Close Encounters

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Smallville, Superman, etc. Just borrowing the characters and story for a while to play with my imagination. I also own none of the songs I use/reference in this story. For fun, not for profit.

Author: Beth aka SmallRozfan

Rating: PG13 (but probably will be more towards the PG)

Pairing: Young CLois (naturally)

Summary: This fic is set over the summer between seasons 2 and 3 when Clark, going by Kal due to his influence with red K, is running amok in Metropolis. During that time, he meets Lois.

A/N: Yes, I know there have been several stories set during this time but I haven't read but maybe one of them. I wanted one that I felt would blend into the story of Smallville and give us a glimpse of what CLois would become. I hope I can do this justice and it feel like a possibility. It will only be three chapters, with a possible epilogue, but I expect them to be pretty long, especially for me. This first part was 20 pages in Word. Most of my chapters/parts are around 5 or 6. I was inspired by the song "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt. Played with the ages just slightly since Clark could drive, I went with the age 16 and since Lois is generally accepted as being a year older, she's 17 here, but only just. I went back and did research from the following episodes: Exodus (season 2), Exile (season 3), Nemesis (season 6), and Prototype (season 6).

Lyrics for "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt (Inspiration for the fic and for this first part. This is the clean version.)

My life is brilliant.

My life is brilliant.

My love is pure.

I saw an angel.

Of that I'm sure.

She smiled at me on the subway.

She was with another man,

But I won't lose no sleep on that

'Cause I got a plan.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.

You're beautiful it's true.

I saw your face

In a crowded place,

And I don't know what to do

'Cause I'll never be with you.

Yeah, she caught my eye

As we walked on by.

She could see by my face that I was flying high.

And I don't think that I will see her again,

But we shared a moment that will last to the end.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.

You're beautiful it's true.

I saw your face

In a crowded place,

And I don't know what to do

'Cause I'll never be with you.

You're beautiful. You're beautiful.

You're beautiful it's true.

There must be an angel with a smile on her face,

When she thought up that I should be with you.

But it's time to face the truth,

I will never be with you.

Chapter 1 – First Contact

If you ask them about the first time they met, he'll blush a deep crimson and she will smirk. She will give him a teasing smile and a nudge, waiting for him to begin. He'll clear his throat a couple of times and push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Well, that's kind of a long story," he would stutter, trying to dissuade the topic from being visited.

"No, it's not. I was on my way to his home town where my cousin was living and it was storming…" she would begin.

"And we met there," he would interrupt, trying to leave out the embarrassing details…which of course she would relish in telling yet again.

Smoothly ignoring his interruption, she would pick up where she left off. "I was driving along and suddenly there was a big flash of lightning and I ran my car off the road into a corn field…"

He would sigh and call her name softly to ask her to stop there, but she always finishes the story the same way. "And there he was, naked as a jay bird (or "in his birthday suit", or "completely naked", or "in all his nude glory", or some other such line)." At your surprised and questioning look, she'll smile and say, "He was struck by lightning, you understand. Blew his clothes and his mind. Couldn't remember a thing about himself…not even that he was one of the most modest people in the world." She'll laugh and he'll give an embarrassed chuckle.

If you ask them, that's how they'll tell you they met. But the truth is, Lois Lane and Clark Kent met almost two years earlier than that, in Metropolis. They just don't remember.

* * * * * * * * Flashback * * * * * * * *

Metropolis, Evening, Early Summer 2003

Clark jerked awake as the el (elevated train) came to an abrupt stop. Taking a deep breath and stretching, he looked at his watch. 9:35 pm. He had been riding for the past 6 hours, sleeping fitfully for at least 4 of them. Looking around, he caught the eye of a rather ripe-looking man standing across the car from him who could have been anywhere from 55 to 85, so hard was it to tell under all the dirt and grime. The man flashed a smile that spoke volumes of his life's dental care, or lack thereof. Clark raised an eyebrow and looked away, yawning.

As the car exchanged passengers, the runaway teen looked around, trying to decide whether to get off or not, but not really caring either way. The decision was taken out of his hands as he continued to stall and the train lurched forward yet again. Sitting back, he slouched and tried to make himself comfortable as a rattling racket came towards him.

The vagrant was making his way over, trying to maneuver a rickety shopping cart full of junk across the car to where Clark was sitting. As the man dropped heavily into a seat one over from Clark, the teen caught his breath at the stench coming off of him. His eyes watered and he slid as far over as he could get towards the window and away from the unwelcome companion.

"Hey!" the man said gruffly but warmly. "You gettin' off at the next stop?" When Clark shrugged noncommittally, he grunted. "I'll pay you a dolla' to help me get my cart off at the next stop." Clark's gaze went to his and he just raised an eyebrow, holding his breath at the smell. Chuckling the man said, "Ok, ok five dollas."

Shrugging, Clark stood as the train started to slow. "Sure, why not?"

Between the two of them, they were able to get the cart off the train, and Clark was just going to leave the vagrant there with his cart until he noticed that the man was pushing the cart towards the stairs and the escalator. Sighing audibly, the teen snatched up the cart and without breaking a sweat, carried it up the stairs, the owner trailing a long behind him, huffing and puffing all the way. At the top of the stairs, Clark let it drop to the ground carelessly, the contents rattling inside.

"Hey! Be careful with my stuff, boy! It may not look like much to you, but it's all I got, you show off."

