Background: Set at the beginning of Season 5. Goes A/U but refers back to events of Season 5.
Total Clois, no Clana Drama J

Flammable

Prologue.

Lois knew it was a bad idea. Chloe had warned her it was a bad idea, but she needed to talk to him and this was the perfect chance with everyone else at the barn raising. She walked the first few steps up to the loft when she heard heavy breathing and the odd groan coming from the loft. The realisation dawned and she was going to turn around and leave but a half dressed and rather dishevelled Clark peered over the bannister with a dazed and slightly annoyed look at his face.

"Lois, I thought you were still in Switzerland. What happened?" He asked confused.

"I just got back and needed to talk to you, but you know what… maybe it can wait." She was bright red and about to turn around when something stopped her. "Smallville, to be honest I need to speak to you."

Lana suddenly appeared and snapped. "Lois, we are obviously bit busy. Can you talk later?"

"Yeah, can it wait?" Clark asked, his growing embarrassment obvious.

"Ok, see you later… much later." Lois stuttered as tears started to form in her eyes.

Clark felt a pang of guilt as he noticed a tear rolling down Lois's cheek. He looked at Lana for permission to follow but it never came.

"Lana, do you mind?" Clark asked like an obedient puppy.

Lois could hear her response "Look Clark if you go after her, I am going home."

"Please don't! Just give me a few minutes. She obviously needs to talk." He made a snap decision.

"Look.. wait here."

Clark got to the barn door just as he saw Lois climb in her car. He tried to wave her down as she drove past him in an erratic fashion.

He realised he could not follow her so was about to call her on her cell, but was distracted by stomping footsteps on the gravel. He turned to see his livid girlfriend coming towards him. "Give me a call when you are free from distractions."

Clark felt annoyed at that comment. "What do you mean? I did not ask Lois to interrupt us. She is a friend and she needed to talk. "

"Well, maybe you should work out who is more important – your girlfriend, or barely a friend who you cannot bear to be in the same room as most of the time. You definitely need to re-assess your priorities."

"Lana, what is wrong with you. You have been like this since the meteor shower."

"Let me guess. If you had been kidnapped by aliens, then maybe you would understand. I mean where were you when the meteors hit?" She probed him.

"I have told you that I cannot remember. I work up under a pile of rubble and was obviously knocked out. I would have been with you if I could."

After five minutes of rowing over Lana's claims that he did not care and had no idea what she had gone through, they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Clark's cell. He looked to see Lois's name on the screen. "I need to take this."

Lana glared at him. "You have made your choice now. Call me when you decide where your priorities lie." She stormed off to her car and drove off.

Clark did not bother to protest and answered his phone. "Hi Lois."

"Can you talk?" Lois sobbed.

"Lois, come back to the farm. I am alone." Clark said quietly.

She hung up and turned her car around, and headed back to what was left of the Kent Farm after the explosion.

Clark walked over when she pulled up. He opened the door and helped her out. Before he could say anything, she hugged him tightly. "I don't know who else to talk to. I need your help, Clark…"

Lois did not speak for a few moments, continuing to cling to him for dear life. He needed to get to the bottom of what was wrong. He pulled himself gently away from her, her tears evident from the mascara smeared down her cheeks.

"Lois, what is it?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"I am sorry for disturbing you and Lana before." She whimpered.

"Lois, that's not important right now. Tell me what is wrong and then maybe I can help." Clark signalled for her to sit down and then took a seat next to her on the loft sofa. As she was placing her hands on her knees, her jumper sleeves rose up, showing off some very recent red marks and bruises around one of her wrist.

He gently took her hold of her other wrist and held it up so the sleeve fell back further. "What the hell happened? Who did this to you?" He asked; the anger evident in his voice.

She took a deep breath, leaving her hand in his. "Can I start at the beginning?" She asked.

"I'm listening, Lois."

"I met the General as planned in Geneva as we had heard that Lucy had turned up at her boarding school to continue her studies. It was very odd, as I was expecting him to be angry with Lucy over her theft of the $50,000 dollars from Lex, but on the contrary he would not believe that Lucy was to blame. He felt that Marcus Becker must have coerced her and threatened her if she did not cooperate with the extortion plan. I tried to explain that Lucy was a willing participant but as usual he sided with her. He even believed her story about her giving the money to the local children's charity to make amends."

"How can you be sure that she didn't?" Clark asked, playing devil's advocate and hoping he would not live to regret it.

"Believe me, I could see in a second by what she was wearing that the only donation she had made was to the local Prada, Gucci and Armani shops. But the General could not see this and defended her the whole time."

Clark wanted to find out about her bruises so pushed her for more information. " So how did this lead to bruises?"

