The Memoirs

Shane Senatori, like the rest of his clan, had a very, very deplorable excess of energy.

However? He'd never met Toni Braxton on a sugar high before. Toni was tanked up on sweet potato pie with brown sugar and marshmallow topping, and she had played with Shaney and Arnie both this morning, until they'd both dropped.

She had just put Shaney down for his afternoon nap and was getting out turkey and honey-baked ham for sandwiches when she caught a cool breeze coming through the kitchen window. She put a hand to the small of her back, aching a little from the exertion and the pregnancy, and started putting sandwiches together, knowing that her man would be coming home for lunch pretty soon. Macaroni and cheese was heating up in the microwave to go with the sandwiches, and a fresh brewed pitcher of tea was sitting on the counter, along with two tall glasses and ice.

Damn, she was good.

Dominic thought the same, as he knocked quietly on the screen door. The house through the door was looking beautiful, that womanly touch it had been lacking for so long everywhere, and smiled, broadly, as he shifted the long plastic bag in one hand, and the box in the other. "Toni, love, its me."

"Dominic!" Toni hustled through the kitchen and down the hallway, stepping expertly over abandoned toys and a sleeping dog. "C'mon in, door's open, sugar bear. And watch your step, I haven't had a chance to pick up Shaney's toys just yet."

"Thank ye kindly." He pulled the door open and stepped in, giving a smile at the snoring Arnold, and walked around him carefully before setting the things down on the wooden dining table, and literally hefting Toni up in hugs. He hugged her, squeezed her gently, and kissed her cheeks and then her lips, a big smacking kiss. "My darling, how you've been missed."

Toni bat ineffectually at the man lifting her up, but hugged him back nonetheless. "I do believe somebody finally got some meat put on that skinny-ass carcass of yours, Dominic Senatori." She grinned brightly at him. "Missed you too, and I know I ain't the only one, even if he is being a pisshead about it."

Her no-nonsense attitude had Dominic beaming, broadly, and he kissed her cheek again as he hugged her. "I've missed you quite a bit, beloved darling. And no talk of Graham... first." He lifted the plastic bag. "Felicia's wedding dress and veil. She told me she'd be about later this evening, so I want you both to call me before you open it, so I might show her what the tailors did, mmm? The veils in its own bag inside. And..." He handed over one of the boxes. "Gran made you a pie. She made us hold it all the way here, and fridge it overnight. I hope you like it." He grinned at her, and motioned at the second, much bigger box. "And that's from us. But, where's my nephew?"

"I'm going to be big as a house if you people keep feeding me," Toni lamented. "Here, gimmie the dress first, and put those boxes on the table." She grinned over her shoulder. "Shane? Is taking his nap. And I'll break your head if you wake him up." Then she shuddered. "I'm going to kill your mother. Just so you know."

"Clark said Shayla sent him an SOS, email style." Dominic couldn't help snickering, as he followed her into the kitchen, and let his dimples wink on. "What did she do, anyway?" His hands went into the pockets of his slacks, casually walking after her. Christ, the house was absolutely stunning. She'd done so much with it in such a little bit of time, and he looked around, smiling. "Everything looks so lovely, Toni."

"What didn't she do? She rousted up EVERYBODY at the asscrack of dawn and got 'em all over here. Not t'mention the fact she damn near had a heart attack when Graham suggested that since Shayla and Lindy were going to the Ross house for dinner, everybody might as well eat lunch together. Gloria Ross and her brood descended on the house, and I thought your mother was going to swallow her own head." Couldn't help the grin. "Glory told her off right fast, polite as you could want but told her exactly what was what."

Dominic couldn't help but beam. Maybe it made him a bad son, but he didn't really care. "Really. A house full of people of color must have driven her insane. Disgusting old bat. I love her, regardless, as somehow she did come from my Gran's loins, indeed. Christ, Toni." He looked across the sunny kitchen, and sighed softly. "Graham's house hasn't looked this good in years." A pause. "How is he? With the business?"

"He's tryin' to figure out how to get it off the ground by himself." She hung the dress in the laundry room, and closed the door to keep nosy children and curious dogs out of it, and then plunked down at the kitchen table and motioned for Dominic to do the same. "C'mon, eat with me. I've got to that stage where, when the baby says eat, you eat. I swear, Dominic, she's takin' after you like that." She lifted the top of the box on the pie and inhaled. "God that smells good." She looked at up Dominic before she started cutting. "He's damn near miserable, sugar. Got a deal with the Fordman kid, and he thinks the numbers are workin' out, and Lindy flat out told him no, cause she said she was gonna start workin' with you and Lionel and wasn't gonna have the time to balance his checkbook."