Clark mumbled a halfhearted apology before turning to go on his way. His dirty companion grabbed hold of his sleeve before he could leave, but quickly removed his hand at the look that Clark gave him. Flashing him another toothless grin, the man held out a five dollar bill. "Donchya want your money?" As the teen reached for it however, the man drew his hand back and got out the other one for Clark to shake. "Name's Franklin Cooper, but everybody calls me 'Coop'."

"Well, Coop, thanks for the money," Clark replied with a smirk. Snatching the money out of the man's hand he stuffed it in his pocket and tried again to walk away, but again the man grabbed hold of his sleeve.

"Would you do me another favor, son?" When Clark tilted his head, the man continued. "Buy me a burger from that place across the street. I'd get it myself, but they won't let me in there anymore... they say I scare the kids."

Clark looked down at the man's hand that was outstretched and holding another two dollars. His parents' lifetime of training battled with the red K induced personality. He really just wanted to walk away, and he would have if he had had something better to do. But since he had no plans, and no real inclination to do anything else, he shrugged, took the money, and walked quickly across the street to the fast food place.

Less than 10 minutes later, he dropped the man's hamburger, fries and his change into his hand. "There! Is there anything else?"

"You wanna sit over on that bench over there and eat with me?" He asked nodding at the bag of food in Clark's hand. "I hate to eat alone."

Clark came close to telling the older man to buzz off but he really didn't like eating alone either if he had a choice. So shrugging in answer, he made his way over to the bench Coop had indicated. Without looking to see if he had followed, the teen dug out his food and started eating. It had been a while since his last meal, Clark realized and the cheap fries were good and hot.

Chuckling, Coop struggled to talk around a mouth full of food. "Slow down, boy. Nobody's gonna take it away from you. You might actually wanna taste what yer eatin'." They ate in silence for a moment or two before Coop washed down a bite with a sip of soda. "You gotta name, son?"

Hesitating, Clark threw a glare at Coop. "Used to," he bit out begrudgingly.

"Huh!" Coop huffed with a slight indignant snort. "Well, no need to bite my head off! I was just tryin' to be neighborly!"

They again worked on their food in silence and Clark finished his as he tried to ignore his companion. Finally, he ground out, "You can call me 'Kal'."

"Well, Kal, you been in Metropolis long? Seem a little green to me," Coop told him with a grin.

The questions were starting to irritate Clark, but since he suspected that it was the kind of reaction that Coop was actually trying to get out of him, he shrugged, trying for nonchalance. "Not long. Maybe a couple of weeks." It had to have been no more than 10 or 11 days, but the teen saw no need to elaborate. In fact, the conversation was beginning to bore him.

Coop stood, supposedly to throw his trash in the waste bin but didn't retake his seat. Moving towards his cart, he nodded at Kal. "Well, the Y has a program where they'll let ya shower for free every other day and give a small breakfast between 5:30 and 7 in the mornin'. Ya might wanna take advantage of that, but they only let in a small number so you gotta get there early." At Clark's questioning look, the old man just grinned. "Yer startin' to smell, boy."

Clark was so surprised by the man's comment that he let out a short bark of laughter. Coop had started moving down the sidewalk, pushing his cart along with him. "Yeah, well, why don't you take your own advice, old man?" Clark called.

"Don't got anybody to watch my cart!" Coop called over his shoulder. "Welcome to Metropolis, Kal! Try not to get into too much trouble."

A Few Nights Later

Fort Avelson Military Base outside Metropolis Proper

Lois Lane unpacked her things while she waited for the line to be picked up on the other end of the phone. Finally, she heard a sleepy voice mumble, "'lo?"

"Hiya, Chlo!"

"Lois?" came the confused reply.

"Yup, it's me, your favorite cousin!" she chirped happily. Then she frowned. "Are you asleep already? Jeeze! What is country life doing to you?"

"I must have dozed off. I was working on an article…what time is it?" Chloe asked, sounding a little more awake. She yawned audibly and Lois heard some shuffling.

"It's about 2200 hours…" she grimaced to herself. "Sorry, that's 10 pm. Still plenty early to come out here and see me."

"See you? Lois, I thought you were somewhere in Europe. Where are you?"

"Au contraire, ma cousine," Lois answered in a perfect French accent. "I am currently unpacking mine and the General's junk at Fort Avelson."

Chloe squealed. "You're here? In Metropolis I mean? Why? When did you get in town? How long are you staying? Is Uncle Sam being stationed here?" she babbled happily. It had been ages since she'd seen Lois.

The older cousin laughed. "Chlo, slow down! Yes, I'm here in Metropolis. I got in town about an hour ago, I'm staying for the summer, and no, the General is not being stationed here…at least not permanently. He has some training classes he's being put in charge of for the summer and since he knew I'd want to see you, he graciously allowed me to come." Lois frowned at the pile of laundry that was on the floor.

"So what color is your hair now? Still Elvis black? Will I even recognize you?" Chloe asked.

"No, I haven't had that for ages now. I'm back to my natural dark brown for now," Lois told her, cradling the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she refolded some clothes to put them away. "But I've been seriously thinking of trying blond for a while, but I'm not sure yet."

"Blond? What color blond? Not platinum right?"

"Nah, nothing that drastic. Just a lighter brown with blond highlights on top of that…maybe a honey blonde," Lois said. "At least that's a semi-natural color. Dad blew a gasket when we got a picture of Lucy with cookie-monster blue hair."

"How is Lucy? Is she with you guys?"

Lois frowned and rolled her eyes at the thought of her younger sister, but tried to keep her tone light. "Nope. Another boarding school! This time in Switzerland." Not wanting to go down that road, she abruptly changed the subject. "But guess who I just found out is stationed here, at least temporarily?"

