart.

"I missed you ... so much," he said when their first rush of kisses finally abated enough to make speech possible.

"I missed you," she said between kisses.

"I landed half an hour ago ... couldn't stay away."

"How long ... until you have to be at work?"

"It won't matter if I'm late ... long flight."

"We have ... some time," she said.

"Uh huh." With considerable effort, Clark relinquished her mouth.

"Mmm," Lois said appreciatively. "You look very smart." Her fingers explored the lapel of his jacket. "Do you have a date?"

"Yes," he said. "With you." He glanced down at his clothes. "Actually, I'm dressed for work."

She grinned. "What? No jeans?"

"Not in Perry's newsroom." He gently slid the tip of his finger along her jaw. "I *had* to see you; I couldn't stay away a moment longer. And if I keep getting welcomed like that ..."

"I was thinking about you," Lois said with a smile. "As I came home, I was hoping that you'd be able to visit me." She gestured to the counter where a stack of containers suggested Chinese takeout. "Want something to eat?"

"Sure," Clark said. "Thanks."

Lois stepped from his embrace and crossed to her kitchen.

"Lois, honey," Clark said. "There's something we need to talk about."

Her progress stalled, and she looked questioningly at him. "Something good?" she said. "Or something else?"

Clark faced her across the counter. "Something totally unforeseeable," he said.

She gazed at him, a small smile hovering through her curiosity. "Mayson thinks you should come back to Melbourne?" she said. Despite her light tone, Clark could hear both hope and apprehension in her words.

He took the copy of the Metropolis Star from under his jacket, straightened it, and held it out to her. He anxiously watched her face as she took in the picture and processed the headline.

"A wedding?" she gasped, looking up from the paper.

Clark nodded. "When I landed in Metropolis, this was on the newsstand."

"What ... *exactly* ... are they suggesting?"

"That Superman and Ultra Woman get married." He half grimaced, half allowed a glimmer of his smile to show. "Their shout."

"They want to pay?" Lois said incredulously. "For everything?"

He nodded.

"And, in return, they get the exclusive?"

"It's not stated specifically in the story, but I figure that is what Linda King and Preston Carpenter are angling for."

The food forgotten, Lois wandered to the couch. She sat down and stared wordlessly at the front page of the paper.

Clark sat next to her and put his arm across her shoulders. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

Lois slowly shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "It's a lot to take in. I thought doing the interview would be the beginning and the end of it ... I never thought they would do this."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "It's OK," Clark said softly. "We don't *have* to do anything."

Lois didn't respond, and the silence settled around them. Then, suddenly, she lurched away from his side, dropped the paper to the floor, and twisted to face him. "Clark, would you do something for me, please?"

"You know I would do anything for you, Lois."

"I want you to be totally honest with me," she said. "I want to ask a question, and I want you to answer truthfully."

"OK," he agreed.

Lois put her hand over his and squeezed. "What do you want to do about this?"

"I want to do what you -"

"Please don't say you want to do what I want - I know that. I want to know what *you* want."

"I want to marry you," he said.

She jolted back, but then the grin that he loved so much oozed through her shock. She chuckled, and her hand rose to curl gently along his jaw. "I like it when you're direct," she said.

"That doesn't mean I think we should accept the offer."

"Why not?"

Clark sifted through his mind, certain there were multiple good reasons - obvious reasons - why they couldn't get married as Superman and Ultra Woman. However, now it came to actually vocalising those reasons, Clark found they had mysteriously dried up. "We ... we ..."

Lois grinned and captured his eyes in her look of love and laughter. "Let's consider all the options and decide which one is best for us," she said.

Her smile, her touch, and her love-drenched eyes made it difficult to concentrate - even on the subject of their wedding. "What are our options?"

"We could politely refuse the offer," Lois said. "We could say that Ultra Woman's appearance was always intended to be a one-off, and both Superman and Ultra Woman wish for her to remain in the background."

"Is that what you want?" Clark asked.

"I'm certainly not hankering for a big public wedding," Lois said slowly. Her contemplative mood broke with a sudden burst of laughter. "And I've never thought about getting married in a cape, but ..."

"But?"

"But I think that to refuse their offer would seem like Superman is retreating into aloofness. I think we could lose the ground we gained through the interview."

Clark smiled at her use of the word 'we'. Everything about being a super-powered alien was so much easier ... so much better ... with Lois.

"And, realistically, it's the only way we can get married - for now, anyway."

"You're willing to accept their offer?" he asked in surprise.

"I'm willing to," Lois said cautiously. "But there would be some stipulations."

"Such as?"

