"All this stuff makes you wonder who'll need it in bulk." Y/N said. Y/N and Lois walked through the expansive aisles of the massive store, navigating their way through towering shelves stacked with goods. The atmosphere was bustling with shoppers, each going about their own business in the Costco-like building. Y/N pushed the shopping cart while Lois browsed the items, occasionally tossing something into the cart. It had been a week since Livewire.

As they made their way down one of the aisles, Lois's frustration became apparent in her animated gestures and passionate voice. "Can you believe it, Y/N? I've been trying to get an interview with Superman for weeks now, and every time I get close, he somehow disappears. It's like he's actively avoiding me!"

Y/N chuckled softly, empathizing with Lois's determination and her unwavering pursuit of a story. "Maybe he's just been busy saving the world," Y/N suggested begrudgingly. In all honesty, he wasn't a big fan of Superman.

Not only was Superman dodging her, upsetting her, but she was still furious that Perry had attributed to her story on Superman and Livewire to a completely different group of reporters. Y/N patted her shoulder.

Y/N noticed the genuine frustration and disappointment in Lois's eyes as she continued to vent about her unsuccessful attempts to secure an interview with Superman. They knew how important this was to her and how stubborn she was to uncover the truth, no matter the odds.

As they reached the end of an aisle, Y/N gently guided the shopping cart to the side and turned to face Lois. Placing a comforting hand on her arm, he spoke in a soothing tone. "Lois, I understand how much this means to you. You're an incredible journalist. But sometimes, things just take time."

Lois let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I know, Y/N. It's just frustrating to feel like I'm hitting a wall." She said.

Y/N gave her a reassuring smile. "And that's what makes it fun, right? Think of the satisfaction of finally breaking through and getting to the heart of the matter?"

Lois nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "You always know what to say." Lois said and pecked his lips.

"Hey, in your boyfriend. It's my job to be reassuring." Y/N said teasingly to her.

Lois gave Y/N a grateful look and reached over to give their hand a reassuring squeeze. "Thank you, Y/N. I needed that pep talk. I won't let a little evasiveness from Superman stop me."

Y/N chuckled. "That's the Lois Lane I know and love. Now, how about we finish up our shopping and grab some ice cream on the way out? A little treat."

Lois's eyes sparkled with a mix of determination and gratitude. "Sounds like a plan, Y/N. Let's get that ice cream." Lois said.

Y/N checked over the list.

Milk
Bread
Fresh vegetables (assorted)
Chicken breasts
Pasta
Tomato sauce
Cheese
Yogurt
Apples
Ice cream
Body wash
Toothpaste

- - -
Meanwhile at a prison, it was pure and utter chaos.

In the brightly lit corridors of Stryker's Island, a maximum-security prison known for housing some of the most dangerous criminals, an unsettling presence was making itself known. Kyle Nimbus, known as the Mist, and his accomplice Rough House, stood amidst the shadows, brandishing the technologically advanced weapons they had acquired. With them was These weapons were the same ones that had been stolen by Leslie Willis during her criminal escapades.

As they made their way through the prison's security checkpoints, Kyle took out a guard with a swift and precise strike, rendering him unconscious. He turned his attention to the remaining guards, his voice tinged with an attempt at intimidation. "All right. Listen up," he declared, his tone falling somewhat short of the menacing aura he intended to exude.

Rough House, his partner in crime, didn't miss a beat. "Kyle," he said, calling out the Mist's real name in a tone that bordered on annoyance. "Have you found her yet?"

Kyle sighed audibly, his frustration evident even in the dim light. "How many times do I have to tell you not to use our real names while doing crimes, Rough House?" he retorted, his voice a mixture of irritation and concern.

"This is why we shouldn't take you on missions, idiot boy." A voice from behind Rough House said, as a third figure stepped into the scene. White Dragon, Kyle's father, joined the duo, his imposing presence radiating a sense of authority and danger. With a swift and calculated move, he grabbed the guard by the neck, his grip firm and unyielding.

"Tell me," White Dragon's voice was cold and commanding, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the guard. "Where is the cell of Siobhan McDougal?"