"Who?"

"Wes Keenan," Lois said softly in case the General came in unexpectedly.

Her tone, however, could not fool Chloe. "Wes? The Wes Keenan? As in the Wes Keenan…"

"Yes! The one and only," Lois interrupted quickly. Her cheeks grew hot at the thought of her friend.

She and Wes had met on this same base when she was only 12 and he was 15 going on 16. The General had asked Wes to keep an eye on her and while he resented it at first, he quickly came to realize that Lois was no ordinary 12 year old. They became good friends despite the age difference, but Lois had always had a crush on him. It almost broke her heart when he enlisted as soon as he turned 17 and was shipped out for training. Last year, they crossed paths again on a base in Germany. It was only for a weekend before she was again dragged off by the General to another base, but it had been enough for them to renew the friendship…and grow even closer. Now Lois couldn't wait to see him.

"Wow! You're just full of surprises, Lo! Have you seen him yet?" Chloe laughed.

"Not yet but…" There was a knock at the door and Lois quickly put her cousin on hold. "Yeah?" she yelled at the door.

"Lo, we have a visitor I think you should come out and meet," her father's voice gruffly called back.

She sighed. "Be right there!" She put the phone back to her ear and sighed again. "I gotta go, Chloe…been given my orders. What do you have going on tomorrow? You want to try and get together…have some fun?"

"Tomorrow! Omigod, Lo! I totally forgot! I shipped your present to the last address you gave me. It's supposed to be there tomorrow," Chloe cried.

Laughing, Lois rolled her eyes affectionately. "Don't sweat it, cuz. It'll get here, eventually. I don't really care about presents, it'd just be great to see you and celebrate the big day with you. You could show me around town, we could grab a bite to eat, you know whatever. I realize it's short notice but…"

"Lois Joanne Lane!" her father's voice boomed.

She grimaced before sputtering into the phone. "Really gotta go, Chlo. I'll call you first thing tomorrow."

Lois vaguely registered her cousin's goodbye before she hung up and flung the door open, hoping she looked presentable or the General would have her hide. She moved into the living room of the small apartment and glared at her father before the young man on the couch stood up and turned to face her. She froze in shock and then grinned and laughed, launching herself at the visitor. He caught her easily and returned her hug, lifting her off her feet and swinging her around as he chuckled.

"Wes!"

"I was beginning to wonder if you were coming out, Lo!" he teased before setting her back down on her feet. He set her away from him for a moment and looked her over, but kept his hands on her shoulders.

Lois flushed a little at his scrutiny but just grinned at him. "Man, it's good to see you!"

He laughed and chucked her under the chin. "It's good to see you too, squirt!" he told her.

"Squirt?" Hadn't they moved past that childhood nickname for her? I mean with everything that happened in Germany… When her smile dimmed a bit at his words, however, he just squeezed her shoulder ever so slightly with the hand that was still resting there. She searched his eyes and found a warm pleading there that made her smile brighten once more. Her eyes darted over him once and she appreciated the way his uniform looked on him.

"Found this young man wandering around by the mess hall," Sam told his daughter with a small smile. The warmth in his eyes, however, betrayed his gruff tone of his voice. "Since we hadn't eaten either and the kitchen was closed, I told him we would take pity on him and share our pizza."

Lois beamed at them both. "Great! It's not here yet, but I expect it to be any minute. Why don't we…" her voice trailed off as the doorbell rang. Wes' stomach growled as she moved to answer it and Lois laughed. "Guess we'd better hope that's the pizza now. Sounds like we've got a hungry bear in here!"

Next Evening

Kal smirked at the ease with which he had been able to get the food out of the vending machines. His stomach growled at the thought of the stash that was in his recently acquired knapsack, taken at super speed off a dummy in a store window display. As he popped the top of the soda in his hands, he glanced around for something to do, somewhere to go. Shrugging and without much thought to it, he headed back to the el.

Climbing on board, he was happy to see that it was pretty empty for this time of night, not that it was late but it was after rush hour. He dropped heavily into a seat by the window at the back of the car and slouched down. Pulling some cheese crackers and cream-filled cupcakes out of his bag, he sat back to eat and just watch the city roll by.

He didn't know why he seemed to find himself here night after night…well, not this specific train or this specific route, but on the el just the same. Maybe it was because he felt so restless. He had been riding the trains almost every night since he came to Metropolis. Maybe it helped him feel like he was going places. Because the truth is, he was sort of stuck in limbo. He didn't know where to go or what to do from here.

Clark Kent, for all intents and purposes, was dead. That life was over…he had made sure of it, hadn't he? So he couldn't go back to Smallville. The problem was that his new persona, this Kal, didn't exist either. He had no home, no family, no money, no friends, and no past. While it was getting easier to be this new person, he was also boring…so far.

The call of the red kryptonite to release his inner monsters was getting stronger as time went on. Kal was tired of sleeping on trains or in chairs in the back of the public library, and he was tired of showering every other day at the Y, if he made it in time to be allowed in, and he was tired of eating just the junk he could shake out of a vending machine. Not that the sugar and fat weren't giving him a real boost at times, but he wanted meat and potatoes again. The temptation to step up his game a bit was getting harder to ignore. He was lonely too, although he would never admit that to anyone.

Glancing up at the flashing sign that announced the next stop, he sighed. Stay on and sleep or get off and find something to do? He could go to the zoo again. It was no problem getting in, even after hours. As the train slowed, he picked up his bag but when the doors opened, quite a few people got on and he didn't feel like fighting them to get off. So sitting back in his seat, he again slouched down and passively glanced over the people that had gotten on.

