Another Lifetime

[phoenixnz]

Author: phoenixnz
Title: Another Lifetime
Genre: AU, Romance
Pairing: Clark/Lois, Chloe/Oliver
Rating: No more than PG

Note: Clark is raised as Oliver's younger brother in this story. I will have different points of view, swapping from Lois and Chloe to Clark and Oliver, but the main pairing is Clois.

Summary: Lois Lane decides to swear off men. Maybe Clark can change her mind.

Chapter One

Lois Lane strode into the restaurant, her face a tight mask of tension. The blonde sitting in the booth at the far end of the room looked up, her smile in welcome quickly turning into a frown.

“Okay, you look like you could cheerfully throw down with Mike Tyson.”

Lois sighed as she sat down opposite her cousin. “You could say that.”

The waitress came over with drinks, setting them down on the table. Chloe had lemonade while Lois had Long Island Iced Tea.

“I ordered for you,” her cousin said. “What happened?”

“You know that guy I was seeing? He not only dumped me, he also stole my story. Well, my notes anyway.”

Chloe sighed. “I’m sorry.” Her wedding and engagement rings caught the light as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

“You got the last good one.”

“Ollie? He has his moments, I guess.”

Chloe had met Oliver Queen when she had gone to Star City for a conference. She had attended a charity function the last night of the conference and literally bumped into the Star City billionaire. The man had spilled his champagne all over her dress. He’d apologised profusely, then sent her another dress to make up for it.

The couple had exchanged emails back and forth for a few months before he’d finally asked her on a date. They had got married after two years of dating.

They had come to town as Oliver had some business meetings, although Chloe wouldn’t tell her cousin exactly what they were about. Lois had to curb her curiosity, knowing she would learn what was up in good time. Oliver had been tied up in meetings all day and was probably still in his meeting. Chloe complained they could go on all night.

“You know what? This is the last time I date a guy I work with.”

“Lois, not all of them are like that,” her cousin told her.

“I mean it, Chlo. I’ve turned over a new leaf. There’ll be a new set of rules for me. From now on, no intra-office dating. In fact, I think I’ll just give up on men altogether.” She sipped her drink then propped her chin on her hand. “Maybe I should go gay.”

Chloe chuckled. “Afraid it doesn’t work like that, sweetie.”

She sighed. “I know!”

“Not all guys are bad, you know.”

Lois snorted. “Yeah, right! They’re all Superman.”

“Well, hardly,” her cousin replied. “Then again, no one can be as good as Superman.”

“Of course not. He’s like a symbol for everything that’s supposed to be good about America. You know, red, white and blue – or yellow and blue. Truth, justice and the American way.”

“It’s your quote,” Chloe reminded her.

Superman had appeared on the scene two years ago. Lois had heard stories about a man with incredible powers saving people all over the world but she had remained a sceptic until she had literally ended up in the man’s arms. Up close, Superman, as she had eventually dubbed him in her story, was about as perfect-looking a man as she could ever hope to find.

Yet the man’s true identity remained a mystery. Where did he sleep? Did he even need to sleep? Did he have a home? A wife and kids? Did he eat? Lois had asked those questions in her head a million times but even though she had been the first to get an exclusive interview with the superhero, he had never actually answered those questions.

They ordered dinner, chatting about their days. Lois watched as her cousin continued to order non-alcoholic drinks. Even her meal appeared to be a little bland. Chloe loved spicy food. The spicier the better. Yet she was eating as if she hadn’t eaten in days.

Finally, Lois had to ask.

“Okay, cuz, I can’t help but notice the uh, sudden change in your diet. Are you, yanno, are you pregnant?”

Chloe almost spat out the mouthful of lemonade she’d taken, staring at her with wide eyes.

“Oh! Is it that obvious?” she asked, her other hand going beneath the table.

“Only to me, who knows your dietary habits better than even your husband. Why didn’t you say something?”

“We were sort of saving it until we passed the three-month mark,” Chloe replied. “You know. Past the, uh, danger period.”

Lois bit her lip. Chloe had fallen pregnant about six months after she and Oliver had got engaged but had lost the baby at nine weeks. They’d been completely devastated at the miscarriage and had almost called off the wedding.

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. You’ve got my word that I won’t tell anyone. These lips are zipped.”

“I know you didn’t mean to, Lo. I’m sorry. It’s just … you know. I feel so nervous, like I don’t want to get too excited because if I do then the bubble will burst.”

“And you think by even mentioning it, you might jinx it.”

Chloe nodded, her lower lip trembling a little. “Is that bad?”

“No,” her cousin reassured her. “It’s not bad at all. I should never have opened my big mouth. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t. Don’t say that. I’m just being an idiot.”

“No, you’re not,” Lois said, gazing at her beloved cousin with sympathy.

They’d always been close. Lois could remember the first time she’d met her cousin, who was just under a year younger than her. She’d been three. Chloe had just turned two. Her mother, Moira, had been involved in a car accident while travelling in Smallville, although Lois had learned years later that the accident had been caused by Moira attempting to evade a meteor.

As soon as she had heard the news, Ella Lane had packed up her two daughters and driven to Metropolis to see her sister. Lois remembered little of her mother and aunt’s conversation, only that she had been sent out to play with her cousin.

Every summer after that, even after her mother died, the cousins had spent at least two weeks together. Lois had defended her cousin against bullies and been the shoulder for Chloe to cry on when she had her heart broken for the first time.

“So, anyway, how are things at the Planet? I miss the place.”

“Well, you would run off and marry a billionaire,” Lois teased. Chloe had taken a job at the Star City Register when she’d moved in with Oliver, but had had to give up full-time work once they’d got married. The publisher of the Register had been concerned about a conflict of interest. She now worked as a freelance journalist, helping her husband with various projects on the side.

She began telling her cousin about a story she was working on. A man named Kyle Griffin, who was known as something of a genius, had begun wreaking havoc in the city. Lois had learned that his various pranks had been used to cover up his illegal activities. He was a right royal pain in the proverbial for law enforcement officials.

It was a good thing the Prankster had never turned his attentions on her, she thought as she relayed some of the incidents to Chloe.

It was late by the time they finished dinner and dessert and left the restaurant. Oliver was waiting outside the restaurant, looking casual in designer jeans and shirt.

“Finished your meeting?” Chloe asked.

He nodded. “Hi, Lois,” he said, bending to kiss her on the cheek. “Good to see you. You’re looking well.”

“Save it, Queen. I want to know what sort of business meeting has you tied up at all hours, neglecting my cousin here.”

Oliver shot his wife a look, cocking his eyebrow. Lois knew that look. It was his ‘is she serious?’ look.

Chloe laughed and shook her head. “You know better than to get on my cousin’s bad side,” she told her husband.

When they’d got married, Lois had of course been maid-of-honour. At the rehearsal she had told the blond billionaire in no uncertain terms that if he hurt her cousin he would have to answer to her. She’d grown up around Green Berets and Navy Seals and no matter how much taller he was than her, she could still kick his ass without breaking a sweat.

Lois continued to glare at the man. He shifted and coughed, looking uncomfortable.

“Uh, well, it’s, you know, confidential.”

That wasn’t good enough for her. She opened her mouth to berate the man, but Chloe got in first.

“Lo, stop it before you blow a gasket. It’s fine. Okay?”

Oliver smirked at her. “You seriously need to get laid, Lane.”

Lois gaped at him, then turned to her cousin. “Did he just …”

Chloe pushed her husband away. “Let’s not rile her up, dear,” she said. “You know what she’s like when she gets going.”

She turned and hugged her cousin. “Thanks for coming to dinner with me,” she said.

Lois smiled at her cousin. “Of course,” she said. In spite of what she’d said to Oliver, she loved it when it was just her and Chloe. Sometimes it helped just to be able to talk about subjects she would never have the nerve to bring up around Oliver.

Chloe watched her cousin walk to the corner before whistling for a taxi. Oliver wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist.

“Everything okay, Sidekick?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m just … I’m worried about her.”

“Lois can take care of herself.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh. “She just seemed a little, you know, down. The guy she was seeing dumped her and stole her story.”

“That sucks.” He guided her gently away and began walking with her to the car.

“So how did the Justice League meeting go?” she asked.

“Good. I think we might have convinced Batman to join the team. Of course, it’s all thanks to Superman.”

“He can certainly be persuasive when he wants to be.”

“Don’t I know it,” Oliver said with a chuckle.

Chloe fell silent as she walked alongside her husband. She heard the chirps of the alarm as he deactivated it and unlocked the car.

“You know, I think we need to set Lois up with someone,” she said as they got in the car.

“Say what?” he asked, turning to look at her. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

“Well, sure. I mean, Lois needs to know that there are some good guys out there. And I have the perfect guy in mind.”

Oliver groaned. “I know I’m going to regret asking this, but who?”

“Your brother.”

[phoenixnz]

Chapter Two

Oliver stared at his wife. She was thinking of matchmaking his brother with her cousin? These things never ended well.

“Oh, hell no,” he said.

“Oh, come on, Ollie. Don’t you think they’d be perfect together?”

“Do you really think I want to start World War Three? Anyway, what do you think is going to happen if he gets called out when they’re on a date? ‘Oh, sorry, Lois, I have to go, uh, return a library book’. Like she’s not going to cotton to that in ten seconds flat.”

“Uh, correct me if I’m wrong, Mr Doubting Mustafa, but as far as I know she still doesn’t know you’re Green Arrow.”

“Well, that’s different. I never dated her. You, on the other hand, had me figured out before we got together.”

Chloe nodded. They’d told Lois that she’d gone to Star City for a conference, which she had, but her purpose for going had been twofold. She had really been investigating Green Arrow. The incident at the charity event had still occurred, but it was more of a case of his shock at her revelation that she knew his secret.

The rest of it: the champagne spilling, the replacement dress, the emails, that was all true. They’d just fudged the details a little so Lois wouldn’t discover the truth.

“If there is one thing Lois is not,” he went on, “it’s stupid.”

“Good to know, honey, but I still think it’s worth a shot.”

He groaned, then started up the car. “Fine! Then you convince him. And you’re telling my mother.”

