You Got Me

By Folc4evernaday (folc4evernaday@gmail.com)

Rated: PG

Submitted: March 2020

Summary: In response to the Kerth Challenge #2 I was inspired to
write a story based on the song "You Got Me" by Colbie Caillat.
Lois explores the source of her frustration with her partner
after an argument. Set during the Season 2 episode "Church of
Metropolis."

Story Size: 3,200 words (18Kb as text)

***

Intense.

That was the only way to describe the rising emotions inside Lois
Lane as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes. It wasn't
the first time she'd watched her partner receive advances from
the female persuasion. It certainly wouldn't be the last.

*<<"Mayson Drake, Deputy DA.">>*

This felt different though.

Toni Taylor.

Linda King.

They had all whistled through her life and disappeared shortly
after.

*<<"Whatever I saw, I'll tell in court, Ms. Drake."*

"*Mayson...Call my office in the morning so we can arrange a
deposition. And if you need to reach me during off hours, my home
phone's on the back.">>*

It was innocent.

She didn't read too much into it until she found herself
fighting tooth and nail on every point in order to convince him
to look past a pair of heels and an oversized chip that seemed to
be permanently in place on the ADA's shoulder.

*<<"Clark, she's dirty.*

"*Show me the proof.">>*

Since when did she have to prove her theories to her partner?

That wasn't how it worked.

It was the first time she found herself standing opposite of
Clark and questioning just where his loyalties lied.

*<<"I'll tell you what's different, when Snell bats his eyes,
you don't get quite so giddy."*

"*Wait, wait, are you jealous or something?"*

*Of what? We're friends, we're partners, what you do away from
me is... is..."*

"*Yeah?"*

"*Whatever you do. I don't care!">>*

'*Liar.' *

She fumed angrily as she tumbled through her inner thoughts,
wondering just when it was that she had crumbled. She felt it the
moment the words came out of her mouth and continued to fume as
she continued the argument out of reflex, wondering just when it
was that she had allowed herself to rely on Clark Kent in such an
overpowering way.

Anger.

Jealousy.

Infuriating rage.

It all boiled into one as she wagged her finger at him, feeling
the white hot anger stemming behind her venomous words, shooting
daggers at each flimsy excuse he gave for why his stupid
girlfriend couldn't possibly be involved with Intergang.

*<<"But you're not saying stay on track. You're saying stay
away from your girlfriend."*

"*She's not my girlfriend."*

"*Whatever she is, she's got you finger-wrapped and
blindfolded.">>*

She reached her hand up to swipe the tears that had escaped in
her fury as she stared at the door Clark had disappeared
through.

How had she gotten here?

Fighting over her place in her partner's life?

Jealous of what?

She wasn't even sure.

Time and time again she came face to face with these uneasy
feelings. Each and every time she dismissed them. She was
possessive over her friends. She just wanted what was best for
him. But truth be told, she knew the root of it all was how she
felt. Really felt.

The truth had been staring her in the face since last summer.

She had struggled through the darkest hour in her and Clark's
partnership, wondering if they would ever get back to where they
had been before. Things had come together with a rocky jolt after
the Planet's rebuild and the quiet shove she had been given by
Perry to get back to it.

The unresolved issues that remained seemed like a minuscule thing
to fret over when there were stories to chase and criminals that
continued to test the patience of every Metropolis citizen.

*<<"I have been in love with you for a long time. You had to
have known.">>*

*<<"I would have said anything to stop you from marrying
Luthor.">>*

There was so much left to unpack regarding the conversations that
had taken place so many months ago. The longer she let it lie the
further and further they would drive one another apart. It might
not happen today, but it could happen.

Mayson wasn't right for Clark.

She knew that.

She was professional and driven but seemed to exemplify the
stereotypical female in every romantic comedy of the driven
professional who just can't find happiness without a man in her
life. She was the one to make the first move and from what Lois
could tell, Mayon continued to be the one pursuing Clark.

