Drabble 52 | Reversal
Jul. 8th, 2010 11:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sanalaylaA/N: I wrote this one after "Warrior" aired... I needed some way to release my ire and anger at the SV writers. I hate that they constantly put Lois Lane in a situation where she somehow had to feel LESSER next to Clark Kent. He spent years pining after Lana and being jealous of everyone that ever looked at Lana (while Lana told him off, repeatedly) but when it came to Lois? It was always Lois who got the shaft and this episode was the height of it. So, I thought to myself, "What if the situation were reversed? What if CLARK had to deal with someone chasing Lois for a change, as opposed to Lois having to deal with it?" A lot of folks on Divine Intervention didn't like this drabble.... But I enjoyed writing it! :)
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“Hey, Lane!”
At sound of her name being called across the bullpen, Lois turned around and saw Oliver coming towards her. Her lips curved up in a smile as she raised a hand in greeting. Quickly, she finished her conversation with the morgue assistant on the phone and then put the hand-set down with a click. Just as she was doing so, Oliver came to a stop right in front of her.
“Hey, Ollie,” Lois said, with a grin. She crossed her arms and leaned back against her desk. “What brings you to my neck of the woods?”
“I wanted to introduce you to someone,” Oliver answered, after giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “Or, rather, he wanted me to introduce him.”
For the first time, Lois noticed that Oliver had another person in tow. Surveying him, very quickly, she noted that he was a tall man – about an inch taller than Oliver – with very dark hair and quite dark eyes. He was very attractive and wore an incredibly expensive suit. She had a feeling she’d seen him before, but she couldn’t quite place him.
Before Oliver could say anything, Lois held out her hand. “Lois Lane. And you are?”
He flashed a smile – a smile that she was quite sure had broken more than a few hearts. He took her hand in his. “Bruce Wayne.”
Lois shook his hand and then let go quickly. No wonder he had looked so familiar. He was, arguably, one of the most famous billionaire playboys on the planet. He and Oliver took turns being at the top of the list, but – for the most part – Bruce had Oliver beat.
“Well, Mr. Wayne, it’s nice to meet you.” Lois studied him for a moment and then, in her characteristically blunt manner, cut straight to the chase. “Why did you want Oliver to introduce us?”
Rather than being offended by her curt tone, he looked amused. “I’ve read your work, Ms. Lane. And I have to say that I’m very impressed.” He glanced around the bustling bullpen and added, “And confused. I thought I’d be meeting you in a corner office on the twentieth floor.”
Lois shrugged. “Well, let’s just say that the person who runs the show around here isn’t as impressed with me as you are, Mr. Wayne.”
“That’s a shame,” he murmured softly. “And, please, call me Bruce. Every time someone calls me Mr. Wayne, I look around for my father.”
Lois tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowed on his handsome face. “I doubt that. Your father passed away when you were fairly young. I can’t imagine that you grew up hearing Mr. Wayne in that context much.”
For a second, she thought she saw something flare in his eyes at her words, but when he spoke, his voice was very light. “Well, you’d be wrong. Every single day, I have share-holders and various people who get paid to tell me that I’m doing things wrong, because the senior Mr. Wayne would have done them differently.”
Lois nodded, suddenly feeling an odd kinship with the man. She knew what it was like to live in the shadow of a parent. So, she said, sympathetically, “I’m sorry, Bruce. That must suck.”
Bruce gave her an odd look and then said, smoothly, “Ms. Lane… the reason I asked Oliver to introduce us was because I’m interested in you joining the Gotham Gazette.”
Oliver, who had been very quiet during this whole exchange, spoke up for the first time. “What? Wayne, if I’d known you were going to try to steal her from me, I’d never have introduced you.”
Bruce shot Oliver a confused look. “Steal her from you? I didn’t realize she was yours.”
“I’m not,” Lois interjected, before Oliver could reply. She gave him an exasperated look at his choice of words. “What Oliver means is the Daily Planet. Oliver owns the DP.”
Understanding dawned in Bruce’s eyes and he nodded. “Right!” With a sharp glance towards Oliver, he said, “Well, it’s Queen’s fault he’s not treating you well enough. You deserve more than a desk in a basement.”
“Hey, I’ve offered,” Oliver protested, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking quite irritated. “But she won’t take it.”
“Because I want to fight my own battles,” Lois reminded him. “How would it look if my ex-boyfriend – who just happens to own the newspaper – got me a corner office on the twentieth floor when there are so many people who have been here longer than me and haven’t been promoted to the first floor?”
“Queen’s your ex-boyfriend?” Bruce asked, with a speculative gleam in his eyes.
Lois paused and flushed. “Um… yeah.”
“Ms. Lane, I hope that you’ll –at the very least – give me a chance to go over the offer,” Bruce said, taking out a card from his wallet. “I think that Gotham could use someone like you in the press. A reporter who’s not afraid to call it like she sees it.”
Lois glanced at the card and then back up at the man holding it. After a second of deliberation, she said, “All right. But under one condition.”
One dark brow rose as he stared down at her, looking mildly fascinated. “Yes?”
“I want an exclusive interview with you,” Lois told him. Her heart was beating fast in her chest, the way it always did when she was on the pursuit of a story that no one else could land. “You haven’t done press for three years. I want a front page interview with the planet’s most eligible billionaire bachelor.” She shot Oliver a look and smiled wryly. “Sorry. No offense.”
Oliver rolled his eyes. “I think I’ll live.”
She turned back to Bruce. “Well?”
Bruce considered her for a moment. “You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Lane. Which is ironic, because I’m the one who is supposed to be giving you something you’d want.”
Lois shrugged again, pretending to have a lot more confidence than she actually felt. “I think it’s obvious that you want me more than I want you.”
Bruce smiled at her, a charming one that seemed very practiced and polished. “I’m sure that’s true.” And, then, he added, “All right. Here’s my card. My cell number is on the back. I’ll have my limo pick you up at your apartment at seven.”
“My apartment?” Lois blinked up at him and took the card. “You don’t even know where it is.”
“Oh, my people will figure it out,” Bruce said, with a dismissive flick of his hand.
Lois almost snorted at the arrogance. But she schooled her features and said, “Of course. What was I thinking? Seven at my apartment is fine.”
Bruce smiled again. “Perfect, it’s a date. See you then.”
At that, Lois’s mouth dropped open in horror, but before she could say anything, he’d said good-bye to Oliver and strode away. She watched his retreating back, completely speechless and feeling very sick to her stomach.
Oliver turned to face her and burst out laughing. “Wow, Lois. Clark is a hell of a lot more of an understanding boyfriend than I ever was. Personally, I would have had problems with you going out on a date with Bruce Wayne when you were my girlfriend.”
“What?” A male voice said, from behind Lois and she closed her eyes, because she recognized the voice. And, of course, he continued, “What date?”
Slowly, Lois turned around and saw Clark, who looked incredibly confused. She had no idea how much of Oliver’s comment he’d heard, but it had clearly been enough to make him pause.
Oliver let out another laugh. “Well, Legs, you’re on your own with this one. Good luck. See you later, Clark.”
Lois watched him go, thinking that she needed to explain to Oliver that true friendship meant that you stuck around to back a girl up when she needed to explain to her boyfriend that she just happened to accidentally agree to go out with another guy.
“What’s going on, Lois?” Clark asked, in an even tone, from across their two desks.
“Well…. So… How much did you hear, exactly?” Lois asked, trying to figure out how much damage control she needed to do.
“Just the part where Oliver said that I’m a more understanding boyfriend than him, because he would never let you go out on a date with Bruce Wayne while you were his girlfriend,” Clark answered, his tone still very calm.
“So, all of it, really,” Lois responded. Of course he did. Clark had this amazing ability to have the most perfect hearing at the worst possible times. “It’s just a huge misunderstanding, Smallville. Not a big deal,” Lois explained, truthfully. “I wanted to get an exclusive with Bruce Wayne and he thought it was a date. When we meet, I’ll explain that it’s not a date and it’ll be fine.”
Clark considered her for a moment and then nodded. “Okay.” He sat down at this desk and started to sort through some of the papers on his desk.
Lois stared at him in amazement. “Just okay? You’re fine?”
Clark glanced up from the paper he’d just started editing. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
With more than a little relief, Lois smiled at him. “Of course!” Suddenly feeling a whole lot better, she sat down on her own chair.
Before she could turn her attention to her monitor, he added, “I mean, it’s not like you haven’t done a hundred interviews like this before. With people even more famous than him, really.”
Lois shifted, so she could see him around her monitor. He wasn’t looking at her, his focus was on the paper in his hand. “Right.” She waited for a response and when there wasn’t one, she turned to face her monitor again.