"How many people come, who gets invited, if 'guests' have to pay, where the money goes, what outfits we wear," Lois said, ticking them off on her fingers. "I wouldn't be comfortable with this being any more of a media extravaganza than it has to be."

"So," Clark said, still trying to grasp that they were discussing this as if it were a viable possibility. "We tell them we want it kept simple and ..."

"We definitely don't want it to be a high-society event for the upper crust of Metropolis," Lois said. "It has to be in the morning - that'll be night time here - and it'll also keep a lid on Linda King's more extravagant ideas."

"Lois ..." The euphoria of being married to Lois was threatening to elevate Clark into the intoxicating realm where the impossible became possible. However, he needed to slow down ... *needed* to re-establish perspective. "Would it seem as if Superman and Ultra Woman were endorsing the companies involved? I'm not sure about that ... at the very least, I'd need to know they are ethical companies."

"If we refuse a lot of the extras that Linda proposed, there will be very few companies involved," Lois said. "I'd be happy to be married in a park but the Star will probably insist on greater privacy than that. Really though, all we need is a venue and a celebrant."

"Who would be the guests?" Clark asked.

Lois winced with regret. "I don't think the Star would allow anyone from the Planet to come," she said. "So none of your friends will be there."

"And, of course, none of your friends will be there either."

"And your parents will miss it, too."

It *was* impossible. They couldn't do this. "Lois," Clark said. "You're going to miss out on so much ... this *can't* be how you imagined it would be."

"No," she admitted with a small smile. "I couldn't have imagined it quite like this."

"Lois - it won't be *anything* like you've dreamed. Not one single thing." He tried to smile. "We can't do this."

"Yes, we can," she said. "Who needs the dress, and the flowers, and the bevy of bridesmaids, and a heap of family I hardly know cooing around me?" She kissed him. "What I dreamed about was the man waiting for me at the top of the aisle ... and you, Mr Kent - you are everything I have ever wanted."

"Lois ..." He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to ease her back onto the couch, and follow her, and find her mouth and explore every part of it - inside and out. "We need ..." he cleared his throat and hauled his mind away from the lure of her lips. "... need to consider all the details."

"Are you concerned that giving the Star such a big scoop will seriously hurt the Planet?"

"Not really," he said after consideration. "Historically, the Planet is a much more serious newspaper than the Star. I'm not sure Perry would want to splash a wedding across his front page."

"And as much as we want to help the Planet, having Superman establish links with the Star will avoid any possible connection with Clark Kent."

"Yeah," he said thoughtfully.

"As for the details ... some of them are obvious," Lois said easily.

"They are?"

"For starters, we wouldn't accept the wedding clothes Linda proposed. It would be Superman and Ultra Woman - and therefore we would wear the suits. Secondly, I think we should refuse everything other than the actual wedding - no reception, no celebration after, no big dance. They can do it if they want - perhaps as a charity event - but we won't be there."

Clark grimaced. "Lois, this isn't even going to seem like a wedding."

She grinned cheekily, and her eyebrows jumped. "Ah, but no reception means we can get to the honeymoon bit so much quicker."

Clark felt a cataclysm of emotion, and heat, and shock, and desire whirl through his body, rendering him incapable of managing anything approaching an intelligent response.

Lois laughed aloud and took his hand in hers. "You have all those powers," she said, "Yet the one thing you are superbly good at is making things as difficult as possible for yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"You want to marry me. You want to be with me. In fact, I'd bet you've dreamed about taking me and doing what most newlyweds do the night of their wedding."

Clark gulped down as he felt the colour rise to his face.

Lois smiled and gently poked his chest. "Haven't you?" she demanded.

Clark nodded.

"But now, because this is somewhat ... unorthodox ... you're going to torment yourself that it isn't fair to me and that it wouldn't be a *real* wedding."

"Lois, I don't want you to miss out on anything. I want to take you somewhere romantic, and propose, and give you a ring, and let you plan the wedding you want - not to be married in a staged event that, ultimately, is little more than a publicity stunt orchestrated by a newspaper."

"Can't we do that anyway?" Lois demanded. "Can't we have the proposal, and the wedding, and the honeymoon? Can't we do that as Lois and Clark once we've had time for the future to become clearer?"

"You think we should get married twice?"

"I think this is perfect," she stated. "Lois and Clark *can't* get married yet. I need to stay in Melbourne - depending on what happens at the vote. If we don't merge, I have to help Hawthorn rebuild. I want to be there - I can't just walk away, not now."

"And I would never ask you to."

"But Clark Kent has to be in Metropolis. Perry needs you. The Daily Planet needs you. Metropolis needs Superman. And even though *we* know we can still see each other as often as you are able to dash across the Pacific, no one else can know that."