Whether it was reciprocated or not she wasn't sure.

Romance.

It was a subject she'd never been brave enough to broach with
Clark. Sure she'd shared the occasional *'what was I
thinking'* relationship story, and he had let his own occasional
tales of past experiences slip into conversations here and there
over the last year, but neither of them had really broached the
subject of whom the other might be interested in. She was content
to continue with the status quo and would have done so had the
conversation in the park never happened.

Now it was different.

She found herself questioning each and every touch and glance and
wondering which version of the truth she could trust. The
heartfelt declaration he'd given her in the park, confessing his
hidden love for her? Or the quick shrug he'd offered her as he
tried to push things back to the status quo of just being
friends?

Each laugh. Each hug. Each touch. She found herself wondering
about the burning questions that remained in the back of her mind
for months.

Now here she was faced with the possibility of losing her best
friend once more, and the thought of that terrified her and shook
her to the core. She could sit here and sulk about just how
unfair she thought Clark was being or find a way to blame Mayson
-- not that she was innocent in this disaster either. She knew
she was equally to blame. Clark was her best friend and losing
that -- losing him -- terrified her more than any
life-threatening situation she had jumped into over the years.

Summing up the strength to swallow her pride, she took a deep
breath and swallowed the hard lump sitting in the back of her
throat. It was time for a change. It was time for the truth. The
truth of just what her partner meant to her.

She raced through the newsroom and up the steps, spotting Clark
as he stepped onto the elevator, calling out his name as she
frantically pushed her way past Jimmy and a few of the interns
standing in her way in order to hobble onto the elevator car. A
split second later the elevator doors closed, and she turned to
him with a shaky breath.

"We need to talk."

"Lois, I don't want to hear it. I'm ..."

"Just stop!" she ordered, reaching over to pull the emergency
stop, jerking the elevator car to a halt as she did so. "I am
done talking about Mayson, and I'm done talking about this
stupid story and everything else." The corners of his mouth
creased to form a question, but before he could vocalize the hint
of a question that was sitting on the tip of his tongue, she
interrupted him with a formidable "I want the truth."

"Truth?" He looked like he'd been slapped with a ton of bricks
as he looked down nervously then back up again, offering her an
uncertain chuckle. "Wh..."

"Don't." She wagged her finger at him. "I am done. You don't
get to just storm out on me and shut me out for someone you
haven't even known a week. Okay, you just don't."

"I am not shutting you out, Lois,"

"Really?" Lois scoffed, pacing around the elevator car. "So
you just happen to start going against every angle I suggest that
hints at Mayson being involved with Intergang..." He opened his
mouth to argue and she glared at him. "I'm not done yet! You
start going into protective mode right after little *Ms.
My-Home-Number-Is-On-The-Back-And-I-Don't-Return-the-Victim's-Calls*
is leaving your apartment?"

She shook her head in disbelief. "Look, it's none of my
business. You want to do... whatever it is you're doing that's
highly unethical given you're supposed to be a witness in my
Uncle Mike's case -- go for it. I don't care."

"It's not what you're thinking," Clark responded carefully.

"Really?" Lois gave a mock surprised expression. "Let me
guess, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation?"

"Yes."

"So, you're not involved at all with the District Attorney
that's supposed to be prosecuting my Uncle's case?" Lois
challenged, arching an eyebrow at him when he didn't respond.
"That's what I thought."

"It's not like that." Clark shook his head.

"Of course not." Lois gave him a glare. "You're just shutting
down any evidence I bring you that little Ms. Perfect is involved
with Intergang."

"I am not," Clark argued. "I just know that Snell..."

"Fine," Lois shrugged him off and scowled back at him as she
fought to keep the festering emotions within her from boiling
over. "Let's say you're right and this Martin Snell is
involved with Intergang. What now? Unlike your hunch about Snell
I actually have evidence we need to question Mayson on regarding
her relationship with Bill Church. But see, I can't if my
supposed partner can't even back me up!"

