This is an alternate beginning of Lois & Clark. We took a different angle and a different city. Lois & Clark are already established as well-known investigative reporters at different newspapers, Lois at the Planet in Metropolis, Clark at the Globe in London. On an undercover assignment they meet in London without knowing the true identity of the other. We want to thank our two editors Georgia and Wendy for helping us with the story. Also we want to announce that for those who don't like "fade outs" there will be a nfic-version of this story available soon. But now, without further ado: Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm hand for Lisa Lance and Cary Keats! ------------------------------ Heartache Tonight By the German L&C Fanfiction Team: CKgroupie , KiwiPit , LittleS Rated: PG-13 Uploaded February 2000 ------------------------------ HEARTACHE TONIGHT Somebody's gonna hurt someone Before the night is through Somebody's gonna come undone There's nothin' we can do Everybody wants to touch somebody If it takes all night Everybody wants to take a little chance And make it come out right There's gonna be a heartache tonight Heartache Tonight - The Eagles It had been raining for hours now. Lois absently watched big raindrops forming into long, asymmetrical lines that searched their way on the cool glass, meeting and crossing other lines, then finally being stopped in their tracks by the white frame of the huge windows and dropping down on the window-sill outside. There the rain had already built a little puddle and it was no wonder, because it had been raining constantly since Lois had landed in London this morning. She grimaced. The weather here really was just as bad as its reputation. She sighed and looked around in her room. Perry had been generous with her budget this time. The hotel was one of the best she had ever stayed in. She had a big, well lit room with tasteful furniture and a huge white bathroom with a whirlpool inside. She sent a longing glance to the kingsized bed in the middle of her room. The long flight had been tiring and the thought of taking a nap after soaking in a hot bubble bath was all too tempting. But she knew from experience that the time difference was much easier to bear if you tried to accept the other country's hours as soon as possible. The bed and the whirlpool would just have to wait a little while longer. What was she going to do instead? Okay, she could take another look at her notes about Simon, her contact here in London, but to be honest, she didn't really feel like it right now. She already could recite her notes in her dreams, so well did she know them after all the preparations she had done these last weeks. Suddenly she felt her stomach contract slightly in excitement, as she thought about the reason why she was here. Nothing could go wrong and Lois was determined to make this investigation a success. Anyway, she wasn't going to meet Simon before tomorrow evening and she didn't need to get nervous in advance. The weather was of course horrible, but suddenly she felt the urge to go outside. Otherwise she knew she would give into temptation and go to sleep after all. Maybe there was a nice, warm and dry place somewhere in the neighborhood, in a cafÈ or in a tearoom, where she would be able to get something hot to drink and where she could take in the atmosphere of the city a little bit. Without any more hesitation she took her purse and slid into her coat. ***** "Clark, I need your story about the Prime Minister's speech in an hour at the latest. Do you think that's possible?" Clark Kent looked up from his computer when he heard the voice of his editor next to him. "Sure, Chief," he nodded briefly and started to type again. The story was halfway ready anyway, it only needed a little finishing touch. He didn't like a few phrases he had used and he wasn't satisfied with the final sentence either. Clark loved final sentences that made the reader think, that were suggestive and yet definite and that were supposed to whet the reader's appetite for more. He knew it was a soft spot with him and one his editor thought quite unnecessary and misplaced, but he couldn't help it. He just had fun writing and even when he wrote news he never could completely deny his poetic vein. Bringing some good style to this story though was much more difficult than he had expected. About half an hour later Clark finally gave up. A Prime Minister's speech was too much of a challenge even for him, he thought with a crooked smile. He sighed when he pressed the "send" button on his computer to transfer the story to the chief. For months there had been no scoop on the London Globe's front pages. He really could use another story that had award potential and his newspaper could as well. And here I was thinking that there's always something happening in London. Clark sighed silently. Perhaps I'm working for the wrong paper, he thought. Those dirt diggers from the gutter press even make a story and big scandal out of a politician doing something normal like tipping in a restaurant or one of the Royals missing a button on his shirt. Disgusted, he shook his head. He was more than happy to be able to work as an investigative reporter for the London Globe, one of the world's most respected newspapers. Nothing ever would make him succumb to write for the yellow press. Not even these slow news weeks they'd had lately. "Speaking of investigative reporter..." Clark murmured to himself and entered the office of Derek Finch, editor-in-chief for the London Globe. "Mr. Finch, remember I told you about this story I'm currently working on? The new drug ring?" A few months ago a new designer drug had come up in some clubs throughout the city and ever since had made its way around London and Europe's other big cities. Like any other drug, Eagle - as it had been named - soon had its first casualties. One of the victims had been the daughter of a good friend of Clark. In his anger and despair Paul had asked Clark to help him. "If there's someone who can nail those bastards who did this to my little girl, it's you, Clark," he had said. Even though Clark had told Paul not to expect too much of him - he simply wasn't James Bond and couldn't do miracles either - as a reporter he was very interested in the story and would do anything to bust the drug bosses. Under the cover of a false identity Clark had slipped in the chemical laboratory where Eagle was produced, and worked his way up to the people who were leading the organization. Derek Finch looked up from his computer screen. "Your undercover story? Yes, you mentioned it. Though I'm still wondering how you managed to pass off as an expert on drugs or something like that." Clark grinned, satisfied. It always pleased him to be able to surprise his editor. "I check the quality of the produced drugs and give my okay to it. You only need to know some chemistry and people who ..." "... who know people," Finch added, laughing. "I know how our business works, Clark." Clark nodded and continued. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if I can cut back on my time here in the newsroom over the next three or four days. Word is that a new and very interested customer from the States with a lot of money in his pockets will arrive in London by tomorrow. I thought that perhaps I can make him my ticket to the head of the organization." "Sounds promising," Finch agreed. "So, you're going to play - what did you call yourself? - Cary Keats once again?" "Yes, my contact at the lab said I'll be needed during the next days to check the latest production. I suspect that some extra pounds of Eagle have been produced especially for the American customer and now I'm in charge of confirming the genuine quality of the stuff." "All right, Kent. I give you three days. After that I'll decide whether you'll go on with the story or whether you'll drop it." Derek Finch actually had little doubt that Clark would get another front page once again. He knew, he could rely on Clark's instincts as a reporter. Nevertheless he would have to kill his best reporter's story if it looked like Clark was at a dead end and very unlikely to get the story. "And remember to report to me and to keep me updated," Finch demanded. "Okay, chief. Well, then, I'm off for today." ***** "Good day, my dear! I wasn't expecting you to arrive in London before tomorrow." Lois looked up from her coffee and gave the man who had addressed her a slightly annoyed glance. He was in his forties, well, almost elegantly, dressed and spoke with a cultivated British accent. "Stanley, I told you I'd call you," she hissed to the man who sat down at her table, oblivious to her displeasure. "How'd you know I'm here anyway? I'm not being tailed, am I?" The last thing she needed was all of her moves in London being watched. But how else could Stanley have found her? "You think I'm following you? Why should I? I'm your informant, not one of them. Believe me, it's pure coincidence that I met you," Stanley reassured her and called for the waitress to order a cup of tea. "I had some errands to do and saw you in here sipping your coffee." Despite his explanation Lois wasn't quite convinced that her informant had run into her by accident. However, Stanley Kittridge, whom Lois had known for quite a while, had never given her any reason to mistrust him. He was working as a driver for London's underworld and from time to time he sold information or names to people like Lois to help them to find the right persons to talk to and the right places to look for stories. "Besides, Lois, here at Covent Garden nobody knows me. Your cover is not in danger. You have to admit that it was a brilliant idea to come in and talk to you right now. That way you can save on your phone bill." Seeing that Lois finally accepted his explanation and relaxed, Stanley asked her about the schedule for the first meeting with the dealer. "Have you ever heard of a club called 'Just Say So'?" she wanted to know. "'Just'? Oh yeah. It was famous for its variety of drinks. Well, it still is, the drinks are fabulous, but you know how it is - where there are young, wealthy people, all these designer drugs follow. Of course there is the normal crowd but by now a lot of the people you find at the club either come to buy this stuff, they consume it, or in one way or the other have something to do with it. So be careful when you show up there," he concluded seriously. "I've known from the start what I'm getting into, Stanley," Lois assured him. He only shook his head. He wasn't too sure about it, but watching her he realized it would be pointless to say more about this issue. Well, she was a grown-up woman and one would assume she knew what she was doing. If she thought she was capable of handling everything it was her problem. As long as she leaves me out of it, he silently qualified. Since neither of them had anything to add, Stanley rose. "I'll notify you if anything comes up. Are you staying at the Earl's Inn as you planned?" Lois confirmed that but cautioned him to use her alias Lisa Lance should he ask for her. Stanley only rolled his eyes. Did she think he was a novice? Without acknowledging her demand, he left the cafe. Following his example Lois looked around for the waitress to pay the bill. The headlines of one of the many trashy newspapers caught her eyes. I wanna fly like an eagle The flight that was her last one Latest victim of new designer drug Eagle a genius See her grades on page 3! How irresponsible, Lois angrily thought. How can they play it down like that! They only make everybody curious about it! She was doubly glad that a friend of hers, Louie, had come to her after he'd surprised a customer in his club in Metropolis who was about to consume the pills. The stuff wasn't that well-known in Metropolis yet, let alone established, probably due to the price the dealer she was finally able to track down demanded. He had explained it was because of the difficulties he had had bringing it out of England and to Metropolis. She remembered how difficult it had been to convince her boss that it would be a good idea to get to the bottom of the drug ring, infiltrate and expose them. Perry adamantly had denied her request, he had thought it to be too dangerous but at last she had been successful and he had agreed to her plan. Without reading the article that was still lying in front of her, she paid her bill. She detested that kind of journalism, if you could even call it that. Through the rain she finally made her way back to the hotel where she wanted to give in to her tiredness and lie down. Tomorrow was going to be an exiting day, the adventure was about to begin! ***** Lost in thought Clark made his way to the rest rooms. It seemed as if the new customer hadn't arrived yet, at least nobody in the organization had asked for his assistance so far. He hoped to find out more about the mysterious man from Metropolis tonight. That was why he was in the club. The 'Just Say So' was exactly the right place for information like this. The gentle breeze he made when walking by one of the more secluded tables in the back of the bar caused a napkin lying there to flutter and then softly float down. Out of the corner of his eye he realized it, turned around, and stooped down to get it. Unfortunately the owner of the napkin had the same idea and bent down at the same moment, causing their heads to connect with a solid whack. "Ouch," the woman exclaimed and started to rub the sore spot. Clark rose quickly, the napkin on the floor forgotten. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?" he inquired, concerned. "I'll live. And how are you?" she wanted to know. She was still holding her hand against her forehead and so succeeded in hiding nearly every inch of her face behind it. "I've got a thick skull, I'm okay. But let me take a look at you," Clark softly said. He was extremely embarrassed by his mishap and carefully and gently tried to pry her fingers away from her forehead. He immediately noticed the bright red spot that was showing above her brow. "You'll get a bump! My mom used to tell me the only thing to prevent it would be a cold kni..." His gaze shifted from her eyebrow to her eyes and he lost all coherent speech. In front of him was the most lovely person he had ever seen. Dark, shiny hair framed a beautiful face that was dominated by incredible big, dark brown eyes. She looked him fully into the eyes, her own half shadowed under fascinating long lashes and Clark saw a mixture of amusement, anger and curiosity sparkling in them. "God, you really have a hard head," he heard her say and he watched her beautiful lips starting to smile hesitantly. "If I'm going to have a bump and start looking like Frankenstein's monster, you'll have to pay, mister." Clark wanted to tell her that she could never look like a monster. He wanted to tell her that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He wanted to ask her out, to marry him and have his children, but no sound came from his lips. Instead he became aware that he was still staring at her. Obviously she noticed it too, because she sent him a speculative glance. "Are you okay?" she asked alarmed. "Maybe my head was harder than expected?" Clark awoke from his reverie. "No... I mean, yes, thank you," he answered with an effort and was surprised how strangled his voice sounded to his own ears. "I'm fine." "Lisa Lance," the woman suddenly said and stretched out her hand. He took it and sensed a tingle start all over his body when he felt her warm skin under his fingers. "Cl... uh... Cary Keats," he introduced himself. Inwardly he cursed his cover that made it necessary to tell her a wrong name. For some reason the story didn't seem as interesting and important to him as it had only minutes before. Instead he knew that he just had to learn more about this Lisa and it suddenly dawned on him that he had to do something about it. It was now or never. "Uh, Ms Lance," he therefore hastily asked, "may I get you something to drink maybe? You know, as a reparation for the bump?" Oh man, Kent! he inwardly cursed, did you ever hear a worse pick-up-line in your life? Couldn't you