"We Ought Not Die Continues" to plot
Lois couldn't stop thinking about the confrontation she'd had with Lex, Clark and his German henchwoman in Smallville, even as she tried to shop for the basic necessities. She pushed the grocery cart around the store in auto-pilot mode
Now that she was back on the city desk in Metropolis where she belonged, Lois intended to get to the bottom of why Clark Kent had defected to Lex Luthor's camp and what the two of them were plotting in Smallville. She didn't believe their wild story about settling down to start a family for a minute.
She pushed her cart up to the check-out and waited. A photograph of Lex and Clark in one of the tabloids in the impulse buy racks caught her eye.
"Is the Luthor-Kent marriage in trouble? Is Clark's old flame having his love child?" read the lurid headline.
Lois shrieked when she saw the photo below Clark and Lex's -- a skimpily clad and very obviously pregnant Chloe Sullivan lounging on a beach.
*****
The weather was fabulous on the island. The temperature was perfect and the resort's beach was pristine and private -- and yet accessible enough for the paparazzi if they were really determined. That was something that Lex counted on. The huge umbrella kept the glare of the sun off of Chloe as she relaxed the Adirondack style lounger.
Chloe had to smile as adjusted her sunglasses and sipped the fruit-smoothie that her gorgeous "cabana boy" brought her. Roland was a genius. She could almost pass for pregnant naked. No simple padding would do for her little scam, he'd claimed. The fake pregnancy belly actually kicked!
"Settle down, Wally. Enjoy paradise. This vacation isn't going to last much longer."
"This may be a vacation for you, Chloe, but I'm on the clock. Supes wants me to make sure that no one lays a finger on you. I really can't get over the fact that Superman is having a baby. That is the wildest thing ever. But really Chloe I have to stay alert." The unmasked Flash was practically vibrating where he stood in his resort uniform of tight red shorts and beach shoes. He'd tanned since coming to the island to watch over Chloe and warm skin tones only made his sleek runner's build even more enticing.
"Do you actually think you are the only one on this island watching over me?"
"Huh?" he was confused.
"Don't ever forget who we are dealing with, Wally. Lex sent bodyguards as soon as he found out what I was up to."
"I haven't seen anyone."
"And you won't."
"If you have bodyguards, what am I doing here?"
"You are Clark's way of telling me that he's willing to let me help and that he wants me to have a little fun while I'm at it. Pull up a chair and relax."
Wally's face went from confused to instantly alert. "I don't think so. Trouble at three o'clock. Show time!"
Chloe turned her head just in time to see Lois coming down the stairway from the resort to the beach. She pulled the edges of her beach jacket protectively over her belly as if she were trying to hide a real pregnancy.
"Lois, " Chloe greeted her weakly.
"So it's true. You're pregnant." Lois ignored Wally's protective presence hovering at Chloe's side.
"And how is that your business?" Chloe countered without directly lying to her cousin.
Lois tossed the tabloid into her lap. "What possessed you to get pregnant with Clark's child?"
"Since when to you believe what you read in these rags?" Chloe got up from the lounger with all the grace of a hippo on dry land. She'd studied very hard to make this very convincing.
"Since Luthor started planning to have kids with Clark. He'd have to get some woman pregnant. How did he convince you to do this?"
"What makes you think that this was Lex's idea?"
"You aren't stupid enough to volunteer to have Luthor's kid. Clark's maybe. You've had that stupid crush on him since high school."
Chloe's face flushed with anger. "What's wrong, Lois? Mad that Clark didn't ask you? Still mad that Lex ran you out of the country because Clark couldn't stand to work with you?"
Lois blanched at Chloe's direct hit.
Wally stepped in between them. "Ladies! Miss Lane, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Mr. Luthor-Kent expressly asked me to make sure that Miss Sullivan was not upset in anyway. She is very close to her delivery date."
"And who are you?" Lois looked at Wally as if he were some sort of bug to be squashed. Wally wasn't intimidated. There was something about Lois Lane that just made him want to circle the wagons around Chloe.