“And, you know, I’m sure you’ll explain it to him right off the bat,” Clark added, suddenly, as she heard him circle some things on the paper. “I’m sure you’ll both have a good laugh over the… misunderstanding.”
“Well…. It is pretty funny,” Lois replied, warily, as she shifted so she could look at him again.
“Yes. It’s hilarious.” Clark glanced up at her then and smiled a bit.
She stared back at him, feeling a bit uneasy. Suddenly, she heard a cracking noise and saw that Clark’s red pen had broken in his hand, leaking ink everywhere.
Clark glanced down at his hand and the ruined paper with some surprise. “Huh… you know, they don’t make these things as strong as they used to.” He got up and tossed the paper on the desk. “I think I’m going to get a fresh set from the supply closet. See you later, Lois.”
Before Lois could stop him, he’d strode away without a backward glance and she was left wondering what the hell had just happened.
*
After a very luxurious limo ride – something that didn’t mean much to her, since she’d ridden in them so many times during her relationship with Oliver that it became meaningless – she was standing on the threshold of a very exclusive and expensive Italian restaurant. She’d heard the name many times, but would never have been able to get in on her own. She shook her head, with some amusement, at Wayne’s stereotypical choice.
When she made it inside, she stopped in her tracks. The whole restaurant was empty. Which was very unusual for a Friday evening.
“I hope you enjoyed the ride here,” Bruce said, materializing next to her to help her take off her wrap. “It’s quite a distance from Smallville to Metropolis.”
Lois turned to face him. “Well, it’s not that bad. I don’t know if the limo makes it any better or worse, really.”
Bruce considered her for a moment. “I forgot. You dated Oliver Queen. These sorts of things must not be that exciting for you.”
“I’ll tell you a secret, Bruce,” Lois said, leaning in a bit, as though it was going to be a shocker. “They weren’t that exciting even before I dated Ollie. Once you’ve stolen an army tank, limos are a little tame in comparison.”
Bruce’s brows shot up in surprise. And then he laughed. “Of course.” Then, he gave her is arm and said, “Shall we? We can sit at any table you want.”
Lois ignored his arm and sailed right past him. She found the closest table to the exit and pulled out the chair before Bruce or the maître de could reach for it. After she’d sat down, she asked, a bit sharply, “You reserved the whole place, didn’t you?”
Rather than looking apologetic, he grinned. “Yes, of course.”
Lois nodded slowly. “Wow, you are such a walking cliché.”
“What do you mean?” Bruce asked, in a curious tone. He didn’t sound in the least bit offended by her comment.
“You know exactly what I mean,” Lois shot back. She took the napkin and snapped it open, putting it across her lap. And then reached for a bread stick. She broke a piece off and pointed the rest of the stick at him. “It’s like someone gave you a handbook called ‘How to be a billionaire playboy’ and you opened it to chapter three and this was example number one.”
“An example of what?” Bruce asked, with that fascinated look on his face again, as he gazed at her across the table.
“An example of how to get the reporter to forget she wants to grill you and to sleep with you instead,” Lois shot back, easily. And then tossed the bit of bread into her mouth, enjoying the look on his face while she chewed.
Bruce leaned back in his chair and studied her for a moment. “Is it working?”
“No,” Lois told him honestly. “First of all, this wouldn’t have worked, anyway.” She leaned across the table towards him. “If you wanted to seduce me, you should have figured out what my favorite meal was in the city and arranged to get me that, instead. Which – incidentally - is a greasy cheeseburger from Fat Joe’s on Fifth and Main. So, this?” She gestured at the wildly expensive surroundings, “Is not my thing.”
“I see.” Bruce nodded thoughtfully and then asked, “And what’s the second of all?”
“Second of all, I have a boyfriend,” Lois told him frankly. “A boyfriend I happen to….” Lois almost said the word love and then realized that she’d never actually said that out loud in relation to Clark before, so she amended it and finished, “… care about a lot.”
Bruce seemed completely unsurprised to hear she had a boyfriend. “Is there a third of all?”
“Yes, actually, there is,” Lois answered, her tone very business like. “Nothing could ever induce me to forget a story.” She pulled out her notepad from her bag and a tape recorder, adding, “And you, Bruce, are a story. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
She put the tape recorder on the table between them and turned it on. And, then, told him, “The interview starts now. Everything you say is on the record after this, unless you tell me otherwise.”
Bruce glanced down at the recorder and then back at her. “Who’s your boyfriend?”
Lois didn’t even bother to look up from her notebook. “That’s not really relevant, is it?”
“Humor me. I’m going to be answering a lot of your questions. The least you can do is answer some of mine,” Bruce answered, his easy charm still in place. “After all, even the farmer fattens the cow before slaughtering it.”
At that, Lois glanced up at him, her gaze sharp. “That’s one hell of a metaphor for a simple interview. What, are you afraid that I’ll find out something you don’t want? Figure out the hidden Bruce Wayne?”
“Hardly,” Bruce scoffed, not even bothering to hide his amusement. “There are no hidden depths to me. As was just pointed out to me, I’m a bit of cliché. What you see is what you get, Lois.”
“Perhaps.” Lois nodded, even though she just knew that he was lying. She wasn’t exactly sure how, but she’d done enough research on the guy to know that something wasn’t adding up. So, as she did sometimes when she had a reluctant subject, she offered something of her own to make him open up more. “My boyfriend’s name is Clark Kent. We work together at the Daily Planet.”
“Clark Kent?” Bruce was quiet for a second. “That name sounds familiar…. I think I’ve seen his name with yours on the byline of some of your articles.”
“Probably.” Lois took a sip of her water and added, “We work together sometimes. He’s kind of my partner.”
“But he’s not here tonight,” Bruce pointed out, leaning in closer to her. “Why’s that?”
Truthfully, Lois didn’t know that answer to that question. The fact was that she had been about to offer Clark an opportunity to come with her, but she hadn’t seen him after the whole incident with the pen. So, she finally just explained, “He had stuff he needed to take care of.”
“Right.” Bruce nodded and then sat back again, but his gaze was on her the whole time. “Can I ask you something, Lois?”
Her pen hovered over her notepad and she mentally rolled her eyes. They’d never get done with this interview if he kept turning it around on her. “Sure. But make it quick.”
“Why is such an ambitious and talented person like you letting yourself get buried under mediocrity at the Daily Planet?” When she opened her mouth to protest, he lifted his hand to stop her. “Wait. Hear me out. Do you know what I can offer you if you join the Gazette? Forget the corner office and the assistant. I could give you free creative rein – you can pick your own articles and follow whatever leads you want. No more giving columns where you give advice to pathetic losers who can’t find a date. You won’t have to worry about the problems with LuthorCorp and Tess Mercer. No one will harass you about insurance premiums. Of course, I’ll double your salary and also give you a travel allowance. And, on top of that, the Gazette is a better paper than the Planet right now. My editor-in-chief is phenomenal. You could learn a lot from him.”
Shocked by all he was offering, Lois stared at him speechlessly for a full minute. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one who had done their homework before this little meeting. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and she leaned back, crossing her legs. “Why?”
“Why?” Bruce repeated, in a confused tone.
“Why the full throttle wooing?” And then, she added, in a sharp tone, “And the Gazette is not a better paper than the Planet. You may have more of a readership, but the Planet has better reporters. And it’s the quality of the journalists that determine the quality of the paper.”
“There’s your answer right there,” Bruce countered, with a bit of a smile. “That is the reason for the full-throttle wooing. You would make my paper better. Hell, I think you’d make Gotham better. The city needs people in the press who aren’t so afraid all the time. Ones that aren’t like sheep – reporters who actually care about reporting the truth, even if it means taking the dangerous road every now and then.” He looked at her intently. “I see that in you, Lois. The question is: do you see it in yourself? Do you see what I’m offering you?”
“Of course I see what you’re offering,” Lois answered, immediately. “And of course I see that in myself. I am ambitious and it’s not like the picture you’re painting isn’t tempting. But….” Lois’s voice trailed off as thought about the life she had in Metropolis. “Gotham isn’t for me. I have a connection to this city….
“Clark Kent?” Bruce asked, with one brow quirked. “I can’t imagine that he can keep up with you, Lois. How did you put it? You care for him? Well, do you care so much for him that you’re going to let him get in the way of an opportunity of a lifetime?”
Lois opened her mouth to defend Clark and then realized there was no need. It’s not like he would understand it, anyway. “There are stories here that I want to be a part of.”
Bruce studied her for a moment and then said, in a thoughtful tone, “The Blur.” Lois kept silent and he added, “Gotham has its own version of a caped crusader, if the story of a lonely superhero fascinates you so much.”
“Batman.” Lois frowned a bit at his choice of words. “Why do you assume they’re lonely?” It’s not that she didn’t agree with him. It’s just that she found it odd that a seemingly carefree playboy would use that word to describe them.
