"???" The pain that had wracked his body for the last several days (Or was it weeks? Maybe months? He couldn't remember a time when the soreness and throbbing hadn't been present) was not what woke him up out of his fitful sleep, but rather the sound of a door creaking open somewhere in the pitch blackness. Try as he might his eyes refused to locate the source of the noise; that is, until his ears did it for him.
"The Boss says it's showtime!" came a menacing voice out of the dark oblivion.
The adrenaline that surged through his body sent his heart skyrocketing at the words and he quickly got himself up in a sitting position while scrambling to the nearest corner. It was his best chance for a defense, backing into that corner; it propped him up when his legs refused to do so and also prevented an attack from behind. He strained to hear the footsteps of his attacker (Attackers? He thought he heard multiple…), readying his fists like a boxer, when the first blow unexpectedly made contact with his stomach.
And another pummeling began.
Metropolis, May 16, 2007. An attractive young woman's heels echoed against the cool marble floor as she strolled to her employer's office. Knocking twice before throwing back the double doors she allowed herself to take in the scene before her; the corner office on the 25th floor had two walls of glass windows, and the great Metropolis skyline now framed the figure working away at the expansive oak desk.
"Yes, Jeanine?" he asked pleasantly without looking up from his work.
"Sir, you have a telephone call on line 1."
"And who is calling?"
"Well Sir, he wouldn't give his name. He said that you would want to speak to him, that he had a business proposition for you." The latter part of the statement caused him to perk up almost imperceptibly.
"Thank you, Jeanine, I'll take the call this time," he said with a sigh as she backed out of his office, closing the doors behind her. Grabbing a fresh pad of paper and a pen he took a deep breath before picking up the phone and pushing the blinking red light.
"Hello?"
"Hello…" came a raspy voice on the other end of the line.
Daily Planet, May 16, 2007. Lois' life had been crumbling apart since that fateful dinner date with Richard. They met a few times in the weeks following the decision, explaining the situation to Jason and coming to the agreement that they would sell the house. It was two weeks after the dinner that Richard came over to collect the last of his belongings, and that was when she finally gave him back his ring.
"I don't think I'll ever stop loving you," he told her as his fingers closed over what had once been a token of their affection.
She recalled similar words spoken to her nights before by the man she truly loved, and her shoulders heaved under a sob as she responded, "I know…but you need to be loved by someone who will love you just as much in return, and I…I…I just can't do that. I'm sorry."
That exchange had been on re-play in her head ever since. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and there were dark circles underneath from lack of sleep. Once Richard left she moved down the hall into the guest room; sleeping in the master bedroom without him seemed like such a mockery of their relationship that she just couldn't do it anymore. In the meantime Lois continued to search for an apartment for her and Jason but she had yet to meet with any success. Clark, ever the good friend, had offered up his place to the pair of them if she ever felt really uncomfortable at her house or if she hadn't found a place after it was sold, but she didn't think it necessary. He'd been so good, watching Jason for her in the bullpen when she stayed late researching or typing up a story, and that was a big help in and of itself.
She glanced over at the desk across the way from hers and noted Clark's absence. Perhaps Perry already sent him out on assignment? Oh well, it's all for the best…I'm in no shape to work well with a partner these days anyway, she thought to herself before her Editor broke her out of her reverie.
"LANE! My office!" he yelled out the door to her.
She sprang up out of the chair and scrambled for her notepad. "Coming, Chief!"
She scuttled into Perry's office in a manner more befitting Jimmy Olsen than Mad Dog Lane and quietly closed the door behind her.
"So how're you holdin' up?" he asked in a less-than-professional tone. Perry always had a fondness for Lois, like a father would for a daughter he suspected (though he'd never had any children of his own), but he rarely let it show around the office. His nephew had informed him of their split before taking off for…well, he wasn't quite sure where Richard was these days, but he had been keeping an eye on Lois ever since.
"I'm fine," she replied as casually as she could muster.
"Lois, don't bull-shit a bull-shitter," he dead-panned.
"Perry, I'm…I…I've…I've been better. I just need to work, to stay active, keep my mind off things, you know?"
"I know, and that's why I've got an assignment for you." She looked back at him with a silent but grateful expression on her tired face. "As you know, the 'Get to Know Your Planet' segment we've been running has been doing a piece a month on a member of it's staff, and this month is Clark Kent's turn," he paused to see her reaction and got none. "I want you to write it Lois, bring him and his work back to the attention of the readers. We should've done it sooner, but what with Luthor's mess and the clean-up efforts, we just never got around to it. That's what I want from you, Lane; a nice write-up on Kent, by Monday."
The old indignant Lois shot up out of her chair. "But, Chief, you can't be serious?! You want me to do the write-up on Smallville? What's there to write about? He's from a farm, he's worked here before, he went on a trek around the globe and now he's back! Chief, Jimmy could write a piece on Clark Kent, and Jimmy's not even a journalist! Why are you wasting my time and talent on a fluff piece?" She stood up from her seat with hands on Perry's desk, attempting to impose her will on her boss. Despite being friends with the subject of the piece Lois thought Perry could find a better use for her Pulitzer Prize winning writing.
"Lois, I wouldn't let Jimmy write a Planet article if he were the last employee in the building and I DON'T want a puff piece; that's why I want you, one of my best investigative reporters to work on it. It's what, about lunchtime, right? Ok, so you've got four and a half days to get the scoop on Kent. The citizens of Metropolis need a good human interest story now, Lois; after all the doom and gloom from the repercussions of Luthor's last attempt on the City I'd have thought you more than anybody would have seen that. If the people have to read about another Metropolis Disaster Relief corruption scandal…" he let out a sigh as his own frustration as the City's situation seeped through.
"Alright, but if I'm going to get the scoop on Kent I need to go incognito…I'm betting they don't call it Smallville for nothing."
Perry sat back at his desk and listened to her propositions, raising an eyebrow only when she arrived at her final point.
"You want me to take care of Jason? What do you expect me to do with a five year old?"
"You're hisUncle, Perry! Besides, you didn't give me much notice for this out-of-town assignment and it's not like I can just call a babysitter over for four days. I'm sure you'll think of something, Chief…" she gave him a sly smile, knowing that she had him cornered, before turning around and heading out of the office. "And call my cell when you have that flight information!" she called out before the doors swung shut. Those in the bullpen looked over and saw Perry opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, as he realized he'd just been shanghaied into babysitting duty until Sunday evening.
Lois, meanwhile, strode back to her desk to collect her personal belongings before heading home to pack for Kansas.