Chloe made a face. She loved her mother-in-law but Moira Queen was fiercely protective of her adopted son.

“That’s right,” she said, sticking her lower lip out in a pout. “Throw me to the wolves, why don’t you?”

“Don’t exaggerate. Mom loves you. Especially now that you’re going to have her first grandchild.”

He could feel her looking at him but he pretended to concentrate on the road as he pulled up to a set of traffic lights.

“You didn’t tell her, did you?”

He was quiet for a few moments as he drove along the street, turning into the entry way to the clocktower building. His brother had an apartment on the top floor, but they always used it when they were in the city.

“Ollie?” Chloe was sounding just a little annoyed. They had made the agreement not to tell anyone. Not even family.

“Uh,” he began. “I might have, um, mentioned it.”

“Ollie! We weren’t going to say anything until I’d reached the twelve-week mark!”

“It just slipped out!” he protested.

She sighed. “Oh well! It’s just as well. Lois knows.”

“Chloe!”

“She figured it out! I didn’t tell her! Honest!”

He shot her an exasperated look. “And that is why I think matching her up with Clark is a bad idea!”

His wife huffed. Oliver winced as she slammed the car door, the sound echoing in the basement parking level. He followed her as she made her way to the elevator. They didn’t talk on the way upstairs. It wasn’t until she was pulling open the cage that she turned to him.

“Don’t you think they’d have great chemistry?”

“Well, so would nitroglycerin and peroxide but I wouldn’t put them together.”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Lois and Clark together would be like … like chalk and cheese,” he argued, following her through the apartment.

Clark looked up from the couch. He was on the phone.

“No Mom, it’s just Ollie and Chloe.” He paused, listening, then continued on with the conversation.

Oliver pursued his wife up the spiral staircase and into their bedroom, watching as she took off her jacket. She turned and looked at him.

“You are really not seeing the bigger picture.”

“What bigger picture? I’m telling you, putting those two together would be a disaster of titanic proportions. She would eat him for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and still have room for dessert.”

His wife frowned at him. “Are you trying to imply my cousin is some kind of man-eating monster?”

“Well, they do call her Mad Dog Lane at the Planet,” he said with a smirk. Chloe hit him with a sharp punch to the shoulder. “Ow! Geez,” he said, rubbing his shoulder. “Have you been taking lessons from Lois?” Chloe wasn’t exactly tall, more like petite, and no one her size should be able to hit him that hard.
She huffed and turned away. He sighed. “Look, all I’m saying is, Clark wouldn’t be able to handle a woman like Lois. She’s … she’s too much of a force of nature.”

As much as he loved his brother, Clark could be a little too shy around women. He’d had a crush on a girl all through his adolescence and that had been disastrous. Oliver wasn’t even sure if Clark had had actually slept with anyone. It wouldn’t have surprised him in the least if his brother was still a virgin at 25.

“Well, maybe he could be a calming influence on her,” Chloe said reasonably.

He snorted. “Yeah, right. Those two would never be compatible. They’re like … hot fudge and halibut.”

Chloe suddenly turned green. “Yeah, that’s an image I want seared in my brain,” she said.

He winced and reached out for her but she pulled away, running to the ensuite bathroom. He’d forgotten about the near-constant bouts of morning sickness. She’d taken to eating a very bland diet, hoping she could keep it down, but so far it hadn’t been all that successful.

“I’m sorry, honey,” he said through the closed bathroom door. “I forgot about your squicky tummy.” There was no reply, just the sound of retching. “Why don’t I go make you some tea.”

He went back downstairs. Clark looked at him, raising his eyebrows in concern. He was still on the phone.

“Yes Mom, I know. I’m being careful.” He paused. “Ollie just came back in. Did you want to … oh, okay. Yeah, love you too, Mom.”

Oliver went into the kitchen and filled the kettle with water before putting it on the stove to boil.

Clark entered the kitchen, frowning at his brother.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

Oliver looked at him. “What was what all about?”

“You and Chloe.”

The blond shrugged. “Oh, that. Never mind. What were you and Mom talking about?”

“This and that. Everything okay between you two?”

“We’re fine.”

“So what were you arguing about?”

“We weren’t arguing,” Oliver replied.

“Oh, well, that must have been my other brother and sister-in-law. My mistake.”

His brother rolled his eyes. “Cute! Not funny, but cute.”

Clark grinned cheesily at him. “I know I am.”

“Yeah, that only worked when you were five. Not 25.”

Oliver reached over as if to give him a noogie but Clark dodged him. The older man put up his fists in a boxing stance and he mirrored the movement. They began dancing around each other as if they were in a boxing ring, the way they’d been taught at school. Oliver struck out, punching the air while Clark used a touch of super-speed to dodge.

“Hey, no fair using your powers!” Oliver protested.

They continued to pretend box until the kettle began whistling. Oliver turned to take the kettle off and grabbed a cup from the shelf above the counter. He opened the pantry and took a box of peppermint tea out, opening it up to get a tea bag out before dropping the bag in the cup.

“Chloe okay?” Clark asked, watching as Oliver poured the hot water into the cup and let the tea steep for a while.

“Yeah, she’s fine.”

Clark didn’t believe him. His sister-in-law had been looking a little pale and tired lately.

“Are you sure? She’s been looking a little under-the-weather.”

His brother looked at him. “Trust me, she’s fine.”

Clark was nothing if not astute and he’d noticed that Chloe had not been eating well lately, avoiding all the foods she loved. The first morning they’d been in the apartment, she’d been eating dry toast but had barely had two bites before she was getting up from the table and running to the bathroom.

He wanted to ask his brother if his wife was pregnant but figured if they wanted him to know, they would tell him. He hadn’t been around the last time Chloe had got pregnant, as he’d been busy training in the fortress. He hadn’t even been there at the wedding. Oliver had tried to pretend it didn’t matter, but Clark still felt bad all the same. The most important event in his brother’s life and he’d missed it.

They’d always been close, despite the six-and-a-half-year age gap. Clark couldn’t remember what it was like when his parents had first found the ship that had carried him to Earth, but they’d told him that Oliver had been fiercely protective from the moment they’d found the toddler-aged Clark.

Robert and Moira Queen had been in Smallville the day a deadly meteor shower had struck the town. They’d originally planned to fly to South Korea – something to do with Queen Industries, but nine-year-old Oliver had been sulking and Moira had felt bad about leaving him behind. They had postponed the business trip and decided to take their son on a trip to Kansas. Robert had had some business interests he wanted to look into. Queen Industries was primarily an electronics company but he had wanted to diversify.

Chloe came in, wearing pyjamas. She still looked a little wan, but Clark chose not to comment on his sister-in-law’s appearance. Oliver handed his wife her tea and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“You okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just tired.”

Oliver smiled. “How about we have an early night,” he suggested. Clark glanced at the clock. It was almost eleven. Hardly early. Then again, Oliver often patrolled until about two or three in the morning, so being in bed by eleven was a little unusual.

Chloe returned her husband’s smile. She stood on tiptoe to kiss Clark on the cheek.

“Good night Clark. See you in the morning.”

He nodded. “’Night.”

He waited until they’d both gone upstairs before heading back out to the main room. He paused, gazing at the panels which showed the reverse of the clock face. He picked up a remote and pressed a combination of buttons, watching as the panels slid apart, revealing a small room. He stepped forward, giving the green leather jacket on the hanger a cursory glance. Beside it was a blue tunic with a yellow shield, a symbol looking very much like a stylised ‘S’ on the front. He picked up the tunic.

He blurred into super speed, quickly changing from the t-shirt and jeans he’d been wearing into the suit. Mere seconds had passed when he stepped out onto the terrace, overlooking the city of Metropolis. With a whoosh, he took off into the night.

[phoenixnz]

Check out the cover by the lovely ctbn60.

[phoenixnz]

Chapter Three

Lois grumbled to herself. She was supposed to be meeting a source, but he was either late or had decided not to meet with her.

She looked around, feeling a little uneasy. This area of town, while not the slums exactly, was known for fairly rough characters. It had once been a busy industrial area as it was not far from the river, but now most of the buildings appeared to be abandoned.

What made it worse was she had never met with this guy before and didn’t have a lot of information on him. She could have called Chloe, she supposed, and asked her to do a background search on him, but her cousin was back in Star City.

It had been a couple of weeks since she’d had dinner with Chloe. They’d talked back and forth but mostly on trivial stuff. She had been careful not to mention the pregnancy, knowing Chloe was still a little worried. She had no idea how far along her cousin was but she wasn’t going to ask.

She sighed, checking the time on her phone. “Where are you?” she murmured.

There was no point in sticking around, she thought. He obviously wasn’t going to show up. It was a pity. The source had claimed to have some dirt on the Prankster.

As she turned to leave, she saw two men standing by a doorway to what she had assumed was one of the abandoned warehouses. She turned away, ignoring them, only to find her way blocked by a man about six foot tall. He clearly worked out as he had a fairly beefy build.

“Excuse me,” she said, trying to move around him.

“No, I won’t excuse you, Lois. I can call you Lois, can’t I?”

She turned to look at the two men, who had moved closer. One of them was tall and skinny, with black hair, while the second man was shorter, with a stocky build and receding hairline.
The taller man continued speaking.

“I mean, I feel like we’ve got to know each other … intimately,” he said with a leer. “You’ve been writing all those stories about me.”

“Griffin,” she said with a gasp.

He chuckled. The other man sniggered beside him, while the third man grabbed her in a sort of bear hug. She struggled but the man was stronger than her.

It was quickly becoming obvious that she had been set up.

She stopped struggling, giving herself time to reassess the situation. Griffin beckoned to the two men and she felt herself pushed toward the building’s entry. It looked like the Prankster had set up shop within the building.

She figured if she pretended not to fight against her captor, Griffin might let something slip about his plans. Then again, this was not a cheesy television show where the bad guy liked to shoot his mouth off.

She watched as the Prankster began working on some machine.

“So, what’s that?” she asked.

Griffin looked up at her and shook his finger. “Now, Lois, you know better than that.”

“Sorry,” she said with a shrug.

Griffin shot a glare at the man holding her. “Don’t just stand there. Take her out back.”