He let out a low sigh, running his hand across his forehead. "I
do back you up, Lois."

"It certainly doesn't feel like it lately," Lois remarked
quietly. "Hasn't really felt that way in awhile."

"Lois..." He reached a hand over, and she brushed him off.

"No," Lois shook her head, waving him off. "You know I spent
months trying to crawl back to where I was professionally after
everything that happened this summer. I worked the dog shows and
the stupid obituaries and everything that I had been handed in
order to earn the respect of my peers back. But no matter what I
can't seem to break down this Fort Knox security system you've
put up to shut me out."

Clark looked down nervously, fiddling with his tie. "I thought
we said we weren't going to talk about what happened this
summer?"

"You said not to talk about it," Lois corrected.

"I thought it would be easier," he replied quietly.

"For who?" Lois asked, crossing her arms over her chest and
shaking her head. "I mean, I don't even know what to think
anymore."

"I'm not shutting you out," Clark said carefully.

"It certainly feels that way."

"I said a lot of things I shouldn't have last summer. I am
sorry for that."

"Why do I still get the feeling you're not being completely
honest with me?" Lois asked.

"What makes you say that?" Clark asked nervously, alternating
his weight between his two feet.

"Either you know what I mean, or you don't," she said, feeling
a boldness she had never felt before in any past relationships
rush through her.

"I am being honest," Clark replied carefully.

"And the confession at the park?" Lois challenged, arching an
eyebrow at him. "That was... just a story?"

"Uh, yea, um..." He looked down, unable to keep eye contact
with her as he mumbled a quick, 'yes' to her.

"I want the truth," Lois repeated, stopping in front of him.

"Lois..." He looked up, biting his bottom lip.

"I'm tired." She let out a low breath, "I am so sick and
tired of walking on eggshells and trying to act like everything
is fine. It's not fine. It hasn't been fine in months, and I
think a lot of that has to do with the fact that you keep lying
to me about a certain conversation we had a few months ago." She
tightened her jaw and whispered, "Am I getting warm?"

He was quiet for a long moment and looked back at her in
disbelief. "I never realized you felt that way. I'm sorry." He
reached over to take her hand in his palm. She contemplated
pulling back for a moment but dismissed it for now, enjoying the
soft touch of his hand around hers.

"I just want my friend back. Whatever that looks like. I don't
care. I can't sit here and pretend like everything is fine when
there continues to be this wall... that's never been there
before." She felt a hard lump in her throat as she looked back
at him with uncertainty. "Am I crazy?"

"No," he shook his head. "You're right. Things haven't been
the same... We've both had a lot to work through. I guess I
never realized I was pushing you away." She was quiet, wondering
silently if this was the final breaking point that would make or
break their partnership or possibly what remained of their
friendship. "Everything that happened this past summer. I lost
my best friend. I guess I didn't want to take a chance of losing
her again."

"Kinda hard to do that when you keep pushing me away," Lois
responded softly.

"You're right." He nodded, taking a breath.

"I don't like Mayson," Lois blurted out. "I think she's
clingy, and I don't think she's right for you."

"Is this your expert opinion?" Clark asked with an amused
expression.

"I also don't like the fact that she's putting my uncle's
case in jeopardy to do... whatever it is she's trying to do."

"Lois, it was a deposition." Clark let out a heavy sigh.

"Just a deposition?" Lois challenged, arching her eyebrow at
him. When he didn't respond, she shrugged. "That's what I
thought. Look, I don't like her. I especially don't like the
fact that she despises Superman -- a friend of both of ours who
helps protect this city and has rescued both of us more than
once. I don't like that she won't return my uncle's calls when
he's the victim here who is scared and doesn't know what to do,
and I especially don't like the fact that I saw her leaving your
apartment when I know he spent three hours trying to get someone
from the DA's office to give him some answers. I mean,
really?"