"Wally West, Miss Lane. Miss Sullivan and Mr. Luthor-Kent are both very good friends. Mr. Luthor-Kent asked me to take care of her while she's here on the island."
"And what is it that you do, Mr. West?" Lois' eyes got that speculative look that Chloe recognized as trouble.
"I'm with -- the Justice Department, ma'am." Which was technically true if not precisely so.
Lois bristled a the 'ma'am.' "I see."
"I'm not sure that you do." A second voice, much colder than Wally's sounded from behind Lois. She felt the blunt tip of a weapon jabbing into her back. "You were warned not to stick your nose into Mr. Luthor-Kent's business."
"Lex can't keep the press from reporting the truth." Lois couldn't see the woman threatening her only Chloe's relieved face.
"Lex Luthor-Kent isn't our employer, Miss Lane. We work for Clark Luthor-Kent."
"Clark!" Lois snorted unbelievingly.
"You are a threat to his unborn child. I suggest you leave on the next flight back to the mainland."
A ticket was thrust into her hand.
"You can't stop me from breaking this story!" Lois declared.
"Perhaps not, Miss Lane, but we can stop you from harassing, Chloe. Now, you will leave." Wally blocked her access to Chloe.
Lois stormed back up the stairs to the resort.
"Watch Chloe. I'll make sure that she makes that plane," the mysterious woman told Wally.
"Sure thing. Thank you."
Chloe slumped back onto the lounger. "She bought it."
"I guess that means our little vacation is over." Wally sighed.
"What do you mean?" Chloe frowned at her now melted smoothie.
"You've established your cover as Clark's surrogate."
"Clark's not due for another couple of weeks. I say we enjoy ourselves." Chloe wrinkled her nose in naughty fashion.
"Are you supposedly going to deliver here on the island?" Wally asked.
"That's the plan. I've made all of the arrangements with Lex and Clark. Relax, Wally. We're out of the game -- for the moment."
*****
Lois seethed as she stormed out of Perry White's office. It seemed that not only had she been scooped by the tabloid press. That nobody, Vic Sage, had been granted an exclusive interview with Lex and Clark to discuss their arrangements with a surrogate to have a child.
The story had appeared in the morning edition while she had been chasing after Chloe.
Now that she was back on the city desk in Metropolis where she belonged, Lois intended to get to the bottom of why Clark Kent had defected to Lex Luthor's camp and what the two of them were plotting in Smallville. She didn't believe their wild story about settling down to start a family for a minute.
She pushed her cart up to the check-out and waited. A photograph of Lex and Clark in one of the tabloids in the impulse buy racks caught her eye.
"Is the Luthor-Kent marriage in trouble? Is Clark's old flame having his love child?" read the lurid headline.
Lois shrieked when she saw the photo below Clark and Lex's -- a skimpily clad and very obviously pregnant Chloe Sullivan lounging on a beach.
*****
The weather was fabulous on the island. The temperature was perfect and the resort's beach was pristine and private -- and yet accessible enough for the paparazzi if they were really determined. That was something that Lex counted on. The huge umbrella kept the glare of the sun off of Chloe as she relaxed the Adirondack style lounger.
Chloe had to smile as adjusted her sunglasses and sipped the fruit-smoothie that her gorgeous "cabana boy" brought her. Roland was a genius. She could almost pass for pregnant naked. No simple padding would do for her little scam, he'd claimed. The fake pregnancy belly actually kicked!
"Settle down, Wally. Enjoy paradise. This vacation isn't going to last much longer."
"This may be a vacation for you, Chloe, but I'm on the clock. Supes wants me to make sure that no one lays a finger on you. I really can't get over the fact that Superman is having a baby. That is the wildest thing ever. But really Chloe I have to stay alert." The unmasked Flash was practically vibrating where he stood in his resort uniform of tight red shorts and beach shoes. He'd tanned since coming to the island to watch over Chloe and warm skin tones only made his sleek runner's build even more enticing.
"Do you actually think you are the only one on this island watching over me?"
"Huh?" he was confused.
"Don't ever forget who we are dealing with, Wally. Lex sent bodyguards as soon as he found out what I was up to."