Lois looked at him. "I will get to that. So, Lucy and I did not see eye to eye for the whole week, and the General spent most of the time acting as referee. Anyway on the last day, I stormed off into town after a particularly bad morning with Lucy. I just happened to say that she was lucky that the Swiss-US extradition treaty was not more stringently enforced. What makes me really angry is that she came into my life in Smallville and took advantage of all my friendships to rip off Lex. Not once did she show any remorse or apologise."

"Anyway I was sitting having a coffee in town when this man sat down opposite me. I asked what he wanted but he said nothing, only raising his newspaper to reveal a gun. He made it very obvious that I was to go with him, so I did. He took me to a disused building. Next thing I remember was blacking out; it turns out that I had been hit over the head by his accomplice. When I came to, I was tied to chair, hence the rope marks."

"Who was he? Let's call the police. Did you escape?" Clark fired question at her, desperate to find out.

"I never found out his name or the other man's. They let me go with strict instructions. I had to return to Smallville and get Lex to 'donate' $10 million to an anonymous account in Switzerland, or they will kill Lucy." She faltered with the realisation of what could happen to her sister.

"Do they have Lucy now? What about the General?" Clark asked.

"No, but they are constantly following her. They are obviously linked to Becker and feel I can finish the job that Lucy couldn't. I saw them in the distance watching us on several occasions. I could not let on to the General and Lucy. The General left the same time as me."

"So how are you going to get money out of Lex? He is not exactly going to willingly give you that much money, or any money for that matter." Clark was puzzled.

Lois turned herself around; she seemed calmer and the tears had dried up. "That's where you came in. These men had obviously done their homework. When I asked how I was supposed to get that amount of money, they said that I was to ask you to help me. They knew all about your history with Lex and they knew that you were one of the few people he trusted."

Clark looked concerned. "Lois, even if their information was in date, which obviously it isn't as I am not on Lex's Christmas card list anymore, he is not going to give us $10 never mind $10 million."

Lois started to cry again. "Clark, I know that, but you are the only chance I have to save my sister. Will you go and talk to him?"

Clark knew that would be the last thing to do as Lex could start to stir up trouble and that could make the situation far worse.

"Lois, it won't work. Asking Lex could put Lucy in danger further. How about asking your father?"

Lois shook her head furiously. "They said any sign of his involvement would result in Lucy being killed. I cannot risk it!"

Clark sat for a few moments. "What do they expect you to do next?"

"They said I had to be back in Switzerland by tomorrow with an update on the situation. They have given me 7 days to get the money wired but want me back so they can keep an eye on me. We have a problem too. I had an escort on the plane and he has been tailing me since I got off the plane. He does not know I am on to him."

"So, let's go and see Lex as they would expect us to do."

Clark grabbed her hand and led her down to her car. "I'll drive."

"No, Smallville. I may be upset, but I am not willing to re-enact Driving Miss Daisy. We need to take decisive action." She managed a small smile at that thought.

They drove off towards the mansion. "So, what are we going to say to Lex?"

"I have an idea." Clark replied. "But to be honest, I don't think we will have to put it into action as there is no way Lex will let me in the mansion. He told me in no uncertain terms that I was not welcome there anymore. As long as we get out of sight and park around the back car park, the man will have no idea that we did not see Lex."

Clark was right. As expected, the security man told them that Lex did not wish to see them. Lois feigned a fainting to stall their departure from the mansion for half an hour.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked.

"What time are we leaving for Switzerland?" he asked.

"We… No, Clark… I am not willing to risk your life too. I will go by myself and you can ask Chloe for help on tracing these men from this end. I will stall them." Lois explained.

Clark nodded in agreement. They soon pulled up at the barn. "Lois, can you give me a moment? I have to get something and then I will drive you to the airport."

He ran in and soon returned. Half an hour later, they were entering the airport. "It is lucky that you left your luggage at Geneva." He smiled. "I never thought I would see the day when you would be travelling light."

"I am sorry to come between you and Lana. It was a little embarrassing with me being the cause of your 'coitus interruptus.' She smirked.

Clark went red and became defensive. "Lois, don't be stupid. We were just hanging out."

"Is that what it is called these days? Well anyway, whatever it was, you can get back to it when I am out of your hair." She replied.

"Pity that won't be for a while." He said as he strode up to the Metro-Air desk. "I would like to book a return flight to Geneva please." He pulled out a bundle of $100 notes and his passport out of his back pocket.

Lois stood back and watched with her mouth wide open in shock. He approached her with a smile on his face and a ticket. "Lois, do you really think I was going to let you go back into the Lion's Den alone. I will not leave your side until this is sorted."

"Thank you so much, Clark. But how are you going to protect me?" she said as she hugged him tightly.

Clark wondered this too, considering he was now without any powers.

Lois and Clark sat in the departure lounge waiting for your flight. "Clark, I was just curious where you got all your cash from. You seem to be flashing it around like you have an endless supply."

