Another Lifetime

[phoenixnz]

Chapter Nine

Clark laughed quietly to himself as Lois left. Perry had called him shortly after the reporter had left his office, telling him she had been extremely upset and deeply apologetic for her actions the other day. He had been surprised when his doorman had called and told him Lois was on the way up with a huge fruit basket.

He looked at the gift. Rather an unusual way to apologise, but from what the editor had told him, Lois had a habit of putting her foot in it then making some kind of gesture to make up for it. It must have cost her a small fortune. Not that he cared how much she’d spent. The gesture had been appreciated though.

He bit into the apple he’d offered her and picked up some papers from the table he’d been meaning to study before the announcement on Friday. As uncertain as he had been about taking over as publisher of the Daily Planet, both his brother and Perry had made a lot of sense. The newspaper needed someone who actually knew the journalism business and was interested in producing quality reporting, not someone who cared more about making a profit.

It wasn’t as if they actually needed the revenue, he thought. Queen Industries was doing very well for itself.

They would be calling a press conference to make the announcement. Perry had told him that he was going to get his best business reporter to cover the story. Since Lois was the staff investigative reporter, not to mention the fact that she was related to them by marriage, she had been told in no uncertain terms that she was to steer clear. She could be at the press conference but as an observer, not as a participant.

His housekeeper came in as he finished reading the documents.

“Your dinner is in the oven. If there is nothing else you’ll be needing tonight, Mr Queen, I’ll take my leave.”

He nodded. “Thank you, Mrs Adams. Have a good night.”

“You too, sir,” she said with a smile.

Clark watched her go. His mother had insisted he at least have someone to cook his meals and keep his apartment clean. Despite his abilities, and the two years he’d spent travelling and taking care of himself, she worried about him alone in the penthouse. She was subtly hinting it was time he settled down and found someone but given the problems he’d had in the past, he wasn’t sure he wanted the hassle of dating only to find they were only with him because of his money.

As much as they had not gotten along on the date, Clark had noticed that Lois didn’t treat him any differently than she would anyone else. She didn’t seem to care who he was or how much money he had.

Oliver had told him that when he’d first met Lois, she had punched him in the arm and told him he’d better treat her cousin well, or else. If Chloe hadn’t already warned him about her cousin’s tendency to follow up on those threats, he would have laughed it off. Despite her apparent abrasiveness, when she loved, she loved wholeheartedly and was loyal to a fault. She was far from perfect, according to Chloe, but then again, who was?

God knew, he had his share of faults. As a child, he’d been frustrated, hampered by the fact that he was unable to just use his abilities whenever he wanted. As he’d matured, he’d begun to realise exactly why that was. His parents had often warned him there were unscrupulous people out there who would exploit him. He’d learned that lesson the hard way when his father had died. He still didn’t know all the details but Oliver had told him it had something to do with the Luthors.

He’d had a couple of run-ins with Lex, as Superman. The man had made it very clear he didn’t like Superman and would do anything to expose him as a liar – that he wasn’t there to protect the people of Metropolis. As far as Lex was concerned he was dangerous and not to be trusted.

He took off his glasses and pinched his nose tiredly. There were times when he forgot he was wearing them. As much as he had hated the idea, Oliver had made a good point. He didn’t want people recognising him. As Superman, he also had a transmitter hidden inside the suit which allowed him to project a slightly different image of himself. That way, anyone who knew him when he was younger would also not recognise Superman as the youngest Queen.

He rose from the couch and went into the kitchen to check on his dinner. The housekeeper had put the oven on a timer so he wouldn’t forget to pull it out. It still had about five minutes which meant he had time to call home.

His mother answered. While they had a housekeeper and a couple of maids, she preferred to do most things herself.

“Hi Mom.”

“Hello darling. Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I just wanted to tell you I talked to Lois and she’s coming to dinner on Friday.”

“That’s wonderful, sweetheart. Your brother’s still at work, but Chloe’s here. Did you want to talk to her?”

“No, that’s okay, Mom. I’ll see her on Friday.”

“All right.” She paused. “What have you been up to today?”

“Not much. Just researching for an article. Lois came over. She brought a fruit basket as an apology for the other day.” His mother sighed.

“Oh, that poor dear. When I talked to Perry, he said she was beside herself. I hope you weren’t too harsh with her.”

“No, Mom. I promise.”

“That’s good.” The oven timer dinged loudly. “Is that the oven?” she asked.

“Yeah. The housekeeper left dinner for me.”

“Well, I should let you go eat. I love you, honey.”

“Love you too, Mom. See you in a couple days.”

That Friday afternoon, an hour before the press conference, Clark headed to the Daily Planet to meet with Perry. As he walked up the stairs to the tenth floor, he bumped into someone coming the other way.

“Hey, watch it!” The woman looked up, her eyes widening. “Uh, Clark. I didn’t … what are you doing here?”

He knew she’d been told about Oliver’s purchase of the Planet but didn’t know exactly how much she had been told.

“I’m just going to a meeting with Perry.” He looked her over. She was wearing a pink blouse today with a charcoal grey wool skirt and a jacket in the same fabric. While it was attractive, it looked a little too much ‘power suit’ to him, making him wonder if she was wearing it as some kind of armour. He didn’t know her that well but she gave off the impression that she put up a lot of walls to protect herself. “Anyway, the press conference is in an hour. Are you going to be there?”

Her smile was a little wobbly. “Uh, sure. I guess. I mean, I’m not allowed to cover the story. Conflict of interest and all that, but I guess I could provide some moral support.”

He smiled. “It’s not my first press conference,” he said.

“I wasn’t meaning you,” she said crossly. “I meant your Mom.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Lane.”

She huffed. “Well, I suppose you can’t be all bad with a Mom that cool.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She punched his shoulder. “Enjoy it while it lasts, Queen, but don’t get a swelled head over it.”

He shook his head, trying to think of something witty to retort. Lois smirked at him and carried on downstairs. He sighed and continued up to Perry’s office, wishing she didn’t affect him as much as she did.