“And do what?” she asked.

“Why, kill you, of course.” He leaned casually on the machine. “I really hate bad press, Lois.”

“You’re insane, Griffin.”

“Well, as they say, one man’s genius is another man’s insanity.”

She was pulled away roughly. Knowing she was about to get shot, or worse, she struggled in earnest against the man’s strong grip. To no avail.

“Come on, Lois,” she told herself. “Think.”

She had learned karate when she was a kid and her sensei had taught her that even when an opponent appeared to be stronger than her, there was always a way to beat them. As he forced her out through the main part of the warehouse, she saw her chance. She let herself go limp so she was a deadweight in his arms.

The man clearly didn’t know what to do, his grip loosening just enough for her to break away and grab the iron bar she had spotted lying on the floor. She swung it, not quite high enough to hit his head, but enough so that it impacted with his muscular torso, knocking the wind out of him. He dropped to the ground with a loud groan. Lois dropped the iron bar with a clang and began running, looking for an exit.

Griffin and the other man came running to investigate. Griffin was muttering to himself about idiots being unable to do their job. Lois ignored him, sprinting across the floor toward an exit. She heard the sound of a shot which ricocheted off a metal pipe less than a foot away from her. She tried the door only to find it was locked.

“Lois, Lois, Lois,” the Prankster tsked. “Why must you make this so hard on yourself?”

She ducked her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for the inevitable. There was the sound of another shot, then nothing.

She opened her eyes and stared. Superman was standing between her and Griffin.

“I think, Mr Griffin, you have worn out your welcome.”

“Aw, Superman, why do you have to be such a party pooper?”

Griffin’s protest was cut off as all three men were gathered up and secured by a thick chain. Superman turned to her.

“Are you all right, Miss Lane?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. Thank you, Superman.”

“You should call the police and have them pick up Mr Griffin and his friends here.”

“Yes, I will,” she said.

He smiled at her then disappeared in the blink of an eye. She leaned back against the wall, sighing. Her second lifesaving encounter with the superhero and all she could do was stand there and act like a gibbering idiot.

It was almost nine when she returned to her apartment. She threw her keys down on the scarred tabletop in frustration. Sure, Griffin would be going to jail and she had a great story on top of it, but she was still no closer to figuring out the blue-clad superhero.

She checked her messages and discovered Chloe had called. She dialled the number.

“Hey cuz,” she said when Chloe answered.

“Hey Lois,” her cousin said cheerfully. “So I heard the Prankster’s in jail.”

“How did you find out about that?” she asked.

“It’s called the Internet, Lois. Your story’s the top trender, both on the news sites and on Twitter. Congrats.”

“Thanks, I think. What’s up?”

“Well, I just thought I’d call to let you know that everything’s okay. You can go ahead and tell people now.”

She frowned, not quite following her cousin’s meaning.

“Tell people what?”

“About the baby. I just passed the three-month mark and the doctor says everything’s fine.”

“Oh, that’s great, Chlo. Congratulations.” It was no wonder she sounded so happy, Lois thought. “You two must be really excited.”

“Yeah. Ollie went out and bought an outfit for the baby already. You should see it. It’s the cutest thing!”

Oliver spoke in the background and Chloe must have turned away from the phone as there were muffled voices. She came back on about a minute later.

“Oh, there’s this thing on on Saturday. It’s something to do with Saving the Rainforests. They’re hosting it at the Ace of Clubs.”

“What does this have to do with me?” she asked.

“Well, Ollie and I can’t go. We already have something here in Star City. So, I was wondering …”

“Oh no,” she said, smelling a set-up. “There is no way you’re setting me up on a blind date.”

“It’s not exactly a blind date. It’s Ollie’s brother.”

Oliver’s brother. Whom she’d never met. Who apparently had more important things to do than be there for his brother at his wedding. Who also, according to the latest gossip, would rather spend his family’s money than get an actual job.

“Oh, hell no,” she said.

“Come on, Lois. It’s for a good cause! Please?”

She hated the pleading tone in her cousin’s voice. She’d sworn off men and was ready to call her lovelife a national disaster.

“Lois, I’m not asking you to marry the guy, just be his date at this thing. It’ll be a great networking opportunity for you.”

She huffed. “I really hate when you do that!” she said.

“Thanks, Lois, you just saved my bacon.”

“I didn’t say yes, yet,” she replied.

Chloe went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “I’ll get your ticket couriered to you. Do you want Clark to … oh, no, it’s probably better if you meet him there. So, Ace of Clubs at seven on Saturday. Okay? And Lois, wear that white gown with the gold beading. You look really great in that. Thanks a million, Lo. I owe you huge for this.”

“Yeah, don’t think I won’t collect,” she replied sarcastically.

Chloe laughed and hung up. Lois sighed as she put the phone down.

“Great,” she muttered. “Just great.”

[phoenixnz]

Chapter Four

Clark loved his brother but he never thought he would be a pushover where his sister-in-law was concerned.

As he stood in the foyer of the building housing the Ace of Clubs, he sighed heavily, glancing at his watch. How did he manage to get himself into these things?

It wasn’t the function he was worried about. Being a member of a wealthy family, it was sort of expected that he would have to make appearances at various events. No, it was the fact that Chloe had set him up with a blind date. Well, not exactly blind.

He grumbled. “If she wasn’t my brother’s wife, I’d …”

“You’d do what?” a voice behind him asked.

He turned and looked at the speaker. Lois Lane. He’d saved her a few times as Superman, but he’d tried to maintain a professional distance, not wanting her to discover his true identity. If she was anything at all like her cousin, his secret identity wouldn’t last long under her scrutiny.

He had to admit the woman was very attractive, especially in the white gown with what looked like gold beading decorating the bodice in fancy patterns. The fitted bodice showed off her slender curves without being too obvious about it and the full skirt just served to accentuate her long legs. Her hair was half-pinned, the rest flowing down her back in chocolate waves. She looked classy.

He pushed his horn-rimmed glasses up to the bridge of his nose with his middle finger. While he didn’t really need glasses, Oliver had suggested them as a way of separating his public persona as Clark Queen from Superman.

“You gonna stand and stare all night, Queen?” she asked acerbically.

“Uh …” Words failed him. Why was it that when he was Superman he had no problem talking to her but as himself …

She rolled her eyes. He couldn’t help but notice she had pretty hazel eyes. Chloe’s were green. Had he not known it already, he would never have picked her for being Chloe’s cousin. They did not look alike.

“Let’s get this shindig over and done with, ‘K?” She held out her arm and he stared at her, still lost for something witty to say. She huffed and grabbed his arm. “Great! You know, this is the last time I do my cousin any favours! I can’t believe she talked me into this! I was expecting someone with a brain at least and I end up with Forrest Gump!”

Clark glared at her, feeling insulted. “I happen to have a brain, thank you,” he said, miffed. “And I hardly think you’re one to talk, Ms Lane! Comparing me to Forrest Gump?”

“Well, no, you’re right. At least Forrest wasn’t a total geek!” she said, looking at him with a sideways glance.

“I have never considered myself a geek,” he replied.

“Yeah? Try looking in the mirror. Whoever thought those fugly glasses would be a fashion statement really needs to go back to school.”

“They serve their purpose,” he returned, really feeling annoyed with her.

“You know, there are these newfangled things you can try. They’re called contacts.”

“I didn’t know you cared!” he replied.

“I don’t!” she answered with a light snicker, making him wonder if she was laughing at him or at the situation.

They entered the club and were immediately accosted by cameras in their faces. Clark blinked rapidly, turning his body slightly to shield her from the worst of it. Lois pushed him away.

“Thanks, but when I need a knight in shining whatever, I’ll call Superman!” she said.

A reporter stuck a microphone in his face.

“Mr Queen, are you and Miss Lane dating?”

“Miss Lane is only here as a favour,” he told the reporter. “And no, we are not dating!”

Lois canted her head and smirked. “I’d sooner date Lex Luthor,” she said.

Clark stared at her. Lex was an old classmate of his brother’s and the two men had never really gotten along. The phrase ‘worst enemy’ came to mind when he wanted to describe their relationship. Oliver had been rather arrogant as a teenager and had been suspended for bullying some of the younger boys. When their father, Robert, had found out about it, he had threatened to pull both boys out of Excelsior and send them to stay with their aunt and uncle in Smallville, where they would have had to attend Smallville High.

It wasn’t so much the threat of being sent to Smallville that had made Oliver clean up his act. It was the thought of seeing the disappointment in Jonathan Kent’s eyes.

Clark spotted the bald billionaire in the crowd and propelled Lois forward.

“Well, if Lex Luthor is more your type, have at it. He’s over there!”

He pushed past her rudely and went to the bar to grab a glass of champagne, leaving her standing gaping at him.

The rest of the evening was a complete disaster. He circulated and chatted with various socialites, most of whom had known him since he was a toddler, but it was the presence of the woman who was supposed to be his date that made his evening unbearable.

As rude and as stuck-up as he thought she was, there was something about her. Something that made him want to either strangle her or kiss her. The last woman who had affected him this way was Lana, although even he had to admit that the girl he’d spent much of his teenage years mooning over didn’t have nearly as much effect on him as Lois.

It was annoying and infuriating. He didn’t even like the woman! Yet every time he stood near her, he felt almost dizzy. Almost, but not quite the same as when he’d been around Lana. Then again, he’d often wondered whether it was the necklace made of meteor rock. Maybe he should be looking to see if Lois had any kind of green stone on her person.

He was relieved when the evening drew to a close. Lois, having spent much of the evening avoiding talking to him, strode purposefully toward him. He caught a whiff of her perfume, a light, flowery scent that was subtle rather than overpowering, even for someone with his enhanced olfactory senses. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

It’s just pheromones, he told himself. Chemical attraction. That was all it was.

She punched him in the shoulder. “Wake up, Queen! You need to escort me home!”

He glared at her. “Why would I want to do that?”

“Ah, hello? Because you’re supposed to be a gentleman, and when a gentleman escorts a girl on a date, he takes her home!”

“There is no way this was a date!” he said.

“Fine! Suit yourself! You’re still driving me!”

“Don’t you have a ride?” he asked.