Dominic paled, quietly, even as he carefully helped her sit down in the chair, tucked it in for her, and went to the cupboard, at home and comfortable, to get some glasses for milk. "Shepherds sweet apple pie, love." He said quietly, even as he listened. "Do you think he might let me take a look at it? I can handle a small business account, if he...well, if he wants to."

Toni gave him a very evil glare for that. "Are you kiddin'? He'd love to have you doin' it, sugar, but you know him. He's stubborn as you and that old goat of yours put together, and he's goin' to have it his way, and nothin' but."

"And his way would be?" Dominic asked, as he pulled the gallon of milk from the fridge and filled two large glasses of it.

"Havin' nothing to do with you, or your husband, until this baby's born." She shook her head. "Hurts my heart to see him so miserable about it, but I mention it and he broods on me the rest of the day and the night."

He sighed, and shook his head quietly, as he set the cold glass in front of her, and sat down in the chair across from her. "All Finns are the same, Toni, and don't you be forgetting so. They're stubborn of brain and heart, to a fault. It'll pass. He can't hate me forever, right?" He touched her hand. "I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the sacrifice you made for us."

"I'm about to hit this Finn in the softest part of his anatomy--his damn stubborn ass." She grunted as she cut into the pie. "He don't hate you now, sugar bear. He's just... stubborn and prideful about these things." She cut a slice out for herself, and one out for Dominic. "Here you go. Gotta keep that meat on your bones."

"You don't have to tell me, love, as I grew up with the sod." Dominic snickered, as he nodded his thank you, and shifted comfortably. "Al of my family's like that. Though they can't wait to meet you, so that means you'll be visitn' Ireland once or twice in the next few years. Gran's dying to meet you."

"Let's you and me run away, sugar. Leave this stubborn-ass brother of yours behind, and we'll jet-set over to meet your Gran."

Dominic snorted, as he bit into a spoonful of pie. "Yeah. Right. Like you could ever leave his stubborn assyness. You love him, and don't you be telling me otherwise." A finger waggle, even as he beamed and winked. "Having you in the family is going to be wonderful for us. I know Lindy and Dogwood are serious, as well... we're going to be related to the whole damn town before long, you know. Six degrees of Lionel Luthor."

"I do, I love that man more'n he's worth, and that's for damn sure." She sighed, and propped her chin on her hand. "Mmmhmm. You're gonna be related to the Ross boys, and one of Gloria's brother in laws is a Rubenstein, so you're gonna be related to all of them too, not to mention you're gonna be gettin' another doctor in the family, cause that new Gyno I've been seein', Dr. Billy? He's plannin' on getting himself assigned here permanently causea Bear Ross."

"Berluce?" Dominic looked up in surprise...blinked. "Well that's a bit of a shock. Christ. You know, Toni, when everyone's your cousin? its time to move to Jamaica and name yourself Cousin Bob."

"That's the one, sugar. Glory doesn't know that one yet, so let's just keep that one under our hats. Man, she didn't think she was ever gonna get those boys outta her house, and now they're all goin'. Dogwood, Bear, and Pete." She leaned forward. "Ellie's already askin' if she can call Dogwood Daddy, and you shoulda seen your mama's face. I thought she was gonna explode."

Dominic snickered. Wickedly. He couldn't help it, honestly, as much as he tried, and he choked on the giggles, and swallowed them down with a rush of milk. "Toni, for shame. Gettin' such a pleasure out of an old evil bitches horror. Honestly." He grinned. "I'm so glad for my sister. Dogwoods a good man. A little odd, but a good man, and he'll make her happy. That is, I'll make good sure and well he does." Another smile at her. "I missed home, you know. Its good to be back in the thick of things."

"You've been missed too, sugar bear, even if some mules won't admit it for hurtin' their pride." She sighed. "He really is miserable, Dominic. He misses you."

"I know it. But if he's got a mind set on not letting me ask for forgiveness, then what am I to do, then? He won't forgive me until after Rory is born...I'll probably spend the first year of her life in a body cast, after all."