The press conference was being held in the foyer of the Daily Planet. They’d invited reporters from all the local media. Unfortunately that also meant someone from the Inquisitor was in attendance. Clark looked over the assembled reporters, looking for Donner. He spotted the balding man in the crowd.

Oliver stepped up to the makeshift podium. Perry stood beside him, while Chloe and their mother were behind Oliver. Clark quickly looked around for Lois and saw her standing on the stairs. She obviously spotted him and sent him a nod.

Oliver cleared his throat.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. As of three o’clock this afternoon, Queen Industries is now the owner and publisher of the Daily Planet.”

There were a few murmurs among the reporters. Some put their hands up for questions. His brother held up his hand and gestured for them to put their hands down.

“We’ll have time for questions in a few minutes. Now, we know the Daily Planet has a proud tradition dating back at least two hundred years and has a reputation for hard-hitting journalism. We hope to continue that tradition. Yes, there will need to be some restructuring. Technology has changed and newspapers need to change with it.”

Clark tuned out as Oliver continued, watching the reaction from the crowd. Most of them didn’t seem too perturbed, although a few of them began fidgeting as the speech went on, clearly itching to ask questions.

He heard his name mentioned and looked up, realising Oliver was gesturing toward him.

“You all know my brother. Clark has agreed to take up the post as publisher.”

He glanced up at Lois, who looked stunned at this news.

“Now, we’ll take some questions from the floor.”

Donner raised his hand. “Mr Queen, there are rumours that your brother is in a relationship with a reporter on the Daily Planet. Given that you’re now the owner, wouldn’t that be a conflict of interest?”

Oliver glared pointedly at the reporter

“Rumours which, by all accounts, you started, Mr Donner. And as far as I’m concerned, there is no conflict of interest.”

Oliver had explained it all to him in their meeting. He wouldn’t have editorial input as such, as he would be dealing mostly with the Planet’s legal and business teams. He would technically be the boss of the editor-in-chief and all department heads would report to both of them. He wouldn’t be assigning stories and would have little or no interaction with the reporters.

“I believe I know what you’re getting at, Mr Donner, and if you’re about to suggest there is any impropriety in our company’s purchase of the Daily Planet, then you may find yourself on the wrong end of a defamation suit. For those of you who do not know my company’s history, my father attempted to buy this newspaper a year or so before he died, but his purchase was blocked by Luthorcorp.

“The fact that my wife is a former Daily Planet reporter or that her cousin is still employed by this newspaper has little bearing on our decision.

“As for the so-called rumours that my brother is dating Miss Lane, let me lay that to rest now. At this moment in time, they are not a couple. Should the nature of their relationship change, that is up to them. Their personal lives are just that. Personal. And they will not be fodder for some tabloid rag to create problems where there are none.”

Oliver’s firm tone was a clear message to the rest of the reporters to drop the matter. Thankfully, they took heed and moved on to questions about the company’s purchase and Oliver’s plans for restructuring. Clark’s job would be to look into the paper’s budget and see where they could make improvements without it costing too much.

By the time the reporters filed out, it was almost six. Clark joined his family in the limousine.

“Well, that went better than expected,” Oliver said.

“I’m glad you shot down that weasel Donner,” Chloe said. “I got a call from one of my old friends at the Inquisitor. Apparently he was steaming mad over some photos that didn’t turn out.”

Clark bit his lip. “Uh, yeah, that was me,” he said. “He was pestering Lois and I might have, um, used my heat vision. Just a little.”

Oliver’s eyes widened. “You wrecked his camera?” He began to laugh.

His mother stared at him. “Darling, that wasn’t very nice,” she scolded.

“Well, he wouldn’t leave her alone. He just kept taking photos of her, even when she asked him to stop.”

Chloe and Oliver exchanged a look. “What?” he asked.

“It’s not like you to do something so un-Superman-like,” Chloe pointed out. “Especially in defence of Lois.”

“Well, she didn’t deserve to be hounded by the paparazzi,” he said.

“Yeah, right,” Chloe said with a snicker. “This from the guy who said she was stuck-up and rude? You know what Shakespeare said.”

He scowled at her. “I don’t like Lois that way.”

“Sure, and I’m a monkey’s uncle,” Oliver told him. “I think you’re in denial, bro.”

Clark glared at his brother. “I’m not in denial. And don’t call me bro.”

“Now don’t fight, darlings, please,” his mother said. “Clark, sweetheart, I think Chloe might be onto something. I’ve never known you to get this upset over a young woman before. I hate to say it, but I remember when you were dating Lana. The paparazzi were chasing you even then.”

“But we were dating!” he said, even knowing his argument was a little weak.

It had started when Oliver had returned supposedly from the dead. The press had sniffed a good story and like predators they had pounced on it. It hadn’t helped that both he and his brother were considered extremely photogenic. He’d even been approached by a photographer once and asked to model a new fashion line for men. He’d done his research on the man and discovered he was a sleaze looking to take advantage of boys. Luckily Clark hadn’t been that naïve.

Since then, every time they went to a red-carpet event, their photos would be in the society pages the next day. Before Oliver and Chloe had got married, every society column would have rumours of his brother dating the current ‘It Girl’.

It had certainly made things more difficult for them both when they decided to become Green Arrow and Superman respectively. Then again, Oliver had become adept at avoiding the press.

As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew his mother was right. There had been the odd occasion where Lana had been pestered because of their relationship, but he hadn’t been nearly as upset over it as he was over what had happened with Lois. Maybe part of it was the fact that they weren’t even dating, but he felt bad for her. She hadn’t deserved to be put in that situation, no matter how badly she had behaved when they were together, or afterward.

[Sykobee]

Us avid readers, loyal fans and Clois junkies are all the happier for the abundance of inspiration and lack of resistance. Between this and BOR I can enjoy great Clois and soak up quality Chlollie too❕ Major happiness all around. Hope the non-fiction work is goin well. Thanks again.

[phoenixnz]

Us avid readers, loyal fans and Clois junkies are all the happier for the abundance of inspiration and lack of resistance. Between this and BOR I can enjoy great Clois and soak up quality Chlollie too❕ Major happiness all around. Hope the non-fiction work is goin well. Thanks again.

