Secrets Unveiled

Clark showed up at 11 a.m. GMT, 5 a.m. CST, for the past couple of weeks since Mr. Malfoy had dropped by with the urn full of floo powder. He sat, praying silently while he mentally wrote his reporter notes on whatever story he was working on at the moment. He stayed for a few hours before he went into the Planet.

After work he patrolled the skies, minding his superhero duties for a few hours. Usually by 10 p.m. CST, he would eschew his Superman suit and change into some muggle clothing, as Mr. Malfoy had called a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He would spend two hours next to Lois, still praying, before he headed home to Kansas for a short five hour nap.

He watched her lay still, with the occasional twitch. He held her hand, squeezing occasionally.

“Fight it, Lois,” Clark blinked away tears.

* * *

Lois looked up as the door opened. She took in a deep breath as the tall dark haired boy handed his schedule to the teacher. Mr. Jonathan Diego nodded at the young man and cleared his throat to get the class’s attention. The young man took a deep breath of his own as he surveyed the room. Lois looked quickly down as he caught her eye.

“Okay, class,” the freshman English teacher addressed the class. “We have a new student, Clark Kent.

“Why don’t you tell the class a little about yourself before you find a seat,” Mr. Diego nodded at the tall boy.

“My parents and I just moved from our farm in Smallville,” Clark began, “A town in Kansas. That’s about it.”

“Alright, have a seat,” Mr. Diego said, shrugging his shoulders. He turned towards the white board.

Clark bypassed the front of the room and made a beeline towards the back where the jocks sat. Lois had to remind herself to breathe. She found it hard to concentrate for the rest of the class.

She usually was one of the last students to exit the class, taking care to get all of the notes that she could. She placed her backpack on and carried her binder in her arms.

“See you tomorrow, Uncle Jon,” Lois said as she waved goodbye to the English teacher who smiled and nodded at her.

Lois felt like she had been hit by a ton of bricks as she lay on the hallway floor. She shook the cobwebs out as she looked up.

“Hey, geek, watch where you’re going,” Michelle Nielson, the captain of the school’s junior varsity cheerleading squad said horrified, her arm already linked with the new boy from Kansas.

“Sorry,” Lois said softly getting up.

Clark appeared as if he was going to help her up but Michelle was already dragging him toward the cafeteria. Lois quickly walked toward her Spanish class. She hoped that she would never have to deal with the farm boy from Kansas, outside of the four class periods a week for freshman English, for the rest of her high school career.

* * *

“Ms. Granger,” Mr. Anthony Wallace waved the junior over to his desk. It was a Monday and the school day ended with his A.P. English Literature class.

Lois pulled her backpack on. She walked towards the front of the room as the last of the students exited.

“I noticed you haven’t signed up for community service yet,” the English teacher who doubled as the school’s football defensive coordinator looked up from his paperwork.

“Yeah, sorry about that, Sir,” she said as she adjusted her bag.

“Okay, so I’ve volunteered you for tutoring through our athletic department,” he said as he placed a paper clip around the papers he was looking at. “Your first charge will be a Clark Kent, starting quarterback on our team. Needs help with English.”

Lois was speechless for a moment. “Look, Mr. Wallace, I’m sure there are better tutors out there that could assist.”

“Do you have something against athletes, Ms. Granger?” Mr. Wallace said standing up to prep the whiteboard for the next day.

Lois was taken aback for a moment. She adjusted her backpack on her back.

“Or just against Mr. Kent?” he asked as he finished writing the date on the board.

“Of course not,” she said slightly defensively.

“Then it’s settled,” Mr. Wallace said, nodding at her. “I’ll see you tomorrow afterschool at the Athletic Complex. The players have a full hour before practice starts. Good day, Ms. Granger.”

“Okay,” she said softly, nodding at her English teacher before leaving the classroom dumbfounded.

Lois waited in the athletic complex tutoring room for more than an hour for the third straight day. She blew out her breath as she looked at her watch. ‘This is bullshit,’ she thought to herself as she shoved her literature book into her backpack. She stalked out of the facility and headed to the news writing room.

* * *

“Could you ask Uncle Jon to talk to Mr. Wallace?” Lois said as she helped to clear the dinner table.

“Lois,” Mrs. Malfoy looked at her daughter, “Mr. Wallace is perfectly in his right.

“So tell me again why you didn’t volunteer to do something sooner?” Mrs. Malfoy said as she rinsed the last of the dinner dishes.

“Okay,” Lois said taking in a breath. “It is my fault. But, it isn’t fair.”

“Lois, just talk to Clark,” her mother said as she wiped her hands.

“We can’t stand each other, mother,” Lois huffed.

