TOMORROW ALREADY

Prologue:

News Reels

District Attorney RJ Brande issued a press release today that Lex Luthor of Lex Corp has been taken into custody and held for questioning in the death of Chloe Sullivan. Mr. Luthor had been under investigation for the last six weeks following the discovery of Daily Planet reporter Chloe Sullivan whose decomposed body was found washed up at a beach in New Troy Island on November 25^th.

“We had been conducting our own investigation into the matter,” Brande was quoted to have said, “However, the break in the case came when Lois Lane, cousin to the late Miss Sullivan, was able to provide us with documentary and digital evidence that can be taken to a Grand Jury.”

Lois Lane’s altruism did not prevent her, however, from securing her first Daily Planet headline, having arrived at an agreement with the DA’s office to break the story first. Since the media frenzy following Luthor’s arrest, Lane has retreated to the home of Senator Martha Kent, a long time friend.

The arrest is latest chapter in the saga the press have labeled Lex Gate. Chloe Sullivan had been investigating claims of unorthodox experiments in Lex Corps weapons division he time of her disappearance on November 17^th

Miss Sullivan had risen in prominence following her award winning story outlining the plight of the ‘Meteor Generation’. Coining the term to describe the high number of mutated individuals that have been appearing since the Smallville Meteor Shower of eighteen years ago, Miss Sullivan had championed the rights of these people in the press and by raising consciousness of their daily difficulties.

Along with Senator Martha Kent, Industrialist Oliver Queen and other respected members of the journalistic community, Miss Sullivan had fought to help the Meteor Generation overcome prejudice, harm and to some degree physical danger owing to their abilities.

Mr. Bruce Wayne, engaged to Miss Sullivan, could not be reached for comment.

Chapter One:

Anniversary

November 17^th – Five Years Later

It was late.

The office was silent except for the distant drone of a vacuum cleaner on the other side of the floor. People called her diligent. She was a hard worker. She worked through lunch and sometimes past five. Eight weeks she had been in the job and everyone was questioning how they ever got along without Chloe Bly. As always in such situations, when colleagues discovered how helpful and astute one was, the habit to pass on more work was irresistible and when Chloe revealed she could deliver, the practice continued and even increased.

Soon she was handling important projects, given access to sensitive material Two months after the temping agency had sent Chloe Bly to the offices of Stagg Industries, she had become indispensable. There was even talk of offering her a full time job. Chloe Bly did not allow the compliments to distract her focus and everyone admired the way she handled compliments. A true lady, they said within lunchrooms and closed offices.

Chloe Bly looked up from her desk, seeing no one else around. The report for James Tomlison was nearly done and she stood up to stretch her legs. Health and Safety protocols recommended a break every 50 minutes to combat arthritis and the lengthy disability litigation that came with it. She took a walk down the aisle, surveying the empty cubicles and noting the cleaning lady who was vacuuming the hall outside the main office area. Waving at Hannah, who spoke no English and with whom Chloe could communicate with awkward hand signals, Chloe made her way towards the ladies room, holding a small clutch purse under her arm as she walked.

The corridor that led to the ladies room also led to the executive offices, both out of Hannah’s line of sight. Almost to the ladies room door, Chloe changed her course at the last minute and ducked into the hallway that led to executive branch of the company. Proceeding quickly up the stairs, she knew that any security camera watching her would have no question about her appearance. Over the last two weeks, she was a familiar face they had seen working late and often going to the Ivory Tower (the management floor) to drop off documents and such.

They had grown complacent by now, she was convinced.

Simon Stagg was not in his office today. In fact, none of the management team were present. Stagg had arranged a cooperate retreat and they were up in Aspen, apparently working. Right, she snorted cynically as she saw the gold embossed plaque on a door at the far end of the floor.

SIMON STAGG

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

As always, he left the door open because too often his assistant, a dippy thing named Christine, required entry into the room to plan his day on his electronic diary or leave papers on his desk. Whatever. On this occasion, Christine had joined him at Aspen so Chloe was able to move about without scrutiny. Entering the office, she slid immediately into Stagg’s comfortable leather chair and nestled herself in front of his PC.

Waiting for a few minutes in case any security guard decided to happen along or had issue with her being on the floor, Chloe spent the time observing Mr. Stagg’s accomplishments, all displayed on the walls, commendations from the city, various charity organisations and one signature picture of ‘You know Who’ at the last election rally. The man was very powerful, Chloe thought, with lots of friends. This had better be worth it.

Confident that no one was coming, Chloe Bly went to work.

*************

Twenty minutes later, she walked out of the building to the rented Ford Festiva in the parking lot. Once inside the vehicle, she tossed the blond wig she had been wearing the past two months that itched like a son of a bitch and made her skin broil under the scalp. Discarded as well was the non-prescription glasses she wore to make up the dowdy persona of Chloe Bly. Running her fingers through brunette locks, Lois Lane drove out of the Stagg Industries carpark with her next front page story contained on a USB memory stick in her purse.

**************

EXCLUSIVE!

STAGG INDUSTRY TO SMUGGLE EGYPTIAN ARTIFACT OUT OF BRITISH MUSEUM!

By Lois Lane

The British Museum was rocked today when it was discovered that Head Curator Steven Collison had been planning to steal the Museum’s newest star attraction, the Orb of Ra, after 1 million dollars was deposited into a Cayman Island account bearing his name from Industrialist Simon Stagg.

The Orb of Ra, uncovered six months ago in a previously undisturbed chamber of the Menkaure Pyramid, has garnered considerable interest not only from Egyptologists but also from physicists. Preliminary examinations of the artefact indicated that it is generating some form of neutron radiation, something that is not known to occur unless produced by isotopes of helium-5 and beryllium-13.

The nature of the artefact has forced the British Government to take possession and conduct more further research in more secure surroundings. The Orb of Ra was due to be transported from London to Wingate on the 1^st of December. However, emails from Mr. Collison to Simon Stagg revealed the specifics of the route to be taken as well as the special radio frequency to be employed by security personnel in charge of the transfer. It was believed that the transport vehicle would have been hijacked on route under Mr. Collison’s direction….

**********

“Congratulations Lois,” Jimmy Olsen grinned, clinking his glass of champagne against hers as he sat at the edge of her desk, joining the small celebration in the newsroom at the latest Lois Lane scoop, “another great headline!”

Jimmy’s statement was followed by the applause of the other reporters around her and Lois bowed her head graciously, accepting their congratulations with a happy smile. “Thank you, thank you all!” She laughed. “It was nothing, I’m just amazingly good at what I do that’s all.” She joked, eliciting howls of laughter throughout the group who knew her well enough to know that not all of it was an idle boast. Consistently bringing headlines over the last five years, Lois had earned their respect a long time ago. She was Perry White’s star reporter and had gotten the appellation though sheer hard work and more bravado than anyone was supposed to have.

“Oh God,” Catherine Grant, the Planet’s gossip columnist groaned sarcastically, “must we do this every time she gets a front page story? I mean it’s not like her head is too big enough to fit through the door already.” She threw Lois a sanguine look.

“Do I need to get clear?” Jimmy asked, more than accustomed to the rivalry between the duo since they had wandered into each other’s orbit.

“I’m going,” Cat snorted, heading to her little cubicle of the newsroom floor, “before they start throwing garlands at her feet.” She gave Lois a look before turning away, her blonde hair flouncing behind her.

“Alright!” Perry White stuck his head out of his office and hollered loudly, “I’m sure you people have work to do! This is a newspaper! Not the Russian Tea Room! Get moving!”

Jimmy cast Lois a look and retorted, “I heard he was nice once,” the photographer smirked, “but I can’t get a source to confirm that.”

“Olsen!” Perry hollered, “Aren’t you supposed to be covering the Auto Fair at Century Towers?”

“You better going,” Lois advised, sipping her champagne.

“I’m on it Chief!” Jimmy turned to the man who was part William Randolph Hearst, part Walter Kronkite but mostly junkyard dog.

“Don’t call me Chief!” Perry scowled and retreated into his office, a cigar clamped between his teeth.

Of course, he had been the one who provided the champagne.

Lois loved the newsroom. She loved the energy and the people who worked in it. Jimmy had returned from overseas four years ago and despite a rather curious relationship with Perry White, beneath his boyish manner was a first rate photo-journalist. Even Cat who was good at whatever it is she did.

Here, Lois was in her element and after searching all her life for a place to be, it had surprised her to no end that home was the place she least expected it to be.

“So are you coming over tonight?” He asked her as he went to his desk and started packing his camera bag. “Lucy’s going to order Chinese take out, you know she’d love to see you.”

“I know,” Lois admitted wanting to catch up with her sister but not today, “but I’ve got plans this evening so I guess you two are just going to have to get along without me.”

Jimmy stopped what he was doing and stared at her, all traces of humour evaporating from his eyes. “What plans Lois?” He asked dubiously.

“Plans,” Lois insisted standing up from her desk and re-corking the half full bottle of champagne on her desk. “I’ve been on undercover assignment for the last two months I’ve got things to do. Bills to pay, cheque book to balance.”

“Lois,” Jimmy ignored her explanation because he didn’t believe it for a second. “Don’t be alone tonight…”

“Jimmy,” Lois said shortly. “Please don’t…” Her eyes implored him to let it rest. She didn’t want to deal with where he was going and today was hard enough as it was for the both of them.

“It’s been five years Lois, she wouldn’t want this.” Jimmy declared.

Lois’ expression hardened. “We don’t know what she would have wanted Jimmy,” she nearly hissed, “because she’s dead. She’s beyond wanting anything anymore.”

Without another word, Lois Lane left the newsroom before Jimmy could say anything else.

*************

Some might have considered it dangerous to be out here at this time of the night. Some might have even warned against it however Lois had never been one to pay any attention to good advice. She had driven here straight from Metropolis, surprising herself how easy it was to remember the back roads to take in case a policeman pulled her over for a breathalyser test. Fortunately, once you turned off the main highway, the roads were less travelled and cops were far and few between.

It was just after ten o’clock when she arrived at her destination, still dressed in the suit she had gone to work with this morning. The air smelled the same, heavy with pollen and animal dander. After all these years, she had never forgotten the smell or ceased to miss it any less. Finding a verdant patch of green, Lois Lane sat down, champagne bottle in hand, to stretch out next to the marble headstone that was now grey instead of white after five years of weather and exposure.

“You should have seen me cousin,” Lois continued to speak, even after an hour of resting above the damp grass where Chloe Sullivan had been put to rest five years ago. “I was so good. Stagg had no idea what happened until he read it in the Planet this morning. According to Perry, he threatened to sue the paper and claimed that by the time he was done with me, I wouldn’t be able to get a job writing obituaries!” She giggled, taking another swig and gulping down before adding. “This was shortly before Perry informed him that every thing written had come from a verified source that had gone through the Planet’s lawyers before a word was printed. Man I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that conversation!”

Of course Chloe couldn’t hear her.

Lois knew that but it felt good to come out here nevertheless and pretend, even for a little while that Chloe was still listening to her prattle. She knew it disturbed Jimmy, this ritual of visiting a graveyard in the middle of the night to talk to a headstone. She had let go of her cousin a long time ago but that didn’t stop Lois from missing her terribly.

“I heard from Bruce last week. Asked me to drop by for lunch the next time I’m in Gotham. Tell you the truth; I’m not too eager to go. If I even mentioned to Perry that I’m interested in going to Gotham, you can bet your ass he’s going to ask me to cover the Bat story and we both know that’s not going to end well. See what happens when you leave? Your fiancé gets a fetish for flying rodents.”

Lois blinked, a wave of emotion sweeping away her composure, like dust in the wind. She had seen Bruce only a handful of times after Chloe had been found. One of those times was right here in this spot when he had come to Smallville for the funeral. Lois remembered looking into his dark eyes and seeing whatever light Chloe had inspired vanish forever. Bruce Wayne had died all over again that day and what was left was the scourge of Gotham’s underworld, the Batman. They talked on the phone still and every now and then when he was in town, they had lunch but their conversations were disconnected, like two people struggling to remember why they were still friends.

“God I miss you so much,” Lois swallowed another mouthful of alcohol, the pain stabbing at her insides as sharply as the day she was asked to go to the morgue and identify the body. Uncle Gabe had stood next to her during that terrible morning and broken down completely. Lois remembered going on auto-pilot, making the arrangements, ensuring he didn’t have to deal with any of it. She had gone through the whole event barely aware, maintaining that rock hard exterior while inside, inside she died a little too.

“It’s been so empty since you’ve been gone. I miss not being able to call you in the middle of the night and tell you all my crap, I miss you correcting all the punctuation in my stories and stealing the fries off my plate because you’re on some dumb ass health kick.” Her eyes misted over and Lois wiped them dry, containing her sorrow in dismissive sniffle.

A gust of wind blew across the landscape then, a great rush of air that made her freeze for a moment and Lois looked up to the sky, not certain what she was expecting to see but for a moment, hoping against hope that it was….

Nothing. There was nothing there and the expectation almost made her weep fresh tears.

Fortunately, her anguish did not have time to linger for she suddenly heard the clip clop of hooves behind her. Lois threw her head over her shoulder to see a familiar shape approach astride a palomino pony. It was a face she hadn’t expected to see, a person who was just as buried in the past as Chloe in the ground before her.

“Lana?” Lois exclaimed with surprise.

Lana Lang dismounted her pony and gaped at Lois with the same shock. She hadn’t changed much Lois thought. Still managing to look drop dead gorgeous as ever even though she was wearing a parka, jeans and heavy boots while Lois was the one clad in a four hundred dollar suit.

“Lois?” Lana returned with just as much wonder. “What on Earth you doing out here at this time of night?”

“I might ask you the same question,” Lois retorted, suddenly very envious of the parka. Sobering up had the effect of making her feel the cold and she shivered slightly. “I’m visiting,” she declared as if it were the most rational thing in the world.

Lana’s gaze shifted to the headstone and nodded in understanding. “So was I but I thought I was the only one who made nocturnal visits.”

“Well the world’s full of surprises,” Lois shrugged, facing front again as Lana came up along side of her and sat down. “Drink?” She offered Lana the bottle.

Lana chuckled softly and took the offered libation, “thanks.” She took a swig and they stared at the headstone again.

“I miss her too,” Lana said softly and for a time, neither spoke again because there were no need for words from two who had lost equally when Chloe Sullivan left their lives.

*************

When Lois woke up, she was aware of two things.

One, she had a hangover.

Two, she was having it on a strange bed.

Sitting up abruptly, Lois noted she was wearing an old Smallville High football jersey and for a moment, the memories it brought up were so unpalatable, she almost tore the thing off her back until she realised that the name stencilled on it was Fordham. For a moment, she had thought it was something else and the emotions that brought up made her sorrow at Chloe’s loss seem pale in comparison.

Don’t even go there, Lane. She told herself. There were some things even Lois Lane was not brave enough to face.

Upon recovering her wits in regards to the jersey, Lois took stock of her surroundings and noted that her clothes were draped neatly over a chair in the corner of a rather cheery looking bedroom. Lights streamed in through light floral curtains that made her wince owing to her inebriation the night before, with a light whiff of lavender scent in the air and a view that was all too familiar.

Main Street, Smallville.

Good God, she was in the Talon! Or rather the apartment above it.

For nearly three years, the apartment had been her home. For a time, she had shared it with Chloe and the memories in this place were happy ones. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she looked around what appeared to be the spare guestroom.