You know what they say ... resistance is futile. Not that I try very hard And you're very welcome.

[phoenixnz]

Chapter Ten

“So, Lois looked kind of shocked,” Chloe commented as they entered the apartment. “Didn’t you tell her about the takeover?”

Clark handed her a glass of orange juice. “Perry told her about it, but I don’t think he told her about my job.”

Oliver looked at his brother. Until earlier that day, he hadn’t even been sure Clark would take the job. He knew the younger man had been reluctant but he was still the best man for the position. Whatever Lois’ reaction had been to this news, it didn’t matter.

Mrs Adams came in and announced Lois had arrived. This would be interesting, he thought.

Lois had obviously changed clothes as she was wearing a simple shift instead of the suit he’d seen her wearing. It was understated and wasn’t exactly flattering to her athletic figure but it was pretty all the same. She had earlier had her hair back in some kind of knot, but she now wore it down, the chocolate waves framing her oval face.

She was an attractive woman, but had a different kind of energy to his wife.

Clark greeted her. “Hello, Lois.”

“Hi,” she said, gazing at him almost shyly. Oliver was taken aback a little. It was so unlike her.

His brother offered a glass of wine and guided her to the couch to sit next to her cousin. He stood beside them, talking to both of them, but Oliver noticed Clark couldn’t take his eyes off Lois.

It was the same during dinner. It was almost as if the rest of them weren’t there. The pair of them appeared to only have eyes for each other.

As he prepared for bed that night, he looked at his wife’s reflection in the mirror. She was curled up in bed, scribbling on a notepad.

“I think you’re right about Lois and Clark.”

“So you saw it too.”

He put down his comb and turned, going to the bed and sliding between the sheets.

“I think I would have to be blind not to have seen that. He couldn’t take his eyes off her all night.”

“I don’t think either of them even realised it,” Chloe said. “And if we pointed it out, they’d probably deny it.”

“So you think we should play it cool?”

“I think we should play it cool.”

Lois sat on a stool beside her dresser, brushing her long hair, thinking about the evening. The dinner at Clark’s apartment had not been the ordeal she had thought it would be. It had helped that Chloe was there, but Clark had been not only welcoming, but also friendly. So had his mother.

She had misjudged him, she thought. The other night she had considered him obnoxious, but he had been charm itself tonight. Not that she was interested in dating him, she decided. She figured that she might as well at least get to know him. Especially now that Chloe was pregnant. Births had a way of drawing families together.

Of course, there was now the little matter of him being her boss at the paper. Technically speaking. Despite her efforts to find out more about Clark, she really didn’t know enough about him professionally to judge his suitability for the job. Then again, both Oliver and their mother seemed confident he could do it.

She decided to take a wait and see approach. It wouldn’t be fair to judge him based on her limited knowledge. That had been her mistake the week earlier and look how that had turned out, she thought.

Early the next morning she decided to go out jogging at Centennial Park. It was a cool day, a little unusual for August. She had just jogged down one side of the park, listening to music on her I-Pod when she noticed someone jogging alongside her. She turned her head to look and Clark grinned at her.

“Hi,” he said.

She took the earbuds out of her ears. “Hello. You’re out early.”

“So are you,” he said, shortening his stride so she could keep up with him. He had the longest legs of any guy she had ever been acquainted with. “Mom and Chloe and Oliver are sleeping in. They’re used to a different time-zone.”

“I wasn’t going to ask.”

He snickered. “You have that look on your face.”

“What look?”

“The one Chloe usually gets when she’s dying to ask a question.”

She laughed. “Yeah, she does that, doesn’t she? I guess it runs in the family.”

Despite his attempts to keep his strides in time with hers, Lois soon found herself breathless. She stopped jogging and bent at the waist, hoping to ease the cramping pain just below her ribcage.

“You should bend backwards, not forwards,” Clark advised.

She looked up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Sorry?”

“When you have a stitch, you need to stretch it out. Like this,” he said, arching his back. It looked funny with his bulky frame. Lois copied his movement and realised he was right. The cramp eased after a couple of minutes.

“Do you want to get a coffee, or something?” he asked.

“I should really finish my circuit,” she said. “And I try not to have coffee after I’ve been exercising. Makes it kind of pointless, you know?”

“Yeah. Of course.” He looked thoughtful as they began walking together, then his eyes widened as if a lightbulb had suddenly switched on over his head. “I know this great juice bar. Best fresh juice in town.”

She bit her lip. “I don’t know. I mean, what if that guy from the Inquisitor sees us together?”

“Paparazzi. Yeah, I can see how that would complicate things.” He leaned toward her. “I’m not asking you to date me, Lois, just have a juice with me. If we’re going to be working together at the Planet, then don’t you think we should get to know each other?”

“Well, technically, you’ll be my boss.”

They were quiet for a few moments as they walked, nearing the south-east corner of the park. A woman jogging along the path eyed Clark as she passed, shooting daggers at Lois.

She could tell he was debating whether to say something and waited for it.

“Are you always this closed-off?” he blurted.

She frowned at him. “Excuse me?”

“Well, like the other night, you were hostile to me the moment you walked in.”

Well, so were you, she was going to say, but before she could do so, he raised his hand.

“I know. I didn’t exactly do myself any favours that night either. It’s just, it’s like you’ve got these walls around you. It’s almost like breaking into, I don’t know, Fort Knox. Not that I ever would. Break in, I mean.”

She stared at him. “Do you know you babble?”

He laughed. “Pot? Kettle calling on line one.”

“I do not,” she said.

“Do too.”

“I do not,” she repeated.

“Yes, you do. The afternoon you came over to my apartment with that fruit basket, you muttered: ‘Stop babbling like an idiot’.”

She felt herself growing hot. “You heard that?”

“I have very good hearing.”

She wanted to berate him, but the stupidest thought popped into her head. If the Paparazzi suddenly popped out and began photographing them arguing like this, it would be a ridiculous photo and not worth their time. A giggle escaped. Clark looked at her like she was nuts, then snickered. Suddenly they were standing in the middle of the path, giggling like a couple of teenagers.

