Lois Lane's Lawyer Shows Up

Thunder boomed. Lois closed her eyes. There was a sense of motion. When she opened them again, she was sitting down, in her dressiest pantsuit. A black woman was staring at her, wire-frame glasses and steel-grey hair. Next to her was a small Asian man, fussing with his bow tie.

Documents on the table in front of her. A pen. Blaze, in a more human form, stood beside her. No horns, just pale skin and dark eyes. That same Mona Lisa smile. A dark suit that seemed to hug her hips, the bulge of her crotch. Lois found herself staring at it, a weird heat in her body, face flushed, panties damp.

"Now, this is a prenuptial agreement. It will grant your fiancé full ownership of your property, including your bank accounts...everything," the black woman said.

Lois opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She watched in something akin to horror as her hand gravitated toward the pen. One scribbled signature and she would be signing her rights away.

Then a door slammed open. Lois shifted in her chair, Blaze's hand clutching her shoulder.

A tall, broad-shouldered black man entered, in a dark blue suit that was oddly conservative and old-fashioned, but exquisitely cut to emphasize his tall, muscled frame. There were world-weary lines on his face, the black hair cropped short, and Lois thought it should have a touch of grey. He strode forward with an air of power and calm assurance that took them all by surprise.

"One moment, please," he stretched out an arm and a cream-colored business card appeared in his hand like magic. "Augustus Freeman. Miss Lane's attorney. I am here to negotiate her prenuptial agreement on her behalf."

Blaze didn't even bother to look at the card.

"She doesn't need a lawyer. The papers are already prepared..." Blaze cut in.

Augustus smiled. The way he did it made Lois think it was rare he bared his teeth. It reminded her of a chimp baring its fangs, about to attack.

"In situations like these," he said. "It is important to follow the letter of an agreement, is it not? Promises have been made, haven't they? Quid pro quo. If you wish Miss Lane's hand in marriage, she has the right to negotiate a better deal. Otherwise, the agreement is null and void—isn't it, Miss Blaze?"

There was a subtext here that Lois could feel, veiled threats issued beneath the Black man's deep baritone voice. Blaze's hand clutched the reporter, the demon's jaw working. Something about what he had said had struck a chord in her.

"Lois has already agreed to the marriage, and the pregnancy. Tonight. And I get all of her worldly possessions. She agreed to that too. What else is there to negotiate?" Blaze asked.

His smile grew a little wider. Augustus Freeman set his briefcase down on top of the paperwork in front of Lois and opened it. There was a thick sheaf of documents inside.

"Well now...let's take a look at this version of the prenuptial agreement I've drafted..."