"Okay," Clark said calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Okay, what?" Lois asked, feeling a tear trickle down her
cheek.

"Okay, I trust you," Clark said softly, placing another hand on
her other shoulder. "If you despise her that much then...
experience tells me to trust your gut. We'll look into the
Intergang angle."

Lois frowned. "Are you going to stop hating me?"

"I don't hate you. I could never hate you," Clark reassured
her.

Lois bit her lower lip feeling as if the emotions she was holding
back would knock her down and drown her right there in the
elevator car. A single tear escaped her eye and trickled down her
cheek. She let out a hoarse whimper and added with a heavy heart,
"I think I might be in love with you."

With that, she reached her hand over to release the emergency
stop, refusing to look his way as the elevator hummed to life and
stopped at the next floor. A crowd from the marketing department
stepped on, and she found herself suddenly grateful for the
intrusion as she pondered just how to process the confession that
had escaped her lips moments ago.

Love.

Was that what this was?

The soft ping from the elevator reached her ears, and she watched
with dismal disappointment as the elevator car emptied and looked
over to see Clark standing in the corner with an uneasy
expression on his face. She glanced at the panel where four more
floors were left to go before they arrived on the lobby floor.
The elevator doors closed, and the elevator hummed before being
rudely halted with a tug of the emergency stop. Only this time it
wasn't her that pulled it.

Lois was quiet for a moment before she added cautiously,
"They're gonna call maintenance on this elevator."

"Let them," Clark said with a shrug, turning to face her.

"I don't want to talk about it," Lois said, turning her head
away to avoid his questioning gaze.

"That's a pretty big statement to just put out there," Clark
said carefully.

"You would know," Lois found herself responding. "And I still
don't even know which version was the truth."

"Version of what?" Clark asked.

"The confession of love at the park. The confession in front of
the Planet. Who knows which one is real." She shook her head.

"Lois..." Clark began to interrupt.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Lois cut him off.

"Lois..." He reached his hand over to cup her cheek and
whispered, "You and I both know which confession was real."
Before she could press him further, his lips found hers in an
electrical storm of pent up frustrations from the last few
months. She let out a low moan as her hands moved to both sides
of his face, exploring every inch of his face with her
fingertips.

"I love you, Lois," he murmured against her lips. His hand
moved down the side of her face, outlining her neck and the frame
of her face as his lips devoured hers. He cupped her cheek for a
moment before running his hand through her hair. "I've always
loved you."

There it was. The Confession. She couldn't hide from her
feelings any longer any more than he could from his. No more
running. No more hiding. No more lying to herself. No more...

The passion she'd felt from the time their lips first met
moments ago multiplied tenfold as he poured his soul into the act
of kissing her.

"Really?" Her hands buried themselves in his hair as his lips
grew more and more insistent against hers.

"Really," he whispered back, and it felt like a floodgate had
opened. "I love you Lois Lane. I'm not going anywhere."

Relief washed over her as she stared back at him, resting her
forehead against his, feeling a mixture of joy and relief fill
her mind as he held her to him. She caught a glimpse of the
blinking red light on the elevator panel.

"As unbelievable as all of this is I think if we don't release
the emergency stop we're going to have some uninvited guests
come in here and end up in Perry's office for the rest of the
evening."

"Oh, right!" Clark reached over to release the emergency stop
and the elevator hummed to life. He then turned his attention
back to Lois. "So..."

"So..."

"How about some coffee?" he asked as the elevator car arrived
on the lobby floor. "I know this great place... kinda homey.
Offers great conversation along with a selection of your favorite
blends... and less prying eyes." He glanced around the lobby at
the questioning gazes they were receiving from the maintenance
guy standing by the elevator.

"Probably a good idea," Lois agreed with a giggle. "Let's get
going, partner." She let out a sigh, "See, now doesn't it feel
so much better *not* to lie to me?"

"Well, actually about that..."

THE END