She looked at Clark but he was too busy laughing to return the look. A couple walking along sent them odd looks as they went by, their expressions suggesting they thought the pair of them were crazy.

“Oh, oh!” she moaned. “Oh god, my side!”

Clark grasped her arm and guided her off the path. “Come on, before somebody calls out the men in the white coats.”

She giggled again, the giggle coming out as a snort. Clark cocked an eyebrow as he stared at her but just shook his head. She started to follow him but then remembered she’d driven to the park.

“My car’s parked over on 5^th Street,” she said.

“It’ll be fine. The place I want to take you is just a couple of blocks from here.”

She frowned, unable to think of the name of a juice bar so close to Centennial Park. Considering she spent almost all her time in the city centre.

She realised he wasn’t talking about an actual bar when he led her to the clock tower building. She didn’t comment as the lift took them all the way up to the penthouse.

The apartment was quiet. The rest of the family was clearly not up yet.

“I guess they’re still sleeping in,” Clark said.

She leaned on the counter, watching as he gathered fruit. “Best juice bar in town, huh?”

“No, I said the best fresh juice in town.”

“Meh, semantics,” she said, laughing as he began juggling five oranges in the air. “So, you juggle too? What else can you do?”

“Oh, here we go,” Oliver said as he ambled into the kitchen. “He’s showing off,” he said to his wife.

Chloe sat down next to Lois, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Morning, Lo,” she said.

Lois smiled brightly at her cousin. “Morning. Clark was just going to make us some juice.”

“Ooh, that sounds good. Ollie was just going to make pancakes. I’m starving! I tell you, I’m so glad the morning sickness has finally let up. Even the smell of coffee was making me nauseous. And I love coffee!”

“We know,” Clark said with a put-upon sigh which could be heard even over the motor of the juicer. “You practically mainline the stuff.”

Chloe wrinkled her nose at her brother-in-law. “Do not.”

“Actually, dear, you do,” Oliver replied. He got an apple thrown at him for his trouble. He bit into it and smirked at his wife.

Moira came in, wearing satin pyjamas with a kimono robe.

“Morning darlings,” she said.

“Morning Mom,” three voices chorused. Lois smiled at the older woman.

“Good morning Mrs Queen.”

The Queen family matriarch waved her hand. “How many times do I have to ask you to call me Moira, sweetie?”

“Oh, only about a dozen more,” Lois replied, laughing as the other woman aimed a swat at her.

Clark put a glass of juice down in front of Lois. “Give that a try,” he said.

“What’s in it?” she asked, not having paid attention to what he’d actually put in it.

“Orange, pineapple, mango, little bit of lemon, lime, carrot and a dash of kiwi.”

She tasted it, delighting at the sweetness. The flavours had mixed so none overpowered the other.

“Wow, that’s good.”

“Oliver makes these smoothies with wheatgrass in them. Turns the whole thing green. I almost threw up the first time I saw one of his concoctions.”

“Well, you hate anything green,” his brother replied, mixing the batter for pancakes.

Clark shot Oliver a withering look. “I was a kid. And it was just peas.”

Lois stared at the two brothers. “What’s this?”

Moira laughed. “The first time Clark tried to eat peas, he spat them out. He hasn’t touched them since.” She looked at her younger son. “Your face really was a picture, my darling.”

Clark rolled his eyes. “Yeah, thanks, Mom. Tell Lois all my deep, dark secrets.”

“Oh, heaven forbid.” She turned to Lois. “Tell me about your family,” she said.

Lois shook her head. “There’s really not that much to tell. My mom died when I was six. Cancer. My dad and I aren’t that close. I haven’t seen him in maybe about two years.”

“Why not?” Clark asked. “That’s pretty sad.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. He doesn’t like my job, for one. He thinks my time would be better served doing something other than muckraking. My sister, Lucy, works for a fashion designer in Coast City, but we don’t talk much either. Chloe is closer to me than Lucy is,” she added, giving her cousin a quick squeeze.

The conversation turned to other things. As Chloe, Oliver and Clark began discussing something, Lois wandered over to the terrace to look out over the city. Moira joined her.

“Are you all right, sweetie?”

She looked at Chloe’s mother-in-law. “I’m fine,” she said. She glanced back at the siblings. “I sort of envy them.”

“They’ve always been close. The day we adopted Clark, Oliver assigned himself his brother’s protector and it’s been that way ever since.” She smiled fondly at her two sons. “When Oliver disappeared, I had a terrible time with Clark.”

“Chloe said he sort of went off the rails a bit?”

Moira nodded. “He missed his brother terribly. For a while there, I thought I would lose him too. He was just so angry all the time. I slowly realised that he somehow blamed himself for what had happened to Oliver. And his father.”

Lois frowned. “How? I mean, how was he supposed to know what would happen? It’s not like he can predict the future.”

“I know. I eventually took him to see a therapist who helped him come to terms with that. When Oliver turned up alive, it was as if Clark got his life back too.”

Lois bit her lip. Moira seemed so sad. She was clearly still grieving for her husband.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

The older woman hugged her. “It’s all right. The pain lessens but you never really forget.” She looked her over. “I wanted to ask you how you were feeling after yesterday’s news.”

“I’m okay. I mean, Perry told me about the purchase a few days ago. I’m not sure how it’s going to affect things with Clark being my boss, but I don’t know enough about him to make any kind of judgment.” She paused. “Um, about the other day. I guess they told you about it.”

“I can understand how upset you were. That man from the Inquisitor certainly has a lot to answer for.”

“I’m really sorry that I …” She ducked her head. “I behaved so badly.”

“Sweetie, it’s all right. I know you were angry and frankly, I don’t blame you for that. You just need to put it behind you. That’s why I left it up to Clark to smooth things over with you. I try not to be too overbearing with my sons. They’re old enough to handle their own affairs. It doesn’t stop me giving them advice, even if they tell me to butt out,” she said, making a face.

Lois laughed. The older woman went on.

