Target: Lois Lane

Folc4evernaday | Rated: M | Chapter 1

"You'll be wearing something elegant, but not too dark. Like a charcoal suit. And I'll be wearing something in a deep...violet."

"...burgundy."

"Burgundy?"

"Or violet."

"That's what you've always dreamed of seeing me in, burgundy? I don't own anything in burgundy"

Lois smiled fondly as she recalled the conversation between herself and Clark a few weeks before. It had been three weeks since the night of their first date. She had never followed through on wearing burgundy for any of the dates they'd had in the past few weeks. She held up her new burgundy dress she'd bought a few days before. Clark had mentioned taking her to dinner at the Metro Club. This ensemble would do nicely.

She slipped on the dress and examined herself in the mirror. It came down to mid-thigh and had a modest neckline, accentuating her curves. The spaghetti straps hung comfortably on her shoulders. The diagonal pattern along the back showed off plenty of skin and allowed her to feel sexy yet still leave plenty to the imagination. Clark would love it.

She began to apply her makeup, dabbing a little perfume on her wrists. She gave herself a once over in the mirror and smiled to herself. Clark was right; she did look good in burgundy.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She checked herself in the mirror one last time before opening the door. Clark stood there in a dark charcoal suit holding a bouquet of lilies. "Hi," she whispered softly.

"Hi, wow...Lois, you look..."

She smiled shyly at him as he tried unsuccessfully to finish his sentence. "Do you like it?" Lois spun around to give him the full effect of the dress. He walked up to her and handed her a bouquet of lilies.

"You look beautiful," he whispered hoarsely. "These are for you."

"Thanks," she whispered. "I'll just put them in some water." She took the flowers and put them in a vase for display. She then grabbed her purse and turned back to him with a smile. "Okay, I'm ready."

The conversation over dinner had been light. Clark found himself entranced by Lois' beauty, unable to keep his eyes off of her. She was her normal confident self as always, but there was something different. The rare flirtatious side he'd gotten a glimpse of every now and then - the same side that had emerged the night of their first date - seemed to reappear more and more with him. He enjoyed this side of Lois.

For so long he'd had to hide his feelings for her, afraid of losing the precious friendship he had with her. Now, he was finally able to express the feelings he'd suppressed for so long. He had fallen in love with her a long time ago, but he knew she wasn't ready for that step in their relationship. It was just a few weeks ago she'd slammed the door in his face. For now, he would enjoy her company and the way it felt to be the object of her affections.

He caught her gaze from across the table, uncertain where her mind was. Her gaze had been on him most of the night. He cleared his throat nervously, uncertain how to break the comfortable silence that had fallen between them through the course of dinner. The soft chords of a familiar love song echoed through the room. "Do you want to dance?"

"Sure." She smiled shyly up at him and took his hand as she followed him over to the dance floor.

I'll give my all or not at all

There's no in-between

I'll give my best, won't second guess

This feelin' deep in me

Lois felt his arms encircle her waist as they swayed to the soft chords of the song. She could feel his heartbeat against her fingertips as she gently moved her hands up his chest and intertwined her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "I've always loved this song," she whispered.

She watched as the corners of his lips turned into a broad smile. She couldn't help but smile back at him. His smile was always contagious. It was a small gesture, but it still managed to melt her heart. It was always the little things Clark did that affected her so. A friendly smile; a soft squeeze of her shoulder; a friendly conversation, were all things Clark had done that had made her take a second glance at him. He'd never asked for more than friendship from her, even though she'd sensed he longed for more. When her life had fallen apart last summer, after her failed wedding to Lex Luthor he'd been her rock. Not once had he pushed her, nor had he said, 'I told you so.' He'd been her friend, even though she didn't deserve it at times.

Now, that friendship had been molded into something much stronger. She'd felt it the night of their first date and the first time he'd kissed her. Even when it had been a ruse, she'd always felt that spark between herself and Clark. Now, she was forced to face the fact that she was falling for him.

