J is for Jet Set, part 2
TOC pending
by Pam Jernigan
****
Lois and Clark exited the restaurant in silence. He hoped she really hadn't minded about him being called away. He'd hated to go -- he'd planned to ignore anything but the direst of emergencies -- but he couldn't have ignored the cries of the trapped children.
The noises of the restaurant faded as they walked to the sidewalk, then stopped. Clark scanned the street for empty taxis. "So..."
Lois flashed a smile that vanished again almost immediately. "So. Um... is this where we say goodnight?"
Clark tried to read her expression by the streetlights, but couldn't tell what answer she wanted. "Well, I suppose it could be." Was that a look of disappointment? Emboldened, he said, "Or I could escort you home."
He could see the emotions flit across her face as she debated the pros and cons.
"When I'm escorting a lady, I like to give her door-to-door service." He grinned. "Just don't ask me in for coffee, or to see your etchings, or anything like that. This is only a first date, you know, and I'm not that kinda guy."
As he'd hoped, she laughed, and the tension abruptly disappeared. "Get us a taxi, Clark."
"Yes, ma'am," he murmured. He spotted several taxis approaching, and raised an arm to try to attract one. The first cab cruised smoothly past them. Clark nearly jumped out of his skin when Lois emitted an ear-piercing whistle. The second cab swerved over to the curb. He helped her into the backseat. "My hearing may never recover," he muttered, settling himself next to her.
She shifted over slightly to press lightly against him. "Sorry." She chuckled softly. "But you have to know how to handle Metro cabbies. It's a knack."
"I defer to your expertise."
"So you should." She slanted him a speculative glance. "I'll bet you don't bother much with taxis, when you're on your own."
"Well, now that you mention it... no." He hadn't offered to fly them tonight because he'd wanted it very clear that she was on a date with Clark, not Superman. But maybe he was being overly cautious. "I could offer you a lift, next time... if you like."
Her smile flashed briefly. "That'd be nice."
It seemed only moments later when they arrived at Lois's building. "Okay, this is my stop," she said lightly.
"Thanks for having dinner with me, Lois."
"Thanks for asking me. This was really, really nice." She got out of the taxi without waiting for a reply. As soon as he'd paid the cabby, Clark met her on the sidewalk.
"Are you sure I'm not keeping you from, you know..." she waved one hand in the air.
It took him a second to work out that the gesture was meant to represent flying. "Oh! Sure. It's not like Superman punches a time clock."
"No, I guess not." She grinned at him. "Which is a good thing, because if Superman's anything like you, he'd always be showing up late and leaving early."
To Clark's delight, she slipped an arm around his waist, making it natural for his arm to encircle her shoulders. They walked up to the door, and proceeded through the lobby to the elevator. "So..." Clark said, as the elevator doors closed, "I'm sorry about running out on you earlier. Um... are you sure you're okay with the whole Superman thing?"
She frowned at him. "Of course I am, Clark! I mean, sure, it's a lot to adjust to -- and it's not like I *want* you to run away all the time or anything, but that's not such a big deal now that I know you've got a good reason. And I'm pretty sure that there's an upside to this, somewhere. Think of the hundreds of dollars I could save in cab fare!" She gave him a playful bump on the hip, before her voice turned serious. "Well, after hours, anyway -- I still have no idea how things are going to work at work."
The elevator jerked to a stop at Lois's floor.
"The same way things have always worked at work, Lois," Clark assured her as they exited the elevator and strolled down the empty hall. "You bark out orders, and I meekly comply."
"Clark Kent, I do not bark out orders!" She smacked him lightly on the chest with her free hand. "And as for meekly complying -- I wish! Except really I don't."
"You don't?" Clark asked, surprised but pleased.
"Well, every once in a while, you come up with something useful. Much as it pains me to admit it," she teased. They reached her door, and she turned to lean against it for a moment. "Seriously, Clark, I'm starting to think we work well together. It's just..." she looked up and down the hall, and then lowered her voice. "...this whole 'strange visitor from another planet' thing is... well, it's..."