“You do need to understand that dealing with people like Mr Donner is something that comes with the territory. When Oliver turned up alive, well, I’m afraid the media smelled a good story and you could say we haven’t had a moment’s peace since then. If you and Clark did decide to date …”

“Oh, we’re not. I mean, I just … I was out running when we ran into each other. I mean, not literally. He just came up beside me, and I … Oh god, sorry. I babble. It’s a flaw.”

Moira laughed. “Hardly a flaw, darling. I think if anyone can help Clark get over his problems with women, it’s you.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said. He had problems with women? She stored that little tidbit away for future reference.

Oliver came over to interrupt them. “Breakfast is up,” he said.

She followed Moira and Oliver to the table. There was not only a huge pile of steaming hot pancakes but crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, toast and hashbrowns. Her stomach rumbled noisily. Clark grinned at her, making her wonder if he’d actually heard it.

“Dig in,” he said.

[Sykobee]

“Pot? Kettle calling on line one.”

🤣🤣🤣 Love this line! Awesome update as always. Nice start for summer vacay

[phoenixnz]

藍藍藍 Love this line! Awesome update as always. Nice start for summer vacay

I couldn't resist the line Glad you loved it. Next chapter coming up.

[phoenixnz]

a/n: A slight time jump in this chapter.

Chapter Eleven

Clark looked through his emails and sighed. He’d been in the job two months and it was already proving problematic. The transition had been easy, for the most part. Queen Industries’ reputation as a fair and equal opportunity employer as well as a company that held its people to high ethical standards meant that the staff hadn’t given him too much trouble during the changeover.

Of course, that didn’t count Lois. She might be the best investigative journalist on staff, but she was also a pain in the rear for the legal firm permanently on retainer. He’d just recently had to head off a potential contempt of court charge. She’d refused to give up her source over an article concerning shortcuts taken on a company’s construction.

He’d had to rescue her as Superman yet again when the company’s owner had come after her. At times it felt like keeping Lois out of trouble was a full-time job.

He had to admire her, however. She wasn’t afraid to take risks and put her own reputation on the line when she believed she was in the right.

Her latest escapade had involved someone named John Corben. The man had been a foreign correspondent for the Metropolis Journal and had been working in war-torn areas in Afghanistan. A few months earlier, his sister had been murdered.

Clark had been horrified to discover that the killer had been a man who had escaped from a prison bus. It had crashed into a ditch when the driver had swerved to avoid a collision on the highway. Two prisoners had been killed. He’d gone to the scene as Superman, helping the authorities to clear the accident. The prisoner had escaped in the confusion.

None of it had been his fault, his brother had told him, but that still didn’t help. It hadn’t changed Corben’s opinion of him either. Lois had met the man at a function at the Press Club and, as she’d reported to Clark later, had been forced to listen to the man’s invective against Superman.

He still had no idea how it had happened, but Corben had been in an accident. A scientist, who had been fired after working for Luthorcorp, or rather LexCorp for several years, had found the critically injured man and experimented on him, giving him an artificial heart using green Kryptonite.

Clark had been called in by Emil Hamilton, a doctor at Met Gen who helped the Justice League from time to time. Corben had somehow turned up at the hospital but he’d run off again. Worried the man might do something stupid, Clark had tried his friends in the League but they were all busy. He’d reluctantly reached out to Lois, hoping she might be able to help him find Corben, using her contacts in the field.

Only, of course, she had managed to get herself hurt in the process. The other reporter had somehow figured out she was helping Superman and kidnapped her, holding her hostage in an attempt to get revenge.

Clark leaned back in his chair, sighing softly. It was no good telling Lois not to do something. She’d still go out and do it anyway.

The double doors to his office opened and the very subject of his thoughts entered. She stood in the doorway, a bandage on her forehead. She’d spent the night in the hospital with a concussion.

“Shouldn’t you be at home resting?” he enquired.

She huffed. “Why would I do that when I have a story to write?”

“Lois, you could have been killed yesterday.”

“But I wasn’t. Superman saved me.”

He shook his head. “You have a bad habit of getting into dangerous situations, lady.”

“Yeah, but I always get the best stories. Admit it. I sell papers.”

“No, the news stands sell papers.”

She shot a glare at him. “Oh, you think you’re so funny!”

He smirked at her. “I know I am. I’m also charming, handsome …”

“Egotistical!”

“You wish!”

She laughed and flopped down on the leather couch. “So how was your date last night?”

He frowned. “Oh, with Linda. It was … okay.”

“Just okay?” she asked.

“She’s nice. And, you know, sweet.”

“Why do I hear a but?” she said.

He’d told Lois he was going to be in Star City for a couple of days. It hadn’t been a total lie. He’d flitted in and out, hoping Oliver and Chloe’s resources could lead him to Corben so he could put the man away before he did some serious damage.

For the past two months, Lois had been encouraging him to go out on dates. He had no idea what his mother had talked to her about the Saturday morning they’d had breakfast, but it appeared Lois had decided it was her mission to find him a girlfriend. When she’d heard about Linda asking him out for coffee, she’d encouraged him to take it to another level.

He’d taken Oliver’s assistant out for dinner the night before, but while the woman had been great company, there had been no spark. She was a great assistant. Intelligent, friendly, very efficient at her job, but there had still been something missing. That certain quality that made him feel happy to be alive.

There was really only one person who did that for him. Someone he was beginning to see differently. Sure, they’d had a rocky start, but that had changed as they’d slowly got to know each other.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I mean we had a good time. I just didn’t feel …”

She nodded. “Yeah, I get that. I went out with this guy a few months ago. He was a lawyer. I mean, he wasn’t one of those corporate types who, you know, cared more about making money. He was one of those humanitarian lawyers. I mean, he once worked for Amnesty International. He was nice, and funny, but we just …”

“Didn’t click.”

“Exactly.”

He sighed heavily. “I don’t know. I don’t get this dating thing. I mean, there’s so much pressure, you know? You go out on a date with someone and …”

“And you don’t even know if they’re actually being themselves, or if it’s just an act.”

“Exactly.” He leaned on his desk. “You know what’s worse? It’s being, well, maybe famous isn’t the word. But people know who I am and they act accordingly.”

“So you never know if they’re actually there because they genuinely like you, or because you’re a Queen.” She scowled. “I hate that.”