Bruce let out a slight laugh. “I don’t know much about this Blur character, but I do know our version goes around dressed as a bat and prowls the streets at night. I can’t imagine he has much of a love life. Unless the woman has a bat fetish.”
“No one would know, really,” Lois pointed out. “Batman is even more elusive than the Blur. He’s never given even one interview.”
“True,” Bruce looked at her and then leaned in, his voice softer than before, “Imagine if you were the exception.”
Lois stared at him in amazement. “Are you seriously trying to get me to say yes by dangling Batman in front of me? How would you even pull that off?”
Bruce shrugged casually. “Let’s just say he owes me a favor.”
“Batman owes you a favor?” Lois squinted at him, the various pieces of the puzzle starting to take shape in her head. They might not have connected so quickly if she hadn’t already been aware of a billionaire who had a serious green leather fetish. “What a nice… coincidence.”
“Well, I am a very powerful man, Lois,” Bruce reminded her. “A lot of people owe me favors. No one can sneeze in Gotham without owing me something.”
Lois considered that for a second. That was actually true. Was it possible she was wrong? In an effort to suss him out, she asked the first question she’d come prepared with. “So how do you reconcile the man and the myth, Bruce? On the one hand, you have this reputation for being a womanizer who doesn’t think about anything but the next drink. But – under your direction – Wayne Industries profits have quadrupled in the past three years. And your subsidiaries that deal in technology and weaponry have grown by even twice that. It seems that every single hi-tech gadget out there has the WI stamp on it. And, yet, you profess that you only know how to play with the gadget and have no hand in making them.”
Bruce took a sip of his wine and then answered, with a bit of a mocking smile. “I hire very smart people. And then let them make me money.”
“Except… to recognize who is smart requires a certain level of intelligence and passion on your part, too,” Lois pointed out. “Like tonight, for example. You came here to offer me a job… one that you’re quite passionate about. You hand picked me to change the face of the Gazette. There is no doubt that if I took you up on your offer, it would be on me to live up to those expectations. But let’s say that you’re right. And I change the face of the Gazette and reporting in Gotham. Something tells me that you would never take credit for it. Even though it would never have happened if you hadn’t stumbled across my articles and recognized my worth.” She gazed at him critically. “Why is that? Why are you so hell bent on making the world think that you’re useless, when you’re – in reality – quite brilliant?”
At that point, Bruce just burst out laughing. “Brilliant? Your opinion is a little suspect, Lois, isn’t it? I mean, since I offered you the job. It’s a little arrogant, really, if you think about it.”
Lois grinned at him, nodding a bit, but not arguing. He did have a point. And he also seemed keen on changing the subject. Before she could move on to her next question, he said, “If you want to continue this interview, we’ll need to do it in Gotham.”
Not surprised, Lois shook her head in exasperation. “Why is that?”
Bruce glanced at his watch. “Because I have a conference call I need to make in about ten minutes. And I need to head back to Gotham later on tonight. Why not, Lois? I’ll give you a tour of the Gazette. You can see what you’re turning down. In fact, you may even end up bumping into Batman,” he paused and added, in a dry tone, “Especially with your odd talent for getting almost killed every two to three days. I’m sure he’ll end up saving your life at some point.”
Lois rolled her eyes at that. “I’ll have to think about it,” she said, finally. She got up and started to head for the exit.
Without waiting for him to catch up, she grabbed her shawl and opened the door, letting herself out and holding the door open for him to follow. He looked amused, but didn’t say anything. As she made her way down the stairs, the heel of her shoe caught in the cobblestoned step and it broke. As she started to fall, Bruce reached out and caught her. Her fingers tightened on his arms, instinctively, and she started to thank him. Before the words could come out, he leaned down to brush his lips across hers. She immediately pulled back and pushed him away, almost losing her balance again. She straightened up and, without thinking, slapped him across the face.
“How dare you!” Lois exclaimed, furious beyond belief. “What is wrong with you?”
Bruce touched the side of his face, gingerly. “Lois, I’m….”
“Screw it,” Lois said, whirling around and stomping down the stairs. Too late, she realized one heel was broken, so she was hobbling a bit. She stopped and pulled off both shoes and started to walk away barefoot, ignoring the man who was calling her name after her. She saw a cab coming down the street and flagged it down, jumping in and closing the door before Bruce could make it to the car.
“The Daily Planet,” Lois told the driver and then settled back against the cushion, closing her eyes and thinking about how she was going to explain that to Clark.
*
The Daily Planet was quieter in the night than it was in the day. It was one of the reasons why Lois preferred working in the evenings and weekends. She found the bullpen oddly soothing in the off-hours. A home away from home that – sometimes – felt more like home than her own apartment in Smallville. For a moment, she wondered what that said about her.
As she made her way down the stairs, her eyes immediately looked towards Clark’s desk and she saw that he was there, typing on his keyboard with quick and sure strokes. Every now and then, he’d pause to take a sip from the coffee mug that sat near the keyboard, not even bothering to take his eyes of his screen as he did it. She grinned when she saw he was using the mug she’d gotten him as a gag gift. Designated Listener. (She had the matching one that said Designated Talker, but she never used it. Because that would have been sappy and she didn’t do sappy.)
And, in that moment, as she gazed at the man she loved (not that she’d admit it to him, yet), she realized why the bullpen felt more like home than her own home. Because it was where Clark was. With a deep breath and bit of a smile, she started to make her way down the stairs, feeling the cold tiles beneath her bare feet, and then stopped when a tall figure blocked her path.
Her smile faltered. “Bruce.” She let out a sigh. “How did you get here before me?”
Bruce gave her a sheepish shrug. “My driver used to race for Nascar.”
“Of course he did,” Lois answered, flatly. “Well, that’s great, but if you’ll excuse me --.”
“Lois, I’m sorry,” Bruce cut in and blocked her path before she could move past him. “I shouldn’t have done that. I apologize. I fully deserved the slap.” He rubbed his jaw ruefully and asked, “You made your point.”
Lois studied him for a moment and read the sincerity in his dark eyes. “Look, I don’t know why you feel the need to go around being some sort of Casanova, but don’t pull that around me ever again. Next time, you’re going to be getting a hell of a lot more than a slap.”
“Scouts honor,” Bruce replied, quickly, his charming smile back in place. “I hope… will you still consider my offer? My jet is taking off in an hour.”
Lois looked past him at Clark, who was staring at this screen with intense concentration and reaching for his coffee cup. She watched as he overshot his mark and hit the mug, causing coffee to spill everywhere. She grinned as she watched him roll his eyes and start to clean up the mess with some tissues he stole from her side of the desk. She glanced back at the sharply dressed man in front of her and said, “It’s not that it’s not tempting, Bruce. But….” She looked towards Clark again, who was now settling back in his chair and turning his attention back to his monitor. Without taking her eyes off of him, she finished, “I think I’m going to stick to the area codes near Smallville for now.”
Bruce followed the direction of her gaze and glanced over his shoulder towards Clark. With a slight smile, he nodded and said, dryly, “Kansas is lucky to have you.”
She turned attention back to him and couldn’t help but let out a little laugh at that. “Thanks.”
“Call me if you ever need anything, Lois,” Bruce said, as he started to make his way past her and up the stairs. “And if you’re ever in Gotham, give me a call. Who knows, maybe you’ll get your exclusive interview out of it.”
Startled, Lois looked back at his retreating figure and frowned when she realized he was right. She actually hadn’t gotten the interview she’d originally set out to do. He’d spent the whole time grilling her. Shaking her head slightly, Lois made a mental note to talk to Oliver about his odd friend later. For now, she had other things to worry about.
A bit nervously, she approached Clark’s desk. Before she could say anything, he said, “Bruce Wayne came looking for you. Did he find you?”
A bit taken aback, Lois nodded. “Yeah. He just left.” She hesitated and then asked, “Did you two talk?”
Clark nodded, his expression unreadable. “For a few minutes. He introduced himself.” He picked up some papers from his desk and went towards the copy room, presumably to make copies.
Lois let out a sigh and followed him. “Smallville, here’s the thing….”
“Yeah?” Clark stopped at the copier and tossed the papers onto the machine.
“Bruce kissed me,” Lois blurted out. Then she winced, wondering if she should have cushioned the blow better. “Um… the thing is… I kind of tripped and he caught me and then the next you know, he’s kissing me and I pushed him away! I slapped him….” Lois’s voice trailed off and she waited, nervously, for him to say something. When nothing was forthcoming from him except silence, she added, “I am so sorry… I totally didn’t mean for it to happen.”
Clark stared at her for a couple of more beats and then said, “I know.”
“You know?” Lois repeated, faintly.