think of something more original? To his amazement Lisa nodded, though. "Thank you, you may," she answered with a smile. He let her go first when they went to the bar, trying to use the short time to bring his brain functions back under at least a little control. It wasn't particularly helpful though that his glance caught the breathtaking back-cleavage of that burgundy dress she was wearing. Oh yes, she was gorgeous. All around. Lois chose a place at the end of the counter, where you had a good view over the whole bar and where you still were able to talk uninterrupted. If she was honest with herself she really didn't know what she was doing here. Why did you say yes, Lois? she asked herself, astonished. She had no reason at all to have a drink with this stranger. What had happened? She wanted to talk? With this Mr Keats? God, she seldom had heard a cheaper pick-up-line than his 'may I get you something to drink?' before! And she fell for it? That guy most certainly only wanted something for dessert, nothing else! She sighed and had to admit that her mind probably was right. And yet... When she had heard her own voice almost on its own volition saying yes to his suggestion, he had smiled and... Wow, was that smile great! It took a great deal of control to fight down the butterflies that started to fly in her stomach again, even when she only thought about that smile now and she felt her knees go weak as they had done then, too. Why was she so attracted to that man? I only want to talk with him. Why not get some entertainment while I'm waiting for Simon? she told herself. Until now the evening had been boring anyway. Nobody had tried to get in contact with her so far and more and more she was starting to get a little uncomfortable. What if Simon's contacts to this place weren't as good as he had wanted to make her believe? The dealer Simon O'Grady was her only shot at getting into the Eagle scene and she had really counted on it. The thought of having to explain to Perry that this whole expensive trip to London and her stay in that first-class hotel were for nothing was not something she looked forward to and she really didn't plan on playing out the scene that was forming out in her mind. Well, it was still early and maybe Simon wasn't even here yet. It didn't do any good to get nervous and the prospect of a talk with Cary Keats got even more promising as a welcomed distraction. He seemed to be nice and as Lois turned to him now, she also had to admit again that he was really handsome. He was more than a few inches taller than she and as far as she could see in his well-cut suit, his physique was impressive. Lois let her glance trace over his profile while he ordered their drinks. No, definitely not bad, this man. A stubborn lock of black hair fell over his eyes and gave his face a boyish look that got even more pronounced through when the dimples in his cheeks appeared when he was smiling. Speaking of that smile... There it was again and it was really astonishing. Lois felt herself smiling back in return, when he turned around now and handed her a glass. "Okay, Lisa... May I call you Lisa?" he asked and continued when she nodded, "Good. Then I drink to my head not giving you a bump on your forehead." He winked at her and took a sip. Lois laughed. "I really hope so. But to be honest, I don't feel anything anymore, so I guess it's not that bad." She placed her drink on the counter again and didn't know what to say next. Small talk wasn't really her thing and the last time she had talked to a stranger in a bar seemed like an eternity ago. What were you supposed to say in such situations? Oh, yes. Location, job, hobbies. "So, where do you come from, Cary?" she therefore asked. She would like nothing more than to ask him how old he was, if he was seeing someone permanently and if he'd like to spent the next few days and the rest of his life with her. She was completely mesmerized and swept off her feet by this man. Never before in her life had Lois met anyone quite like him. She instantly trusted him unconditionally and was even willing to lay her life in his hands. If he'd ask me right now to marry him, I'd say yes. What in the world was happening to her? Lois didn't recognize herself anymore. "I live here in London," she heard Cary answer her question. "And you? You're American, aren't you?" "How did you...? Oh, right, it's my accent, isn't it? Well, being British you probably noticed right away." "British? No. Actually I've been living in London for some years now but I was brought up in the States. In Kansas. My parents have a farm." Stunned by his own open reply Clark asked himself why he would like nothing more than to tell this woman, who he'd only known for a few minutes, every tiny detail of his life. "A farm boy from Kansas? You don't look like one," Lois commented with a slight smile. For a mere second she feared that she had insulted Cary with her remark. But seeing the amusement in his eyes she knew that he understood her teasing. "You should see me wearing my favorite well-worn, plaid cotton shirt, washed-out and torn blue jeans and my straw hat. Not someone a big city girl like you would spend her time with." Lisa answered with a delighted laugh that was music to Clark's ears and made his knees go weak. This woman was just incredible. He would make sure to ask her out for lunch the next day. If she would agree to it, he would tell her the truth about himself and would explain why he had to lie in the first place. What am I thinking? Clark asked himself. I don't know a thing about her. Perhaps she's married with three kids or isn't interested in men at all. Shaking his head he dismissed that thought and returned his attention to Lisa who was still laughing softly and looking straight in his eyes. "And why not? We big city girls have always been attracted to the extraordinary." The words had hardly been spoken when Lois realized that they sounded more or less like she was declaring her love to Cary. Looking away she reached for her drink and took a sip to cover her embarrassment. What must he think of me? Probably that I'm some kind of a man-hunting vamp! But as she set her drink back on the table she felt Cary's hand brush against hers almost accidentally. "And I'm discovering all of a sudden that I'm very attracted to big city girls," he murmured huskily. Heat rushed through Lois' body, her heart was beating fast and she felt how every fiber of her body was aching for him. She could barely refrain from throwing herself at him and kissing him passionately. Instead she returned his heated look and swallowed hard. Lois, this is insane! Are you sure this is only flirting? She should direct their conversation to a more neutral and noncommittal subject. "Actually I... I really live in a big city. I'm from Metropolis. Have you ever been there? Maybe on a school trip? I mean in Metropolis. I'd really like to show you around the next time you're there. That is if ... you're coming ... and if you'd like. Maybe your girl friend ... or boy friend? ... doesn't like me to ... what? What is it?" Oblivious to the fact that Cary was amused by her babbling Lois only noticed how he was grinning affectionately at her. "Do you always talk this much?" he finally asked. A little embarrassed, she avoided his eyes and admitted, "Only when I'm nervous." "Is that a good or a bad kind of nervous?" he wanted to know. Lois looked at him blankly. "Excuse me?" Now it was Clark's turn to avoid her stare. "Oh, that was... Forget what I've asked." But Lois wouldn't leave it alone so he had to explain what he had meant. "A good kind of nervous like 'pleasantly surprised' or a bad kind of nervous as in 'anxiously flustered'," he explained without looking at her. Only now did she understand what he was getting at. The question was, though, should she really skip it like he had suggested she should, or should she answer honestly? A look at him absentmindedly picking apart his napkin - Hm, he isn't wearing a wedding ring! - and the butterflies in her stomach made the decision for her. "Good," she softly confessed. Instantly he lifted his head and looked at her hopefully. "Really?" Yes, there it was again, that smile of his! She nodded and in return gifted him with an equal smile that made him happy he was sitting, otherwise he would have gotten weak in the knees. For quite some time they didn't speak a word but were absorbed in each other's gaze, until Lois broke their silence. After all, they couldn't sit around the whole evening, looking longingly at each other like teenagers in love. In love? She cleared her throat and hoped Cary couldn't tell what she had just thought. "So, since you're not working on your parents' farm, what are you doing in London?" she asked brightly. Clark wasn't even aware of her asking something, lost as he was in her eyes. It was only when she lightly touched his arm and he had the feeling as if sparks flew from the spot where she had brushed against him that he came to. She was looking at him expectantly as if waiting for an answer and he had to admit that he had no idea what she had asked him. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" he asked, embarrassed. Kent, get a grip immediately or she'll be gone faster than you can say 'wow'. She has to think you're a complete idiot if you can't even follow a simple conversation. Glad that she seemed to have an equally confusing effect on him as he did on her, she repeated her question. "I wanted to know what you're doing here in London, far away from Kansas and farm life in general." To be honest, that was not a subject he wanted to talk about to her. He couldn't tell her the truth without compromising his incognito here but the thought of lying to her didn't sit too well with him either. "At the moment I'm working in research," he answered evasively without elaborating. That was even true to a degree. As a journalist he was doing research on the drug ring and chemists did research too, didn't they? "And you, what are you doing in Metropolis?" he asked, to turn the conversation away from him. And without knowing he had asked exactly the one thing that Lois equally was loath to answer. "Oh, I'm in the entertainment business." She had to smile at the thought of what Perry would say if he ever heard her referring to the Daily Planet as entertainment. "Aha, so you're here on business? Are you looking for talented up-and-coming actors for your next blockbuster?" he joked and wriggled his eyebrows. "Take me!" As soon as it was out of his mouth, he realized how suggestive it sounded. He really ought to think about what he wanted to say before he opened his mouth and let more remarks like that escape. Lisa thankfully didn't seem to have noticed the double entendre. She just smiled non-committally. Hurriedly he asked, "When did you arrive in London?" "Yesterday, and I really hope that the weather won't be as bad as now for the rest of the week. If I should manage to have some free time to do a little bit of sightseeing I'd love to do it dry. I don't want to walk around in this drizzle," she lamented, gratified they had found a different subject to talk about. Clark had to laugh at the miserable face she was making. "Don't worry! The reputation of London's weather is worse than the reality. In autumn it's really as bad as they say but at this time of year it keeps changing in a heartbeat. And believe me, some things are only worth discovering in the mist!" During the next hour they chatted about sights you won't find in travel guides, life on the island opposed to the States, films they both had seen, travels. In silent agreement they talked about everything except work and so they felt at ease as though they had known each other forever. Lois hadn't felt that good and laughed so much in a long time. And Clark was simply mesmerized by Lisa. They began to flag occasionally when they accidentally touched or their gazes locked but they never felt uncomfortable. They had long since forgotten why they were at the bar. They weren't aware of their surroundings, only of themselves. Because of this they didn't respond at first when a man appeared next to them, loudly clearing his throat. It was only when he spoke directly to Lisa that they became conscious of him. "Ms Lance?" Still laughing about the story Cary had been telling her, she turned around. The motion caused her and Cary's hands that had somehow found each other in the last half hour to unclasp, the touch lingering. "Yes?" "I'm Simon O'Grady. I can see that you've already made each other's acquaintance. You don't waste time, do you?" Seeing Lisa's uncomprehending stare he nodded in Cary's direction. "Cary Keats is the chemist who is responsible for the purity control of the drugs. So if we're doing business and you have complaints about the quality you'll have to work them out with Cary. But I'm sure you'll find ways that," he paused, grinning lewdly, "satisfy you both." Thunderstruck, Lois sat on her stool. Everything that Simon had mentioned after 'the chemist who is responsible for the purity control of the drugs' was drowned by the roaring in her ears. Cary was one of them? It felt like her world had shattered. Aghast, she looked at him and for a moment his face appeared to show the same expression of desperation, disappointment and pain she knew she must be wearing before Cary once again displayed the same inscrutable mask he had put on since Simon had approached them. She was barely able to regain her composure. This wonderful man, about whom she had just thought that she had never met anyone as nice before, was a gangster?! How could she have been so wrong about him? Where was her instinct for people?! One second ago she had had feelings for the man that she had never felt before, had thought about how he... how they... Suddenly she felt sick. "Sorry," she apologized shortly. "I'll be right back." She stood up and went through the bar towards the restroom. Almost as if in a trance she found the door at the other end of the club and stood in front of the mirror and the sink. Shaking her head she watched her pale face in the mirror and breathed deeply. She needed a moment to regain her composure. Only a few seconds. Then she would be able to look into the eyes of Cary Keats again. Then she would do what she was supposed to do here and that was bringing the drug dealers to jail. God, how she hated that slimy liar! He had wowed her and he was nothing but a common criminal! He wasn't worth her fighting for control of her emotions now and he wasn't worth the heartbroken feeling she got when she thought about sending him to jail. Lois gritted her teeth and sent a last searching look into the mirror. She was a pro. She was going to investigate this guy and this gang and nobody, absolutely nobody, would know how terribly she was hurting inside. ***** "Miss Lance is a club-manager from Metropolis," Simon rattled on. "She runs the business in the most exclusive clubs in the city and Eagle will make her clubs even more popular all over the US. We, on the other hand, hope to get an entrance in the American market in return. You know, there's not much going on so far overseas and this Lisa obviously has a lot of great connections." Clark only heard half of what the dealer was telling him. His face had been stony since Simon had approached them and he was still trying to get over the shock he had felt when he had realized that Lisa was the announced "client from overseas." The woman of his dreams was a criminal! All his life he had been dreaming of meeting a woman that would 'bowl him over.' That he would see and know that she was 'the right one' and tonight it had happened. He had looked into Lisa's eyes and from that second he had known: this one or none. And now he had to find out that she was a drug pusher! He despised drugs, he despised people that had the lives of countless others on their conscience because of greed and profit. And Lisa was one of them?! How could he have been so wrong!? And why did he feel an almost unbearable pain over the fact that he had to brush her out of his mind *now*! He would have to despise her, too and even worse, he had to bring her to