"Dad?" A voice said. White Dragon looked and saw his daughter in the cell literally next to him. There was a moment of awkward silence that followed. White Dragon's grip on the guard's neck loosened, his expression shifting from fierce determination to a mix of surprise and embarrassment. He turned his head slightly to the side, only to see Siobhan McDougal, his daughter, standing in the adjacent cell, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

White Dragon cleared his throat, releasing the guard and straightening his posture. "Right. Thank you," he muttered, his voice slightly flustered.

Siobhan smirked, her tone dripping with amusement. "Smooth, Dad. Real smooth."

Kyle and Rough House exchanged glances, barely containing their amusement at the unexpected turn of events. It seemed that even the most skilled and composed individuals could be caught off guard by the complexities of the situation.

"What are you guys doing here?" Siobhan asked as she was glad to see her father, brother, and friend.

"Long story short, a crazy German guy and a speedster gave us stupid, powerful weapons. And we're busting you..." Kyle explained as White Dragon busted out his daughter.

"Out." White Dragon said as he grabbed the cell door and ripped it off it's henges.

"Thanks, Dad," she said, sad hugged him.

White Dragon nodded back, his usually stern demeanor softened by a hint of regret. "Siobhan, I owe you an apology. The last heist we attempted, I underestimated the timing and the number of guards. It's my fault that you got caught."

Siobhan's gaze flickered with surprise, her arms uncrossing as she regarded her father with a mixture of astonishment and a trace of vulnerability. "You're... apologizing?"

White Dragon nodded, his gaze fixed on the ground as he struggled to express himself. "Yes, I am. Your my daughter, and I put you in danger."

Siobhan's stern façade wavered, her tough exterior giving way to a rare glimpse of emotion. "Dad, I knew the risks."

White Dragon reached into a bag and pulled out a helmet. "For you. Amplifies sound. You've always been my Banshee."

Siobhan smiled in appreciation. "Aw, you guys!" She said as she hugged all three of them.

"Missed you too, sis, but..." Kyle began but was interrupted by the prison guards.

"Prisoner and associates!" The warden said as several guards arrived and pulled out guns. "Drop your weapon's and stand down." She said in a stern voice.

"Uh, no." Siobhan said as she put the helmet on.

"What was that?" The warden asked, as it was hard to tell what Siobhan was saying.

"I said...no!"

Siobhan then let out a booming, Sonic scream.

- - -

Meanwhile at the Daily Planet.

Clark returned to the Daily Planet with a coffee he got for Lois. "Late, late, I'm so late." Clark said as he checked the time. He looked in the distance and saw Lois.

"Hey, Lo..." Clark began but stopped as he felt a sharp pain in his eyes. He walked forward and accidentally bumped into Lois. Both of them blushed and jumped back.

"Uh, Lois, are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" Clark asked her in concern as his face flushed with embarrassment.

"I didn't see you. I mean, I did, but I got you coffee." Clark said as he handed Lois the coffee. Lois happily took it and chuckled softly.

"This is from Waid's Cafe." Lois said with a smile.

"You said it was your favorite. I happened to jog past." Clark said as he looked at her a little flustered. Lois looked at him.

"That's clear across the city." Lois said to him as she was holding the coffee.

"It was a long jog. Are you sure you're okay?" Clark said quickly to defend himself and asked her.

"I am now, thanks to you. And I really need this
after the morning I've had." Lois said as a hint of slight frustration laced her voice.

"Oh, uh, really? What were you, uh, doing this morning?" Clark asked as he tried to sound relaxed.

Earlier that morning, high into Metropolis' skies, a blimp crashed into a building and its pilot was thrown out of the cockpit and into the streets below. Fortunately, Superman saves the pilot and prevents a steel beam from hitting a crowd of bystanders, just in time for Lois to rush into the scene and ask for an interview with Superman, who is not yet ready for an interview and instead excuses himself, saying that he still needs to take care of the damaged blimp.

"Oh, I'll tell you what. I've been trying to interview Superman, but he keeps running away. Seriously, what is that guy so scared of?" Lois said, now with visible frustration in her voice.