"Wait, wait, wait. Strange visitor from another planet? Where'd you hear that?" Clark was torn between amusement and embarrassment. He glanced around as well, nervous about this conversation happening in public, but couldn't see anyone within ear shot. And as long as they used oblique terms they should be okay.
"That? Um... I think that one was from the Whisper. One of those rags, anyway."
"Uh-huh. You know Perry'll fire you if he catches you reading those."
She blushed. "I can't help reading those forty-point headlines in the grocery store." Her chin came up. "And he'll only fire me if I start *writing* like them, which I think will be a cold day in -- but don't you distract me!"
"Sorry," Clark replied, trying not to grin at her. "So, before you yelled at me, you were saying you were over-awed by Superman...?"
She rolled her eyes. "Clark, this is serious."
"Okay, then -- seriously, Lois, we'll figure it out as we go along. At least I can stop lying to you." He still felt just a little nervous about that, from years of conditioning, but he was determined to look on the bright side. "I was kinda hoping you'd help me out with my excuses, actually."
That coaxed a smile out of her. "Yeah, you could use some help there." Her eyes searched his face for another moment before she took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."
She was looking up at him with such unexpected vulnerability that his heart twisted. He wanted to vow to protect her from any and all comers. To keep her far away from any dangers. Yeah, he'd keep her safe and warm... in bed... with him... Once again, Clark felt an almost irresistible tug pulling him towards her, binding him to her.
"Lois, we'll work it out." He moved a little closer, and brought his other arm up to join the one that was loosely encircling her waist. "Together."
She began to smile, accepting his embrace and resting her hands on his chest. "Partners," she said, with a new note of satisfaction in her voice. Then she closed the small remaining space between them, and kissed him.
The kiss was gentle at first, barely more than a brief brushing of lips, coming together only to dance apart again. Clark tightened his grip on her waist. Their lips met again, and stayed together. They moved slowly, testing out this still unfamiliar territory, both relishing the lack of tension. Clark's hand trailed up the side of her body, to cup her cheek and explore the softness of her hair. He deepened the kiss, and Lois eagerly met him halfway, until the two of them felt almost as if they'd joined bodies.
It was long moments later that they separated. Lois smiled up at him dreamily, looking gorgeously disheveled.
"Lois," he growled, then couldn't help but lean in again, this time to plant tiny kisses on her cheek. "Oh, I would love to make love to you right now," he murmured against her skin, before drawing back to look at her again.
Her eyes were half-closed and her lips half-opened, but as he watched, she pulled herself back together. Wariness crept across her face. "Um, Clark..."
"Shh, it's okay." Clark took a deep breath and ordered his hormones to settle down. "We do have to go to work tomorrow," he said, forcing himself to release her. "You need your sleep. And I should probably go, um..." He copied her hand movement from earlier.
"Right. Okay, then." Lois took a deep breath as well, smiling shyly at him as she regained her composure. She reached up for one more quick kiss, then turned around and began fumbling with her keys and unlocking her door. While she was busy with that, Clark slid his glasses down his nose and took a quick peek through her apartment. Everything seemed quiet, no bad guys lurking anywhere.
She opened the door, and leaned against the door jamb, a spark of mischief in her eyes. "You're sure I can't get you to come in for a minute? I've got some pretty cool etchings..."
He smiled wryly. If she was feeling confident enough to joke about it, then he hadn't scared her off. "Maybe tomorrow. Goodnight, Lois."
"Goodnight, Clark. I'll see you in the morning."
They shared one more lingering kiss, then he tore himself away and let her slip inside her apartment. Morning couldn't come soon enough for him. In the meantime, he had some air traffic controllers to baffle.
****
Lois woke up feeling better than she had for weeks. Or maybe years. Had she ever felt this good? She'd been in love before, of course, diving in headfirst, uncertain of where things would lead. This time... it might actually work.
She quickly got ready for work, impatient to see Clark again. She considered just throwing open a window and yelling for him... but Superman wasn't really who she wanted. Besides, she wouldn't want to pull him away from a real emergency. She gave the window one last longing look, then went out the door.