justice. His smile when she came back to the bar and stood next to him was strained. He could smell her perfume and he imagined he could feel the warmth of her skin where her arm was only an inch from his own. Her physical nearness was as confusing as it had been a few minutes earlier, but now it caused him pain. Interrogate her, Kent, he ordered himself. Don't think about her. Think of the story! He took a deep breath. "Simon says you're a club-manager in Metropolis?" he asked absently while he looked into his glass with great interest. "Yes," she answered. "Actually we're trying to build a few more clubs spread over the whole country and I need some kind of attraction." Clark nodded. "And Eagle certainly is that," he said in a flat voice. For a moment she looked at him silently. If it hadn't been so absurd, she would have sworn that there was a touch of bitterness in Cary's eyes and in his voice. "I'm sure I can make it one," she finally replied self-confidently. What did Cary really want from her? Had he known who she was right from the beginning? Had he been instructed to test her genuine intentions? But now she had other things besides Cary Keats on her mind. The next minutes would show whether she could get a foot into the organization or whether all her work of the last weeks - setting up her cover and contacts - had just been a waste of time. She had to convince Simon that she was a very interested customer who wanted to invest a lot of money in Eagle. If Simon had even the slightest doubt of her intentions, her story would blow up. Not to mention what would happen to her when he realized that she was a nosy reporter snooping around. That was exactly why she couldn't let the emotional roller-coaster ride her feelings for Cary were giving her distract her from doing her job. Get your act together, Lane! Later you can philosophize on the injustice of life but now go on and play your role. And play it well, Lois told herself. Simon O'Grady had led them to a table in the back of the club where they were safe from being watched or overheard by the other guests. "I hope you've already got acclimatized since yesterday, Miss Lance," he began with a smug grin. "But the Earl's Inn is a very good place to feel comfortable, isn't it?" Giving him a cold glance, Lois ignored his implications that he knew when she had arrived in London and where she was staying. She had expected to be checked on. "I'm not in the mood for games, O'Grady," she replied impatiently. "You've made me wait for you too long already. What do you have for me?" Simon shrugged his shoulders indifferently and looked at Lois suspiciously for a moment. "You want to show your guests how to fly with Eagle, Miss Lance? Well, I offer you 6,000 of our little birds by the end of the week. In return I get from you cash - 60,000 pounds sterling or, if you like, 90,000 US dollars on delivery. Small notes, directly from the laundry." Hearing his proposition Lois could have shouted out for joy. O'Grady had bought her story! But all the two men saw was how she raised her eyebrows in mild surprise and shook her head. "That's not what I expected," she finally said, obviously dissatisfied. Lois didn't plan to be content with this first small success and to make a deal now. She couldn't get a title story - let alone a Pulitzer Prize - with an article exposing a small time drug dealer. Her goal was to get close enough to the top of the organization to bring down the drug ring, or at least cause some heavy damage to the distribution of Eagle. "Okay, Lisa. Since my mate Keats here and I think that you're an extremely attractive little woman, I offer you a fair deal - 54,000 pounds." Simon O'Grady seemed to be convinced that Lisa Lance would fall for his generosity act and would accept his deal. However she only looked at him unimpressed and replied with a touch of arrogance to her voice. "O'Grady, I don't think you understand. I am not interested in a single deal of maybe 60 to 80,000 pounds." Lois ignored the disdainful look he gave her. "I'm not going to buy 6,000 Eagles but 3,000. That seems reasonable to me for the first month with about 10,000 guests at my club. Should Eagle become as popular as I expect it, my second club in Metropolis will also be provided with Eagle and I will need 7,000 pills at least. You can figure what the annual consumption will be with three clubs in Metropolis and one in New York. And don't forget my excellent connections to other clubs all over the country." Lois leaned back with self-assurance. If she didn't underestimate O'Grady's position within the organization, the deal she was proposing was too big for him. And that would hopefully be her chance to negotiate with the really important people. But after O'Grady had mulled over her demand for a moment, he only grinned with satisfaction and didn't even suggest transferring Lisa to a more highly placed negotiator. "That makes approximately 65,000 pounds per month. Sounds very good to me!" "Not to me," Lois contradicted firmly, though inside her head was spinning. What else could she demand to get Simon to make her talk to his boss? She needed to kick him out of the deal. "That's another misunderstanding, O'Grady. Under no condition will I accept your oh so generous offer of 9 pounds per piece. Your junkies out on the streets may pay that price but not me. Five pounds and we have a deal." Lois knew she was risking a lot by asking for such a low price. O'Grady could accuse her of not being serious about the deal. "Wow, lady! Get real," he promptly replied. "We're no discount shop that..." "Simon," she interrupted impatiently. "If you're not qualified to make the deal, bring me to someone who is. If not, I'm leaving town by tomorrow morning for Miami. I'm invited to the annual Beach Party at the "Sounds" and some of my friends from Bogota will be there as well. And believe me, they'll be more than willing to make the deal with me. My guests don't necessarily need Eagle to be happy." She was hoping that this comment would cause Simon to give in as she was running out of ideas to push him. If the organization had checked her background, Simon was familiar with Lisa's - forged, of course - resume and had to believe that she had been working at a club called "Sounds" in Miami. The connection to the Colombian drug mafia she had mentioned wasn't far fetched. O'Grady didn't comment on her demand immediately, so Lois grabbed her purse and prepared to leave. "Well, that's it. I'm out." "Now wait! Sit down please." Simon sighed. "I'll see what I can do. You'll hear from me tomorrow. But to prove that you're serious about that deal, we want to see money. At least the amount covering the first delivery." Yes!! Lois congratulated herself. He took the bait. "No problem, but before I pay anything, I want to see a sample." O'Grady nodded and pointed at Cary Keats who had been persistently silent during their discussion. "That's why Keats is here. Talk to him, it's his department." He gave Lisa an invitation for the opening of a new club the following night. "Come to the party. I'll know more by then." As soon as O'Grady had left their table an uncomfortable silence settled between Cary and Lisa. Now that Simon had left her after their half hour conversation Lois became aware of Cary's presence that much more. In view of the strain she would have liked nothing more than to put her head on his shoulder and lose herself in the safety of his arms but she knew that was not an option. How could a man who was dealing with drugs, whether he was selling or producing them, ever give her security? Still, looking at him he appeared to be able to. She had somehow expected that now she knew about him she'd view him differently but even the knowledge of his criminal activities couldn't change her perception of him. She still saw the friendly, concerned, attentive man she had spent the evening with. Was it possible that she could be so wrong about him? Meanwhile Clark was going through a similar hell. He couldn't seem to bring the woman he had laughed so lightheartedly with only minutes before in line with the tough drug pusher he had just witnessed. He barely was able to hide his conflicting feelings and keep an indifferent expression. On one side he wanted to grab her shoulders, shake her and yell at her, "How can you do something like that? Don't you know what you're bringing on? The lives of how many families you're destroying only to make a profit?" On the other side he wanted to ignore everything, simply take her in his arms, kiss her senseless and never let go of her again. Why, oh why? Why did he have to fall in love with a criminal of the worst kind? A sigh escaped his lips and resignedly he ran his fingers through his hair. Lois noticed his gesture and would have liked nothing more than to match it. Instead, she grabbed her glass and squeezed it so hard her knuckles went white. Slowly she felt the adrenaline high she had been on while she was talking to Simon recede. Surprised, Clark noticed her behavior. Strange. She has absolutely no reason to be so anxious. She has nothing to lose after all. If the deal won't work out here she'll just turn somewhere else. She would make her profit one way or the other. His instinct and experience told him this was his golden opportunity to dig deeper, to find out something about her and her business but he was so overwhelmed by the evening's events that he decided to ignore his inner voice. He only wanted to get the evening over and done with, go home as fast as possible, and wallow in his misery. "So," he said curtly, "have you figured out how you want to get the sample, Ms Lance? I don't carry any Eagle with me, neither do I sell it or consume it." "A wise move, only to produce and not to take it," Lois sarcastically remarked before she was able to hold it back. She quickly closed her eyes and inconspicuously tried to inhale deeply, angry at herself for her slip in character. Come on, get yourself under control, she chided. You can't quit now, no matter how lousy you're feeling. You mustn't let him see how much it disgusts you to talk about drugs with him. You mustn't let him know how much you long to touch him and be touched by him... Desperate with the conflicting emotions he evoked in her she tried to go on with their conversation. "So it's 'Ms Lance' again?" Questioningly she lifted an eyebrow. Clark didn't want to admit that he wanted to distance himself from this side of her. Lisa was the woman he had spent the evening with. Ms Lance was the woman who sold drugs. He would have given everything if he hadn't had to live through the last half hour. "Lisa. You have been so ... demanding of respect that 'Ms' was an automatic response." Not even knowing why, he grinned at her. Actually he wanted to show her the uncaring coldness she deserved but every time he looked at her he got this warm feeling that made him say and do the exact opposite of what he had intended to. Seeing his smile, against her better judgment Lois had to laugh. There he was again, Cary, the guy she got on with so well. For a moment there was their earlier connection but much too soon she remembered what he had asked. She straightened up and tried to look as uncompromising as possible to ward off any objections. "I want to chose a random sample to make sure you're really selling what I'm paying for. And that means I don't want to choose from a mere handful of pills. It would be best if I could choose directly from the source, your production center." She looked at him challengingly. He hesitated. "Well, that's not the normal course. I'm not too sure about..." "What do you mean?" Lois interrupted him heatedly. He surely wouldn't cause problems now, would he? "Simon said it would be all right." In fact he had said nothing of the kind but she hoped Cary wouldn't realize if she was convincing enough. "Doesn't the left hand know what the right one is doing in your organization? You were sitting right beside him when we talked about it. You know, if you're having these kinds of coordination problems with all your customers I'm surprised you manage to make money at all." "I don't have much contact with the buyers. Usually I just supervise the final control or join a meeting if required. The buyers normally test the quality themselves when they hand over the money in exchange for the pills. Anyone who would be satisfied with my say-so would be pretty naive," he replied tersely. "I have no idea why Simon would suggest that you should work out the details of the quality control with me." Silently he added, Slowly but surely, though, I'm beginning to see why. He must have been relieved to dump her on me. I'm already fed up with her attitude. What had he been thinking, believing with her naturalness and her humor Lisa could be the perfect woman for him? She had to be a gifted actress considering the way she had played her part when they first had met. In every day life she probably ate nails for breakfast. It was time to bring their conversation to an end before he did something stupid. He had to get out of here and fast. "Okay, let's do it this way. I'm picking you up at the hotel and take you to the lab." She was already starting to protest but he dismissed her objections uncompromisingly. "I don't think it would be a smart move career wise to tell you the lab's location and wait for you to show up in a cab. If you don't agree, complain to Simon tomorrow evening and work out something else with him. As long as I don't hear differently from him it's the only thing I'm willing to do. So, what will it be? Pick you up or discuss it with Simon?" Lois looked at him pensively, weighing up the possibilities. Cary gave the impression of a resolute man and she didn't think she could change his mind. Additionally, the prospect of seeing the laboratory and finding out its location could prove invaluable and was more than she could ever have hoped for. So she didn't put up too much resistance but acceded to his proposal. They agreed to meet in the lobby of her hotel at noon the following day. With this out of the way, now seemed to be the right time to say good bye. Searching for her purse, she looked around. Clark was the one to find it under their table where it had fallen down after her encounter with Simon. Giving it to her, their hands brushed up against each other and once again sparks were flying between them and time seemed to stand still. Neither could suppress the shudders that ran through them and only with great effort could Lois break away her gaze from Clark. "I should be going now," she murmured. She desperately wanted to get to the hotel as fast as possible. Although he had wanted nothing more than to get away from her just minutes ago, he now couldn't bear to part, so Clark offered without thinking, "Do you want me to accompany you, Lisa?" She shook her head and rose. "No, thank you. I'll catch a cab. See you tomorrow!" He stood up as well and couldn't resist laying a hand on her arm again, as if he had to touch her one more time so he could get through the following day. "Tomorrow," he whispered softly. Though she didn't find it easy, without looking at him or turning around, Lois left the bar. ***** Clark threw his jacket negligently on his sofa when he entered his dark apartment. Normally he was a neat person, but now he felt exhausted and worn out. The evening which had begun so wonderful and promising had turned out as one of the worst nightmares he had ever had. Wearily he let himself fall on the sofa, opened the first button of his shirt, and dragged at his tie that had made him feel uncomfortable for hours now. Damn. Where was the delight about finding a hot lead in the story tonight? Where was the excitement, the tingle that he loved so much when he sensed that a story was about to get solved? Nothing. Only resignation and tiredness. He was aware that he should call Finch and inform him about his new information. After all, his boss expected constant reports about the story. What could he tell him though? Great story, Chief! A genuine scoop! Award material! All that and also the story that will break my heart! He closed his eyes and caught himself