Lois and Wes stood at the platform waiting for the train to come. When she pulled out a cigarette and put it in her mouth, he grimaced. "I thought you were going to quit that nasty habit!" he scolded her.

Rolling her eyes, she put the cigarette and lighter back in her purse and sighed. "So I haven't exactly quit, but I have cut back. You should be proud of me for that."

Wes arched his right eyebrow, drawing attention to the scar just above his eye. "Lois, you know how bad it is for you. You of all people with your mom's history…"

Sighing again, Lois snapped at him. "I know, ok? I'll quit…I will." Choosing to be satisfied by that, Wes decided to drop it.

"I can't believe that Chloe had to go home. It's still early and I haven't seen her in such a long time," Lois complained, but then grimaced. "That sounds like I don't care that she has a headache. I do, and I hope she's ok, but I've missed her and I feel like we don't get to see each other near enough."

Wes gave her a smile. "LoJo, you've got all summer to visit with Chloe," he reminded her, using his pet name for her he had come up with before he had enlisted. "Plus we spent all day together. I think she might have just gotten dehydrated."

The three young people had spent the day at the zoo, looking at the exhibits, eating junk and having a great time. The General had business he had to attend to, but didn't want his daughter to spend her birthday stuck on the base. He had given his permission for her to go out on the town with Chloe, with the stipulation that Wes would accompany the young ladies, and that suited Lois just fine. Even though she was a little hurt that her father would miss yet another birthday due to his duties, quite frankly Lois preferred the way it had worked out…especially since he had given her cash to fund the evening.

Lois grinned at him. "True, and that also means that we get to spend the rest of the evening alone…just the two of us." She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

Wes' eyes darted down the tracks as he gave half a laugh. "Oh, look! Train's coming!"

There were others on the platform waiting for the train and everyone started moving closer to the edge, although there was really no rush. As the doors to the train opened, Lois and Wes moved to the side of the doors to let passengers off before boarding themselves. They had purposely chosen the back end of the train, hoping it would be less of a fight to get on and off. Choosing seats that were against the side of the train, they plopped down and waited for the train to start moving.

They looked around the car in silence for a few minutes. Noticing a sign across the way from them, Lois read it out loud. "Have you seen me? Clark Kent, missing May. We love and miss him. If you have any information, please call…That is so sad. His parents must be worried sick," she thought aloud. Then she took a deep breath and nudged her companion. "Not that you could tell much from that picture, even if you'd want to help keep an eye out for him."

Wes looked to the poster and shook his head. "I think they tried to blow up an already bad picture. You can't even tell how old he is. He could be 12 or 20." Looking back at Lois, he noticed that she looked like she was about to say something he might not want to hear. "So where do you want to go? Are you hungry? We can get some food."

Biting the corner of her lip, she pulled a flyer out of her pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to him. "That's where I want to go, but we should probably eat first."

"Atlantis?" Wes read confused. Then as he kept reading his eyes shot to hers, wide with disbelief. "A night club? You want me to take you to a night club?"

Lois put on her best pleading and negotiating, but not whining, face. "Wes, look at the featured music list! I mean, here it is my birthday and they're playing the best of the 80s hair bands! It's like it was meant to be…like destiny!" she told him, pointing at the theme for the night at the club.

Wes took a deep breath, and Lois could see that he was thinking about it. It was the kind of thing they used to do all the time. Had he changed that much? Had he become too much like her father? "Your father would have me doing push-ups until my arms fell off and that would be after he had me run an obstacle course a million times and before he had me court-martialed!" he muttered.

She snorted. "Please, my father loves you and you know it." Lois decided to pull out the big guns, and considering what it was she was taking a chance of it possibly blowing up in her face. "And taking me to a night club would seem like small potatoes compared to what we did in Germany."

His eyes snapped to hers in fear and irritation. "You haven't told anyone about that, have you?" he hissed so that only she would hear him. "Lo, you know what it could mean for my career…to my life."

She put a little space between them and her face fell. "Wesley Keenan, you know I know better than that! That wasn't a threat, just a matter of fact."

"I'm sorry, LoJo. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just…let's just forget it ok?" Wes told her, good humor restored. "Tell you what, we'll get something to eat and then we'll go and see if we can get in. I mean, with you being under…"

Flashing something in front of his face with a Cheshire cat grin, Lois interrupted with a gleeful giggle. "I knew you'd give in. So…I took the liberty of acquiring proper ID." She waved the fake license in front of his face and he tried to grab it twice before she let him catch it.

"Joanne Lone?" he read. "Where did you get this?"

Lois bit her lower lip and then shook her head. "Nope. Not going to squeal. You've become too much of a stick in the mud. Just know that I got it and, for old times' sake, we're going to go to that club and hear some totally awesome music, drink until things get a little fuzzy, sneak back onto base and hope to heaven that we don't get caught out after curfew. So what do you say?" she asked with a grin.

Wes was folding; she could see it in his eyes, even though he was trying to hold his own in the stare down. Finally, he laughed and pulled her into a brief hug. "How could I say no to that face? You're cuter than a puppy," he teased.

Kal sat at the back of the train, the very last seat and nonchalantly glanced over the newcomers on the car. Quite a few had gotten on and he wondered vaguely where they were all going. The sound of the train lulled him into a trance-like state somewhere between asleep and awake.