“I’m sure you both can see past that for the next three months, Lo. The football season ends in December.”

“He hasn’t come to any of the tutoring sessions. What am I supposed to do?”

“You’re a budding journalist, Lois. You’re resourceful,” her mother said as she walked into the living room where Hunter was finishing his homework.

“I can’t even get his attention, Mom,” Lois said as she sat down next to Hunter.

“Honey, it’s not like Mr. Wallace is asking you to get Clark to marry you,” Mrs. Malfoy said as she checked over Hunter’s homework. Lois could feel her ears starting to burn. “All you have to do is find an angle. I’m sure Clark will come around.”

“I’m going to go do my homework,” Lois said as she stood up and walked out of the room.

Mrs. Malfoy smiled to herself. She nodded at Hunter who shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

‘Find an angle,’ she thought to herself as she clutched at the flyer she had yanked off of the bulletin board half an hour ago in anger. She grew tired of waiting for her tutoring charge. She ran home and returned in her “running shoes, shorts and t-shirt,” as the flyer suggested. She looked at the opened entrance gate to the stadium complex and took in a breath.

She walked quickly onto the track and onto the football field past the shoulder pad clad players and coaches. She headed toward the other defensive back wannabes who wanted to tryout for the two new slots that opened up after the season ending injuries suffered by the starting corners of the team. Mr. Wallace raised an eyebrow at the young woman.

“Uh, Ms. Granger, girlfriends aren’t allowed on the practice field,” Mr. Wallace admonished.

“Oh, trust me, Sir. Hell would have to freeze over before I would ever allow myself to be romantically attached to one of your guys,” she said as she informally stretched her leg muscles.

“Okay then,” Mr. Wallace began again as he turned toward the young men who assembled in front of one of the goalposts. “Cheerleading practice is at the gym.”

“Okay, good to know. I’ll make sure the next time I actually see Mr. Kent at tutoring to remind him when he’s looking for his girlfriend,” she said nonchalantly. “So when does this tryout thing begin?”

Mr. Wallace looked at her dumbfounded for a moment. She looked back at him with a smirk that would have made her father proud.

* * *

To everybody’s chagrin, Lois was one of the four recruits that made the cut. As if the team wasn’t the butt of the jokes around the league already with a 0 and 3 start, word got out that the lone female in high school football that year belonged to them.

Clark noticeably glared at her when he got the chance; in the halls, on the practice field, whenever he caught her gaze. She didn’t care; until he manned up and came to tutoring, she was going to continue with her venture into high school jockdom.

He couldn’t actually do anything. The team was winning with her in the lineup. He hated to admit it, but she was their best cornerback.

They had won their last three games, when Clark finally cracked. He waited outside of the news writing room, one hour after practice ended. He knew her routine; after the one and a half hour practice, she would clean up and head to the news writing room where she was the editor of the school’s paper, The Torch.

He clenched and unclenched his fist, impatiently waiting for her. ‘What could she possibly be doing in there?’ he asked himself as he was about to go into the room. To his surprise, Lois exited at the exact moment. She gasped as they bumped into each other. Clark held her in his arms for a moment before he realized what he was doing. He took a step back.

He looked down at his old bracelet, anything to avoid her gaze. It was almost half past six. He looked back up as she locked the door and started on her way to the building exits, still feeling the blush on her cheek after he held her.

“Hey, wait up,” he said walking after her.

Lois didn’t stop. Clark quickened his pace and grabbed her arm gently.

She shook him off as she swung around to face him. “What?!” she asked bitingly.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull,” he started. “But the guys can’t take it anymore. Do you even know what sort of crap we’re getting from everybody because of you?”

“If you’d come to the tutoring sessions in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to act so drastically,” she answered back.

“What the hell is it going to take to get you off the team?” he looked at her menacingly.

“Come to tutoring and get at least a fricking C on the next literature exam that’s coming up this week Friday and then I’ll quit,” she looked back at him. She took in a breath. “Mr. Wallace is correlating my A.P. English grade with your Junior year English grade. So step up!”

She left him standing at the head of the stairs. She walked quickly into the parking lot and vanished before Clark could react.

* * *

Lois looked up as Mrs. Reihle, the news writing adviser entered the computer room followed by the last person she would have expected. Lois stood up as Mrs. Reihle pointed out the computer terminals to the school’s quarterback.

“Ah, Lois,” the adviser said. “This is our new sports intern.”

Clark gave the head editor a nod. Lois took in a breath.

“I think you two know each other,” Mrs. Reihle smiled. “Clark I’ll leave you in capable hands.”

Clark set himself up at the terminal across of Lois’s. Lois glowered at him. Clark just gave her a smirk. She stood up to go to the printing press room. Clark smiled to himself as he opened up the news writing manual.