You make me want to love you

With every breath, I'll love you, (oh) endlessly

I'll give my heart, give my soul

I won't hold back, I'll give you everything

All of me, completely

He was terrified. Holding Lois so close, smelling her perfume and the shampoo of her hair only continued to tease him. The hardest part about beginning a relationship with her was breaking out of the boundaries of friendship. He'd had almost two years of being just her friend. He didn't know where he stood as anything more. Was it okay to kiss her? Did he have to ask?

He wanted to kiss her. He listened to the lyrics of the song that played. The words spoke so true to his current feelings for Lois. "Yeah, it's a beautiful song," he managed.

She rested her head against his chest; they were barely moving. She was moving closer and closer to him, stepping into his arms and deepening the embrace little by little until there was hardly any room between them. He marveled at how perfectly she fitted in his arms.

You fill me up with your love

Oh I just overflow

When we touch, can't get enough

And I want you to know

She was falling for him. How had this happened? She knew she'd had feelings for him for a while. She'd always felt a pull towards him, but she'd chalked it up to basic attraction, suppressing her feelings and diving into her work. It wasn't until this past year that she had paid attention to how essential Clark had become in her life. He'd become her best friend. She had fallen for her best friend.

You make me want to love you

With every breath, I'll love you, (oh) endlessly

I'll give my heart, give my soul

I won't hold back, I'll give you everything

All of me, completely

They were barely moving. She was so close. He wanted to stay like this forever. Holding Lois like this had been a dream for many nights. He wanted to share everything with her, his life, his feelings for her.

There was always one thing holding him back, though. Superman. He had kept his secret identity from her for so long, hiding so many things about himself from her. The only way for him to truly build a lasting relationship with her was to reveal himself to her, but were they ready for that step?

You make me want to love you

With every breath, I'll love you, (oh) endlessly

I'll give my heart, give my soul

I won't hold back, I'll give you everything

All of me, completely

As the song came to an end, Lois lifted her head from Clark's chest and looked up into his eyes. She was scared. Falling for Clark was the last thing she'd expected. She didn't know if she was ready to say the scary words. It had taken her so long to face her feelings for him. He'd always been her safety net whenever she felt the walls closing in.

He was her best friend and she was in love with him. She wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her until she was senseless, but it terrified her at the same time. He lowered his head to whisper something in her ear. She turned her head, meeting his lips head on, moaning in pleasure as she felt the kiss deepen. He held her close, tracing the small patterns on the small of her back. Maybe if they just stayed like this forever she would be okay. She wouldn't have to say the scary words. She knew that was wishful thinking. She had no idea how she would tell him she was in love with him.

"Good night, Lois."

The low whisper of Clark's voice echoed through her mind along with the memory of his kiss. The soft touch of his lips against hers was still fresh. Last night had been different, nothing like their first date. After her apprehension that night, with her slamming the door in his face, they'd agreed taking it slowly was best. She still regretted the way she'd reacted that night. She had cried on the other side of the door as she listened to Clark reluctantly walk away from the door, terrified of her growing feelings for him. Now, she was terrified once more of those same feelings. This time, she didn't have a door to hide behind, though.

"Lois Lane?" A courier carrying a bouquet of long stemmed white lilies stood in front of her.

"Yes?" she asked hesitantly.

"These are for you. Just sign here." He handed her the bouquet along with a clipboard and pen.

Lois took them gratefully and placed the vase of lilies on her desk. "Oh, my, thank you." She signed the receipt and handed it back to the man.

Jimmy approached her from behind and smiled. "I guess things are definitely looking up in the romance department..." He winked at her.

Lois smiled, blushing slightly. "We're taking things slowly," she replied modestly. She opened the card and read it to herself. "I had a great time last night. How about dinner at 8 tomorrow night? CK." She smiled at the note then turned her attention to Jimmy, who looked at her with a Cheshire grin on his face. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Jimmy said. "I think you guys are…"

"What?"