He was abruptly snapped to attention by the mention of a name. "Clark Kent, missing May…" he heard a female voice say. Kal's heart rate skyrocketed and his breathing turned into pants as he tried to see around the others on the car to the owner of the voice. He could only make out a slim, but somewhat tall young woman with dark brown hair. She was too tall to be Lana, plus the voice was definitely not hers. He would have known Lana's voice anywhere.

Forcing himself to focus, he listened to the female and her companion. "His parents must be worried sick…Not that you can tell much from that picture, even if you'd want to help keep an eye out for him." Kal frowned but relaxed as he noticed the poster on the other side of the train. It was one of those 'missing persons' flyers and they were always bad. "He could be 12 or 20," he heard her companion say. But his mind kept going over what she had said about his parents. Could they possibly be worried about him? Could they be missing him? He absently played with the ring on his right hand and immediately felt better and dismissed the idea, forcibly putting it from his mind.

Tuning back into the conversation further up the car, he heard that they had changed subjects and apparently she was talking him into taking her to a night club. That sounded like fun for a change. Atlantis? He'd need to figure out a way to get in. He needed more information about where the club was. Then he'd need different clothes and money. Making a decision, Kal stood and moved closer to the front of the car, slinging his pack over a shoulder.

Lois laughed delightedly at Wes' surrender to her plan. "Ok, so we need to get off…" she studied the flyer for the club and found which station to get off the train. "Two more stops. We should be able to find someplace to eat near the club."

"If we're going into a night club, I'd like to change out of this uniform. I don't want to draw any more attention to us than we have to," Wes told her. "It was great to get us into the zoo half price but…"

"Ok, so we'll find a mega-mart or someplace where we can get you some jeans and a t-shirt or something. No problem," Lois said amiably. She looked out of the windows as the train started to slow for another stop. Sighing a little, she tilted her head as she studied the city. "I could see myself living in a city like Metropolis. I mean, I know I get to see a lot of pretty fabulous places, and have only really lived on military bases, but there's something about this city, New York, Gotham…I don't know, they have a pull on me, like this is where I see myself in the future."

Wes grinned and played along. "Ok, hot shot city woman, what would your life be like if you lived here? What do you see in your future?"

Returning his grin, her eyes twinkled. "Well, I'd have a fabulous apartment, naturally, probably in some high rise with spectacular views…ultra-modern or a renovated older building. Wouldn't really need a car with all the public transportation, but who knows. I'd have a swanky wardrobe of course…"

Wes chuckled. "And what, pray tell, are you going to do career-wise to afford all this lavish living?" he teasingly asked.

Lois took it seriously, however, pursed her lips and squinted her eyes in thought. Then she shook her head in frustration after a moment or two. "I don't know." She sighed and looked at him and shrugged. "The General tells me that's my problem…no direction. I have no idea what I want to do. I can't really see myself chained to a desk job day after day."

Taking her hand in his, Wes decided he had asked the wrong question. He had only been teasing and trying to play along in her fictional world, but instead he had made her turn too serious for what was supposed to be a fun night out. "I'm sorry, LoJo. I didn't mean to take the fun out of your fantasy. I was just trying to picture all the details and learn more about what direction you saw yourself headed in. It's been a while since we really got to talk."

"It's ok. I just really don't know what I might end up doing. I know the General would love for me to enlist, but…"

"Did he tell you that?" Wes asked, surprised.

"Not exactly. Why?"

Wes shrugged. "It's just that I get the impression that he'd rather you not get into the military. He said something once about hoping you could learn discipline another way. I assumed he meant that he wanted you to stay out of the military." He thought for a minute and then said, "I can see you in some kind of jet setting job, though. I'd say flight attendant but you wouldn't put up with people always demanding things of you." He laughed, trying to lighten the atmosphere again. "Maybe a PR job or marketing."

Lois laughed and stood up as the train slowed for their stop. "Well, I hope I have a little time to think about it. I don't have to decide anything tonight. Let's just drop it and have some fun." She nudged his shoulder playfully. "And remember it's Jo or Joanne now."

They made their way toward the doors and a young man with dark hair and a knapsack over one shoulder moved to stand behind them to get off. Lois' eyes wandered over him appreciatively and her hazel eyes caught his blue ones for a moment. He was cute and she flashed a friendly smile. The one he returned was flirtatious, but before Lois could react in any way, Wes had taken her hand and pulled her off the train with him.

It seemed that this was a busy stop because suddenly there were people everywhere and Lois lost the dark haired man in the crowd. She glanced around for him and as people parted, she got a glimpse of him standing down the platform a ways. He was facing their direction and their eyes met again. Smiling one last time at him and he at her, someone walked between them and suddenly he was gone.

Wes lightly shook the arm attached to the hand he was holding. When she glanced back at her companion, Lois smiled. "Everything ok?" he asked her.

"Sure. Let's go."

Kal watched from behind a column as the young couple left the area of the train platforms. What was it about her? Something that just pulled him, ever so slightly. Maybe it was just that she had caught his attention by calling out his name without even knowing who he was. Maybe it was that her idea finally gave him something to do. Maybe it was the cute way she had talked about living in the city that made him picture it all. He couldn't say but he wanted to see her again.

He had finally stopped listening to their conversation after she talked about living in a big apartment and having a 'swanky' wardrobe, feeling like he might overhear things he didn't want to when he saw her companion grin at her imaginings. Kal had learned the man she was with was military by the uniform and what he had said about finding civilian clothes. That could complicate things because he wanted nothing to do with the military.