Clark pulled out one of the papers from his stack and handed it to her. It was a print out from The Inquisitor’s website and had a fuzzy picture of Bruce kissing her. The way the picture was taken, it looked like he’d dipped her and they were sharing a very romantic moment. Lois closed her eyes in horror and when she opened them, she said, again, in a very firm voice, “I am SO sorry. But this looks a lot worse than it was.”
Clark swallowed. “Right.” He pressed his lips together and looked away. Then, he added, in a low voice, “I should get used to it, I guess. Billionaires falling for you wherever you go.”
“I promise you that the next time a hot billionaire looks my way, I’ll put out a restraining order,” Lois answered, partly in a teasing tone and partly nervous.
“Does that include Oliver?” Clark asked immediately. And then looked like he regretted it.
Lois blinked up at him in surprise. “Um… do you want it to?” She looked at him uncertainly and shook her head. “I thought… I thought you were okay with my friendship with Ollie.”
“I was,” Clark answered and then he winced. “I am. I just….” Clark let out a deep sigh and then shrugged. “But… I… it’s hard, sometimes, to see you with Oliver. Especially when I know what you had with him. And he’s always there, always with the right things to say and he knows how to sweep you off your feet.” Clark glanced down at the picture and added, “Bruce Wayne was only with you for an hour and he swept you off your feet. Literally.”
“Technically, that was my shoe,” Lois corrected, with a slight smile.
Clark gave her a look. “You know what I mean. I’m not… I’m not like them. And I’ll never be.” Clark stared down at her, his expression one of hurt and confusion. “And are you going to be all right with that? Will I be able to give you enough?”
Lois stared back up at him and then slowly stepped towards him, eliminating the distance between them. She put her hand on his cheek and told him the truth. “Smallville… I had a choice. I could have had Oliver when I didn’t even have you. All I had was the idea of you. And I chose the idea of you over Oliver. Now that I actually have you?” Lois leaned in closer to him, making sure he was looking right into her eyes as she promised him, “There is no one in the world I would choose over you. And I’m sorry if I made you feel as though I would.”
Clark grasped her fingers and brought her hand down, squeezing her fingers gently. He smiled slightly. “It’s okay.”
Lois peered up at him. “Did you eat dinner? I’m starving.”
“No, I didn’t,” Clark answered. He tugged on her hand and started to lead her out of the copy room. “C’mon, I’ll buy you a cheeseburger from Fat Joe’s.” With a teasing look, he added, “I mean, it’s not the same as reserving a whole Italian restaurant --.”
“Very funny.” Lois punched him in the arm slightly. And then linked her arm through his as they started to leave the copy room. She hugged his arm to her and grinned up at him. “It’s perfect.”
Suddenly, her foot hit a chair and she cried out. “Ouch! Damn it.” Looking down, she said ruefully, “Wait, I have to go back to get my spare shoes from my desk.”
Clark glanced down at her bare feet and then smiled slightly. Before she could move, he picked her up and started to carry her to her desk. With a grin, she hooked her arms around his neck and said, teasingly, “And you said you couldn’t sweep me off my feet.”
Gently setting her down on her desk, Clark smiled down at her. “I guess sometimes I can.”
Impulsively, Lois reached up and brushed her lips against his. “My hero.”
*
“Oliver?” Clark called out as he entered Watchtower. He frowned as he looked around, about to use his super-hearing to find his friend.
“Clark!” Oliver emerged from one of the back rooms. “I always forget how quickly you’ll make it here after I text you.”
“What’s going on?” Clark asked him, with a hint of a smile. “I’ve got Lois waiting for me at Fat Joe’s. So we need to make this quick.”
Oliver blinked at that. “Fat Joe’s? Always the romantic, Kent.”
Clark kind of laughed and glanced down. The fact was that Lois would prefer a Fat Joe’s burger over a fancy restaurant any day of the week. He knew this because she’d once confided this to him back when she was dating Oliver. And he remembered that he’d actually super-sped to Metropolis and surprised her with it, telling her that he’d happened to have some for dinner that day. He would never forget the look of sheer happiness on her face and the way she’d felt guilty for eating his dinner, but still devoured it, anyway. It was funny how he hadn’t even realized, then, that a simple act of kindness he was doing for a friend might end up meaning so much more a few years down the line.
Oliver seemed completely oblivious to Clark’s thoughts, because he had continued on. “So… anyway… I wanted to introduce you to him before he left town. I thought it was important for you two to know each other. Even though, you know, you’re both not technically a part of the group, yet.”
Clark shook his head, clearing his thoughts of Lois and focusing on Oliver. “Introduce me to who?”
“Me.”
Clark glanced towards the man who’d just joined them. Bruce Wayne. Clark frowned at Oliver. “We’ve already met. Earlier today.”
“You did?” Oliver asked, casting a surprised look towards Bruce. The other man nodded briefly as though to confirm it.
“Why did you want me to meet Lois Lane’s boyfriend?” Bruce asked Oliver, curiously.
Clark rolled his eyes.
Oliver glanced between the two of them. “Oh. Let me try this again. Batman, meet the Blur. The Blur, meet Batman.”
Clark looked Bruce over, only feeling a little shocked by the revelation. He couldn’t help but ask, “Do you billionaires all have secret identities?”
Bruce, for his part, seemed a lot more surprised than Clark was. “That explains it. I was wondering what she saw in you.”
Clark flushed. “Lois doesn’t know I’m the Blur,” he told Bruce flatly. And, then, since Bruce had brought it up, he asked, “Do you make it a habit to kiss other people’s girlfriends? Or did you just pick mine specifically?”
“Whoa! You kissed Lois?” Oliver looked between the two of them. Clark and Bruce were mere inches apart and Clark was towering over Bruce, his anger showing quite clearly. It took a lot to get Clark mad, but when he was, he was intimidating. Bruce, for his part, didn’t look like he realized he should be scared for his life. “Um… Bruce… I think now would be a good time for me to point out that Clark has laser vision.”
Bruce nodded towards Clark curtly and said, in a terse voice, “Kent, I apologize. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“Why did you?” Clark asked, his confusion showing clearly. That was the boy scout, he would never do such a thing, so he couldn’t understand why someone else would.
“Honestly?” Bruce said, stepping away from Clark. “I didn’t want to. It’s just that Lois was getting so close to making connections that I didn’t want her to make. So, I decided to play the playboy card.” He glanced towards Oliver. “I hadn’t realized she knew you were the Green Arrow.”
Oliver nodded slowly. “Yeah, that probably helped Lois make some connections.”
Clark looked Bruce over. “So you’re not really like that? The way the tabloids talk about you?”
“No.” Bruce looked over at Oliver and shrugged. “Not like Queen, here. His stories? They’re all true. Mine? Mostly made up. I don’t have time to date. And even if I did,” Bruce paused, “I don’t have the inclination. I’ve had some relationships, but – for the most part – I prefer working alone. Things are easier that way.”
“Anyway,” Oliver cut in. “I thought it would be a good idea for you two to meet. Just in case, you know, you needed to help each other out.”
Clearly, Clark’s heart must have softened toward the other man, because Clark glanced towards Bruce and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you… Batman.”
Bruce took his hand and shook it firmly. “You too… Blur.” He paused and then said, “That’s a terrible name.”
Clark’s brow rose. “You dress up as a bat. Are you really one to judge?”
“But at least I have a cool name,” Bruce answered, with a hint of a smile. “I mean, the Blur? Really?”
“I can easily settle this,” Oliver interjected, in a mock serious tone. “The Green Arrow is better than both your names and I’ve got the better costume.”
Both Bruce and Clark turned to look at him, each shaking their head in amusement.
“Now who wants to join me for a drink?” Oliver asked his two friends, already on his way to the bar to pour himself a scotch.
“I can’t, Queen,” Bruce answered, looking a little uneasy as he watched Oliver. “I have to head back to Gotham.”
Clark was watching him, too, with those eyes that always seemed to see everything. “And I have to get back to Lois.”
Oliver felt that pang he always felt when Clark mentioned Lois’s name and he hid it by taking a fortifying sip of the scotch. Then, he let his lips curve up in a smile and he turned back towards his friends, “Of course. Have fun.” He held up his glass. “I know I will.”
Bruce cast one last concerned look his way, but because he was Bruce, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just left.
When Clark and Oliver were alone, Ollie waited for Clark to do his usual blurring thing, but Clark didn’t move.
“Well?” Oliver asked, finally, with a raised brow. “Don’t you have a date to get back to? Don’t let me hold you up, Kent.” Oliver told himself not to focus on who the date was with.
Clark’s brows were furrowed in concern as he walked closer to Oliver. “Oliver – what are you doing?”
Oliver glanced down at the glass. “I’m enjoying a nice glass of scotch. You should try it sometime. Very relaxing.” Before Clark could saying anything else, he added, in a very serious voice, “Don’t, Clark. This is not a conversation I want to have with you. Just go… back to Lois. She’s probably wondering where you are.”
