PAYBACK

Posted: 08.13.3006

Author: Batman_Wolverine (a.k.a. Bruce Logan)
Rating: PG15

Genre: Humor, Romance

Summary: This is a follow-up of a 1-shot ‘Sights and Sounds’ (by Athena Phoenix) and…though this is written in a semi-independent manner, as in it's not necessary to have read the first one to get this, I suggest that you do. After all, without their work, I wouldn’t have gotten to play with…ahem, with these characters.
Series: Oneshot (1/1)
Words: 1,063

Acknowledgments: Thanks to Athena-Phoenix for their ‘three’ of a kind help. One in writing a story that got me thinking on this plot. Two, for allowing me to go ahead and use the stage set by their story. An’ three, for being gracious and patient enough to bear me and my hokey writing and provide a beta to get it to readable levels and (hopefully) half way enjoyable. Thanks guys.

Link: Athena-Phoenix's ‘Sights and Sounds’ on JLAUnlimited.com (http://www.jlaunlimited.com/eFiction1.1/viewstory.php?sid=3765)

Disclaimer: Don't own Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman or any Justice League Unlimited character. All owned and copy righted by DC. Do own Ms. Miranda though, so…stay the hell away from her.

Truth doesn’t pay. In fact, it costs you, a lot. And today, even this man, this beacon of light, this hero of the masses, this greatest of all heroes…today even he came to accept this harsh reality.

Look where that damned truth got him. He was so screwed.

“No.”
All the reply he got from her was a straight, simple ‘Not on your life, buster,’ pointed look.

“NO!”
She was implacable.

“Please…no.”
She folded her arms, never taking her eyes off him.

“Please…don’t do this.”
Now, she looked more amused.

“This is wro –”
“Huh? Were you about to say 'wrong'? I do hope that's not what you were going to say. Were you?”
“No. What I mean was, this...I meant time! Yes, time. This is the wrong time.”

“No.” His wimpy excuse got shot down with nary an effort.
“No?” His eyebrows rose.
“This is absolutely the right time. There is no League emergency, none work-related either. We are free; absolutely, positively, resolutely…free.”

“But still…”
“But still, nothing. Either you get it to it, or else…”

“Uh…” This wasn't what he expected. Not the dreaded ‘or else’ warning. Never a good sign when anyone gives you an ‘Or else.’ Even more so when that someone is your girlfriend, or worse, your wife.

“So? Are you going to do it or are you a chicken?” She teased, even making the telltale puck-puck sounds. Thankfully, she didn’t rub it in further in his…umm, just rub it in further.

"Chicken!" Okay, now she was asking for it.
“Cockle-doodle-dooo…..” Thar she crowed.

“Come on, farm boy.” She was clearly enjoying herself, having rather quickly overcome the embarrassment she had felt at his revelation as to what he had done that one night almost three years ago. “Give your darling wife a show.”

“Lois…I-I’ve-”

“Clark! Don’t tell me you haven’t ever done it.” She eyed him inquisitively, but with that trademark ‘hawk-sizing up-a-rat’ look that was just hers. “I know you are supposed to be a this all American boy scout and all, but you cannot tell me that a man your age has never done it and expect me to believe it. You have, haven’t you? Before we…befoe me…maybe with one of your Leaguers?”

He knew which specific Leaguer she was hinting at, and he also knew that the less he said in response to this specific question, the better. After all, if she did not chew him out enough, there was always HIM, him with his almost meta-ability to know anyone and everyone’s dirtiest secrets. ‘And he does carry kryptonite with him, always.’ He swallowed nervously at the thought of having the Bat after him for doing IT while thinking about their friendly neighborhood Amazon Princess. Especially now that the two of them were getting rather ‘up close and personal’ themselves. Yes, silence was golden, but in this case, it was downright essential for survival…his.

“No.” Not wanting her to read too much into his truthful denial, Clark wisely restrained himself to a single shake of the head “Never.”
“Never? You mean not in your younger days, back on the far-”

“No, not that.” And he was supposed to be a reporter, a man of words. “I meant, never with any of the Leaguers, I mean never while thinking…imagining...I…hmph.” He gave up.

“Who, then?”

He mumbled a few names.

“Speak up, Smallville. Not all of us have super-hearing.”

“Uh-Ms. Miranda…." He gulped. "L-Lana….a-and you.”
“Ms. Miranda!” She exclaimed in shocked realization. “Ms. Tits-the-size-of-Montana Miranda? Your eleventh grade English Literature teacher. Her?”


This ‘telling each other everything’ thing, it was highly overrated. In fact, it was downright dangerous, he thought.

“Ooh, looks like someone was the teacher’s pet, her boy-toy.”

“It wasn’t like that. And besides it was only once…once after I left her class, I mean left the school.” ‘Stop it. Just stop it,’ his mind cried out.
“And before that?”

“…” ‘Oh, I just waltzed into that one, didn’t I?’

“Before that, Kent?”

Uh-oh. Using the last name. Never a good thing.

“How. Many. Times?”

“Fi-six times-” he took a deep breath “- a week.”
“Six…times…a…week.” With every passing word, her smile widened, and grew increasingly evil. “So, you took a break on  Sunday, huh? For what? Church?”

His silence was all the answer that either of them needed.

“So…”

Maybe she will give up now?

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem for you. Get to it already.” With that she walked to the couch and settled onto it, leaning over to pick up something, something that…

“No. Not that. That isn’t –”

“You have two options.” Her no-nonsense tone silenced him “Either you can do it once with this, or you can do it daily…at least once.”

“At least once!” Deep breaths, deep breaths.
“Yes. And twice on Sundays…no, make that three times. Then again, how does-”

“ONCE!!” he burst out, his cry nearly shattering the apartment’s windows. “Once…just once.”

“Once? Once with this or once dai –”
“With this. With this, with whatever you want. But please, only once.”

“Hmm.” She pouted, her face growing introspective, almost as if trying to weigh the pros and cons, or maybe coming up with yet another ingenious plan. Maybe one that said that even though she was agreeing now, she could still do an about turn later…to get him to do it again and again and…


Had he been there, even Lex flippin’ Luthor would have gotten onto his knees and bowed to the wicked genius that was this woman.

“Okay. But you’ve got to make it worth my while, make a show out of it.”

“Make a…show…” He couldn’t even complete the sentence.

“Yeah, you know, make a show,” Lois repeated. Leveraging herself off the couch, she thrust her hips accentuating her words and to give him a little incentive…just enough to get him going.  “And be sure to make some noise. After all, Smallville…” she flicked the switch on and the red light zeroing in on him, made Clark feel as if he was the bulls-eye of a dart board.


If only he had not come clean and told Lois about his one-time-only and entirely unexpected voyeur experience, of seeing her ‘busy’ with her not-so-little battery-operated friend, then maybe…no, definitely, today he wouldn’t be in this situation.

“…it's not like you have ever been on camera like this. Or have you?”

‘Oh Rao.’

FIN

Once again, thanks to Athena-Phoenix for their beta and to everyone who’s read this story.

An’ now that my Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes routine is over…get ‘em fingers tapping for a Review ya bums…I mean, you esteemed connoisseur of the Fan-Fiction Arts.