"Well, just a guess.  Maybe he doesn't want you to find out all his secrets and publish them?" Clark said as he was afraid that was that would happen.

"Yeah, but he doesn't know that's my plan. But it's not just that. Me and Y/N's anniversary is coming up and I'm trying to figure out what to do for him. We've been dating for four years, living together for three, and I wanna do something nice for him. Not only that, but this past week, I keep waking up and throwing up. And also, I'm...late." Lois said that last line to imply something. Clark looked at her puzzled before understanding what she meant.

Clark's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he processed her words. "Late? You mean..."

Lois nodded, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "Yeah, you know what I mean."

Understanding dawned on Clark's face, and he looked at Lois with a mixture of surprise and empathy. "Lois, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Lois met his gaze with a mixture of uncertainty and a hint of hope. "Yeah, I think I might be. But I don't know for sure."

Clark's smile grew warm, his voice gentle. "Lois, if that's the case, it's wonderful news."

"Back! Back you monsters!" Jimmy's voice could be heard a distance away.

"Hey? What are you doing?! What's going on?" Y/N's voice was heard.

Lois and Clark followed the shouts. "What's going on?" Clark asked as he and Lois walked in.

"You're getting scooped is what." A man said and pointed at Lois and Clark.

"Oh no." Lois said as she recognized the three. But she didn't recognize the two teenage boys in the back.

Grant laughed elegantly. "Allow us to introduce
ourselves. Lights!" She said. The lights turned off and a spot light appeared out of nowhere

"You're talking to the Daily Planet's star news team. Sports reporter Steve Lombard. Award-winning journalism, people-pleasing good looks!" He said as he threw a ball, and Jimmy and Y/N had to dodge it.

"Yeah, gossip and human interest, Cat Grant. If you can't say something nice, darling, then come sit by me! But not too close." Cat Grant said. Y/N uncomfortably moved away.

The spotlight turned to a woman who looked unamused. "I'm not doing this." She said bluntly.

"Ah, come on, Ronnie." Cat said.

"They got to know who's scooping them." Steve replied.

"No. We have real work to do, and interns to train." Ronnie said as she pointed to the two young men in the corner. "Ronnie Troupe, investigative journalist." She quickly introduced herself. Then the spotlight went to the boys.

"Oh? Our turn...um. I'm Ronnie Raymond. This is Jason Rusch. Or as they call me, Ronnie 2." The other Ronnie said with uncertainty.

"Now I apologize about Steve. He thinks scoop means "to steal," which it doesn't, Steve. It just means getting a story before another reporter." The female Ronnie said in slight frustration.

"And I'm scooping this." Steve said as he took the murder board.

"Oh come on!" Y/N said in frustration.

"Hey. Listen, look, I'm really sorry about this. I read your article and saw your Superman picture's. I thought it was great." Ronnie 2 said to Lois and Clark.

"I especially loved the pictures." Jason said before both boys were pushed out by cat.

"Come along interns!" Cat said.

"What's going on? Why are you taking our murder board?" Y/N asked in shock and anger. But mainly shock.

"No. No, no, no, wait. You can't just..." Lois said in disappointment.

"Harry assigned us the Superman beat. He said you compiled research we could use, so we'll take this and get out of your hair." Ronnie explained to Lois.

"Oh, I get it. We do all the work, and you get all the glory." Y/N said in annoyance as he crossed his arms.

"No. No. That's not it." Ronnie said. "You all got a lucky break. But Perry wants real reporters
on this. We'll make sure you get an additional
reporting credit when we're done." Ronnie explained. Clark looked behind him and saw the two boys watching. As the female Ronnie left, Ronnie 2 and Jason walked in.

"Hey, Lois, Clark, Y/N, Jimmy." Ronnie Raymond began, his voice filled with regret. "We just wanted to say that we're really sorry about all of this."

Jason Rusch nodded in agreement. Ronnie Raymond shifted uneasily on his feet. "We tried to Perry about this, but he seemed pretty set on having Cat, Lombard, and Ronnie work on it."