"No you won't, cause that big mountain man will have to get through my tough little ass to get to you and that ain't nearly as easy as it looks." She almost melted into a little pile of goo at the first bite of the pie, and sighed. "Rory, huh? Got your pet name for her all thought up already?"

Dominic grinned, secretly, over his next bite of pie. "Its Lex's nickname for her. I think I'll be sticking with Briar Rose, indeed. My darling little girl." A little soft mushy sigh and he wriggled and beamed all over again. "I can't wait for her to be with us, Toni. I've never been a father before. I have to say, I'm excited as hell."

"Lex? You mean, Lex Luthor? Bald, cranky, bad attitude?"

"Lex Luthor." Dominic affirmed. "Slinky, skinny, bald, cranky, and Peep Junior."

"Didn't figure him for the sibling type, that's all." She sighed. "You're goin' to be a great father, Dominic. Don't you even worry." She tapped his shoulder. "S'in your genes, honey, if your lunkhead of a brother and your beauty of a sister are anything to judge by."

"I know." Another grin at her, as he finished another mouthful of pie. "I'm really excited." A sideglance, now, though. "And of you, Toni? Are you thinking about having children with Graham someday?"

She gave a little shake of her head. "Can't say as I haven't thought it, but you see how he reacted to me bein' pregnant. Not going to go through this again, sugar bear. Besides, Shaney's enough of a handful for any one woman to take."

Dominic smiled, crookedly at her, and took her hand in his, squeezing it tightly. "You'll be a huge part of Aurora's life, Toni. Its there for you, if you want it, and nothing would please me more for you to help us raise her. We're going to be honest with her from the get go, you know? She'll know who she is." Another smile, as he brought her fingers to his lips for a soft kiss.

"Aye, an't isna eno' fer ye, gettin' m'darlin' Toni pregnant, now yer tryin' t'win 'er over wi'yer fancy words?" Graham might have had a splint on his arm, supporting the damaged tendons in his wrist and forearm, but that didn't stop him from wrapping said arm around his brother's neck and squeezing, dragging him backwards and taking the chair with him. "What're ye doin' here, little brother?"

"Graham Senatori!" Toni bellowed, jumping up as soon as she saw Graham's arm go around Dominic's throat. "I know you're not comin' up in my house actin' like a jackass and threatin' my friend!"

One minute, Dominic was holding Toni's hand in his. The next? He's nearly choking on a piece of his pie, getting dragged back by his brother and trying to yank at the tree trunk arm he had around his neck. "GRAHAM! Fucking… let... GO!" He yelled, after forcing the piece of pie down his throat, and tried to tug on Graham's arm as he did it.

"Dunna think so, laddie," Graham growled, hauling back again. "Toni, m'darlin, dinna get involved. Dunna wan'ye t'get hurt."

Yeah, right, like she was going to stand by for this. "You take your hands off him right now, Graham Senatori, and you start acting like a civilized human being or you can walk your butt right back down those steps and come back when you can!" She marched right over to him and started poking him in the arm. "Release, boy."

Dominic yanked again, his butt half out of the chair, and tried to tug at his brothers arm, but yeah, right. He was a runt compared to Graham's girth and he tugged and yanked, not daring to bite even as he tried to swivel out of the chair and get himself up so he could take a breath. "LET GO!"

"Aye, woman, stop yer pokin'!" Graham shook his elbow, and in the process, let Dominic go.

"Thank you, jackass." She shrugged, and bent over as much as she could, helping Dominic to his feet. "Hey, it works on Arnie, figured I'd try it on this beast." She glared at Graham. "Apologize! This man's a guest in your home."

"I'm no' apologizin'!"

Dominic gasped, grasping his neck when Graham finally let go, and swallowed a few breaths before glaring up at him. "So what, now, I'm comin' home from Ireland and you don't see it in you to say hello to your brother, indeed?" He snarled at him, even as he got to his feet. "I was droppin' some things off for Toni, and she invited me to stay. In. Vit. Ed. Ever hear of it? You won't be, because you're no longer welcome in my home, either, you right bastid."

Toni kicked Dominic. "Don't you go makin' things worse!" she snarled at him.

"Hello, welcome home, now git outta m'house b'fir I throw ye out on yer arse." He stalked towards his brother, but stopped short of grabbing him again, because Toni had interposed herself between the two brothers.