Lois couldn’t believe what was happening. What right did Clark have to invade her sanctuary? She kept herself busy for the rest of the night.

Both Clark and Lois looked at their watches at the same time; almost 9:30 p.m. She walked into the computer room and was surprised to see him still there.

“What are you still doing here?” she asked as she got to her terminal.

“I should probably ask you the same thing,” he said as he stood up. “It’s half past nine. Do you normally stay this late?”

“It’s a Friday night, shouldn’t you be out with your girlfriend or something?” she asked shutting down her computer.

Clark flinched slightly. “She’s out with the girls,” he said as he quickly pulled her backpack onto his shoulder.

Lois just looked at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m being a gentleman,” he said as he nodded towards the door.

“Look, you can flash your Midwestern do-good manners somewhere else, Clark,” she said as he raised an eyebrow. She held her hand out for her bag.

“I’m going to make sure you get to your car safe,” he said as he headed for the door.

Lois just looked at him as he exited. She started to flush as she turned off the lights and locked the door. She turned towards Clark, not realizing how close he was. He held her in his arms for a moment, before they both took a step back.

“So where’d you park?” he said nonchalantly.

She paused for a moment, not really knowing how to answer. In her backpack was a pencil case. In the pencil case was a mechanical pencil; normal to anyone’s eyes, but to wizarding folk, it was a portkey.

Her mother and father were taking care of family business in England for the remainder of the week. Hunter, her youngest brother went with them. The portkey could take her home.

“Look, Clark,” she began. “I’d like my bag back.”

“Car?” he pushed.

“I’m walking home,” she said softly.

“You’re insane,” he said.

“And you?” she fired back narrowing her eyes at him.

Clark stood befuddled for a moment. “I’m a guy, alright. I can fend for myself,” he said as he clutched at the bag a little tighter. There was no way he was going to let her walk home alone this late at night.

They walked in silence for a few minutes until they reached the entrance of the school. And although Lois vehemently declined an escort, little by little, Lois edged closer to Clark as the shadows played havoc on the senses.

Clark spoke first. “So you haven’t been to the last four practices,” Clark said as he sneaked a glance at her.

“I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t with you, aren’t I,” Lois said stopping in her tracks.

Clark turned to her looking at her questioningly.

“I kept my end of the bargain, Clark,” she said softly. She continued to walk. “You kept yours.”

“What are you talking about?” Clark asked as he hurried to her side.

“You got a B+ on the literature exam,” Lois said. “You came to all of the tutoring sessions.”

“Listen, Lois,” he hesitated. “Truth is we need you on the team. We haven’t had a lockdown corner in years.”

Lois narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. “Okay, who are you and what did you do with the real Clark Kent?”

After a moment, they both laughed. Clark nodded for them to continue with their walk home. Their footsteps synchronized.

They approached the yellow painted two-story home. Lois paused waiting for Clark to hand her bag over. Clark looked at her for a moment.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Lois said as she waited.

“I told you I’d get you home safe, Lois,” Clark said as he adjusted her bag on his shoulder.

“Nonsense, Clark, really, I’m only two more blocks over,” Lois said.

“Lois,” he said as he raised his eyebrow. “Where I come from, a gentleman sees a lady to her door.”

It was Lois’s turn to raise her eyebrow. She took in a deep breath knowing that she wouldn’t be able to get out of this one. She rolled her eyes as she started to walk home with Clark in tow.

They finally reached the two-story blue house. She took in a breath as he led the way up the walk to the Malfoys’ door. He nodded at her as he handed her the backpack.

She pulled her key from the small pocket of the backpack. She unlocked her front door.

“So we’ll see you at practice on Monday,” he said smirking at her.

“Good night, Clark,” she said.

He smiled at her as she shut the door. Clark walked down the walkway. Lois leaned against the door and took a deep breath.

She returned to practices and Clark continued to work at the Torch, which at times left Lois unsettled having him around. The football team gelled and won the championship that year. Lois played as the starting left side corner. Clark was amazed at her athleticism.

* * *

It was two weeks after the championship game and the end of the second scholastic quarter. She was in the newspaper office during the winter recess and was surprised to see Clark was busy helping to edit the online version of the paper.

It was early evening as she looked up from her terminal. She squeezed the back of her neck as she caught a glimpse of the thick blue band he always wore on his right wrist, even during games. She never noticed it had a glimmering quality to it.

“Nice bracelet, Clark,” she said nonchalantly. Clark looked between her and the blue band. “Did your girlfriend give it to you?”

Clark let out a small laugh. He lifted his wrist to show her. Lois blushed a little. “My mother made it for me when we were in Kansas.”