"You seem to have a lot of this worked out," Clark teased gently.

"It didn't take much working out," she said. "Not if you push away all the extraneous stuff and just concentrate on what's important."

Clark felt his smile broaden. "What's important to you?" he asked.

She returned his smile. "I want to be with you. I want to be married to you."

Clark reigned in his unruly smile and dragged his mind back to his uncertainties. "It's possible it won't end with the wedding," he warned. "What if Superman and Ultra Woman get asked to make appearances? Perhaps support charity events?"

"We'll consider each situation separately."

"Lois, I feel like I'm dragging you into a world of stealth. If I'm going to be Superman, I need to live two lives. But if we do this, you'll have to live two lives - and I'm not sure that's fair to you."

"Clark, life is about making the best of the situation you find yourself in."

"But you don't have to find yourself in this situation. You're -"

"Human?" she asked, her eyes serious. "Is that what you were going to say? I'm human? Normal? Therefore, I can escape this, so I should? You, on the other hand, you're what? Alien? Not normal? So you're stuck with it?"

Clark could sense she was a little riled and decided to tread carefully. He shrugged slightly and offered an appeasing smile.

"I thought you said you wanted to marry me," she challenged, her eyes still blazing.

"I do," he said quickly, wondering how she'd managed to leap to that. "More than anything, I want to marry you."

A ghost of her smile appeared, soothing his alarm. "I thought marriage meant my world becomes your world ... and your world becomes my world."

"It does."

"If we do this ... will you ... Clark Kent, Superman, Kal-El, Rubber ... whatever name you happen to be using, will *you* be marrying *me* ... Lois Lane, Ultra Woman, Flinders?"

"Yes."

"And will *you* mean it when you commit yourself to me for the rest of our lives?"

"I'll mean it with all of my heart."

"So, we'll be married," Lois proclaimed staunchly. "You and me. The clothes, the names, what everyone else thinks ... none of that matters. What matters is what is between you and me. What we know to be the truth. And the truth is that you love me, and you know I love you." She smiled at him through glistening eyelids. "I'm not doing this unless we both accept that it's for real."

Clark felt a great gush of happiness sweep over him. If he had all the time in the world and every word from every language he'd ever learnt, he would never be able to form a sentence that would adequately describe how he felt about her. "I love you," he said.

"And I love you," she said.

"Honey," Clark said, knowing this was the last of his resistance. "They're suggesting the wedding in three weeks."

"Good."

"You're willing to marry me *in three weeks*?"

Lois grinned. "Is that too fast for you, big guy?" she teased. "Are you struggling to keep up?"

"Yes. No. But -"

"But what, Clark?"

"This is bigger than Lois marrying Clark. If Ultra Woman marries Superman, we can't walk away from that. You need to think about it - *really* think about it - before you commit to something that will affect the rest of your life."

She took her hand from his neck and rested her chin on it, staring ahead at his chest. "OK," she announced, a second later. "I've thought about it."

"And?" he said, feeling his grin push for release.

"And I want to marry you," Lois said. "In three weeks. With both of us spectacular in spandex."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure I want to marry you," she said. "And I'm also sure that if you keep asking me if I'm sure, I'm likely to smack your teeth in."

"Lois, honey," Clark said, grinning widely. "That would be a very bad idea."

"OK. Maybe I'll just kiss you. Passionately. Until you beg for mercy."

He had no retort. So, he just looked at her ... grinning. "We're getting married," he said wondrously.

"In three weeks," she added.

"Happy?" he asked.

"Deliriously."

"I love you, Lois."

"I love you, Clark."

He leant forward and kissed her ... clumsily, because he just couldn't stop smiling.

||_||

Lois retrieved the plate from the microwave, picked up the other plate from the bench, and took it to Clark, who was sitting on the couch.

He looked up to her with his smile - but it was so much more than a mere expression. It radiated his happiness, and declared his contentment, and proclaimed his excitement.

The feeling of sharing a secret - a secret just for them - was strong. And every time their eyes met, they just couldn't help breaking into wide smiles.

Lois had no doubts. None at all. From the moment she had grasped the possibilities of the offer, she had realised that this was too good an opportunity to let slip.

She sat next to Clark, and they began eating. "How was your day?" he asked.

"Operation Payback is slowly gaining momentum," she said. "But it's still early days in what will be a long campaign."

"Have you heard anything from Browny and the boys?"

"I dropped into the office today to check my games for this weekend. The office was abuzz with news - Browny has employed a new footy reporter." Lois stared ahead as her thoughts eddied through her mind. "You know," she speculated, "Browny thinks the merger will go ahead - and he thinks I'll go to Metropolis to be with you. That's why he's got this new bloke."

