A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews! If I could I'd buy all of you a beer- or if your not of age- well, I'd still let you have a sip of mine! LOL

Chapter Twelve

Unraveling

"What are you?"

Clark didn't move and neither did she. They were both frozen in a moment of time. Her large, doe eyes drilled into his, stubbornness and hurt and bemusement and desire, reflecting in their hazel depths.

And it seemed that they had both come to the same conclusion- they'd both been caught. Clark realized, he had made an error in judgment and she-

"I'm a con woman," her voice was soft and tremulous. "We're all con women. Chloe, Lucy- every one in my family is. And we don't work for Lana- at least not in the way you think. We're here to relieve her of a large amount of money so Lucy can pay off the debts she owes to a group of nasty loan sharks."

Clark soaked up her words like a sponge. She was a crook, she'd been playing him for almost five days straight- and he never wanted her more.

"And my name isn't Lois Leitz," she continued, "It's Lois. Lois Lane."

Clark dropped his hands from her shoulders and she bit her lip. "So now you know." The conniving brunette stuck her wrists out on front of her, "OK. You can take me to jail now. Just leave Chloe and Lucy alone. I'm the head of this dysfunctional family and I take full responsibility for-"

"If those are for handcuffs," Clark eyed her wrists with interest. "I'll happily oblige you, if you can wait about five seconds while I run out and get them from my truck. But jail is not where I'll be taking you."

"But you're the sheriff and I'm a wanted criminal." Lois replied, crinkling her face, "This is basic cops and robbers, etiquette!"

"Get over here," Clark smiled, grabbing her wrists and tugging her closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. "First of all, even though you're very wanted," His eyes went stormy and Lois lost her breath, "the last place I want a woman like you is behind bars. With that wet dream of a mouth and silver tongue you'd have the masses organized in mere hours. We'd have a revolt on our hands by the end of the week! No you're too dangerous to put in with the general population. It's better if I just keep a very close eye one you. Besides there's no warrant out for your arrest and no official complaints have been filed, either."

"You don't know that," Lois accused. "You just learned my real name! Plus, I just confessed thirty seconds ago!"

"Have you actually stolen the money?" Clark asked.

Lois shook her head, "no but there's still got to be at least a charge of conspiracy or intent or something, right?"

Clark waved his hand, "Semantics, besides, if I tried to arrest you, you'd tell everybody about my secret."

Lois snorted, "No one would believe me. And since you brought it up, let me guess you're some sort android? A rogue science experiment that escaped from some underground government lab? This isn't some sort of weird Terminator thing is it?"

The sheriff shook his head, "I know someone who would believe you. And no I'm not an android- I'm all flesh and bone like you- and I wasn't a weird test tube baby either. Although I'm not exactly your average Joe," he winked.

And Lois pressed against him and said, "I knew that the first time I saw you."

Clark found the edges of her shirt and slipped underneath so he could feel the heat of her skin. "I'm an alien." He said it as though it was something people said all the time. "Except instead of just crossing the border I crossed the entire atmosphere."

"Oh," Lois didn't seem to have an intelligent response to that. If she hadn't experienced his, peculiar talent first hand she would have laughed in his face. "So, this is really your appearance? You're not going to peel off your skin or anything, right?"

"Nope, this is me," he assured her, "no tentacles or extra heads."

"Good." She gasped when his hands went higher.

"So you see, now you know my dirty little secret too," he said and Lois unhooked her arms so she could work on unbuttoning his shirt.

"But I'm still a felon, " Lois mumbled, fumbling with his buttons, "What is wrong with this stupid shirt?"

"Do you have a record?" He asked, gently pushing her hands away and pulled the piece of clothing over his head. She shook her head and he said, "That's what I thought and I don't arrest women I want."

"You may want me, but you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Lois warned, her fingers trailing up the defined contours of his arms and shoulders. "Besides, I'm still a liar."

"You were scared and you wanted to protect your family," Clark said, his eyes darkened and she shivered. "I can understand that better than anyone."

"OK. So we've had this happy sharing hour. But you still don't really know me and I definitely don't know you," she whispered, grinning up at him as he pulled her shirt down her arms.

"Fine," Clark said, roaming his palms over her still covered breasts, smirking like a Cheshire cat, "then let's get to know each other better."

Lois couldn't help but laugh. "As long as I get total immunity. This barn is like Vegas and whatever I say here cannot and will not be used against me in a court of law, you got that officer?"