“I took a taxi,” she told him.

“I don’t recall a ride being a condition of this so-called date!”

“Take it up with my cousin!” She turned, her hair flying behind her as she began walking to the door without even checking if he was following.

I take it back, he thought. I just want to strangle her, not kiss her!

Still, his mother would kill him if he didn’t act the gentleman and escort the lady home. He guided her out of the club and downstairs to the street, handing his ticket to the valet. A couple of minutes later the valet drove up in a Lamborghini. Lois looked suitably impressed at the vehicle, which was a classic Countach.

“A Lamborghini? Well, maybe you’re not such a geek after all.”

“It happens to be a classic,” he said as he waited for her to get in the car before getting in the other side.

He drove out into the street, keeping to the speed limit. Oliver had had far too many run-ins with the police over his habit of speeding which had only served as fodder for the gossip columns. He wasn’t about to do the same and have them get the wrong impression about his ‘date’ with one of their own.

“Did I say I didn’t like it? I grew up on army bases where if you wanted to make a good impression you took a tank.”

He frowned at her. “Are you going somewhere with this?”

She laughed. “I stole a tank and took it to my senior prom. I didn’t actually make it inside, mind you. I was too busy making out with my boyfriend. Besides, proms are just the high school version of Who Wore It Better. It’s a popularity contest.”

“That sounds like something Chloe would say,” he said. “You really stole a tank?”

“My dad was furious. Threatened to ground me for a month. Like he ever could!”

“My brother stole one of our dad’s cars once. I think he was fourteen, fifteen. He didn’t even have his licence. Dad was livid. He not only grounded Ollie, but he took away his allowance for a whole month. That didn’t make him very popular at school.”

Lois laughed. Clark felt heartened by the fact they seemed to be bonding.

“So, what did Clark Queen get up to when he was a teenager?”

He felt himself flushing. “Uh, nothing, really. I was never really the partying type. I guess I am a geek, in that case.”

They were quiet for a few moments. Clark asked her for the address to her apartment and took the highway. Lois lived a few miles out of the city centre.

“Um, Chloe told me about your dad. I’m sorry. It must have been really hard on you all.”

Robert had disappeared while out on the family’s yacht. He and Oliver had gone out on a father and son trip. Oliver had disappeared as well, turning up on a deserted island two and a half years later. It was only then that they learned that someone had hijacked the yacht and blown it up. His brother had told him he suspected someone had tried to silence Robert over some business he was involved in.

“Thanks,” he said.

He pulled up outside her building. Lois didn’t even wait for him to come to a full stop before she was opening the door.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said, practically slamming the door in her rush to get away.

Clark snorted in disgust. So much for the moment of bonding. He was right in his original assessment of her. She was stuck-up.

It was one in the morning when he reached his apartment but instead of going to bed, he quickly changed into jeans and t-shirt and took off from the terrace. Minutes later he landed on the patio of his family’s huge mansion in Star City.

He reached for the French doors to step into the family room when they opened.

“Hello sweetheart!”

He wrapped his arms around his mother. “Hi, Mom.” He breathed in her perfume, an instant reminder of a happy childhood.

“How was your date, darling?” she asked as she led him inside and made him sit on the sofa. She walked over to the wet bar and poured them each a tumbler of scotch.

“It wasn’t a date,” he said.

“That’s not what Chloe told me. Oh, did they tell you the news?”

He nodded, knowing she was referring to the pregnancy. “Yeah. Oliver told me a couple of days ago. He sounds really excited.”

“We all are,” Moira Queen replied, handing him one of the tumblers. She sat down next to him and put a hand on his knee. “So, tell me about this girl you had this non-date with.”

“Lois Lane? The woman is a total nightmare! She’s stuck-up, she’s rude! I can’t stand her!”

His mother smiled knowingly. “I have it on good authority that the best ones start that way.”

He pinched his nose. “No way, Mom! Hell would have to freeze over first.”

“You know, that’s exactly what Lois said just now,” Chloe replied, coming in. Oliver followed behind her. The couple sat on the loveseat. “She just called, complaining about you. She said you were obnoxious.”

He looked at his sister-in-law incredulously. “I’m obnoxious? She called me Forrest Gump!”

Oliver snorted with laughter. Chloe shot him a stern look and he subsided quickly.

“This is Lois Lane of the Daily Planet?” his mother asked. Clark nodded. Oliver and their mother exchanged a look.

“What?” Clark asked.

“We weren’t going to tell you this way. We’ve been in negotiations for months.”

He had a sinking feeling. “Negotiations?” he asked slowly. “For what?”

“For the Daily Planet. And we want you to take over as publisher.”

He raised his hands. “What? Now, wait a second.”

“Honey, you were the one who decided to major in journalism in college,” his mother replied.

“Yes, so I could write freelance, freeing me up for when I had to do my Superman thing.”

“You can still do your ‘Superman thing’,” Oliver told him. “As publisher, you’ll have no one to answer to but me and I certainly won’t be asking questions about you taking off so suddenly.”

“It makes perfect sense to me, Clark,” Chloe replied.

“Great, and I’ll be accused of nepotism.”

“You’re at least qualified,” Oliver pointed out. “I mean, why do your Masters if you weren’t thinking about it to some degree. And you were editor of the Met U Gazette!”

“It’s hardly the New York Times!” he protested. “Besides, that was editor, not publisher!”

“Darling, we thought this would be the best solution,” Moira claimed. “You’re hardly making a name for yourself with your freelancing!”

“Give it time! I’ve only been doing it a couple of years!”

“Writing under a different name,” Oliver reminded him.

Clark looked at his family and sighed. It was true. Part of his training with Jor-El had involved travelling around and learning about various cultures. As soon as he’d returned from training in the fortress he’d begun submitting travel articles to various newspapers and magazines. Not wanting to cash in on the name, he had chosen to use a different name. Jerome Kent was a nobody, but he preferred it that way. He had decided a long time ago that he wanted to make his own way in the world, not get a hand up just because he was Clark Queen.

“Look, just think about it, okay?” Oliver said. “The news won’t hit the trade rags for another couple of weeks. Well, we hope. But then you know what the media is like. As soon as they sniff out a rumour they’re like a dog in heat.”

Chloe frowned at her husband. “You better not be thinking about my cousin when you say things like that.”

“No, why would I?”

“You did say she was ‘Mad Dog Lane’!”

“I can’t believe you’re still mad about that,” he returned. The couple began bickering.

Clark looked at his mother and rolled his eyes. She grinned back at him. How those two managed to stop bickering long enough to make a baby, he didn’t know. They’d been at it for as long as they’d been together.

[phoenixnz]

Chapter Five

Chloe settled in bed beside her husband. It was fairly late. Clark had left half an hour earlier, having been alerted to an emergency in Metropolis via another of the Justice League members.

“I hate to say I told you so,” he said.

“Then don’t. Besides, I think you’re wrong.”

He propped himself up on one elbow and stared at her incredulously.

“Huh?”

“They hate each other.”

“Which is my point.”

“No, no, you don’t get it. They hate each other.”

“I’m still not following,” he said, shaking his head.

“Haven’t you heard the expression love and hate are two sides of the same coin?”

He looked to be thinking it over for a minute or so, his brow wrinkled in a deep frown.

“So, what you’re saying is, they only think they hate each other.”

“No, that isn’t what I said.”

“I’m still not following your logic.”

“Okay, let me spell it out. Lois ranted on the phone to me for a good half hour about how he ignored her most of the night and how he was totally obnoxious. Then Clark goes on about how she’s stuck-up and rude. I mean, have you ever known anyone to have such an effect on either of them?”

“Well, no, but …”

“Look, maybe I wasn’t there for the Lana years, but I’ve never known Clark to get this upset about a woman.”

Oliver nodded. “That is true.”

“What exactly happened between him and Lana?”

“You want the short version or the long version?”

“I want everything. All the gory details.”

“Well, you know we have these family friends in Smallville, right?”

She nodded. She knew from her mother-in-law that they’d stopped to help a couple whose truck had overturned in a ditch during the meteor shower. Robert had barely got the couple out when their truck had been rocked by a meteor crashing right next to it. If they’d been in the vehicle, they would have been seriously hurt.

The billionaire had gone to Smallville to investigate a creamed-corn factory which was on the verge of bankruptcy. While his research had suggested there was no way he could save the Ross’ family business, he had had a proposal to put to them. He would pay for a whole new fit-out if the brothers agreed to partner him in a new research facility.

Unfortunately, Lionel Luthor had got there first. Robert Queen and the Metropolis billionaire socialised in the same circles, but they were bitter enemies and business rivals. Luthor had bought the factory outright and turned it into a fertiliser plant, laying off several of the workers at the same time.

Having missed his chance at the factory, Robert had spent some time with Jonathan Kent and had been very interested in the Kents’ organic farming. After a few weeks of research and a lot of thought, he’d approached the couple and offered to help them grow a steady business. The farm, once struggling to meet all its costs, was now doing very well. The venture would never be a huge money-maker, but the couple, and the two children the Queens had helped them adopt, were by all reports making a very comfortable living.

Growing up, the boys had spent summers at the Kent Farm. When he was little, Clark had loved running around on the farm, helping Jonathan with feeding the animals or helping Martha with her baking, although Oliver had told Chloe he only did it so he could lick the spoon afterwards.

Chloe listened as her husband began telling her how Clark had met Lana Lang.

“I think he was about twelve. It was the same year that I graduated from Excelsior and not long before my dad and I went out on the yacht that last time. Lana was this cute brunette about the same age as him. Her parents died in the meteor shower. Anyway, the summer he was twelve, she was helping her aunt out at this flower shop in town. Clark and I decided to take the Kents’ kids out for ice cream and he saw her. It was like time froze. He just stood there watching her.

“Anyway, he decided to ask her out for ice cream. She turned him down, flat. Then a few days later, he ran into her and she said: ‘Still want to go out for that ice cream?’”

Chloe frowned. She had never met Lana Lang. Her father had applied for a job at the Luthorcorp plant in Smallville and she would have moved with him to Smallville in her last year of junior high if he hadn’t managed to score a better-paying job in Gotham.

