Rival Derailed

by Wendy Richards <wendy@lcfanfic.com>

Rated: PG-13

Submitted: April 2005

Author's note:

Many thanks to Kaethel for her - as always - invaluable beta- reading and giving me just the reactions I needed to hear at  crucial points. ;) Thanks, too, to everyone who showed such  enthusiasm for this story when it was posted to the Lois and  Clark Fanfic Message Boards <http://www.lcficmbs.com>.

This story was written in honour of the second anniversary of the  Fanfic Message Boards, and also to celebrate the birthdays of Pam  Jernigan and Rivka, who chose a pretty good day to be born. ;)

All rights to the characters belong to DC Comics and Warner Bros;  no infringement of property is intended by this work of fiction,  which is not written for profit.

A birthday story for Pam and an anniversary story for the Fanfic  Message Boards.

~ Rival Derailed ~

"Back off, Linda. He's taken."

Clark Kent stared at his partner, dumbfounded. Had someone  kidnapped Lois Lane and replaced her with Cat Grant while his  attention was distracted?

If there was one thing he'd depended on where Lois was concerned,  it was that she would never lay claim to him openly like that.  That was the whole point. Sure, she hated that Linda was flirting  with him, making obvious her availability and willingness. But  Lois was supposed to react the way she'd done time and again over  the past couple of days: a façade of rolling-eyed irritation  about the fact that another woman was coming on to him, together  with insistent denial that she was feeling anything even remotely  close to jealousy. Yet at the same time she would find excuses to  snipe at him. Open hostility towards Linda, both to the other  woman's face and to him, was also to be expected, together with  an undercurrent of possessiveness - but not, of course, because  Lois was jealous.

That was how she was supposed to behave. That was how she'd been  behaving. That was how he'd expected her to carry on behaving.

She wasn't supposed to stake a territorial claim on him.

So much for the plan. He and Perry would have to do some speedy  rethinking. Unless, of course, he took the obvious way out right  now. It would be simple. It would take only a few words, and  perhaps an incredulous, sneering laugh.

All he had to do was deny that Lois had any claim on him at all.

Then he could get up, abandoning her, and walk Linda to the train  station as she'd asked. And stay away from the Press Club for  considerably longer than the short walk would take.

That would absolutely guarantee the end result they'd planned  for, and quicker than he'd expected.

But... *Lois had said he was taken*.

Lois had implied that he was taken *by her*.

How could he ignore what that meant to him? Even if she'd only  said it as a tactic to make Linda stop coming on to him. Even if  she'd retract it once they were alone.

And yet he had a job to do. A mission to accomplish. A mission  which could only be accomplished *successfully* by antagonising  Lois badly - which, part of him had thought when the plan had  been formulated, might even be a good thing.

She'd been blowing hot and cold with him for a while, after all,  with no serious intent in mind. Her behaviour occasionally came  close to flirting, while at other times she made him feel like an  irritating bug she was about to step on. As soon as Linda had  come on the scene and made her interest in him clear, Possessive  Lois had appeared - but that hadn't meant anything. She didn't  want him. She just didn't want anyone else to have him.

This... this was unbelievable.

He smiled regretfully.

"I'm sorry, Linda." Turning to Lois, he gave her a blazing smile  and reached for her hand. "Like Lois said, we're seeing each  other."

Lois gasped. And Linda looked shocked.

"Anyway," he continued, getting to his feet, "I'll be happy to  walk you to the station, Linda. I'll be back in a couple of  minutes, honey," he added to Lois.

The last thing he saw, as he walked out of the Press Club with  Linda, was Lois's wide-eyed, almost thunderstruck, expression.

**********

Why had she said that? What had *possessed* her?

Lois pushed her plate away and buried her head in her hands. Of  all the idiot things...!

What must Clark be thinking?

And, worst of all, what was she going to say to him?

Okay, so she'd been trying to get Linda to stay away from him for  the last couple of days. But that *wasn't* because she had any  personal interest in Clark! Like she'd told Linda in the  restroom, she was just trying to protect Clark from her scheming.  That she wouldn't let Linda use him and discard him. And that was  because Clark was her *friend*. Nothing more than that.

Now... well, okay, she might well have succeeded in warning Linda  off, though even that wasn't assured. After all, Linda hadn't  exactly respected boundaries before, had she? She'd moved in on  Paul despite knowing that Lois was with him.

Lois sighed. It was even possible that, by staking a claim on  Clark, she'd only presented Linda with more of a challenge. Now,  instead of just flirting with Clark, she'd go all out to steal  him away.

She was probably starting right now...

A squeak of dismay escaped her and, embarrassed, she looked  around cautiously. Good. No-one seemed to have noticed.

But really, what had she been thinking? She'd made things worse,  not better! What was it about Linda King that the woman only had  to be in the vicinity for her to start acting like a complete  moron?