She nodded. “It’s nice. It looks like it’s made of some crystals.”

“Yeah,” he said a little uneasy as he shook his wrist. “My hometown is interesting that way. There’s a lot of different types of rocks lying around.

“Did you know it’s the meteor capital of the world?” he said as he looked at her with his piercing blue eyes, almost as blue as the crystals.

She shrugged. She went back to her terminal.

“Hey, are you hungry?” he asked as he stood up, fidgeting with the bracelet. It appeared to change to a darker grey color.

“Uh, yeah, I guess we could make a food run. I mean if you’re staying longer,” she gulped.

“I’ll go,” he said as he took in a breath. “What are you hankering for?”

She shrugged. “Surprise me.”

He smirked at her before exiting the door. He was gone for only ten minutes. He placed the authentic Korean food plates before the both of them. He also placed two Gatorade fruit punch bottles between them. She looked up at him surprised.

“There was a catering truck right outside of the gates,” he lied.

She nodded again. She took in a breath as she broke her chopsticks apart. She took a bite of the barbecue chicken and nodded.

“It’s good,” she said as Clark took his own plate and began to eat.

They ate quietly for a few minutes as they worked while they ate. She looked up at him after taking a sip from her Gatorade.

“So, why are you still here, Clark?” Lois said.

“I’m much more of a food savorer than a gobbler,” Clark said as he ate some of his bean sprouts.

“No,” Lois said, blushing a little as she was misunderstood. “Why are you still with the paper?”

“Didn’t you know,” he said as he took a sip of his drink, “My ultimate fantasy is to be stuck in a room with you for the rest of my life.”

Lois looked down at her food for a moment. “Ha ha, very funny Clark,” she said slightly wistfully.

“Kidding,” he said smiling at her sincerely. “I’m kinda liking this writing stuff. Besides, it will look good on a college app.”

She nodded. “So what’s Smallville like?” she said, changing the subject.

“Smallville?” he said as he took another sip of his drink.

“You mentioned moving from there in Mr. Diego’s English class, freshman year,” she said.

He nodded remembering walking into the class. He remembered her at the front of the room. “It’s a small town, like its namesake. Quaint, cozy, I guess. We lived on the family farm. It’s still up there.”

“Farm; like with cows and stuff?”

He laughed, “Yeah. Mom and dad felt like a change. So we moved here.”

“Do you miss it?”

“We’ve gone back for the past two summers,” Clark said looking at her. “So you’ve lived here your whole life?”

“Yeah,” she said nodding. “We’ve got family in England.”

“You ever been up there?”

“Yeah, we go up there often,” she said choosing her words wisely.

They talked with ease for the rest of the evening. Lois smiled inwardly. And for the first time since she first met the young man from Kansas, she felt like they were actually okay with each other.

Lois felt her loyalty to him grow. Despite all of their arguing, she would consider him her best friend. And that’s how it would be for the next thirteen years.

After their senior year of high school, Clark accepted a football scholarship to play at Kansas University. Meanwhile, Lois accepted a journalism scholarship from the University of Hawaii.

They kept in touch, emailing each other almost daily during their early college years. They lost touch for a while after their sophomore year. Lois was busy with her journalism studies. Clark had stopped playing football after tragedy hit; a car accident involving a drunk driver killed his father when his parents were in Smallville.

Clark never returned her emails. She knew he was distraught but wanted to let him know that she was there for support if he needed it.

Lois interned at the Honolulu Advertiser while finishing her journalism studies. She worked a great year at the paper after graduating from college. While there, she had heard of the “Red-Blue Blur” that was playing superhero saving lives all over the world.

She would have billed herself a skeptic about superheroes. In the normal world people like them didn’t exist. Then she had to remind herself to take a step back. She was part of a wizarding family. Maybe this Blur was a wizard or even a witch who had eschewed the unwritten wizarding rule of not using magic in the muggle world.

She never wrote about the Blur until she moved to the mainland. She found herself in Metropolis, Kansas after a successful writing year at the island paper.

* * *

“Hi, Mrs. Kent,” Lois said as she walked up the Kent’s walkway as the sun started to set on the warm October night. The older woman waved at her as she finished watering the potted plants.

“Hi, Lois, how are you doing this evening?” Mrs. Kent said as she walked toward the younger woman.

“I’m good. Mom asked me to bring over some baskets for the craft fair this weekend,” Lois said as she handed the bag of baskets over.

“Thanks, Lois,” Mrs. Kent said. “Hermione mentioned you were moving up to the Mainland.”

“Yeah,” Lois blushed a little. “I interviewed for a position at The Daily Planet last week.”

“That’s terrific, Lois,” Mrs. Kent smiled at her.