“Maybe I should just give up on dating altogether. Maybe some people are meant to be alone.”

She shook her head.

“No, don’t say that. I mean, you’re a great guy. And any woman would have to be nuts if she didn’t recognise that.”

He grinned at her. “You always seem to know just what to say to make me feel better.”

“It’s a gift,” she said with a shrug. She stood up. “Anyway, I should go write up my story on Corben.”

He nodded. “Try not to get into any dangerous situations while you’re gone.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ha ha. You’ll keep.”

He watched her go and sat back, the smile fading from his face. Why couldn’t she see him the same way he saw her? Was he really going to be satisfied with just friendship?

A couple of days later, he received an invitation to a ball being held at Lex Luthor’s mansion in Smallville. It was themed. Every guest had to turn up in costume.

The last thing Clark wanted to do was go to a ball. Especially when it was hosted by a man he detested. Lex had never been particularly friendly toward him but he was great at kissing ass when he wanted something. Since the ball was supposedly a fundraiser, he knew the bald billionaire was wanting Queen family money.

He wasn’t surprised to hear that Jonathan and Martha Kent had also been sent invitations. Their son was in his last year at Met U and was being courted by the Metropolis Sharks, the football team owned by LexCorp. Although Jack Kent was adopted, he had proved just as talented as his father in the game. Jonathan had had to turn down a football scholarship to the university when he was younger, but he’d once confided in Moira that there was no way in hell he would let his son do the same thing. Clark had heard that Jack, who had opted to continue his education and get a Masters degree in agri-science, wasn't interested in playing pro football.

Of course, Lex would be the type of man to surround himself with people who might possibly have some influence in their community, all so he could paint himself as a humanitarian.

Clark had no idea what to wear to the ball. As much as being Superman gave him a certain sense of anonymity, he still hated wearing the costume.

“Why don’t you go as Robin Hood?” Oliver suggested when he called his brother via the vidlink in Watchtower. Technically he wasn’t supposed to be using Justice League resources for personal calls, but he didn’t care.

“That’s more your deal, not mine.”
Oliver looked thoughtful, but didn't immediately come up with an alternative.

“Okay, well, why don’t you go rent a tux and just say you’re James Bond?” Chloe suggested. She’d come in in the middle of the conversation.

“James Bond does not wear glasses.”

She grinned. “How do you know? He could just not wear them out of vanity.”

He sighed. “Yeah, this is real helpful guys.”

Oliver brightened.

“I got it. I know exactly what you should go as.” He quickly outlined his idea. Clark grinned at his brother. It was a great costume. He wouldn’t even have to go out and rent anything. “By the way, I hear Lois is going.”

“What does that have to do with anything? She’s probably going to cover the story for the DP.”

“Why don’t you just ask the woman out already?”

“We’re just friends, Oliver,” he said. “Besides, I don’t think she’d be too thrilled at being stalked by the Paparazzi. Again.”

“Fine. I’m just saying, Clark. I mean, you go out on these dates, yet you see more of Lois than you do potential girlfriends. That’s gotta be telling you something.”

“We’re just friends,” he repeated.

His brother raised his hands. “Fine. Tell me to butt out and I’ll butt out.” He gazed at the older man for a few moments. “Right. Butting out.”


The evening of the party, Clark drove his SUV to Smallville. While he could have driven his Lamborghini, he preferred not to show off when he was in the town. The valet assigned to park his vehicle on the grounds of the Luthor mansion just took the keys without comment.

He was greeted almost cordially by his host, who had dressed up in what Clark assumed was supposed to be Alexander the Great. He knew Lex idolised the Macedonian king.

“Clark,” Lex said, shaking his hand. “Great to see you.” He turned to the woman standing beside him. She was wearing a costume he assumed was supposed to be Cleopatra. Clark was stunned to recognise her. “You know Lana Lang.”

“Hello Clark,” Lana said quietly. “It’s been a while. I heard you took over the Daily Planet.”

He nodded stiffly. “Yes, we did. You’re looking, uh, well, Lana.”

“Can’t complain,” she said.

Already bored with the awkward conversation, Lex drew her away to greet more guests, leaving Clark standing in the middle of the room, still in shock at seeing the woman who had broken his heart as a teenager. To her credit, she had appeared just as shocked. They hadn’t spoken in years. He’d always been careful to avoid the coffee shop she’d somehow convinced Lex to refurbish from the old rundown movie theatre.

He grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and drank about half of it.

“That looked painful.”

He looked around and stared at the attractive redhead. “I’m sorry?”

“I couldn’t help but catch the end of that little exchange. Old girlfriend?”

“Something like that,” he said.

The redhead was very attractive. She was wearing a strapless silk dress in lavender.

“I thought this was supposed to be a costume ball,” he said.

She looked down. “This is my costume,” she told him with a grin. “I’m a femme fatale.” She looked him over. “What is your costume supposed to be?”

He grinned at her. He’d worn a black suit and Ray Ban sunglasses.

“I’m a Man in Black,” he said. She smiled.

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I mean, from the movie.” He smiled sheepishly. “It was my brother’s bright idea.”

“I know the movie,” she said. “I love Will Smith.” A waiter passed by her and she asked for a glass of champagne. “Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Tess Mercer.”

“Clark Queen.”

“So you’re Oliver’s little brother,” she said.

He frowned at her. “You’ve met Oliver?”

“I dated him for a couple of months. It didn’t work out. I hear he’s married now.”

He nodded, sipping his drink. His brother had never mentioned Tess. Then again, they never really talked about old girlfriends. He figured he must have been away from home when they were dating, either at Excelsior Prep or away on summer vacation. He’d spent at least part of one summer in Europe with friends.

“So, um, Tess, what do you do?”

“Oh, I’m an executive VP for LexCorp. And you’re the publisher of the Daily Planet?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Well, it’s good to meet you, Clark,” she said. Her blue eyes sparkled as she gazed at him, one well-manicured hand stroking up and down his arm. The message was clear. She was interested. Very interested.

[DJ Doena]

Lovely new story! I just started and finished through here in one ride. Please continue soon.

