Perry White looked up as Lois Lane stormed into his office. Considering the fact he hadn't sent her somewhere she hadn't wanted to go or with someone she hadn't wanted to be partnered with, he couldn't think of why she was so incensed.

"Is it because I'm a woman?!" Lois yelled the instant she reached his desk, choosing to stand in an attempt to intimidate him despite the fact that he was nearly as tall seated as she was standing, especially since she was leaning over with her hands pressed against the edge of his desk.

"Is what because you're a woman?" he asked, wondering where the hell this had come from and where the hell it was going.

"I found out that despite the fact that we have the exact same job, Clark gets paid more than I do at your recommendation." Lois fairly shouted. "Clark who can't even meet his deadline half the time!"

"No Lois, it's not because you're a woman." Perry said, wondering who'd let the little salary thing slip, seeing as Kent was generally rather tight-lipped about his finances. "One thing I learned in life is that you don't upset the goose that lays the golden eggs, otherwise it might decide to up stakes and go elsewhere."

"Goose that lays the golden eggs?! Goose that lays the golden eggs?!" Lois said, having reached the point where she was almost quietly seething. "I'm your star Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, and Clark is just...just...Clark!"

"Lois," Perry said. "If you ever pull your head out of your ass and figure it out, I'm going to tell you to do what I've told the others to do, which is to shut up, keep your head down, and say nothing."

"Say nothing about what?" Lois asked.

"I'm not telling. Suffice to say, Clark Kent's salary is well earned, and honestly, he deserves more." Perry replied, wondering how a reporter who was able to sniff out a scandal from a mile off couldn't see what was right in front of her face. "As far as I'm concerned, the matter is closed, and if you wanted a raise, you should've just asked."

"You haven't heard the last of this!" Lois said as she turned and stormed out of the office, probably to write up some article about Gender Inequality in the workplace.

Perry leaned back in his chair and sighed, hoping to God that Kent's attention had been elsewhere during that little exchange despite the fact that Kent was clearly smitten with Lane and tended to follow her everywhere. Kent probably wouldn't be too happy with what he thought of him, but he was a practical man, and Kent was a gift from the gods which had been dropped in his lap.

No, it wouldn't do to upset the goose that laid the golden eggs. And, if that particular goose wanted to write articles for the Daily Planet during his free time, he'd make sure that he'd damn well get paid for it and paid handsomely. It wasn't like that whole "Superhero" gig was making Kent any money.