"Tell me you've got the Hope Diamond stashed under your bed and I'll fuck your brains out," Clark replied, as her little nefarious lying hand explored his abdomen warming his blood.

"The Hope Diamond isn't under my bed," Lois said and his face dropped.

"Oh."

Then her smile widened in that way that always gave her away. "It's behind the Vodka."

"Huh?" Clark perked up instantly, unsure if he'd heard her correctly.

"It's hard to see because it's the same color as the vodka and you have to move some things around, and of course it's dark in that cupboard, but-" she ran her tongue across her lips and he growled hungrily. "It's there. Kiss me."

Clark didn't have to be asked twice. Their lips came together in a heated, frenzy- nipping and biting and sucking. Clark groaned when their tongues touched.

"I'm free!" Lois said against his open mouth, while he playfully bit at her. "Really free! I feel wonderful! This is better than cold lake water!"

"Good," Clark said, driving her backwards until her knees hit the side of the futon and they fell into it. "Hm. This is familiar."

Lois giggled. "I can tell you anything. Anything!"

Every cell in his body screamed, take her, but he didn't. He had to make sure she really wanted this.

"Then spill," he purred against her neck. God, her pulse was going about a mile a minute and it was driving him nuts. He wanted her to open up to him in more ways than one.

"Most kids went to summer camp so they could get out of their parents hair and socialize- I went to summer camp because my mother thought I needed to work on my pick pocketing skills. I have this panicking problem, if you didn't notice."

"I noticed," Clark said, removing her bra. He'd been dying to get acquainted with her perfect breasts for days! "Keep talking."

"I did my first solo con when I was twelve. He was thirteen and I convinced him to steal a hundred and fifty dollars out of his Dad's safe so I could pay for my non-existent cat "Marigold's" open heart surgery."

"At twelve?" Clark asked, before lowering his head and taking one breast in his mouth.

Lois arched against him and whined, "I was an early developer. Your turn."

He stripped off his jeans, "my planet was destroyed. I was only a baby when my parents sent me here. They died in the explosion."

"What was it called?" Lois asked, momentarily blinded by seeing him in all of his naked glory. God, he had to be from another planet! He was too damn perfect!

"Krypton," he said breathlessly. Hoisting her skirt so it bunched at her waist. He had to be telling the truth. You couldn't make up a name like that!

"You're pretty kinky for an extraterrestrial." She cooed and he grinned wickedly.

"You have no idea. Tell me more."

"I got caught playing five card stud in Sunday school," she bit out. He was on top of her again, kissing her neck and biting her shoulders and groping her breasts.

"God, you're beautiful, " he said into her skin, "and so hot for me."

"Yes!" she agreed, wiggling against him. The friction was so addicting. And he felt so good. So right. And for once her brain shut up and she could enjoy everything he was doing and it didn't matter if she screamed out her deepest, secrets when he made her come- he already knew what they were!

She was soaring and for the first time everything seemed bright and clear. And God she wanted him so much. Needed him so much.

"What happened then?" Clark's scratchy voice was in her ear.

"When the teacher caught me I told her I was doing it for God and she gave me a gold star." Lois finished, rising up so she could nibble on his shoulder. Her hands traced down his back-

Clark made a noise of approval, "I can see through most anything," he said, "when I was in high school I accidentally saw straight into the girls locker room."

Lois laughed. "Accidentally?"

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it," he said, kissing her hard on the mouth.

"More," she demanded, still dazed because he kissed her and he because he was so obviously naked on top of her.

"My whole rap sheet?" He asked and She nodded, relishing in the bite of his hands on her hips and the way the delicious heat of him felt pressed against her chest.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," Lois teased and he took her mouth again bruising his lips against hers and licking into her until she moaned.

"Deal." He said, when he came up for air and she smiled. "Let's see," he was having trouble thinking. She was hotter than he remembered, rounder- more goddess-like. "Super speed, x-ray vision," he mumbled to himself and Lois kissed his around his jaw line and ground her hips into his. He wanted to be inside of her as soon as possible. But she wanted a list of his powers first so-

"Super hearing, super strength, super breathe, heat vision-," he gasped when Lois found him hard against her thigh and stroked him until he grabbed her hot little hand. "Stop that. Or this will be over before I get to the end of my list!"

