First attempt at a multi-chapter fic. Set in season 8. Please tell me what you think!

Lois's POV

"What do you mean, 'the mayor has no comment?" she barked into the phone on her desk. "He's the mayor! Why wouldn't he have a comment about the recent death count in his own city? You better tell him that Lois Lane is on the phone, and I won't hesitate to make sure a very unflattering article about him makes the front page. I – Hello? Hello?"

She slammed down phone back down on the cradle with an irritated sigh. No comment my ass.

"Problems, Lois?"

She didn't bother to look up at the handsome face grinning at her from across the desk.

It had been one week since Lois had returned to Metropolis from Star City. She had spent almost a month trapped – well, not exactly trapped, seeing as she'd willingly gone there – in a hospital looking after Jimmy, while Clark was off hunting down whatever had snatched Chloe from her wedding and injured Jimmy in the first place. And to make matters worse, he'd been here with Lana Lang.

Just the very words made her suppress a growl. Originally, Lois had had nothing against Lana. Sure, she had always been a little too sugar princess for Lois' taste, but she had still liked her. But that had been at the beginning. After watching Clark get tortured by Lana's relationship with Lex, her opinion of Lana had plummeted. But for Clark's sake, she had kept her mouth shut; it was obvious how much he loved her, despite her twisted thing with Lex. It was a good thing she hadn't said anything either; after Lana and Lex's messy relationship had ended, Clark, with the impossibly large heart he had, had basically taken her back like nothing had ever happened. And what had Lana done after that?

She'd run away and broken it off with him. Using a DVD. For the life of her, Lois couldn't figure out who did something like that. Who purposely goes and breaks the heart of a guy like Clark? The farm boy may have dress issues, and he may be a little annoying, but…

She sighed. But what? Clark wasn't like the other guys she had known. He had a heart of gold that shone through in him every day. He always cared about people, forgave them, even when they may not deserve it. His overwhelming sense of trust is something Lois both envied and pitied. She couldn't fathom what it would be like to be able to put trust in people and not worry about a betrayal or heartbreak down the road. She had too much experience that told her that giving that much trust, giving that much of yourself, only led to pain. The thing that was the most amazing was that Clark had had his heart broken, and he still had the overwhelming ability to see the good in people, to give them a second chance. She'd never met anyone quite like him. He pushed all of her buttons, drove her crazy, and yet was always there when she needed him.

Maybe that was why she was in love with him.

Ugh. Don't even try to go down that road again, Lane, she thought to herself. She didn't want to remind herself of the pain she'd experienced during the past few months. Being in love with someone who didn't feel the same way was hard.

At least, she didn't think Clark felt the same way. They had never had actually talked about it. Lois remembered the kiss that had almost taken place at the wedding with a shiver. Hadn't that signified something? He'd leaned in too, hadn't he? But then again, that had been before Lana had come back into his life.

Lana's gone now, though, a voice in the back of her head reminded her. Right?

That thought floated around in her head for a minute, causing Lois to become very aware that both she and Clark were alone on their floor in the Daily Planet; their workday had run long past schedule.

Calm your hormones, Lane. She shook her head and tried to focus back on the task at hand: the article.

"The mayor is stonewalling us," Lois said, looking up at Clark. Her heart fluttered when his blue eyes met her hazel ones.

Stop that, she scolded. Oh great, now I'm talking to my organs.

Clark smiled. "Well you were yelling at them."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Have I taught you nothing, Smallville? Sometimes you have to apply pressure if you want anything done. You have to push some buttons."

"It's a good thing that Tess assigned you to do this article then. You push people's buttons better than anyone." His grin broadened.

Lois scowled; partly because of his comment, and partly because of the way her stomach was doing back flips at the sight of his smile. "I'm starting to think that the way to get this exposé is to get to the heart of the story."

Clark's grin vanished. "I hope you aren't planning on patrolling alleys or something in an attempt to find out what's causing all these murders."

"Not alleys, no…"

"Lois, I don't want you wandering around alone at night. Crime has increased ten percent in the last month. And the death toll lately… Just promise me you aren't planning on doing anything dangerous or stupid."

"Worried about me Smallville?"

His answer was short and to the point. "Yes."

Dutifully ignoring the shiver that crept up her spine, she tried to distract herself by playing with some folders at the edge of her desk. A sudden hiss crackled from a police radio on one of desks.

"Calling all available units to Pulse nightclub on Robson Street. Reports of a large disturbance with multiple armed suspects."

Jackpot! Lois' eyes lit up at the prospect of another story. She turned and grabbed a notebook and her coat. "Grab your coat, Smallville. We're going –"

But when she turned, Clark was no where to be seen. Lois trailed off, searching the bullpen. Why did he always seem to disappear when things got interesting? Frustrated, she snatched her purse off the desk and stomped her way to the elevator, pushing the down button with unnecessary force. Lois chewed on her lip as the floor numbers flashed by. If Clark was going to insist on disappearing, then she was just going to have to go without him.

And Smallville was just going to have to deal with it.