Clark hesitated and then he nodded. Two seconds later, he blurred away, leaving Ollie in the middle of the Watchtower, alone and holding a drink in his hand.
_______________
“Hey, Lane!”
At sound of her name being called across the bullpen, Lois turned around and saw Oliver coming towards her. Her lips curved up in a smile as she raised a hand in greeting. Quickly, she finished her conversation with the morgue assistant on the phone and then put the hand-set down with a click. Just as she was doing so, Oliver came to a stop right in front of her.
“Hey, Ollie,” Lois said, with a grin. She crossed her arms and leaned back against her desk. “What brings you to my neck of the woods?”
“I wanted to introduce you to someone,” Oliver answered, after giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “Or, rather, he wanted me to introduce him.”
For the first time, Lois noticed that Oliver had another person in tow. Surveying him, very quickly, she noted that he was a tall man – about an inch taller than Oliver – with very dark hair and quite dark eyes. He was very attractive and wore an incredibly expensive suit. She had a feeling she’d seen him before, but she couldn’t quite place him.
Before Oliver could say anything, Lois held out her hand. “Lois Lane. And you are?”
He flashed a smile – a smile that she was quite sure had broken more than a few hearts. He took her hand in his. “Bruce Wayne.”
Lois shook his hand and then let go quickly. No wonder he had looked so familiar. He was, arguably, one of the most famous billionaire playboys on the planet. He and Oliver took turns being at the top of the list, but – for the most part – Bruce had Oliver beat.
“Well, Mr. Wayne, it’s nice to meet you.” Lois studied him for a moment and then, in her characteristically blunt manner, cut straight to the chase. “Why did you want Oliver to introduce us?”
Rather than being offended by her curt tone, he looked amused. “I’ve read your work, Ms. Lane. And I have to say that I’m very impressed.” He glanced around the bustling bullpen and added, “And confused. I thought I’d be meeting you in a corner office on the twentieth floor.”
Lois shrugged. “Well, let’s just say that the person who runs the show around here isn’t as impressed with me as you are, Mr. Wayne.”
“That’s a shame,” he murmured softly. “And, please, call me Bruce. Every time someone calls me Mr. Wayne, I look around for my father.”
Lois tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowed on his handsome face. “I doubt that. Your father passed away when you were fairly young. I can’t imagine that you grew up hearing Mr. Wayne in that context much.”
For a second, she thought she saw something flare in his eyes at her words, but when he spoke, his voice was very light. “Well, you’d be wrong. Every single day, I have share-holders and various people who get paid to tell me that I’m doing things wrong, because the senior Mr. Wayne would have done them differently.”
Lois nodded, suddenly feeling an odd kinship with the man. She knew what it was like to live in the shadow of a parent. So, she said, sympathetically, “I’m sorry, Bruce. That must suck.”
Bruce gave her an odd look and then said, smoothly, “Ms. Lane… the reason I asked Oliver to introduce us was because I’m interested in you joining the Gotham Gazette.”
Oliver, who had been very quiet during this whole exchange, spoke up for the first time. “What? Wayne, if I’d known you were going to try to steal her from me, I’d never have introduced you.”
Bruce shot Oliver a confused look. “Steal her from you? I didn’t realize she was yours.”
“I’m not,” Lois interjected, before Oliver could reply. She gave him an exasperated look at his choice of words. “What Oliver means is the Daily Planet. Oliver owns the DP.”
Understanding dawned in Bruce’s eyes and he nodded. “Right!” With a sharp glance towards Oliver, he said, “Well, it’s Queen’s fault he’s not treating you well enough. You deserve more than a desk in a basement.”
“Hey, I’ve offered,” Oliver protested, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking quite irritated. “But she won’t take it.”
“Because I want to fight my own battles,” Lois reminded him. “How would it look if my ex-boyfriend – who just happens to own the newspaper – got me a corner office on the twentieth floor when there are so many people who have been here longer than me and haven’t been promoted to the first floor?”
“Queen’s your ex-boyfriend?” Bruce asked, with a speculative gleam in his eyes.
Lois paused and flushed. “Um… yeah.”
“Ms. Lane, I hope that you’ll –at the very least – give me a chance to go over the offer,” Bruce said, taking out a card from his wallet. “I think that Gotham could use someone like you in the press. A reporter who’s not afraid to call it like she sees it.”
Lois glanced at the card and then back up at the man holding it. After a second of deliberation, she said, “All right. But under one condition.”
One dark brow rose as he stared down at her, looking mildly fascinated. “Yes?”
“I want an exclusive interview with you,” Lois told him. Her heart was beating fast in her chest, the way it always did when she was on the pursuit of a story that no one else could land. “You haven’t done press for three years. I want a front page interview with the planet’s most eligible billionaire bachelor.” She shot Oliver a look and smiled wryly. “Sorry. No offense.”
Oliver rolled his eyes. “I think I’ll live.”
She turned back to Bruce. “Well?”
Bruce considered her for a moment. “You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Lane. Which is ironic, because I’m the one who is supposed to be giving you something you’d want.”
Lois shrugged again, pretending to have a lot more confidence than she actually felt. “I think it’s obvious that you want me more than I want you.”
Bruce smiled at her, a charming one that seemed very practiced and polished. “I’m sure that’s true.” And, then, he added, “All right. Here’s my card. My cell number is on the back. I’ll have my limo pick you up at your apartment at seven.”
“My apartment?” Lois blinked up at him and took the card. “You don’t even know where it is.”
“Oh, my people will figure it out,” Bruce said, with a dismissive flick of his hand.
Lois almost snorted at the arrogance. But she schooled her features and said, “Of course. What was I thinking? Seven at my apartment is fine.”
Bruce smiled again. “Perfect, it’s a date. See you then.”
At that, Lois’s mouth dropped open in horror, but before she could say anything, he’d said good-bye to Oliver and strode away. She watched his retreating back, completely speechless and feeling very sick to her stomach.
Oliver turned to face her and burst out laughing. “Wow, Lois. Clark is a hell of a lot more of an understanding boyfriend than I ever was. Personally, I would have had problems with you going out on a date with Bruce Wayne when you were my girlfriend.”
“What?” A male voice said, from behind Lois and she closed her eyes, because she recognized the voice. And, of course, he continued, “What date?”
Slowly, Lois turned around and saw Clark, who looked incredibly confused. She had no idea how much of Oliver’s comment he’d heard, but it had clearly been enough to make him pause.
Oliver let out another laugh. “Well, Legs, you’re on your own with this one. Good luck. See you later, Clark.”
Lois watched him go, thinking that she needed to explain to Oliver that true friendship meant that you stuck around to back a girl up when she needed to explain to her boyfriend that she just happened to accidentally agree to go out with another guy.
“What’s going on, Lois?” Clark asked, in an even tone, from across their two desks.
“Well…. So… How much did you hear, exactly?” Lois asked, trying to figure out how much damage control she needed to do.
“Just the part where Oliver said that I’m a more understanding boyfriend than him, because he would never let you go out on a date with Bruce Wayne while you were his girlfriend,” Clark answered, his tone still very calm.
“So, all of it, really,” Lois responded. Of course he did. Clark had this amazing ability to have the most perfect hearing at the worst possible times. “It’s just a huge misunderstanding, Smallville. Not a big deal,” Lois explained, truthfully. “I wanted to get an exclusive with Bruce Wayne and he thought it was a date. When we meet, I’ll explain that it’s not a date and it’ll be fine.”
Clark considered her for a moment and then nodded. “Okay.” He sat down at this desk and started to sort through some of the papers on his desk.
Lois stared at him in amazement. “Just okay? You’re fine?”
Clark glanced up from the paper he’d just started editing. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
With more than a little relief, Lois smiled at him. “Of course!” Suddenly feeling a whole lot better, she sat down on her own chair.
Before she could turn her attention to her monitor, he added, “I mean, it’s not like you haven’t done a hundred interviews like this before. With people even more famous than him, really.”
Lois shifted, so she could see him around her monitor. He wasn’t looking at her, his focus was on the paper in his hand. “Right.” She waited for a response and when there wasn’t one, she turned to face her monitor again.
“And, you know, I’m sure you’ll explain it to him right off the bat,” Clark added, suddenly, as she heard him circle some things on the paper. “I’m sure you’ll both have a good laugh over the… misunderstanding.”
“Well…. It is pretty funny,” Lois replied, warily, as she shifted so she could look at him again.
“Yes. It’s hilarious.” Clark glanced up at her then and smiled a bit.
She stared back at him, feeling a bit uneasy. Suddenly, she heard a cracking noise and saw that Clark’s red pen had broken in his hand, leaking ink everywhere.
