Title: Lois Lane: Beginnings
Author: Nadia Mack
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing
Timeline: Post-Commencement, End of summer 2005
Summary: Three-Part Story. Beginnings, New Heights and Converge.
Author's Notes: Corny title, I know. But I needed something simplistic, not complicated. This has been swerving in my head for a while, and so I thought to finally commit it to paper. This is sort of a mini-series that takes place after the events of Commencement. I'm posting this here even though the first two parts is a Lois story and the CLOIS part in it doesn't come in until Converge. I kind of needed the buildup, ya know.

The day Clark Kent had returned is the day that she left.

Lois Lane had spent the summer helping Martha and Jonathan Kent get back on their feet after the tragic events of the second meteor shower that hit Smallville, Kansas twice in one generation.

She had gone against her father's wishes to go to Europe to find her younger sister Lucy after the meteor's hit. Lois knew that Lucy would be all right for the time being and that she was needed in Smallville.

Truth is, he wanted no daughter of his in ground zero, but despite their differences, Lois is her father's daughter and she won out in the end.

It caused their relationship to falter even more than it already has.

Fortunately for Lois, she had no regrets.

- On a United Flight 747 to Tokyo, Japan -

As soon as the plane was securely in the air, Lois took out her laptop and activated her wireless nic card. Moving the cursor to an AOL Instant Messaging icon, she clicked it open and logged in, hoping to catch her cousin, Chloe Sullivan online.

Lane: Chloe?
Sullivan: Lois… where are you?
Lane: In the air
Sullivan: What? I thought your flight didn't leave for another 2 days?
Lane: Change of plans
Sullivan: Did you know that Clark is back?
Lane: Yes
Sullivan: Why didn't you see him, he's been asking about you?
Lane: I was in a hurry
Sullivan: I wish you didn't leave so quickly
Lane: Sorry cuz, I have my reasons
Sullivan: You could've least said bye
Lane: Bye
Sullivan: Lois!
Lane: Sorry, j/k. Look, I can't explain, but I can't be there right now, as much as the place have grown on me, I needed to leave
Sullivan: When will you be back?
Lane: I don't know

Lois looked up from her screen and noticed that seat belt light blink on. She looked around herself and so people adjusting their areas and felt the movement of some rough turbulence.

Lane: Gotta go, cuz. Flight attendant's giving me a mean eye. I'll call you when I land, I promise. Love ya.
Sullivan: Love you too. Take care of yourself.
Lane: I will bye
Sullivan: Bye

Lois closed the application and put her screen on sleep mode before closing it shut and stuffing it in its bag. She leaned back and took a deep breath, her hand covering her belt making sure that it's securely fastened.

A week later...

"You shouldn't have come here!" the young girl yelled.

"Lucy!" Lois stood steadfast, her voice rose.

"How the hell did you find me anyway?" her younger sister spat out angrily. She was really testing Lois' patience and tolerance.

"Doesn't matter how I found you, Luce. This has to end"

"Just leave me alone, I don't need you. I've been doing fine on my own"

"Right," Lois mocked disappointedly. "Look at yourself, Luce. What happened to you? You had a lot going for you, and instead of making something out of yourself, you're here, alone and without any cash. How long do you think you're going to survive doing this?"

"ME!" she began to yell again. "What about you? It's not like you're doing any better," Lucy lashed out bitterly.

"I don't need you, Lois"

"Apparently not"

Her baby sister's words hit her hard. For three months, she has spent trying to comprehend everything that had happened in Smallville when the meteors hit, watching the devastation around her, with her eyes unable to break away… the destruction, the senseless loss of innocent people. She woke many up nights hoping it had all been a nightmare.

But it wasn't.

It was real.

And she felt absolutely helpless.

It didn't end there.

She guessed that's why she's in Tokyo right now, trying her best to understand her sister's motivation, but she could find none. She was angry and tired, angry that she thought so little of herself for most of her life and tired that she didn't have the strength to change it.