Lois made her way out of the Daily Planet and down the now darkened streets of Metropolis, grumbling to herself the whole way.

"Would it kill him to tell me where he's going every once in a while?" she mumbled. "I mean, not that I care where he goes, but a heads up that he's leaving the room and disappearing would be nice."

Lois slowed her rushed pace to a slow walk. Where had she parked her car? She struggled to remember, but the only events of the morning that she could remember where finding out about the big new assignment Tess I'm-so-mighty Mercer was giving her, and the fact that Smallville had picked up a large coffee from the Talon for her and left it on her desk. The sweet gesture hadn't been lost on Lois. But that was her farm boy… sweet was his thing.

YOUR farm boy? she thought, alarmed. THE farm boy. THE. Why do you keep doing that?

She shook her head to clear the Clark-centric thoughts from it. This had no effect whatsoever.

Great Lois. Just great.

She turned down a small alleyway, remembering that her car was on the other side. The alley was empty, so Clark could hardly complain. Despite this, Lois sped up a bit, hurrying towards her car that was visible on the other side. She jumped back a second later when two figures appeared at the end of the alley, blocking her exit. She slowed to a stop, hesitant.

"Hey baby," one of the two called. Lois turned around to find that the other exit was blocked by two more goons. She tensed.

"Look," she called, her voice steady. "I've had a very long day, so I wouldn't exactly recommend making it worse."

"Aw. I'll make it better honey," one of the sleaze balls said as they approached slowly. Lois held back a noise of disgust.

One of them reached out, grabbing her arm. Years of experience and instinct kicked in. She jerked back, twisting his arm. He cried out in pain and she punched him. Releasing her quickly, he hit the ground with a howl. She turned to make a break for it, but another blocked her way. Desperate, she kicked out roundhouse style. He hit the ground as quick as the last.

Freedom! She could see her car at the end of the alley. Lois jerked forward, ready to break into a run. She only had to reach the car…

And then she saw stars. Not the pretty ones spread out against the Metropolis sky, but right in front of her, exploding in her vision. She felt pain radiate through the back of her head as blackness consumed her. Judging by the dim ringing sound in the background Lois guessed that they had hit her with something metal. A crow bar maybe. Or a pipe.

Lois' knees hit the ground, her eyelids heavy. Dimly, she felt more blows rain down on her. Something cracked loudly, and she felt a sharp burning pain in her chest. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it registered that if she was fully conscious, this would have been even more painful than it already was. As thoughts faded away, she heard shouts of surprise from the other two thugs. Hearing them running was the last thing she was aware of before she gave up completely, and knew nothing more.

Lois was comfortable. Really comfortable. The kind of comfortable that usually came from being curled up on a cold winter's day, warm and cozy in bed.

For a moment, that's exactly where she thought she was. Like maybe the criminals in the alley were just a caffeine induced dream, and she would wake to find that Clark was calling her apartment to tell her that she had slept way past her alarm. Her hand reached out to pull the blanket tighter – just a comfort thing; she wasn't cold. But her fingers clasped around nothing but air. Confused, Lois wriggled her feet, hoping to kick the blankets up towards the rest of her body. But her feet kicked nothing but air.

What the hell? She pried open her eyes.

And she was in heaven.

Lois's eyes wheeled around in shock. This place… she knew this place. She had seen this place. After the helicopter carrying her and Martha Kent had crashed on Dark Thursday, she had briefly seen what she believed to be heaven; a beautiful white palace made of ice. It had been gorgeous. Above anything, Lois had wanted to stay there. This place had made her feel safe, and at home. But soon after, she'd been ripped away from heaven and it was back to earth for her.

Not that she was complaining, of course. One of the first things Lois had seen after waking up was Smallville. Her farm boy at her bedside, telling her he was glad that she was okay. She had told him about this place. He was the only one she'd told.

Smallville! The thought sent waves of anguish crashing through her. If she was dead, that meant she wouldn't see him again. No more farmhouse, no more Daily Planet, and no more Clark. Her heart broke.

No. No, no, no!

What made it worse was that she knew Clark would blame himself for her death. If she really was here, if she really was dead this time, Clark would find a way to make it his fault, despite the fact that it had been her own decision to walk through Metropolis alone at night.

This realization pushed the knife even deeper into her chest. She sat up slowly, pushing her hair out of her eyes and shaking. "Smallville, oh Smallville. What did I do?"

"Lois Lane."

The sudden, ringing voice made her jump, and she tumbled off the icy ledge she had been lying on. As she landed, she noticed the long white dress that had replaced her knee length skirt and blue blouse. Lois stared at it in confusion, her brow pinching. "Huh. What's with the wardrobe malfunction?"

"Lois Lane."

She stood slowly, searching for the source of the voice. "Um… God?"

"I am Jor-El, of the house of El. It is nice to meet you at long last."

"Uh, okay." Her eyes studied the cavernous surroundings. "I… Is this heaven?"

"This is a representation of the environment on the planet Krypton," the voice answered, as though that explained everything.

"Where are you?" she asked, turning around.

