jla_watchtower | Now Serving #5

"It is all right. Let her in please." She waves her aids off with a smile, they were doing their job and she wasn't angry that they tried to stop Lois, but she's welcome.

"Welcome, can I help you Lois?"

"I...." More than the usual fiesty spirit is evident in Lois' gaze as she looks from Superman to Wonder Woman and back to Superman.

There are others in here, too, people she doesn't know as well. So she hesitates before offering a folder with the Presidential seal. "Information Lex gave me about the assassination attempt," she blurts.

Her eyebrows go up as she takes the folder.

"Have you looked through this?"

"On the flight here. It's bad. It's definitely bad. I mean...people're going to freak if I publish it bad. You guys...it's bad, Diana."

Lois Lane? Babbling? Just a bit. Her complexion is flushed, too.

"Be calm Lois, it is all right." She considers. "Can you give me the pertinent points?"

Kal knows something's up. He can tell it in her demeanor, as Lois is very rarely this flustered. He also realized that she's holding back. He thinks about it for a second, then catches J'onn's eye.

J'onn, could you and John leave the room, please? Something's not right with Lois and I think she's a little nervous since she doesn't know the two of you that well. Nothing I can explain yet.

Of course.

J'onn turns and leaves.

Thanks to J'onn's S.O.P. of telepathic connection, he catches Superman's request as well. He resists obeying for the moment, but if it calms things down with him gone...

He just tries to catch Diana's eyes before he leaves. Let her know that he'll be here.

Then, he's gone.

She did catch the look and she smiled when she did. Now that she and Kal and Lois were alone she sighed.

"It is far worse than I fear then?"

"It's not that. I mean...it IS that, don't get me wrong...." Lois paces a few feet away, pushing her fingers through her hair. "Looks like two Secret Service agents were killed by the Amazons who tried to get Lex before they were killed. It looks bad, but..."

Her gaze, over her shoulder, finds Clark. And it's not a happy gaze.

"No but there were secret service agents killed an others injured. And I am being told to provide proof that we were not involved. Sisyphus' challenge in Hades is easy compared to this."

"I know, I...just figured...may I have some water, please? I could really use some wine, but Dr. Mid-Nazi would kill me."

"Of course Lois." She pours a glass of water and brings it to her.

"Please sit, you need a moment to breath and recover."

Kal actually walks over and takes Lois' hand, guiding her to a chair. It's just him, Diana and her in the room.

"There's more to this. What aren't you saying?"

"Thank you," says Lois to Diana as she takes a deep drink from the water, then another, once Clark has her sitting. What is it about water that helps?

She takes a few deep breaths and then looks at her husband to say as calmly as she can, "He knows I'm pregnant. And he knows you're the father."

Superman's visage looks very grim at that news. But then he softens. He doesn't want to discomfort Lois any more than she actually is. "Does he know I'm Clark?"

Lois swallows another mouthful of water. Sometime soon she's going to notice she doesn't miss coffee anymore. Egads. "No. He thinks that I'm having an affair with Superman and asked if Clark knows that Superman's the father."

"Obviously Luthor does not know Superman, or is judging him by his own standards of morality."

"He was baiting her." Superman said. "It doesn't matter what he believes, it what he can potentially use to his advantage."

A pause. "So how do we get around this?"

"I am not sure. If you let the information out so that he cannot use it against you someone will figure out your secret. If it is protected then there is a weapon held against you at all times." She muses.

Lois frowns as the two heroes talk, taking the time to continue trying to calm down. She knows the anxiety is bad for the baby, sure, but she also knows she can't think when she's scared or irked...and she hates, HATES, the idea that Lex has scared her. "Well, here's the thing. Lex things I'm sleeping with Superman, not that Superman is Clark Kent. We need to figure out what to tell someone about why I'm carrying Superman's child, because Lex has DNA samples."