Her virtue was rewarded a few minutes later, when she spotted a commotion on a side street. Her reporting instincts kicked in, and she changed her course to walk down towards it. As she got near to the clump of people on the sidewalk, she saw that Superman was in the center of the commotion. Correction, *Clark* was.
She paused for a moment, just watching him. He'd apparently just caught a hapless pair of jewel thieves, and was conferring with the police. Looking at him now, she decided that it really wasn't so surprising that she hadn't recognized him. He did look and act differently -- more stern and aloof -- but it was more than that. He was just so, well, *focused* on being a superhero that it was nearly impossible to imagine him kicking back and relaxing, let alone working for a paycheck. And there was no reason to suspect he had any other life -- why would someone with his great abilities choose to hide them?
The curious crowd was beginning to disperse, and Lois knew the instant that Clark spotted her. His eyes widened, just a little, and his lips twitched toward a smile before he caught himself. "Hello, Lois."
She stepped forward, fighting a totally irrational nervousness. "Good morning, Superman. What's up?"
"Oh, just the usual, really." He paused, then continued. "How are you this morning?"
"I'm fabulous, thanks." She smiled at him, then sternly reminded herself to not show too much in public. She shrugged. "I was on my way to work, but I saw the commotion and decided to come see what was going on."
"Well, I can give you the exclusive, if you like. Or," he added, his eyes beginning to dance, "you could delegate it to your junior partner."
She stifled a laugh. "I suppose I could leave it in his capable hands, couldn't I? So how are you this morning?"
"I'm just great, thanks." His smile broadened. "Thought I'd do some patrols, since I skipped 'em last night."
Lois winced, unable to defend herself in public. "Well, good," she rallied. "Being unpredictable keeps the bad guys off-balance."
"That's what I've always thought," he surprised her by agreeing. "And some things are more important than patrols."
Before Lois could work out a way to respond to that, she was interrupted by a child's voice. "Superman?" Lois looked down to see a little girl, around preschool age. She was looking up at Superman with rapt admiration.
Clark shot a quick smile at Lois before crouching down to get on eye-level with the child. "Hi, there. What's your name?"
"MynameisAshleyI'mfouryearsold," the girl replied in one run-together phrase. "And I wanna be just like you when I grow up."
Lois saw movement and looked up to see a harried-looking woman coming to claim Ashley. She winced when she heard her daughter's declaration. "Ashley," she said, in a tone of forced patience, "don't bother Superman."
Clark glanced up at the mother and smiled gently. "It's not a bother, ma'am. Ashley," he continued, returning his attention to the girl. "When you grow up, you can help make the world a better place, in lots of different ways."
Ashley looked thrilled at this encouragement, and began chattering about her preschool and her big brother. Superman listened carefully, clearly enjoying the interaction.
Lois exchanged glances with the girl's mother. "I'm sorry about my daughter running up like that," she said quietly. "I told her he was busy talking to you, but she couldn't wait to see him."
Lois smiled wryly. "I know exactly how she feels."
The mother laughed at that, relaxing now. "Don't we all. I'm just glad he's being so kind to her. I didn't think he'd be nasty on purpose or anything," she explained, "it's just that some people have no idea how to relate to children."
"He seems to be doing pretty well," Lois replied. Clark obviously loved children. He'd be a terrific father, she thought, then considered that. Before yesterday she'd never have imagined Superman in a family context. But then, she wasn't thinking about Superman that way --she was thinking about Clark.
Superman hugged Ashley, then stood up again. "For right now, Ashley, the best thing you can do is listen to your mom, okay?"
Ashley nodded enthusiastically, and above her head, her mother mouthed "Thank you." Taking a gentle but firm grasp on Ashley's shoulders, she steered her back down the street. The last thing Lois could hear was the girl's high clear voice saying, "Did you see that, mama? He hugged me!"
"Sorry about that," Clark said quietly. "But I just love talking to kids."
"I could tell," Lois said. "Don't apologize -- I thought she was cute. And her mother is now your biggest fan."
Clark grinned at that. Suddenly, his head tilted and his eyes unfocused as he listened to something beyond her hearing. "Excuse me -- boating accident on Hobs River."