And Clark had said he'd be right back. If he'd meant it, then  he'd be here any minute.

<Honey...>

Oh, god. Oh, god...

She couldn't face him. Not now. He'd want an explanation, and she  simply didn't have one to give him. Not to mention the fact that  she wasn't even sure she could look him in the eye.

Grabbing her purse, she slid quickly out of the booth and  practically ran for the door.

*********

"I thought you said your relationship with Lois wasn't defined?"

Linda was clinging to his arm. He almost laughed. She was being  so obvious. Not that he would have minded too much if his  original plan had still been on track.

"Well, it wasn't - then." But it had sure become defined in a  matter of seconds! To outward appearances, anyway. Though going  along with it had left him with a bigger problem. How was he now  going to achieve the objective of finding out what the Star was  up to?

Though... maybe the original plan wasn't so dead in the water  after all. The way Linda was looking at him...

She really wasn't a woman's woman, was she? What sort of woman  would make a play for someone else's boyfriend?

If it wasn't for the fact that he had an ulterior motive, he'd  give her a brush-off she couldn't misunderstand. But... Instead,  he smiled at her.

She smiled back in what he recognised as a deliberately sultry  manner. "Well, if you ever feel like *re*-defining yourself...  personally or professionally..." As she trailed off, she stroked  her free hand down his arm.

Well, his plan was definitely still a possibility.

"Well, here's the station." He detached her hand gently but  firmly. "Goodnight."

Her expression made it clear that she was about to detain him  further. Her eyes half-closed, she curved her mouth into a  seductive smile and tilted her head to one side. "Clark..."

He shook his head, smiling apologetically. "I have to go, Linda,  Lois is waiting for me."

For a moment, she looked as if she would protest, but then she  shrugged, as if to concede defeat. For now, anyway, her  expression suggested. "Goodnight, Clark."

**********

Clark hurried back to the Press Club. But the table was empty.

He checked his watch. He'd been gone less than ten minutes. Why  hadn't she waited?

But then, this was Lois. The irrational frequently seemed to be  rational as far as she was concerned.  With a wry grimace, he  left the club to head over to Lois's apartment.

He'd take the slow route. That would give him time to work out  how to provoke the reaction he needed to get the plan back on  track.

**********

She was busy. She was very busy. Far too busy to worry about what  her partner might be getting up to with Linda King.

So much for him agreeing with the lead she'd given him. He'd  still left with the witch!

What was it with men? Did they all think with their trousers?  Could none of them see past a cleavage and a... well, a maybe  sort of, if you looked at it from the right angle, pretty face?  She'd thought Clark was better than that. But then, he'd been  letting Linda flirt with him ever since she'd had to introduce  the two of them. He'd let her waltz off with him at Preston  Carpenter's ball. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, he'd even  gone to lunch with her.

So, if he was so *obviously* interested in Linda, why had he  backed her up when she'd said he was hers?

Oh, what did it matter! She didn't *want* Clark to consider  himself hers, anyway! That was why she'd left the Press Club,  after all. She still had to decide what the heck she was going to  say to Clark when she saw him.

Maybe she could just say that she was sick of the way Linda was  pestering him. Batting her eyelids at him. All over him like a  rash. That it was getting in the way of the two of them doing  their *jobs*. After all, Linda worked for a rival newspaper. One,  moreover, which was scooping them *all the time*. The last thing  they should be doing was allowing a Metropolis Star reporter to  hang around them.

Maybe he'd buy that. Or maybe not. After all, he'd already  accused her of being jealous just because she'd tried to warn him  off that... that *person* who had the temerity to call herself a  reporter.

Sighing, she applied herself to the tiles around her sink. How  could her kitchen have got into such a state? She hardly ever  used it! It wasn't as if she was one of those messy cooks who  spilt bits of food or liquid everywhere. The place should be  pristine!

Scrub. Scrub. Cough because that cleaning cream smelled *awful*.  Scrub. Pause to wipe hair away from face. Grimace because  cleaning cream smears ended up on hair.

Okay, now she remembered why she hated clean -

A loud, insistent knock sounded at the door. Clark. It had to be.  Oh, god. Oh, god. She wasn't ready to see him yet.

She could just not answer. Pretend she wasn't in...

"Lois? Lois! I know you're in there!"

Too late. Though how did he know she was there? She was already  opening the door when she realised. He'd been calling her bluff,  hadn't he?

He marched into the apartment, clearly annoyed. He didn't even  greet her. "Why didn't you wait for me? I was gone *ten minutes*,  Lois! I came straight back, like I promised!"

She avoided his gaze. "I had... things to do." To get away from  him, because his nearness was making her uncomfortable in ways  she didn't want to think about, she marched back into the  kitchen.

He followed her. She swallowed, then put the island between them.