Lois had moved out after Chloe’s death when there had been nothing left to hold her to Smallville. This was the first time she’d been back here since then.

Climbing out of bed, she padded over to the door and peered through the open crack. The sounds of morning cartoons filled the room beyond and Lois stepped out, almost cautiously.

“Hey,” she called out.

“Hello.” A face leaned over from the front of the television set.

The girl was no more than five if that, with long sheeny dark hair, rosy cheeks and almost emerald coloured eyes. She wore a denim pinafore with purple tights and matching sweater and regarded Lois with curiosity as she continued to stare.

“Hi there,” Lois greeted with a little smile. “I’m Lois. What you watching?”

“Barney,” the little girl responded.

“Barney huh?” Lois nodded, never comfortable around children. She never knew what to say to them. “What’s your name?”

“Laura,” the waif answered.

And with that answer, Lois knew whom she was talking to. This was Laura, Lana’s daughter by Lex Luthor.

It was hard to equate the child with the man who murdered Chloe and for once Lois was grateful for the fact. Like her mother, Laura looked like a porcelain beauty, so terrible fragile and yet so beautiful at the same time. Lois didn’t want to look at the girl and see the daughter of a murderer, she wanted to see a child who was innocent of her father’s sins. “Its very nice to meet you Laura. You mind if I watch TV with you?”

“Okay,” Laura nodded but then said in a soft tone “but you have to be quiet.” She said as she went back to the program.

“I’ll do my best,” Lois smiled and looked around the apartment as the little girl’s concentration returned to the dancing saurian on the screen.

When Lois had thought earlier that life hadn’t been easy for Lana Lang following Chloe’s death, she realised that she had underestimated just how difficult it was. Overnight, Lana was faced with irrefutable proof that her husband and the father of her child had murdered her best friend. She divorced Lex soon after and returned to Smallville with Laura, then barely a year old. In the divorce settlement, Lana had asked for nothing except the Talon to provide her with income so she could raise her child. Only after great cajoling by her lawyer, Lana begrudgingly accepted a trust fund set aside for Laura to be inherited when the child turned twenty-one.

Considering her parentage, Lois could very well understand Lana’s desire to keep Laura away from anything remotely resembling the Luthors.

Chapter Two:
Losses

“I’m back!” Lana Lang sang out as she opened the door to the apartment a short time later. Ensuring that all was right with the Talon downstairs and that her employees could pick up the slack while she entertained, Lana had left the coffee house to its devices. Stepping insides, she added further, “and I come bearing coffee and doughnuts!”

“Doughnuts!” Laura leapt off the sofa excitedly and ran to her mother, dark hair bouncing behind her as she ran to greet Lana at the door.

Lois emerged from the guest room, having discarded the Smallville High jersey for her own clothes. She spent the remainder of the episode of Barney and Friends preparing for the drive back to Metropolis when Lana finally returned.

Lois had come to the firm conclusion after watching the antics of the anthropomorphic dinosaur for ten minutes that she may have stumbled upon something more insidiously evil than Zod. The rapt attention commanded by the purple dinosaur could only be explained by the fact that the song ‘if you’re happy and you know it’ was some form of infant mind control.

“Good morning,” Lois greeted as she saw Lana returning with coffee and box full of Talon pastries. “Thanks for putting me up last night.”

“Don’t be silly,” Lana said moving her cache to the kitchen table. “It was fun catching up.” The raven haired beauty smiled warmly. “Won’t you have some breakfast before you go?”

The coffee did smell good and Lois didn’t much relish the drive back to Metropolis without it. Besides, Lois couldn’t deny it had been nice staying up most of the night talking to Lana. Despite their contrasting personalities, they shared a lot in common, sometimes more than Lois felt comfortable with but last night had been something of a revelation. They shared a kinship in their losses. “Can’t say no to Talon coffee can I?” Lois smiled. “I definitely need a caffeine shot after watching Barney.”

“Yes,” Lana laughed sympathizing, having gotten used to repeated viewings of Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid after five years of motherhood. “Trust me, after the fourth or fifth time, your brain goes on auto pilot and doesn’t engage until the credit rolls.”

“Mommy did you get me a pink one?” Laura asked as she stood at the table, barely able to reach over the top.

“Absolutely,” Lana said reaching into the box and fishing out a doughnut with bright pink frosting. “It taste absolutely disgusting,” she explained to Lois, “but that’s the only bit of sugar she’s allowed to have at this time of day. Here you go, sweetie.”

“Thank you Mommy” Laura beamed, her smile turning her cheeks red as she took her bounty and returned to the television.

“Pingu the Penguin waits for no man.” Lana told Lois dutifully.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Lois chuckled as the two sat down to coffee at the kitchen table while Laura was sufficiently distracted by the television. The little girl sat on her couch, munching on a pink doughnut, oblivious to anything but the flickering screen before her.

“Lana, she’s lovely,” Lois complimented with a fond smile.

“Thank you,” Lana said swelling with pride. “She’s my little Starbuck.”

“Starbuck?” Lois raised a brow as she took a sip of her coffee and relished the taste against her tongue. “From Moby Dick?”

“I loved the book,” Lana confessed.

“Cute,” Lois said approvingly. Laura seemed to be a beautiful, well mannered child. Happy and adjusted. No signs of Luthor influence there, Lois thought inwardly. “You’ve done a wonderful job on your own Lana.” She had meant that as a compliment but somehow it escaped her like an inquiry for news and Lois winced at her choice of wording. Hopefully Lana wouldn’t take offense.

“Thank you,” Lana replied suspecting that Lois probably had questions but was restraining herself out of her respect and perhaps reverence to this growing friendship between them. Aware of what hurdles lay before them if they wanted such a relationship, Lana decided to make it easy on Lois. “I’ve kept Lex and his father well out of the equation so I’m hoping she’ll have a normal upbringing until she reaches 21.”

“When she inherits?” The reporter nodded. That part of the divorce had been well documented by the press. Although Lois was no longer a fan of tabloid news, grateful to leave her Inquisitor days behind when she joined the Planet, the divorce of Lex Luthor and Lana Lang had been gossip fodder for months. It was no wonder Lana chose to retreat to Smallville after all that.

“Yes,” Lana sighed, not looking forward to that day at all. Money had brought the Luthors nothing but disaster, Lana had no desire for her daughter to suffer that legacy. “I’ve seen how money corrupts and that much money...? It’s going to be hard to resist.”

“I take it then that Lionel Luthor hasn’t been calling,” Lois spoke, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. As Lex’s only child and knowing how the Luthors were about family, Lois was rather surprised that Lionel had made no move to take her daughter away from Lana. It was just the kind of thing the Luthor’s tended to do.

“No, Lionel hasn’t made any contact fortunately,” Lana’s relief was evident. “However, I wonder if things would have been different if Laura had been a boy instead of a girl. These days however, its not Lionel that I have to worry about,” her voice grew soft and trailed away into the dark matter that was her marriage.

Lois’s expression hardened almost on reflex. “You mean Lex.” Lois stated. It wasn’t a question.

Lana glanced at her daughter who was oblivious to the sudden pall in the conversation. Laura Lang was happily engaged in the world of dancing muppets. “Yes,” Lana nodded after a moment. “Lex. He still calls every month, he writes letters and sometimes even has them delivered. I’ve refused to read them, I started sending them back but he still won’t give up. I mean the letters, the phone calls; they all say the same thing so I just ignore them now.”

“What do they say?” The journalist in her was compelled to ask, even though Lois knew that the answer would never appear in any story she wrote. Chloe had always said often that there were some stories never meant for print. This was one of them.

“Just the usual,” Lana shrugged. “He’s innocent. He didn’t kill Chloe. That he loves me and he wants to see Laura just once.” Her eyes filled with pain because Lana didn’t want to admit that there were moments when she wanted to believe him. Lois’ evidence of his guilt had been bedrock solid and to this day Lana questioned how she could have been so wrong about Lex. She knew he had his faults, she knew he had darkness but she never imagined that he was capable of murdering Chloe. Not for a moment.

Meeting Lois’ gaze, she said firmly. “That’s never going to happen.”

Lois could well believe it. “I’m sorry Lana,” her hand reached over the table and squeezed Lana’s in support.

Lois might have hated Lex Luthor but Lana had been as much a victim as anyone and Lois didn’t have it in her heart to blame her for being tricked as easily as many others before her.

Lana smiled, grateful for the gesture and drew in a deep breath to compose herself. “What about you?” She asked Lois brightly. “What’s new with you?”

“Oh the same old,” Lois shrugged. “Still the model of the modern career woman, nothing to hold me down. Living the dream you know?” She said with an exaggerated air, wishing the subject had not become the goings on in her life.

“I know,” Lana replied said with a smile, “I’ve read your articles. Every now and then the Smallville Times features one of your articles. Do you know they call you Smallville’s very own Lois Lane?”

“Oh God no,” Lois laughed. “I like lived here for three years in between getting kicked out of college or a job!”

“Well Smallville doesn’t have many role models so we take what we can get,” Lana teased. “Besides, it does have a ring to it. Smallville’s very own ace reporter.”

“Stop it,” Lois retorted. “You’re having way too much fun with that. Besides, my reputation is kind of exaggerated.” She brushed it off even though she knew it really wasn’t. Lois had earned every accolade but it was her way to downplay it. Oh she loved the flattery some times but right now, it seemed out of place. “I’m just lucky that it’s a job that I love doing. You can’t ask much more than that right?”

Lana studied Lois and saw through the façade of the confident, effervescent woman who wanted for nothing. As someone who knew all about masks, Lana had perfected her own over the years and that gave her some expertise at seeing through others. Beneath the crusty exterior of the hardened newswoman, Lana saw an ingrained sadness that peeked through the cracks of Lois’ mantle when she thought no one was looking.

The day Chloe died, they had both lost but for the first time Lana realized that she was the lucky one. Lana’s marriage had disintegrated but the part she got to keep was the best of it. She got to keep Laura and that was worth any price. Lois unfortunately, did not have that comfort.

The day she lost her cousin, Lois had also lost Clark Kent.

“I guess not,” Lana agreed and broached a subject as sensitive to Lois as the mention of Lex. “You haven’t heard from Clark?”

For a moment, the walls came down and Lana saw the evidence of so much sorrow that she almost felt sorry she asked the question. In her own way, Lana Lang loved Clark Kent too but too much had happened between them by the time she and Lex walked down the aisle for their relationship to ever remain the same. However for Lois whose love for Clark was a living thing that could only grow, it had been nothing short of devastating when he disappeared.

Lois composed herself with practiced expertise. She blinked once and crushed the emotions inside her ruthlessly, extinguishing the glimmer of personal agony with such completion that Lana had to wonder if she had truly seen it or had she just imagined what she saw.

“No,” Lois said almost coldly. “I haven’t seen him since the day we found Chloe.”

“Oh…” Lana nodded. “I thought maybe…” she stopped herself from going any further.

“You thought maybe he’d come to his senses and come home?” Lana almost spat out the words. “I stopped wondering that a long time ago. He blamed himself for what happened to Chloe,” Lois declared, unable to stop the rant once it had started.

She recalled all too well Clark’s state after she had identified the body. He had been searching everywhere for Chloe, clinging to the hope that she was still alive somewhere. Even when Lois had started to fear the worst, Clark had hung on, adamantly refusing to believe. And then when there was no more hope and the truth in it all its tragedy was revealed, he had blamed himself for not stopping it.

No matter how much Lois tried to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, Clark was inconsolable. He blamed himself for not being able to utilize all his powers, for letting distractions stop him from training with Jor-El, a plethora of reasons borne out of grief. Lois assumed it would pass. Unfortunately, Clark didn’t stick around long enough for either of them to find out.

The next day, he was gone.

By then, Mrs. Kent had moved to Washington to play a more central role in her political career as US Senator. When Lois told her about Clark’s disappearance, she was naturally concerned but unsurprised. Martha Kent had always known the day would come when Clark would leave for good.

“He needs to go Lois; he needs to continue his journey.” Martha had said.

Funny, how neither Clark nor his mother seemed to think that Lois rate a say in the matter.

She had tried to find him, going so far as to enter the cave but without Clark, it was just a collection or rocky passages. Whatever power it contained, lay dormant because she did not have the Kryptonian gene to activate it. Absurdly, she thought of searching the Alaskan tundra but she wasn’t even sure if that’s where the Fortress was. So Lois had no choice but to wait and continue waiting until it became clear after six months he wasn’t coming back and she had to move on.

“He blamed himself, wigged out and left.” Lois stated firmly compressing a gamut of emotion and sorrow into that short, abrupt summary. “I don’t care if he ever comes back.”

She almost convinced herself when she said it.

***************

Wind lashed at him from the great height above the rest of Metropolis.

He occupied the top floor in its entirety, using it not only as his offices but as his permanent residence. He saw no reason to keep a home elsewhere. He didn’t require the space. There were no railings on his balcony even though prudence demanded that some safety apparatus be put in place but it was a good way to test the mettle of those who worked for him. It was also a good way form them to prove themselves to him.

Standing on the marble pave, a few feet away from a rockery and pond, complete with Golden Carp, he took in the sight of the city and wondered if all cities were like this one. Pulsing with orchestrated chaos. All those tiny specks of life, scurrying about insignificantly about their business, fractals that kept revealing the same patterns no matter how much one kept taking them apart. He watched Metropolis the same way Mandlebrot conceived of his fractal equations, as means of explaining the unexplainable.

Human behavior could never be accurately measured and so he was trapped here, waiting. For five years, he had set events in motion, expecting a conclusion that should have given him what he wanted. Except it didn’t transpire the way it anticipated and the result found him trapped in a loop he could not escape. Forced to wait because there was no other alternative, he watched the skies, kept his close to the ground and listened for anything.

A few months ago in Africa, he thought there might have been a sighting but by the time he arrived, there was no evidence or proof that what he had been searching for had ever been there. Disappointment was an emotion he was not accustomed to and yet for five years, he was forced to face it daily.

“Where are you,” he spoke into the empty space surrounding. “Where are you Kal-El?”

Behind him, he heard a door slide open and did not have to turn around to know that the tall, statuesque blond who had been his assistant for the last five years had stepped onto the roof. Blue eyed and a physically perfect specimen of the female gender; she walked fearless across the floor in her expensive suit without batting a lash in reaction to the surroundings.

“Mr. Luthor,” she announced herself.

“Miss Graves,” he returned, still facing the skyline of Metropolis. “What brings you here this fine morning?”

“Mr. Luthor, your son has telephoned again,” she spoke with a voice that was low and husky.

He let out a visible sigh. “One would think he’d give up by now. Perhaps we should stipulate that in exchange for continued legal counsel and a small allowance from Luthor Corp, he should desist in these pointless attempts at contact. I have no desire to speak to a murderer.”

His lips curled into a small smile at that.

“It could be arranged,” Miss Graves replied, showing no reaction to the statement. She was accustomed to witnessing Mr. Luthor’s disdain towards his son. This demand was only the latest in a long line of refusals and slights since the younger Luthor’s arrest and conviction. “Considering he relies heavily on his allowance to bribe the guards for privileges and his fellow inmates for protection, I believe that he would have little choice but to comply with that request if demanded of him.