Using his super speed, Kal left the train station and breezed through the city. New clothes weren't a problem. He just blew through an open mall, taking a pair of jeans, black boots, a black t-shirt, a button up dark blue shirt he wore like a jacket and, after picking up his black leather jacket from where he had his things stashed, his wardrobe was complete. Now was the problem of cash and getting into the club. The first might help him with the latter, if he had enough to flash around.

Facing what to Clark Kent would be an obstacle, Kal closed his eyes and let the red kryptonite's effects wash over him a little more. Opening his eyes, they glowed red for a moment before he sped off to a nearby ATM. Using his heat vision, he took out the camera and then approached and broke into the machine, pulling out all the contents and stuffing them in his bag. There was a brief twinge to his conscience but it passed quickly and was easily forgotten.

Kal turned from the ATM, slung the bag back onto his shoulder, and looked around before super speeding away. Stopping around the corner, he let the thrill of having gotten away with his crime wash over him. He grinned to himself. Step one, complete.

Lois looked around the club and drank the music in. It wasn't any problem getting in once they made it through the line. Flash a little cash, wear an attitude, and be a good-looking guy's arm candy and you were in. It was a pretty hopping place and Wes shouted a little over all the noise. "Where do you want to go?"

Holding onto his arm, she nodded in the direction of the bar. "Let's get a couple of drinks," she shouted.

Wes hesitated for a minute, looking a little uncertain before finally nodding and pulling her along behind him. They had downed a couple of shots of tequila, and Lois was starting to relax a little. "So your tour of duty must be almost up by now. You got any plans for the future?" she asked her companion.

"Well, actually, I just re-enlisted…with the marines," he confessed before downing another shot. Wes didn't meet her eyes.

"The marines! Really?" she asked in disbelief. "Why not stay with the air force if you're staying military?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just want to try something new."

"Why don't you get a job? Try the civilian life? You know, stay out and get a girlfriend," she suggested raising her eyebrows. She was hoping that when he finished his tour, he would want to settle down somewhere and maybe she could eventually…

Wes hesitated, knowing where Lois was going with this. Ever since Germany, he had been worried about their relationship status. He should never have slept with her. She was 16, for Pete's sake! Even though Lois had never seemed as young as her years, she was young…too young. He loved Lois and hoped they could stay friends, but Wes just didn't see them in a future together.

Before he could say anything, however, she jumped up off the stool. "Oh! I love this song! Come on, let's dance!" she said, pulling him out onto the dance floor.

Kal pulled up to the front of the club Atlantis on his Kawasaki Vulcan, engine rattling the building, and everyone turned their eyes to him. He threw his key at the valet who was practically drooling at the motorcycle. "Why don't you take it for a spin while I'm inside?" Kal suggested to him.

The valet's eyes flew to his. "Really? You'd be cool with that?"

Shrugging, Kal smiled a little. "Sure. Live a little." He walked up to the bouncer at the door and held out a hand that cradled a Ben Franklin ($100). "Hey, man! How are you? Been a long time since Kal came by, huh?" he said.

The bouncer smiled as he clapped his hand to Kal's, picking up quickly. "Yeah, Kal, long time no see! You doin' alright?"

"Can't complain. What's the atmosphere tonight?"

"Red hot, watch out you don't get burned in there!" the bouncer laughed. "Lots of ladies hoping to find a partner…for the dance floor." When Kal smirked at him and held up another $20, he decided he liked this dude. "And if there's anything else I can do for you, Kal, just let ole Viper know."

"Thanks, Viper. I really appreciate that," Kal answered before making his way inside. His heart thumped with the music as he looked around. There were a lot of people in there, making it pretty warm. He scanned the people in the immediate vicinity before making his way over towards the bar.

"Hey, there, handsome! You wanna dance?" a petite red-head asked him, stepping in his path, and placing a hand on his chest.

Pulling her hand off of his chest, Kal gave her a small smile. "Maybe later. Right now, I'm thirsty."

She flashed him a flirty smile. "Mind if I join you?"

"Why don't you go out and dance and I'll watch you for a while," Kal told her. "Right now, I'm just not in the mood for company."

Trying again, the red-head moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Really? Pretty strange place to be if you aren't in the mood for company."

He disentangled himself from her and pushed her arms to her side. "Beat it!" he told her forcefully. Without a second glance, he made his way to the bar. He didn't even flinch at the name she threw at his back.

"Hey, man, what ya drinking?" the young bartender asked.

After placing his order, Kal looked around, scanning the crowd but he didn't see her or her companion anywhere. He turned slightly to reach for his drink and the crowd parted and it was as if everything slowed down. He saw her on the dance floor with the man from the train. She was wearing different clothes: a black, v-neck halter top, a short red skirt, sexy high heeled shoes, and big gold hoops in her ears and a gold chain belt loose around her waist. Her dark waves were piled up on her head in an attractive manner and Kal felt the pull to be near her intensify. He had never reacted to anyone this way, not even Lana. He didn't even notice what her military companion had changed into.

The song ended and as another one began, the man with her whispered something into her ear. She nodded and he moved to leave the dance floor, probably in search of the men's room. Kal saw his chance as another song started to play and the young woman started to move to the music herself. This was someone who knew who she was and was comfortable in her own skin.

He knew he probably shouldn't go over to her but he suddenly found he couldn't help himself. He had to talk to her, dance with her. As she gyrated on the floor to a song by Whitesnake, Kal grinned to himself. She was really digging the music. He stopped in front of her and she stopped for a moment when she glanced up and found him standing there. She look startled but then smiled.

"Hi! Mind if I dance with you?" Kal shouted.

"Sure!" she yelled back.

"You look like you're really into this song," he said after a minute.