"I have no physical presence. I am a disembodied presence," was the reply. This time she noticed the voice coming from all around her.

Lois blinked. Okay, sure. So maybe she hadn't died. Maybe she'd gone insane.

She barked out a quick laugh. "Um, okay. And when do the munchkins and unicorns come out?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Munchkins. Unicorns. Things that don't exist," she explained flatly.

"You believe that this is not real."

"That would be a big fat duh." She sat back down on the ice ledge, shaking her head. She drummed her fingers along the ice and muttered to herself, "Now all I have to do is wake up. Probably in an alley among rats, but hey, at least I'll wake up."

"You are very much awake, Lois Lane. You were brought here for protection and healing."

"By who?" she challenged. "And you never really specified where 'here' is."

"By me."

Startled, she turned to see where the new voice had come from. The man standing across from her looked to be middle aged, with a kind face and smile. He stood with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket. He looked familiar. Regardless, she slid off the ledge once again, tensing for a fight.

"I warn you," Lois said as she curled her hands into fists, "I'm a black belt. If I kill you, I can't be held liable."

The man held up his hands, a gesture of peace. "You can relax, Miss Lane. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm a friend."

"Sorry, but I make it a point not to be friends with strangers," she snapped. "Mind telling me your name?"

The man chuckled. "You're every bit as spirited as I've heard. My name is John Jones, Miss Lane. I work with the Metropolis police."

He held up a badge. Reaching over, Lois took the badge cautiously, giving it a quick but intense once-over. It was real, she could tell; she seen enough fakes – some of them her own – to know authentic when she saw it. "Okay. Fine. You're a cop. Mind telling me why you kidnapped me?"

"I found you in an alley, being badly beaten by a group of lowlifes," he replied. "I chased them off. I knew Kal-El would be deeply upset if I left you hurt and alone, so I took you here to be healed. Better here than one of your human hospitals. Times are getting much too dangerous; especially for you and Kal-El."

Lois cocked her head at the strange name. Hadn't she heard that name before? "Kal-El?"

"My son."

Lois glanced up at the icy ceiling. Looking back at John Jones she jabbed a thumb at the surrounding ice. "Casper here has a son?"

John allowed her a half smile. "It's understandable to be doubtful, Miss Lane. You must be very confused."

"I'm standing in a giant igloo talking to a Metropolis cop and a voice with no body. Confused is a bit of an understatement."

He chuckled. "Kal-El has his work cut out for him with you."

"I don't know anyone named Kal-El."

"You will."

Lois narrowed her eyes slightly at his cryptic reply.

John continued. "Kal-El is a great friend of mine. As are you in later years, come to think of it. You first need to understand that I'm not from this planet we stand on. I am from the planet you call Mars."

Her eyes bugged out. "You're an alien?"

He nodded. Her breath came out as a startled gasp.

"I knew it!" she yelled. "I knew aliens exist! Clark always thought I was crazy, but I knew it!"

This earned her another smile. "You have had your fair amount of dealings with them. Not that you were aware for most of the time."

"What?" This took a moment to sink in, but it wasn't long before Lois' lips parted, a hundred questions already on the tip of her tongue.

"I think that's a discussion for another time," John interrupted. "And probably another person."

"This Kal-El guy?" she guessed.

"Correct."

"She must know some of her destiny," the voice said. "Doomsday is upon us."

Lois' eyes widened. "Doomsday?"

John gave her a look that made her feel odd, like she was being appraised. He glanced up at the ceiling. "Perhaps she should rest, Jor-El? She is still injured."

"Wait," she interrupted, holding up her hand. This John guy was purposely avoiding the Doomsday subject, which worried her slightly. "What's this doomsday business? Are you talking about end of the world stuff?" Her eyes got even bigger. "Oh my God. You're planning an invasion, aren't you?"

John laughed. "No, Miss Lane. No invasion. Just relax. You need to rest right now."

"But-"

"I'm sure Jor-El will answer some of you questions after you heal a bit more." Grabbing her arm gently, John led her over to the raised icy ledge and helped her back on. Lois thought about jerking away from him, but thought better of it. As strange as her current circumstances were, this man didn't frighten her. He didn't make her feel wary, but calm instead. She leaned back so that she was laying flat.

"Where are you going?" she asked suspiciously.

"Kal-El will be worried. He must go and tell my son where you are."

"But I don't even know this Kal-El," Lois argued feebly. A warm light started to wash over her, spreading a sleepy calm as it did. "Why would he be worried about me?"

She heard John's voice as her leaden eyes began to droop closed.

"You may not know Kal-El, Miss Lane, but he certainly knows you. And in time, you will know him."

"Hmm. I see." The words sounded slow and slurred to even her own ears. "You guys aren't going to experiment on me or something while I'm out, are you?"

John chuckled. "No. Rest well, Lois Lane."

Okay, so that was the first Chapter. Next Chapter will be Clark's POV. Please Read and Review!! Oh, and this is kinda embarrassing, but will someone please tell me how you add chapters? I've only ever done oneshots, so I have no clue how. Thanks so much! :)