“Perhaps not,” he recanted after a moment’s thought. “Lex is always most dangerous when one thinks he’s utterly no threat. For now, its best to keep him an eye on him. Was there any particular reason he contacted me this time or is it just another attempt to rekindle our damaged relationship.” His voice dripped with sarcasm and amusement all at once.

“He does make a request,” Miss Graves offered, astute enough to know that such things should only be brought to his employer if he deemed it important enough to ask. She learned quickly early on that he was almost two steps ahead of everyone else.

“Well let’s hear it,” he retorted, expecting it to be another entreaty to use his influence to secure an early release. As if there was any amount of power that could erase such a public, murder conviction. Desperation makes fools of us all, he thought.

“Your son requests that you ask Ms Lang to let him see his daughter,” Miss Graves said slowly, uncertain how Lionel felt about the little girl in Smallville with Luthor blood. “He wants a relationship with his daughter but Miss Lang is adamant about keeping the child away from him.”

“Miss Lang is adamant about keeping her daughter away from anything Luthor,” he said with a bemused chuckle. “So Lex wants to be a father. It would almost be precious if it wasn’t so tragic.”

Miss Graves said nothing, waiting for an answer because he would give one when he was good and ready. It was another thing she had learned after years in his employ. Mr. Luthor never did anything until he was ready and not a minute before. He stood there at the edge of the roof, so dangerously close to falling off a seventy five story building. It was not as tall as Sears in Chicago but it towered over every other building in Metropolis.

“I’ll pay Miss Lang a call,” he answered after a lengthy pause. “Perhaps its time I took a look at my grandchild.”

“Yes Mr. Luthor,” Miss Graves answered. “Should I arrange it?”

“No,” he replied automatically. “I’ll attend to this myself Mercy but thank you for the offer.”

“Of course Mr. Luthor,” Mercy Graves nodded. “Will there be anything else?”

“Not for now, you’re excused.” He bade her to leave him.

Without another word, the blond departed through the balcony doors, leaving Lionel Luthor alone with his thoughts.

Chapter Three:

A God Among Men

These days on the Internet, it wasn’t hard to find anything.

He read her articles, each one. Starting from the first at the Daily Planet to all the others that subsequently bore her name. The Lois Lane writing those stories had earned the right to be called Metropolis best investigative journalist. From mob infiltration, to cracking bribery scandals in Washington, to union rackets and corporate cover-ups. There didn’t seem to be any territory that was sacred to the woman, she was willing to go the distance to get her story.

Of course, with such determination there was always the possibility of danger and while not as widely covered, the information was there too. Several attempts on her life, two gunshot wounds and one near fatal assault. The danger did not seem to deter her and if anything made her more determined than ever. As star reporters went, Lois Lane was becoming a minor celebrity in her own right. Life Magazine called her the 21st century’s Margaret Bourke White.

Of course, the articles were infuriatingly silent about her personal life.

The source he could draw from was surprisingly closed mouth on the subject, even reproachful to a degree so he had nothing to go on. Of course, the most obvious course of action was the one thing he didn’t have nerve to do just yet From what there was to go on, Lois Lane didn’t date. There were mutterings of visits to Gotham, the possibility of a relationship with billionaire Bruce Wayne but he knew better than anyone, what the truth of that was.

He knew where she lived, a top floor apartment in a generally decent neighbourhood of Metropolis. A short drive away from the Daily Planet. She had to live close by or she’d never get there in time, he thought as he studied the place from a far. She didn’t have many friends but that too didn’t surprise him. She wasn’t an easy person to get to know and often, she wouldn’t let you in until she was good and ready.

The other night, he followed her and saw where she had gone.

He watched in silence, feeling a thousand emotions surging through him, affecting him deeply at what she had done in Smallville that night. The most prevalent of this of course was guilt and after she had gone, with Lana Lang no less, he had stood on the place she had sat talking to Chloe Sullivan. Seeing for the first time, the headstone where Smallville High’s prom queen was buried. He didn’t know how long he stood there but he knew he should have done this a long time ago. Things had been left unsaid.

Things Clark Kent should have done before he decided to walk away from his life and break Lois Lane’s heart.

************

Lois ended up spending most of the morning with Lana until it was time take Laura to go to her playgroup, at which point, Lois decided it was time to head back to Metropolis. Even though she had not seen Lana Lang in almost five years, catching up had been fun and it wasn’t long before it felt like old times, when she, Chloe and Lana had been something of a set. Chloe’s absence was still telling but the void she left in both their lives was somewhat filled by the kinship they shared at her loss.

Returning to Metropolis, Lois made plans to visit again soon and found to her surprise that it was a promise she intended keeping. Furthermore, it wasn’t as hard to visit Smallville as she thought. Oh she had been making her nightly forays to the cemetery for years but the benefit of visiting the place at night was the unlikelihood of interacting with anyone from the town and she was usually on her way to Metropolis soon after.

It took every ounce of will power to not drive to the Kent farm but to keep going. Lois had kept contact with Martha Kent of course. Her regard for the woman was too much to ever sever that relationship but Clark was a subject that Martha knew wisely not to discuss. Lois’ job ensured that she was in Washington frequently enough to visit Martha who had become one of Washington’s most respected legislators and whenever the Senator was in town, she usually stayed with Lois.

Returning to Metropolis, Lois returned to her apartment long enough to grab a shower, a change of clothing before she returned to the Daily Planet offices again.

As she entered the newsroom, she was glad to be back in the office, where she could once again play at being hardened newswoman. That façade was easier to wear than the woman mourning the loss of her cousin and still hurting from the anguish of being discarded by the man she loved as he pursued destiny’s choices. The newsroom as always was busy and the kinetic energy it generated as she heard the clicking of keyboards, the droning of printers and the cacophony of voices, taking phone calls, discussing ideas at the water cooler and general conversation, gave her a similar boost of spirit.

Jimmy Olsen was checking out one of the lenses on his camera when he saw Lois wander into the crosshairs and immediately lowered the device to the table. He was glad to see her in the office, having worried more “Hey Lois, did you hear?”

“What? Paris got caught with another DUI again? Brittany didn’t just forget her underwear but an entire outfit and no one noticed?” Lois asked as she slid into her chair.

“Uh...no.” Jimmy was caught off guard by the mental imagery and had to shake it off before he could return to his original thought. “It’s Collison. The curator of the British Museum. He’s vanished.”

“Vanished?” Lois exclaimed with surprise as she eased back into her chair, shaking her head with disbelief. “So much for Scotland Yard being on top of things. They’ll be lucky if they ever see him again. First chance that guy gets, he’s going to go empty out that Cayman account and disappear for a life of bimbos and Mai Tais.”

“You think he can still get access to that money?” Jimmy asked, perching himself on the corner of her desk.

“Guys like him would have shifted the bulk of that account elsewhere by now,” Lois replied. “He’s long gone.”

“I guess,” Jimmy sighed. “Without him though, Scotland Yard can’t make a case against Simon Stagg.”

“Not my problem Jimmy,” Lois replied with a shrug. “I covered the story and gave Interpol the evidence they needed to begin an investigation. If they dropped the ball, that’s their bad, not mine.”

“True,” Jimmy nodded. “Oh and I think Perry wanted to see you.”

“Oh?” Lois reared her head up to see Perry’s door locked, indicating that the man was with somebody. “Looks like he’s busy.”

“According to Cat, he’s interviewing someone to fill Bevins’ job.” Jimmy replied, “I didn’t see the guy.”

Henry Bevins had retired a month ago to Boca, Florida to open a bait shop with his wife Enid. The man had been a thirty five year veteran who had been at the Planet when people still used typewriters. He was a good guy who probably deserved more than an ice cream cake and a gold watch for his send off but Henry had been eyeing Bermuda shorts and loud shirts for six months now, so he didn’t mind the goofy send off.

“Henry will be hard to replace,” Lois retorted as her cell phone beeped, indicating an incoming text message. Reaching into her bag, she retrieved the metallic green phone and read the message on the display screen.

Meet me on the roof right now if you want to know about Intergang.

Intergang was Lois Lane’s Holy Grail.

For almost three years, she had been trying to uncover existence of the organisation whose mention was only in bare whispers with no one daring to commit anything to record. No wonder because most of the people who had talked with her in the beginning soon ended up dead. Nevertheless, despite having difficulty in proving their existence, Lois knew that Intergang existed and was most likely the source of nearly all illegal weapons running into Metropolis, ranging from ex-military hardware to prototypes whose origins God only knew.

The organization’s determination to maintain its anonymity especially after the first few bodies surfaced made it impossible for Lois to find new leads. Still she had been quietly gathering evidence over the years and was fast becoming the authority on the subject. Over the years, Lois’ coverage had resulted in death threats but none which she took seriously. Killing her would be proving Intergang’s existence in a way and as anonymity was their agenda, she did not believe they would tip their hand in such a fashion.

“Gotta go,” Lois said suddenly, jumping out of her chair, taking her phone with her.

“What?” Jimmy asked, knowing the look all too well but Lois was already out of her chair and heading towards the elevator. “Lois!”

“Later Jimmy,” she sang out with a wave and disappeared through the closing doors of the elevator.

Like he had any chance of stopping Hurricane Lois, Jimmy sighed as he turned around and started towards his desk when suddenly, he was approached by Marcy, Perry’s middle-aged blond secretary.

“Was that Lois?” Marcy inquired.

“Yeah,” Jimmy nodded. “She should be back in a minute, something up?”

“Yes,” Marcy nodded, “we received this message from Interpol. Apparently, Collison was sighted at a private airstrip this morning outside Metropolis.”

“Oh hell!” Jimmy exclaimed because there was no reason for Collison to be in United States. Simon Stagg had fled the jurisdiction so he would not have to answer any questions from law enforcement authorities. Lois was right, if Collison was smart, he would have disappeared into the woodwork with the money that Stagg had paid him upfront for the hijacking. There could be only one reason why Collison was in the country and that was revenge.

Not bothering with the niceties, Jimmy hurried to Perry’s office with the news, barging into the man’s inner sanctum not to mention private interview because he knew that when it came to the life of reporters, Perry wasn’t one for protocol.

“Olsen, what the hell are you doing?” Perry demanded, rising from his desk, his cigar between his teeth, looking meaner than spit at the interruption.

“I’m sorry Chief,” Jimmy spoke without wasting any time. “We need to get Lois protection. Steven Collison was sighted in Metropolis this morning. He’s after her I’m sure of it!”

“What!” Perry exclaimed, his cigar falling from his mouth. “Is she in yet?”

“She was in,” Jimmy replied quickly, “but now she’s gone again. She got a text message and ran out of here.”

“Where?” A new voice inquired.

Jimmy turned for the first time to the third person in the room, a person he had ignored in his determination to tell Perry what had happened. Eyes widening in shock, Jimmy’s jaw open as he stared blankly.

“Woah…”

************

Lois stepped onto the roof of the Daily Planet building and was immediately lashed by the winds from thirty stories up. Above her, the Daily Planet’s Globe continued its endless rotation, a symbolic gesture to imitate the Earth’s own revolutions. She went to the railing and took a moment to appreciate the view of Metropolis, the breathtaking urban sprawl that seemed to stretch across the landscape as far as the eye could see. Lois did so love this city and even though she was up here on a serious matter, Lois couldn’t help but soak in the atmosphere.

“Lois Lane,” a voice said behind her, cold and menacing.

Lois turned around and felt her blood run cold. Jesus. “Collison,” she gasped in shock, recognising him immediately from the pictures of him she had seen when she was gathering notes for her story on the hijacking.

Stephen Collison was in his fifties, a man with greying hair, horn rimmed glasses and a bald patch. With a face that could blend into the background easily, he wore a tan trench coat over a brown suit, one hand clutching a cell phone, the other a .45 handgun. Lois had been around enough guns to tell the difference. His expression of blank calm unnerved Lois more than the gun in his hand. It was the expression of a man with nothing to lose.

“At least you know what I look like,” he hissed. “At least you know who you destroyed with that filthy article!”

“I was just writing a story,” Lois answered trying to remain calm, trying to think her way out of her situation. Thinking furiously.

“A STORY!” He growled. “That was my life! I had no choice but to take the money! Stagg said he would kill my family if I didn’t cooperate! What was I supposed to do?”

“Calling the police would have been a start,” she continued to talk, “they apparently handle that kind of thing all the time.”

“Shut up you bloody bitch!” He growled “You don’t know what you’ve done. I’ve lost everything!”

“Mr. Collison,” Lois tried to keep control of her own fear, “if that’s the truth, then we can talk about it. I know what Simon Stagg is like, I have evidence to prove that he has used coercion tactics before. If you tell them that he threatened your family, I can offer some evidence to back up the facts. If you’re an innocent in all this, then I want to help.”

Collison however, was beyond such reasoning. “It’s too late! My wife has left me! She’s taken our children with her! This is all your fault!”

Jesus, he was completely unhinged, Lois realised and came to the conclusion if she didn’t do something, he was going to kill her. Still holding her cell phone in her hand, Lois was struck with a quick bout of inspiration, driven mostly by fear and desperation. Flexing her finger ever so carefully, she pushed the call button on her cell phone.

Collison’s own cell phone started beeping a shrill sound that tore the noise , forcing the man to look away from her in reaction. Lois sprung into action, making a dash for the door when Collison saw her run and pulled the trigger. The 45 sounded like a canon and Lois retreated to avoid the bullet but the tactic caused her to loose her footing and she toppled backwards, over the railing. There was a moment of clarity when she realised what had happened, that she had missed the bullet but was going to die anyway because she was falling.

Screaming hysterically as she plunged from thirty floors up, Lois screams caught the attention of everyone in the street below who looked up to see a woman falling through the air. Screams of horror and shock rippled through the crowds as they watched the scene unfold, helpless to do anything about it.

************

Jimmy and two security guards arrived on the roof as they heard the gunshot go off with the Planet’s photographer feeling his heart stop at the thought of finding Lois dead at the end of a bullet. However, appearing on the roof, he saw nothing except Collison, leaning over the rail watching his handiwork. He turned around at their arrival and raised his gun to fire but the security guards, named Carl and Lennie, were more than capable of disarming a fifty something museum curator of a gun that had too much fire power for him to handle in the first place.

“LOIS!” Jimmy shouted when he looked over the railing and saw Lois making her descent.

************

Someone was calling her name but Lois was in little position to answer. She was going to die. Of all the many times, she had been in this situation before, one would think she’d have figured out a graceful way to go out other than screaming madly but oddly enough nothing came to mind. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the end, fingers clawing at air because the body’s inclination to survive even in such odds was great.

If Lois had been in any mind to notice, she would have seen then that the crowds below had fallen silent. Something else had captured their attention, something even more earth shattering than a woman falling off a building.

And that was the man flying through the air to catch her.

************

“What the hell is that!” Jimmy exclaimed from the top of the roof, the horrific expression becoming one of astonishment as something red and blue was moving up the length of the building, fast. It was approaching Lois so fast that Jimmy had trouble keeping up with the speed of it.

Camera still around his neck from earlier, Jimmy Olsen lifted it to his face and began clicking away at what was going to be the shot of the century.

************

Unaware of anything that was going on, Lois opened her eyes just in time to see a billowing red cloak swooping around her shoulders, enveloping her in a comforting embrace at the same time a pair of hands caught her under both arms and pulled her close. Her screams caught in her throat, choking off any sound as the hands shifted position, one around her waist, another over her back in that oh so familiar way she had longed. Lois almost dared not look up but when she did, she was looking into the blue eyes she had longed for every day for the last five years.