Clark glanced down at his hand and the ruined paper with some surprise. “Huh… you know, they don’t make these things as strong as they used to.” He got up and tossed the paper on the desk. “I think I’m going to get a fresh set from the supply closet. See you later, Lois.”
Before Lois could stop him, he’d strode away without a backward glance and she was left wondering what the hell had just happened.
*
After a very luxurious limo ride – something that didn’t mean much to her, since she’d ridden in them so many times during her relationship with Oliver that it became meaningless – she was standing on the threshold of a very exclusive and expensive Italian restaurant. She’d heard the name many times, but would never have been able to get in on her own. She shook her head, with some amusement, at Wayne’s stereotypical choice.
When she made it inside, she stopped in her tracks. The whole restaurant was empty. Which was very unusual for a Friday evening.
“I hope you enjoyed the ride here,” Bruce said, materializing next to her to help her take off her wrap. “It’s quite a distance from Smallville to Metropolis.”
Lois turned to face him. “Well, it’s not that bad. I don’t know if the limo makes it any better or worse, really.”
Bruce considered her for a moment. “I forgot. You dated Oliver Queen. These sorts of things must not be that exciting for you.”
“I’ll tell you a secret, Bruce,” Lois said, leaning in a bit, as though it was going to be a shocker. “They weren’t that exciting even before I dated Ollie. Once you’ve stolen an army tank, limos are a little tame in comparison.”
Bruce’s brows shot up in surprise. And then he laughed. “Of course.” Then, he gave her is arm and said, “Shall we? We can sit at any table you want.”
Lois ignored his arm and sailed right past him. She found the closest table to the exit and pulled out the chair before Bruce or the maître de could reach for it. After she’d sat down, she asked, a bit sharply, “You reserved the whole place, didn’t you?”
Rather than looking apologetic, he grinned. “Yes, of course.”
Lois nodded slowly. “Wow, you are such a walking cliché.”
“What do you mean?” Bruce asked, in a curious tone. He didn’t sound in the least bit offended by her comment.
“You know exactly what I mean,” Lois shot back. She took the napkin and snapped it open, putting it across her lap. And then reached for a bread stick. She broke a piece off and pointed the rest of the stick at him. “It’s like someone gave you a handbook called ‘How to be a billionaire playboy’ and you opened it to chapter three and this was example number one.”
“An example of what?” Bruce asked, with that fascinated look on his face again, as he gazed at her across the table.
“An example of how to get the reporter to forget she wants to grill you and to sleep with you instead,” Lois shot back, easily. And then tossed the bit of bread into her mouth, enjoying the look on his face while she chewed.
Bruce leaned back in his chair and studied her for a moment. “Is it working?”
“No,” Lois told him honestly. “First of all, this wouldn’t have worked, anyway.” She leaned across the table towards him. “If you wanted to seduce me, you should have figured out what my favorite meal was in the city and arranged to get me that, instead. Which – incidentally - is a greasy cheeseburger from Fat Joe’s on Fifth and Main. So, this?” She gestured at the wildly expensive surroundings, “Is not my thing.”
“I see.” Bruce nodded thoughtfully and then asked, “And what’s the second of all?”
“Second of all, I have a boyfriend,” Lois told him frankly. “A boyfriend I happen to….” Lois almost said the word love and then realized that she’d never actually said that out loud in relation to Clark before, so she amended it and finished, “… care about a lot.”
Bruce seemed completely unsurprised to hear she had a boyfriend. “Is there a third of all?”
“Yes, actually, there is,” Lois answered, her tone very business like. “Nothing could ever induce me to forget a story.” She pulled out her notepad from her bag and a tape recorder, adding, “And you, Bruce, are a story. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
She put the tape recorder on the table between them and turned it on. And, then, told him, “The interview starts now. Everything you say is on the record after this, unless you tell me otherwise.”
Bruce glanced down at the recorder and then back at her. “Who’s your boyfriend?”
Lois didn’t even bother to look up from her notebook. “That’s not really relevant, is it?”
“Humor me. I’m going to be answering a lot of your questions. The least you can do is answer some of mine,” Bruce answered, his easy charm still in place. “After all, even the farmer fattens the cow before slaughtering it.”
At that, Lois glanced up at him, her gaze sharp. “That’s one hell of a metaphor for a simple interview. What, are you afraid that I’ll find out something you don’t want? Figure out the hidden Bruce Wayne?”
“Hardly,” Bruce scoffed, not even bothering to hide his amusement. “There are no hidden depths to me. As was just pointed out to me, I’m a bit of cliché. What you see is what you get, Lois.”
“Perhaps.” Lois nodded, even though she just knew that he was lying. She wasn’t exactly sure how, but she’d done enough research on the guy to know that something wasn’t adding up. So, as she did sometimes when she had a reluctant subject, she offered something of her own to make him open up more. “My boyfriend’s name is Clark Kent. We work together at the Daily Planet.”
“Clark Kent?” Bruce was quiet for a second. “That name sounds familiar…. I think I’ve seen his name with yours on the byline of some of your articles.”
“Probably.” Lois took a sip of her water and added, “We work together sometimes. He’s kind of my partner.”
“But he’s not here tonight,” Bruce pointed out, leaning in closer to her. “Why’s that?”
Truthfully, Lois didn’t know that answer to that question. The fact was that she had been about to offer Clark an opportunity to come with her, but she hadn’t seen him after the whole incident with the pen. So, she finally just explained, “He had stuff he needed to take care of.”
“Right.” Bruce nodded and then sat back again, but his gaze was on her the whole time. “Can I ask you something, Lois?”
Her pen hovered over her notepad and she mentally rolled her eyes. They’d never get done with this interview if he kept turning it around on her. “Sure. But make it quick.”
“Why is such an ambitious and talented person like you letting yourself get buried under mediocrity at the Daily Planet?” When she opened her mouth to protest, he lifted his hand to stop her. “Wait. Hear me out. Do you know what I can offer you if you join the Gazette? Forget the corner office and the assistant. I could give you free creative rein – you can pick your own articles and follow whatever leads you want. No more giving columns where you give advice to pathetic losers who can’t find a date. You won’t have to worry about the problems with LuthorCorp and Tess Mercer. No one will harass you about insurance premiums. Of course, I’ll double your salary and also give you a travel allowance. And, on top of that, the Gazette is a better paper than the Planet right now. My editor-in-chief is phenomenal. You could learn a lot from him.”
Shocked by all he was offering, Lois stared at him speechlessly for a full minute. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one who had done their homework before this little meeting. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and she leaned back, crossing her legs. “Why?”
“Why?” Bruce repeated, in a confused tone.
“Why the full throttle wooing?” And then, she added, in a sharp tone, “And the Gazette is not a better paper than the Planet. You may have more of a readership, but the Planet has better reporters. And it’s the quality of the journalists that determine the quality of the paper.”
“There’s your answer right there,” Bruce countered, with a bit of a smile. “That is the reason for the full-throttle wooing. You would make my paper better. Hell, I think you’d make Gotham better. The city needs people in the press who aren’t so afraid all the time. Ones that aren’t like sheep – reporters who actually care about reporting the truth, even if it means taking the dangerous road every now and then.” He looked at her intently. “I see that in you, Lois. The question is: do you see it in yourself? Do you see what I’m offering you?”
“Of course I see what you’re offering,” Lois answered, immediately. “And of course I see that in myself. I am ambitious and it’s not like the picture you’re painting isn’t tempting. But….” Lois’s voice trailed off as thought about the life she had in Metropolis. “Gotham isn’t for me. I have a connection to this city….
“Clark Kent?” Bruce asked, with one brow quirked. “I can’t imagine that he can keep up with you, Lois. How did you put it? You care for him? Well, do you care so much for him that you’re going to let him get in the way of an opportunity of a lifetime?”
Lois opened her mouth to defend Clark and then realized there was no need. It’s not like he would understand it, anyway. “There are stories here that I want to be a part of.”
Bruce studied her for a moment and then said, in a thoughtful tone, “The Blur.” Lois kept silent and he added, “Gotham has its own version of a caped crusader, if the story of a lonely superhero fascinates you so much.”
“Batman.” Lois frowned a bit at his choice of words. “Why do you assume they’re lonely?” It’s not that she didn’t agree with him. It’s just that she found it odd that a seemingly carefree playboy would use that word to describe them.
Bruce let out a slight laugh. “I don’t know much about this Blur character, but I do know our version goes around dressed as a bat and prowls the streets at night. I can’t imagine he has much of a love life. Unless the woman has a bat fetish.”
“No one would know, really,” Lois pointed out. “Batman is even more elusive than the Blur. He’s never given even one interview.”
“True,” Bruce looked at her and then leaned in, his voice softer than before, “Imagine if you were the exception.”