"The list is that long?" He slid his hand down between her thighs making her inhale sharply.

"No your hand is that hot!" He pushed her panties aside and stuck a finger inside of her and she cried out, moving her hips against his hand. "I remember this, I've been here before."

"Clark!"

"Now where was I?" He pretended to contemplate the question and drove another digit inside of her making her whimper. "Oh, yes-"

"Forget it!" Lois suddenly burst out. "Just forget it. Fuck me."

"No. No." Clark tisked, "You deserve the truth." He started moving his fingers and Lois's eyes rolled back in her head. He was way too good at that.

"I'm also virtually indestructible," he leaned in close to her. "Top that."

"I don't think I can," she admitted. Yes. Right there. Don't stop! "But, Oh. God. I wasn't lying when I said my whole family was bent."

"Decades?" Clark guessed.

"Centuries." She moaned.

"My great-grandma sold a fake Van Gough to-" Clark hit the right spot and she screamed.

"Did I hurt you?" He stopped, his face blanched.

"God no!" Lois grabbed at his hand. "Do that again!"

He smiled. "First tell me about great-grandma."

"Mmm, first you tell me not to think and just relax and enjoy it, now when I'm nothing but putty in your hands you want to have story time!"

"I'm a complicated man, Lois. Now what did dear old Granny do exactly?" He started petting her again and she melted.

"She sold a fake Van Gough to- Mussolini."

"Impressive." Clark dipped his head and took her nipple in his mouth.

"You don't understand," Lois panted. "It was a horrible fake. Anyone could've seen that it wasn't authentic. It was that bad."

Clark lifted his head. "Did she look like you?" His fingers went back to driving her crazy from the inside.

"Yes!" she hissed out. Yes. Yes. Yes.

"Was she naked when she was selling it to him?" He kissed the top of her breast, raking his teach along the peak.

"Yes." Oh!

"I'd have bought it too." He said, taking his fingers out of her again long enough just to rip her panties off.

He rolled between her legs and rocked into her. Solid and hot and hard and she moaned loudly because he felt so good. Better than she ever imagined. And he thrust into her and she bucked against him keeping a steady rhythm.

She could feel the pressure building inside of her. "My family has been conning people for four centuries!" She said, "We've been wrong forever! Don't stop. That feels so good!"

"You're perfect," he said. "You feel perfect, so tight and wet and hot. You may be twisted-"

"Like a pretzel," she groaned.

"But you're perfect."

"My Mother was one of the greatest deceivers since Esther Reed!" Harder. More. "Chloe's dad was a computer hacker- Oh!"

It was like he could read her mind. He knew exactly what she wanted when she wanted it. He pounded into her harder- increasing his speed and making her mindless.

"Well, at least your family wasn't trying to train you to take over the world," Clark topped.

She wanted to ask how he could talk to his family if they were dead, but he touched the right spot inside of her and her brain went fuzzy.

Lois grabbed reached down and grabbed his ass, sinking her nails into his cushy flesh- closer. She wanted him all the way inside her. No distance between them. She wanted him to give her everything he had and take all she was offering and more.

"Clark," she whispered breathlessly.

"Lois?" He gulped. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was drunk with passion. Her eyes were half lidded and black with desire and her lips were swollen and open. Her voice low and throaty and raw-

"Show me the stars again."

And he did. The spasms started and she tightened around him as explosions and fireworks danced before her eyes and prickles of pure pleasure crackled and popped along her skin and deep down to her bones. She was clenching him so hard- she never wanted him to leave her. She didn't want to leave him. And her nails dug deeper into his backside and suddenly everything was bright and wonderful and she collapsed against the used the mattress. Sated and exhausted and happy.

When she could think again, she felt him shaking against her. He held on to her for dear life and she didn't care. All she cared about was having him again.

"Christ." Clark said into her hair and Lois moved so her arms were around his neck.

"I want to do that again."

"Definitely," he looked into her tired eyes. "But first you need to sleep."

"I don't sleep," she yawned. "I'm a chronic insomniac."

"Try." He kissed her forehead. "I won't leave."

"Promise?"

"Yes. Now sleep."

"OK."

It was the most gorgeous sleep of her life. No tossing or turning. No fears or guilt. Just Clark Kent's warmth surrounding her and making her feel safe and wanted- for the first time in her life Lois Lane was home.