"You don't give a rat's ass, now do you?" Dominic demanded, and ever so gently, moved around Toni to face Graham again. "You could care less. Thirty six years of being your brother and you canna find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"I'll fergive ye on th'day Toni delivers th'baby and smils up at me from th'bed, and no' a second a'fore it.," he grunted, moving towards his brother again now that Toni was safely out of the way.

"Graham Senatori, you lay a hand on that man, and I tell you, you're goin' to be sleepin' on the couch for the next fifteen years of your life." Toni was standing with her hands on her hips and glaring at both of them. "Dominic Senatori, you lay a hand on your brother and so help me, I'll sic your mother on you."

Dominic didn't even look at Toni, just staring his brother down...before he just deflated. He didn't feel like fighting with anyone, or listening to fights, or listening to arguments, anymore. Damn he was tired of it. "I'll let myself out, mm? Remember Toni, give me a call when Fellie tries the gown on. I'll be seeing you soon, love."

"I'll call you, sugar bear. Fellie'll be home from work about five, and I'll have her over soon as she gets off. Want to be here about five thirty or so? Then us civilized folk can go out to dinner?" She ignored Graham stewing behind her.

"Aye, I wish I could, but I canna. Lionel and I have a date tonight, love." He gave her a soft, but warm, hug. "Call me, anyway, mm? Give Shane a kiss from me."

"Okay, I will," she said, and hugged him back tightly. "Don't you let that fat bastard keep you from comin' round to see me," she scolded.

"Darlin', I'm still in th'room," Graham pointed out, hands on his hips.

"You I am not speaking to," she huffed. "At least not until you apologize."

"Alright." A smile at her, though he would most certainly not be coming around anymore, to get beaten and embarrassed in front of Toni in such a way, and instead walked around Graham and got his coat from beside the second box, which was full of gifts for his brother, Toni, and Shane. He glanced at it before sighing, tugging his coat on, and starting out the door.

Toni just glared at Graham. "That is your brother, Graham Senatori, your own blood kin, and if you don't walk out there and apologize to him this second... I don't want to hear you say another word about how much you miss having him around!!"

"But--"

"No buts, Mister!" She stamped her little foot in her little neon sneaker, and pointed towards the door, where Dominic was still walking out and down the porch steps. "Go!"

Graham rolled his eyes, but he stomped through the house and clumped down the stairs behind his brother. "Morgan!"

Dominic stopped and looked up from the door of his Porsche, which was standing open, he himself about to slide in behind the wheel. He still had more things to do, piled up on the passengers seat, and he held the keys poised in hand, as he looked across at his brother and rose a brow. "Another blow to give me? Forgot to throw a punch you meant to?"

Deep growl. "I came t'apologize for draggin' ye aboot th'house like that. Y'are m'brother, an yer Toni's frien' too, and yer welcome in th'house when ye like."

"Bullshit, and you know it."

Graham growled again, and then shrugged. "At least ye canna say I didna try." He stomped back up the steps, slightly stung, and slammed the front door behind him.

Dominic glared at it... stopped, looked at the door for a moment, then snarled and slammed himself into his car.

- = - = -

Clark was happy. Really, really happy. Who wouldn't be, anyway? He was home, things were on the mend with his aushna', he'd spent the funnest day ever yesterday with his sha'nauch, playing video games, then going out to eat and play pool at the new teen hotspot, The Changing Table, which Clark thought was actually really neat.

Well, okay. So maybe he was ninety five percent happy, five percent nervous. Or was that ninety five percent nervous and five percent happy? Couldn't remember at the moment, cause he was standing in front of the Daily Planet.

Lex had told him what Perry had said last night when they'd gotten home, and Clark had spent an hour creating a portfolio. Essays, journal entries from his blog that he'd printed out, stories, and all of his newspaper articles for the Torch, to date. It was sitting in his satchel, which he'd slung over his chest last minute, and he stopped, to glance down at himself.

The tan chords. Black, long sleeved shirt. Leather jacket, and boots, because Lex kept saying how sexy he looked in this outfit. Whatever. He just wanted to make a good impression, and he sighed, tugging the sunglasses off his nose, and opening the doors to the Daily Planet.