picturing her in his mind again. Oh God, Lisa! How was he supposed to sleep without thinking of her? And that was exactly what he had to do - banish her from his thoughts. A drug dealer from Metropolis simply couldn't be his dream woman. She just couldn't, even if her eyes were so beautiful. Her skin had glowed so softly in the light of the bar tonight, her body had been so exciting, and her perfume that still lingered in his imagination had been so infatuating. That was sexual obsession, hormones or whatever! It certainly was not love. He probably simply was too lonely, or hadn't dated for way too long. Yes, that had to be it. After all he was only human. The thought evoked a sudden, bitter laugh from him. Human? And where exactly did that conclusion come from? Because from all he knew about himself, he could be anything from mutant, Russian experiment, or alien, to Frankenstein's monster. Humans weren't able to fly and to his knowledge they couldn't see through things either - or start fires with their eyes. Humans also got sick and they couldn't lift cars. For whatever reason, he didn't know, but fact was, he was able to do all that, and had always been. So how did he know if he really was human? For a short moment tonight, he had thought that he had found the one person he finally would be able to confide in and whom he would be able to tell the truth about himself. When he had looked into Lisa's brown eyes, he had been so sure. Her eyes... Weird, now that he thought about it, he had felt as if he could read her eyes like a book. But what had he seen? Humor, intelligence and passion next to hurt and uncertainty which he had immediately longed to take away from her... But nowhere a sign of the cynicism that without a doubt she had to possess if she was able to sell drugs. Where in those soft eyes had been the greed, coldness and the evil? You just aren't as good at second guessing people as you thought, Kent, he scolded himself inwardly. You only see what you want to see and you wanted this woman. Therefore you idealized her and endowed her with everything you ever longed for. You are a dreamer! And an idiot! Grow up! He shook his head and got up. Sleep was out of the question. He knew exactly what kind of dreams he would have. They would be all about one person and he simply refused to let that happen. Instead he decided that he would look for some diversion. Somewhere in the world somebody with his powers was always needed, so he would probably find something to do that would take his mind off Lisa. Sighing he went to the closet in his bedroom to change to a dark sweater and black jeans. A few minutes later he flew through the starry night towards the sea. ***** Lois roused with a headache, as the alarm clock next to her bed rang. With a moan she sat up and remained unmoving for a second until the stinging pain in her head lessened a little bit. God, she felt terrible. But was that really surprising after last night? She felt as if she had not slept at all, but apparently she had fallen asleep after all some time in the early morning hours. Her last memory was of her alarm clock showing 5:17 am and now it was after 8. Barely three hours! That really was promising for the upcoming day, wasn't it? She flung back the coverlet and swung her legs out of the bed. What she really needed now was a hot shower and a big cup of coffee. She had to be fit today and she by all means couldn't allow herself a mistake. This guy Cary had to be a real pro. With a bitter grimace she remembered how easily he had taken her in and wrapped her around his finger. He certainly had to be aware of his effect on women. But not with her. Now that she knew what was behind the facade, she would be more careful and be better able to handle her emotions. Such things as the goosebumps she had sensed on her skin when he had laid his hand on her arm as he told her goodbye yesterday were out of question now. If he was going to touch her again, she had to remind herself that those were the same hands that examined drugs every day to get their owner an immense profit! She shivered as she felt an involuntary tingle run down her arm, thinking of his hands on her. So much for theory, she frowned. What am I really going to do? She would try to find out where exactly the laboratory was located. The police surely would be thankful for such information and it would be a nice bonus to her story when she not only scattered the drug ring and stopped the distribution of the drugs for the time being but also made sure that the lab was closed down and the production of Eagle stopped as well. However, Lois was convinced that Cary wouldn't take the direct route to the lab in order to prevent her from remembering the way and returning later on her own. On the other hand Cary wasn't aware of her very good sense of direction and her ability to find her way around London. She'd spent enough time in the city not to need a map anymore. Definitely an advantage for her. But first of all she had to concentrate on her role as Lisa Lance and check the quality of the pills. A scientist at STAR Labs in Metropolis had shown her an easy and efficient method to determine the degree of purity of Eagle. Shortly after Eagle had been introduced to the London club scene, the police had analyzed the new drug and had developed a solution that made it possible to determine the content of those pills. They were able to ascertain within seconds whether it was Eagle or just some ordinary painkiller. Right after Lois had started her investigations for the story, she had asked STAR Labs to develop a similar test for her use. I just hope this test does really work, Lois thought. She was sitting in a limousine with Cary Keats and was heading for the lab. Instinctively she touched her purse where she had put the little bottle with the liquid earlier that morning. There was no doubt that Keats would get suspicious if she lacked self-confidence performing the quality control and would act like an amateur. "You're so quiet, Lisa," Cary's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Aren't you enjoying our little sight-seeing tour?" Lois snorted annoyed. "Very funny, Keats. You think I find it amusing to drive around town in a limousine with blinded windows?" Her hopes of finding out where the lab was located had been destroyed when Cary had led her to a limo which had dark windows. She couldn't see a thing outside the car. The driver had even closed the barrier glass. "No, I thought you would understand the necessity of discretion ... *Ms Lance*." Clark emphasized the formal address Lisa had chosen first. "And that you wouldn't mind actually seeing me instead of any of Simon's companions." Defensively he crossed his arms and pointedly looked away If Lisa wanted to give him her arrogant business-woman act, he'd limit their conversation to the bare essentials as well. How much had he been looking forward to seeing her again only minutes ago. Against his better judgment he had even gone so far as to think about asking her out for lunch just to spend a little more time with her. Maybe yesterday evening it had just been the club's atmosphere and her incredible dress that had literally drawn him to Lisa. Maybe there was nothing more to it. No sparks, no chemistry. Clark now was almost wishing that his feelings for her would dissolve into nothing by the light of day. But the only thing dissolving were his coherent thoughts. Earlier, in the lobby of the hotel where he had been waiting for Lisa, he had smelled her scent even before she had stepped out of the elevator, and a delighted smile had crept to his lips. His mind had instantly gone into overdrive. The moment he had finally seen her, he had been completely mesmerized by her once again. He was falling for her all over again. As she walked over to him, Clark noticed how breathtaking she looked this morning. More than he remembered from the previous night. Not even the dark shadows under her eyes and the different make-up she had put on today could change his impression. To him she still was the most beautiful woman in the world. Yeah, the most beautiful woman who is a criminal and determined to treat you like a delivery boy, Clark couldn't suppress a frustrated sigh. Lois didn't fail to notice Cary's sudden distant behaviour. Already sorry to have been harsh and cold to him she tried to mend the situation. Despite the previous evening's disappointment she had no intention of offending him. At least it could be helpful for her as Lisa Lance to get along well with Cary . Yeah right, Lane, her mind interrupted her musings. Only for the story. That's ridiculous. "I'm sorry, Cary," she finally apologized to him, ignoring her inner hectoring voice. "I didn't mean it. The jet lag is just worse than I thought. I hardly slept last night and am not quite myself yet." Surprised and happy about Lisa's words, Clark smiled at her. That sounded more like the woman he had fallen head over heels in love with. "It's okay, I really understand. But you should rest for a while later on. You wouldn't want to fall asleep at the party tonight, would you?" ***** All tiredness was forgotten when Lois was looking at thousands of Eagle capsules. The drug squad would have a field day, having the opportunity to take such a load of narcotics off the market. How many people would become drug addicts because of Eagle? How many lives would be destroyed because of Eagle? At this very moment Lois knew once again why she loved her job as a reporter so much. She had it in her hands to expose criminals like these drug dealers and to make the world a better place. Enough motivation to invest all of her energy in this story! "It's all yours, Lisa!" With an inviting gesture Cary pointed at numerous bags full of Eagle lying on a table in front of them. "Pick some pills and learn to fly. It's on the house. That's why you came here, isn't it?" Clark cursed silently. Why couldn't he hide the biting sarcasm which crept into his voice each time he was talking business with Lisa? "You don't seriously think I'm stupid enough to take this stuff, do you?" Not waiting for an answer, Lois took the little bottle with the test solution out of her purse and dripped some of it into a small glass tube. Confidently she ripped one of the bags open, picked one pill and threw it into the solution. She finally stoppered the tube with a cork. While shaking it carefully and waiting for the Eagle to dissolve she shot a quick, searching look at Cary. Why was he looking at her so skeptically? Had he noticed that she had never done this test before? Maybe she should distract him with some technical knowledge. "Eagle makes the consumer euphoric, enhances the senses, and finally gives the impression of flying, right?" Clark nodded absentmindedly. Her professional handling of the procedure had hit him like a cold shower and brought him back to reality. "It causes a strong feeling of relaxation," he added, "is pleasure enhancing, and sexually stimulating. Everything your guests desire, isn't it?" "So Eagle is based on GHB," Lois continued, unmoved. "Exactly. Gammahydroxybutyrate. It's the stuff that causes such nice depressions if you can't handle the dosage. If you're very lucky, you slip into a coma-like state and you can literally see your brain cells dying." As soon as Clark saw the mild astonishment on Lisa's face, he grimaced and bit his tongue. What was he doing? He was supposed to sell this stuff, not to knock it. "You're a strange one, Cary," Lisa promptly replied. "I don't get it. With every word you say I get the impression that you're not very interested in me making the deal with your boss." She simply didn't understand him. It was his job, for heaven's sake! Why was he always talking so sarcastically about it? Cary shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not going to spoil your deal. But don't you think it's kind of surreal how we both are talking about this drug as if it was some new sport or something like that? We both know what this is all about. I don't need to rave about Eagle as the ultimate kick." For a second Lois held his suddenly cold look and wondered about his mood swings before she once again concentrated on the test tube she still held in her hands. The pill had completely been dissolved and the former colorless solution now glistened a deep blue. "Very good," she stated, satisfied with the result of the test. "Your Eagle really is of high quality. It hardly seems to be diluted." The scientists at STAR Labs had told her that the intensity of the color was related to the purity of the drug. The purer the Eagle, the darker the blue. "Do you want to take another sample or do you trust me when I tell you that all of the pills are of the same quality?" Clark was hoping that Lisa would be convinced and would end this meeting. All he could think about was leaving the lab as soon as possible and turning his back on all those drugs and on this woman. With every minute he had to spend with the criminal side of her, his despair was growing. Could destiny be to so cruel to send him the woman of his dreams in the shape of a criminal? To his relief Lisa obviously was content with what she had seen and asked to go back to the hotel. As she leaned back into the seat, Clark noticed how tired Lisa looked. He didn't want to mention it again so she wouldn't be offended by his hovering but he really hoped she would take a nap in the afternoon. For a moment Lois closed her eyes before straightening up again. She didn't want to show signs of weakness in front of Cary and let her guard down around him too much. She had to admit though that their meetings wore her out. In his presence she constantly vacillated between enchanted and depressed and that drained her more than she liked to admit. Surreptitiously she sneaked a glance at him. In a way he was really strange. Considering he was supposedly making a lot of money out of drugs he had a surprisingly negative attitude towards them. He'd almost sounded like he disapproved of somebody taking, or worse, selling them. She wasn't sure what to make of it. Clark in turn couldn't get his mind off how experienced and professional Lisa had handled the purity control test of the Eagle. He had been able to observe firsthand how much she knew about the drug and that was something that really bothered him. Covertly he risked a look at her face. As much as he intended not to he couldn't help himself. He had to smile a little; he felt like Odysseus trying to resist the sirens' call. At that moment his eyes met Lisa's. Both were embarrassed at being caught staring at the other but still they weren't able to look away immediately. They were brought out of their preoccupation when the car abruptly stopped at a traffic light. Something she hadn't thought of in years popped into Lois' mind at the car's stop. To Cary's confusion, she suddenly laughed out loud. If she didn't want him to think she'd gone around the bend, she'd have to explain what had been going through her mind. "Sorry, I was just remembering what I'd wished for as a child when I was in London with my parents." Seeing her so vibrant, Clark couldn't help but join in her laughter. Every time Lisa was unguarded like now his heart stopped and he forgot the reason for her stay in London. "Out with it! Don't tease me like that. What was it you remembered?" For the first time since they'd met today she seemed to relax in his presence. "It's nothing special," she told him, without hiding her amusement. "I kept pestering my father to re-cross Tower Bridge - we did it five times. I desperately wanted to be on the bridge when it was raised because I thought it would be fun to slide down with our car. You can't imagine how disappointed I was when that didn't happen!" There it was again, the animation that drew Clark to Lisa. Not that cultivated, formal expression she put on when she was talking about business, but the happiness that showed him what a sensitive woman she could be. And this transformation made Clark blurt out the question he had wanted to ask the whole time since he had met her at the hotel. "Lisa, would you like to have lunch with me?" He looked