“I’m not so sure if I’m cut out to be a reporter on such a big stage,” Lois seemed uncertain of herself.

“You’ve weathered two years of football practice with my, Son, Lois,” Mrs. Kent said smiling. “I think this newspaper thing would be a walk in the park for you.”

Lois laughed. She gulped. “How is Clark?”

“Clark’s fine,” Mrs. Kent nodded. “He’s in New York writing for a small paper there.”

“Good for him,” Lois said, smiling. She took in a breath. “I should probably get back home. It was nice talking to you Mrs. Kent.”

“You, too, Lois,” the older woman said as they both heard a clanging of aluminum cans at the rear of the house. Mrs. Kent took in a deep breath, “Must be the wind.”

Lois looked around at the still night. She nodded regardless. “Have a good night Mrs. Kent,” the young journalist smiled before walking down the walkway and onto the sidewalk.

Mrs. Kent walked into the house to set the table for two and to ready the pot roast dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy. She smiled as she placed the craft baskets onto the table.

* * *

Lois sat at her terminal in the basement offices of the largest paper in the world as she finished her column. With only one month of work under her belt at the Daily Planet, Lois had already written five critically acclaimed pieces.

She looked up and almost had to do a double take. Walking towards her accompanied by the paper’s editor in chief looked like someone from her past.

“Ah, Lois,” Perry White, the cagey journalist addressed her. Lois stood up. “I want to introduce you to your new neighbor here.

“Clark Kent,” Perry said as he nodded at the tall dark haired young man. “This is another one of our new kids on the block. I think she’s also from your neck of the woods.”

“Lois Lane,” Clark smiled as he extended his hand. Lois looked at him.

She took a breath. “Clark,” she said weakly as she shook his hand.

Perry held the back of the empty chair behind the desk across of hers. Lois took a deep breath as she watched him place a nameplate on the desk. “I’ll let you two catch up. I’ll see you both on Monday.”

The two young reporters watched their boss exit. Lois was able to gather herself first. “You’re here,” Lois said.

“You were always a very perceptive journalist,” Clark said smirking at her as he straightened his nameplate.

She swung her backpack onto her shoulder. She glared at him before heading towards the lift. Clark smiled to himself as he caught up to her.

“There was an opening,” he said as he took a sideways glance at her. “I applied.”

They were both silent for a moment. The ride up to the lobby seemed to take forever. She looked at him as the doors opened.

“Have a good weekend, Clark,” she said as she quickly stepped out of the lift. He watched her walk away out of the building. He just smiled.

* * *

Lois and Clark had been working across each other for two weeks. Coincidentally, the number of Red-Blue-Blur saves increased in the Metropolis area. Lois was in awe of the feats. Secretly she wished for the opportunity to interview this mysterious hero.

Clark stood up to stretch. The once busy basement was now quite empty. He looked at his wristwatch. It read almost 9 p.m. He looked towards Lois who rubbed the back of her neck.

“You’ve always really liked your long working hours, huh?” he said as he started to shut down. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

Lois looked up at him. “You can go ahead, Clark. I can see myself out.”

“Come on Lois,” he said.

She took a breath. “I’m staying a short seven blocks away, Clark.”

“Like I said back in high school, I’m going to make sure you get home safe,” Clark said as he handed her coat to her. “Or are you waiting for this super man to escort you?”

Lois could feel her ears start to burn. She took hold of her coat and then glared at him as she headed for the lift with Clark in tow.

“That would probably be a pretty good name for him,” Lois said as the door shut.

“It would make for shorter headlines for you,” Clark remarked.

Lois looked at him, surprised. He just raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lois asked.

“I just never pegged you as a groupie, that’s all,” Clark said matter-of-factly. “I mean, I’ve read some of your descriptions of the guy.”

“Those were eye witness accounts by the people he had saved,” Lois said defensively.

“So let me get this straight. You’ve never even seen this Blur before.”

“He doesn’t like the lime light, I guess,” she shrugged as they exited the lift. She led him out of the building and down the street.

“So he could have a third eye or back hair or something,” he said.

“Why would that matter?” Lois rolled her eyes. “Unlike you I don’t associate with people merely based on their looks, Clark.”

Clark narrowed his eyes at her. Lois let out a breath as she could feel the blush on her neck rise. She quickened her pace. He caught up to her.

“So where exactly is home?” he asked, changing the subject.

“At the Motel 6,” she said.

“Really?” he asked incredulously.

“With the move and the transition up from a small paper back home to the world’s largest paper, I haven’t been able to find a place yet,” Lois shrugged as they stopped in front of the small motel. Clark nodded as his mind started to work.