“Oh God…Clark.” She was barely able to speak. “Is it really you or is this a last minute hallucination before I get splattered across the side walk?”

“It’s me, Lois. It’s really me.”

They flew up the length of the Planet building until the globe was beneath their feet. Lois looked down and saw Jimmy snapping away. Oh God, those pictures were going to be on every newspaper in the city in a few hours. She looked down and saw people gaping and pointing in astonishment.

“You have to put me down,” she spoke. “Please.” Her voice was almost begging.

Still holding her eyes, he flew towards the Planet again and Lois had more time to pay attention to him. He was the same and yet he wasn’t. There was Clark Kent who shattered her heart into a thousand pieces but there was someone else as well. Someone strong, confident, who showed no doubt in his eyes, that no longer bore any conflict. There was a serenity about him, a sense of peace or equilibrium even.

They descended on the roof of the Planet, on the other side of the globe, away from Jimmy. Lois was breathing hard, trying to catch her breath. She noticed he was wearing some kind of costume and thought immediately of Bruce, but this was different. Bruce’s costume was dark like his mission, like Gotham. Clark’s uniform comprised of the ‘S’ shield, symbolic of the House of El, she thought unconsciously. The red and the blue, the billowing cape, like he was something out of this world.

Like a god among men.

“You saved my life,” she said as he looked down at her. Had he grown taller? Lois didn’t remember him being this tall. “Thank you.”

“I promised you I’d never let you fall…” he started to say.

“DON’T.” She reacted sharply. “Don’t …you…dare. You don’t get to talk to me that way. Not after what you did.”

And with that, she spun on her heels and left him there on the roof. Not looking back when she heard the swoosh of air behind her when he left.

Chapter Four:

Confessions of a Flying Man

“Did you see it?”

“He flew right up there and caught her!”

“It’s a hoax!”

“Was there a Spielberg movie filming?”

“Where’s Johnny Knoxville??”

Lois Lane left the Daily Planet building surrounded by exclamations as she stepped onto the sidewalk overlooking the streets where apparently hundreds had gathered and were talking excitedly amongst themselves at what they had seen. The atmosphere was charged and if Lois had not been so bereft of energy, she might have paid attention or seen that there was a story in it. As it was, other media teams were quick to chart the territory she was forsaking as new crews began to appear, to till the fodder of bystander observations on the street. In front of the Daily Planet building, television news vans appeared, their rival networks, police cars and even an ambulance. The scene was nothing less than chaos and although she had been in the centre of this maelstrom, Lois had the fortune of being high enough in the air at the time of her rescue to be kept from being recognized by the public. For the moment at least.

Hailing the first cab she saw, Lois ordered the driver to take her home, wishing nothing more than to escape the events that were becoming full blown media frenzy. Even on the journey home, normal programming on the radio was interrupted by news bulletins breaking the story that a man had been seen flying through the air above the Daily Planet building following the spectacular rescue of investigative journalist Lois Lane. Someone was going to call this a hoax and that would be the end of it, Lois told herself on the ride home as the cab driver, unaware of who he had in the backseat, proceeded to tell her his opinion of the whole thing. It apparently involved a stunt to get on Springer. However, that one bulletin wasn’t the end of it.

When Lois got home, she looked at the television set she had left on and saw there was other footage as well. Someone had actually caught the scene of her rescue on their cell phone and the digital image was being played out in all its glory, from Lois plunging through the air, to Clark soaring through in order to catch her. Lois watched in a mixture of horror and fascination as one of the most terrifying experiences of her life, not to mention the most emotional, was being played out for all to see.

The costume he wore added to the drama. The sweeping cloak, the colours so reminiscent of the flag, made it all the more fantastic. Then other reports started flowing in. There was footage of Clark stopping a bank robbery where he apparently stepped into a hail of gunfire between police and criminals to halt the violence. There was Clark rescuing trapped occupants from an apartment fire. In a matter of hours, there were dozens of sightings that made it more difficult to believe that he was a hoax.

Her cell phone continued to buzz with almost all of the calls coming from either Jimmy or Perry. She saw the messages appear on the display screen and couldn’t bring herself to answer them. Jimmy was demanding to know if she was alright and Perry wanted to know why his best reporter wasn’t out there covering the story of the century. After all, she was the first person he rescued? After awhile she let the battery exhaust itself and didn’t bother recharging it. Lois unplugged her land line phone for good measure as well.

Retreating into her bedroom, she slipped under the covers of her bed and tried to shut the world out while she wept.

******************

He watched the images on the screen with bemusement.

The entire city was in an uproar over the appearance of the man in the red cape, who apparently was making it his business to help anyone in need. He was not at all surprised to see the first recipient of Kal-El’s help to be Lois Lane. He should have known that if anyone could draw out Kal-El from hiding it would be intrepid Miss Lane. He would have to resume the surveillance on her now that there was irrefutable proof that Krypton’s last son had finally come home.

Watching Kal-El flying through the air, heedless of who saw him or his powers, it was clear that the young man was no longer the frightened and uncertain boy he had been. The potential his father had seen had come to fruition. He was every bit as powerful as Jor-El believed he would be. The training had served Kal-El well he decided. He should have expected that this would be the outcome of the boy’s return. His disappearance could have no other reason.

Mercy Graves entered Lionel Luthor’s office and found her employer watching the plasma screen with interest. Like almost every person on the planet today, he too was watching the news footage of the mysterious caped wonder who was abilities, beyond the like of any previously recorded member of the meteor generation. The NAACP was calling the man a positive role model for other people with abilities to show their community worth while Jerry Falwell claimed this was evidence that the world was coming to and end.

“Mr. Luthor, you sent for me?”

“Yes,” he said nodding, tearing his gaze away from the screen to rest on her face briefly. “Quite engaging isn’t it?” He remarked at the image of Kal-El sweeping Miss Lane from certain death to the rescue of the rescue of the century.

“It is interesting,” Mercy couldn’t deny being somewhat mesmerized like the rest of the viewing gallery. “He certainly exhibits more ability that most of the Meteor Generation.”

“He isn’t one of those,” the man said pointedly.

Mercy had learned long ago not to doubt her employer when he made such statements. For starters, it was an appalling waste of time for him to explain to her why he was right and it only served to make her look foolish in the face of his intelligence. Thus, if he said a thing to be true, she believed him until experience proved otherwise, which almost never happened.

“What is he then?” Mercy inquired, once again, practised enough to know that she may not receive an answer. Mr. Luthor liked to keep things close to the breast, it was one of the reasons he was such a successful businessman.

“Something entirely out of this world,” he replied.

Not much of an answer but then Mr. Luthor was also thrived in being enigmatic. This too Mercy had become accustomed to. Unable to comment any more following that statement, she stepped back and returned the subject to the reason she had been called here. Which was not for the purpose of discussing the latest news, she was certain.

“You required me Mr. Luthor?”

“Yes,” he answered, his gaze returning to the screen. “I want you to arrange a visit to the facility where they are keeping Lex. I require an audience with my son. “

Mercy raised a brow in surprise. This was certainly unexpected considering it was only earlier this morning that Luthor had declared his lack of desire to be in the same room with his incarcerated son. What had changed, she wondered. “I take it you require privacy?”

“Absolute privacy,” he nodded. “I want a face to face meeting with my son. No guards in attendance or cameras to present. Pay Warden Loeb whatever is necessary to make it happen. If he gives you trouble, simply ask him if his trips to Bangkok are tax deductible.” He offered a slight smile. “I’m sure he’ll get the message.”

“Of course Mr. Luthor,” Mercy replied certain that he would at that.

****************

It was night time when Lois finally ventured out of her bedroom, having changed out of her work clothes into a nightgown and deciding to risk allowing the world back into her apartment again. She switched on the news in the darkened living room and saw that the Flying Man watch had not abated. The news channels were filled of sightings and it seemed that Clark was no longer taking any pains to hide himself from the world. In his costume, he was something beyond a man and no one was able to see him as ordinary. Talk shows were discussing the phenomena; news bulletins were constantly interrupting programming to let audiences know the latest on the coverage.

“Flying man, what idiot came up with that?” She snorted as she opened the balcony of her apartment and stepped out, needing fresh air.

Lois stood at the edge of the balcony, staring into the stars above. How many times had she done this in five years, looking up, wondering where he was? Praying that he was alright even when she was at her angriest at him. Five years of never being able to look at another man without holding them up to an impossible standard. Her love for Clark Kent had been a passion she still did not understand and when he was gone, she hated him for making her feel it because the loss was like a knife through her heart.

Five years, she had done everything conceivable to build granite walls around the raw wound he left bleeding inside her. Buried in her work, she had managed quite effectively to get used to the idea that he wasn’t coming back and though it still hurt to think about him, Lois thought she was doing okay. She knew she existed in something of a vacuum, that she had a natural tendency to withdraw from any relationship that might engender the same feelings again but Lois was fine with that. It was better this way.

Until she fell and he caught her all over again and by presence along began fracturing those carefully constructed walls the minute she looked into his eyes.

Her nightdress billowed around her ankles and without even needing to look up, Lois knew immediately that Clark had come. Turning her head slightly, she saw him descending to the ground, red boots touching down on the terracotta pave.

“I see you took a page from Bruce’s book,” Lois replied calmly, determined to maintain her poise and her usual spirit. She wasn’t a broken figurine. She was Lois Lane, ace reporter and damn him if he thought that coming back here, seeking her forgiveness was ever going to make things right between them. “The cape is a nice touch. It looks good.”

“Its useful,” he swallowed, glancing at the fabric draped around his broad shoulders. “People remember the costume more than the face.”

“You got that right,” she turned around to face him, folding her arms over each other as she looked straight at him, chin up. Defiant.

Clark only had to look at her with defiance stance to fall in love with her all over again.

”Lois,” he took a step forward and noted that she held her ground. He wasn’t surprised. She never backed down, not from anything or anyone. Him most of all. “I’m sorry.”

Her jaw dropped, “you’re sorry. Well that’s very nice of you to say. Please go now.”

“I’ll go Lois if you want me to but not before you hear me out,” Clark replied meeting her gaze and knew that despite her bravado and bluster, her pain was screaming out to him like banshee wails in the night. “If nothing else, I owe you an explanation.”

“This should be good,” she retorted, her voice barely a whisper. “Okay, let’s hear it. You got lost on the way home and couldn’t find the yellow brick road for five years?”

He fell silent, breathing in his resignation and then continuing. “When Chloe died, I knew it was my fault. For seven years, Jor-El told me I had to embrace my destiny. I didn’t listen. I was so terrified of losing who I was I never considered I was losing who I might become. I spent six of those years running from who I am, trying to be something to Lana I never could and in all that time, I never thought that I had a responsibility to become that person.”

“I…never…” Lois said barely holding it together. “Stopped you from embracing your destiny Clark. If you had to go, I would have understood. Don’t you think that I loved you enough to know that I had to let you go for you to be the man you needed to be? I get it Clark. I got it then and I get it now.” Tears were coming down her cheeks and when he stepped forward, Lois pulled back, a hard stare holding him where he was, commanding him to come no further.

“All you had to do was tell me that you needed to go,” Lois continued, her eyes bearing into him like sharp points of a knife. “I loved you Clark, I loved you more than I have ever loved anything and I would have waited for you. If you had just asked. Can you even begin to conceive what it was like when you left? My cousin, my best friend in the world was dead. Somebody murdered her. Uncle Gabe was completely out of it, Lucy was a mess, Jimmy wasn’t much better. The only person I had to lean on was you Clark. YOU! And you ran out on me!”

“I know,” he whispered, the anguish and guilt showing on his face. “I can’t apologise enough for that Lois, I can’t. When I found out why she died, I couldn’t think straight. I was so crazy with guilt I didn’t realise what I was doing until it was too late to turn back.”

“What are you talking about?” Lois stared at him. “How could Lex killing her be your fault? What possible training did you think you could possess that would keep that son of a bitch from stabbing her in the heart?”

He hadn’t intended to tell her so soon but there was no choice now. She needed to know, she needed to understand.

”Lex didn’t kill her.”

“WHAT?” Lois stared at him in stupefied shock.

“Lex did not kill Chloe.” Clark repeated himself.

“You’re wrong,” she exclaimed refusing to entertain the possibility that it could be true, “he killed her. I have digital footage of the murder. I got a copy of the surveillance records from the Luthor mansion. He abducted Chloe and had her brought to the mansion when Lana was visiting Nell in Connecticut. He stabbed her.”

“Lois he didn’t kill her,” Clark reached into the folds of his cloak and held out something in his palm.

For the moment, her rage at what he had done subsided as curiosity and the possibility that she had been accomplice to a man serving the last five years in jail, forced her forward. Lois closed the distance and looked into his outstretched palm. In it was a tiny shard of black. It looked almost like glass. The piece was barely a fragment.

“What is this?” She asked. Her voice hushed. She almost didn’t want to know.

“It’s a piece of the black ship from Krypton,” Clark explained. “It was lodged in the bone near Chloe’s stab wound. I found this when I went to see her body, before you and Chloe’s dad went to identify her.”

“This is impossible,” Lois stood back, her face ashen as understanding began to shed its awful light upon her. “How could a piece of the ship….”

“It was Brainiac, Lois.” he answered shortly. “Brainiac killed Chloe.”

“How? He was destroyed to energize the disk that Zod tried to use to remake the Earth into Krypton!” Lois gasped. “You took the disk back to the fortress when it was over.” She hurled it at him almost like an accusation.

For Kal-El of Krypton, it might as well have been for his actions.

“I took the disk back but I didn’t destroy it. I didn’t think it was necessary. I figured with Zod gone, the threat was over. I didn’t realise that because Zod never had a chance to use the disk entirely all of Brainiac was still intact. He must have waited until I left to escape because after Chloe’s death when I went to the fortress, I found the disk was gone.”

How could he explain to her his grief that day? The madness that ate at him when he realised what he had done. These were things a true Kryptonian would have known, someone who had embraced his destiny instead of running from it. He had been remiss and the result was his worse fear, letting those who were closest to him pay the price. When Chloe died, Clark knew he couldn’t risk anyone else, not until he could properly protect them.

He had begged Jor-El to take him, not considering the full ramifications of that demand until it was too late, until he had set himself on a course that did not stop for five years. A vortex of information flowed into his brain, bombarding him with all kinds of information. He could quote Kryptonian scripture. He knew the strengths of his people, their great capacity for intellect, hindered by their equally great capacity for arrogance. A trait which would ultimately destroy them.

It would have been so easy for Clark Kent to vanish in that tide of data but he had held on to his identity, to Smallville and the people he loved because of her, clinging to what it was to be with her. What seemed like months for Clark Kent, had turned out to be five years for the rest of the world and only then Clark understand the full measure of his sins.

But it was too late, the world had moved on without him and so had Lois.

“Oh Jesus,” Lois turned away, unable to breathe. If she had thought this day could get any worse, she was wrong. She drifted to the balcony. “Lex…Lex didn’t do it.”

Clark shook his head, appreciating her horror all too well. He wanted to hold Lois but suspected she would not be receptive so he held back and let her deal while continuing to offer her wisdom. “No. He was telling the truth when he said he was on his way back from a business meeting in Metropolis…”

“But his driver wouldn’t corroborate the story,” Lois blurted out, desperate to know that she hadn’t made a mistake, that through her actions, Lex Luthor had been separated from his wife and child for a crime he did not commit.