Instinct told her that Lana had somehow discovered who Clark was and decided to go out with him on that basis.

“If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, you’d be right. She found out we were rich and that was the only reason she went out with him. At least, then.”

Chloe frowned. “That’s pretty shallow.”

“Yeah, I used to think that way too, but I don’t think it was entirely her fault. Her aunt’s kind of … well, how can I put this politely?”

She nodded. “You don’t need to draw a diagram.”

“Lana’s a nice girl, from what Mom told me. She just followed along with her aunt’s wishes.”

“So, what happened?”

“They began dating seriously when they were fourteen. Clark thought he was in love but he didn’t know that Lana didn’t reciprocate. And Nell just kept pushing them together until the poor kid didn’t know which way to turn. Then Clark’s secrets got in the way and she basically gave him an ultimatum. It was either his secret or them. Uncle Jonathan told him that any girl who would try to force him to make such a choice really wasn’t worth it.”

“Wait. Mr Kent knows about Clark?”

“Well, it was hard not to when he began bench-pressing cars. Dad told them when Clark was ten. They’ve been really great about it though. Especially when Dad and I disappeared. Mom said Clark kind of went off the rails a bit but Jonathan and Martha set him straight. Jonathan even helped him when he developed heat vision. It turns out it’s, uh, hormonally-based.”

She frowned at her husband. “Hormonally …” She considered that for a second, then realised what he meant. “Oh! Yes, I can imagine that would have been, uh, fun.”

He continued with the story. “He and Lana sort of struggled for a bit. One minute they were off, then they were on again. Then when Clark was in his senior year at Excelsior, he and Lana were seeing each other practically every weekend. One day he came home to Star City and just about demolished the guest house.”

“Why?”

“Because he found Lana in the arms of another guy. It was this guy named Whitney. He got a football scholarship to Met U. He nearly lost it when his dad died around the same time the scouts were checking out the schools, but Mom took Dad’s seat on the university board and she made them reconsider, saying it wasn’t fair to overlook an obviously talented kid just because he’d gone through a rough patch.

“Anyway, Lana came to me and told me everything. The kid was in tears. I don’t think she’s a bad person, really. Just led astray by her aunt’s machinations.”

“Does Clark know any of this?”

“I don’t think so. I think he was too angry. Both at her and himself for it. He almost swore off dating but Mom convinced him that he shouldn’t shut himself off from the world just because of one girl. He did, however, make the decision never to tell anyone about his secret.”

“No wonder,” Chloe said.

“No wonder what?”

“He seems so lonely sometimes. I mean, he’s got you and your mom, but …”

“I know. We had this huge fight once. I think it was when he was in college. He said I would never be able to understand what it felt like to be different. And he’s right. I can never know how it feels, but it doesn’t mean I love him any less.” He shrugged. “He’s my brother.”

They settled down in the bed, switching off the lights. Oliver lay quietly with an arm around her waist. Chloe stroked her husband’s bare chest, her fingers lightly tracing some scars from various injuries he’d received while on the island. His first year, he hadn’t known much about natural antiseptics and the cuts and scratches he’d received hadn’t healed properly.

Not long after he’d returned from the island, he’d been hospitalised. Doctors had discovered that he’d contracted malaria while on the island and since he’d never received treatment at the time the parasite had invaded his body, it had reactivated, making him a very sick man. Luckily, doctors were able to treat it and cure it. He still had to have annual check-ups where the doctors would do thorough examinations on all his organs but so far he was healthy.

The first couple of years he’d been patrolling as Green Arrow, he’d got hurt a few times. He’d been shot, stabbed and sucker-punched and his body was now a mish-mash of scars. He’d considered plastic surgery but she’d convinced him not to, saying his scars were part of him and didn’t change how she felt about him.

“I still think the whole date thing is a mistake,” he said.

“I don’t. I think they need each other.”

“I don’t know.”

“Lois has spent so much time trying to establish her career I think she’s forgotten that she needs a life too.”

“Sounds like someone else I know,” he said, poking her lightly in the ribs.

“I was never like that,” she said in protest.

“Yes you were. You were always so intense, especially when hunting down a story. You would break a date with me if you thought a lead was going to pan out. I was actually kind of intimidated by that.”

“Green Arrow was intimidated by me?” she asked.

“Yes, believe it or not. I’d never known anyone quite like you. The night we met, officially anyway, I was intrigued by what I saw. I mean, you and Lois don’t look alike, but you’re both forces of nature. Besides, look at the lengths I had to go to to get you to go out with me.”

“Well, that is true,” she admitted. She turned her head to kiss him lightly on the lips. “And can I say how glad I am that you didn’t give up at the first rejection?”

She felt him smile next to her. “I guess I’m just stubborn that way.”

She snuggled close to her husband, her hand lightly resting on his chest. He’d been right about her resistance. He’d sent her flowers, chocolates, even invitations to exclusive social events, but she’d rejected them every time. Then one night he’d been patrolling in Metropolis and had been injured. She had heard about it through one of the other reporters on staff and had immediately gone to him, worried he was dying.

His injury had been serious, but not life-threatening, and she had cleaned and bandaged the wound. When he’d asked her to stay, she hadn’t been able to say no. They’d spent the entire night just talking. Oliver sometimes joked about that night, telling her if he’d known it would take him getting injured for her to say yes, he would have done it sooner.

[phoenixnz]

Chapter Six

Lois usually hated cleaning. She figured it had something to do with living with her father on army bases. Sam Lane had kept a tight ship, so to speak, and if even her bathroom wasn’t clean to his specifications he would hand her a toothbrush and order her to do it properly.

When she’d got her own apartment, she had decided she was not going to follow the same rules. She let dishes pile up in the sink and didn’t take her clothes to the laundromat unless she had absolutely nothing to wear.

Her father had visited her apartment once, taken one look at the mess, then turned and walked out again.

The last time she had seen him, they’d ended up screaming at each other. Thankfully it had been in his office at the army base in DC, where he was now stationed. That had been about a year ago.

Her relationship with her father had never been the best. When her mother died, he had told her she was in charge of her little sister and anything Lucy did she would have to take responsibility for. A child psychologist would have had a field day with that, she thought as she scrubbed the grout on her counter-top.

“Speaking of relationships,” she muttered. She was going to kill Chloe. She’d told her cousin she wasn’t interested in dating, so what on Earth had possessed her to set her up on a blind date with her brother-in-law? Good cause or no, she should never have let Chloe talk her into attending.

She continued scrubbing, grumbling as she did so. She became so absorbed in her task that she didn’t hear the buzz of the intercom for a few moments. It buzzed again and didn’t cease, as if the person had just sat their thumb on it and wasn’t letting go.

She stopped what she was doing and went to answer the buzzer, knocking over the container of cleaning powder. It fell on the floor, the plastic bursting and sending a cloud all over the kitchen. Lois coughed, waving her hand to try to disperse the cloud.

The buzzing sound stopped, making her think that whoever it was had probably pressed the wrong button. She went to her cleaning closet and grabbed the broom, still coughing.
Before she could start sweeping up, there was a knock on her door. The coughing fit continued, making her eyes water. They were practically streaming as she dropped the broom and went to open the door.

To her surprise, Clark Queen stood on her doorstep. He held up her wrap. She hadn’t even realised she hadn’t had it with her when she’d come home the night before.

“Uh, you left this in my car last night,” he said. He frowned as she coughed into her elbow. “Are you all right?”

He appeared to look beyond her at the cleaning powder all over the floor. He seemed to make a quick assessment, guiding her into her living room and sitting her down on the couch. She stared at him through streaming eyes as he stepped behind the kitchen counter and opened a cupboard, taking a glass and filling it with water from the tap.

She looked up at him in surprise as he returned to her side, handing her the glass of water.

“You probably inhaled some of that,” he said.

She drank the water gratefully, relieved to note that the coughing fit eased.

“Thanks,” she said hoarsely.

He nodded, turning back toward the kitchen. When Lois had rented the apartment, she hadn’t liked the open-plan living area so much, mostly for the fact that she couldn’t really hide her mess from visitors. It had grown on her, however.

“Doing some cleaning?” he asked, taking in the dishes still drying in the rack and the cleaning rags.

“So?” she said, choking a little. She sipped the water.

“I just hadn’t figured you for the type.”

She scowled at him. “What type is that?” she asked. She stood up. Even in heels she could not possibly reach his height. In bare feet, she felt dwarfed by him. “What gives you the right to make snap judgements about me? Huh? You don’t even know me!”

He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, I was just making a comment. You don’t have to get so defensive!”

“I’m not getting defensive.”

“Oh, right. Sorry. My mistake.”

“You know, you’re not exactly a picnic either, Chuckles.”

“My name is Clark,” he told her.

“Whatever! My point is, you were supposed to be my date last night. Instead you ignored me the entire time.”

“Actually, I think you have that backwards. You were supposed to be my date.”

“Same thing.”

“The invitation was for me, or rather, someone from the Queen family. Plus one. Nowhere on the list did it say Lois Lane, plus one.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, gee, I forgot who I was talking to. Next you’ll tell me you’re like twenty-fifth in line to the British throne, or something.”

He glared at her. “I didn’t come here to be insulted. I figured I would do you the courtesy of returning your wrap. That’s the last time I do anyone any favours.”

“I never asked for any!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

Clark went to the still open door then turned and looked at her.

“You know something, Lane? I pity the next guy you decide to trample all over. You have got to be the most annoying woman on the entire planet. And I’ve known some.”

“What? Women? Or just people who annoy you? I would assume there’s a long line,” she shot back.

He held up his hand, pointing at her. “You … you … gah!” He turned and left the apartment. Lois moved quickly to the door.

“Yeah? Well the feeling’s mutual, Queen!” she shouted.

He shouted something back to her in what sounded like cursing in Italian. She’d learned some of the language when her father had been based in Rome for a few months.

She closed the door and leaned on it for a few moments, feeling irritated. What had the man expected anyway? she thought. A ticker-tape parade? So he’d brought her wrap back. Big deal.

Her gaze fell on the glass of water she’d left on the coffee table. When he’d seen her coughing, his concern had been totally genuine. A voice in her head reminded her those weren’t the actions of the spoiled brat she had originally taken him for.