"Has he said that?"

"No," Lois admitted. "And he's made it clear that he'll keep my job open at least until the vote."

"He's a good editor - he knows how hard it is to replace a good reporter."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Has the new guy started yet?"

"Not yet. I heard he's a Croweater."

"Excuse me?"

Lois giggled at the confusion on Clark's face. "A Croweater," she said in a tone that implied it should now be completely clear.

Clark grinned and pointed his fork at her. "And what is a Croweater?" he asked. "It can't be someone who eats crows."

"Not anymore," Lois said, still grinning widely. "It's a South Australian - in this case, someone from Adelaide."

Clark smiled. "Is there a name for Victorians?"

"We're Vics."

"That's not particularly imaginative," he said.

"No ... but Western Australians are called Sandgropers."

"Are those names considered derogatory?"

"Not at all," Lois said. "The new bloke - Chris Torrens is his name - will probably be quite proud of being a Croweater. South Australians are a parochial bunch - their favourite saying is 'kick a Vic'."

"The newsroom could be an interesting place," Clark predicted with a grin.

"Not as interesting as it used to be," Lois said soberly.

"What happened?"

"You left."

Clark smiled. "I'm going to miss you so much, honey," he said. "It was wonderful seeing you every day - working with you."

"Yeah," she said. "It was. I was thinking about it earlier. I wish we could have those five weeks back again."

"Would you do anything different?"

Lois grinned. "You bet I would. I would stop on the way home from the airport and inform you that I intended to completely overlook your gorgeousness and my deep-seated suspicion of handsome men ... and then I would throw away all my inhibitions and kiss you."

"Now *that* would have been some welcome to a new city."

They shared another smile - a smile with layers of meaning - the enjoyment of each other's company, the intimacy of being together when no one else thought it was possible, and the promise of their future.

"Is Dan coming home to Melbourne early?" Clark asked.

"Yeah," Lois replied. "In about a week - that bit has worked well. He'll be able to see Fitzroy's last game in Melbourne and their last game ever - which will be in Perth. I reckon Browny will send him over there for Round 22."

"Are you looking forward to seeing him again?"

Lois shrugged. "Yes - because he's my friend. And no - because I know things will be strained between us."

"I figure there was never anything between Dan and Mayson."

"I guess not," Lois said. "Lucky for Dan, hey?"

Clark nodded. "I went to my apartment for a few minutes and discovered she'd left a chocolate cake there for me."

"She goes into your apartment? You gave her a key?"

"No, I didn't give her a key," Clark declared. "I used to keep the spare key under the front doormat, but when she kept going into my apartment, I removed it. She kept coming in, so I changed the locks. Even that didn't deter her."

"She knows how to pick locks?"

"Apparently," Clark said glumly.

Lois reached over and squeezed his arm. "We can deal with Mayson," she said. "She doesn't have anything that can hurt us."

"I intend to make my position very clear," Clark said. "I'm going to take the chocolate cake into the office for everyone to share. And I'm going to tell her that nothing has changed, and we will never be together."

"Are you going to tell her you have someone else?"

Clark hesitated for a moment. "No ..." he said. "I've thought about what you said. From what I've seen, this wedding is going to be huge news. I want to avoid all parallels between Superman and Clark Kent."

"In Linda's story, she assumed Superman and Ultra Woman had been together for a considerable time."

"Yeah," Clark agreed. "I know I'm probably being over cautious, but I think the less said, the less chance we will have to scramble. Living two lives ... there's always the possibility that someone will notice inconsistencies." His brown eyes settled in hers. "And with you involved in this, it's even more important that we're careful."

"Perhaps Mayson will be easier to deal with after the time away from her. Perhaps the cake was meant as a peace offering."

Clark nodded, but Lois could see his doubts.

"You don't think so?" she asked.

"There was a card as well as the cake. It wasn't possible to misinterpret her meaning."

"Do you think she'll be a problem?" Lois asked. "Do you think she'll keep going to your apartment and realise how little time you spend there?"

"Maybe." Clark shrugged and managed a smile. "But Metropolis is a big city," he said. "Mayson might discover that I'm not in my apartment, but that doesn't mean she'll be able to find out where I am."

"If she's tracking you, there's a chance she'll notice that the times when she can't find you coincide with Superman's appearances."

"She hasn't realised that yet. Hopefully, she won't."

Lois put her plate on the lamp stand and slid her hand down his cheek. "Don't worry about Mayson," she said.

"Don't you worry either," he said. "I can deal with her."

"Do you think she had anything to do with Perry asking you to go home?"