Clark glanced around the apartment, then focused on the cleaning  materials which she'd left piled around the sink. "I see.  Cleaning your grout was so important that you couldn't wait for  me?"

Anger blazed. "Well, you went off with Miss Pushy, didn't you?  You expected me to sit there on my own and wait for you like a  Stepford wife, did you?"

He blinked. "I expected you to wait for me like my *friend*  would! Because I'd asked you to!"

He was angry too. That made it harder. Of course, she could just  tell him that he had no right to question her actions. No right  at all to demand that she do *anything*. But, apart from the fact  that she really didn't want to fight with Clark right now, he had  a trump card if he chose to use it. All he had to do was remind  her that she'd given him that right by what she'd said.

By the fact that she'd staked a claim on him, a claim he hadn't  denied.

Her hands twisted. This was awkward. "Okay. I know you think I  should have waited. But I just didn't want to, all right?"

He leaned against the counter dividing the kitchen from her  living-room. "You were running away, Lois. Admit it."

Indignation flared. "Of course I wasn't!"

He rolled his eyes. "You and I both know you were."

"Oh yeah? And, if you're so clever, Kent, tell me why I was  supposedly running away!"

She realised her mistake instantly. But it was too late.

"Because you told Linda I was taken."

Bluff it out, Lois...

She grabbed her scraper and bent over the tiles again, trying to  give the appearance of focusing her entire concentration on her  task.

"Right. And you believed me? Come on, Clark! I just got fed up  with her butting in all the time - "

"I don't think so."

Her head shot up. He was watching her with that expression he  *had* to know drove her crazy. The one which said that he could  see right through her. That he knew she was trying to put one  over on him. And that he wasn't fooled for one second.

Something had got into Clark tonight, though. He wouldn't  normally call her bluff so directly.  He had to be very sure of  his ground - and very sure that she wouldn't tear him to pieces  for it.

"What do you mean, you don't think so?" Hands on hips, she glared  at him.

He shook his head. "Oh, come on, Lois. You weren't just bluffing  her to get rid of her. You've hated the way she's been flirting  with me. You're jealous, aren't you?"

"No *way*!" But she felt her face flushing.

Clark didn't answer. But the way he was looking at her left her  in no doubt of his thoughts. He didn't believe her. And he wasn't  even pretending to.

He grinned, and it wasn't friendly. It showed satisfaction, at  her expense. "Well, Lois, if it makes you happy to believe  that..."

She dropped her cleaning materials and stood upright, glaring at  Clark. Anger warred with humiliation. Protesting wasn't helping  her any. For whatever reason, tonight he wasn't in the mood to  pretend to buy her excuses. The only thing she could do now to  save herself further embarrassment was to throw him out. But,  somehow, she didn't want to do that. She had a weird sensation  that their relationship was on some sort of precipice, and that  if she made the wrong move it could change forever.

The trouble was, if she made the *right* move it could change  forever too.

And which move was right and which wrong?

Choking back anger, she took her courage in both hands and  appealed to the better nature she, of all people, knew Clark  possessed.

"Clark, don't push me! I'm still trying to figure out why I said  it myself!"

*********

The breath whooshed out of him.

He was pushing her. Deliberately. He'd come here with the express  intention of getting the plan back on track. Of provoking a  fight.

But, in the process, he was hurting her.

Why hadn't it occurred to him that this would hurt her?

Maybe because they fought all the time. Fought, made up, fought  again. It really was no big deal in their relationship.  Underneath it all, they both knew that their friendship went deep  enough that a few fights could never hurt it.

Except that he'd never deliberately set out to provoke her into a  fight before. And this time - for the plan to work - he'd have to  ensure that she stayed mad at him for days.

It had seemed so easy when he and Perry had talked it over. The  small matter of creating a rift between Lois and himself which  would last for... well, for as long as it took had seemed like a  small price to pay. Nothing he couldn't handle. Now, though, he  loathed the thought of it.

"I'm sorry. You just took me by surprise, that's all. I mean, I  know she irritates you, but - unless us being together really is  what you want, which I kind of doubt since you've done everything  you can to warn me off ever since we met - wasn't it a bit  drastic?"

His softer tone seemed to soothe her a little. She sighed, then  came around the island to stand closer to him. Her expression was  conflicted. What was going through her head now? But, after a few  moments, she seemed to come to a decision, though it wasn't one  which made her look happy. Resigned would be more appropriate,  perhaps.

"I wasn't going to tell you this. For one thing, it's pretty  darned humiliating for me, and it's not something I like to  remember, let alone talk about. But I guess maybe you need to  know about Linda King and why I wouldn't trust her as far as I  could spit at her."

