Density, Chapter 2

Lois, Clark, Chloe, Jimmy
Season 8
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: These characters belong to the CW and DC Comics, not to me.

"Forget it." I rolled my eyes, just to let Jimmy know how ridiculous the idea was. "I don't have any interest in Clark. He's not my type."

"Yeah, I know," Jimmy answered. "Your taste in men runs more toward the rich and powerful."

I looked away from my brilliant prose (all two sentences' worth) and glared at him. "Exactly what are you implying?"

"Nothing," he said hastily. "Nothing at all."

"Smart boy."

"But see, the thing is, CK's not all that bad. He's got a nice body..."

"I am just going to pretend I did not just hear my cousin's fiance saying that, okay?"

"Well, come on, I'm not gay, but I'm not blind, either. I wish I was built like he is. And he's pretty nice looking, except for that weird pimple on his cheek..."

"It's a mole, I think."

"But a honking big one."

"True." I shrugged again. "Okay, so Smallville is a decent-looking guy. Except for that big pimple/mole/growth thing, anyway. But he's just too... I don't know, naive. He's just not my type, Jimmy."

"Yeah, I know. But see, that doesn't matter all that much." He sat down on the corner of my desk, staring at me earnestly. Jimmy Olsen did earnest almost as well as he did worried. "You just have to distract him. Get him to go out with you for a while. Just till our wedding, Lois. That's all I ask."

I frowned at the blinking cursor on my computer. I really hadn't gotten very far on this thing yet, and it was due in a few hours. I needed to get working...

"Why should I do this for you?" I asked.

"Who was it who covered for you about the whole Grant thing last year, huh? I kept about five people from walking in on the two of you in his office and in the storage closet, and you know it. You owe me, Lois."

I blew out my breath in a long sigh, thinking about it. "I can't believe I'm saying this," I answered at last, "but what you're suggesting really doesn't sound fair to Clark, Jimmy."

He threw up his hands. "Chloe doesn't love him any more, Lois. You and I both know that, right? So distracting him... it would be a kindness. It could help him realize she's not the only woman out there."

"Uh... yeah, maybe." I remembered Chloe's half-hearted attempt at enthusiasm on the phone, and wondered if maybe she felt more for Clark than Jimmy realized. But no... if she loved Clark, she wouldn't have agreed to marry Jimmy. Chloe wasn't that sort of girl. "But there's another problem. What if he falls madly in love with me?"

I saw a little flicker of humor in Jimmy's eyes, but he suppressed it almost instantly. "Well, if he does, you'll just have to let him down easy, Lois."

Bastard, I thought. He obviously didn't think I had what it took to win the affections of Clark Kent. Which was ridiculous. I was hot, smart, and pretty.

Well... hot and pretty, anyway. The smart thing I was still working on. But Clark wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, either. I figured any red-blooded heterosexual male would be willing to go for me, if I made it clear I was interested.

Not that I wanted Clark to fall in love with me. That would be going too far. I liked Clark, and I didn't want him to get hurt. So I wasn't going to try to make him love me, not when I knew I'd never feel that way about him.

But I figured it would be really, really easy to... distract him.

Read Chapter 3 here.