Superman thinks. "Could we somehow come out publicly with the idea that you were made pregnant in vitro? Not that I have a reason WHY yet..."

"Not many reasons why that happens, and why you instead of Clark? Unless you approached us about...huh." Lois looks over at Diana. "Any ideas, your Worshipfulness?"

"Kal is the last son of Krypton, perhaps it was done to continue his line. There had to be some genetic compatability between the two of you so that is why you were chosen. It skirts the edge of truth...and I would play up the fact that Superman, Clark Kent and Lois are all friends and Clark knew of this."

"In fact, it should probably be Clark that is the frontperson if we do this. Make sure there's no doubt whatsover that Clark is in on it."

Lois gives Kal's hand a squeeze. "I think that's a terrific idea, honey. And there's something to what Diana's saying about genetics, too, but he'll have his own geneticists working on that so maybe not. GOD, I hate that man. Look, let's just be direct and plain. Clark and I want children some day but in the meantime, like Diana said, Superman needs a son and I'm amenable. And I'm honored to help Superman's line continue. Something like that. What do you think? It's that or assassinate the president."

She might not be kidding.

"Genetics may not be a factor other than you were genetically compatible, and all three of you are very close. That would be a deciding factor I would think." She just gives Lois a look at the assassination comment.

"If you bring this truth forward it will take away Luthor's weapon...but it can also bring great danger to you Lois."

Kal nods. "I know how much you hate the idea, Lois, but going public with this almost HAS to mean that you go into hiding. I know that's like asking me to not save lives for six months plus...but Luthor's too damn dangerous even if you're not in the public eye...let alone if you are."

"I totally disagree, Clark. If everyone knows I'm expecting, everyone knows it's Superman's, and I stay out in public where everyone can see me, I'm a lot less likely to get bothered by Luthor because people know. Besides, you said it yourself: the hero community's going to be a pain in the butt looking out for me, starting with Batman. I'll just have monitoring 24x7, and with the publicity of the pregnancy the JLA will have an excuse to do it visibly. Right?"

"It was not Luthor I was thinking of being the danger Lois, but rather the many people who would like to hurt Kal through you. Villains that would use this as a focus to distract him and bring him pain."

"Diana's right, Lois. You're already on the Society's radar for the Costa Linda thing. This goes public, everyone from Deathstroke to some two-bit Suicide Slum gangster is going to be trying to use you to get to me. Luthor may not be that stupid, but many of my enemies are."

He looks right into Lois' eyes. "You're going to hate this, and you're going to be angry at me, but I don't care how stubborn you are, you know I'm right."

"So what's that say about me to American women, Clark? That as soon as I get in some 'delicate condition' I go into hiding? That I'm AFRAID? That's crap. It's total crap. You both want me to give up something I love - the only thing I'm meant to do - because I MIGHT get hurt. Have you guys NOTICED I've gotten hurt before? I'm not going to go into hiding somewhere. I won't and I can't. I just...damn it, I WON'T." But when she looks at Clark, Lois' eyes are pleading. Maybe she does know he's right.

"It is hard for those of us who are strong to admit we might need to do something other than face the danger head on. And you are one of the strongest women I know Lois." Her voice is gentle.

"But this is not just about your safety anymore."

Kal nods. Thank GOD Diana's here.

"You don't have to give up writing. You've got people that can be your legwork and get you what you need to write. You just can't be out there."

He pauses, and he's almost at the point of tears. "For you to continue this, and for me to feel safe about you doing it, I would have to give up doing what I do. Because I cannot function, either as Clark or as Superman, wondering what idiot's going to try to make a name for himself by being the one who murdered Superman's baby."

"I know you're not afraid. I know you're strong, and that you would face it head on. But the baby doesn't have that choice to make."

Diana's words do mean a lot. If Wonder Woman, the very image of strength in womankind, can tell her it's not weakness to be cautious...