He caught his breath. Lois never opened up about herself to  anyone. Not if she could possibly avoid it. They'd been friends -  best friends, she'd even admitted to him - for months now, and he  still felt he knew way too little about her. Oh, she'd told him  about Claude, but if she hadn't thought she was about to die that  was one secret he'd never have been privileged to know about.  He'd practically had to drag out of her the reason her  relationship with her father was so poor.

If she was about to open up to him again, this was serious. Linda  King wasn't just getting to Lois because of some trivial fight in  the past, exacerbated by the fact that she was scooping the  Planet and flirting with him. This went deep.

"Okay," he said quietly. "I'm listening."

"This doesn't go beyond this room, right?" Her eyes flashed and  strain was visible on her face.

He reached out and touched her arm. Just lightly, a brief caress  which was over as soon as it had begun. "This is me, Lois. When  have I ever betrayed anything you've told me in confidence?"

She bit her lip. "I guess." And then, face averted, she began to  talk. About a guy she'd admired - wanted - in college. The editor  of the newspaper. And how she'd struggled to get his attention.  About stumbling across a real scoop, a great story which was  guaranteed to make him sit up and take an interest. And about a  best friend who stole the story and wrote it under her own name,  then proceeded to date the guy.

A best friend named Linda King.

Another stolen story. It was no wonder being scooped upset Lois  so much. It was no wonder that she'd been so suspicious of him  when he'd arrived at the Planet. And, in the circumstances, it  was very surprising that she'd stolen his story back in their  early days - though, he figured now, very out of character.

When he spoke, his voice was soft. Sympathetic. "So she stole a  story and stole a guy, and now she's doing it again?"

She whirled to face him. "Don't flatter your - !" She broke off  abruptly. "Yes." The word sounded as if it was dragged from her.

Bile rose in his throat. He couldn't possibly go through with the  plan now. She'd already experienced too many acts of betrayal  from people she'd trusted and cared about.

And she'd just admitted that what she'd said in the Press Club  had been more than just an act to get rid of Linda.

"Lois." He took a step closer to her. She didn't move. She just  watched him, her expression wary. Nervous. Like she expected to  be hurt or humiliated.

"She's not going to steal me away from you, Lois."

Even as he said it, he was expecting the slap-down. The  incredulous laugh. The astonishment that he could even imagine  that he was hers to be stolen from.

But she met his gaze, her own anxious and almost... hopeful.  "She's not?"

He shook his head. "Don't you know? Lois, I haven't even noticed  any other woman since I met you!"

Her gaze fell. "I knew you were... attracted to me... But I  thought I'd pushed you away so much that you weren't interested  any more."

Oh, she'd done a very good job of trying to push him away. But  there was something about love - the love he felt for her and  which hadn't abated one bit since the day he'd first seen her and  fallen head over heels - which compelled him. It would take more  than he could possibly imagine to stop him loving Lois Lane.

Besides, he understood some of what made her behave the way she  had. He'd recognised the mixed signals she was sending out -  particularly this week and her reaction to Linda King's flirting.  Either she didn't want him for herself but simply didn't want  anyone else to have him either, or she was skittish. Running  scared of commitment - to anyone.

One of them had to take another risk here. And Lois had already  taken several.

"Oh, I'm interested." He waited until she was looking at him  again. "Not that it's easy for me to admit that, Lois - just so  you know that this true confessions stuff isn't all one-sided."

She nodded slowly. "I guess."

"So?" he prompted. When she gave him a questioning look, he  elaborated, asking what he desperately wanted to know. "So? Is  the... interest... one-sided? Or did you really mean it when you  told Linda I'm taken?"

She didn't answer his question. "You told her you were taken.  That we were seeing each other. Why did you do that?"

He raised his eyebrows. "What? Did you expect me to call you a  liar in front of a woman I knew you seemed to hate? Answer my  question, Lois."

He held his breath. This time she hesitated, and then finally  nodded slowly. "I meant it. I mean, I... wanted it to be true."

A sigh escaped him, and he closed his eyes briefly as a rush of  joy coursed through him. "Then it is. It will be."

"Really?" For the first time in the entire evening, she looked  happy. Excited.

"Really." He extended a hand to her. She took it and stepped  closer to him, her face raised to his. And he looked down at her  and felt his heart skip a beat. Did she want him to kiss her?

But reality intervened. He couldn't yet. Not without telling her  the whole truth about what was going on here.

He squeezed her hand, then said, "There's something I need to  tell you. It's not all been on Linda's side. I've been  deliberately getting friendly with her."

She dropped his hand as if it had burned her. "What?"

"It's not like that, Lois! It's all a... a ruse. I'm not  attracted to her. I mean, she's nice-looking and I'm sure she's a  lovely person, but - I have an ulterior motive."

Suspicious, she glared at him. "What motive?"

He sighed. They'd somehow managed to go back a few steps in the  space of less than a minute. Lois really did have a low trust  threshold.