BTW I love how you mix and match lores and create something new. *heart*

[phoenixnz]

Lovely new story! I just started and finished through here in one ride. Please continue soon.

BTW I love how you mix and match lores and create something new. *heart*

Aww, thank you Karsten. I really love mixing it up a little. New chapter will be posted tomorrow.

[Sykobee]

Yay! Can't wait. Any chance of a BOR update soon?😏😇

[TheCloisLover]

Wow!! I’m so glad you still write Clois fics, always loved your style! I’m really enjoying the story, please post more soooon

[phoenixnz]

Yay! Can't wait. Any chance of a BOR update soon?

Will have the new chapter up shortly. As for BOR, this one's kind of kicking my ass a bit, but I will try to update it this week.

[phoenixnz]

Wow!! I’m so glad you still write Clois fics, always loved your style! I’m really enjoying the story, please post more soooon

Thank you. I've always said that as long as I have ideas, I will continue to write them as I love them so much. New chapter coming up.

[phoenixnz]

Chapter Twelve

Lois sometimes wore different costumes when she was out chasing a story, but she didn’t really like costume parties as a whole. She had debated whether to skip the costume altogether when she’d been preparing for this shindig, but figured she should at least try to blend in. She had found a costume that looked very similar to that of Wonder Woman’s.

The leather chafed and she was sweating beneath the fake armour, despite the cool October evening, but it wasn’t the costume that was bothering her at that moment. It was Clark talking to an attractive woman in a lavender dress. She scowled as she watched the two of them exchanging flirtatious looks. The woman leaned into Clark, arching her back to reveal far too much cleavage for Lois’ liking.

She’d tried to pretend she was happy that Clark seemed to be getting along swimmingly with the woman. The truth was, lately she’d been having dreams about the man who was slowly becoming someone she cared about deeply. Sure, they bickered more often than not, and there were times when the man drove her crazy, but he was probably the only man she felt she could talk to about anything.

“You’re jealous,” she told herself as Clark laughed at something the woman said. It was almost like a knife to her gut.

“Stop it,” she murmured.

God, get a grip, she thought. Clark was not her personal property.

It had started out innocently enough. After the Saturday morning she’d spent with his family, and Chloe, she’d been spending a lot of time with him. At first it had just been meeting in the park to go running. Then he’d started working at the Planet and she’d bump into him on her way to Perry’s office. Within a couple of weeks, she was sharing coffees with him, bouncing ideas for stories off him. Then it was shared lunches.

Somehow they’d become friends, meeting to chat in either her office or his. It had turned into more than just a working relationship, where he worried about her chasing leads.

She watched Clark for a moment, looking so friendly with the redhead. She turned to go in search of champagne, only to bump into someone. A tall man with dark blond hair and the most amazing blue eyes she had ever seen.

“Oh god, sorry,” she said.

He grinned at her. “It’s all right. No harm done.” He held up his glass. “Didn’t even spill a drop.”

“Lucky me, then,” she said, smiling at him. He was good-looking. Nowhere near as good-looking as Clark, but attractive just the same. “Um, I’m Lois,” she added, holding out her hand. “Lois Lane.”

He swapped his glass to his left hand and shook her hand. His hand was bigger than hers, although still not quite as big as Clark’s.

“I’m Jack Kent. Well, actually, it’s Jon Junior, but I’ve been called Jack for as long as I can remember. You’re a reporter at the Daily Planet, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

Jack turned to look at Clark, who was still talking with the redhead. An older couple had joined them.

“So, how is it with the new leadership at the Planet?”

“It’s good, actually. I mean, Clark rags on me sometimes about getting into trouble, but I never take it seriously. He’s a good boss. I mean, you can tell he really cares about the paper. And everyone likes him.”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, he’s a great guy. I’ve known him since we were kids.” He gestured toward the older couple. “That’s my Mom and Dad.”

She frowned at him. “You know the Queens?”

“Yep. My parents and Clark’s parents are good friends. Mr Queen helped my dad with some business contacts and our farm is doing pretty well. Clark and Ollie used to spend just about every summer in Smallville. We, I mean, my sister Jess and I, we thought we were so cool because they hung out with us. They’re really good guys.”

“Hey, Jack. How’s college?” Clark asked, walking up to them.

“Ugh, don’t even go there, man,” Jack said, shaking Clark’s hand. “My professors are all giving me a hard time.”

“Well, you were the one who decided to go for your Masters degree,” an older blond man said, laughing.

“Yeah, I know, Dad. Glutton for punishment. Mom, Dad, this is Lois Lane. Lois, this is my mom and dad, Martha and Jonathan.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Lois,” Martha said. “Clark has told us all about you.”

Clark introduced the redheaded woman. “This is Tess Mercer,” he said. “She’s a VP with LexCorp.”

Lois studied the other woman. She appeared to be a little older than Clark. Not that that mattered, she supposed. She turned to a waiter and asked for a glass of champagne.

An hour later and three more glasses of champagne, she had managed to drink enough that nothing bothered her. Clark leaned over her, making it clear he’d been keeping an eye on her.

“You might want to slow it down, don’t you think? Aren’t you supposed to be covering this for the Planet?”

“Clark, I’ve drunk with Navy Seals and Green Berets, and those guys are hard drinkers. I can drink you under the table.”

“I doubt that,” he murmured. He caught her arm as she swayed. “I think you need to stop before you embarrass yourself.”

“You telling me what to do?” she accused. He glared at her.

“Don’t make me do this, Lois. As your boss, I have every right to order you to stop. As your friend, I am asking you to do it, before you put your foot in your mouth and say something stupid. I haven’t forgotten what happened when Donner printed that ridiculous story about us.”

She scowled at him. “I knew you were still mad about that!”

He pulled her aside. “No, I am not angry about that. I’m just reminding you that you need to think before you act. Your actions have consequences, Lois. And if you drink yourself into oblivion, you’ll find out that a hangover will only be the beginning of your problems.”

She had a feeling he was speaking from experience. She remembered something Chloe had told her the night before the press conference. Something about Clark getting into trouble as a teenager. Still, she didn’t like the implication.