When the day ended, Lois was left alone once again. Lucy had skipped out sometime during dinner. Unbeknownst to the younger sibling, Lois knew. She knew that letting her go now was the only thing she could do for her, and when Lucy was ready, she'll call her.

Sadly, she knew if Lucy called her, it'd be to get her out of yet another jam.

The thought saddened her.

- Fall of 2005 – Wales, England -

Lois Lane actually got herself in a course she was sure her cousin Chloe would be proud of. Frankly, she needed something to do with her time in England other than working all day, so she enrolled herself in a local community college, taking up entry-level writing in Journalism.

She made a point not to tell Chloe about it in their weekly chats. Last thing she needed right now is her enthusiasm over the subject whereas Lois really didn't care.

"All right, everyone!" the professor voiced out to his outgoing students. "Your papers are due next Monday," he reminded everybody as they all exited.

Lois was the last one to leave.

"Miss Lane," Professor Dela Vega called out.

She stops in her tracks and turns around.

"Yes"
"Miss Lane, if you don't mind I asking, is there any reason why you find my class to be a complete bore?"

Lois was a bit taken aback by the observation. She had hoped she didn't look that obvious. She knew she shouldn't have fallen asleep the other day.

"Excuse me?"

"I read your paper from the previous assignment," he says.

Lois shifted a bit uneasily. "I can explain that," she says in a defense she didn't know what she was defending herself about. "I had this one problem…"

"I read it, Miss Lane. If there were any problems, I'd know," he interrupted.

She looks oddly at the man who looked not-so-bad in his early fifties. "Wait… did you say 'if' there were problems?"

His face remained indifferent. "Aside from a couple of spelling errors, I thought it was rather good"

"Good." Good's good she thought.

"Of course, it can be better," he added. He gestures to chair. "Please, sit." Lois did was she was told, and that sort of thing doesn't happen all that often.

"What is this about?" Lois began wondering curiously. She didn't recall him calling in any other students before or maybe she was just not paying attention.

"I've been watching you," he revealed.

She wished he didn't. "Okay. Ew," she remarked.

The professor gives her a low chuckle. "I have an assignment for you"

Lois raised her eyebrows. "You do?"

He nodded. "Here," he says, handing her a file.

She reluctantly takes it. "What do you want me to do with it?"

"Report," he simply answered.

Lois laughs. "Uh… yeah, right. I think you've got the wrong girl"

"Leave the judging to me, Miss Lane"

"This isn't part of the syllabus," she argued. She really didn't want to be wandering around town trying to find a story she had no interest in. It's like The Torch all over again, but in a different continent and a different editor.

"It is now"

"That isn't fair; I don't have time for this"

"Make time, Miss Lane or fail my class," he threatened in a very proper and almost sympathetic way.

"You can't do that"

"Time will tell that, now won't it"

Lois stands up, obviously upset and barges out of the class room. In the corner of the room, another older man steps out, a professor himself.

"A little young for you, don't you think Dela Vega?" he approached in amusement.

Professor Dela Vega smiles himself. "She has potential Andrew but she lacks motivation"

"So you're taking it upon yourself to be her mentor"

"I see greatness in her," he admits.

Andrew puts his hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Then I will be here to help you if you need it, old friend"

- 3 Months Later -

Having brunch outside on a bright sunny day, Lois and her Professor were having a nice cup of tea. Actually, he was having the tea and she was filling up on her daily caffeine fix.

"Take a look," the Professor says, tapping on a section of the newspaper with his finger.

She looks at it and is momentarily shocked. "What? No way!" Lois says her face a picture of disbelief. She grabs the newspaper. "That's me. I mean… that's my article."

Professor Dela Vega continued to look at her with indifference.

She put the paper down and went about with her coffee. "All right, not so great," she concluded based on her professor's obvious somber expression.

"No, you did a great job, Lois. I'm very proud of you," he assured, lifting his cup to take another sip of his fine English tea.

"Then what's wrong? Isn't this what you wanted from me?" Lois asks confused. For three months, distinguished Professor Dela Vega has taken her under his wing, teaching her the ins and outs of journalism.