"You know that I came to the conclusion that at least one of  these accidents the Star's been scooping us on wasn't an  accident. I think none of them were. I went to Perry and told him  that I think someone's staging them deliberately and making sure  that a Star reporter is always tipped off in order to scoop us.  Remember when I had lunch with Linda?"

Lois's sour expression showed him that she remembered only too  well.

"She got a phone call from Preston Carpenter - and apparently all  he wanted was to find out where she was. To check up on her. And  I got the impression that he does that a *lot*. Right after the  call, we heard the sirens. That thing with the elevator was right  across the street from where we were."

Lois visibly caught her breath. "So Linda and her boss are  putting people's *lives* at risk just to make the Planet go  under?"

He grimaced. "I don't know if she's involved or not. But that's  what this was all about. I was going to go undercover at the  Star. I played along with Linda to try to get her to persuade me  to work with her - I didn't think that would be very difficult,  and it wasn't." Smiling wryly, he added, "She asked me this  evening."

Lois's face paled. "And you said yes?"

Immediately, he shook his head. "Not... yet. Lois, the plan was  for me to fight with you. Badly. And then I'd have an excuse to  walk out and join the Star."

Before he could stop her, she was on the other side of her  living-room. "You were going to stage a fight with me, were you?  So that's why you came over here!" The shuddering sob which  escaped her cut him like a knife. "Well, consider yourself fought  with! You can go to Linda now with a clear conscience."

"Lois!" He stared at her, aghast. "Haven't you listened to  anything I've been saying here?  Have I fought with you? Haven't  I just *told* you what Perry and I planned? I can't go through  with it. I don't want to fight with you. I love you!"

He heard her sharp intake of breath. "You... do?"

"Of course I do! Lois, you had to have known that!"

Slowly, she shook her head. "I knew you... liked me. Were  attracted to me. But I never thought... I've been too horrible to  you for you to love me!"

He couldn't stop himself grinning at that. "Only some of the  time. I love you, Lois."

If he'd expected her to reject his feelings, to tell him that she  couldn't return them, or even that she liked him - wanted to date  him, even - but love was out of the question, he'd been wrong.  She stared at him, amazement in her expression. "Wow."

"Wow?" he repeated. "Is that good or bad?"

"It's... wow! Clark, I had no idea... I thought... maybe I was  the only one having these feelings."

"What feelings?" Incredulity, hope, wonder and joy battled inside  him.

"That... maybe I'm in love with you."

"Wow!" Yes, that was definitely the right word.

In three paces, he was beside her. And then she was in his arms.  This time nothing stopped him covering her lips with his.

And this time their kiss was real, not a ruse.

*********

Wow. The simple, expressive word echoed in her mind over and  over. Wow. Just wow.

Articulacy deserted her. All thoughts fled. Her brain was mush,  her body cotton wool. If Clark wasn't holding her, she'd probably  be lying flat out on the floor.

All from a simple kiss.

Though not simple. There was nothing simple about this kiss. It  was amazing and sinful and breathtaking and earth-shattering and  soul-shaking and utterly, entirely complex. It complicated  everything, yet at the same time it made everything so  straightforward. Gave her perfect clarity.

She loved Clark. And that was the simple truth which swept away  all confusion, all lies and uncertainty.

Relaxing in his arms as the kiss ended, she started planning.  They loved each other. They'd agreed to be a couple. So they  could start dating, spending time together. Openly. Honestly.  Without any more silly games -

Wait.

Honestly? Without games?

Clark had been playing games when he'd come here.

<...the plan was for me to fight with you. Badly...>

She pulled out of his arms. He looked at her, a question in his  eyes. "Lois? Is something wrong?"

"Yes." Hurt, she wrapped her arms around her middle. "How can I  believe you when you say you love me?"

He was good at the bewildered expression. Too good. She could  almost believe him. "Because I do, Lois!"

"No. How can you say you love me and plan to deceive me like  that?"

"Huh?"

"This thing with you planning to defect to the Star, of course!"  She was yelling. She hated that she was doing it, but she  couldn't help it. "You're supposed to be my partner! Why didn't  you tell me what was going on?"

He grimaced. "That was Perry's idea. He thought it would look  more convincing if you thought I'd defected for real. We figured  Linda knows you well enough to smell a rat if you weren't in  full-scale hostile mode with me."

"And you went along with it?" So much for love. He didn't trust  her.

He sighed. Clark was a great sigher. He had them down to an art,  didn't he? "Lois, I didn't want to - but I had to agree that  Perry had a point. Linda really is a hot button where you're  concerned. And, okay, I didn't know why then, but still. For the  plan to work, you had to be furious with both me and Linda. And  if you were in on it... well, Perry wasn't sure it would work."