“The driver was probably dead Lois,” he explained, quashing that hope without mercy. “The Construct was able to mimic Oliver to get to me once. It wouldn’t be that hard to impersonate Lex’s driver to ensure that Lex had no alibi.”

“So he’s out there,” Lois swept her gaze over the city. “Somewhere.”

“Yes,” Clark nodded. “When Chloe died, I knew that if I had just followed my father’s training, I would have known what to do with Brainiac, I would have seen the danger he still posed. I didn’t and because of me Chloe is dead and Lex is an innocent man sitting in jail.”

“He was never that innocent Clark,” Lois sighed but her comment was to hide the self loathing she felt right now, the trap she had sprung on Lex with no knowledge of his crime.

“No, but he didn’t do this and he shouldn’t be sitting in jail for something he didn’t do.” Clark stated firmly. “Lois I need your help. I can’t do this alone.”

She shot him a look. “I think you’ve run out of favours where I’m concerned Clark,” she replied, not wanting to listen any more. Being around him was hard, knowing what she did was even worse.

“Lois, please, ” Clark implored. “I have no right to ask anything, I know that but we can’t leave him in jail. Everything I’ve read about Lois Lane the reporter tells me she’s someone who stands for something. I don’t think you’ve changed so much that you’d let him suffer for something he didn’t do.”

Lois whirled around and glared, “you don’t know anything about me anymore.” She almost spat.

Clark dropped his gaze, hurt by the rebuke but once again, unable to deny that it was undeserved. “Maybe not,” he said quietly, “but I still need your help.”

Closing her eyes as she came to a decision, knowing that it was a decision she had to make even if she hated herself for it, Lois nodded. “Alright,” she answered after a long pause, “I’ll help you with Lex and the Construct. It killed Chloe. I want it to pay.”

“It will,” Clark said with affirmation. “I promise.”

“And then we’re done. ” She said abruptly, walking through the balcony doors and slamming it shut behind her.

Clark stood there for a second, trying to find the words and knowing there weren’t any. With a sigh, he stared through the glass, watching her disappear into her bedroom. He didn’t violate her privacy by seeing through the door but the sound of her tears cut him just the same anyway.

Chapter Five:

Superman’s Girlfriend

Lois hadn’t slept.

Coupled with the revelation that Lex Luthor was innocent, her mind was a loop that kept repeating endlessly, no matter how much Lois tried not to think about it. It was like watching a crappy clip show in her head. The greatest hits of Lois and Clark, she thought sardonically when she finally got dressed to go to work the next day. Their first meeting, their verbal sparing, their long talks, leading to the slow drift into each other orbits, secured finally by the kiss that changed everything.

Lois remembered how it felt when she knew she loved Clark. It was as if something shifted into place, like cosmic wheels turning in the distant place where the design of the universe was decided. All those failed relationships weren’t meaningless after all, as if it was preparing her to realise the real thing when it came along. And recognised it she did. Since that day, her life had become a mixture of highs and lows. Yes, there had been danger but there was also moments of exquisite joy in being able to look into the blue of his eyes and know with utter certainty that he loved her as completely as she loved him.

When he left it was as if the soul had been sucked right out of her body and what followed was five years of emptiness where she had tried to forget that for brief time, she had never been so happy.

Now she was tossed back in time, to that same distraught woman she had been five years ago when he left and damn near broke her in the process. Not the same, she told herself defiantly as she walked out of her apartment into the street. Head held high, Lois was determined to reclaim her title of Queen Bitch of the Universe, transmission temporarily interrupted by the arrival of Krypton’s last son. Despite how she felt about Clark, she was done weeping for him. He had made the choice to walk out on her. He could live with the consequences. As for Lois, she was going to work.

Balls to the wall bluster and burning at full furnace, Lois made her way to the Daily Planet.

That had been the plan.

The reality was entirely different.

************

The first thing Lois Lane noticed when she stepped out of her cab in front of the Planet was the fact that just about everyone seemed to notice her arrival. Eyes darted in her direction as soon as she appeared, people whispered, they pointed and looked away guiltily when Lois stared back at them puzzled. For a moment, Lois wondered if she had left home without her clothes. However, as she was dressed, she came to the conclusion that was probably not it. Lois was walking past the new stand when suddenly she froze in her steps, staring open mouthed at the front page of the morning edition of the newspaper.

METROPOLIS WELCOMES SUPERMAN

By Clark Kent

Under the eye catching headline was a picture Lois guessed came from the shots Jimmy had taken when Clark had rescued her. If a picture was worth a thousand words then this one could fill a book’s worth. Lois gaped in stupefied shock at the sight of herself in Clark’s arms, his red cape swirling around them like a red cloud, the brilliant blue sky in the background. It didn’t look like a photograph but the front cover of some cheesy Harlequin romance novel. With horror, Lois realised that while she might view it with distaste, the public was going to eat this up with a frigging shovel. Pictures like this ended up on Life Magazine or worse yet, as posters across the wall of every nut in the city.

And if that was not bad enough, the headline was apparently written by Clark Kent.

Snatching the paper after paying for it, Lois entered the Daily Planet building smouldering.

“Good morning Miss Lane!” Vicki at front reception greeted excitedly, staring at Lois as if she was Angelina Jolie or something. Vicki’s reaction was not unique unfortunately and Lois spied other sniggering and laughing in her direction.

“WHAT?” She fairly snarled and shut them up with a near venomous look.

Silence followed until after Lois left the floor and then the conversations resumed with Lois barely able to contain her fury at how her personal anguish was becoming a very public humiliation. If she thought the reaction was gong to confined to the lobby, she was woefully mistaken. No sooner than she had stepped onto the newsroom floor, someone who sounded odiously like Cat Grant sang out loudly drawing laughter with her sneering voice.

“Hey, it’s Superman’s girlfriend, Lois Lane!”

Lois was ready to bite through titanium.

“Lois!” Jimmy stood up from his desk and hurried forward to greet her, throwing a reproachful look at the others in the room. “Come on guys, knock it off.” He declared before turning to Lois and speaking in a lower octave. “I’ve got to talk to you. You’ve seen the headline?”

“Yes, I saw it,” she hissed but didn’t stop walking, heading directly towards Perry’s office. “Superman? That’s almost as bad as the Flying Man!”

“Oh I don’t know,” Jimmy started to say, as he followed her, a step behind. “I mean it is catchy and it fits.”

Lois threw him a glare so fierce that Jimmy shut up immediately for fear of the consequences.

“Lois you shouldn’t go in there!” He tried to warn her as Lois reached Perry’s door. However, Lois being Lois, she wasn’t listening.

“He’s not alone…” Jimmy’s voice trailed off when she barged into the room.

Perry White was behind his desk when Lois burst in. “Lois? Where the hell have you been?” He demanded, rising from his chair. “Are you alright? I’ve been trying to call you all night!”

“Alright?” Lois snapped almost incredulous. “How can I be alright? Someone tries to kill me yesterday by throwing me off a building and this morning, I find this!” She slammed the paper on the desk, rattling Perry’s bottle of ulcer pills that was ordered as frequently as staples and paper clips.

“What?” Perry looked at her innocently. “This is the picture that makes news what it is Lois!”

“Who gives a crap about the picture?” Lois roared, “What the hell is this? BY CLARK KENT? ”

Perry stared at her puzzled. “Kent? He’s Bevin’s replacement, I was in the middle of interviewing him when all this started. Who knew the kid was going to rush out and get the story of the century, first time. What a debut!”

“I wouldn’t put it quite that way, Mr. White,” a familiar voice said modestly behind Lois. “I was just at the right place at the right time.”

Lois winced and turned around slowly.

Seated in the chair at the far end of Perry’s desk was Clark Kent, dressed in a dark suit, open collared white shirt, his hair the same floppy mess she remembered from Smallville. A pair of steel framed glasses sat on the bridge on his nose. The look was different but unmistakably Clark.

“Lois Lane,” Perry said, “meet Clark Kent. Kent joined us yesterday.”

“Oh did he now?” Lois glared at him, uncertain whether or not it was worth the broken knuckles to take a swing at him. He had stood there on her balcony, telling her he was sorry and all the while, he had been planning to invade her life. The Planet was the one place she could feel in control of her life, where there was no doubt or hesitation. It was her place. How dare he violate that space too?

“Kent and I go way back Lois,” Perry explained, noticing the storm cloud over Lois was growing in intensity, “when I passed through his home town. Wait, you should know each other,” he pointed out. “Didn’t you work on Senator Kent’s campaign?”

Lois’ eyes narrowed. “Something like that.”

Clark watched her, telling himself that this was a terrible thing he was doing. He had hurt her enough and she didn’t deserve any more pain. However, he wasn’t the uncertain young man he had been five years ago either. He was a man now and that man wasn’t prepared to give up on Lois just yet. In the twilight hours after leaving her, Clark had time to think about their encounter on the balcony. She was in pain yes, she was angry – she had every right to be but with a certainty he knew with every fibre of his being, he knew she still loved him.

This worked out well because he had never fallen out of love with her either.

However, with all things Lois, it wasn’t going to be easy. It required more than a cape and super abilities to win her back. She had always made him work to win her love, this time would be no different than any other, with perhaps one exception; he was never going to run out on her again. Ever.

“Say I have an idea,” Perry spoke up, inspiration illuminating his face, “since he saved your life and Clark got the interview with Superman, maybe you two should work together on a follow up story.

Lois shot Perry a look of pure death. This was not happening. This could not be happening!

“I…do…not…work with partners,” Lois growled and almost went for blood when she saw Clark barely ably to keep from smiling.

“Oh you can make an exception Lois,” Perry returned, quite enjoying seeing his favourite reporter becoming more and more unhinged. Most of the time it was Lois who gave him the ulcers so it was nice once in a while to get some payback. “Now get out of my office you two, every paper in this town is chasing a follow up on Superman. Don’t come back until you have something.”

Lois started to speak but Clark answered before she could tell him what she thought of that suggestion. “Happy to Mr. White.”

“Call me Perry Kent,” the newsman grinned.

“Call me nauseated.” Lois snorted and stormed out.

***************

For Jimmy Olsen, yesterday had been a revelation.

Oh yes, the minute he saw the so called ‘Flying Man’ catch Lois, he knew exactly who that man was, even before he snapped the picture that proved it conclusively. He didn’t get the full story, not until later, when the offer he had made to Clark Kent was accepted following the excitement of the rescue had died down and Perry had hastily called an end to their interview.

Jimmy had looked at him after Clark returned to the newsroom, leaving chaos in the wake of Lois’ dramatic rescue, understanding at last why it was he always felt left out when it came to Chloe’s relationship with Clark. It was why his relationship with Chloe could never get past its infancy. There had always been rift between them, created by Clark Kent’s secret. In hindsight, Jimmy understood why. Back then, the meteor generation weren’t recognized and Clark’s abilities would have landed him in a lab or worse.

Chloe had wanted to protect her friend from that and Jimmy understood it now. It made the photographer wish things had been different between them. At the very least, he would have like to have told her that he was sorry for doubting her.

Now Jimmy found himself entrusted with the same secret so he did what he knew what Chloe would have wanted of him if she were alive; he would keep the secret. When Clark had returned to the apartment, after creating charged excitement across Metropolis and meeting Lois, they had talked over beer and pizza. Jimmy tried to wrap his mind around the fact that his house guest apparently leapt tall buildings in a single bound.

Talking in a way they hadn’t spoken…ever, Clark told Jimmy the truth about everything. He wasn’t a meteor freak, not by a long shot. Jimmy learned about Krypton, about a parent’s desperate bid to save their child in a world facing annihilation. It was touching story, one that made an odd kind of sense, the pieces of the jigsaw finally coming together.

This morning, it was surreal riding the train with a guy who flew over the city like a god, talking about good neighbourhoods in proximity of the Planet and what was a reasonable commute. Nevertheless, Jimmy felt a sense of privilege and likened himself to Sancho Panza as he followed Don Quixote in his fight against windmill giants.

Although Sancho Panza never had to warn Don Quixote to beware of Dulcinea, he was sure.

The door to Perry’s office bursting open snapped Jimmy out of his reverie. He had been sitting at his desk pretending to eye the photographs he had taken yesterday, even though his gaze kept shifting to Perry’s door, trying to imagine what was happening between Clark and Lois. He could only imagine just how she’d react. In the last four years, Jimmy had become Lois Lane’s best friend. He had been dating Lucy for some time but he and Lois’ had a friendship that her younger sister knew to respect. He knew that despite her feigned indifference to the subject of Clark Kent, she had been nothing less than devastated when Clark had left.

Hadn’t he been the first one to say that they had chemistry?

Lois Lane stormed out, eyes blazing, a fire elemental in comparison to the cool, breezy demeanour of Clark Kent. Some could compare them to fire and ice. Not at all, Jimmy thought with a little smile, fire and wind was more appropriate. She marched right past her desk and kept going, headed for the ladies bathroom. Jimmy watched her go and approached Clark who returned to his new desk, courtesy of Bevins.

“How did it go?” Jimmy asked, staring after Lois.

“Lois was Lois,” Clark shrugged, unpacking the box of the belongings he brought in with him today.

“Homicidal?” he pointed out.

Clark lifted his gaze to the direction of the bathroom.

“Hey, no peeking,” Jimmy ordered under his breath. “Suffer like the rest of us guys.”

Clark uttered a short laugh, finding Jimmy not as abrasive as before and glad to have confided in him. In truth, Jimmy had seen him in Smallville and it was going to be difficult assuming that he wouldn’t recognise Superman as anyone but Clark Kent. No idiot would believe that a pair of glasses made him a different person.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Clark smirked.

“Sure, sure,” Jimmy snorted, “that’s what you say and then there’s the truth.” He replied and then eyed Clark with a more sober expression. “You know this isn’t going to be easy right?’

“Is anything worth having ever that?” Clark returned quietly, knowing that no statement could be truer when applied to Lois Lane.

**************

Lois Lane stared into the bathroom mirror, trying to pull herself together.

She couldn’t do this. She just couldn’t. Five years of anguish could not be forgotten so easily as much as she wished otherwise. Why was Clark doing this to her? Hadn’t he hurt her enough? Why couldn’t he just go away? She knew why of course, even she was not so obtuse, no matter how angry she was at him. She could not deny that his feelings weren’t entirely mutual. Martha had once told her that she’d find her Jonathan. Martha probably never imagined that Lois’ Jonathan would be her son Clark but then Lois hadn’t thought her Jonathan would run out on her either.

However, he was still her Jonathan and Lois knew, deep in the core of her, he always would be. That did not change the fact that he had inflicted upon her five years of pain that was still too raw for her to simply throw her arms open to him and cry all was forgiven. He had broken her heart and there were some wounds that could not be healed or forgiven.

Jonathan or not.

Regaining her composure, Lois decided that if this was the course Clark wished to pursue, then so be it. She wouldn’t make it easy for him and she would make it clear that this pathetic attempt to wheedle his way into her life wouldn’t work either. Clearly he was the delusion that all it would take was his continued presence to gain her forgiveness. If that was his reasoning, he had another thing coming, Lois told herself as she straightened herself out in the mirror, primping a little to show no indication of her earlier distress.