“Good night, Clark,” Lois said as she adjusted her backpack on her shoulder.

“You sure you don’t want me to walk you up to your room?” he said smirking.

“I’m sure your new conquest wouldn’t want you doing that,” Lois said.

“Ah, Roxanne,” Clark nodded. “She’s actually on a New York casting call.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said not even looking back at him.

He took in a deep breath. He watched her enter the entrance before he headed to the phone booth they had passed earlier.

The Friday that week, Clark suggested he and Lois work at his house on the recent crime wave article that Perry had assigned them to tag team on. Lois reluctantly agreed.

“I need to stop at the bank, first,” Lois said as she paused in front of the establishment. Clark rolled his eyes.

“I’ll wait outside,” Clark said.

Lois shrugged her shoulders as she entered. She walked towards the teller. She accidentally bumped into a customer who had just finished his transaction. Lois took in a breath. She turned to see a boy in a blue t-shirt and his mother at the other teller.

A few moments later, all hell started to break loose. Gunmen who were posing as customers raised their assault weapons and handguns. They shouted for everyone to get down and for the tellers to hand over cash.

Sirens were already heard approaching the bank. Lois looked out to see police dressed in S.W.A.T. gear. The robbers noted this as well as they grabbed whatever cash that the tellers handed to them.

The lead robber pointed to two of his men to make sure to cover their backs. He looked around and grabbed the young boy in blue. His mother begged for her son’s life. Lois slowly stood up as her vision haunted her. She was not going to let these men throw the boy off the roof.

She lifted her hands up. The robbers pointed their weapons at her as the boy struggled.

“Look,” she said as she glanced over at the boy. She looked back up to the lead robber. “There’s no reason to take the boy. You have other hostages to choose from.

“My name is Lois Lane and I write for the Daily Planet,” she said gulping. “I’d make a far better hostage.”

The lead robber looked at her for a moment. He looked at the other three robbers. He shoved the boy away and grabbed onto the news reporter.

He nodded to his back up. They rushed to the lift. “Meet us up on the roof,” he said to his two backup men. Lois shut her eyes wondering what the hell did she get herself into.

“Thanks,” the bank security guard nodded at the red and blue clad superhero as he accepted the gun. The two bank robbers who trailed their two lead men were wrapped up in the metal chains that were used for the queue. “There are two others. I think they were heading up to the roof.”

“They took a woman hostage,” the woman with a small boy hanging onto her hand shared.

“A hostage,” the superhero looked quickly around. He had a sinking feeling he knew the hostage. He nodded at them before quickly exiting the bank and flying up to the roof.

He arrived just as Lois rammed the back of her head into the face of the bank robber who was trying to secure her as the helicopter lifted off. He watched as the female reporter grabbed a hold of the gun as the robber tried to aim it at the superhero. The stray bullets glanced off the blue clad superhero’s chest as he flew toward the helicopter.

The pilot lost control of the helicopter and it teetered. Lois lost her balance and fell out. The caped superhero grabbed onto the landing gear of the chopper and quickly pulled it downwards toward the falling woman.

Lois closed her eyes fearing that she was going to hit the pavement soon. She opened her eyes as she felt her momentum stop. She took in a breath as she stared into the blue eyes of her savior. She looked up as he also had a hold of the helicopter.

“I got you,” the young man said.

“Thanks,” she said weakly.

He flew upwards back onto the roof. He placed the helicopter down but gently still held Lois in his arms.

Lois’s legs were still wobbly. The villains were in shock as several police officers gathered around the downed chopper wielding their firearms.

Usually the Red-Blue Blur would have left the scene by now. He waited this time.

“Are you all right?” he asked the young woman.

“Yeah,” she said, almost breathlessly.

He nodded at her, slowly letting her go. He went over to talk to the police personnel who were arresting the two criminals. He nodded at them before returning to check on Lois again.

“I’m glad you’re all right, Ms. Lane,” the superhero nodded at her.

“You know who I am?” she asked surprised.

“I’ve read most of your stuff,” he smiled at her before turning to leave.

“Wait,” she said as he turned back. “What do we call you? I mean, ‘the Red Blue Blur’ is a bit of a mouthful.”

“I’m sure the media can come up with a name far better than I could,” he said, nodding at her.

“A friend of mine suggested Superman; he’s also a reporter,” she said as she took in a breath as she remembered Clark was probably outside of the bank worried about her.

“Well, what do you think about that name?” he asked her smiling.

“I think it probably does you well,” she said. She pointed at his chest. “You’ve already got the S on your chest.”

He looked down. “Family crest,” he said. He took a breath. He nodded at her again. “If you will excuse me, I have to check on the rest of the world.”