It was HUGE. Holy, holy crap! He blinked... stopped... blinked, and so he wouldn't look like an ass, walked across the polished floor to the receptionists desk. There were printers ringing, people yelling, phones ringing, conversation, papers rustling. Clark thought it was awesome and he smiled at the woman behind the desk, completely missing the way her eyes widened in her head. "Hi… Clark Kent. I'm here to see Perry White?"

Megan Mitchell gaped... stopped... stared at the HUNK standing before her...gaped again, swallowed, and pointed. "Ah... Up those stairs. Office at the end of the room, he's...he's waiting for you. I'll call him right… right now and..." She lifted the phone and dialed 9, then extension one.

"... and when I tell you to take Jimmy Olsen with you, then you damn well better take him! If you ditch that kid one more time, Lois Lane, I'm going to tear you a new ass!" Perry was in a fine mood; Lois had her interview, all right, but she'd ditched Jimmy and there were no pictures to go with it; they'd had to go back in the file morgue and dig out an old file shot and he was steamed.

His cigar was bobbling in the corner of his mouth, and he wondered if Jonah had so much trouble with that damned Parker kid.

Then, right in the middle of his rant... the phone rang. How dare it interrupt his tirade. "WHAT?" he bellowed into the receiver.

Megan just stared at the dazzling young man before her....tried for her voice... couldn't find it for a sec... oh, there it was. "Uh... Mr. White, a Clark Kent is here to fuck me. SEE YOU!" Mortification in her face as the young mans eyes widened at her, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. "See. You. See you. He is. Here to see you."

Clark blushed. Couldn't help it. Who wouldn't? He grinned, shyly at her, and shared the faux paus with his lover, who was with Chloe and Whitney at the pent house, and bit his lip, cheeks softly blushing shyly.

"MITCHELL!!" Perry bellowed, hearing the slip. "Keep your hands outta your panties and have the kid escorted up to my office!!" He slammed the phone down. "You! Lane! Don't you move from this spot!" He pointed to one of the chairs by his desk. "The Kent kid is on his way up."

"Yes, sir!" Megan squeaked and climbed from her chair, quickly sliding around the desk, and uuuuyhhhnnnnnn. He was so... and there... tall, and muscular, with long, LONG legs, those strong thighs, and her eyes snapped up to his big green eyes, blushing scarlet as she quickly led him up the stairs. "Come along, this way."

Clark nodded, shifting the satchel a bit on his shoulder and followed her. There were whispers around him, sound ceasing as he stepped up through the main offices, and he winced softly, not daring to look around too much. He agreed. High school junior? In an office like this? yeah. He followed the tiny blond woman through the offices and up the stairs at the end of them, to what had to be Perry White's office.

And was. Megan opened the door and sidled in, and Clark followed after her, politeness and manners clicking into place.

"Mr. White, Clark Kent." Megan pointed, nodded, gave him a "Muuuuuuh" look behind his back, and closed the door on her way out.

"Kent!!!" Perry White couldn't help the bellow that would, in years to come, become a staple around the Planet offices. "You're a hard man to get ahold of! Sit!" He glared at Lois. "Lois Lane, Clark Kent. Clark Kent, Lois Lane." He plunked down behind his desk and glared.

Not a bad looking kid, and if the article Perry had shown her earlier was any indication, the kid might actually have some talent. Not as much as she did, granted, but not everyone could. "Have a seat, Smallville, and don't worry about Perry. Bark's worse than the bite, if you know what I mean."

"Mr. White." Clark shook his hand, pumped it really when the man wouldn't let go of it, and finally pulled the satchel from over his head, sitting in the chair he motioned to. The office was cluttered, crap everywhere, and Clark didn't think he'd ever seen anything as awesome as this. Oh, man. He smiled at Lois, politely, and offered his hand to her even though she called him... Smallville? The fuck? Alright, manners, Kent. "Its nice to meet you both. I'm sorry you have such a problem getting in contact with me; I was away on vacation with Lex and his family."

"And I don't suppose you check your messages?" Perry growled. "Damn kids nowadays..." He lit the cigar that sat in the corner of his mouth and used it to point at Clark. "Took your own sweet time gettin' back to me, kid, and I don't want it to happen again, is that understood?"

Lois just rolled her eyes and looked at Perry. "Take it easy, Perry, he doesn't even work for you." Yet, she added mentally.