The truth was, when she’d first heard about Clark Queen, she had thought he was a nice-looking man who appeared rather shy. She’d seen a couple of red carpet events where he had shied away from the paparazzi, the expression on his face suggesting he was uncomfortable being in the spotlight.

She hadn’t asked Oliver much about his younger brother. All she knew was that he’d been adopted by their parents when they’d learned his real parents had been killed in a meteor shower. How it must have hurt when he’d lost his father nearly ten years ago.

Oliver had appeared resigned to the fact that his little brother was not going to be able to be at his wedding three years earlier. A little disappointed, sure, but not as much as Lois would have expected him to be, considering how close the brothers apparently were.

Which begged the question: where was Clark when Oliver and Chloe got married and why did the family choose not to make such a big deal out of it?

Her spider sense was tingling.

She decided to go online and see what she could find out about Oliver’s brother. After a few hours of searching it turned out not much.

Clark avoided the media spotlight. From what she had read from her Google search, there was not much to go on. She knew he’d gone to Excelsior Preparatory Academy and skipped a couple of grades. She discovered he’d graduated from Metropolis University with a Masters degree in journalism. So why wasn’t he working as a journalist? she wondered.

There were the usual press photos but in most of them he’d turned his head, so the photographer only managed to get his profile. Yet she’d seen enough to know he was a very good-looking man, even with the glasses.

She sat back in her chair, confused by the lack of surrounding light. It had fallen dark while she’d been researching, the only light in the room emanating from the screen of the laptop. She got up and stretched, her back protesting after hours of sitting in a wooden chair without a break.

She looked around, remembering that she hadn’t even finished cleaning the grout on the counter. She’d become so preoccupied with searching for information about Clark Queen that she’d forgotten everything else and it was now almost dinnertime.

“Admit it, the guy intrigues you,” she told herself.

That did not mean, however, she thought, that she was actually interested in dating the guy. No way, no how.

Deciding she wasn’t going to get any more information online, she closed the lid of the laptop with a snap. It looked like if she was going to find out more about Clark, she would have to do it the old-fashioned way. By phone.

She was surprised when Moira Queen picked up the phone.

“Oh, Mrs Queen. I was looking for Chloe.”

“She’s not here, Lois. She and Oliver have gone shopping.”

“Translate, she’s dragged him out shopping,” Lois said with a laugh. The older woman chuckled.

“Oh, so true. I hear you went out with my son last night.”

“I only did it as a favour to Chloe. No offence, Mrs Q, but what is his deal? I mean, he ignored me the entire time!”

“Really? I talked to Clark and he implied it was the other way around. Did you not like him?”

“Ahh, there really is no good way to answer that, is there?”

Moira laughed.

“No, I suppose not. I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Clark really isn’t as bad as you think he is.”

“He barely spoke a word to me when we met.”

“Did you stop to think that perhaps he might be a little shy?”

She frowned. All the stuff she had read implied he just didn’t like the media and she’d assumed that was why he hardly spoke to her the whole night. Was she misjudging him?

“I guess not.”

“You should try to get to know him. He’s really very sweet.”

Sweet? No, that wasn’t a word she would use to describe Clark Queen. Maybe his mother was right and the man was kind of shy, but after the way he’d spoken to her earlier she would never even consider the idea of getting to know him better. He probably felt the same way about her.

“I’ll think about it,” she told Moira. “Anyway, enough about Clark. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m fine, sweetie,” the older woman said.

Lois had, of course, met Oliver’s mother at the wedding and they’d chatted infrequently via Facebook a few times. Moira clearly valued her close relationship with both of her sons and, by her own admission, was rather nosy when it came to wanting to know almost every detail of their lives, especially their friendships.

One of the things Lois liked about the older woman was that she didn’t put on airs. She might be fairly wealthy but she was so down-to-earth. Lois had found herself asking the other woman for advice from time to time.

She continued to chat with the woman, telling her about the Prankster and some other crooks she’d gone up against.

“Oh, I do hope you’re being careful,” Moira said, sounding worried.

The last thing she wanted to do was worry her so she skipped around the subject of her last run-in with the Prankster. Thank goodness for Superman, she thought.

After a few more minutes of chatting, she reluctantly said goodbye and rang off. The conversation hadn’t really changed her opinion of Clark, but at least it had given her some insight into the man.

[Eleidich]

Thanks for write this. I still miss clois so much

[phoenixnz]

Thanks for write this. I still miss clois so much

I know what you mean. I miss them too

[phoenixnz]

Chapter Seven

Clark, you better have a look at the Inquisitor.

Clark frowned at the text from his brother. He turned to the Watchtower computer and accessed the tabloid newspaper’s website, then groaned.

#Clois came up under one of the trending topics. He clicked on the link and groaned even louder. It was the paper’s gossip column. A full-size photo of him and Lois Lane walking into the Ace of Clubs could be seen.

“Why me?” he moaned.

“Hey Stretch, everything ok?”

Clark turned to look at his friend Bart Allen. They’d known each other since they were teenagers. He’d run into the speedster, who had been nicknamed the Flash, when he’d treated Jonathan Kent and his son to a football game in Metropolis his senior year at Excelsior. Bart had stolen the older man’s wallet.

He’d asked his brother to help him find the youth and they’d tracked him down to a fleabag motel in Suicide Slum. Bart had been unrepentant, but when Clark had discovered the teen was homeless and living off the proceeds of his thefts, he had offered to help Bart out.

The speedster had taken a little time to trust Clark but once he realised the Queens were just trying to help set him on the right path, he had accepted a job working for Oliver, who had begun working on using the Green Arrow persona and was investigating various incidents with meta-humans.

“It’s fine,” he told the other man.

Bart nodded, looking over Clark’s shoulder at the headline.

“You and Lois Lane?”

Clark shook his head and sighed. “I have one date with the woman - not by choice, by the way, and the Inquisitor has practically got us engaged. It was at that Save the Rainforests thing at the Ace of Clubs on Saturday.”

“Aw, man, that sucks! You two make a good-looking couple, though.”

“Are you kidding? She thinks I’m a geek.”

Bart canted his head and looked at him. “Hate to break it to you, Stretch, but you are a geek. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.”

“Thanks, I think.”

“No, seriously. There’s nothing wrong with being a geek. I have this friend. Iris. She thinks I’m the biggest geek on the planet. Nothing to do with me studying forensics or anything. Anyway, despite that, we’re like real close. I’ve known her since I was like five.”

Clark sighed, reading the comments.

“Ugh, you should see the way some of these people gush. And there’s this one guy who says something like, ‘bet she’s only with him for his money’. These people don’t even know me. Or her. Where do they get the nerve coming up with stuff like that?”

“It’s just a rag, Clark. Don’t pay any attention to it.”

He closed down the page but couldn’t help worrying about it. What would this do to the family’s negotiations for the Daily Planet? Had Oliver and Chloe even thought about the impact it might have on those negotiations?

An emergency call prevented him from going to his brother’s office to discuss the problem. He flew off, while Bart opted to stay behind in Watchtower and keep an eye out for anything more.
While Watchtower was in Metropolis, it acted as the central hub for all Justice League members. Usually they had one person monitoring all activity and keeping in communication with the members in each city within North America. While crimes were down in many of the cities, they also had various disasters that sometimes necessitated aid from one or more of them. Clark had been called away a month earlier to help out at a forest fire down under and the month before that there had been a volcanic eruption in Asia.

The latest alert was an armed robbery at the Metropolis First National Bank. The robbers had taken hostages. Clark flew in and quickly dispatched the robbers, making sure no one was hurt. As he turned to leave, he saw Lois at the door.

“Superman?” she said, waving her hand.

He reluctantly approached her. “Miss Lane?”

“Uh, so can I get a quote for my story?”

“Of course,” he said politely. “Perhaps we should move out of the way of the police trying to do their jobs.”

She nodded, following him outside and a few feet away from the entrance.

“So, uh, was anyone hurt?”

“No, thankfully. I was able to stop them before anything happened.”

She scribbled something on her notepad.

“You’d think they’d learn, wouldn’t you?” she mused.

“Excuse me?”

“Well, I mean, you’ve been here two years. In Metropolis, I mean. You’d think the robbers would know better than to try to rob a bank in your city.”

“Unfortunately, Miss Lane, there will always be someone who will think they can succeed, but as long as I am able to, I will always do my best to protect the citizens of Metropolis.”

“Thank you, Superman.” She stopped scribbling and looked up at him. “Uh, so, I was wondering … where do you go?”

He frowned at her. “Go?”

“Well, when you’re off duty, and stuff.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Well, you must have a family. What do you do when you’re not being a superhero?”

“Is this on-the-record?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. I was just … curious.”

“Then please allow me to be frank, Miss Lane. If the people of Metropolis knew the details of my personal life, then my enemies would more than likely target those I care about in order to get to me. Do you understand?” he asked gently.

She sent him a look of sympathy. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I guess I never saw it from your angle.”

“That’s all right,” he said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak to the detective before I go.”

“Thank you for being so honest with me,” she said.

It was a vast difference from the way she had interacted with him on Saturday. Then again, he realised, she thought she was dealing with a completely different person. At least she knew how to behave professionally. It gave him hope that she wasn’t quite as stuck-up as she had appeared.

He approached Detective John Jones. The older man had dark skin and close-cropped black hair. Few people knew he was not even human.

“That looked a rather intense conversation,” J’onn said, nodding his head toward Lois. Clark nodded.

“Yeah.”

“I saw the Inquisitor.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, so did about five million other people, judging from the way it’s ‘trending’,” he said, crooking his fingers in an airquote. “It’s totally not true, FYI. I had one date with the woman. One! And it was a blind date.”

He knew it was the price he paid for being a member of a prominent family. It didn’t mean he had to like it.

“I should go. I need to discuss something with Oliver.”

J’onn nodded. “If I need anything, I know where to find you.”

Clark launched himself into the air and flew over Metropolis, putting on a burst of speed and heading for Star City. He arrived within minutes, touching down on the roof of Queen Towers. He looked around before heading to the main door and walked down a flight of stairs to the penthouse. Oliver usually kept it for when he and Chloe were entertaining for business purposes, preferring to only use the mansion for friends and family.