"Cute. I think you guys are cute together," Jimmy finished.

Lois gave him a funny look but was interrupted by a package being laid on her desk. A middle-aged man handed her a clipboard. "Lois Lane? Sign here, please."

"What?" She stared at the oddly shaped sculpture. "Please tell me Clark didn't send this," she pleaded to Jimmy.

The delivery man read the invoice and shook his head. "This was sent by a Daniel Scardino."

Dan Scardino was the DEA agent that had come to town a few weeks ago to investigate Mayson's murder. He had begun to pay a lot of attention to her during the investigation, something that had not gone unnoticed by Clark. Dan was nice and funny, and she knew he liked her. She kind of liked him too, but not in the same way she cared for Clark. She felt a little guilty for leading him on. She hadn't come out and told him she was seeing Clark. Dan had been out of town the last two weeks. Coincidentally, those two weeks were the same time when Clark had decided to pick their relationship up from where they had left off.

Now, Dan was back in town it seemed. She bit her lower lip as she signed the receipt. "Dan? Why?"

She'd almost forgotten about the DEA agent's existence these past few weeks. She and Clark had been out almost every night these past few weeks. It had been incredible. She felt she had gotten her best friend back. Now, Monday morning she sat at her desk, staring across the aisle at his empty desk, with two packages from two different men: one from Clark, and one from Dan.

"What is it?" Jimmy asked, fiddling with one of the wires on the sculpture.

"Well, it's obviously a...a...I have no idea..."

"I'll tell you what it is...it's ugly...and I'm not just talking about the sculpture, Lois," Jimmy added. "That Scardino guy has been hitting on you since he came into town."

"He hasn't been hitting on me...exactly," Lois argued.

Jimmy laughed. "You're joking, right? 'Wow are your eyelashes real?'" he did a fake female voice, imitating one of the many lines Dan Scardino had used. "Give me a break! Barney could come up with better lines than that."

"Ha Ha, so funny," Lois replied sarcastically.

Jimmy nodded. "Well, like I said, it's ugly."

"Jimmy..." Lois began but stopped herself when she noticed him furiously scratching his arm. She eyed the rash that had formed on his arm; it was red and swollen from his scratching. "Oh, my God! That must be some itch!"

"Yeah, I get it every year around this time. My doctor says not to worry about it."

"Still, it must be painful. Don't you have any cream you can put on it?"

"Nah, I ..." He was cut off by the sound of Dan Scardino's voice.

"Hey, guys." Dan Scardino walked up to her desk. "I see you got it." He motioned to the sculpture on her desk.

"Uh, yeah," Lois nodded, unsure of what to say or do.

"Jimmy, my office, pronto!" Perry bellowed.

"Yeah, ugly," Jimmy muttered as he strode away from her desk.

"Well, anyone can send you flowers," Dan noted, gesturing to the lilies. "I thought this could be something you could really appreciate."

Lois caught the remark about the flowers Clark had sent her. She liked flowers. Clark knew that about her. An uncomfortable silence fell over them. "So," Lois began, breaking the silence.

"So, if you remember a while back, we talked about us maybe going out sometime?" Dan asked.

"Oh." Lois' face fell, understanding now the reasoning behind his gift. "Dan, I'm really flattered, but I can't."

"You can't? Why not?" Dan asked.

"I've been seeing Clark."

"Kent?" Dan looked over at Clark who had just entered the newsroom with a local staffer. "He's nice...very polite..."

"Well, he's a lot more than that. He...He's my best friend, and..." Lois said. Her gaze drifted over to Clark as well.

Dan stepped back as Clark headed towards them. "Hey, I'll see you around. We can talk about this later." Before Lois could object, he brushed past her, nearly knocking down a fellow reporter in his wake.

Clark eyed Dan suspiciously as he left. "What did Inspector Gadget want?" Clark asked.

"Oh, he just wanted to drop by to say, 'Hi'," Lois replied sweetly.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Clark muttered. He spotted the sculpture on Lois' desk. "Did he give you that?"