Lois stared at him in amazement. “Are you seriously trying to get me to say yes by dangling Batman in front of me? How would you even pull that off?”
Bruce shrugged casually. “Let’s just say he owes me a favor.”
“Batman owes you a favor?” Lois squinted at him, the various pieces of the puzzle starting to take shape in her head. They might not have connected so quickly if she hadn’t already been aware of a billionaire who had a serious green leather fetish. “What a nice… coincidence.”
“Well, I am a very powerful man, Lois,” Bruce reminded her. “A lot of people owe me favors. No one can sneeze in Gotham without owing me something.”
Lois considered that for a second. That was actually true. Was it possible she was wrong? In an effort to suss him out, she asked the first question she’d come prepared with. “So how do you reconcile the man and the myth, Bruce? On the one hand, you have this reputation for being a womanizer who doesn’t think about anything but the next drink. But – under your direction – Wayne Industries profits have quadrupled in the past three years. And your subsidiaries that deal in technology and weaponry have grown by even twice that. It seems that every single hi-tech gadget out there has the WI stamp on it. And, yet, you profess that you only know how to play with the gadget and have no hand in making them.”
Bruce took a sip of his wine and then answered, with a bit of a mocking smile. “I hire very smart people. And then let them make me money.”
“Except… to recognize who is smart requires a certain level of intelligence and passion on your part, too,” Lois pointed out. “Like tonight, for example. You came here to offer me a job… one that you’re quite passionate about. You hand picked me to change the face of the Gazette. There is no doubt that if I took you up on your offer, it would be on me to live up to those expectations. But let’s say that you’re right. And I change the face of the Gazette and reporting in Gotham. Something tells me that you would never take credit for it. Even though it would never have happened if you hadn’t stumbled across my articles and recognized my worth.” She gazed at him critically. “Why is that? Why are you so hell bent on making the world think that you’re useless, when you’re – in reality – quite brilliant?”
At that point, Bruce just burst out laughing. “Brilliant? Your opinion is a little suspect, Lois, isn’t it? I mean, since I offered you the job. It’s a little arrogant, really, if you think about it.”
Lois grinned at him, nodding a bit, but not arguing. He did have a point. And he also seemed keen on changing the subject. Before she could move on to her next question, he said, “If you want to continue this interview, we’ll need to do it in Gotham.”
Not surprised, Lois shook her head in exasperation. “Why is that?”
Bruce glanced at his watch. “Because I have a conference call I need to make in about ten minutes. And I need to head back to Gotham later on tonight. Why not, Lois? I’ll give you a tour of the Gazette. You can see what you’re turning down. In fact, you may even end up bumping into Batman,” he paused and added, in a dry tone, “Especially with your odd talent for getting almost killed every two to three days. I’m sure he’ll end up saving your life at some point.”
Lois rolled her eyes at that. “I’ll have to think about it,” she said, finally. She got up and started to head for the exit.
Without waiting for him to catch up, she grabbed her shawl and opened the door, letting herself out and holding the door open for him to follow. He looked amused, but didn’t say anything. As she made her way down the stairs, the heel of her shoe caught in the cobblestoned step and it broke. As she started to fall, Bruce reached out and caught her. Her fingers tightened on his arms, instinctively, and she started to thank him. Before the words could come out, he leaned down to brush his lips across hers. She immediately pulled back and pushed him away, almost losing her balance again. She straightened up and, without thinking, slapped him across the face.
“How dare you!” Lois exclaimed, furious beyond belief. “What is wrong with you?”
Bruce touched the side of his face, gingerly. “Lois, I’m….”
“Screw it,” Lois said, whirling around and stomping down the stairs. Too late, she realized one heel was broken, so she was hobbling a bit. She stopped and pulled off both shoes and started to walk away barefoot, ignoring the man who was calling her name after her. She saw a cab coming down the street and flagged it down, jumping in and closing the door before Bruce could make it to the car.
“The Daily Planet,” Lois told the driver and then settled back against the cushion, closing her eyes and thinking about how she was going to explain that to Clark.
*
The Daily Planet was quieter in the night than it was in the day. It was one of the reasons why Lois preferred working in the evenings and weekends. She found the bullpen oddly soothing in the off-hours. A home away from home that – sometimes – felt more like home than her own apartment in Smallville. For a moment, she wondered what that said about her.
As she made her way down the stairs, her eyes immediately looked towards Clark’s desk and she saw that he was there, typing on his keyboard with quick and sure strokes. Every now and then, he’d pause to take a sip from the coffee mug that sat near the keyboard, not even bothering to take his eyes of his screen as he did it. She grinned when she saw he was using the mug she’d gotten him as a gag gift. Designated Listener. (She had the matching one that said Designated Talker, but she never used it. Because that would have been sappy and she didn’t do sappy.)
And, in that moment, as she gazed at the man she loved (not that she’d admit it to him, yet), she realized why the bullpen felt more like home than her own home. Because it was where Clark was. With a deep breath and bit of a smile, she started to make her way down the stairs, feeling the cold tiles beneath her bare feet, and then stopped when a tall figure blocked her path.
Her smile faltered. “Bruce.” She let out a sigh. “How did you get here before me?”
Bruce gave her a sheepish shrug. “My driver used to race for Nascar.”
“Of course he did,” Lois answered, flatly. “Well, that’s great, but if you’ll excuse me --.”
“Lois, I’m sorry,” Bruce cut in and blocked her path before she could move past him. “I shouldn’t have done that. I apologize. I fully deserved the slap.” He rubbed his jaw ruefully and asked, “You made your point.”
Lois studied him for a moment and read the sincerity in his dark eyes. “Look, I don’t know why you feel the need to go around being some sort of Casanova, but don’t pull that around me ever again. Next time, you’re going to be getting a hell of a lot more than a slap.”
“Scouts honor,” Bruce replied, quickly, his charming smile back in place. “I hope… will you still consider my offer? My jet is taking off in an hour.”
Lois looked past him at Clark, who was staring at this screen with intense concentration and reaching for his coffee cup. She watched as he overshot his mark and hit the mug, causing coffee to spill everywhere. She grinned as she watched him roll his eyes and start to clean up the mess with some tissues he stole from her side of the desk. She glanced back at the sharply dressed man in front of her and said, “It’s not that it’s not tempting, Bruce. But….” She looked towards Clark again, who was now settling back in his chair and turning his attention back to his monitor. Without taking her eyes off of him, she finished, “I think I’m going to stick to the area codes near Smallville for now.”
Bruce followed the direction of her gaze and glanced over his shoulder towards Clark. With a slight smile, he nodded and said, dryly, “Kansas is lucky to have you.”
She turned attention back to him and couldn’t help but let out a little laugh at that. “Thanks.”
“Call me if you ever need anything, Lois,” Bruce said, as he started to make his way past her and up the stairs. “And if you’re ever in Gotham, give me a call. Who knows, maybe you’ll get your exclusive interview out of it.”
Startled, Lois looked back at his retreating figure and frowned when she realized he was right. She actually hadn’t gotten the interview she’d originally set out to do. He’d spent the whole time grilling her. Shaking her head slightly, Lois made a mental note to talk to Oliver about his odd friend later. For now, she had other things to worry about.
A bit nervously, she approached Clark’s desk. Before she could say anything, he said, “Bruce Wayne came looking for you. Did he find you?”
A bit taken aback, Lois nodded. “Yeah. He just left.” She hesitated and then asked, “Did you two talk?”
Clark nodded, his expression unreadable. “For a few minutes. He introduced himself.” He picked up some papers from his desk and went towards the copy room, presumably to make copies.
Lois let out a sigh and followed him. “Smallville, here’s the thing….”
“Yeah?” Clark stopped at the copier and tossed the papers onto the machine.
“Bruce kissed me,” Lois blurted out. Then she winced, wondering if she should have cushioned the blow better. “Um… the thing is… I kind of tripped and he caught me and then the next you know, he’s kissing me and I pushed him away! I slapped him….” Lois’s voice trailed off and she waited, nervously, for him to say something. When nothing was forthcoming from him except silence, she added, “I am so sorry… I totally didn’t mean for it to happen.”
Clark stared at her for a couple of more beats and then said, “I know.”
“You know?” Lois repeated, faintly.
Clark pulled out one of the papers from his stack and handed it to her. It was a print out from The Inquisitor’s website and had a fuzzy picture of Bruce kissing her. The way the picture was taken, it looked like he’d dipped her and they were sharing a very romantic moment. Lois closed her eyes in horror and when she opened them, she said, again, in a very firm voice, “I am SO sorry. But this looks a lot worse than it was.”
Clark swallowed. “Right.” He pressed his lips together and looked away. Then, he added, in a low voice, “I should get used to it, I guess. Billionaires falling for you wherever you go.”