"I haven't seen anyone."
"And you won't."
"If you have bodyguards, what am I doing here?"
"You are Clark's way of telling me that he's willing to let me help and that he wants me to have a little fun while I'm at it. Pull up a chair and relax."
Wally's face went from confused to instantly alert. "I don't think so. Trouble at three o'clock. Show time!"
Chloe turned her head just in time to see Lois coming down the stairway from the resort to the beach. She pulled the edges of her beach jacket protectively over her belly as if she were trying to hide a real pregnancy.
"Lois, " Chloe greeted her weakly.
"So it's true. You're pregnant." Lois ignored Wally's protective presence hovering at Chloe's side.
"And how is that your business?" Chloe countered without directly lying to her cousin.
Lois tossed the tabloid into her lap. "What possessed you to get pregnant with Clark's child?"
"Since when to you believe what you read in these rags?" Chloe got up from the lounger with all the grace of a hippo on dry land. She'd studied very hard to make this very convincing.
"Since Luthor started planning to have kids with Clark. He'd have to get some woman pregnant. How did he convince you to do this?"
"What makes you think that this was Lex's idea?"
"You aren't stupid enough to volunteer to have Luthor's kid. Clark's maybe. You've had that stupid crush on him since high school."
Chloe's face flushed with anger. "What's wrong, Lois? Mad that Clark didn't ask you? Still mad that Lex ran you out of the country because Clark couldn't stand to work with you?"
Lois blanched at Chloe's direct hit.
Wally stepped in between them. "Ladies! Miss Lane, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Mr. Luthor-Kent expressly asked me to make sure that Miss Sullivan was not upset in anyway. She is very close to her delivery date."
"And who are you?" Lois looked at Wally as if he were some sort of bug to be squashed. Wally wasn't intimidated. There was something about Lois Lane that just made him want to circle the wagons around Chloe.
"Wally West, Miss Lane. Miss Sullivan and Mr. Luthor-Kent are both very good friends. Mr. Luthor-Kent asked me to take care of her while she's here on the island."
"And what is it that you do, Mr. West?" Lois' eyes got that speculative look that Chloe recognized as trouble.
"I'm with -- the Justice Department, ma'am." Which was technically true if not precisely so.
Lois bristled a the 'ma'am.' "I see."
"I'm not sure that you do." A second voice, much colder than Wally's sounded from behind Lois. She felt the blunt tip of a weapon jabbing into her back. "You were warned not to stick your nose into Mr. Luthor-Kent's business."
"Lex can't keep the press from reporting the truth." Lois couldn't see the woman threatening her only Chloe's relieved face.
"Lex Luthor-Kent isn't our employer, Miss Lane. We work for Clark Luthor-Kent."
"Clark!" Lois snorted unbelievingly.
"You are a threat to his unborn child. I suggest you leave on the next flight back to the mainland."
A ticket was thrust into her hand.
"You can't stop me from breaking this story!" Lois declared.
"Perhaps not, Miss Lane, but we can stop you from harassing, Chloe. Now, you will leave." Wally blocked her access to Chloe.
Lois stormed back up the stairs to the resort.
"Watch Chloe. I'll make sure that she makes that plane," the mysterious woman told Wally.
"Sure thing. Thank you."
Chloe slumped back onto the lounger. "She bought it."
"I guess that means our little vacation is over." Wally sighed.
"What do you mean?" Chloe frowned at her now melted smoothie.
"You've established your cover as Clark's surrogate."
"Clark's not due for another couple of weeks. I say we enjoy ourselves." Chloe wrinkled her nose in naughty fashion.
"Are you supposedly going to deliver here on the island?" Wally asked.
"That's the plan. I've made all of the arrangements with Lex and Clark. Relax, Wally. We're out of the game -- for the moment."
*****
Lois seethed as she stormed out of Perry White's office. It seemed that not only had she been scooped by the tabloid press. That nobody, Vic Sage, had been granted an exclusive interview with Lex and Clark to discuss their arrangements with a surrogate to have a child.
The story had appeared in the morning edition while she had been chasing after Chloe.