(To see/hear the song they were dancing to, here is the link on YouTube to Give Me All Your Love: .com/watch?v=KjgD1HIVFC4&ob=av2e )

"I love Whitesnake! They have to be one of, if not THE best band ever!" she yelled at him.

She wasn't really dancing with him as much as next to him but Kal got a real kick out of her. He found himself wanting to watch her dance all night and hoping her friend didn't come back. "You here alone?" he asked but when she looked a little wary at him, he rushed to correct himself. "I just meant, I thought I saw you with someone earlier. He won't be mad because we're dancing will he?"

Recognition dawned on Lois and she started to feel a little uncomfortable. "You're the guy from the train earlier tonight. Are you following me?" she demanded, dancing forgotten and her hands on her hips.

He grinned at her. "How could I be following you? I saw you on the train hours ago. It must have just been fate that we both ended up here."

She snorted at that and rolled her eyes, feeling a little more at ease. "You don't really believe in destiny or fate or any of that crap do you?" she asked.

Without thinking about it, Kal rubbed his chest with one hand. "I don't know. What else would you call two people seeing each other on a train running into each other at a dance club two hours later in a big city like Metropolis?" he replied lightly.

"A weird coincidence," Lois stated. He just grinned wider.

The song ended and Lois fanned herself. "Whew! It's hot in here! Wanna get a drink at the bar?" she asked.

Extending his arm for her to take the lead, Kal nodded his head in the direction of the bar. "Lead the way, beautiful."

Lois grinned at him before moving across the room and perching on one of the stools. "White Russian!" she yelled to the bartender as another song boomed over the sound system.

Kal just asked for a beer before swiveling to face her, propping an arm on the bar. "I'm Kal," he told her with a self-confident air.

"Kal? That's an interesting name. I'm Jo," Lois told him, using the name on her ID.

He gave her a slow smile. "Jo? What's it short for? Joanne? Josephine?"

Lois' cheeks burned a little but she lifted her chin slightly. She really wasn't crazy about her middle name. She sometimes taunted the General that he had wanted to name her after GI Joe, but she knew she was named after her mother's favorite great aunt. "Joanne, but you can just call me Jo."

"So, Jo, what brings you to Metropolis? Or are you from here?" Kal asked, trying to get to know her a little better. He loved her voice. It had just a little bit of a rasp and he fleetingly wondered if she smoked.

Deciding that she liked talking to Kal and pretending to be someone else, Lois knew that the best way to keep up a pretense was to keep it as simple and as close to the truth as possible. "Business," she answered briefly. She leaned over the bar and shouted at the man behind it. "Hey! Where can I go to smoke here?"

"Back room!" he shouted back, waving in the general direction of his right. "It's marked."

"Thanks!" She turned back to Kal. "I'm dying for a cigarette but my friend doesn't approve. While he's off to the men's room, I'd better take advantage. Wanna come?"

"Sure," Kal answered with a nod.

He followed her to the smoking area and when they went inside, there were only a couple of other people spread around the big room. There were great speakers pumping the music into the room but not at the ear splitting decibels of out on the dance floor. Lois took a seat on a nearby plastic chair and Kal took the one across from her.

She pulled out her lighter and her pack of cigarettes. Holding it out to him, she offered to share but he shook his head. Tilting her head, she gave him a questioning smile. "If you don't smoke, why come to the smoking room with me?" she asked. He just raised one eyebrow and gave her a flirty smile. She grinned back at him and sat back.

"So what's your story, Kal?" she asked him, pulling out her cigarette and lighting it.

He shrugged. "Not a very interesting one, really," he answered vaguely.

She took a couple of puffs of the smoke and let its calming effects wash over her. Studying him as best she could in the dim lighting, she decided that he was really quite handsome. She couldn't make out the color of his eyes and the lighting made it difficult to try to determine his age. "Got a family? A girlfriend?"

"Nope. Neither." Leaning forward a little, he rested his forearms on his thighs and studied her. "Your friend is right you know." When she raised a questioning eyebrow, he grinned at her. "You really shouldn't smoke. It's terrible for you."

Rolling her eyes at him, Lois took another long drag on her cigarette. "Don't start on me. I know it's bad for me. I'm going to quit; it's just not going to happen tonight."

Kal nodded in acceptance and let the subject drop, not wanting her to get mad and end their conversation. "How about you? That guy you're with tonight? He a brother or a boyfriend?"

"Neither really. He's a friend I've known for a while, but really that's it." Now why didn't she say Wes was her boyfriend? She had had her sights set on him for years now but suddenly, she didn't want Kal to know that. Maybe it was the fact that if anyone ever found out that she had slept with Wes, his career would be over. Yeah, maybe she was protecting him.

"Nice of him to bring you here."

"Yeah, well, it's kind of my birthday present," Lois answered without thinking it through.

"It's your birthday? How old are you?" Kal asked.

Lois swore to herself silently. 'Good going, Lo! Now you've stuck your foot in it!' She smiled at him teasingly. "A year older than last year. You should know better than to ask a lady her weight or her age."

He grinned and leaned closer, their bodies almost touching. "You're right. That was ungentlemanly of me. Happy birthday…I wish I had a present for you."

She laughed. "How could you have known you'd end up chatting with the birthday girl? You are keeping me company and you danced with me. That's enough."

Squinting in thought, he tilted his head for a moment. "If you could have anything right this minute, what would it be? Call it a birthday wish. What would you wish for?"

Lois took another drag of her cigarette and thought about his question. After a minute, she shrugged. "I guess I really don't need anything. I'm pretty content with my life right now." Then she laughed. "I also hate to clean so I'm not much for knickknacks and a bunch of junk around the house."