She nodded as he flew off the roof. She took in a breath as one of the police officers gently took hold of her arm. “We should head downstairs to take your statement, ma’am.”

Lois finished giving her statement to the officer in charge in one of the loan offices. She stepped out onto the main floor of the bank when she found Clark taking reporter notes. She took a breath as she approached.

“I think we got our lead for that crime wave story we’re working on,” Clark said as he pocketed his notepad. “You okay, Lois?”

“Yeah,” she said as he led her out of the bank. “He says he doesn’t mind the name Superman.”

“Okay,” he said as he led her down the street; five blocks east was the two bedroom brownstone that his family owned. “You were able to talk to the Red-Blue Blur? I thought he normally doesn’t give interviews.”

“He stayed for a moment,” she said blankly as she kept up with Clark.

“He must really like you,” Clark said as he took a sideways glance at her. He noticed her blush a little. They were silent the rest of the way.

Clark fished the keys out of his pocket to open the door of his brownstone. Lois looked at the exterior of the home. It was her first time visiting.

Clark led her into the living room. “Make yourself at home,” he said as he placed his coat over the back of the sofa. He headed into the kitchen as Lois took a seat.

He quickly returned with a tray full of hot food and a couple of Diet Cokes. Lois raised an eyebrow but then shrugged her shoulders after a while.

They worked and ate silently for a moment. Clark took a sip of his soda as he stole a glance at her.

He took a deep breath. “Hey,” Clark broke the silence. “You know I’m looking for a housemate.”

Lois looked at him for a moment. “That’s a nice gesture, Clark, but really.”

“No seriously, Lois. Mom and dad bought this place a long time ago. We stayed here on our trips into the city. There’s a spare bedroom,” Clark said, a little hopeful.

Lois took a second before she spoke. “I really wouldn’t want to trouble you, Clark.”

“It’s no trouble, Lois. This place is paid for. All we have to worry about are the utilities,” he said before he took another sip of his drink.

Lois took a look around for a moment. Her head begin to spin a little; what with all the excitement that had happened that afternoon.

“I don’t know, Clark,” Lois said as she looked at him. “Are you sure? I mean, this is a pretty good bachelor pad as is.”

Clark laughed. Lois held her breath for a moment before joining in. “The walls are pretty thick.”

Lois hid a blush as she looked down at her food. She nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said softly.

He smiled. “We can move you in over the weekend,” he said. “You can have the bedroom with the bath.”

“Whoa. What?” Lois asked.

“Really, Lois, it’s all right,” Clark said. “That way I won’t need to see panty hose or feminine products lying around.”

“Oh, ha ha, very funny,” she said hitting him on the arm. He smiled to himself. They continued with their work.

* * *

Lois took a breath as she exited the brownstone she used to share with Clark, whom she now realized was Superman. She shook her head as she walked quickly down the block. She pulled her jacket around her.

She walked quickly past the busy adult establishments. She turned into the familiar alley to enter the wizarding bar entrance she had entered earlier that evening. She entered the fireplace, on a hunch. She took a breath and said the address as plain as day realizing that her ex-fiancé was a wizard.

In the mansion at 1211 Chambers Street, she looked around the large living room. She removed her jacket and started to turn everything over, looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack, Lex’s wand.

She turned the place upside down. She grew frustrated as she tossed books off of the shelves. How could she have allowed herself to have fallen for Lex? She turned just as she heard the crackling sounds. She took in a breath, bracing herself.

She heard it as well as felt it. The pain coursed through her body. The two wizards held their torture curses for a good minute. The three wizards that apparated in watched smugly as the young woman writhed on the wooden floor.

Lex Carter nodded at the other two as he instructed Rocher Miller to lift his own torture spell. Torry Tennyson pointed his wand out at the defenseless woman. She panted for air, trembling as the effects of the Cruciatus curse coursed through her.

“Well, well, Lois,” Lex Carter said as Rocher Miller pulled her up by the front of her shirt. He held her in front of Lex.

“When did you finally figure it out?” he said as ran his wand tip along her jaw line.

She took in a breath. She glowered at him.

“Junior mentioned you could see things. I figured it was just a matter of time before my secret was revealed.”

Lois took in another deep breath as she looked past him towards the door. Her knees wobbled for a moment before her eyes grew a stormy grey.

She moved quickly, first slamming the back of her head into Miller’s face. She then placed Torry into a headlock and twisted, hearing the crack. Lex looked in shock as she went for Miller, who was still stunned. He didn’t see it coming as she put him into the same headlock and twisted. She went to one knee. She lunged for her former fiancé. But he blocked her advances by uttering another Cruciatus.

She could sense him, faintly as he grabbed her into his arms, knowing full well that he would be apparating them away. She blacked out.