When she woke up, he wasn't there. And she panicked momentarily until she spotted him leaning against the window frame looking out at the farmland. He was wearing his jeans and Lois wrapped the sheet around her body and joined him.

She hugged his waist and he put his arm over shoulder and squeezed her close.

"We should talk," he said.

"Yes."

"There's a lot you don't know, Lois."

"Right back at you, stud."

Clark looked down at her, "wanna go first?" he asked hopefully and she shook her head.

Figures. "All right, shoot."

"Clark I thought you said your planet was destroyed?"

"It was."

"So, how are you communicating with your family? By séance?"

"Artificial Intelligence," Clark semi-explained. "I'll show you, later."

"How much later?"

"Not long. But first, I need to tell you why I kind of freaked out when I thought you were working with Lana."

"Yeah, I was kind of hoping we'd cover that," Lois admitted. The truth was she was a little afraid of the answer.

"Lois," Clark began, not looking at her, "Lana Lang was my first love- well I thought I was in love with who I thought she was. I thought I knew her- I thought she loved me to-" he broke off.

"What happened?" Lois prompted, rubbing his arm soothingly.

"I made a stupid impulsive choice. I wanted to be normal. I thought if I didn't have my abilities- if I could just be like everyone else, I could be with her forever. So I asked Jor-El to take them away. And he did."

"Jor-who?"

"That's my birth father's name."

"Got it." But she obviously didn't.

"And we- uh- got together. And I thought this is it. This is what I've always wanted."

"But it didn't work out that way, did it?" Lois concluded.

"No," Clark shook his head. "It may have been what I wanted at the time. But it wasn't what she wanted. She wanted bigger and better things and she knew just how to play me- use me to get to them," he finished.

Lois raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Did I forget to mention that Lex Luthor and I used to be best friends?"

"What?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He wasn't always-"

"Evil?" Lois finished.

"There was some good in him at one time," Clark said, wistfully. "Anyway, when Lana wasn't satisfied with the life I could provide for her. She didn't want a simple life in Smallville. And when Lex dangled his money and power in front of her face she jumped at the chance."

"Clark- that's terrible."

"And that's not the worst part," he said. And Lois felt another bout of heartburn coming on. She was pretty sure she knew where this was going.

"Tilly?" She asked quietly and Clark confirmed her fears with a slight nod.

"She told me the baby was mine about three months into the pregnancy and then she told me she was marrying Lex. She knew I'd never be able to prove it."

"Because you'd have to get a blood test to prove you were the father and if that happened-"

"Exactly." Clark finished, "By that time, I'd learned my lesson and Jor-el gave me back my abilities. I couldn't do that to my child. As bad as it was for her to be raised by Lana and Lex it would be ten times worse if they knew she was part alien."

"Lana doesn't know?" The surprised the brunette, "I thought-"

"She has her suspicions, but nothing concrete. Just Lex's crazy theories, although she probably would've found out eventually if things had been different, you can't really ignore the fact that your child can lift the couch in the living with one hand by the age of three."

"But how did you end up with Tilly?" Lois questioned.

Clark sighed. "When Lex disappeared. Lana was obviously the prime suspect. Their marital problems weren't exactly a secret. So when it came time for the baby to come, Lana struck a deal with me."

"What kind of deal?" Lois asked.

"Not the kind you're thinking," Clark assured her. "I got Tilly and Lana got sympathy points."

A light bulb went on in Lois's head. "The paper's said she'd had a still born. There was no way a jury was going to convict a widow who'd not only just lost her husband, but their child as well."

"Exactly," Clark, retorted. "They fed the media their sob story. And I came home early from Kansas State with a sad story of my own, about how I fell in love with a girl I'd met at school, got her pregnant and was about to marry her when she decided to run off and leave me a single father."

"So you got sympathy points, too." Lois said.

"Yep."

"But why stay here in Smallville?" Lois asked, "Isn't it dangerous? Painful?"

Clark shrugged. "Not really. Lana doesn't come to town and once I got a glimpse of her true colors it kind of cured me of my puppy love. And I wouldn't trade Tilly for anything in this world. Besides, I can monitor Smallville a lot better than a big city like Metropolis."

"Monitor?"

"Yeah, I know everything that goes on in this town. It's easier to keep a couple thousand residents under surveillance than hundreds of thousands- or even millions."

"Why do you need to keep them under surveillance?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Clark observed.