So now even *Perry* didn't trust her to do her *job*? She was an  investigative reporter! How many times had she gone undercover?  And in far trickier situations than this. What did they think she  was? An amateur? Why hadn't Clark stood up for her? He was her  *partner*! He knew she was damned good at what she did.

No. They'd - *Clark* would - prefer to make her look a fool in  front of Linda King. Again. History repeating itself, to the tune  of Linda's crowing.

She turned away. She didn't want to look at him. Not now. Not  when he was standing there, looking so... so gorgeous and earnest  and...

Deceitful.

"You don't trust me. So how can you claim you love me?"

*********

What...?

How could they have gone from blissful, wonderful, soul- shattering kissing to outright hostility in less than five  minutes?

Though it wasn't really hostility. Lois was hurt. Again.

This plan had been a *really* bad idea...

"Lois." He advanced on her and caught her shoulders in his hands.  She shrugged away.

He sighed. "Lois. Please, listen to me."

"And what? What are you going to tell me this time? More lies?  Come on, Clark. The truth's staring me in the face, only I was  too stupid to see it a minute ago."

What was she talking about? "I haven't lied to you!"

"Oh, that's real funny." She laughed, but he heard the hollowness  of it. "You said you love me. But if you loved me you'd never  even have *thought* about using me like that. Going behind my  back, making me look a fool, hurting me..."

So that was it. He should have realised. He'd just told himself  only a few minutes ago what a low trust threshold she had.

"Lois, of course I trust you!"

She swung around to face him. Her face was ghostly white, and her  eyes looked like dark, over-large smudges. "Yeah, right. You  couldn't prove it by me."

How could he prove that he trusted her? *Could* he prove it?

And he stilled as the answer came to him. Of course he could. All  he had to do was take a leap of faith - and, since he was already  asking her to take a similar leap to trust *him*, it was probably  a fair exchange.

"You want proof?" Slowly, he advanced on her. "I can prove it,  Lois. If *this* doesn't prove that I trust you *and* that I love  you, then I don't know what can."

"What are you talking about?"

He ignored her question. "Give me your hand, Lois."

"What? Clark, whatever crackpot idea - "

He seized her hand and placed it on his shirtfront. "Slide your  hand under my shirt," he instructed her, suiting action to words  by pushing her fingers between his buttons.

"Clark, I do *not* want to grope your ch - *what* have you got on  under your shirt? It's all shiny and..." She trailed off. To his  satisfaction, she was looking slack-jawed. Thunderstruck, in  fact.

"That's... Superman's suit, isn't it?"

"It is." He waited.

"Why are you...?" She halted. Swallowed. Blinked several times.  Then, in a strangled voice, continued. "Clark, tell me you're not  Superman."

"Sorry, Lois, I can't do that." With the note of amusement that  had crept into his voice, he heard himself sound exactly like  Superman.

Lois obviously thought so too. Her eyes widened and her gaze shot  up to examine his face. She reached up, too, her hand fumbling  awkwardly with his glasses.

"Let me." Carefully, with proper respect for the frames, he  removed them.

"You still don't *look* like him..." Doubt and disbelief shaded  her voice.

With his free hand, he brushed back his hair. "How about now?"

"Oh, my..." Her hand fell away and she took a step backwards.  Pale-faced, she seemed to sway. He reached out, in a movement  faster than she could follow, and caught her.

"Come on, you should sit down. I guess I should have anticipated  this would be a shock." He led her to the sofa. She sank down  onto the cushions. He sat beside her.

"You... you're... him..."

He'd achieved the impossible. He'd actually reduced Lois Lane to  speechlessness.

*********

She couldn't even look at him. This was impossible. It wasn't  happening. How could it be happening?

Clark couldn't be Superman.

Superman was... tall and dashing and daring and courageous and  noble and ethical and handsome and kind and... such an  inspiration to everyone around him. He also had *incredible*  powers. He flew!

Clark wasn't... He didn't...

Actually... Clark *was* tall. And he could be dashing, she  guessed. Daring? Courageous? He'd saved her life a couple of  times, at least. And he was one of the very few people who stood  up to her when she was in full Mad Dog Lane flight. Noble?  Actually... yes. Ethical? Absolutely! Among her acquaintance,  only Superman could match Clark for ethics. And he was undeniably  handsome. Not that that had stopped her trying to deny it for too  long. And he was kind - he was one of the kindest people she  knew.

In every way, Clark's qualities matched Superman's.

"But you can't fly!"

Clark's soft laugh informed her that she'd said that aloud. She  cringed.

"Actually, I can. Want me to show you?"

Embarrassed beyond words, she buried her face in her hands. A  movement beside her told her that Clark was standing up. She  ignored it.

"Look at me, Lois."

She couldn't. How could she possibly ever look him in the eye  again? An inarticulate sound escaped her.

"I didn't hear that, Lois."