Once Lois was sure that the confident, professional who was the Planet’s best investigative journalist was staring back at her in the mirror, she knew she was ready to go out there. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, Lois stepped out of the bathroom and strode towards the news room floor, her head held high, exuding pride and presence.

Approaching Clark’s new desk, both he and Jimmy fell silent when she neared them.

Clark could tell just by the look of her, Lois was seething with anger. While she projected a veneer of cold professionalism, Clark knew that beneath that hardened exterior which seemingly nothing could penetrate, she was furious. Trying to break through that shell to find the woman was one of the most challenging feats Clark Kent ever had to accomplish. Most gave up trying, preferring to seek consolation in the belief that she was as the bitch she appeared to be.

“Alright Rookie,” she said sharply, acknowledging Jimmy with merely a fraction of a nod. “Let’s take a walk.” Lois retorted, not pausing at the desk but continuing towards the lift.

Jimmy gave Clark look of sympathy as he stood to follow her, bracing himself for the worst.

She led him to the elevator saying nothing but each look she threw his way was laced with arsenic. Clark decided to err on the side of caution and remain silent, saying nothing until they were freer to speak. He wasn’t surprised when he stepped into the wood polished interior of the elevator and saw that she pushed the button to the roof. Lois didn’t look at him, her eyes fixed on the numbers as they continued their slow ascent, oblivious to the other occupants in the lift until finally they reached the top.

She still hadn’t said anything.

The doors slid open and Lois stepped out of the elevator, taking the fire stairs that led to the roof. Clark followed her, guessing that she wanted absolute privacy. He could appreciate that since he would need to speak freely as well. She went through the doors first with Clark following closely behind.

Stepping onto the roof, the wind rushed around them as was the case on buildings 30 stories up. Yesterday that hadn’t been time to admire the view and frankly for Clark, no view could match the panoramic view he had of the city every time he flew over it.

No sooner than she had stopped walking did Lois turn around and slap him, hard.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The slap didn’t hurt of course but the rage behind it, did. “I applied for a job at the Planet a few days ago,” he tried to explain but knew that was not what she was referring to.

“You said you would go if I asked you to….what the hell is this? I work here! This is my place! Of all the papers you could have applied for, THIS is the one you picked? Why? To be close to me?”

With a completely straight face, he answered. “Actually no, it’s the only one that would give me an interview.”

“WHAT?” Lois pulled up abruptly, wondering if her humiliation could get any worse.

“Its true,” Clark tried to use logic here. Sometimes, it was the life preserver of a drowning argument. “I don’t have that much experience as a journalist, Perry had read my stuff when I was in High School and he owed me a favour from back. We ran into each other once.”

“I don’t care!” Lois exploded. “You stroll back after five years, invading my life, my job, making me a laughing stock across the city! They’re calling me Superman’s girlfriend for Christ sake!”

“I thought it was kind of catchy,” he shrugged, unsurprised by her anger but lashes from Lois always drew blood, even from one as invulnerable as he.

“Where did you come up with it anyway?” She asked irritated, not really interested in the answer.

“Chloe,” Clark answered.

Lois’ bluster diminished somewhat and she found herself asking, “Chloe?”

“Yeah,” he nodded quietly. “Whenever I used my powers, she always described it as super speed, super vision, super hearing…sounded kind of fitting. It had to be batter than Flying Man.”

Lois remembered Chloe’s phrasing well and Clark’s use of it as a name for his alter-ego was as telling as Lois using Chloe Bly as secret identity. “Anything is better than Flying Man,” she replied, thawing a little.

“I went to Chloe’s grave…” he started to say.

If there was one thing that could have reminded her of what he had done, it was that. The momentary thaw ended swiftly and Lois’ hostility returned in full force. “Spare me,” she growled, “How long do you plan on carrying on this façade? I don’t want you at my place of work.” She was unkindly.

Clark took in a breath, determined to hold his ground no matter how hard Lois tried to push him away. He recognised the tactic well. She pushed away the people who might get too close by hurting them. In the beginning, she had used Lana for that end to good effect. Now it was Chloe. “No, not until we find a way to help Lex,” he said firmly. “This way, we can work together without drawing suspicion…”

“That one of us wears a cape?” She bit back sarcastically.

“Something like that,” Clark sighed. “Lois, I am sorry that you’re upset but I didn’t do this to hurt you, I just needed a job and a chance to build a life for myself again.”

“You had a life,” she retorted. “You’re the one who walked away from it,” she accused, refusing to give in, refusing to admit that he did have that right.

“Lois I’m not debating with you that I screwed up. You’re right I did mess up but I want things to be right, between us too. I don’t expect us to pick up where we left off but I thought we could be friends at least.” He said sincerely.

“You always thought to much,” Lois turned away, unable to look at him.

Taking on a new tact, he replied. “If you really think that you can’t handle being around me, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I’ll concede without a fight.”

You are bad, bad man, Clark Kent, he told himself.

Lois bristled and swung around. “I don’t need you to concede anything! I’m a big girl; I can handle working with you if I had to do.”

Too easy, Clark thought silently, even though he knew he should feel guilty for playing her this way. However, any advantage he could get with Lois could only help the situation.

“Hey if it makes you feel any better, unlike Warrior Angel’s girlfriend Susie Sondheim, you know my secret….”

If she had Kryptonite, he would have been a dead man.

Chapter Six:

Lex

Lois returned to her desk following her rooftop discussion with Clark, determined to prove that she could master her emotions despite the turmoil caused by his return. She was a professional and if she could just see her way to regarding him as nothing else, then she could do this. It was only when she started thinking about the past, about what he had been to her and the hole he left in her heart when he vanished, that she started to break down and become no good to anyone, least of all herself.

At her desk with a blank computer screen in front of her and the energy of the newsroom buzzing about frantically, Lois started to relax a little. She convinced herself that today was just like any other day, not an emotional rollercoaster that left her dazed and uncertain. Throwing herself into the rituals of the morning to regain her equilibrium, Lois went to get coffee, checked her voice mail, answered her telephone messages and planned her diary for the day. None of which involved covering a Superman story.

Unless of course, the public wanted the inside scoop on Clark Kent who at this moment was studying a Hawaiian hula girl doll left on his desk from his predecessor.

Almost unconsciously, she found herself staring at him without meaning to. Lois watched him unpack his desk, push those steel rimmed glasses further up his nose, filling out forms which she could tell by the way he straightened his back, he was impatient with having to do at normal speed. Occasionally, he would pause to be introduced to someone by Jimmy, who had taken it upon himself to be Clark’s orientation guide at the Planet.

Then there were moments when he would look up and catch her gaze, a small smile stealing across his face, the one that used to make her heart leap a little (and damn him) still did before she’d break the stare and turn away.

“Quite a dish huh?” Catherine Grant’s voice spoke above her, like smooth molasses.

Of course she was talking about Clark, Lois didn’t even have to ask. Catherine Grant’s radar was configured to detect every man without a wedding ring no matter what the distance. If she worked for NASA, they would have found extra terrestrial life by now.

“I suppose,” Lois muttered looking away from Clark, “glasses seem a little dorky to me.” She shrugged, pulling up the Google homepage so that it looked like she was actually working.

“Glasses?” Cat stared at her puzzled. “I’m talking about him.” She held in her hands a copy of the morning edition with Jimmy’s rather dramatic picture of herself and Superman.

“If you like capes,” Lois winced at the sight of the picture again. Jimmy had captured the exact moment when Lois had realised Clark was back. Someone had said a picture was worth a thousand words, the more Lois looked at it, the more she realised that the only message it conveyed was her naked, exposed emotions. Anyone who looked at this would believe that she had been swept off her feet like the proverbial damsel in distress.

“Oh come on,” Cat retorted, “you got to be a little excited about this. You fall off a tall building and some god swoops in out of nowhere and rescues you, like Prince Charming. I know you don’t have a romantic bone in your body but you have to admit, that’s a hell of an entrance.”

Lois smouldered and bit back. “Look Cat, he’s a story okay? Nothing more! Now I’ve got a story to do,” she reached for her blackberry and her note pad before shoving it into her purse. “Why don’t you run along and do whatever it is you do around here.” She said sweetly.

“Nice,” Cat rolled her eyes. “Oh I’m sure you’re after a story and not the tall, hunky rookie I hear Perry stuck you with. Since you’re not interested, I call dibs.”

Lois stopped short and turned to Cat.

“Dibs?” She declared incredulously. In what passed for fair play in Catherine Grant’s universe, the woman had an annoying habit of verbalising her intentions on any previously unclaimed bachelor that wandered into her orbit. In the past, Lois had been a bystander in this demeaning practice since Cat’s choices were questionable to say the least and she had no interest in dating the men that Cat Grant found attractive. Lois’ focus was on more important things, like her next story instead of the wasteland that was her love life.

“You are not calling dibs or anything else for that matter on my partner,” she retorted sharply, with more emotion than she cared to show. “The last thing I need is for the guy who’s meant to be watching my back, to be watching your ass because he’s been CaTnipped.”

“Meow,” the blond returned with a smirk. “So you do mind if I call dibs.”

Lois Lane bristled and went from emotional to battle mode. “I mind on a professional level,” she said haughtily. “I’m sure if you need to scratch that itch, there are prescription drugs available or you can call whomever you usually call in situations like this…you know the FLEET?”

“Okay, okay,” Cat conceded defeat laughing although she felt no shame because it was clear she scored a direct hit, “I know when I’m trespassing on marked territory.”

“There…is…no…marked anything, ” Lois retorted, trying to maintain her dignity although the urge to hit something was becoming overwhelming. Please, let her be mugged today, so she could kick the crap out of someone. Deciding that a tactical retreat was necessary before violence ensued, Lois grabbed her handbag and her blackberry, leaving Cat to grow at her desk.

Heading towards the elevator, she decided a cappuccino was in order, not to mention some fresh air. Too many thoughts were rushing through her head today and she needed a story to write to channel all that emotion into.

“So where are we going?” Clark suddenly appeared next to her as she waited for the elevator.

It was impossible not to hear the conversation between Lois and Cat Grant who he had yet to meet (and Clark hadn’t decided whether or not this was a good thing) but knowing that Lois felt so strongly about Cat keeping him off her radar, further convinced him that there was nothing misguided in his hopes to rebuild their relationship.

Lois didn’t look at him. “We are not going anywhere. I am going to get a….”

“Macchiato with vanilla and caramel,” he said automatically, a smirk on his lips. During the nights when she was working on a story for the Inquisitor, he’d keep her company while providing macchiatos and donuts to help with the writing process. Then she’d curl up next to him on the sofa while he played the part of impromptu copy editor since Lois couldn’t spell worth a damn. “I remember,” he threw a sidelong glance at her while they waited for the elevator to arrive.

The memory caught her by surprise to and she softened a fraction before nodding, “Right. So I don’t need company.”

“We should get to work on that Superman story,” Clark returned, not even close to giving up on her, even if she was pointed about not wanting him around. “Remember? ”

“You’re such a boy scout Small…” Lois started to say and then pulled up short. She had almost called him Smallville. Damn him.

Hiding that he was just as affected as she by the use of that familiar nickname, Clark replied quietly. “Lois, we also have that other project to work on.”

Lois blinked and looked at him. In all the turmoil of the day, she had completely forgotten that Lex Luthor was presently sitting in jail for a murder he did not commit. The elevator doors slid open and Lois was grateful when no one else was in it. Stepping inside, she waited until the doors closed before she dared to speak again. Part of her insomnia the night before had to do with her role in Lex’s incarceration and the lives that had been changed because of it.

“Clark,” she regarded him, brushing away all the hurt and anguish that he had caused her for now because they did have a job to do. “We need to tell Lana.”

“No,” he said firmly and for a moment, he sounded very unlike Clark Kent but the man in the cape, the Superman the city was so enamoured with.

“Clark she deserves to know,” Lois insisted. “She left him and took their daughter with her, believing he killed Chloe. She’s raised that child without Lex on the belief that he’s a murderer, she has a right to know that he isn’t.”

“She does,” Clark nodded, agreeing with that part at least. “But not yet, not until we can help him.” Facing Lois, he met her hazel eyes with his blue. “If we tell her now, before we can clear him, Lana’s going to tear herself apart with guilt. That, she doesn’t deserve.”

Since his return, Clark had opportunity to watch Lana as well in secret. A part of him would always watch over the first girl he ever loved. Perhaps Fate had always known they were never meant to be but Clark couldn’t deny how much he had once wished otherwise. That strange, blinding love was gone now, diminished in a softer, deeper thing. He would always love Lana but until the day he died and beyond, Lois would own his soul.

Lois didn’t like it but Clark was right. Her mind returned her to the morning she had spent with Lana and Laura at the apartment, with the little girl watching Pingu whilst eating obnoxious coloured doughnuts. Lois remembered Laura answering to the name of Starbuck, showing her dolls and the room Chloe used to inhabit, now covered with fairy themed wallpaper. She thought of Lana walking the child to her Little Dolphin playgroup, her small fingers clutching Lana’s own. It was a nice life that Lana Lang had made for herself and her daughter, a life that was devoid of a father who would have given them everything.

“Alright,” she said sedately, crushing the guilt she felt at her part in Lana’s fractured life, focusing on how to mend the wrong she had been responsible for. “We don’t tell her,” she agreed but raised her eyes to Clark to add, “yet.”

************

Twenty minutes later, Clark and Lois were facing each other over a table at Lori’s coffee house, with Lois nursing her beloved Macchiato and Clark going for the traditional brew. Still the Kansas farm boy, Lois thought as she tried to come to grips with the surreal realisation that she was sitting across from Clark Kent, the great love of her life, back from five years in exile, having metamorphoses into Superman, while disguised as mild mannered reporter for the Daily Planet.

Frigging surreal, alright.

To combat any awkwardness, Lois forced herself to regard their shared mission as she would any story. Therefore, as the reporter with all the experience, she took the lead, analysing the evidence with a methodical and non-emotional approach, even if the evidence was one of the most painful experiences of her entire life.

“Okay,” she said putting down her cup, sufficiently caffeinated for her brains to be firing on all thrusters. “We know the Construct killed Chloe. What I can figure out is why.”

Grateful to jump on Lois’ train of thought because he knew from the articles he had read, she really was the best investigative journalist this town had ever seen and for all his strength, Lois had always proved that when it came to clear thinking, she could hold her own against the likes of Oliver and possibly, even Bruce. “I thought revenge, because I sent Zod back to the Zone.”

“No,” she shook her head. “Its not revenge. You’ve told me that the Construct is a computer program, sentient, very advanced but still a machine. Machines don’t take things personally. Every encounter you’ve had with it in the past, was a component of a larger plan. If he took out Chloe, there was a reason for it, something we haven’t seen yet.”

God, she was magnificent, Clark thought, watching Lois with admiration as she theorized out loud. “Okay,” he nodded, “I’m with you. The Construct was always subtle. If it was a matter of getting Chloe out of the way, why go through all the trouble of framing Lex?”

“That’s the part I have trouble with,” Lois declared, shaking her head. “It used Lex before when it needed what he wanted, why take him out of the equation completely?”

“Unless there’s something Lex knows…” Clark suggested.

“He didn’t mention it at his trial,” Lois retorted, having covered that story religiously, not because it was a media sensation but because she wanted to be there every day to see the bastard get his comeuppance for what he did. “You think if he was in the possession of important information like that, he’d tell someone or at least his defence attorney.”