"I don't care, dammit! If this kid's going to write for me, then he's damn well gonna return my phone calls!" A slam of his hand on the desk.

Clark's eyes widened into twin ovals, and his throat bobbed. "My apologies. We were in Ireland, sir." So I couldn't have gotten your damn messages even if I'd wanted to, butthole. But then his interest caught, and his eyebrow rose, just the smallest bit, as he settled in the chair. "Write for you, sir?"

"Don't suppose they have phones over there either, do they, Kent?" A glare, and he crossed his arms over his chest a moment as he puffed. "Yes, write for me, I said, you're not deaf!" He slid the article Clark had written over to him. "Wanna give you a weekly piece. Not much, just a corner of the local section, but it'll be exposure. Startin' with this article, I wanna re-print what you write for the paper."

Clark looked down… then blinked, and looked up. "But sir...not to be rude, but you haven't seen any of my work. How could you possibly know how I write?" A moment to think. "I don't want you to be disappointed, if you find that the rest of my work lacks. This article..." He looked down at it again. "If I'm not rude to ask, but why do you like it so much? if I can ask?"

"Just because I'm an old man, Kent, doesn't mean I'm not conversant with technology!" He thumped the computer on the desk. "What does this look like, a paperweight? I did some research on you, kid. Found some things of yours that'd been reprinted in the Smallville Ledger, and Olsen's kid brother provided some back issues of the school paper!"

Lois cringed. "Never question the boss, Smallville. Rule number one."

Yeah, right. Clark could be shrewd when he wanted to be. "He's not my boss yet, Mrs. Lane." He said quietly, full of respect, before back up to the older man. "You can imagine that I'm slightly shocked, Mr. White. I'm just a teenager, so I had to know if there was a catch somewhere." Manners bred into him with an iron fist, and it was good they had been, because he had a fine temper himself.

"Just a teenager my wrinkled ass! I've been in this business since I was your age, humping copy over to the typesetter room, and you're not gonna pull the wool over my eyes!" He thumped his hand down on the desk again. "Damn smart move, but let me tell you somethin', the one person in this stinkin' city that you can trust not to screw you over is me. I don't do it, I never have, and if I've got a problem with you, I tell you to your face."

"Yours and everyone else's in the newsroom," Lois added in helpfully. "Perry's voice tends to carry." But she loved the old geezer. Sadly, she loved needling him more.

"LANE!!"

Clark couldn't help grinning at Lois, and then smiled down at the article sitting on the desk, thinking for a moment. "Alright. Lets say I do agree to this, putting my work in your newspaper. Can I advance, or is this just a one time deal, small articles?" He looked up, and rose a brow. "I want to write. I've wanted to write since I was twelve, and I'll want to keep writing when I'm sixty." Shrewd? CLARK? "I'm going to study journalism at the University of Metropolis, if they accept me, next year."

Perry hmmmed. "Tell you what, kid. You keep the articles up at this quality for the next year and a half until you get out of high school," he said, tapping the article, "And you'll get an internship here at the Planet. When you start college, you'll be writing freelance for me, just like Olsen, and if you're still around by the time you get outta college, there's a typewriter with your name on it."

Lois just snickered. "Not really, Clark. It'll be a computer, not a typewriter, don't worry. He's old, not archaic." She patted his knee.

Clark smiled quietly at her, and thought for a long moment. "You know..." He reached down and opened his satchel, and pulled out the huge, thick binder, setting it on his knees as he rifled through his personal writing. Pulled out four blog entries, one on the poor in the united states, another on the war in Iraq, a third on school politics, and a fourth, a really fun satire, on living with Lex, and set them before Perry. Took out the first chapter of his long story on Emily and Aiden, and set it on top. "Maybe, before making me an offer, you could read that?" Asked, quietly, as he smiled. "I'll be in Metropolis most of the day, sir. You can contact me on my cell phone...let me write it down for you." He took a pen from his satchel, a blank sheet of paper, and scribbled his name and phone number on it. "If you get Lex, just yell at him till he gives me the phone."

Alright. So maybe he knew he was good. No harm in that, dammit.

Perry, like the true newsman that he was, went for the articles first. "Lane!! Make yourself useful, show the kid around. Newsroom and everything." He propped his feet up on his desk, flicked the ash off his cigar, and started to read.

Lois laughed. "Yes, sir." She thumped Clark's shoulder gently. "C'mon, Smallville. That's our cue. He won't say jack until he's done reading and digesting."

