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.*･｡. AN ODE TO CLARK KENT .*･｡.
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040.
GAME FACES.
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——

    "Not gonna lie... I thought this would be easier."

   Lois rolled her eyes, "Are you stupid?"

"You guys make it look so easy!" Peter defended himself like the way a child would, like back when they were kids. "You do this all the time!"

"What?" She rose a brow at him, "You think we don't break a sweat running from bad guys?" When he nodded dumbly, Lois let out an audibly pained groan. Clearly her cousin was lacking a vital amount of braincells. Lois grabbed the back of his shirt and gave it a firm yank, pulling him back and away before he could venture out into the hallway any further. She gave him an exasperated eye and hissed, "It's freakin' hard, Peter!"

With an innocent shrug, Peter cringed when she groaned again; he had evidently been naive to think that his cousin found running from the enemy easy, but in his defence, Lois made it look second-nature to her. They all did. Then again, it probably was nowadays.

She was very good at it, by now.

The two cousins leant against the wall they were tucked behind and spared a moment to catch their breath. So far, this whole run-from-the-enemy thing had been much more difficult than the teen witch had originally anticipated, and he wasn't a very big fan of it if he was being honest. Frankly, Peter would rather be mauled by a pack of alphas — which, definitely would happen when Deucalion found out what Peter had done. Even before he was apart of the pack, he had never had to run from many evils other than English homework and his one middle school bully. Poor Peter didn't even know of werewolves, not until he had met Ethan and Aiden. And then, they still hadn't told him. Peter had to find out the hard way; like Scott, in some sense. It was thrust upon them. All very sudden, and last minute.

   Time wasn't certain. Peter and Lois weren't sure how long they'd been running rampant around Beacon Hills Memorial, but it was long enough for the alpha pack to have noticed they'd disappeared for sure. No doubt that the alphas were on the look out for the two related runaways and Jennifer Blake.

   There had been several close calls. They had nearly run into the twins at least three times.

   Every hallway was riddled with an alpha, none of them being a single werwolf they were looking for. Derek Hale was nowhere in sight, with him Scott McCall. Hell— Lois would take crazy Peter!

   Stiles and Luna were also somewhere that they didn't know, and trying to locate her friends amongst the alphas was getting harder by the minute. It didn't help that the elevators were down, so their only mode of transport between floors was the stairs. The last Lois had seen anyone, they had been on the second floor with a very ill-looking Cora and the twins. Now, however, everyone shifted and it was all a jumbled version of before. No one could have left, no one would have left, so where the hell was everyone?

   Not to mention Lois was a bumbling bag of nerves in the dark, and anxiety was falling from her in waves upon knowing Melissa McCall had been taken by Deucalion as a means of shutting down the backup generators.

   Peter said he wouldn't hurt her, because of Scott.

   Lois didn't really believe it.

   At one point, when running around a corner, Lois was certain she had heard Isaac's voice, but that was impossible. As far as she was aware, he was still at the school with her father and the Argents. It was a strange moment, but she'd had no time to turn and check if she was right, or if she was hearing things. God, how she wished it wasn't her imagination. Isaac Lahey would be helpful, right now.

    "We can't stay here, forever." Lois muttered, sucking in a deeper breath. She looked at Peter and nodded, "I'm gonna take a look."

    "Better you, than me."

   She shot him a look, watching him smile sheepishly; "Moron."

   Lois rolled out her shoulders and shuffled to the left, back firmly against the wall and feet moving slowly, tiptoeing across the floor in a straight line. Her shoes scuffed the paint.

   Her eyes shut for a brief moment until she found the bravery to lean out and into the hall. Lois looked forward, finding nothing in their way, and then over her shoulder in the other. Her eyes went wide. Not as clear! Not as clear!

   Stumbling, the girl rushed to get back behind the wall. Peter had a mind to ask what was wrong, but he didn't bother. What else was going to be wrong?

   Could anything else go wrong?

    "Evil alpha twins: four o'clock."

    "Lois, we're four o'clock."

    "Does it matter?" She seethed, whipping around. "Four? Eight? Who cares about the time, Peter? We're gonna die!"

   They went quiet, anxiously chewing their lips as they attempted to come up with a plan to get past the twins. Peter's friends or not, he didn't doubt they would rip him apart to get to Lois. Well, he didn't doubt Aiden would. Ethan might resist, a little. Key word is might.

    "Can you not... do something?" Peter asked.

    "Me?" Lois scoffed, "Can't you do something, Mr Magician?"

    "I'm not a—" he cut himself off with a huff, "Look, they know what I can do! We train together! But you're less predictable, Lo. Like that time at the loft, you can do crazy things to protect us!"