"Go, then. I'm sure I'll see you around."
"Yes, you will," he promised, leaning forward and giving all the signs that he wanted to kiss her.
She swayed forward for a moment, herself, then remembered where they were and who they were supposed to be. She contented herself with a brief squeeze of his hand. "Later."
He straightened, re-assuming his classic "Superman" posture. With only a brief nod and a heated look, he floated upwards.
Lois watched him until he was out of sight, then smiled. That had been more fun than she'd expected. He'd better write up that story, though.
****
By the time Clark made it into the newsroom, Lois had probably already been there for some time. She had the phone cradled between her ear and her shoulder, and was scribbling notes as fast as her pen could move. He smiled at the intent look on her face. As he watched, the scribbling stopped, and Lois relaxed back into her chair, thanking whoever it was on the other end of the line. Clark took a detour by the coffee machine before joining her at her desk.
Lois looked up from her notes and smiled. "Good morning." She glanced at her watch. "It's about time you got here, Kent."
Clark shrugged, trying hard not to grin. "I must have overslept this morning."
"Remind me to get you an alarm clock for your birthday," Lois replied dryly. "Oh, new coffee?" He nodded, handing it over. She took a cautious sip, then a longer drink. "Okay, all is forgiven."
"Thank heavens. Anyway -- would you believe it -- on my way in this morning, I ran into Superman."
Lois raised her eyebrows. "What an astonishing coincidence."
He shrugged modestly, trying not to grin at her. "I'm just lucky that way. He told me about an attempted robbery." He began edging toward his desk. "Just give me a minute and I'll get it typed up."
She nodded, looking just a little bemused. "Good plan. And then I'll tell you about what I've been digging up on Luthor."
That caught his attention. "I can't wait to hear about it. I've got a few things, myself, so we'll have to compare--"
"Lane! Kent!" Perry called across the newsroom, sounding slightly grumpier than usual. "In my office, now!"
He exchanged a baffled look with Lois before they both obeyed the summons.
As soon as they got inside the office, Lois seized the initiative. "Morning, Chief, have you seen the latest follow-up on the Metro Club thing? I have some more material coming, but in the meantime I wanted to get you as much as I had. Was there a problem with it?"
Perry sat down heavily, shooting her a sour look. "Not with the story. It's screwier than that. Judas Priest! That woman's crazy."
Clark paused, halfway into his seat. "Um, what?"
"Toni Taylor," Perry informed them, "is suing you both. For breach of contract."
"What?" Lois sputtered. "That's insane!"
"Yep," Perry agreed.
Clark frowned, settling into the chair. "What basis has she got? I can't imagine any judge would be impressed by a complaint that we interfered with her illegal activities!"
"No, I don't imagine they will. I've just been on the phone with the Planet's lawyers. They're confident they can derail this thing fairly quickly. But... for reasons known only to their pointy-headed legal minds, they've decided that their job will be much easier if neither of you is served with papers just yet."
"And how are we supposed to avoid that?" Clark asked, with an uncomfortable sense of deja vu.
"You're both going to high-tail it out of here, and stay gone at least until tomorrow." Their boss was clearly unhappy with this idea. "Maybe longer."
Clark sighed. Hadn't they just gone through all that last month? And Toni Taylor didn't seem nearly as threatening as Jason Trask.
"What?" Lois demanded, her voice edging towards shrill. "They can't do this to me! I've got work to do!"
Well, at least this time, he would *not* be staying at Cat's apartment. He'd be with Lois... all of a sudden this seemed like a great idea.
"Nothing that can't wait," Perry told her. "Not unless you stumbled across something huge this morning on the way to work."
Clark glanced at Lois, just in time to catch her looking at him. Lois turned back to Perry. "No, nothing major," she admitted, sounding more resigned to the situation.
"So, go on, get out of here." Perry waved them irritably toward the door of his office. "You've both got some comp time coming to you, after the hours you worked on that Metro Club thing. If you run through that I'll cover it somehow. Just don't go home and don't go anywhere anyone could find you. Wear your beepers! If you don't get paged, call in tomorrow and I'll let you know how it's going."
****