Clark would stay in the penthouse if his presence was required at the business meeting, although Oliver usually let him decide if he needed to be there.

He pressed his thumb to the scanner beside the door and waited for the lock to click before entering the apartment. He kept a change of clothes in his bedroom for the odd occasion when he needed to be at a business meeting or just needed to talk to his brother without his alter ego being exposed.

Two minutes later, Clark left the penthouse and headed downstairs to the office suite. A redhead about his age sat at the main desk. She looked up at him, her eyes huge behind the steel-rimmed glasses she wore.

“Mr Queen, I’m sorry, your brother’s in a meeting.”

“This is rather important,” he said. “Can you buzz him? Please, Linda. I wouldn’t ask unless it was important.”

She hesitated, but nodded. “Okay.” She pressed a button on her phone and spoke into her headset. “Mr Queen? Your brother’s here. He says it’s important.” She paused, listening. “Yes sir.”
She took off the headset and stood up. “He said to let you through.”

As she started to walk down the hallway, she looked at him.

“Is it true you’re dating a reporter from the Daily Planet?” she asked.

“You’ve been reading the Inquisitor,” he said.

“Actually, it’s been on Twitter. Is it true?”

“No,” he said with a frown. “She just came with me to a social function. I had an extra ticket and she was available.”

“Oh. Good,” she murmured.

Clark was a little taken aback. While Linda was an attractive girl, he hadn’t even considered dating his brother’s executive assistant. Not that it was wrong. He hadn’t dated much since Lana Lang. Given how that had gone, he wasn’t sure he wanted to take the chance.

Linda took the lanyard from her neck and swiped her plastic card over the reader. There was an electronic beep and he pushed the door open.

“Thanks Linda,” he said, giving her a smile.

She bit her lip. “You’re welcome.” She stood just on the side of the doorway, as if considering something. “Um, Mr Queen, I know it’s awfully forward, but … would you like to have coffee sometime? With me, I mean? I know I’m your brother’s assistant and everything, but I … well, I think you’re really nice and … oh, god, stop me now before I make a total fool of myself!” She was blushing beet red.

He wanted to turn her down, but he didn’t have the heart. She was not only a great assistant, according to his brother, but from all accounts she seemed to be a very nice person.

“Coffee would be nice,” he said, keeping his smile neutral. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, he thought. “Why don’t I give you a call?”

Her smile was one of relief. “That would be great.”

He watched her walk quickly back along the hallway, the back slit in her skirt revealing her stocking-covered legs. She was not very tall, being probably only about five feet, with a body that bordered on plump rather than slender, but he didn’t mind that. He’d fallen for an illusion once and that had been the biggest mistake he’d ever made when it came to women.

Oliver greeted him when he entered.

“Clark. Glad you’re here.”

He noticed a stocky man with thinning sandy, blond hair sitting in the seat opposite Oliver. A coffee cup sat on the desk in front of him.

“I was just saying to Perry he should meet you.”

“Perry?” he asked.

The man stood up and smiled at him in greeting.

“Perry White. Editor of the Daily Planet. Mr Queen.” He held out his hand and Clark shook it automatically, almost forgetting to hold back on his strength. “Nice grip there, son.”

“Daily Planet?” Clark asked as they sat down again.

“Your brother was just telling me about the buyout.”

Oliver nodded. “It looks like the paperwork is being finalised sooner than we thought. We’ll be able to take over the paper by the end of the week.” He scratched his nose. “Uh, so I was just about to tell Perry we offered you the post as publisher.”

Clark frowned at his brother. “I told you I wanted to think about it.”

“What’s to think about? You’re the most qualified.”

“A masters in Journalism. Not in business!”

“Clark, you’ve practically been around the business your whole life. There isn’t that much to learn. It’s your interest in journalism that we need.”

“I don’t know.”

“Your brother does have a point,” Perry interjected. “Our old publisher, Franklin Stern, well, he’s a businessman, but knows almost nothing about journalism, or the pursuit of a story. I’ve read your work. Both from the Met U Gazette and your freelance stuff.”

Clark stared at the older man. How did he know about the freelance articles? Perry grinned.

“Oliver mentioned it when we were setting up this meeting. You’re a good writer, Mr Queen.”

“Clark, please.”

“Clark then.”

“What about the gossip column in the Inquisitor?” Clark asked. He looked at his brother. “That’s what I came to talk to you about.”

“Look, there’s nothing we can do about the gossip column. The milk is spilled. We just have to deal with it.”

“’The milk is spilled’? Where did you pick up that platitude from?” Oliver grinned at him.

“Uncle Jonathan. All I’m saying is, if we deny it, it will just add fuel to the fire. We both know the Inquisitor is just out to cause trouble.”

“Do you think they know about the negotiation?”

“If they did, they would have printed something by now,” Perry spoke up.

Oliver nodded. “That’s true. I …” His intercom buzzed and he pressed the button. “Yes, Linda?”

“Um, Lois Lane is on the phone and she sounds, uh, upset.”

Oliver sighed. “Put her through.” He looked at Clark and shrugged as he pressed the button to pick up the call. “Lois?”

“Where is your jerk brother and why isn’t he answering his phone?”

Clark looked helplessly at Oliver. He’d left his phone in Watchtower when he’d gone to attend the bank robbery.

“He’s right here, Lois, We’re actually in the middle of a meeting. Could you call back …”

“No, I will not call back! Have you seen the Inquisitor?” She began muttering angrily.

“Lois, calm down! Yes, we’ve seen the Inquisitor! In fact, we were just discussing the column.” Oliver looked up. “Clark, you want to take this?”

He shot his brother a look. “Lois, I’m as upset about it as you are, but …”

“Upset? Upset?” He winced at the screech. “I have gone beyond upset, Queen. This is all your fault! You better be thankful I’m not flying all the way to Star City so I can kick your ungrateful ass.”

“Now, hold on just a minute, Lane!” Perry interrupted. “You better calm yourself down, young lady, before you say something you will really regret, and let Clark have his say.”

She gulped audibly. “Uh, Chief?”

“Count to ten, Lois, before you start hyperventilating. I told you I had a meeting in Star City.”

“I didn’t know you were actually there, Chief,” she said. “I’m, uh, sorry I …”

“It’s not me you should be apologising to. It’s young Clark. Trust me, he is just as unhappy as you are and getting angry at him for something he had no control over is not going to help the situation.”

There was a long pause.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just, I was out at this bank robbery and well, I was on my way back to the office when I was ambushed.”

“Lois, I’m sorry that happened,” Oliver said. “This was Chloe’s idea and frankly I didn’t think it was such a great idea.”

She sounded much calmer when she spoke again.

“It’s not that. I mean, Chloe meant well. It was just the fact that now I’m being followed around by the Paparazzi and there was really nothing to the date.”

Clark sighed. This was exactly what he was afraid of. Being part of such a well-known, not to mention wealthy family, meant anyone even remotely connected with them was going to be hounded by the press.

“Lois, I wish there was something I could do to fix this, but Oliver was just saying that if we deny it, then it will just add fuel to the fire.”

“If you want my two cents’, I think the two of you just need to lay low until things calm down. Since you’re not really dating, the Inquisitor’s story won’t get any traction and people will move on to the next big thing.”

“Perry’s right, Lois. I’m sorry that Chloe got you into this mess but if we just go on as if nothing’s happened, then it’ll blow over.”

Clark realised both Perry and Oliver were right. The general public were very fickle when it came to these things. They’d soon find something else to gossip about and his and Lois’ one non-date date would be forgotten.

[phoenixnz]

Chapter Eight

Lois glared at herself in the mirror as she back-combed her wavy hair, preparing to put it up in a French knot.

She’d had trouble getting to sleep for a couple of nights, her mind so full of the things she’d said to Oliver and Clark. She’d been mortified to learn that her boss was also in the office. Worse than that, she was angry at herself for behaving so unprofessionally. No matter how much she disliked Clark, he hadn’t deserved her screeching at him like a fishwife.

She wondered what Perry would say when he got in. She’d be lucky if he didn’t suspend her.

“God, you’re an idiot!” she berated herself. What the hell had she been thinking?

Just because Oliver was married to her cousin, it didn’t give her the right to scream at him over the phone over something none of them had had any control over. Clark had even said it himself the night of the benefit. They weren’t dating. It wasn’t his fault the Inquisitor had made something out of nothing.

She sighed as she put the brush down on the dresser. She really needed to apologise properly. Trouble was, she didn’t know where he lived. Although that would be easily solved. She knew guys who knew guys. She bet they could find it out for her.

Hmm, maybe she should send him a fruit basket?

She dressed with care in a black skirt with box pleats and a belted red silk blouse. It was her ‘power’ outfit. She knew she looked good in it and it also made it easier for her to face the wrath of her editor.

Anxiety caused a knot to form in her stomach as she left her apartment building, walking briskly toward the bus stop a hundred yards away. She had a car but she chose not to use it. Parking was not provided by the Daily Planet and a couple of times her car had been broken into when it had been left on the street. It was cheaper to use public transport.

A car turned in front of her as she started to cross the street. She rolled her eyes as a balding man got out and aimed a camera at her.

“Point that camera somewhere else before I do something we’ll both regret, Donner,” she said.

“You threatening me, Lane?” he asked.

“You’ll know when I’m threatening you.”

She heard the sound of an engine coughing and sighed. Her bus had just passed the stop. “Thanks! I just missed my bus.”

The Inquisitor reporter-slash-photographer leered at her. “I’ll give you a ride. If you give me the real story on you and Clark Queen.”

She was about to tell him there was no story but remembered Oliver and Clark had told her denying it would only make matters worse. She pushed past the man and began walking away.

“No!”

“Ah, come on, Lois, professional courtesy!”

She paused and glared at him. “Professional courtesy, my ass.” He continued to snap photos of her. She raised her hand in an attempt to shield herself. “Donner, you are officially the lowest form of life in the universe. Stop taking those pictures.”

The man lowered his camera and smirked at her. “What are you going to do about it?” he asked.