Clark nodded. "It's not your fault, guys. You did what you could."

Jason Rusch rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile on his face. "We'll do our best to assist Cat, Lombard, and Ronnie, but we wanted you to know that we're on your side."

Lois's expression softened as she looked at the interns. "Thank you, both of you. We're glad to have you on our team."

Ronnie Raymond grinned. "We might not be as experienced as they are, but we're eager to learn from the best."

As the two left, Jason looked at the group. Jason began hesitantly, "Hey? I was looking through the material you collected about Livewire and the other incident. There were pictures of a guy with spot powers, but there wasn't much written about him. Who is he?"

Clark exchanged a quick glance with Lois before addressing Jason's question. "We're not sure." Clark said.

"I don't know either. But I couldn't really find room for him in the article, plus, spot powers? That doesn't seem very useful. And it seems a little funny. Besides, everyone wants to read about Superman. Not a guy with spots." Lois said.

"He was involved in the Livewire incident, but it seems he's trying to use his abilities for good." Clark added.

Jason nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Thanks for sharing that with us. It's cool to learn about the new faces in the city's superhero scene."

"No problem, Jason," Y/N said. "If you ever come across more information about the Spot or any other interesting developments, feel free to let us know."

Jimmy nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. We're always open to collaborating and sharing insights." That wasn't true, but Ronnie 2 and Jason seemed cool. Plus, Jason was a Flamebird fan.

Y/N found himself listening to the discussion about the Spot with a mix of emotions. It was an odd feeling to hear his own actions being discussed without anyone realizing his true identity. As the real Spot, he knew the truth how their efforts had played a pivotal role in saving the day.

Yet, the irony wasn't lost on Y/N. Here they were, standing among his colleagues and friends, while everyone discussed the Spot as if they were a separate entity. Y/N couldn't help but feel a twinge of insult that their contributions were overshadowed by Superman's presence, and being viewed as a joke.

They couldn't say anything about his secret identity, not without potentially revealing more than he was ready to share. So, he stood there, their thoughts a swirl of mixed emotions. On one hand, they were glad that their efforts had made a difference, but on the other, they yearned for recognition, especially when their actions were attributed to someone else.

Soon the two boys left, and Steve scooped Lois's coffee. To top it off, the copier was broken and they were asked to fix it.

Y/N, Clark, and Jimmy looked at Lois in concern. "Lois, are you all right?" Clark asked.

"I thought those pictures would make Perry take us seriously. But if that didn't work, then we'll have to beat the Scoop Troop and get to Superman first!" Lois exclaimed.

"And I'll get it on Flamebird. This could get me
to seven followers. This could be a seven-follower day." Jimmy said with excitement.

"I still think we'd be better off finding a different story." Clark admitted to them.

"Ya. I agree. There are other big things happening in Metropolis besides Superman. Like that spot guy." Y/N said in agreement.

Lois laughed. "Y/N, that's cute. But nobody is going to read about a guy with spot powers. It's Superman people want." Lois said. Y/N mentality groaned in frustration.

They then heard a commotion and talking not far from them. The four looked and saw a news report.

"To prisoners at a press conference earlier today. Suspects have reportedly used unknown tech-weapons to escape." The news reporter said.

"That looks like the tech Livewire had! That's what I've been calling the electric-woman on Flamebird." Jimmy stated.

"She has a name." Y/N mumbled.

"What?" Jimmy asked.

"Nothing." Y/N said.

"Livewire nearly destroyed half the city with just one crazy weapon. With four on the loose...I have to track down those criminals and stop them." Clark stated to himself. Y/N, Lois, and Jimmy looked at Clark, confused.

"I mean, write about them. I mean, we go to write about them." Clark quickly said to cover what he said. "This is the story we should cover! We get the scoop for the Planet." Clark added.

"And then Perry will have to take us seriously. What are we waiting for? Lead on, Smallville." Lois said with excitement in her voice as she looked up at Clark.

Clark blushed softly as he proceeded to led the way.

"She's never given me a nickname..." Y/N thought.