"I guess I'm just going to have to grant you a future wish then."

"A future wish? And how can you do that?" she asked, playing along.

"Close your eyes," Kal told her, his voice somewhat huskier.

She gave him a skeptical look before doing as he said. "Ok, now what?"

"Now think of anything you might wish for in the future…anything at all, money, trips, cars, houses…love…" Kal told her softly and she shivered at the feel of his breath on her ear.

Suddenly, Lois felt his lips on hers. The kiss was gentle but firm, chaste but made her heart race…and over far more quickly than she would have liked if she was honest. She felt him sit back and her eyes fluttered back open. Kal was smirking at her. She felt her cheeks burn but didn't look away and simply raised an eyebrow at him.

He laughed at her expression. "That's how you grant a future wish." Just to keep her on her toes, he abruptly changed the subject. "You like 80's music?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Love the big 80s hair bands! Best music ever made," she answered after a beat, her tone challenging him to disagree with her. She was determined not to be bested by the stranger. He just chuckled and Lois was thankful for the dim lighting as she felt her blush deepen and she looked away, suddenly self-conscious.

Lois was almost done with her cigarette. "So, Kal, are you from Metropolis?" she asked.

"Not exactly," he answered vaguely. "Been here only a few weeks. But I like it here. How about you? You said you were in town on business. What do you do?"

Why did he keep doing that? Every time she asked him a question about himself, he answered briefly and vaguely and then switched it around to ask about her. Her entire upbringing and training from her father told her that this should be a red flag, but her heart and instincts were telling her that this was someone she wanted to know better…someone she wanted to be close to.

Before she could reply, the door to the room opened and a frantic looking Wes Keenan stormed through it. "There you are! You about gave me a heart attack, do you know that?" he scolded Lois.

She was just grateful that he didn't use her real name and his attitude was starting to grate on her nerves. "I can take care of myself, Wes. I didn't ask you to bring me here as a babysitter. We were coming here as friends…for old times' sake, remember?"

He looked Kal over and then turned back to her. "Yeah, but maybe you do need one. We need to go. It's getting late."

Lois knew an order when she heard one and she scowled at him briefly. But then Kal stood up and moved to stand in front of Wes. "Maybe the lady would like to stay," he said gruffly.

Putting out what was left of her cigarette in an ashtray, Lois quickly moved to stand between the men. Wes was a well-trained military officer and Kal had no idea what he would be getting into if he picked a fight with him. Apparently, though, she had moved a little too quickly and the alcohol was taking a toll on her senses. She swayed a little and both men put out a hand to support her, glaring at each other before turning their attention back to her.

"Jo, you ok?" Kal asked in concern.

She smiled at him, and pulling her other arm out of Wes' grasp, placed her hand lightly on his chest. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just stood up a little too fast, that's all. Listen, Kal, it's been nice chatting with you but Wes is right about one thing. It is getting late and we should probably get going." If she was caught by the General coming in late or having been drinking, she would be placed under house arrest for who knew how long. She patted his chest lightly and then pulled away from him. "Maybe we'll bump into each other again sometime."

Kal's eyes met hers and she hoped that in the darkened room he would see her plead for them to see each other again. He seemed to study them for a moment before smiling at her. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

Lois allowed Wes to pull her towards the door before she heard Kal's voice add, "See you around, Jo." She flashed a smile over her shoulder and then left with Wes.

As soon as they were outside, Wes started in on her. "What were you thinking? Sneaking off to a dark room with a strange man at a club? Do you have any idea what kind of danger you could have been in?"

Lois stopped dead in her tracks and her fists went to her hips. "Wesley Keenan! You are not my father or my brother, so I'll thank you to stop acting like it. When did you become such a fuddy duddy? You used to be a lot of fun, even up to last year. What the hell happened to you? Besides, you know that I can take care of myself. The General may not have done everything right in raising me, but he did know the importance of his girls knowing self-defense."

She started to storm ahead of him but her step faltered a little from the high heels, her anger, and the alcohol. Lois wasn't really drunk but sufficiently tipsy to have a pretty significant headache tomorrow if she didn't drink about a gallon of water. As she twisted an ankle, Wes' reflexes were swift as he reached out and caught her, one arm wrapping around her waist from the front and the other around her shoulders at the back.

His eyes met hers and she saw the apologetic expression in them. "I'm sorry, Lo, but when I couldn't find you in that club…" his voice trailed off and her heart started racing at his proximity.

She seemed to recall a similar feeling with him a year ago in Germany, and she swallowed hard at the memory. She was sure he was going to kiss her and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to or not. For some reason, Kal's face, somewhat hidden in shadow, flashed in her mind and she felt a little guilty but didn't know why. She had had feelings for Wes for years, so why was it that now that she was in his arms, she was thinking about someone else. Was her guilt over that or about being in Wes' arms in the first place?

"LoJo, I'm responsible for you, whether you like it or not and your dad would kill me if he knew anything about this evening…but especially about that guy having you in that back room," he told her quietly, trying to make her see that he cared what happened to her.

But his answer wasn't the one she had expected to hear and she pulled herself out of his arms and straightened her clothes. Lois suddenly had the urge to cry, and swallowed hard, looking down at her skirt for a moment as she brushed off an imaginary piece of lint. "Let's go, Wes," she told him flatly.

"Lois?" he asked, confused.

She shook her head and started walking slowly, but surely, toward the train station. "Let's just get back to the base. I'm suddenly very tired."