“I promise you that the next time a hot billionaire looks my way, I’ll put out a restraining order,” Lois answered, partly in a teasing tone and partly nervous.
“Does that include Oliver?” Clark asked immediately. And then looked like he regretted it.
Lois blinked up at him in surprise. “Um… do you want it to?” She looked at him uncertainly and shook her head. “I thought… I thought you were okay with my friendship with Ollie.”
“I was,” Clark answered and then he winced. “I am. I just….” Clark let out a deep sigh and then shrugged. “But… I… it’s hard, sometimes, to see you with Oliver. Especially when I know what you had with him. And he’s always there, always with the right things to say and he knows how to sweep you off your feet.” Clark glanced down at the picture and added, “Bruce Wayne was only with you for an hour and he swept you off your feet. Literally.”
“Technically, that was my shoe,” Lois corrected, with a slight smile.
Clark gave her a look. “You know what I mean. I’m not… I’m not like them. And I’ll never be.” Clark stared down at her, his expression one of hurt and confusion. “And are you going to be all right with that? Will I be able to give you enough?”
Lois stared back up at him and then slowly stepped towards him, eliminating the distance between them. She put her hand on his cheek and told him the truth. “Smallville… I had a choice. I could have had Oliver when I didn’t even have you. All I had was the idea of you. And I chose the idea of you over Oliver. Now that I actually have you?” Lois leaned in closer to him, making sure he was looking right into her eyes as she promised him, “There is no one in the world I would choose over you. And I’m sorry if I made you feel as though I would.”
Clark grasped her fingers and brought her hand down, squeezing her fingers gently. He smiled slightly. “It’s okay.”
Lois peered up at him. “Did you eat dinner? I’m starving.”
“No, I didn’t,” Clark answered. He tugged on her hand and started to lead her out of the copy room. “C’mon, I’ll buy you a cheeseburger from Fat Joe’s.” With a teasing look, he added, “I mean, it’s not the same as reserving a whole Italian restaurant --.”
“Very funny.” Lois punched him in the arm slightly. And then linked her arm through his as they started to leave the copy room. She hugged his arm to her and grinned up at him. “It’s perfect.”
Suddenly, her foot hit a chair and she cried out. “Ouch! Damn it.” Looking down, she said ruefully, “Wait, I have to go back to get my spare shoes from my desk.”
Clark glanced down at her bare feet and then smiled slightly. Before she could move, he picked her up and started to carry her to her desk. With a grin, she hooked her arms around his neck and said, teasingly, “And you said you couldn’t sweep me off my feet.”
Gently setting her down on her desk, Clark smiled down at her. “I guess sometimes I can.”
Impulsively, Lois reached up and brushed her lips against his. “My hero.”
*
“Oliver?” Clark called out as he entered Watchtower. He frowned as he looked around, about to use his super-hearing to find his friend.
“Clark!” Oliver emerged from one of the back rooms. “I always forget how quickly you’ll make it here after I text you.”
“What’s going on?” Clark asked him, with a hint of a smile. “I’ve got Lois waiting for me at Fat Joe’s. So we need to make this quick.”
Oliver blinked at that. “Fat Joe’s? Always the romantic, Kent.”
Clark kind of laughed and glanced down. The fact was that Lois would prefer a Fat Joe’s burger over a fancy restaurant any day of the week. He knew this because she’d once confided this to him back when she was dating Oliver. And he remembered that he’d actually super-sped to Metropolis and surprised her with it, telling her that he’d happened to have some for dinner that day. He would never forget the look of sheer happiness on her face and the way she’d felt guilty for eating his dinner, but still devoured it, anyway. It was funny how he hadn’t even realized, then, that a simple act of kindness he was doing for a friend might end up meaning so much more a few years down the line.
Oliver seemed completely oblivious to Clark’s thoughts, because he had continued on. “So… anyway… I wanted to introduce you to him before he left town. I thought it was important for you two to know each other. Even though, you know, you’re both not technically a part of the group, yet.”
Clark shook his head, clearing his thoughts of Lois and focusing on Oliver. “Introduce me to who?”
“Me.”
Clark glanced towards the man who’d just joined them. Bruce Wayne. Clark frowned at Oliver. “We’ve already met. Earlier today.”
“You did?” Oliver asked, casting a surprised look towards Bruce. The other man nodded briefly as though to confirm it.
“Why did you want me to meet Lois Lane’s boyfriend?” Bruce asked Oliver, curiously.
Clark rolled his eyes.
Oliver glanced between the two of them. “Oh. Let me try this again. Batman, meet the Blur. The Blur, meet Batman.”
Clark looked Bruce over, only feeling a little shocked by the revelation. He couldn’t help but ask, “Do you billionaires all have secret identities?”
Bruce, for his part, seemed a lot more surprised than Clark was. “That explains it. I was wondering what she saw in you.”
Clark flushed. “Lois doesn’t know I’m the Blur,” he told Bruce flatly. And, then, since Bruce had brought it up, he asked, “Do you make it a habit to kiss other people’s girlfriends? Or did you just pick mine specifically?”
“Whoa! You kissed Lois?” Oliver looked between the two of them. Clark and Bruce were mere inches apart and Clark was towering over Bruce, his anger showing quite clearly. It took a lot to get Clark mad, but when he was, he was intimidating. Bruce, for his part, didn’t look like he realized he should be scared for his life. “Um… Bruce… I think now would be a good time for me to point out that Clark has laser vision.”
Bruce nodded towards Clark curtly and said, in a terse voice, “Kent, I apologize. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“Why did you?” Clark asked, his confusion showing clearly. That was the boy scout, he would never do such a thing, so he couldn’t understand why someone else would.
“Honestly?” Bruce said, stepping away from Clark. “I didn’t want to. It’s just that Lois was getting so close to making connections that I didn’t want her to make. So, I decided to play the playboy card.” He glanced towards Oliver. “I hadn’t realized she knew you were the Green Arrow.”
Oliver nodded slowly. “Yeah, that probably helped Lois make some connections.”
Clark looked Bruce over. “So you’re not really like that? The way the tabloids talk about you?”
“No.” Bruce looked over at Oliver and shrugged. “Not like Queen, here. His stories? They’re all true. Mine? Mostly made up. I don’t have time to date. And even if I did,” Bruce paused, “I don’t have the inclination. I’ve had some relationships, but – for the most part – I prefer working alone. Things are easier that way.”
“Anyway,” Oliver cut in. “I thought it would be a good idea for you two to meet. Just in case, you know, you needed to help each other out.”
Clearly, Clark’s heart must have softened toward the other man, because Clark glanced towards Bruce and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you… Batman.”
Bruce took his hand and shook it firmly. “You too… Blur.” He paused and then said, “That’s a terrible name.”
Clark’s brow rose. “You dress up as a bat. Are you really one to judge?”
“But at least I have a cool name,” Bruce answered, with a hint of a smile. “I mean, the Blur? Really?”
“I can easily settle this,” Oliver interjected, in a mock serious tone. “The Green Arrow is better than both your names and I’ve got the better costume.”
Both Bruce and Clark turned to look at him, each shaking their head in amusement.
“Now who wants to join me for a drink?” Oliver asked his two friends, already on his way to the bar to pour himself a scotch.
“I can’t, Queen,” Bruce answered, looking a little uneasy as he watched Oliver. “I have to head back to Gotham.”
Clark was watching him, too, with those eyes that always seemed to see everything. “And I have to get back to Lois.”
Oliver felt that pang he always felt when Clark mentioned Lois’s name and he hid it by taking a fortifying sip of the scotch. Then, he let his lips curve up in a smile and he turned back towards his friends, “Of course. Have fun.” He held up his glass. “I know I will.”
Bruce cast one last concerned look his way, but because he was Bruce, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just left.
When Clark and Oliver were alone, Ollie waited for Clark to do his usual blurring thing, but Clark didn’t move.
“Well?” Oliver asked, finally, with a raised brow. “Don’t you have a date to get back to? Don’t let me hold you up, Kent.” Oliver told himself not to focus on who the date was with.
Clark’s brows were furrowed in concern as he walked closer to Oliver. “Oliver – what are you doing?”
Oliver glanced down at the glass. “I’m enjoying a nice glass of scotch. You should try it sometime. Very relaxing.” Before Clark could saying anything else, he added, in a very serious voice, “Don’t, Clark. This is not a conversation I want to have with you. Just go… back to Lois. She’s probably wondering where you are.”
Clark hesitated and then he nodded. Two seconds later, he blurred away, leaving Ollie in the middle of the Watchtower, alone and holding a drink in his hand.
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Date: 2012-01-20 11:05 pm (UTC)And the fact that the man after Lois made it even better. Not to mention Clark voicing his worries about Oliver and Lois' closeness. (thank you for that either) See, i told you i couldn't thank you enough ;) LOL