“Not necessarily Lois,” he said thoughtfully, taking a sip of his coffee. “Remember this is Lex, he always liked his secrets. Maybe he didn’t say anything about this one because it couldn’t help him. I mean most of the stuff he was into back then dealt with Section 33.1, it’s not exactly information he wanted to get out there for the public to know.”

“True,” she agreed, glancing at her watch. “It wasn’t as if he didn’t have enough bad press. To tell the truth, the media had him convicted long before he got to trial.” Lois felt a wave of guilt knowing that she was part of this media storm and brushed it aside quickly. A journalist had to be objective and at the time, the evidence of his guilt was overwhelming enough for her to believe that he was guilty as charged.

“So we need to know what Lex knows,” Clark sighed.

“Yeah Rookie,” Lois nodded before standing up and drained he last of her Macchiato. “Come on.”

Clark looked up at her blankly and did the same to his coffee before he followed her out of the café. “Where are we going?”

Lois glanced at her watch again and hailed a cab as the stood at the sidewalk. “Visiting hours are about to start at Metropolis State Penitentiary, we should just make it.”

**************

He was innocent.

He woke up every day with that thought in his mind, refusing to let it go, no matter how many people stared at him like he was still insane to keep up the charade after five years inside. He kept it in his mind, like a mantra, with each letter he wrote to Lana that was returned, with each new appeal that reached its inevitable conclusion with denial. Lex knew he was innocent of killing Chloe Sullivan.

There were many things that he was guilty of, some too atrocious to name and had he been incarcerated for those, he would have accepted it because that was the risk one took when one played dangerous games. However, in the death of his wife’s best friend, he refused to accept it. At times Lex wondered if this was a bad dream, some nightmare scenario devised by a chemical concoction at Bellevue Sanatorium. Then he’d wake up to the stench of urine and the snores of the man in the bunk above him and know that all of it was real. He’d lay awake for most of the night, fighting the urge to weep in the dark for that was the refuge of prisoners unable to hide from themselves, unable to hide from the truth.

Sometimes, he’d stare at the picture of the little girl with the dark hair and his mother’s eyes and tried to vanquish the ache that gnawed at him, knowing that she had no idea who he was. All his life, he had wanted a family, not the dysfunctional, manipulative entity that Lionel Luthor had fostered but a real family, where a husband and wife loved each other and the children they created. He didn’t blame Lana for her actions, for taking his daughter away from him. Even though she had never answered, Lex kept his letters true to the affection in his heart, he still loved her and he still wanted to be apart of her life and that of their daughters.

The unfairness of it was more than he could stand at times.

Today however, offered a new revelation as he stared at the newspaper he bribed a guard to bring him everyday. Staring at the picture of Lois Lane being held in the air with the man the newspapers were calling Superman, Lex Luthor found one mystery in his life answered unexpectedly. He sat there in his bunk staring at the face of the man in the picture, ignoring the cape and the costume, seeing connections everywhere, even in the colours.

Clark’s colours, he found himself thinking.

Like a kaleidoscope in his head, all became clear to him, the rescue at the bridge, the efforts to hide, the hushed whispers when he walked into the Kent house, why Clark was the only one who could read the markings on the Kawachee caves. It made perfect sense once you had the final piece of the puzzle. In sadness, he realised a few things as well, why Clark couldn’t trust him. Why Clark had let Lana go. For a man who dealt in secrets, Lex realised that it wasn’t him that Clark didn’t trust, it was everyone.

For the first time in years, Lex’s experienced a day where Lana and his wrongful incarceration wasn’t foremost in his mind. He wondered what the information about Superman’s identity was worth. The most reasonable course was to use it to his advantage but in doing so he would prove Lana right about him. She had believed him to be a murderer and he had been able to maintain some moral high ground because he knew it was a lie however, if he revealed who Superman was to the world, he’d lose that and any chance of proving to her he was a good man.

“Luthor,” he heard his name being called from across the courtyard, “you’ve got visitors.”

**************

Clark fidgeted in the hard chair he was sitting on. Sweeping his gaze across the grey walls of the room, his eyes rested on the sunlight pouring through the barred window of the visitor’s room. Surrounded by walls and bars, he didn’t need to use his x-ray vision to get a glimpse of Lex’s brutal world. This room that stank of mould and bodily fluids told him all he needed to know about Lex Luthor’s word during the last five years. All this time, his guilt had been cantered around how he had hurt Lois but sitting in this room, staring at the sky through mesh, Clark began to see that Lex had been similarly wronged as well.

Lois noted Clark’s discomfort and could not deny feeling the same upset. They had both, in completely different ways, condemned Lex to this concrete hell, Clark by his absence and Lois by providing the evidence that led to Lex’s arrest. In five years, she had never made this journey because she didn’t trust herself to be in the same room with Chloe’s killer. Lois’ hate for Lex Luthor had almost been a living thing and now that she knew the truth, that hate had evolved into a guilt just as potent.

Despite her hostility towards Clark, she softened a bit seeing his uneasiness. “You okay?” She asked.

“I’m fine,” Clark replied, meeting her gaze with slight surprise at her question. He didn’t think he warranted sympathy in her eyes. Now more than ever.

Clark’s superhearing picked up the footsteps approaching long before they became audible to Lois and the instant he heard them, his stomach clenched in reaction. Almost involuntarily, he spied a look at Lex as he was escorted down the corridor with a guard. What he saw unnerved him a little. Lex looked the same, bald, same aristocratic features and lean build. There was a scar above his left brow and more lines on his face. However, it wasn’t that Lex looked older but rather harder.

His blue eyes were like flint.

“He’s coming,” was all Clark could say.

Lois too tensed up at that announcement and waited, almost with held breath as Lex appeared through the bars. They were facing him so the instant Lex came into view; he made eye contact with both of them. There was little or not reaction other than a slight curl of his lips as he was shown in.

“Well, well, well,” Lex exclaimed meeting Clark’s gaze as he slipped through the doors and the guard retreated to the back wall of the corridor to afford them privacy enough not to be overheard but in close enough proximity to reach them quickly if the prisoner misbehaved. “The Prodigal Son returns.”

“Hello Lex,” Clark greeted.

“Interesting look,” Lex remarked, noting Clark’s appearance.

“It serves.” Clark answered, waiting for the inevitable to come up.

“I meant the cape,” Lex retorted.

And there it was.

“Look,” Lois spoke up for the first time neither denying or confirming Lex’s statement. Best to leave that wolf at the door for the moment. “Let’s get past this high noon crap shall we? Lex we’re here for a reason.”

“Gee and here I thought you’d came to show your boyfriend what you’ve been up to the last five years since he’s been gone,” Lex said snidely.

“Great Lex,” Lois snorted, “keep being an ass so you can spend the rest of your life in here.”

Lex blinked just enough to show that her words had startled him.

“Lex,” Clark interjected, “I know you didn’t kill Chloe.”

Lex didn’t answer but his sardonic demeanour vanished and his eyes began brittle as glass, waiting or Clark to finish.

Clark paused a moment and then revealed. “It was Fine.”

Suddenly Lex launched himself out of his seat, his hand reaching for Clark’s throat. The guard at the wall raced forwards as Clark grabbed hold of Lex’s arm and shoved him backwards into chair, calling out hastily.

“It’s okay!” He told the man to desist, “I’m fine. Everything’s okay.” The guard who seemed dubious but took Clark at his word when Lex settled back into his seat, glaring daggers at his guests.

”Five years!” he hissed. “I have been sitting in here for five years! Where the hell were you Clark?” Your girlfriend here made sure they crucified me for Chloe’s death and you knew it was Fine all along? Do you have any idea what I’ve gone through? I have a daughter I haven’t seen since she was in diapers. Do you know the only picture I have of her is what I’ve managed to cut out of the papers when they decide to some retrospective on my case! DO YOU?”

“It wouldn’t have made any difference Lex,” Clark said quietly, feeling worse with each word said. “Its not enough to know that Fine killed her, you and I both know that proving it is something else entirely. Lois may have provided the DA with the information that convicted you but if it wasn’t Lois, it would have been someone else. Fine may have killed Chloe but you were the one he intended to destroy.”

Lois had fallen silent, allowing Clark to speak because Lex’s words stabbed at her more than she liked. Five years of being denied his family because she had been tricked into believing the evidence was authentic. She should have known by now that in Smallville, things were never what they seemed but Lois had been so angry at Chloe’s death, she had been willing to take what was in front of her at face value.

Lex smouldered, his fury subsiding like bile in his throat because he knew Clark was right. “Then you can get met out of here,” he glared at Clark. “I know you can. Get me out of here or else…” The threat was clear.

“Or else what?” Lois declared before Clark could respond. “You tell everyone the truth? I don’t know whether you’ve noticed or not Lex, you’re not exactly the most credible source of information lately. Besides, even if such a thing was possible and you escaped, then what?” She challenged. “You’d spent the rest of your life as a fugitive and Lana will still never let you near your daughter. Is that what you want?”

Lex wanted to refute her words but she was right and the only thing that had kept him from going insane inside this place was the hope that maybe, one day he could win his family back. “So what’s the alternative?” He asked bitterly.

“We’re going to find out the truth,” Clark tossing Lois a look of thanks before facing Lex again. “Fine could have killed Chloe at any time, no prison could ever hold him but he didn’t do that, he killed her to ensure that you took the blame for it. If we’re going to get to the bottom of this, we need to know why.”

Lex swallowed thickly, hating the fact that he had to rely on Lois Lane and Clark Kent for his freedom but he had no choice. Lois was right. He could force Clark to free him but that freedom without Lana meant nothing to him. He wanted his life back and to do that, he needed to be proven innocent.

“Alright,” he said after a long pause conceding defeat. “What do you want to know?”

Chapter Seven:

Symmetry

“You should have trusted me.”

It wasn’t as if Clark didn’t expect these words to come from Lex but it surprised him how sharp they felt to hear.

“You gave me no reason to,” Clark retaliated firmly, recovering after the accusation had seeped into the moment and left an indelible stain upon the both of them. “You were so obsessed with the secret that nothing else mattered.”

“Our friendship mattered,” Lex glared at him unflinching, merciless.

Once again, that hurt more than it should have and Clark found no answer to give Lex. He tried not to be affected by the grey walls, the square of light that did not give hope of the world outside, but a cruel taunt to the world denied. He tried not to think that perhaps he should have given Lex the benefit of the doubt.

Lex continued to speak, using the bars around them like a crucible to burn away seven years of deception.

“If I understood why, I would have done everything in the world to protect you and your secret. I never lied to you about my mine Clark, not in the beginning. It was only when the hypocrisy became too much for me that I started. You had the audacity to take the moral high ground while continuing to deceive everyone around you. You broke Lana’s heart because you couldn’t be honest with her. You destroyed our friendship for the same reason and let me guess, I’ll bet Lois here didn’t even get a word of goodbye when you disappeared.”

“Enough.” Lois broke in finally, ending the tirade before it got any worse. She had been silent because guilt had left her inclined to let him have his say but she could see Clark’s eyes and knew each word drew blood. As angry as Lois was with him, there was a part of her that refused to allow Clark to be put through this.

Even if Lex was right on the money about how Clark had left life.

“This isn’t Oprah,” she retorted curtly, “we’re not trying to get in touch with our inner feelings here. We’re here to talk about the Construct and why it had a hard on to get you out of the picture.”

Clark was grateful for her intervention because refuting Lex’s words would mean revisiting an old argument that did not serve any purpose for their current situation.

“I don’t know what could be,” Lex retorted. “I certainly wasn’t involved in anything to do with Kryptonians at the time. Although I won’t deny I was trying to do my part to stop an invasion.”

“An invasion,” Clark found himself blurting out with surprise, “of Kryptonians?” If he only knew how ludicrous that sounded, Clark thought inwardly. He, Kal-El was the last son of Krypton, the others were locked in the Zone, rightfully so.

“Well you have to admit,” Lex retorted snidely, “the ones we’ve come across haven’t exactly been friendly have they?”

Clark threw a glance at Lois and saw her shrug. Lex’s words were hard to deny since Clark himself had asked those questions of Jor-El often enough and no good answer was ever received.

“Those were very specific circumstances,” Clark said evenly. “There’s only one Kryptonian to deal with and he doesn’t plan on an invasion.” It was the closest that Clark would ever get to telling Lex the truth.

“How comforting,” Lex said dubiously. “I wasn’t working on anything related to Krypton. The experiments with 33.1 continued, we had a mishap at one of our facilities and lives were lost. There was water damage and my people were cleaning up the mess, that’s all. Obviously that meant keeping concealed some sensitive material, nothing that would invoke the interest of Milton Fine.”

“Fine wouldn’t just remove you and kill Chloe without good reason,” Clark returned, not believing that Lex had given the entire truth. Despite his accusations of deception, Clark knew that Lex wasn’t above telling a lie to suit his own purposes. “There has to be something more.” He insisted.

Lois studied the interplay between the two men. They were like night and day. Reflections of each other, she thought. She also studied Lex as Clark interrogated him, falling into the background a little so that she could study them. She had interviewed a lot of people in her time and had learned to become a good judge of character, most of the time.

She didn’t think Lex was lying because it seemed to her that he had spent considerable time on this subject, probably every waking day, analysing how he had come to be in this situation. She knew that if she were incarcerated for a crime she did not commit, then she would be thinking really hard on who did.

“What kind of mishap?” Lois asked instead.

Lex blinked, breaking his stare at Clark. The two men were sitting across each other, sharing animosity like a meal, savouring each morsel.

“Seismic instability caused by Zod’s last attempt to take over the world,” Lex answered looking at her. “The facility was located near the Smallville damn and structural failure caused unexpected flooding. A few people drowned,” he shrugged. “Tragic.”

“Another one of your 33.1 laboratories?” Clark accused.

“Yes,” Lex glared at him.

“I doubt the Construct would have any particular interest in meteor freaks,” Clark replied, looking at Lois. “His only interest is in getting Zod into another vessel.”

“Unless he earmarked one of them as a vessel,” Lois pointed out.

“Then why isn’t Zod here?” Lex retorted. “He got me out the way and access to the subjects of 33.1. If it’s all about a vessel, shouldn’t Zod be here by now?”

Clark fell silent thinking. Something was wrong. Something was missing. Lex and Lois were both right. The Construct’s entire reason of being was freeing Zod and it couldn’t do it without access to the Fortress. During all that time that Clark had undergone training, there had been no sign of the Construct. Even if could find another Vessel, the Construct could not open the Zone and allow Zod to take possession of the new body without betraying itself.

“He’s right,” Lois nodded pointed out. “Although Clark, he might be waiting for you to come back. Maybe he couldn’t find what he needed with Lex’s 33.1 project and that’s why he’s stalled. Maybe he needs you[i/].”

“Well,” Lex sat back into his chair, “you’ve made good press in the last two days,” eyeing them both with a mixture of amusement and contempt. “I’m sure he’ll be making an appearance anytime now.”

Clark hadn’t thought of that and while a handful of people knew his identity, even Lex, he was mindful of the damage that the Construct could cause because it knew he was Clark Kent.

“Then I’ll be sure to ask him,” Clark said coolly, showing no sign of concern even though he was inwardly fearing for Lois’ safety. He had been careless once before and it had cost Chloe her life, there was no way he would make that mistake again. “We should go,” he looked at her, satisfied that they had learned all they could from Lex.