Then Clark speaks. Clark, whose heart is the strongest muscle in his mighty body, who has more sentiment in one finger than Lois has ever possessed, who would willingly sacrifice himself for anyone but most especially for her and for their child. She gets up, wraps herself around her husband, and kisses him fiercely, Diana or no Diana.

Diana smiles fondly at the two of them then turns to the material Lois brought her about the assassination attempt to give them a moment of as near privacy as they can get without her leaving.

After a very long time, the kiss ends. It was something both needed in that moment. He looks at Lois, wondering who will speak first.

What Diana finds is disturbing pictures, details on the agents killed in action (and those who died later of their wounds), and images of the three Amazons who died. Nothing good in there at all. If this is a mock-up, Lex has done a good job of it.

And several feet away, Lois separates from Clark, gives him one last kiss, and then sighs, "All right, where are you going to store me? Not the Watchtower. No way the Watchtower. Somewhere on terra firma."

"I would offer my home, but I feel it is most likely to be a war zone soon." She holds up one of the pictures.

"Atanea, one of my sisters was involved." She shakes her head wondering how she and Artemis could have missed that level of desire for revenge.

"Perhaps we could ask the JSA if she could stay at the Brownstone if the Watchtower is out of the question."

"It would mean you wouldn't have to go far for checkups" Kal adds. "And the security there is as good as it gets since Terrific did the upgrades."

He smirks. "We could always ask Bruce..."

"And the Brownstone is in New York...not far from Metropolis...." Lois thinks hard before Clark mentions his closest friend. "No. Absolutely not. I'd kill him. You know it, I know it, he knows it. And if I didn't, his girlfriend du jour might throw me out. Diana, no offense, but Themyscira's a bad idea, especially right now, like you said. Can we find Terrific and Mid-Nite, ask them if they have some nice quiet room where I can sit and write and order pizza?"

She hadn't been able to keep from laughing a little at the thought of Lois and Bruce together in the same house, it would be bad.

"No offense taken. I believe the Brownstone is the best solution all around. Did you wish to call them from here?"

Kal shakes his head. "I think we can arrange this, but it should be a face to face, so I can let Terrific in on the situation. We're going to need to have our facts straight in talking to the media before we can let the JSA know they're going to have a civilian houseguest. Let me talk to Terrific. The Doctor I'm sure won't mind having his prized patient within arms reach. And you won't want pizza, love, once you taste Ma Hunkel's cooking."

Kal smiles mischievously. "I wonder if I can talk our boss into letting me take over for you as the Planet's White House press liason." A pause. "Just a thought."

"I'm still White House press liason, Smallville. You can be my legs." Lois winks at Diana before stretching. The tension's gone and now, suddenly, she's dead tired. "I'm just going to sit here until you two decide about my future. Good? Good."

Her feet get tucked up under her, and she leans against the high back of the chair.

"I will arrange for them to bring you some food while you are waiting Lois." She chuckled and watched the tired reporter relax.

"Kal, I will leave the arrangements to you with the JSA but do not hesitate to ask me for anything that the two of you may need."

Kal leans in and kisses Diana on the cheek. "I never do. If the situation with Themiscyra were different, it would have been perfect. And you remember to do the same. Push comes to shove, the league looks after their own."

"No food. Just some juice if you've got any. Grape is best. No tomato. Tomato bad." Lois speaks with her eyes closed until the commentary about food is over, and then she peeks at Diana. "Look, we both know whatever Lex concocted to make you and Themyscira look back is crap. Dig around some and I'll write up the truth about what happened. Truth always wins, Diana. You know that."

"Truth does indeed win. Grape juice is easy enough, Ferdinand makes fresh juice from the vinyards of Themyscira, you will like it I think." She rests her hand on Lois' shoulder for a moment with a smile.

"I will leave you two alone, there are others I need to pass this information to." and she leaves them alone in the office and sends someone to bring Lois the freshest grapejuice they have on hand.

Now Serving #5

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