   She shook her head, "I don't know how to do that! It— it just all kinda happens!"

    "Well, we've gotta do something!" Peter hissed, voice low. "'Cause if we don't, it's not gonna end well for either of us!" Upon noticing how her face paled, he let out a sigh through his nose. Peter leaned down the small distance to her height, absently thinking of how it used to be the opposite. Lois was always taller, before. "Lo, I know you can do this— alright? You may not think you can, but you're the strongest person I've ever met. Remember when you beat up a bully, for me? Or, when you wrestled Stiles to the ground and won the Lane, Parker, Stilinski, McCall Annual Hunger Games we put on? He was your last opponent, and he was twice your height."

    "He grew over summer," she whispered.

    "Yeah—" Peter smiled, "He did. But you still won, just like you did when you were tallest. Because even in that tiny body, you've always packed the hardest punch." He gave her a shoulder a firm squeeze, "You can do this. You could do it then, and you can do it now. Even with these new abilities. You can do it, because you are Lois Lane. The Lois Lane." Pursing his lips, Peter thought about his next words. He nodded to her, "And you don't need Superman to come and save you. Okay?"

   A moment of silence.

   Lois nodded, "Okay."

    "Okay..." smiling slowly, he trailed off. "Okay— let's do this."

   "Let's do this."

   He took a step back and held his palm to face the ceiling, a ball of green appearing like dark electricity. Lois didn't know what it did, but it looked pretty cool.

   Something about it made her eyes turn blue.

   Peter gave a childish giggle, "Awesome!"

   A look cut his fun short, although the pair couldn't refrain smiles at the corners of their lips. Maybe things could get back to normal.

   With a silent count to three, Lois stepped out from behind their chosen hiding place and into the hallway. Peter followed, standing not too far behind. Her eyes lit up the darkness between them and the twins, and she cleared her throat to gain their attention.

    "Looking for something, assholes?"

   The twins growled, eyes red and fangs bared. Lois let out a light chuckle, suddenly exuding the confidence she had always had in her soul.

    "Am I supposed to be scared of puppies?" She remarked, smug smile on her lips. Lois waved a hand and a trail of water shot in through the open window, bringing with it the lightning from the storm. That had never happened, before. Ethan's eyes widened, stepping back slightly. Aiden stood his ground. "So...?" Lois trailed off, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "We gonna fight?"

   Aiden grit his teeth, "You really bug me."

   Wasn't the first time, she'd been told that.

   He then launched himself at her, Ethan following, eyes ablaze in a crimson fire. Lois immediately thrust her hand out, the water as a whip and cracking him in the side. Aiden howled, swatting at the stream while his brother made for Peter.

   Lois twisted her hand in a spiral and the water followed, making a mirror image of her movement around Aiden's torso. Her eyes flashed white every time the lightning struck him, frying his skin.

   This was different to fighting with a crossbow. Far different. No fight could match this — watching the water wrap around Aiden like a snake suffocating it's prey, feeling the liquid as though it was in her blood, hearing the thunder crackle and the lightning light up the hallway. Lois loved shooting arrows, but this was so much better; as if this was how she was supposed to fight. Crossbows had only been the tip of the iceberg. Lois could do so much more.

   Maybe Peter was right. Maybe she could do it.

   Maybe Lois could do anything.

   Maybe Lois could do anything — anything but stop.

    "Lois!"

   His voice went over her head, getting lost in the whoosh! of water as she waved her other hand to summon some more. It came the same as the other, trailing in through the window with a crack of thunder. She flexed her fingers and it shot up Aiden's nose, like at school, and he started to choke. Lois still didn't stop.

    "Lois! He's had enough!"

    "You're gonna kill him!" A girl's voice, "Stop it!"

   Lois clenched her fingers into a fist, and Aiden's eyes rolled to the back of his head.

   Her breathing grew laboured, angry, and her limbs started to get fuzzy and warm. A feeling washed over her, the same feeling when she had fought Jennifer Blake, and she couldn't stop it. It was like a tidal wave that crept up on her and then washed her away, taking her with it's tumult. The wave was salty and burned her eyes, and before she knew it the blue was gone and replaced with the same blinding white from earlier; the same white that she had seen on a sacrificial killer. The same white of the Nemeton. It caused her to ignite with panic, terrified of what was happening when her right fist swung upwards and sent more water down Aiden's throat. She had no idea what she was doing. Lois was losing control. Rapidly.

    "Lois, honey— please!" Her father, pleading with her. She was hardly able to hear above all the white noise, "Lois, you know that's enough! This isn't you!"