at her with those pleading eyes she could barely resist. Lisa visibly hesitated before she answered, "I would love to, I really would, Cary, but I should lie down a bit. I'm still not used to London time and since tonight is the party..." She trailed off, regretfully. Clark could tell by the look on her face that she truly felt sorry to not be able to spend more time with him, so he took the rejection in stride. "All right," he said lightly, "but you have to promise me a dance tonight then!" Slowly the car rolled to a halt in front of the Earl's Inn. On parting she touched Cary's hand. "I will," she promised softly. Their hands stayed entwined a few seconds longer than usual before they softly parted. "I will," she repeated. ***** Lois bit her bottom lip thoughtfully while loading her e-mail program. She knew she ought to find out as much as possible about Cary Keats, his importance in the organization, his background, contacts. Still, while typing a message for Jimmy to do research on him, she hesitated. He's only one of the small-fry. Jimmy probably won't find anything, anyway. She didn't want to admit to herself that she didn't want him to find something on Cary. Still fighting with herself she reread the e-mail once again before encoding it with the program Jimmy had provided her with. From: WizardOfOz@metro.net To: Toto@metro.net Subject: Background Cary Keats: who is he, what does he do, what has he ever done, who does he know? Approximately 30 years old, raised in Kansas. Everything else is for you to find out. And yes, the girls really are like you've imagined. I still won't bring you one. :-P LL She pointed her mouse at the send-button but her finger hovered over the key without pressing it. She was sure she would be able to bring down the gang. But did she really want the police to get Cary? How would it look like if Jimmy did some research now on him and later there wasn't any further mention of him? Lois knew she should be appalled at herself for seriously considering letting a criminal escape the punishment he deserved, but she didn't care. The only she could think of was Cary's smiling face. Her mind screamed he didn't deserve to be spared, that he wasn't good for her, that he would hurt her. Her heart told her differently, though. Her heart knew that he had touched her like no one else before. And that was the decisive factor. Determinedly she deleted the message without sending it, closed her laptop, and lay down so she didn't have to explain to herself why she had done that. ***** "Isn't that funny?" The blonde who had attached herself persistently to Clark's arm a few minutes before giggled. He absently smiled and tried to loosen her grip on him. Until she had made it her task to get his attention he'd successfully listened in on group after group, always hoping for information that might help him with his story. "I've got to powder my nose now," the girl, Melly, Molly, whatever her name was, declared coyly, batting her eyelashes in a what she considered a seductive manner. Her demand not to move went as unnoticed by him as the rest of her monologue - he was just too glad that she was finally gone. Over the noise level that had dominated the place for quite some time now, he suddenly picked up soft laughter that made his heart instantly beat faster. Lisa had arrived! He turned around to watch her. She looked even more breathtaking than the evening before, if that was possible. This time she obviously had dressed to kill. He saw her back first before she turned around and he was able to examine her full on. The dress was cut as high in the front as it was cut low in the back. She slowly mingled, and as she was walking around, Clark realized that with every step she took nearly the whole length of her leg was showing. Did he imagine it or had it just gotten hotter in here? Lisa seemed to have sensed his eyes on her because she was looking up, meeting his gaze and smiling in greeting at him. She would have liked nothing better than to walk across the room and talk to him but she had noticed Simon and a rather cheap looking floozy on his arm - She suits him, Lois contemptuously thought - talking to another couple. He had recognized her as well and obviously wanted to get the conversation with her over and done with as fast as possible because he quickly moved in her direction. This could prove interesting, Clark thought, and tried to tune out the room's noise in order to listen in on their conversation. It could only be about Lisa getting someone higher up the chain of command for talking business as she had requested. "Today's not possible. there's too much to look after in the club tonight, as you might understand," Simon explained. "But if you prove your willingness to negotiate by transferring 30,000 US dollars for the first delivery to this account on the Cayman Islands," he slapped a piece of paper into her hand, "you'll get who you want, Ms Lance," Simon promised. "As soon as we have the confirmation of the credit entry to the account, the boss will meet you." "Why a transfer? Didn't you say you wanted cash?" Lisa wanted to know. "Well, it was you who wanted a permanent agreement, wasn't it, Ms Lance? Or do you want to come to London every month to pay us?" He couldn't help but smirk smugly when he saw Lisa's dark stare. She obviously couldn't take sarcasm as well as she gave it. "You see," he continued to lecture her, "this way we can check whether the conditions for regular payment do work out. And if we have the proof we need, we can look forward to a long and profitable working relationship." "When do I get the goods?" "It'll be arranged that you'll get them the same way as the future monthly orders, so you can confirm that it's a practical method of delivery for you. You'll get them, you can count on that," he assured her. "And you might have noticed we're showing our concession in only charging a grand total of 30,000 dollars for 3,000 pills. That's a better offer than you'll ever get someplace else for something equal." Lois couldn't put up much of an argument because that was more or less what she had expected. So she agreed wordlessly and watched Simon walk back to his company. There was something about that couple that nagged at her. She wasn't able to pinpoint exactly what it was but she was convinced that she was looking at 'the boss' even if Simon hadn't said so. It was quite obvious that the couple was guarded. She definitely wouldn't be able to pass the men who were surrounding them. Thinking about this she became aware that the woman was studying her with an intense look. Did she assume Lois wanted to compete with her or what? Believe me, sister, he holds nothing of interest for me, as far as it doesn't concern the story. Nothing at all, especially when Cary is around. She watched the mysterious woman more closely now. She had style, that much was obvious. She was dressed strikingly but not tastelessly, and she had a certain air of authority. Compared to her, the 'boss', if he really was - anyway, the man whose arm was around her waist, was dull. Power really seems to be an aphrodisiac, or he would never be able to get a woman like her, was Lois' last thought before a man built like a tower blocked her line of vision. >From the distance Clark had seen how Simon had left Lisa. It took all of his willpower to not immediately hurry to her. I'll stay away from her, she's not good for me. I'll stay away from her. I'll stay away from her. Oh God, if I can't take her in my arms right now I'll explode! He closed his eyes for a moment to regain his composure only to open them to a completely different picture. "Hey, honey. A hot babe like you deserves to be with the coolest guy in this joint. Whadda ya say?" Neanderthal muscle boy nudged Lisa suggestively. Gone were all the good intentions that Clark had repeated in his head for several minutes. With a few quick steps he was at Lisa's side and took her hand into his. "Lisa, you promised me the first dance, remember?" he said before she had a chance to open her mouth and give the man who had hit on her a blistering brush-off. She sent Cary an astonished glance and realized with perplexity that she was letting herself be pulled towards the dance floor by him. Usually she didn't like to get taken by surprise, and furthermore she was very able to handle guys like that slime ball all by herself, but all anger at Cary's domineering behavior faded to nothing when he laid his arm around her waist and pulled her close. It was a slow song that was playing, the kind of song that Lois usually avoided at parties like this. However this time she didn't mind her dancing partner being so close to her. It wasn't unpleasant at all, on the contrary. God, he smelled so good! She inwardly fought the urge to snuggle closer to him and she felt the subtle smell of his aftershave beginning to make her head spin like too much good champagne. It was a losing battle. Involuntarily, without giving her mind a chance to interfere, she closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. She felt his cheek touch her hair and his lips just over her ear, felt his right thumb stroking slightly over her back where he had placed his hand, and decided to simply enjoy it. It was wrong and stupid and maybe even dangerous, but right now she didn't care. It was wonderful. Much too soon for Clark's taste the dance was over. When a hard percussion beat announced the next song he reluctantly pulled away from Lisa. "Thank you," he said softly and looked down on her. Lisa smiled and nodded. She seemed to be a little bit embarrassed and obviously didn't know what to do next. He had to admit he felt the same. He knew that Lisa wouldn't be able to talk to the boss tonight, because he had listened in on her conversation with Simon earlier and to his knowledge there was nobody at this party who could be of interest to her. What he really wanted to do was get to know her better, but in this crowded and loud place a real talk seemed pretty impossible. Would she agree to go someplace else with him? Hesitating briefly he finally got up the courage to ask. "Lisa It's been a horrible day and I'd like to get away from this place as fast as possible. What would you say to going for a drink with me some place not so noisy?" She glanced around, immensely tempted. She knew she wouldn't be able to get any further along with her investigation tonight anyway and the prospect of spending the evening somewhere alone with him was all too enticing. Furthermore, at the moment Cary was her best source for the story, too. Maybe she could find out a little bit more? Yeah, the idea wasn't bad. She nodded decidedly and firmly suppressed the remaining bits of resistance that her mind wanted to bring up. "I'd love to," she smiled. ***** About half an hour later they sat at the bar in the lobby of Lisa's hotel. She had agreed when Cary had suggested going there. He had told her that it was one of the best addresses in London and it would be pretty convenient for her, too, because this way she wouldn't have to drive home alone in a cab late at night. While they watched the barkeeper mixing their drinks, they didn't talk. Due to the early hour they were almost alone in the bar. Only one other couple was standing at the other end of the counter, and from a dark corner of the room, soft laughter followed by some happy sighing, was heard from time to time, where a young couple was sitting at one of the tables. Obviously somebody was very much in love there. A pianist was playing discreet background music, but otherwise it was very quiet in the bar. Lois let out a contented sigh and relaxed in her chair. "This is much better," she murmured. "The air in that club was terrible." "You're right," Cary smiled. "And the music was pretty bad, too. I bet the clubs you're running in Metropolis are much better." She nodded. "They are indeed. Actually they're first class." She absently stirred her cocktail. "Like everything else about me," she suddenly added, and sent him a provocative glance from under her eyelashes that made his collar suddenly seem very tight around his neck. She was flirting with him, that much was sure. He had to be reading the signs she was sending very wrong, if she wasn't. The question was, how far did she want the game to go? Or maybe more important, how far did *he* want it to go? He wasn't sure. The only thing he knew with all his heart was that he had never in his life been more tempted to play with fire. "I bet it is," he said slowly. "You're intelligent, successful and..." he paused and waited until she lifted her eyes and looked directly into his own, "very beautiful," he added without looking away. Lois felt a blush creeping up her neck. He really was good at that. Maybe he had some expertise as a heartbreaker? The way he looked at her... It made her get warm all over. Obviously he was attracted to her. "Very beautiful" he had said, and going by the heat she saw in his eyes, he really meant it. Suddenly she asked herself nervously where they were heading with this. She couldn't answer that question because she was distracted by a sight she wasn't at all prepared for. At the door of the bar three familiar faces appeared. Simon, obviously very tipsy, had his arm around two of those blonde dolls that had been crowding the party at the club earlier. Lois quickly looked around for an escape. She really didn't want to be seen by Simon now. The evening had just begun to be so nice! No, she definitely wasn't in the mood to face a drunken Simon! Without thinking she whispered a hasty "room 604" to an astonished Cary, who still hadn't seen Simon, and left the bar through the side entrance. It was when she was standing at the elevator that she realized how that must have looked to Cary. Oh my god, did she just invite the man rather explicitly to her room? What was he going to think of her now? ***** She didn't have to wait for an answer very long, because he was standing next to her before the elevator had even arrived. He said nothing, but sent her a short, speculative glance. As the door opened, he let her enter first. "Simon..." Lois started to explain as she turned around to him. "I saw Simon. He..." She stopped suddenly when she noticed him staring at her. His eyes were black and there was something deep in his expression that she couldn't immediately describe but that sent a heat wave through her body. For a second their eyes locked then suddenly he was beside her, even before she was able to register that he had moved, and she felt him press his lips hungrily to her own. The story was forgotten. The drug ring was forgotten. Everything was forgotten. Moaning softly, Lois flung her arms around his neck as he pulled her close to him with one arm, while he burrowed the other in her hair to deepen the kiss. Her heart was beating staccato in her chest; she was hot and unable to form a single coherent thought. All she felt was her desire for this man, her need to touch him and to be touched by him. His hands were tenderly stroking her bare back and shoulders and made her skin tingle so wonderfully that she wanted him to caress all of her body like that. Impatient not only to feel him but to taste him as well, Lois willingly opened her mouth as his questing tongue gently pressed against her lips. As their tongues met for the first time, she heard him moan deeply in the back of his throat. At that moment Lois knew that she wanted him with every fiber of her being, even if it was only for one night. Convinced that she would regret it more to stop now than to give herself to this man, to whom she felt inexplicably drawn to, and let him love her for at least this night as she would love him. Instinctively she pressed her body close to his until their hips met. Cary didn't even try to hide his obvious desire for her. "You've been affecting me like this from the first moment I saw you, Lisa," he murmured huskily in her ear. The soft and sexy laugh she gave him only fueled his desire. "Well, we need to do something about that, don't you think?" To emphasize her words she kissed him hard and passionately. There was not the slightest doubt about their mutual