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

“It is not a good look for the Planet to have the reporter covering this thing get passed-out drunk,” he said. “If you keep this up, I’ll have no choice but to suspend you.”

She found herself feeling suddenly dizzy as he let her go and walked away. She blinked back tears, realising he was not just upset, but he was worried about her.

She left the ballroom to look for the bathroom, unsurprised to find herself in a room that was almost as big as her living room. A dark-haired woman stood beside the vanity, using a tissue to dab around her eyes.

“Don’t you hate it when mascara runs?” she asked with a laugh.

Lois leaned on the counter, trying to hold back the tears.

“Are you all right?” the woman asked.

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine. Maybe you should sit down.”

She shook her head. “I’ll be okay. I just need to wash my face, or something.”

“All right, but I can always ask Lex if you can lie down in one of the guest rooms if you need it.”

“You know Lex?”

“We’re sort of … dating,” the woman said. “I’m Lana. Lana Lang.”

“Lois Lane.”

“Oh, you’re the reporter. You must know Clark Queen then.”

She nodded. “Yeah, he’s kind of … well, not kind of. He’s my boss.”

“I used to go out with him. Years ago.” She gave a tinkling sort of laugh. “Poor man. He used to be so infatuated with me. Of course, I only went out with him because my aunt thought it would help … well, you don’t need to know the details.” She checked her reflection and turned to walk away. “Feel better, okay?”

Lois watched her go with a frown. The way the woman had talked, it was as if she had felt sorry for Clark. Yet it seemed as if the whole thing amused her. Now she was dating Lex Luthor.

She washed her face, still feeling bothered by the brief conversation.

It was the early hours of the morning when she got home. She had switched from champagne to water the rest of the night, hoping it would help her sober up enough to drive.

After a few hours of tossing and turning, she decided her need to know was more important than sleep and dialled a familiar number.

“Lois, hello. How was the ball?”

“It was all right. Um, I needed to ask you something. I met someone Clark used to know. A woman named Lana Lang?”

Moira made a ‘tch’ sound. “Ooh, that woman! You know, she used to be such a nice girl. Oliver and I thought she was being manipulated by that back-stabbing social climber of an aunt of hers, but …”

Lois was surprised at the amount of venom in the older woman’s voice. She guessed that mother bear was very protective of her cubs and woe betide anyone who hurt them. She was suddenly very glad that Moira had been so forgiving over the whole Paparazzi incident.

“What happened?”

“She broke Clark’s heart. I honestly thought he would never recover, my poor baby!” She went on to explain that a few years ago she had bumped into Nell Potter at a social event and overheard Lana’s aunt deriding Clark, saying the only reason she had pushed her niece into dating him was because of the family money.

“Is that why he’s so shy around women?”

“Hmm, I think so. Why are you asking, sweetie?”

“Because she’s dating Lex Luthor!”

“Oh dear! Well, I try never to speak ill of anyone, but that man is nothing but a conniving villain!”

“I know,” she agreed. It was the reason she had asked for the assignment to cover the ball. She had wanted to see what she could learn about Lex. Only she had blown it by getting drunk. If she hadn’t been so upset over what she had seen between Clark and Tess Mercer, she wouldn’t have done it.

She had to face facts. She was jealous. She wanted Clark to look at her the way Ollie looked at Chloe. Like she was the centre of his universe.

As she walked into work the following Monday, she wondered what sort of mood Clark would be in. Normally, he didn’t come to editorial meetings, but after her behaviour that weekend, she wouldn’t have been surprised to see him there, ready to chew her out for what she’d done.

She went to the early morning meeting as normal but he didn’t turn up. In fact, she didn’t see him at all until later that day.

Superman had been busy too. She had subscribed to a news channel online and learned that the superhero had been helping fight fires in California. Thousands of homes in the hills near Santa Barbara had been saved due to his immediate action.

She couldn’t help cheering quietly for the Man of Steel. He didn’t have to be out there. He could have chosen to do anything with his abilities and he’d decided to help humanity.

As she read some of the comments below the story, she felt angry on his behalf. Some people had suggested Superman was only doing it for publicity. Others had gone as far as to imply that he was lulling them into a false sense of security before he decided he’d conned them enough.

She was still scrolling through the comments when she heard a knock on her door. She looked up and smiled at Clark, nodding for him to enter.

“Have you seen this? What kind of people would say such horrible things about Superman?”

She frowned as he didn’t answer, flopping down on the couch opposite her desk. He looked exhausted.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You don’t look so good.”

“Long day,” he said wearily. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Saturday. I’m sorry if what I said upset you.”

“No,” she said. “You have no reason to be sorry. I was acting like an idiot. You were right. I was there representing the Planet, not to have a good time. I’m sorry.”

He smiled, although the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. To her it was a clear indication of just how tired he was.

She got up from her desk and went to him, sitting next to him on the couch and massaging his shoulders.

“You’re so tight!” she commented.

“Yeah. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Were you worrying about something?” she asked.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.”

“Which is it?” she asked with a laugh. “You know, you need to learn to relax. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. Go home and do something fun.”

“I can’t,” he replied. “I have a date tonight.”

She stopped rubbing and stared at him. “A date?”

“Yeah. Tess Mercer. We really seemed to hit it off on Saturday, so I asked her out to dinner.”

She bit down hard on her lower lip.

“That’s … great,” she forced out, all the while thinking ‘Die! Die!’

He got up from the couch. “I should get going. I still have some paperwork to finish before I leave for the day. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t mad at me about the other night.”

She shook her head. “I could never be mad at you, Clark,” she said with what she felt was a too bright smile.

“Okay. Great. You know I wouldn’t want to do anything to wreck our friendship.”

“Me either,” she agreed. She rose and touched his hand, standing on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. As she did so she caught a whiff of some kind of odour. It smelled a lot like smoke. It was odd. What could Clark have been doing all day to have that on his clothes?

[Sykobee]

Really enjoying this! As the dominos begin to align themselves, that urge to know what happens next, builds. All the signs of a great read are right here! Thanks again. I think I'll treat myself to a romp through the Consort Verse