"Yes, I do," Clark said. "I can't prove it, but my instinct is that she was involved somehow."

"Perhaps she went to Perry's wife."

"Yeah." His spirits had dropped, and Lois knew what he was thinking.

"You have to leave," she said quietly.

Clark nodded sombrely. "Yeah," he said. "I wish I could spend the evening with you, and help you with Operation Payback tomorrow." He stood. "I hate that our relationship is going to be a series of 'goodbyes'."

"The flip side is the series of 'hellos'," Lois said. "The best moment today was when you called my name."

He smiled. "You know I'll come whenever I can."

"Are you going to respond to the wedding offer?"

"Not yet," he replied. "Think it over some more, and when I come next time, we'll work out the details, and if you still want to go ahead, I'll go and see Preston Carpenter." Lois nodded, and Clark took her into his arms. "Bye, honey."

She kissed him. "Bye, big guy."

"I miss you every moment I'm not with you."

"I miss you."

He broke away from her, his reluctance obvious. Then, there was a gush of wind, and he was gone.

||_||

Banjo Barton was pretending to read the document on his computer screen, but he - like everyone else - had been completely gobsmacked by the most startling circumstance.

There was a woman in the newsroom - a blonde, leggy woman who looked like she belonged in the fashion pages, not the footy department.

Bluey had already approached her and she'd told him she had an appointment with Mr Brown in ten minutes. She had politely refused Bluey's offer to make her a cup of coffee and seemed disinclined to offer any further information.

Now she stood there - apparently waiting for Browny.

Who was she?

And why was she here?

Browny stepped from his office, saw her, and motioned for her to come over. They spoke in low tones for a few moments and then disappeared behind a firmly closed door.

Ten minutes later - ten long minutes where the total productivity of the newsroom was limited to speculation about exactly who *she* was - they emerged.

Browny stepped forward. "Listen up, everyone," he said. "I'd like you to meet our new reporter - Chris Torrens."

Banjo felt a collective gasp resonate around the newsroom. Flinders was one thing - despite being a woman, she didn't look so delicate that it was inconceivable she would know a torpedo from a drop punt. But this woman ... she looked like she'd dissolve into hysterics if a football came within ten metres of her.

"Banjo," Browny said. "Chris can have Deano's desk until he gets home."

Banjo stood, smiled hesitantly at Chris Torrens, and spent the next ten minutes trying to pretend she was just like any other new colleague.

He was back at his desk when Flinders walked in twenty minutes later. She headed directly to Browny's office ... but stopped dead when she saw the woman at the desk that had most recently been occupied by Rubber.

Chris Torrens looked up, and the eyes of the two women clashed.

The newcomer stood. Flinders took a step forward.

They stared, measuring each other. "Are you Chris Torrens?" Flinders asked in surprise.

The newbie nodded from under the perfect curtain of her blonde fringe. "Yes," she replied.

"You're from Adelaide?"

"Yes." Banjo figured that was two strikes.

"Who'j'barrack for?" Flinders asked. "Adelaide?"

Three strikes coming, Banjo thought, already anticipating a catfight.

"No," Chris said with disdain. "I barrack for Hawthorn."

"Are you a member?"

"Yes."

Flinders' eyes narrowed. "Pro-merger?" she demanded. "Or Anti-merger?"

"Anti-merger," Chris said emphatically. "The AFL should get their dirty mitts off our club."

A slow smile spread across Flinders' face, and she held out her hand. "Welcome to Melbourne," she said warmly. "And welcome to the paper. I hope we can work together."

Chris smiled - a smile that would have reduced every man in the room to a blithering idiot. "I hope we can work together, too," she said. "You've been my inspiration."

"I have?"

"Definitely. Every time they told me I wouldn't make it as a footy journo, I told them Lois Lane had."

Flinders smiled. "Don't let the blokes get you down," she said. "They've only just got acclimatised to one female in the newsroom - they're probably going to spin out at the thought of two."

Then, as Banjo watched, the unbelievable happened.

The two females dissolved into what could only be described as fluttery giggles. It lasted less than a couple of seconds, but it was enough to send him the direst of warnings - life at the Herald Sun had just changed. Forever.

||_||

Glossary

Fringe - bangs

Gobsmacked - astonished

Torpedo and drop punt are two different ways of kicking a football.

From www.thefreedictionary.com

Croweater is an Australian slang term for people from South Australia. Early settlers often ate the breast meat of crows, parrots and cockatoos when there was a shortage of red meat and the term croweater entered the lexicon in the late 1800s. The term is not considered derogatory.

The people of Western Australia, West Australians or Western Australians, are often colloquially referred to as Sandgropers because of the insect found on sand dunes around Perth.