"You'll get your chance," Lois told him. "Now quit stalling."

Clark turned to her and sat on the edge of the windowsill. The sun was high in the sky and the way it hit her illuminated her skin and hair. She looked like an angel. His angel.

He reached for her and she jumped back. "Oh, no you don't. Talking now- sex later." He pouted, but she wouldn't be persuaded.

"You win," he conceded and by the look on her face Clark could tell she was used to hearing that.

"I need to keep an eye out for Lex."

"Lex Luthor is dead," Lois said and Clark shook his head.

"Until they find a body- it's safer to assume he's still out there."

"Paranoid much?" Lois crossed her arms over her chest.

"You didn't know him like I did," Clark said, no anger in his voice. He knew how he sounded and the way Lois was looking at him was the same way his mother looked at him when he'd told her his reasons.

"Enough about me," Clark diverted, before Lois could ask another question. He grabbed her and pulled her close. "I wanna hear about you now."

Lois let herself get tugged into his lap. "All right, start the interrogation."

"I will. Just stop looking like death warmed over."

Lois attempted a smiled.

"We'll work on that later," Clark said. "Now why exactly do you need to steal from Lana?"

"I told you," Lois repeated, "my sister has a gambling problem. And usually when something like this happens we just skip town and mark it off our list of places not to revisit."

"Why didn't that work this time?" Clark inquired.

Lois sighed. "Because this time Lucy got in over her head. These guys don't mess around. They have their thumbs in every pie in Metropolis. Chloe tried three different times to get us out- but it was no use. This guy has thugs everywhere."

"What guy?" Clark asked.

"Marcus Becker," Lois confided. "The only reason we got as far as Smallville is because he's lo-jacking our phones and our car and most of Chloe's equipment."

"When do you need the money?"

"A few weeks," Lois said. "I managed to get us a least a little time. It wasn't much, but if I can close the deal with Lana before next week-"

"Lois, you know I can't let you do that," Clark interrupted.

"Hey!" The naked brunette steamed, "I thought you weren't going to turn me in!"

"I'm not!" Clark quickly put in, "I won't. It's just we'll have to find another way for you to pay off the loan. How much do you owe anyway?"

Lois told him the number and his jaw hit the floor, "that's not an amount of money that's a phone number!"

"I know," Lois replied, grimly. "I just thought that since Lana ended up stealing the money in the first place-"

"That it didn't matter if you took it," Clark finished.

"I warned you about me," she said, unable to look him in the eyes. She didn't need to see the disappointment in them.

"Hey," Clark lifted her chin with his fingers. "We'll figure this out." He promised and Lois didn't believe him but she let herself sag into his comforting embrace, anyway. God, she was going to end up losing him- she knew she was. But she'd enjoy the time they had, for now.

"I don't know how I'm going to explain to Lana why I suddenly disappeared during my lunch break," she just now thought about that.

"You're going back?" She felt more than heard him.

"Yes." Lois said. "I may not be taking her money anymore, but I'm at least going to get my damn story!"

"What story?"

"Didn't you see the room?" Lois said. "She's looking for someone."

"Lois, do you know how many pending Lawsuits Lana still has going on?"

"Eighty-six."

He gave her an unamused look, "that was a rhetorical question."

"Sorry," she replied, unapologetically.

"What I mean is, do you know how many people have been trying to bring her down for the past seven years?"

"Yes, but those people were never in my situation." Lois countered, "I basically have an all access pass to everything Lang. She trusts me, Clark. She doesn't have any idea who I am. She thinks I'm this young business genius."

"She's dangerous, Lois." Clark was speaking from experience. Lois had to bite her tongue. She wanted to say that there was no possible way Lana could hurt her like she hurt him- the woman was attractive and all, but she wasn't Lois's type.

Clark stretched and Lois took full advantage of gawking at the view. Now, he was definitely her type.

"I'm very careful," she said and he started to laugh.

"Did you forget I had to save your fine ass, today?"

Lois glared at him, "did you forget that I had a brilliant plan while I was cornered in that closet. I would have been perfectly fine without you."

"Ah, yes. The old Clothing cocoon." Clark replied, dryly. "Fools 'em every time."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

And she did. The rest of their conversation could wait until later. Just for right now she wished reality away and fell into Clark Kent's arms- free and happy.

TBC

*******
A/N: You know you want to press that 'review' button. Give in.