intentions. ***** Later neither of them remembered how they made it out of their clothes and to the bedroom in Lisa's suite. The longing for each other had been too strong to be denied for another minute. Slowly they returned to the reality of the dark hotel room. Lois couldn't quite believe what just had happened. Their lovemaking had been so burning and passionate that she had lost her control. It was something wonderful she had never experienced before. That was incredible. He was incredible. A sigh escaped her. "You're okay?" she heard Cary ask softly. With effort she raised her head from his chest and looked at him, smiling contentedly. "Mmmh ... yeah, very okay. That was ... incredible," she voiced her thoughts, though she had some doubts whether it was the right thing to say. Could she tell whether he had enjoyed it as much as she had? Would his reply be polite and evasive and hurt her nevertheless? All her doubts vanished immediately when Cary pulled her into his strong arms and kissed her lovingly. "Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" he answered, grinning. A sweet shiver ran through her as his hands gently wandered over her body while he showered her face and neck with soft kisses. If only this night would last forever. She was about to return his kisses when suddenly he was gone and bright lights were blinding her eyes. "What...?" Lois' eyes widened in panic when she saw how Cary stood up and obviously prepared to leave. He's leaving! He is leaving you alone, her mind was screaming. Still trying to compose herself, she felt herself being lifted from the bed into his arms. "I don't want you to get cold," was his murmured explanation, as he held her with one arm and pulled back the covers with the other. Carefully Cary lowered her back on the bed and slipped in beside her before accepting her kisses willingly. Lois was sure that he felt her relief but she wanted him to know how much this night meant to her. It had to end, but not now and definitely not that abruptly. The world outside of her hotel room didn't exist and she wouldn't mind if it could stay that way for another couple of hours. Sighing contentedly she closed her eyes and snuggled closer to him. "Hey, you're not falling asleep on me, are you?" Cary asked teasingly. "Or have you already had enough of me?" Without waiting for an answer he once again lowered his lips to hers and kissed her lovingly. "If you're not already fed up with me," Lois challenged with a teasing gleam in her eyes. "No way! I can hardly get enough of you. You are so beautiful. I could spend my time just looking at you and touching you." His words were softly spoken and made Lois shiver in response. Clark felt dizzy, too, almost as if he was in a trance. If he was honest, he'd felt like that since the moment they had entered the elevator and passion had hit him so suddenly. From where he had taken the courage to act so spontaneously and passionate still was a mystery to him, but he didn't intend to solve it tonight. Neither did he want to think about the question of what would be tomorrow. No, he didn't want to think. He only wanted one thing - to feel Lisa in his arms, to see her happy face and hear her ecstatic sighs when they made love. He wanted to soothe his longing for her, to feel her, to love her, to claim her. Yes, to claim her, too. He wanted to become physically and emotionally one with her, to get as close to her as possible. And he knew he wanted that again and again. Smiling, he looked down on her. "We are not finished yet," he said. "Don't tell me you are tired already, because *I* intend to stay awake a *very* long time." ***** How often they had made love that night, Lois didn't know anymore. It seemed as if they had both been insatiable. Again and again one or the other had started another 'round', most of the time starting out innocently, with tender caresses, but it had never taken long before this amazing, burning passion had flared again between them. A passion Lois had never experienced before. What had happened? Lying awake, hearing Cary's peaceful deep breathing next to her, she still couldn't really figure it out. How was it possible that here, at the other end of the world, a man had stepped into her life? A person she had to condemn with all her heart, who, after everything she knew about him, acted against all her ideals, yet he somehow was able to make her happier than any man before him? Hormones, she would have explained it away only yesterday, and then she would have shrugged it off. But here, in the cold hours of this London morning, she knew that it would have been a lie and that she would not be able to hide behind simple solutions. Not this time. It was no hormonal confusion, it was love. For the first time in her life she had fallen in love. In love with a wonderful and incredible man. She rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling. Cary was not the usual criminal, that much was sure. She knew that his tenderness and unselfish love-making could not have been faked. It was part of his nature and so was the warmth and understanding in his eyes. There had to be more to his drifting into criminal life and for a short moment she lost herself in a beautiful vision of redeeming the gangster with true love. But as soon as she thought it, she knew that it was only an illusion. If Cary was capable of selling drugs there had to be at least one side to his character that wasn't acceptable to her and however fantastic the rest of the person was, a relationship with him was impossible. Somehow this made the night they had shared appear like a cheap and shabby casual one-night-stand. Lois shook her head. Never had she done anything like that. She hadn't even thought it possible that she could ever be tempted! And yet here she was, and even through all the reality checks she did in her mind, she couldn't bring her heart to regret it. It had been wonderful. Not cheap and not shabby. Simply wonderful, and even if her memory of the night probably would be connected with some bitterness in the future, she still was sure that she would never forget him, and that any men who might step into her life someday would still be compared with Cary. It just wasn't fair to love someone like that, without prospect of fulfillment. She felt her eyes tearing up. Quickly she turned to her side and pressed her face into the pillow to muffle the sobs she couldn't hold back. Behind her she sensed movement and she instinctively held her breath. She didn't want to have to explain to Cary why she was reduced to a crying mess after such a spectacular night with him. Fortunately though, he seemed to sleep the sleep of the dead. He snuggled closer, put his arms around her, and buried his face in her hair. With a last shuddering sob Lois wiped the tears from her cheeks and leaned into the security of Cary's embrace, determined to make the most of tonight. This one night. Tomorrow would be here soon enough. ***** Why do I have hair in my face? Clark mused dazedly. It was nearly too much of an effort to open his eyes. He was amazed at that because he normally didn't tire so easily. The only thing that eventually woke him was the fact that next to him he felt something warm and soft that didn't seem to be his pillow but a human body. His eyes focused and fell on black hair that shielded the face he had kissed so thoroughly the night before. He couldn't suppress a grin. Wow, what a night that had been! He couldn't remember ever having felt so intensely. Lovingly he smoothed Lisa's hair back before he carefully traced her cheeks, nose, and mouth. She didn't even stir, but kept on sleeping with her cheek resting on his chest. That was just as well. If even he was worn out she had every right to be. Still, he'd have loved nothing more than to kiss her and explore every inch of her spectacular body that he'd already come to know so well the night before. The mere thought of it was enough to arouse him but sighing he contented himself with gently kissing her on the forehead. Later, he told her sleeping form hopefully. He checked his watch and realized it was still early. A few more hours of sleep couldn't hurt him either and Lisa might be more susceptible to his attempts at seduction when she was awake. After another whisper of a kiss he closed his eyes and within seconds was in that dozing state between sleep and wakefulness, where he could cherish the hopes he could take Lisa in his arms, fly away with her as far as possible, and start a new life all over with her. The next time he awoke was when Lisa tried to carefully disentangle herself from his arms. "Morning," he murmured sleepily, but she only looked at him wordlessly and turned around to walk into the bathroom. "Lisa?" he called after her, irritated, and lifted his hand as if to hold her back, but she didn't react. As soon as Lois had closed the door she had to lean against it because her legs wouldn't support her any longer. She had lain awake for quite some time already, not being able to bear leaving Cary's arms and losing his touch. She could only just control the overpowering desire to touch him, caress him, arouse their passion again and let him know how much she loved him. Instead she had watched him and tried to memorize his face the way it was then: open, vulnerable, relaxed, innocent. She had known that she had to think about what she should tell him when he awoke. She didn't have the faintest idea, never having done anything similar before, never having had awkward conversations 'the morning after'. And that was when she had realized that she had to get up, that she needed the physical distance. In his arms she would never be able to think about letting him go. His waking up when she was about to leave the bed nearly had wreaked havoc with her plans. She was aware that her exit must have looked like an escape, but if there was something she couldn't do right now, it was face him. Dumbfounded, Clark puzzled over Lisa's reaction. He couldn't imagine what had happened. Had he done something? He sat up, bewildered. Could it be she was having doubts? Did she feel overpowered? He *had* to talk to her, if she ever came back out of the bathroom. Lois eventually stepped to the washbasin to brush her teeth, and she caught sight of her reflection. Who is this woman? It couldn't possibly be her - the hair tousled, the mascara slightly smudged, the lips red and swollen from Cary's kisses, a small wound where she had bitten herself so she would not cry out in ecstasy. Her gaze wandered lower. Trance-like she touched the mirror on the spot where Cary had put a hickey on her breast, directly over her heart. For a moment she allowed herself to get lost in her memories, the most beautiful of them hearing him say, "Fly with me, Lisa," in a moment of passion. Thinking of the completeness she had felt then, her tears started to flow again. Stop crying, she resolutely admonished herself, if unsuccessfully. Tears won't help you! She had to make herself presentable again, prepare and make sure she could enter the bedroom without falling into bed with Cary once more. If she didn't succeed now in telling him that this night was all there could ever be between them, she would never be able to free herself from the bond she had instantly felt with him. In the still of the night she had given them this one time, but now it was morning, time to face the facts. He was a criminal, there was no denying it. No one she could ever have an 'and they lived happily ever after' with, no matter how much she believed she loved him. She splashed cold water on her face to erase the trace of tears and to convince herself the burning in her eyes was due to the soap and not to tears. Thinking of him again, her heart beat loudly, rapidly. "It's wrong." She tried to reason as if she could silence it by saying the words out loud, desperately trying to convince herself. "How could I do that? How could I be so irresponsible and sleep with him? With a man dealing with drugs? With a man I barely know?" she whispered. If she repeated it often enough, she might even believe it some day. "Stupid! Irresponsible," were the words her common sense screamed. But why didn't it work like it was supposed to? Why did her heart still hurt so much and only remembered the feeling of being loved, desired, and cherished? And why couldn't she stop crying? Clark's eyes widened in horror when he heard Lisa. He had listened for sounds from the bathroom indicating she would be out soon, but what he had learned now was more than he could bear. Once again his abilities proved to be more curse than blessing. The message Lisa was sending unknowingly to him was loud and clear. She reproached herself for making love with him, well, who was he kidding, for sleeping with him. It had been a mistake? Bitter, he flinched. Okay, that explains why she didn't want me to touch her earlier. And with that the talk he had wanted to have with her was superfluous, too. Resigned, he rose from the bed and looked for his clothes that were scattered all over the room. There was no reason to complicate the whole situation by awaiting Lisa's return sitting in bed naked. Why, Clark, you obviously weren't at your best tonight, despite what you've been thinking, he told himself sardonically, while a different voice contradicted, 'But she looked at you so full of love.' 'She's a good actress, that's all!' 'Stupid! Irresponsible!' The voices resounded in his head. He was so depressed by what he had heard that he couldn't even bring himself to look in on Lisa. And then, just as he was about to put on his jacket, the door finally opened. Thunderstruck, Lois stopped in her tracks. He wants to leave? Just like that? Even though she had wanted to tell him it would be best if they didn't continue to see each other like this, that was something she hadn't expected. She stared at him aghast and noticed how his face hardened. The cold, detached way he looked at her nearly broke her heart. "Cary..." Clark had studied her expression as well but came to a totally different conclusion. Dear God, Clark, she was expecting you to be gone when she stepped out, that's why she took so long! Okay, pull yourself together, order your heart not to go wild when you look at her, and try to get everything over and done with as decently and fast as possible. Don't let her see how much it hurts you to go and that you'd gladly fall down on your knees in front of her if she'd only love you. She mustn't know how much she means to you. And please, please, please, save yourself the speech she must have prepared to boot you out now. You'll lose it if she tells you that it's been quite nice... "I'd better go then," he said with an emotionless expression, that didn't reveal the turmoil on the inside, without giving her a chance to say anything more. "I have a lot of errands to run. I'll see you around." Lois could only stare at him. She made a fist in the pocket of her bathrobe, her fingernails cutting deep into her hand to distract her from the pain that was spreading from her heart. Had she really been such an easy conquest that now after the thrill of the hunt was gone he could shove her aside like that, be so cold? But perhaps that was for the best. With these words she now knew that he didn't feel for her the way she did for him. Maybe now not seeing him anymore wouldn't hurt so much. It was the hardest thing she had ever had to do to show no emotions now. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of breaking down in front of him, letting him see how devastated she was by his words. She cleared her throat and hoped he wouldn't be able to detect the trace of tears in her voice. She had to swallow around the lump they were making and tried again. "I'll see you around," she said hoarsely, repeating his words. Without saying another word Clark went to the door. Don't turn around, don't turn around, don't turn around, he chanted like a mantra. Convince her you don't love her like you do, that it doesn't tear you apart inside. Go out of her life and whatever you do, don't turn around or you'll make a fool out of yourself! He could sense her stare on his back and he was relieved that she couldn't see his eyes begin to water suspiciously. Softly the door closed behind him. On the outside he had to lean against the frame, breathing deeply before he left the hotel as fast as possible, hoping in vain he could leave the pain inside as well. In her room Lois stood rooted to the spot for quite some time before the numbness gave way to a flood of tears. Sobbing, she collapsed on the bed and cried more desperately than ever in her life. He was a bastard to treat her like that. Obviously he didn't love her. He had made her feel like a slut except he hadn't offered to pay her. With those few words he had managed to turn this night that had seemed like the single most beautiful time of her life, something she had wanted to keep in her heart forever, into a meaningless, hurtful episode. He didn't deserve her tears. Sure, she had intended to tell him it would be better not to see each other any more but she wouldn't have wanted to hurt him purposely. She wouldn't have been able to stand it, she loved him too much for that. It looked like he didn't have the same reservations. She knew that this kind of separation was better for her. This way she would eventually stop crying over him, thinking about 'what ifs'. But how could something so right hurt so badly? It took her a long time before she was able to go into the bathroom again and wash the tears from her face. This time she didn't look into the mirror. She knew she looked horrible anyway and she really didn't want to be confronted with the tears and the obvious sadness in her face. Instead she let cold water wash over her face and hands and felt herself calming down a little bit. The pain was still there, but at least it was manageable now. She would do what she had always done before when she had to face a setback in her personal life. She would plunge into her work. And you have a lot of practice with that, she thought with an ironic smile. After all you really know how to pick them, don't you? She went back in her room and sat down on the bed. What should she do next? It was really important to find a way to talk to the boss of the drug-ring personally, but she needed 30,000 dollars for that. Speculatively she glanced at the alarm clock next to her bed. Nine o' clock here- that meant four o'clock in the morning in Metropolis. Usually not the best time to call, but Louie was an exception. Most certainly he would be just about to close his bar, and if she hurried, she could still talk to him before he set home. Perry, on the other hand, would very probably be not too enthusiastic about being called in the middle of the night but his anger was something she decided to risk. She needed his okay for her plan. Sighing, she grabbed her phone and dialed the area code for Metropolis. ***** Clark had left his apartment again as soon as he could. At the same time as Lois was trying to explain to a very skeptical editor-in-chief that not only was it an absolute necessity to transfer the Daily Planet's 30,000 dollars from Metropolis to an account on the Cayman Islands, but also that the transfer had to be made by some dubious bar owner Perry didn't knew himself, he found himself on the way to the Globe. He wasn't so sure what he actually wanted to do there, but he told himself that it was sensible to show his face there from time to time and to give some report on the Eagle investigation. Only when he sat in front of his computer he admitted to himself that he had come here for a completely different reason. He typed "Lance, Lisa /Metropolis/USA" in the search machine of his computer and caught himself feeling his heart beat a little bit faster while he waited for the result. He had to learn more about her. Even if she had brought him back to earth so cruelly this morning, he just wasn't able to banish last night from his head. Somehow everything he knew about her didn't match. Deep in his heart he was afraid that it was only male vanity but the bigger part of him was sure that her feelings hadn't been faked last night. It had been so wonderful, so incredible and indescribably good, it just couldn't be true that she had only pretended all this! No, the woman he had held in his arms last night and the woman who had pushed him out of her room and life this morning hadn't been the same person. Last night, Lisa's eyes had been full of love, warmth and trust. No sign of that coolness and that cynicism she had tried to convince him of today. She was no icy criminal. Nobody would ever be able to convince him of that! There had to be more behind it! "Zero matches found for Lance, Lisa / Metropolis, USA" appeared on his screen. What? How was that possible? If she was the manager of the most exclusive string of clubs in Metropolis she had to be a public person. It wasn't possible that there was no mention of her in any American newspaper at all, was it? Not even in one of the tabloids? No picture, no report, no gossip bits, no nothing? But obviously it was. Bewildered Clark stared at his screen. ***** When Lois put down her phone after half an hour of intense debating, she sighed with relief. As expected Perry had been a difficult negotiator, but in the end he had consented to transfer the 30,000 dollars and now she had the chance to prove the respectability of her offer to the drug gang's boss. Therefore she hopefully would be able to find out soon who was the head of the organization. The remaining question was now what should she do until the money arrived here? After a few seconds of consideration she grabbed the phone again. "Lucy?" she asked when a sleepy voice answered at the other end of the line. "It's me. Oh, Luce, I really must talk to you!" "Lois?!? Do you have any idea how late it is? It's nearly 5 a.m. over here and I do the night shift at the restaurant this week and..." Lucy clearly wasn't too thrilled about her sister's call. "I'm sorry, Lucy," Lois interrupted. "I just... look, I'll call again later." Hearing Lois' down-hearted voice Lucy was wide-awake at once. That didn't sound like her sister at all. She knew her well enough to sense that something wasn't quite right. Trying to keep a light tone she said innocently, "No, it's okay. What's up? How's the weather in London?" A deep sigh was Lois' immediate reply. Her words were barely audible when she said, "As bad as I feel." Lucy frowned. When was the last time she had seen her sister in such a depressed state of mind? Hardly ever. Frustration was no stranger to Lois. More than once - whenever a story came to a dead end - she got frustrated. But depression was very unlike her. "Having problems with your story?" "No, not really." Shaking her head Lucy leaned back against her pillow. Being untalkative was even more uncharacteristic for her sister. "What's the matter with you? You're not calling me in the middle of the night to ask whether I remembered to feed your fish. Come on, Lois, talk to me. What happened?" For a minute Lois was hesitant to tell Lucy what was bothering her. Should she really tell her the reason for her desperation? Tell her about Cary and last night? Could she bear it if Lucy confirmed how stupid she had been by giving in to her feelings? However if she didn't want to go nuts she had to talk to someone about it. Maybe then she wouldn't have to think about him all the time. "It's because of him," she finally confessed. "Lucy, why in the world did I do that? How could I be so stupid to fall for him? I dropped every guard and hung on every word he said. He buttered me up and I loved it! Tell me, why did I do that? Normally I'm not so impulsive when it comes to men, am I?" Now that she had decided to confide in Lucy the words poured out of her mouth. Hardly able to understand what her sister was talking about, Lucy interrupted Lois and grinned with amusement. "Hey sis, slow down! You're babbling. How about you start from the very beginning? Who is 'he'? You've met someone? Great! What's his name? What does he look like? Knowing you, he must be a hunk. You always get the good-looking guys." Despite her desperation Lois had to grin. How long had it been since she and her sister had talked about men? "Cary. His name is Cary." Hesitantly at first, then with more assurance she told everything about Cary and the few times they had met. Everything except last night. "And then we left the party and had a drink somewhere else," Lois ended her explanation. "Well, that sounds very romantic - love at first sight and inexplicable attraction," Lucy finally commented. "But better get away from that guy. Lois, he's a criminal. Who knows what he wants from you? Maybe next time he'll slip some drugs in your drink." "No, he wouldn't do that. I know, he..." "He wouldn't? How can you be so sure? What do you know about him? Maybe he's hot for you and only wants to get you in his bed." Lois swallowed hard at that remark. That was exactly what she had been telling herself for hours, wasn't it? But why did she still have such strong feelings for him despite everything that had happened that morning? "Lois?" she heard Lucy ask and realized that she hadn't answered yet. However her silence said more than a thousand words. "Don't tell me you slept with him?" Involuntarily Lois blushed. Her mind was still full of memories of that incredibly sensual and fulfilling night, no wonder she was physically reacting to it. "I ... well... Lucy, I... I can't explain. It just happened." "What?" Lucy squealed. "You slept with him after knowing him for one day? Dear God, Lois, that doesn't sound like you at all. It really must have hit you hard. You've fallen for him big time or you wouldn't have done it, haven't you?" "I have, Lucy. I have. I've never felt like this before. You know, when I'm not with him, everything is clear. I can tell myself that he's not good for me, that I shouldn't be attracted to someone dealing with drugs. But as soon as my eyes fall on him, reason seems to make an exit and everything that's left is my beating heart, weak knees, and butterflies in my stomach," she confessed, laughing with embarrassment. "Sounds adolescent, doesn't it?" She could hear the smile in her sister's voice when she answered. "A little, but that's okay. So, shoot, how was he?" "Lucy!" Lois exclaimed, flabbergasted. "I won't tell you *that*!" "It wasn't worth it, then, was it?" Lucy knew that with a little bit of digging, prodding and pleading she would make her talk. That was why she had been calling, to pour out her heart to her after all. "Oh yes, it was," Lois said reverently. "It was simply incredible," she echoed her words to Cary the night before. Now Lucy was really curious. "Yeah? How so? Does he have a unique technique or what? Is he extremely well ... built? Lois, come on, don't tease! I want to know right now. You can't make hints like that and then not tell me more about it!" Lois was squirming. On the one hand she was dying to tell Lucy how fantastic the night had been, how he had made her feel so special, how his touch had affected her, but on the other hand she had scruples about talking about it. It was her little sister, for Christ's sake! "Oh well," she finally blurted out, "if you really want to know, it lasted all night!" Lucy didn't understand at first but then realization dawned. "He's a real stud, your Cary, huh?" Her giggles were contagious and unwillingly Lois had to join in the laughter. "Hmmmm!" she confirmed dreamily when they had finally calmed down a bit. Talking with Lucy really had helped, Lois was already feeling better. That was why her sister's next question hit her that much harder. "And what's going to happen now with you two?" For a moment Lois was silent before answering with forced indifference. "Nothing. He ... It's no longer an issue." Lucy wasn't convinced by her apparent casualness though. "How so? Have you really managed to let him go the next morning despite his being so fabulous in bed?" "Almost, but..." Lois was pausing again, "Oh well, I've told you so much already, I might as well tell you the rest. Anyway, before I could tell him it would be best not to meet in private again, he was out the door telling me 'I'll see you around'. I'm just surprised he hadn't already left while I was still sleeping," she added bitterly. "Probably even he was worn out after the night we shared. I really know how to pick them, don't I?" "Oh Lois, I'm so sorry," Lucy said compassionately. She could hear in Lois' voice how much she was disheartened by this whole incident. "That's typical male! A wolf in sheep's clothing! I tell you something - he's not worth crying a single tear over him even if he seemed to be so nice in the beginning." "Well, I have to give him this, he really had me convinced with his Mister-Nice-and-Harmless act. I just want to know how successful he was with other women with it. I really thought he lo... that he cared for me. But you're right," she said determinedly, "he isn't worth a single tear. The best thing I can do is count him as another experience to learn from." "Exactly!" Lucy agreed. "That's the way to think! And now go, knock them out, and show them not to fool around with you. Let them know what tough stuff Lanes are made of!" Lois had to laugh at Lucy's encouraging words. "I will, Luce," she promised. "And when I'm back in Metropolis we'll have a nice relaxing weekend bitching about men, okay?" "All right. Do you want me to ask Mom whether or not she would like to join us?" Lucy couldn't help but ask. "Not if you value your life!" Without another word both of them ended their conversation laughing. ***** Something was nagging at Clark while he went over to the laboratory. There would surely be work for him due to Lisa's order. No matter where he had checked, he hadn't been able to come up with a single bit of information about Lisa Lance, neither in Metropolis' newspapers nor on different rave or party sites on the internet. And all that after a whole morning and half an afternoon of searching. True, it was possible she didn't like the limelight and as a manager was only responsible for organization and finances, though with her looks she surely would be successful in public relations. Still, it bothered him that he hadn't found even the slightest mention of her. Something didn't ring right, his instinct told him that. He really should investigate it. To his surprise, a very hung over, bad-tempered Simon awaited him. "There you are, Keats! It's about time! Where the hell have you been all this time? Do you or don't you work for us?" Clark just lifted an eyebrow and looked at Simon quizzically. He went on mumbling, "All these special favors, no doubt. Those Americans think the world centers around them. Spoiled, arrogant bitch. If it were up to me I wouldn't do business with her." "Something happened?" Clark was curious. He wasn't able to make sense out of what Simon mumbled. It would have been better, though, if he had just kept quiet for Simon went straight into another tirade. "I'd tell this *lady*," he spat, "she should keep her money, or better yet stuff it where the sun doesn't shine, and see where she gets her pills from. Does she think she's the queen of China or what? I don't know where she gets the nerve to treat me like a henchman. Am I her errand boy? Ms Lisa Lance, Ms High-and-Mighty, Ms Arrogance herself, comes into town and she really thinks that automatically gives her the right to order me around!" At the mention of Lisa's name, Clark sat up expectantly. Did this mean the deal was about to happen? Did something finally break? He tried to look as nonchalant as possible. "Have you been in contact with her then?" Simon snorted, infuriated. "I've called her because we've received the money and I had to arrange for a meeting with her so I can hand over the delivery note. And that's when she started to make demands again. 