God, he was persistent! "I can't," she muttered.

"You can. If you don't do it willingly, you know I'll make you."  She had no problem believing the threat. Oh, he'd do it without  hesitation.

Slowly, unwillingly, she raised her head. Opened her eyes. Looked  at him.

He was hovering two feet off the ground. In her living-room.

Superman, in Clark's clothes, was in front of her.

"But... but... how... when... *why*?"

He drifted to the floor. "Which do you want me to answer first,  Lois?"

"This isn't *fair*!" she exclaimed. Her voice sounded strangled,  and she cringed. "You've been... been *him* all along, and... I  never guessed, and you let me..." She flung her hands up to cover  her face. "Oh, god!"

Strong, warm hands covered hers. Tugged them gently away from her  face. And his face was in front of hers, familiar brown eyes  unobscured by glasses gazing warmly into hers as he knelt in  front of her.

"Lois. Listen to me. This isn't something to get upset about! I  told you because I wanted to prove to you that I trust you.  You're my friend - you're the woman I *love*, and I wanted you to  know. Can we get past the embarrassment here and talk about  this?"

Embarrassment? That didn't even begin to cover it! "Clark, I...  Do you have any *idea* what an idiot I feel right now? No, not an  idiot. A complete and utter *moron*! A... a *hack*, a brainless ,  stupid, imbecilic *blind* fool who couldn't see what was right  under her nose! And that's before I even get into the way I  treated you - mmph -"

She halted for the simple reason that she was physically  incapable of saying anything else. Her mouth was paralysed by a  very effective mechanism.

Clark had leaned over and kissed her.

Her eyes drifted shut. When he kissed her like that, how was she  supposed to retain any remnant of coherent thought? When his hand  slid into her hair, caressing her, bringing her closer to him,  how was she supposed to focus on *anything* other than how good  his lips tasted? Or the warm, fuzzy, tingly-butterfly sensations  coursing through her?

Of their own volition, her hands moved. One buried itself in his  hair, which was springy and soft beneath her fingers. The other  stroked his shoulder, his back, his neck. He was warm and solid  and entirely male... entirely Clark, the way he'd felt in her  arms mere minutes before.

Mmmm... she could get used to this...

*********

He didn't want to. But, finally, Clark lifted his head. Lois  clung to him, moaning a protest, trying to tug him back to her.

"It's okay. I'm not going anywhere." He caught her hand and  squeezed it for reassurance.

She stared at him through glazed eyes. "Promise?"

He grinned. "Promise." His thumb caressed the back of her hand.  "Now do you believe that I love you?"

She caught her breath. "I'm still trying to take all of this in,  Clark... Super - I don't even know what I'm supposed to *call*  you now!"

"Clark." He stifled the pang which struck him at her words. After  all, how could she know? "I've always been Clark. Superman came  later - a lot later. Actually, mostly thanks to you."

She blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah. But could we talk about that another time? It's not  important right now." What was important was getting things  straight between the two of them. Their *relationship*.

"I guess." Her fingers tightened around his. "I understand why  you told me. It's a pretty huge gesture, isn't it? How can I say  you don't trust me when you've told me this? I mean, there's got  to be a reason why no-one knows..."

"Yes." He became serious. This was important, and she had to  understand. "Well, I don't have to tell you what it would do to  me, do I? Or my parents. This *has* to be a secret. Everything I  have - everyone I love - is at risk if this secret gets out."

"I can see that. And you trusted *me*..."

"Why not, Lois? I love you. I told you that."

She nodded. "Yes. And I do love you, Clark. I just..." She chewed  her lip, and he reached out to caress her face.

"Lois, it's okay. I understand a lot more now than I did before  this evening. I know trust's an issue for you."

"It is. But you make me feel... I don't know... humble, Clark. I  should have trusted you. You've never given me a reason not to. I  know that."

He shrugged faintly. "I did agree with Perry not to tell you  about our plan. And I kept Superman a secret from you."

She shook her head. "Those aren't important things. They're...  trivial details, really."

He couldn't help laughing at that. "Am I hearing right? Lois Lane  calling Superman a trivial detail?"

She blushed. And he loved that. It made him want to pull her into  his arms and hug her to him in a crushing, loving embrace. It  made him want to kiss her and tell her how much he loved her  until she was blushing for another reason entirely.

"I don't mean that Superman's not important! I just mean that  you've never lied to me or let me down about anything that really  matters. And that's what I should have remembered."

"But this mattered - I know that." He slid back onto the sofa to  sit beside her, slipping his arm around her shoulders. She came  to him, settling against him as if she belonged there.

And she did. Always.

"What matters now is that we're a team, Clark. And we still have  to get to the bottom of what the Star's up to."

"True." He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Though right  now I can think of more interesting things to do."