* * *

Lois looked down at the cutting board before taking a peek at her surroundings. Lois breathed in. She recognized the Kent farm house interior. She and Clark would spend long nights together there when they needed to do research on their stories away from the big city of Metropolis.

She let out a small gasp as she looked out through the kitchen window into a large backyard. There were four young children playing outside, carrying brooms and flying not too high off the ground.

There were two small dark haired boys, the youngest of the four kids, who looked quite identical. They were holding up their mini brooms by the handles and carrying them around as if they were toy airplanes. The taller black haired girl pushed the shorter brown haired girl on a broom as she flew.

Lois’s eyes fluttered as she was unsure of what she was seeing in front of her. She turned and took in a breath.

* * *

Clark watched concerned as her heart rate seemed to increase. He squeezed her hand. “Fight it, Lois,” he whispered as he shut his eyes for a moment.

Clark almost fell out of his chair as she woke up startled. He quickly went to her side. Her eyes grew large when she saw him. She whimpered.

“Hey,” Clark said reassuringly as he smiled at her. He took in a breath as he took her hand into his palm.

“Where am I, Clark?” she asked as she surveyed the room.

“We’re at Hogwarts,” he said. He watched her take in a quick breath, realizing what he knew. She shut her eyes for a moment as a tear trickled down her cheek. She opened them quickly as he brushed the wayward tear.

She looked into his eyes. She gulped. “Lex? Did my father get him?”

“He can’t hurt you anymore,” he said as he took a seat on her hospital bed. “The third bullet ricocheted off of your dad’s serpent shield. It killed him instantly.”

She nodded, “The weapons, Everbleeders.”

“Your dad, your uncle Dean and Nick helped to inventory and destroy the weapons and the potion,” he said.

“How long have I been out, Clark?” she looked up into his face.

He took a deep breath before answering. “Three weeks tomorrow.”

“Oh my God. Perry,” she said worriedly.

Clark laughed. “I told him you took a much needed vacation, especially after what happened. Your dad and the wizarding authority helped with the story. Lex was killed in a boating incident on his yacht.”

Lois laughed sadly. She took in a breath. She tried to sit up. Clark was about to help but stopped himself. She was able to prop herself on her pillow. They caught each other’s gaze.

“I thought I heard some talking in here,” a voice rang out from the doorway, surprising the both of them.

The head of the medical ward smiled at the couple. She waved her wand over the young woman. As she expected, all of the bones and injuries healed nicely.

“Let’s check your reflexes, Lois,” the cagey doctor said softly. Lois nodded as she allowed her to poke and prod. Clark waited patiently.

Dr. Thomas nodded at the young woman. “You worried the lot of us, you know that young lady,” she squeezed her hand. She looked at the clock on the wall, noting it was only 2:30 in the a.m. “I’ll be back later on this morning.”

The doctor nodded her head at Clark, squeezing his arm gently, as if confirming that Lois really woke up from her coma. She exited smiling to herself. Clark approached the side of Lois’s bed.

“Hey, kiddo,” he said squeezing her hand. They were both silent for a moment.

“I wanted to tell you about me, Clark,” she said softly, her lower lip trembling. “I just . . .”

“Your family filled in the blanks, Lois,” Clark smiled gently.

“I didn’t want you to think I was some kind of freak.”

“Lois,” he interrupted.

“I just wanted to fit in. I didn’t want you to think I was different,” she said looking up into his face, gulping.

“That’s like the pot calling the kettle black,” he said as he squeezed her hand gently.

“Lois, about me,” he began.

“Clark, it’s okay,” she said as she took in a breath. “I’m sure you had your reasons not to trust me.”

“It’s not that,” he said, caressing her cheek. “I told you about my reactions to the different types of kryptonite. You kept that info to yourself.”

“Journalistic discretion,” she said looking up into his face. “It wouldn’t have been responsible of me if I wrote about that.”

“I was afraid that someone would hurt you to get to my secret. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself,” he began. “What this whole thing has taught me is that the world is far more complicated than I thought. No matter what happened, I couldn’t account for other circumstances. I couldn’t keep you safe anyway.”

“It’s not your fault Clark,” she shut her eyes. “Lex had a vendetta. I’m just glad you’re safe.

“Shouldn’t you be out saving people,” she gave him a weak smile. “I’ll be fine, Clark. I don’t think I’m going anywhere for a while.”

He laughed. He kissed her forehead.

“Go,” she looked up into his face. “The world needs you.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Get some rest, Lois. Dr. Thomas will be poking and prodding you in a few hours.”

They both laughed. He squeezed her hand one last time before he left. Lois took in a breath as she watched his blur leave the room. She closed her eyes.