   Wasn't it? Who was Lois Lane, anymore?

    "Lois?"

    "Isaac, don't—!"

   He raised a gentle hand towards Allison, "No... no, it's okay. She won't hurt me."

   Isaac continued towards the girl, slowly inching closer and closer, not wanting to alarm her. He could feel water droplets hit his lips.

    "Lois?" Isaac tried again, "You hear me, Lane?"

   She could hear him. Just about. Just over the thumping of her ear drums, and the sound of Aiden's spluttering. By now, the twin was going deathly pale. Lois wondered whether Ethan had gone down, or if he was too scared to fight her.

   Soon enough, Isaac was next to her.

    "Come on, Lane. I know you can hear me," the beta said, voice soft and lulling. It was closer, now. Louder, but still soft. He stepped even closer, lips brushing her ear. "How about now? You hear me?"

   Lois whimpered, craving his touch. Any touch. Anything to get her out of the dark state she was in, someone to make her stop. He was so close but so far, and Lois wanted nothing more than to find him. She had done it, before. Isaac had acted like her light, being the tunnel through the dark.

   Where was that, now?

   Why couldn't Lois see it?

    "Lois."

   A tear welled in the corner of her eyes, as they flickered blue.

    "He's had enough, now." Isaac carefully reached up, placing a hand on her right arm and wrapping his fingers around her wrist. His eyes went amber, "You can let go."

   Like a switch, Lois' eyes shone a bright blue and then back to the normal brown. Her hands fell down and her legs gave way, leaving her to fall slack and crumble under the dead weight. She felt arms wrap around her and keep her up, while Aiden's body hit the floor.

   A sob forced it's way up her throat, and she used the last of her strength to cling onto their coat; "Isaac—?"

    "Hey, it's okay..." he hushed.

   Isaac placed a hand to the side of her head, holding her flush to his body. He placed a kiss to her temple and ran his nose along her hairline, gently nuzzling into her. When she held onto him tighter, the beta let out a sigh of relief. She was grounding herself — Lois was back, and she was grounding herself. She was back with him, in his arms.

   Right where he wanted her to be: with him.

    "You're alright," Isaac told her, "You did good, gumdrop."

   Watching over her head, he nodded at Matthew Lane when he sent him a questioning look. It read can I trust you with my daughter?

   He could. He definitely could.

• • •

   Turns out, Lois didn't kill Aiden. Luckily? Unfortunately? Lois wasn't sure, but he had been pretty unconscious when they locked his body in an empty room with his twin brother, also unconscious.

   They could thank Peter Parker, for that one.

    "I'm gonna kill him!"

   Or, not.

    "Not if I kill you first, Lahey!"

    "Okay— how many times do I have to say it?" Lois snapped as she stepped in between them, "Neither of you is killing the other!"

Both boys glared at each other, both relenting and moving back to stand either side of the table, but still eager to rip the opposing to shreds. Turns out there was still a lot of anger there, which Lois should have expected — after all, Peter had been loyal to the alpha pack until half an hour ago. She had tried to explain his change of heart, and most of them believed her, but Isaac was the hardest to sway. He was still very wary.

Not that she could blame him. Peter had been apart of the sad deaths of Vernon Boyd and Erica Reyes. That was unforgivable; it was needless to say that Isaac wasn't going to be trusting him, very soon. And forgiveness wasn't likely. Though, Lois hadn't even fully forgiven Peter. While he had been forced into the alpha pack, with threat over his life, he was still at fault. He had been apart of some terrible things, unspeakable things, and those weren't forgivable. It would take time, but Lois was willing to try. Because, at the of the day, he was her cousin and blood was thicker than water. Peter was aware he wouldn't be in their good books, not right away, or if ever. Forgiveness was earned, not obligated. Lois hadn't forgiven him for everything, and he didn't expect her to. She was still grieving, deep down, and so was Isaac. So, while they butted heads, he knew he'd have to deal with Isaac's bitter remarks — he deserved it.

"So, let me get this straight..." Matthew Lane screwed his eyes shut and then squinted at Lois, "My daughter can weld water as if she's Aqua Man—" then at Peter, "—and my nephew is Sabrina the Teenage Witch?"

"Uncle Matt..." Peter grumbled, "I'm not Sabrina."

Lois ignored him and nodded at her father, "Basically, yeah."

Matthew groaned.

"Your mother's gonna kill me, Pete."