"You're honest and you're passionate," he says.

"But…" she knew there was one.

"But your purpose, your ambition is absent. This…" he says lifting her article before her. "… Is a good article." When he has her undivided attention, he explains further. "I know you can do better"

"So you keep saying," she responds, a little irritated by his constant scrutiny. "You're asking a lot from me," she added looking defeated.

"You have to find your stories, Lois. You can't always depend on someone giving it to you. It's a good article, but its child's play"

"Well then you might have to check your roster again, because last I remember, I'm not majoring in Journalism!" she argued defiantly with him. Their relationship is becoming just like the one with her father, The General, except she actually enjoys The Professor's company.

"Maybe you should," he smoothly suggested.

"I mean… excuse me what?" She might have to get her ears checked, that last few months has been a whirlwind for her.

Professor Dela Vega looked serious.

"You can't be serious"

"Why not… You have the gift"

She laughs it off. "The only gift in me is the one I find in a place that starts with an 'm' and ends with 'all.' Professor, you're wasting your time with me when there are worthier people out there"

"Is that so?" he says unconvinced. He looks away from her and spots a beautiful two story building. "See that resident building over there?" he points out.

Lois follows his gaze and nods. "Yeah," she uttered warily. She can already see where this was going.

"Wave to me from one of those windows," he lightly ordered.

"You've got to be kidding me." When he didn't say anything, she quickly stood up. "Okay, okay… jeez. Wouldn't hurt you to smile once in a while"

"You have ten minutes," he added. "Good luck"

Lois sighed.

Just as he expected, Lois was up and looking through the window acting as a guest in the old woman's apartment with her own cup of tea in her hands. He shook his head in great amusement, and she didn't even need 10 minutes. He smiled.

- 6 Months Later -

"I can't believe this," Lois says to no one in particular as she read the document in her hand over and over and over again. "I got in"

She read it again.

Dear Lois Lane,

Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of California, Los Angeles.

She still couldn't believe it.

My very best wishes to you for a successful collegiate experience, and I sincerely hope you will be joining us here at UCLA in the fall.

She put the letter down and took an incredibly deep breath. A few seconds went by when she felt a warm hand rest above her shoulder.

"Congratulations"

Lois spun and around and jumped in his arms with excitement. "Professor, I got in!" she says excitedly before letting him go in one piece and putting her hand to her forehead. "I really got in." The words were incredibly foreign to her yet incredibly satisfying.

"You've worked hard this year. You actually paid attention in class"

She smiles sheepishly. "Couldn't help it, you kept threatening to fail me"

"Only as a last resort"

"That was it?"

He shrugged. "It worked didn't it"

After a moment, Lois worked up the courage to say, "Thank You."

"You're welcome"

She took a deep breath and smiled. One hurdle down, one more to go.

Tuition

That's going to be a doozy.

"Is there something troubling you?" he noticed.

"No, it's just… I was just thinking over my options in regards to the tuition"

"That's already been taken cared of"

Lois is taken aback. Professor has done a lot to get her where she was, she wasn't going to allow him to do everything for her.

"I won't take it"

"I'm not giving it to you, Lois, you're going to earn your tuition," he explained.

She returns it with a blank expression. "Huh?"

"I made a few calls, asked a few favors and there's an opening," he continued to explain. "The Los Angeles Times staff is going under a… reorganization phase. It'll do you some good to get some official non-freelancing experience"

Lois was dumbstruck.

"You may even meet a nice fella and bring him over for tea some time, perhaps that Kent boy you speak rarely about"

She scoffs, slightly amused. Sometimes she wished he wasn't so darn attentive. Her face quickly softens. "I don't know what to say"

"Always be honest, it's all I ask." Lois' eyes begin to glisten with tears as he continued. "Watch them, Lois. See all the right and all the wrong that they do, so you can make yourself better. We're not perfect… far from it actually, but there are people in this world that strive for a better place. Some of that ambition can be dangerous and I want you to be aware; I do not want you to falter. I want you to believe"

Lois smiled graciously.

This was it.