'I expect the pills to be from the same batch I've tested. I've satisfied myself to their quality and don't even try to foist other pills on me. And I won't tell you again, but I insist on a different negotiator next time. Nobody other than your boss will do. I talk about the main deal, the monthly deliveries, with him or I won't talk at all. Am I making myself clear? Don't think I'll discuss a deal of this magnitude with a puppet like you!'" he mimicked her voice. "She's so snobby, man! And doesn't even know the boss is a woman and not a man!" Upset, he looked at Clark. "I need a drink. Two. Three. I won't be able to bear this, this, this ..." Slowly but surely he was at a loss for swear-words for Lisa. "I just can't stand her sober." Suddenly though, his eyes lit up and he scrutinized Clark from head to toe. "Hey, Keats, you know, you've been getting along with her quite well, haven't you?" "Why?" Clark asked carefully. He had no idea to what extent Simon had noticed their behavior at the party or in the bar and he wanted to avoid revealing too much of his relationship, or now his non-relationship with Lisa. "I have got a brilliant idea! How about you go to the meeting with Lance in my stead and explain the whole thing about package and delivery to her?" he asked, clearly enthusiastic about his idea. Clark instantly was on the defensive. To see Lisa again probably wouldn't be such a great idea, considering the messed-up morning they had had. "I don't think that's a good suggestion. I have absolutely no clue about delivery, so I wouldn't know what to tell her!" Simon dismissed his objection with a shrug. "Nonsense, that's simple! I can explain it to you right away." He patted Clark's shoulders familiarly and led him in the direction of the office. "You are a bright guy, you'll remember it, don't worry. The whole thing is so foolproof that even my five-year-old nephew would understand it!" Of course Clark had realized that this could give his investigation a real boost. The most he had found out up to now was how the pills were packaged but he hadn't been able to come up with how they were delivered. Nonetheless he wasn't keen about the prospect of facing Lisa. "Come on, don't make a fuss. You would really be doing me a big favor. I'd owe you! Perhaps a season ticket for Arsenal. You like football, don't you? Or maybe you have noticed one of my girls? I could arrange something for you!" Disgusted, Clark grimaced. Simon noticed his expression and went on, "Okay, no matter what, you name it and it's yours!" Solely because of the possibility of learning more about the way the pills were distributed Clark no longer closed his mind to Simon's proposal, even if there was no chance he would tell Simon that. "All right," he finally said with deliberate casualness. "If I can do you a favor. But you really owe me!" "Sure, sure! Okay, listen. It works like this. Lance has ordered 3,000 pills, simply as a test run to see how well it sells at her clubs. Those pills are wrapped in a nice package with six bottles of 500 pills each. Since we want her to be a permanent customer we have consented not to stick to the agreed on 7 pounds per pill but to make a nice round total of 30,000 dollars which she's happy with. But that's beside the point. I've told her as much yesterday evening already and that's what she has transferred after all. Anyway, we will pack these bottles, supply them with forged papers that will declare them legal narcotics from a pharmaceutical corporation. And that's the delivery note you are to hand over tonight. She'll need them to claim the goods as her own. And that's all you have to tell her. If she's pissing you off as much as she does me, you have your say, slap the paper into her hand, and run for your money. Simple, isn't it?" He looked at Clark expectantly. Clark was lost in thought, considering everything he had just learned, so he barely noticed that Simon was waiting for a reaction from him. "Yeah, foolproof, you're right. And it's working?" "Of course! Every single time!" Simon declared proudly. He looked at his watch. "Hey, it's time for you to go! Considering the traffic you'll need a while. It would be best if you'd just leave. Your meeting is in a quarter of an hour at the King's Arms, a pub in the West End. You know it, right?" Clark confirmed it and Simon went on, "Oh, and in case she asks again, we'll contact her about meeting the boss tomorrow. Now go!" he urged Clark to finally leave. ***** A little after the arranged time, Clark stood outside the pub. He prepared himself for the meeting with Lisa, took a deep breath and decisively stepped into the pub. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the darkness he looked around till he met Lisa's gaze. For a short moment their eyes locked and Clark couldn't help the involuntary smile emerging on his face. He was happy to see her again. It was certainly dumb and stupid, but, as he approached her now, he realized how much he had missed her the whole day. Clearly she had expected Simon instead of him; the surprise was evident in her eyes. And for a second there was something else that let Clark's heart thunder rapidly in his chest all of a sudden. Happiness? She was happy to see him, too? The impression vanished as quickly as it had appeared and her expression became as cool and businesslike again as it had been while she had talked to Simon yesterday. "Oh, it's you," she said shortly when he came closer. He sat down in the seat across the table. "Simon couldn't come," he explained and waved the waiter to order something to drink for himself. "I didn't want to talk to Simon anyway," Lisa announced somewhat snappishly. "I think I made that clear enough yesterday. And no offense, but neither do I want to negotiate with you." "Well, you don't have to," Clark said wearily. "Simon told me he would call you tomorrow about a meeting with headquarters." Lois nodded briefly. After a pause she sent him a questioning glance. "So why are you here?" The moment the words were out of her mouth, she already regretted them. What did she want to hear? That he had come because he wanted to be with her? That his disappearance this morning hadn't been what it looked like? That he had a genuine interest in her? This is absurd, she scolded herself inwardly. Even if he did say something like that, it wouldn't really change anything! You can not have a relationship with him. No, all right, she couldn't. But somehow maybe it wouldn't hurt as much anymore if she knew that last night had really meant something to him. Clark was getting more depressed by the minute. How could she be so cold? How could she sit there and talk about that damned business, when here he was, feeling as if his heart had been torn out of his chest? You couldn't just shrug off and forget an experience like they had shared the night before, could you? Even now, as he was sitting across from her, he could smell her perfume, could sense the warmth of her skin. And when she looked at him under those incredible long eyelashes, as she was doing now... He felt a tingle spreading over his whole body. Why was it suddenly so warm in here? He needed some air. "Here," he said in a tight voice and gave her the folder with the delivery note. "Simon told me you would need that. Will you please excuse me for a moment?" He got up hastily and went in the direction of the rest rooms. Somewhat perplexed, Lois watched him disappear, but called herself inwardly back to order. For a moment she had actually completely forgotten about the delivery note. Sighing, she took the inconspicuous piece of paper in her hand and looked at it curiously. So simple and yet so effective. A small delivery note, a couple of false bottles was all it took and Eagle was cleared through customs. "Well isn't that...? But yes, sure! Lois Lane!" a voice suddenly exclaimed next to her. Bewildered she looked up. Derek Finch, the editor-in-chief of the London Globe, whom she had met at some journalism meetings a few times, was standing in front of her. He grinned broadly and stretched out his hand. "Lois, how nice to see you again. But what are you doing in London?!" ***** Two tables away a man in a black leather jacket raised his eyebrows in surprise. Lois Lane? he thought in amazement. Didn't they tell him the name of the lady from America was 'Lisa Lance'? Also she didn't seem too happy about this meeting, at least not if he interpreted that frightened look she sent in direction of the restrooms correctly. "Oh, Mr. Finch," she was stammering now. "This is really a surprise." She took the offered hand and shook it briefly. "I didn't expect to meet anyone I knew." I bet you didn't, her observer thought. And pretty uncomfortable you seem to be. I would like to know why? Mr Finch, however, didn't seem to notice her discomfort. Without asking for permission he sat down in the chair which had been occupied by Clark a few minutes before and smiled kindly. "So how are you doing, Lois? Still working for the Daily Planet? You know, if you ever consider working in London, the Globe would offer you a job any time!" "Whoa," the man in the leather jacket blurted out, then caught himself immediately covering his astonished exclamation with a cough. Well this was news indeed! This American obviously was a reporter! Hastily he got up and threw a couple of pounds on the table. His order had been to observe her closely, but he knew when it was time to act against orders and this definitely was such a moment. He had to report his discovery immediately! ***** It took some time until Clark had himself back under control enough to face Lisa again. It couldn't be helped, he told his desperate reflection again and again. He had to get the story and had to push back his feelings. When the drug gang was behind bars, there would be time enough to lick his own wounds. Today definitely wasn't the right time and he would go out again now and he would act as professional and cool as Lisa did. What she could he could, too. Once more he inhaled deeply, then he turned around and left the rest room. As he approached their table though, he noticed that she obviously had found company. She was talking with a man who sat with his back to Clark. Simon? Had he come here after all? Clark frowned. "Excuse me ...?" he said politely when he was standing next to the table, "... but this was actually my seat." At the sound of his voice the man turned around in surprise. "Clark? What a surprise to see you! Oh, and you know Lois Lane? Why didn't you tell me she was in town?" Speechless, Clark stared into the face of his editor-in-chief. His head was spinning. Why was Derek Finch sitting at Lisa's table? Had she heard Finch calling him "Clark"? He should be able to get out of that with some lame excuse. How could he telegraph his boss that Lisa only knew him as Cary Keats? Clark had to get rid of him before Finch would blow his cover. "Oh, it's you," he managed to say politely. "What a plea... " Hold it. What had Finch just said? Lois Lane?!? "Clark? As in Clark Kent?" As if in slow motion he turned his head towards the strangled voice that had spoken his name. Those eyes that stared at him so incredulously belonged to... "Lois Lane?? Oh my god!" Clark felt as if someone had cut the ground from under his feet. As in a trance he flopped down on the seat his boss had vacated in the meantime and stared at Lisa - no, Lois! - in the same stunned and speechless way she was staring at him. Finch, who was mildly confused by the strange reaction of the two young people, cleared his throat and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Did I say something wrong? I blew something, didn't I? I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to... Oh, there's my wife. Margaret, I'll be with you in a second. Unfortunately, I have to leave you. It was a pleasure to see you again, Lois. Make sure you come by my office if your schedule allows. I'd be delighted." Derek Finch said good-bye and left Lois and Clark to themselves. Embarrassed silence settled between them. No one knew what to say or ask. Both were deliberately avoiding the other's eyes, fearing that they would give away how shocked and dumbfounded this absurd situation had left them. Even without the very personal relationship they had started last night the situation was ridiculous. Two world famous reporters with excellent reputations had failed to recognize each other. What a demonstration of stupidity. At least it proves how good I was as Lisa Lance. Lois began sorting all the confusing thoughts racing through her mind. No, how good we both were. To her own surprise the fact that they had only been playing roles caused an inexplicable relief in her. After all - considering the story - there was no reason to be proud of herself so far. She had wasted time by chasing a bad lead. Cary Keats didn't exist and couldn't provide her with information about the drug ring. That wasn't your intention anyway, Lane. Admit it! You were never interested in him professionally. If she was honest with herself she had to admit that her conscience was right. Even if she had wanted to grill him last night at the hotel bar, it had never been more than a weak excuse to ... Well, to what exactly? Only to spend more time with him against her better judgment. Cary was a criminal and thus no good for her. But wasn't that the point and reason for her relief? Cary was Clark and Clark was no criminal she had to avoid. There was nothing that would keep her from moving on with their relationship. Instinctively she ran her tongue over the small bite mark inside her lip. Memories from the previous night flashed through her mind. Pictures of her hand gliding over his incredible body and his lips kissing.... Remember how he left you, her brain interrupted her delicious thoughts. Unshed tears clouded her eyes as she recalled his 'I'll see you around'. After a night of pure passion and total devotion he had been as cold as a stone to her. The chemist Cary Keats had only been a role for him. Was it the same for the lover Cary Keats? Had everything been a fake? Had every tender and loving word that he had whispered to her over and over again only been part of this role? Lois froze at that thought. After his sudden departure in the morning, the romantic and powerful feelings of the night had become shallow and meaningless. But now knowing that he had seemed to use her for his story made her feel cheap and dirty. Obviously Clark Kent had no problems using her to serve his purpose. You're stupid if you think he felt something for you. "The famous Lois Lane," Clark's voice interrupted her musings. "The star reporter of the Daily Planet. I always wanted to meet you." "Well, now you have. And how do I rate in bed? That's all you were interested in, isn't it? To get me in your bed," Lois shot back, more sharply than she'd intended to. "Wasn't it rather *you* dragging me into *your* bed?" Clark bitterly replied, hurt by her unjustified attack. As he recalled it had been Lisa who had made the first move. To pretend it had been he who had seduced her was simply self-deception. But if she needed that to justify their night together, it was fine with him. She could think what she damn well pleased. For some time they looked at each other grimly. It was clear that they'd rather be alone anywhere else than together in this pub. The relief that neither of them was a criminal didn't matter as much as they would have expected. It had quickly given way to the disillusionment that it didn't really make a difference; the outcome was the same. Clark was convinced that Lois had intended to dump him after a fleeting night she definitely considered a mistake, especially in light of her earlier accusation, and for Lois it was a given, because that was exactly what Clark had done to her. It was moot to dwell on it, though. Clark had intended to banish that night from his memory - hey, at least he could try - even if he knew that now he was deceiving himself. But that was easier said than done with Lois sitting so close by. He couldn't help but ask himself what she was really like. Was she as he had met her that first evening, or was she like the businesswoman, or the lover, or a little bit of all of them? The overpowering silence between them was unbearable. Trying hard to find a different topic, Clark became all business. "That's a really clever idea to declare the pills for export as medical supplies, isn't it?" Lois was more grateful for the change of subject than she cared to admit. It wouldn't do any g