She laughed and swiped at his free hand, which was busy stroking  circles on her knee. "Later, lover boy. First, I have an idea..."

********

Lois flung the door to the editor's office open. It hit the wall  behind with a satisfying crash.

Perry's head shot up. "Lois! What do you think you're - "

"I *quit*!"

"What?" He jumped to his feet. Shock and even fear showed in his  eyes. Lois had to look away to smother her grin.

"I've had it with Kent, Chief! I just can't work with him any  more! So I quit. I'm sure there's plenty of other papers will be  delighted to hire a three-time Kerth winner."

The editor swallowed. Gulped. His mouth opened and closed several  times, reminding her of a fish. Finally, he said, "But, Lois,  haven't you heard? Kent's already quit. He's gone to the Star!"

"Oh?" Perfect. Just the right amount of surprise and indifference  in her voice. "He should fit right in there." She shrugged. "Oh,  well, the Planet's going under anyway, so it shouldn't matter if  we both quit. And I'd rather get out now before I'm forced out,  if you know what I mean." She gave Perry a false smile. "I know  you understand, Chief."

"Lois - "

"I'll be clearing my desk for the next few minutes, then I'm out  of here. You can tell Payroll to send my final cheque on."

"Lois! You can't do this to me!" Perry came out from behind his  desk and headed towards her.

She tilted her chin upwards. "Too late, Chief. I'm already doing  it."

"But, Lois, after everything - "

She shrugged, and this time didn't smother her grin. "You should  have thought of that before you told Clark to fight with me so he  could walk out."

Perry's jaw went slack. "You *know* about that?"

"What? That he's only working at the Star so he can spy on them?  That he and you were in cahoots together to fool everyone,  *including* me?" She rolled her eyes. "Of course I know."

"And... that's why you're quitting? Because Kent deceived you?  But, Lois, that was my fault! I'm the one who told him not to  tell you - "

Carelessly, she told him, "I know that too."

"Okay. I see what this is, Lois. You're angry with Kent for going  along with it." She recognised the tone, one deliberately  intended to soothe. Perry really was pulling out all the stops  here. She had to admire his determination. "But you have to see  why it was necessary. The survival of the Planet depends on it!"

"Actually, I'm not angry with Clark." She trailed a finger idly  around the frame of one of Perry's Elvis pictures. "I'm furious  with you, though."

He swallowed, clearly halting whatever he was about to say. His  gaze followed the movements of her finger and she could see alarm  in his eyes. Good. "Uh... I'm sorry about that, Lois. But there  was a very good reason not to tell you - "

"Oh yeah." As if just remembering, she continued. "I'm too  personally involved, right? I wouldn't be able to look convincing  about Clark's defection if I knew?" She crossed her arms and,  when Perry nodded, smiled in satisfaction.

"So tell me this, Perry. How convincing have I been here?"

"Huh?" Now she had him totally, gratifyingly confused.

"I'm quitting, right?"

"Well, that's what you said - "

"Oh, good." Another smile. "I convinced you."

The penny began to drop. Shock was replaced by confusion, then  realisation. Anger and relief combined in his expression. And  then he gave a short bark of laughter. "I get it. This was  revenge for me not telling you."

"*This* time, Perry." She let her eyes flash at him. "Just don't  let it happen again."

"Who's the boss around here?" he grumbled. "Okay, okay. Point  taken. Now get back to work!"

She grinned. "Yes, boss." Lois 1; Perry 0.

*********

Her voice was so beautiful. "Hi. I was hoping you'd call."

"Yeah. It's been kind of difficult to find a safe moment."

"I miss you."

Warmed throughout, he answered, "I miss you too."

"You've only been away half a day and already I feel like half of  me's missing."

Later, he'd tell her what her words, and the emotion behind them,  did to him. For now, they had to keep this brief. "We'll see each  other in a little while. At the Orani Jewels presentation."

"Yeah." He could hear the smile in her voice. "I promise I'll be  suitably bitchy."

He laughed. "I'll look forward to it."

"Not half as much as I'm looking forward to seeing you." Anyone  seeing him right now would think his expression was the sappiest  they'd ever seen. But he didn't care. He was unbelievably happy.  "When?"

"Well," he murmured, choosing his words carefully, "you know that  *Clark* can't be seen anywhere near your place?"

"Yeah." The disappointment in her voice made him melt.

"But I'd suggest that you leave your window open."

"Mmmm." She was almost purring. If only he could be with her  right now... but he had to get back to Linda to carry on the act.  "I think that can be arranged."

"Later," he promised. And he had plans for later...

"I'll be waiting."

"I love you," he whispered.

And, just before he pressed the button to end the call, he heard  her response. "I love you too, Clark." A giggle. "Remember,  you're taken."

He was. Very much taken. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

~ The End ~

(c) Wendy Richards 2005 <wendy@lcfanfic.com>

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