"Yeah," Lois murmured. "I just wish I knew what it was."

"It's trouble," Clark muttered under his breath. He took a seat at his desk, trying not to look at Lois. He had been looking forward to seeing her all morning until he had spotted Scardino talking to her when he came in. This past week he had forgotten about the DEA Agent's existence. He had been focused on courting Lois and picking up their relationship from where they left off, before Mayson's murder. He had felt secure in his relationship with Lois until now when he was reminded of another suitor vying for her attention. Competing with Scardino was out of the question; Lois wasn't a prize to be won, and she wouldn't appreciate being treated like one either.

Jimmy came out of Perry's office looking numb. Perry followed him and called Lois and Clark over. "Lois, Clark."

"Jimmy, what's wrong?" Lois asked, concerned.

"My doctor was just murdered." Jimmy looked shaken, close to tears even. "He just called me yesterday, left a message on my machine. I was going to call him back today..."

"I want you two to go down to Dr. Goldman's office and find out what you can about this," Perry ordered.

"No problem," Clark replied. "Hang in there, Jimmy." He patted Jimmy on the shoulder. He and Lois turned to leave, heading for the elevator.

"Chief, I want to go with them," Jimmy pleaded with Perry.

"Now, son, I understand how you feel, but..."

"Chief, I knew Dr. Goldman my whole life," Jimmy argued.

"All right," Perry conceded the point.

"Thanks, Chief," Jimmy beamed and followed Lois and Clark to Metropolis General Hospital.

At Metropolis General, Lois and Clark approached the nurse's station with Jimmy in tow. A large woman in her mid-thirties was at the front counter. Clark approached her. "Excuse me; we're from the Daily Planet. We'd like to take a look at Dr. Goldman's office."

"Oh, you would? Well, we have strict orders not to turn this into a media circus," the nurse replied, "and Nurse Berkley never breaks her orders." She gave them a threatening look.

Lois nodded. "Well, Nurse Berkley, I can assure you that we..."

"Do you understand English?" Nurse Berkley looked to Clark. "Maybe you can translate for her? 'NO'. Do I need to call security? Security!"

"Uh, that won't be necessary. We'll be going." Clark steered Lois away from the nurse.

"Do you believe that woman?" Lois asked, dumbfounded.

"Talk about your bedside manner," Jimmy commented.

"Well, we'll need a distraction to get past her," Lois remarked.

Clark watched as a pregnant woman was wheeled into the ER. "I've got an idea." He motioned for Lois to follow him. "Jimmy, watch for your chance to get into Dr. Goldman's office and see what you can find."

"Okay." Jimmy nodded.

"Where are we going?" Lois asked curiously. She followed him into the supply closet. "Clark, this isn't funny. What are we doing in here?"

Clark gazed at her humorously. "I'm looking for some scrubs. Why? What did you think I came in here for?" He winked at Lois.

"I don't know." She blushed, realizing her first assessment of Clark's intentions had been wrong. It was dark in the room. She could hear his breathing and the movements he made as he looked through the closet.

"Ah-ha. I found them," Clark said, pulling out a pair of scrubs and a hospital gown. He looked around the room then gave her a pleading look. "Here, turn around just a sec, will you? I need to change."

Lois obediently turned away from his figure. She took a deep breath as she heard the fabric hit the ground. She could feel the heat from his body, and smell the scent of his cologne. Over the past month, her attraction towards him had grown. She was so tempted to turn around...to just catch a glimpse of him...maybe without his shirt. The memory of him in nothing but a towel had been seared into her mind. She had had so many fantasies about that morning.

All of her nerves went on edge when she heard the familiar sound of a zipper coming undone. She began taking in a few shallow breaths as she fought the urge to turn around. She had always wondered: boxers or briefs?

"Okay, I'm done," Clark's voice interrupted her thoughts as he handed her the hospital gown he'd found earlier. "You can put this on over your clothes." He then began looking around when he opened the closet door and whispered, "Now, we just need to find a gurney."