"Okay." Clark had expected to be dismissed outright, but when Perry kicked back and got comfortable, he smiled. He set his notebook in his satchel and set it back over his head and shoulder, and climbed to his feet. He followed Lois out of the office, and shut the door behind him himself, before looking out over the huge newsroom, shyly. The room as enormous, people scurrying, yelling, talking to one another and screaming, and he was just so damn enamored. He grinned again, broadly, and looked down at the much shorter woman beside him. "This is really amazing."

"Yeah, it is." Lois cupped her hands around her mouth like a bullhorn. "EVERYBODY FREEZE!!!" She cleared her throat slightly once she had the room's attention. "This is Clark Kent, he's going to be working for us in a couple of years," she said, like it was a foregone conclusion. "Until then, he's going to be underfoot like Jimmy, so don't step on the new hire, kay? Thank you!"

Clark blushed. Crimson. Six shades of red. Two of purple. Swallowed, hard, looked down, winced, and sideglanced Lois shyly even as he kind of raised a half hand at everyone. "Hi." Little word, little smile, and winced again as they all stared at him. Crap. "Uh... nice to meet you all."

Lois stomped on his foot with four inch heels. "INTRODUCE YOURSELF!"

No pain, but he gaped at her even as he looked out again at them. "Clark Kent. Nice to meet you. Uhm... I'm from Smallville, still in High School… hoping to major in journalism. The guy dating Lex Luthor."

"I knew I couldn't place you." Cat Grant smiled, a little too sweetly, and walked up, offering her hand to him. "Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Kent. Cat Grant."

Clark's eyebrows lowered, and he almost, almost, scowled at her. "Ms. Grant." A nod at her, before he caught sight of Jimmy, and grinned. "Hey, Jimmy. Long time no see, man. I can't thank you enough for this." He offered his hand, shook it, then tugged Jimmy into a big hug. "How are you?"

"Claws in, Cat," Lois warned under her breath. "You're already in up to your neck with Perry and you don't want to piss off the Luthors any further than you already have."

Jimmy gave a little "oof!" as he was hugged within an inch of his life. "Hey, Clark. No problem; I just got caught with the article, and Perry loved it. You did the hard work, man. You wrote the thing." But he grinned anyway. "Serious about the journalism program? I can help you get settled there once you're in, and don't worry. I'll sponsor you, cause you gotta have someone already in the program to vouch for you if you want to get accepted."

"Hell yeah." Clark beamed. "I kind of found my calling. Chloe got suspended from doing the Torch anymore, long story with that, but I kind of inherited it. Been doing it for three months now, and I love it. Writings the best thing in the world, and I'm really enjoying it. Any news you could give me on the journalism program would be much appreciated, man. Anything I need to know, and stuff."

"Main thing? You're gonna need three--no, wait, four valuable tools. A dictionary, a thesaurus, a computer, and spell-check--the best invention on God's green Earth."

Clark didn't bother saying that he was a walking, talking dictionary, thesaurus, computer and spell check, and just nodded, smiling at him. "Definitely. Hey, but we'll talk later? Steven gave me your number, I'll call you later on after all this dies down, and we can talk, kay?" Another beam at him. "still got my email addie?"

"Yeah, that's great." Look at his watch. "Make it late, though, cause I've got a late class until about eight thirty, so I won't be back in the dorm till like, quarter of nine. But any time after that is good, and if you get my roomie Owen, don't freak. He always sounds like he's stoned."

"Kay." Clark grinned, shyly, and nodded a few times. "its all good. Thanks, man." Another smile at him, before he looked back at Lois, shyly. "Id like to see your matting room… if I could?"

Lois had been tapping her foot as the males bonded, and she grinned when Clark turned back to her. "No problem; it's right down the hall. C'mon. We'll take you to the printers next."

- = - = -

Perry slammed down the last article on his desk. Damn but the kid had some talent, and he wasn't going to see it working for anyone else but him. He grabbed the phone, and called down to the personnel office, demanding that they deliver a contract to him by the end of the day for the Kent kid, covering the reprinting of his articles for five hundred bucks a week, four weeks a month, ten months a year.

And if the kid wasn't smart enough to jump at that, then he was dumber than Perry gave him credit for.

 

-fin-

go on to the next part