Letting him have his moment to rub his face and feel like a bad father and uncle — which he wasn't; he was actually the best ever at both roles — Lois smiled awkwardly and turned back to the table between the group. They had crowded into the empty room upon finding Scott and Melissa McCall in the halls. Lois had rejoiced at the sight of Scott and his mother, and rejoiced further upon being told that Stiles and Luna were alive and well enough, with Cora in the back of an ambulance. Peter Hale was there too, waiting for a good means of escaping with Cora in as good a state as she could be before Jennifer healed her and lead them to Noah Stilinski.

However, that was going to be difficult with Jennifer and Derek stuck in the elevators.

    "So, then they're essentially trapped?" Chris clarified.

    "Yeah, right." Scott nodded, returning to the conversation they had been having before Isaac and Peter bit at each other, again. He sent them warning looks, getting an eye roll either side of him. Eh, it was good enough for him. "There's no way of getting Derek and Miss Blake out without turning the power back on."

   Melissa shook her head as she tried to listen to her son's words as best she could, "But wait, wait— if the power's back on... they're gonna hear the elevator moving, right?"

    "And they'll be on Jennifer and Derek as soon as it stops," Isaac confirmed, no longer glaring at Peter Parker. The beta chewed on his bottom lip as he tried to think of a good idea, "We can't get in a fight with them."

   Chris said, "You've got us, now."

    "Yeah—" Lois signalled to herself and Peter, "And, us."

    "I only wanted you, gumdrop." Sarcastic as ever, Isaac quipped a fast remark at Peter's expense. "Not baby Sabrina, over here."

    "One, don't call me that." She shot him a look that told him she wasn't kidding. They had all seen what had happened out there in the likes of Lois and Aiden, all apart from Scott and Melissa, and he definitely didn't want to piss her off. It was hard, seeing as that was what Isaac did to Lois best, but the warning on her face was a cleat indicator not to try it. "Two, I already told you: Peter helped me get away when Deucalion wanted him to do otherwise. He is with us now, okay?" Lois crossed her arms over her chest and sent the beta a challenging look, "He's my cousin, and he's gonna help us. Plus, he knows how to fight them; he knows their weaknesses, what makes them tick. It's helpful."

    "He'll be an asset," Allison nodded.

   Scott looked over at Peter and sighed, "Can I trust you?"

    "You've trusted me for years, Scott." Peter told him, feeling hurt he would ask that. Even if he did deserve it.

    "I know," Scott said. "But can I trust you, now?"

"Yeah, you can trust me." The witch was confident in his words this time, and watched as Scott slowly nodded his head. He could hear it in his heartbeat.

"Because if I can trust you, I swear to god I will do anything I can to keep you safe. We'll protect you from them, okay? I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. They're not gonna lay a finger on you, but I have to be able to trust you." He watched Peter nod.

"Thanks, Scott."

The two boys shared a small smile. Friendships weren't perfect but they were starting to be mended, and that was a good start. It wasn't going to be an easy fix, especially since Isaac had no intent to start building bridges with Peter Parker, seeing as there was only a raging river there to begin with, but Peter would win them over eventually. Lois was sure of it.

"Getting in a fight is too much risk," Scott explained, back to the prior topic once more. He let out a sigh and leaned against the table, rubbing his sweaty brow. There was still a trail of blood left behind from a healed wound, and Lois turned to grab some gauze from the unit behind her to wipe it. Thanking her with a smile, a smile only reserved for Lois, he spoke again. "It's too much to risk, okay?" He took the role of leader, "They want her dead, and if she dies, there's nothing that we can do for Stiles's dad, or Cora."

He was right, as much as they hated to admit it. They couldn't risk losing Noah, and Cora's death wasn't something they wanted either. Not if they could avoid it, at least. She suited being alive.

"I don't even think I know which teacher this is," Chris let out a sigh.

"She's the one with the brown hair, she's kinda hot."

Everyones head raised to look at Isaac with deadpan stares, no sign of humour in their eyes. Lois squinted and then rose a brow, to which Isaac pursed his lips awkwardly and tried to look away; it was intense, all the staring, and he was quite scared that Lois was going to reach over the table and smack him.

"No, it's just— just an observation..." he covered.

Lois smiled tightly, "Shut up."

Allison rolled her eyes at him and turned away, catching sight of herself in the reflection of a mirror. She frowned and looked over her appearance in scrutiny. Other than the fact she was still fairly damp from the rain, and could do with a makeup wipe, her gaze was drawn to the length and colour of her hair. If she tried, she'd surely pass it any woman with brown hair. Allison thought over the words Isaac had said, and gnawed on her bottom lip in thought. It was an expression that caught Lois' attention.

"What's that look, for?" She asked, "I know that look — that's your great idea look."

Allison nodded once, "I've got an idea."

The group all peered at each other, then leaned in closer to give what she had to say a chance. Allison was smart; this would work.

——

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