Lois nodded mutely and placed the hospital gown over her suit. She watched as he opened the doors to the closet once more. She eyed him appreciatively as she took in the sight of him in scrubs. If there was anything he didn't look good in; she hadn't found it. He always seemed to fill everything he wore perfectly; a suit, scrubs, a towel...Whoa, girl, dangerous territory. She followed Clark into the hallway where he'd found an abandoned gurney.

"You ready?" Clark asked, lifting up the sheet for her and handing her the oxygen mask that was on the gurney.

"Yeah."

They made their way down the hall, approaching the nurses' station. "Oh! I'm in so much pain!" Lois cried out. She wore an oxygen mask over her face and lay on the gurney.

Clark wore scrubs and had a doctor's mask over his face as he pushed her through the hospital. "Just keep it up, Lois," he whispered to her before approaching Nurse Berkley.

"Nurse! I need some help!"

"What seems to be the problem, Doctor?" Nurse Berkley asked.

From across the hall, Jimmy watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but laugh to himself. Only Lois and Clark would think to pull something like this off. He took advantage of the distraction and headed for Dr. Goldman's office.

A few uniformed officers were standing outside his former doctor's office. He spotted the familiar Detective Wolf and began to question him about Dr. Goldman's death. He had seen Lois and Clark do this a thousand times before. This was his chance to prove he had what it took to be a real journalist. "Well, here goes nothing," he muttered to himself.

"I'm in so much pain!" Lois cried.

"Uh, we need to prep for a C-section," Clark replied, uncertainly. He wasn't sure how long he could keep up the act but he was giving it his best.

"Who do you want me to call for Anesthesiology?" Nurse Berkley asked.

"Whoever can get there first," Clark replied, using his Superman-toned voice.

"Take the staff elevator," Nurse Berkley called after him.

He headed toward the staff elevator and almost ran into a trio of professionals walking down the hall. "The security in this hospital is atrocious," one of them, a woman, said.

She wasn't looking where she was going and had walked right in front of his path. He stopped the gurney at the last minute.

The jolt caused Lois to lose her grip on the basketball, which fell to the ground. The trio stared at Lois and Clark in concern. Clark caught the ball and smiled. "Look, congratulations, a healthy baby basketball."

"Whoops! I guess I won't need that C-section after all." Lois smiled as she slipped from the gurney. She took Clark's hand and made a break for it.

Nurse Berkley hollered out, "Security!"

"What was all that about?" the woman asked.

"Some reporters from the Daily Planet wanted to nose around Dr. Alan Goldman's office," Nurse Berkley replied.

"You see, that's exactly what I'm talking about, Jim. The security here is atrocious."

Outside the hospital, Lois and Clark rid themselves of their masks and Lois removed the hospital gown. Clark still wore the scrubs from earlier. Lois eyed his biceps appreciatively. He really should wear short-sleeved shirts more often. "I gotta admit, Clark, that was a pretty good idea."

"Thanks." Clark smiled back at her.

"What happened? Security almost caught me," Jimmy remarked, catching up to them.

"Oh. Our, um, basketball came a little early," Lois laughed.

"Jimmy, what were you able to find out?" Clark asked.

"It's what I didn't find that was interesting. Three files were missing from Dr. Goldman's office. Mine along with two others...Dr. Goldman also tried calling them as well. What do you think? Coincidence?" He handed them his notes.

"Sarah Goodwin and G.E. Mallow," Lois read the names off Jimmy's notes.

"Yeah," Jimmy remarked.

"Okay, I'll take G.E. Mallow. Lois, you guys take Sarah Goodwin," Clark said. "I'll see you back at the Planet."

"Okay." Lois nodded.

"Keep an eye on him," Clark added. "We don't know why Jimmy's file is missing from Dr. Goldman's office. I got a funny feeling whoever took his file wasn't just interested in his blood type." With that, he left to find G. E. Mallow.

TBC...