She didn’t have the chance to respond. Superman flew down.

“I would be very careful, Mr Donner. I heard there were solar flares expected today.”

The man from the tabloid stared up at the tall superhero. “Solar flares?”

Superman nodded. “I heard they can damage photographic equipment. Perhaps you should leave Miss Lane alone and find something else to do. Preferably indoors.”

Lois stared, trying to keep a straight face as the superhero ducked his head and gazed intently for just a second at the camera. Donner didn’t notice a thing. He got in his car and drove away.

“Thank you,” she said.

He nodded and made as if to take off. She bit her lip.

“Um …” He looked at her.

“I’m sorry, Miss Lane, I was just passing on my way to something else when I saw that man pestering you. Please excuse me.”

She sighed, knowing she had no right to monopolise his time. She might have scored the first real interview with Superman, but she wasn’t the only one who needed him.

She watched him fly away before walking to the bus stop. She sat down on the bench to wait, hoping the next one wouldn’t be too full. As she took her phone from her purse to check when the next bus was due, it rang. She looked at the caller i.d. and picked up the call.

“Chloe. You’re up early.”

“Ollie had an early, uh, business call,” her cousin said. “Listen, we’re going to be in Metropolis over the weekend. Mom wants to have a family dinner.”

Lois bit her lip. “Uh, I don’t know, Chloe. You know I’m not good with those family gathering things.”

“Please come, Lois. Mom will be disappointed if you don’t.”

After the way she had acted the other day, she was reluctant to face her cousin’s family. Yet she couldn’t just give her cousin an outright no either.

“Let me see how full my calendar is,” she said, making a mental note to invent something just so she could get out of it.

“Okay, well, call me later when you know,” Chloe said, her tone suggesting she knew exactly what Lois was going to do.

Lois made it into work an hour later, quietly fuming. The bus had been extremely full and the driver almost hadn’t let her on, until she’d begged and pleaded with him. She could have taken a taxi, she supposed, but she barely had enough cash to last until payday, which was in a week. She’d maxed out her credit card and the bank wasn’t going to extend her credit.

An intern stared at her as she walked in and quickly backed away from her. Lois frowned, wondering what that was about. As she helped herself to the muck that passed for coffee and grabbed a donut, she felt as if a million pairs of eyes were on her. She looked around and realised there were a few staff members staring at her.

“What?” she asked.

They all averted their gazes hastily, pretending to be busy. She huffed and walked away, planning to head up to her second-floor office. Just as she started to open the door, a blonde grabbed it from the other side, pushing it into her and spilling lukewarm coffee all over her blouse.

“That’s just great!” she growled.

“Sorry, didn’t see you.” Cat Grant was annoyingly perky for so early in the morning. Then again, she was always annoyingly perky. “You might want to clean that up before you go upstairs. Perry’s back from Star City and he’s looking for you.”

When it rains, it pours, she thought with a heavy sigh. She dumped her bag on her desk and the coffee cup and donut beside it before once more leaving her office and going to the bathroom to try to clean the stain off her blouse.

A few minutes later, her blouse now completely ruined, she knocked on the door of Perry’s office.

“Enter!”

Lois opened the door and went in. Perry looked at her from behind his desk.

“Great Caesar’s Ghost, Lane! You’re an hour late!”

Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but she gathered she was not in his good books, so she decided to just take it on the chin.

“I’m sorry, Chief,” she said.

He scowled at her. “You know, I’ve a good mind to suspend you after Monday’s antics. What in tarnation possessed you to …” He stopped mid-sentence. Lois was not normally the type to cry but she suddenly found her eyes welling up with tears.

“I know, Chief,” she said, unsurprised to hear her voice shaking. “I acted badly and I wouldn’t blame you if you did. There’s no excuse.”

Perry got up, handing her a tissue. “Aw, hell, kid, I don’t mean to yell. I’d be upset too, if I were in your place.” He sat on the corner of the desk. “I know Oliver’s married to your cousin and all, but you can’t just go screaming at someone the way you did.”

She nodded. Oliver’s assistant had told her he was in a meeting but she had demanded to be put through anyway. She’d been so angry she hadn’t even thought rationally about the whole situation.

“What are you going to do about it?” he asked.

She shrugged. “What can I do, apart from go talk to Clark and make it up to him somehow. I shouldn’t have blamed him.”

“Well, that’s a good start. Now, I know you’re curious as to why I was meeting with the Queens. You need to keep this to yourself for now, at least until the announcement on Friday.”

“What announcement, Chief?”

“Oliver has bought the Daily Planet.”

She stared at him, eyes wide. “What?”

He nodded. “They’ve been negotiating for months, but from what Ollie told me, the family tried to buy the Planet once before. When Robert was alive. The purchase was blocked by Lionel Luthor.”

Lionel Luthor had been dead for about five years. His son Alexander, otherwise known as Lex, had taken over Luthorcorp and renamed it LexCorp. Lois had been quietly investigating LexCorp as a source had told her about some dodgy business practices.

Damn! She’d mentioned something about Lex at the benefit on Saturday. He’d been the first man she could think of when she’d been arguing with Clark, but the bald billionaire was definitely not her type. He was ruthless and by all accounts a cold, unfeeling bastard. She’d known of a few people who had barely come out of an encounter with Lex Luthor unscathed.

Well, she thought as she returned to her office, at least with Oliver taking over the Daily Planet, there would be less chance of censorship. Chloe wouldn’t stand for it. While she had been known to cut ethical corners now and again as a high school reporter, she now had extremely high standards. If anything, Lois expected the Planet would become even more hard-hitting. It had built its reputation on hiring the best and brightest in journalism and it showed in the stories it published.

Lois tried to concentrate on her work, wrapping up her series on the Prankster and working on another investigative piece. She had almost forgotten her thoughts about tracking Clark Queen down and sending him something to make up for her blunder until her phone rang.

“Lois Lane,” she said.

“Lane, how’s it hangin’?”

“Tell me you have something for me, TJ.”

“Clark Queen has a penthouse apartment in the clock tower. About two blocks from the Planet.”

She got up and looked out the window and could see the clock tower he meant.

“Thanks, TJ. I owe you big time.”

“Yeah, and one of these days I’ll collect. So, I heard you and Queen were dating.”

She continued to stare at the clock tower. “No, we’re not.”

“But the Inquisitor …” TJ was quiet for a moment. “Want me to rough him up for you? I mean, if the guy dumped you …”

“He didn’t dump me. We had one date, and it wasn’t even really a date. Anyway, it’s not him who needs a good kick in the heinie. Um, look, TJ, I appreciate the thought, but that’s not why I needed the address.”

“Well, if you need anything else, you know where to find me.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

She went back to her computer and began looking online for gift baskets. There were a few companies she could use. The baskets were expensive, but she figured she’d just have to eat noodles the rest of the week. It was not as if she was a good cook anyway.

After work was over for the day, she walked out, doing her best to avoid the rest of her colleagues. She walked down the street to the store where she had ordered the gift basket and picked it up. The man who handed her the basket grinned at her.

“That’s quite a gift. Who’s the lucky guy?”

She shook her head. “Just a … friend,” she said.

He leaned on the counter. “Well, if this, uh, friend doesn’t like it, bring it back here. I know I’d enjoy it.”

She frowned at his poor attempt at flirting but didn’t comment. She quietly thanked him for the quick service and left.

She nibbled on her bottom lip nervously as the elevator took her up to the clock tower penthouse. She’d rehearsed her speech a hundred times in her head but didn’t know if she could even get it out.

When the door opened, she found herself in a huge living area. A bookshelf lined one wall. It was filled with books ranging from Shakespeare plays to novels by some of her favourite authors.

She heard the sound of bare feet padding on tile and turned, staring at the sight of Clark Queen, wearing nothing but loose pants. She’d known from the suit he’d been wearing the other night that he had a fairly decent body, but now that she was faced with that broad, bare chest, it was so much more than she had pictured.

“Uh …” Why was her mouth so dry? She nervously licked her lips. Clark’s green-eyed gaze followed the action. He smiled, showing slightly pointed incisors.

“Is that for me?” he asked, waving his hand.

Her eyes widened. “Uh, what?”

“The basket.”

She realised she still had the huge basket in her hand. “Oh, uh, yes?”

He appeared amused. “Is that a statement or a question?”

“Um …” She lifted the basket and thrust it at him. The wicker connected with his chest. Clark took it without comment and set it down on a table. He picked up a green apple and offered it to her.

“Like apples?”

“What?”

“Do … you … like … apples?” he repeated.

“Oh. Yes, but I … I’m not hungry. Thank you.”

“So, what can I do for you?” he asked.

“Well, I … I wanted to, um … the other day, I was rude and I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“Which time? The phone call in Oliver’s office or the day I came over to your apartment to bring back your wrap.”

“Uh, the first one, I mean, both, I mean … God,” she muttered. “Stop babbling like an idiot.” She bowed her head, feeling her cheeks burning with humiliation, deciding she needed to save face and get out of there before she made things worse.

“Lois?”

She turned and looked at him. “Yes?” she asked hopefully.

“I appreciate the gesture. But if you want to make it up to me, or to the family, then come to dinner here on Friday. I know Chloe really wants you there. So does my mom.”

She bit her lip. “Chloe told you she asked me?”

He nodded. “She got the sense you didn’t want to come. Yes, you were rude the other day, but I can understand why. The thing is, you can’t spend the rest of your life avoiding us because of it.”

He was right. She wanted to be part of her cousin’s life. If she chose to avoid the issue, she would just end up hurting Chloe.

“You’re right. Okay, I’ll be here.”

He smiled. She had to admit, he had a beautiful smile.

“Great! I’ll expect you at six-thirty.”

[Eleidich]

Cant wait for that dinner. Loved both chapters

[phoenixnz]

Cant wait for that dinner. Loved both chapters

The dinner will be interesting. At least from another character's perspective.

[Sykobee]

Was lurking and re-reading when, low and behold, I found a new jem ✨

[phoenixnz]

Was lurking and re-reading when, low and behold, I found a new jem ✨

You know me. I can't resist the Clois. When inspiration strikes, I just can't help myself