"Don't worry I haven't stolen it." He made a joke of it. "My parents give me $5000 from the insurance pay-out on the house to buy some more clothes, as it seems not many survived from the meteor strike on the farm."

"$5000 will buy a lot of plaid." Lois smirked.

"Actually, I thought I might have a change. Doesn't Geneva have a load of shops?"

"Yes, it does but it is very expensive. Lucky for you, the dollar is very strong against the Swiss Franc at the moment." Lois replied. "Anyway we are not staying in Geneva. Before I left I booked a small holiday apartment overlooking the lake in Interlaken. Pity this stay is going to be stressful, as it is a beautifully romantic place to be and generally chill out."

"Romantic…. What have you got planned?" Clark joked. "You know I am spoken for, don't you?"

"Well actually I had to speak to you about that. Lucy is still lusting after you and spent the whole week going on about how cute you are. I think she will make a beeline for you."

Clark smiled. "Well we do need a reason for me coming to Switzerland with you. Did you tell her I was dating Lana?"

"No, because I only found out you two were back on when I got back yesterday. Why, what have you got planned?"

"I think your kidnappers will accept me returning with you, but I thought you could say to Lucy that you saw how lovely Switzerland and you thought it would be the perfect place for your boyfriend to re-coup after the stressful time from the meteor shower. Say someone you won some air-miles on the way back home and decided to be spontaneous and whisk me away back to Switzerland for a romantic break."

Lois was taken aback. "When and how… did you come up with such a convoluted story?"

"It could work!?" Clark queried.

"Yeah it could in theory but there are two problems - firstly we will not be convincing enough and secondly she will pursue you even more. She always liked to chase my boyfriends."

"We will just have to be convincing." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.

Clark suddenly felt Lois's breath on his ear, she was nuzzling into his neck. "The man is here. " she whispered gently in his ear. "Don't look now but he has taken a seat on the right side of the bar."

Clark nodded slightly to let her know he had heard.

They were interrupted by a boarding call. He stood up and held his hand out. "Let's go." He smiled at her, with his gorgeous hazel eyes staring at her.

She smiled back, and felt something very funny. If she did not know any better she would have said it was a slight nervousness in her stomach. But she did know better and pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She grabbed his hand.

Fifteen minutes later, they were settled in their seats. Luckily the plane was only two thirds full which meant they had managed to secure a group of three seats to themselves. Lois spotted the man coming up the stairs at the front of the plane and hoped he would not end up sitting near them. He finally settled about four rows behind them.

It was a twelve hour flight from Metropolis to Geneva, so they were due to land about 10am, so Lois decided she would try and grab some sleep. Although not before her and Clark had a chance to discuss what to tell his parents and even Lana.

"Will your parents be mad?" She asked quietly, making sure they would not be overheard by the man.

"When we get to our apartment, I will contact Chloe as we have a secured line that no-one can tap." He explained.

Lois looked puzzled. "Why on earth do you have a secure connection with Chloe?"

"You know what Chloe is like and we have come into contact with a higher than average amount of Meteor Infected Psychopaths, so we think of it as a safety net. Anyway she might be able to find out about these men who are threatening you and Lucy. She can also break the news to my parents."

"She had better go and see Lana as well." Lois explained.

"No, I don't want her to know, Lo. I cannot trust her not to get involved and let slip to Lex about what is going on." He explained.

"So you don't trust your girlfriend." She questioned him.

"No, to be honest, sometimes I don't." He knew deep down that if he had trusted Lana 100% he would have told her about his secret, however something had always held him back from doing so.

Lois decided not to further this conversation. She was starting to drift off….

Clark watched Lois sleep; her face was so peaceful in stark contrast to how she had been back at the barn. She had her head rested on his shoulder. He did not want to wake her by moving so decide to try and see if he could get some shut-eye too.

"Clark… Clark… " He heard Lois calling him. "Do you want something to eat?"

He opened his eyes and he took a few moments to recollect where he was and what was happening. Ever since Jor-el had taken his powers from him, he seemed to need 8 hours sleep a night to function.

"What time is it?" He said looking at his watch before realising the crossing of time zones was making it too difficult to work out what the actual time was.

"We land in 2 hours or so. You have been asleep for about 7 hours. You must have needed it." Lois smiled. "Have some wine!" she poured him a drink from the small bottle she had. "Remember we can legally drink in Europe."

"God help us." He replied with a grin. "I am not going to play nurse-maid for you."

"Pity, I think you would look quite cute in that outfit. Anyway we have much more important things to worry about. I wonder if we can shake off that man."

"If you let me drive the hire car, then we could get rid of him easily." Clark boasted.

"You are not driving. I have already booked it in my name with no additional drivers, so forget it. It is a 150 mile drive so we may just lose him anyway."

"Ok, you're the boss." He replied taking a sip from his wine. He had not had alcohol so was curious as to how it would affect him.

Before long they were making the descent into Geneva…