“So what happens now, Clark?” Lex asked watching him rise from his chair. “You go off and save the day?” There was nothing but derision in his voice.

“We’re working on it,” Lois retorted hastily, seeing no reason to indulge Lex in this chest thumping exercise. “If there is a way to get you out of here, we’ll find it.”

“Well I’m not going anywhere,” Lex said sarcastically.

Clark stepped to the door of the cell, nodding at the guard who immediately came forward from the far wall, keys jangling as he approached the door.

“I’m sorry this happened to you Lex,” Clark looked over his shoulder at the man still seated at the table. This was his friend once and not for the first time today, he wondered if Lex was right. If he had just trusted Lex with the truth, maybe they wouldn’t have found themselves facing each other in a prison cell. “I never meant for this.”

Lex snorted in disbelief and bitterness.

Lois saw the hurt in Clark’s eyes and felt her heart softened a little. It had been no easier on her, seeing Lex like this and knowing that the crime he had been jailed for was one he didn’t commit. However, innocent was a word used loosely with him and that allowed her to cope with her guilt a bit better. Still when she heard the keys turn in the lock and the heavy clang of the gate being opened, she did feel inclined to speak.

“Lex,” she met his resentful eyes and spoke with a voice that was very unlike Lois Lane, “Laura likes Barney, frosted prink doughnuts and penguins. She has fairies on her wallpaper and your eyes. She’s beautiful, Lex.” Lois said with a bittersweet smile.

And like snow under the sunlight, Lois saw his hatred diminish, fading as he listened with emotion in his eyes that made it glisten. If there was any doubt in her mind that he never truly loved Lana, it vanished then. Whatever else he was, he loved Lana and his child and still did.

“Lana calls her Starbuck, after her favourite book.”

Lex let out a soft sound, it could have even a gasp. He swallowed thickly, trying to compose himself because for an instant, his emotions were naked on his face.

“It’s not her favourite book,” Lex whispered. “Its mine. Starbuck was my favourite character in Moby Dick.”

****************

“You should have trusted me.”

Clark Kent was haunted by those words as he and Lois headed back to the Planet after the interview with Lex was done. When he had walked out of his life to embrace his destiny, everything had seemed so clear. His course was what it should have been from the beginning, embracing his Kryptonian heritage so he could become the amalgamation of two cultures, taking the best that each had to offer. There had been no indecision. After Chloe’s death, it had even seemed imperative but he had done so leaving many things undone.

The first and foremost of course was the harm caused to Lois. Damage he wasn’t convinced would ever be truly repaired, even if things between worked out as he hoped. He had hurt her and for the rest of his life he would have to live with that. He knew she cared and with perseverance, for that was the only thing that worked with Lois, he was confident he could win her back but there would always be sense of betrayal between them.

Unlike Lex, who had lost five years.

Lois’ words had affected Clark as profoundly as they had affected Lex. Despite what he had said to Lex about extricating the millionaire from the Gordian Knot he had become entangled in thanks to the Construct, the truth was, Clark hadn’t even tried. He couldn’t know for certain that things might have been different since he never made the effort. Furthermore, perhaps Lex would have been a different person if Clark had trusted him. His whole reason for creating Section 33.1 was because he believed that there was an eminent Kryptonian invasion. He had every reason to believe it after encounters with Zod, Fine, Nem-Ek and the like. He couldn’t know that Krypton was gone and that other than the few survivors who had been jailed in the Zone, there were no other Kryptonians on Earth except Clark.

If he had known, so many things would be different.

“It’s not your fault,” Lois said, glancing at him from the driver’s side.

“You just got through the last day telling me that it was,” Clark shrugged with a little. “Don’t let me off the hook now.”

“You couldn’t know that the Construct was going to pin the murder on Lex, Clark,” Lois retorted, ignoring his former remark. “I believe it Clark. I believed it enough to authenticate the evidence and hand it over to the District Attorney. If there’s fault to be had, it’s mine. I’m the one who handed the authorities everything they needed to get Lex.”

“You were following the evidence Lois,” Clark said gently, giving her back a little of what she was offering him. “You were doing what any good reporter would do under the same circumstances. What Chloe would have done.”

Lois swallowed thickly, still feeling the sorrow whenever her cousin’s name was brought up. “Maybe,” she returned as she saw the Daily Planet building in the distance, “and maybe I wanted someone to pay for her death.”

Looking to change the subject or at least shift it slightly, or else he was going to reach over and touch her, Clark asked the question he hadn’t gotten around to. “Where did you get the evidence anyway?”

“Lionel Luthor, if you would believe.” Lois replied without hesitation.

“Lionel?” Clark exclaimed visibly shocked. “Lionel gave up Lex?”

“He was pretty shaken up that his kid would murder anyone Clark,” Lois pointed out. “I mean you know better than anyone that Lionel did the whole born again thing after he got out of prison. He knew Lex was capable of a lot but not cold blooded murder.”

“Well we could use his help,” he suggested. “He’d have access to all of Lex’s projects during that time. If there was something that Fine was interested in, Lionel would probably know better than anyone what it could be.”

“Good luck trying to see him,” Lois retorted. “Since Lex’s imprisonment, he’s gone all Howard Hughes. Doesn’t leave the Luthercorp Building, rarely seen in public. I think giving up Lex shook him more than he lets on. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not in the best of health. No one’s really seen him in ages.”

“I think he’d make an exception for me….,” Clark started to say when something caught his attention.

The sound reminded Clark of those old WW2 movies that Jonathan and him was to watch when he was a kid, just after a B-52 bomber released its payload. Looking up, x-ray vision immediately pierced through the canopy of the car into the sky above them. The front carriage of a truck was plunging through the air, its fender leading the charge. Clark had just enough time to throw himself over Lois when it crushed the car beneath like it was paper.

Lois barely had time to utter a scream the roof collapsed above her and she felt Clark’s body over hers, his arms pulling her close to his chest. The force of the impact fractured the bitumen road beneath them like paper, sending chunks of concrete, tar and dust into the air as a fireball exploded when the rest of the truck reached the ground. Cars in front and behind came to a screeching halt as pandemonium broke out.

Lois’ world became a cacophony of explosions, grinding metal, shattering crashes and all the sounds one would equate with a collapsing building. She felt the spray of glass exploded against the destroyed seat and a loss of all senses as the car was driven into the sewer tunnels beneath the road, trailing debris, chunks of rock and metal. Disorientated and confused while events crowded in on her, Lois was aware only that she was with Clark. Clark was holding onto her tight and though she would have died under any other circumstances, her terror was alleviated by the knowledge that he would never allow that.

Suddenly they were moving, she felt the seat belt ripped away, they were tunnelling through all that damage, hearing more sounds of tearing and breakage, burying her face in his chest that suddenly wasn’t wearing the suit but the familiar colours of the S-shield they began to soar. She looked up and saw that he was no longer Clark but Superman punching through the wreckage above the ruined car until they were on street level again. Pushing into sky, Lois looked down gasped at the twisted metal wreck that would have been her coffin if she wasn’t with him.

“Christ Clark,” she exclaimed softly, shaking. Even after all this time, flying with him still sent a shudder through her that was not all apprehension. “What the hell was that?”

“A truck,” he said with a slight smile as he saw the crowd’s attention no longer fixated on the crash but instead on the sight of Superman.

”Someone dropped a truck on us?” Lois blurted out, settling her arms comfortably around his neck, noticing how natural it seemed for him to hold her by the waist. Not like he was rescuing her but rather like they were dancing in mid air.

“The Construct,” Clark concluded grimly. “Lex was right, it didn’t take him long to find us.”

“Why attack us like us this?” Lois asked, her head still whirling from the whole incident. “In the open, not exactly subtle is he.”

Clark had a rough idea why it had done this, “he wants me to know that he knows who to hurt you Lois, that he knows how to get to me.”

This part Lois didn’t miss, being the bait for Clark Kent. However, like with all the ordeals in her life, she recovered quickly. Looking down, she saw they had stopped ascending but were hanging above the street. “Clark put me down, we’re drawing a crowd.”

“Because the truck falling on us didn’t?” He looked at her innocently.

Lois almost smiled, a slight blush filling her cheeks. He was still the only man who knew how to take her crap without flinching. Oddly enough, it had nothing to do with being invulnerable and why she had loved him so much.

“Very funny. Put me down.” She ordered.

“Sure,” Clark said and descended, a small crowd of people swarmed in immediately, cheering and clapping at the rescue, not to mention displaying all kinds of wonder. Police cars were appearing, not to mention fire trucks to put out the fire and contain the traffic chaos caused by the accident or better yet, the rather dramatic message from the Construct. Clearly, it did not approve of them talking to Lex. Once again, Clark was more convinced than ever that Lex was the key to all this.

They had to talk to Lionel Luthor.

Reaching the ground, they were soon swamped by people who wanted autographs and hurled all kinds of questions at him. “I’m sorry folks, I’d like to stay and answer your questions but I need to be elsewhere now,” he spoke.

Lois watched him, reminded of how Jonathan Kent used to address the crowds when he had been campaigning for State Senator. Like his adopted father, Clark used the charismatic yet honest charm to good effect. As he spoke to the crowd, she noted the way they admired him., looking captivated as if something amazing was walking amongst them. A god among men, she thought again. Even the cops weren’t rushing in but acknowledging Superman like he was some force of nature.

“Superman,” Lois said quickly, “can you tell us how this happened?” She asked, remembering that this was a story. Perry would want something quotable. “You saved my life and I thank you but did you see how this happened?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied, playing the part with her. “Clearly this is an unusual occurrence and I’m sure our local authorities will get to the bottom of this. I’m grateful that I was around to help, Miss Lane,” he released his hold of her waist and stepped away from her and Lois realised that she was still in his arms. “Until next time. Do stay out of trouble.” He winked before flying into the air, his cape billowing.

Lois watched him soar, a streak of blue and red that moved across the sky like a comet. It never got old watching him to do that and she did so wearing a little smile on her face. When Lois came back to Earth (so to speak), she noted that every female in the street was staring at her with a mixture of awe and envy.

God, they were never going to stop calling her Superman’s Girlfriend.

**************

Starbuck.

Sitting in his bunk, Lex studied the photograph he had paid a private investigator to take. It took him months to save his allowance to be able to afford one but Lex was determined to have some connection to his family. He studied the image of mother and child, using the photos to keep alive the spirit he feared would die in this place. There were moments when he thought it wouldn’t be enough, that he would finally break as they expected him to. However salvation had came today, from the unlikeliest of places; Lois Lane.

His daughter liked pink doughnuts and fairy wallpaper. She watched Barney and a nickname called Starbuck. It was as if for a few precious seconds, Lex experienced freedom without needing to leave his cell. He wanted so badly to be with Lana and Laura, he couldn’t think straight and yet he knew the morsels fed to him by Lois, meant as a kindness would sustain him. If he could not believe in anything else, he believed Clark Kent would not let him languish in jail when he was innocent. Clark would save him.

It was Clark always did best.

“Luthor,” McKendrick, one of the evening shift guards announced himself by tapping on the bars of his cell. “Warden wants to see you.”

Lex looked up at the guard with surprise. “At this hour?” It was late, almost ten o’clock which was when curfew was up. A request to see him this late was unusual. Nevertheless if the warden wanted to see Lex, there was little he could do to protest the matter. Shown out of his cell by McKendrick, Lex made his second departure from the block escorted by a guard.

Less than five minutes later, Lex was shown into the Warden’s office and but instead of finding a fat, corpulent little man with thick glasses and seemed like a candidate for sex crimes, he found another face from the past.

“Dad,” Lex exclaimed with genuine shock, as he heard McKendrick close the door behind him, leaving him alone with his father in the warden’s office.

Lionel Luthor was seated behind the desk, waiting patiently for Lex’s arrival. The appearance of the younger Luthor did not cause him to stand.

“Hello Lex,” he said coolly. “How have you been?”

“How have I been?” Lex stared at his father incredulously and almost laughed out loud. “After five years of ignoring my calls, speaking to me through your assistant, the charming Miss Graves, you want to know how I’ve been?”

It was so ludicrous, Lex barely able to believe that it was his father was asking him the question.

“Please sit down Lex,” he instructed, “the Warden was kind enough to grant me this audience so we shouldn’t waste any more time in each other’s company than necessary. I hear you had visitors today.”

It didn’t surprise Lex that news of Clark and Lois’ visit wouldn’t filter back to his father. If nothing else, it confirmed Lex’s suspicion that Lionel had been keeping an eye on him all these years, even if the man had disavowed Lex as his son. Lex lowered himself unto the chair and stared at his father from across the desk.

“I’m sure you already know who was here,” Lex retorted. “So let’s not waste each other’s time and get to business, shall we?”

A smile crossed the man’s face and he leaned forward. “I liked you Lex,” he said grinning. “I always did. You were the most single minded human I’d ever encountered. You had so much potential. Pity.”

Time seemed to slow as all the pieces came together in his mind like a terrible mosaic and suddenly, Lex Luthor began to understand.

“Jesus Christ,” he shivered, “Fine.”

“I’m afraid so,” the man across from him shrugged before he began to morph and instead of his father, now was the man…no, not a man, but the machine that had stolen the last five years of his life.

“My father?” Lex almost didn’t want to ask but his gut was churning from a sickening realisation that would not stop until he knew the utter truth, however terrible it was.

“Dead.” The Construct responded with callous indifference. “Five years now. I needed your company Lex and I knew that the only way to get it was to remove you from the equation. I discovered that Chloe was still investigating your Section 33.1 project and that just made it so much easier. You’d go to jail, I’d take your father’s place running the Luthercorp and no one would ever know the difference.”

Lex wanted to tell himself that it was a lie but somehow, it made sense. It was almost beautiful in its symmetry. Of course, he should have seen it before this. His father was many things but even Lex had been shocked by Lionel’s indifference to him ever since the arrest. Lionel would never have allowed a Luthor to see the inside of a prison if it could be avoided. Lionel would have made sure that Lana would never have been able to keep his grandchild from him. Laura was a Luthor and if there was one thing that Lex knew about his father, family was everything.{/i}

“You bastard!” He lunged over the desk for the second time today and for the second time, he was halted by a Kryptonian’s strength, except the Construct was nowhere that gentle. Lex felt himself slammed against the desk hard, the vice like grip of the enemy wrapped around his windpipe holding him in place. “I will destroy you for this! You and your fucking Zod! I swear, you’ll never be free of me!”

“Prison has certainly taken the polish off you hasn’t it?” The Construct sneered, unimpressed. “I wouldn’t concern yourself Lex. By the time I am done with you, you won’t know even know what Krypton is other than noble gas.”

Chapter Eight:

Flying

Lois Lane could feel him.

Slipping out silently through the balcony doors, Lois stepped out unto the small patio that overlooked the city. From this high up, the wind always greeted her, caressing her skin the way flying with him used to feel. She had knew guiltily that part of the reason she took the apartment at all in the first place was the desire to cling to some fragments of how he used to make her feel. Of course, she couldn’t tell this to anyone at the time. He had gone and Chloe was dead. The greatest secret of the century was locked inside her heart and she had never been able to share it with anyone.

They parted company after returning to the Daily Planet. Clark had come stumbling out of the rubble shortly after Superman had taken his leave, claiming that the man of steel had rescued him first and then left him a place of safety before rescuing Lois. The excuse held and everyone bought the story without much fanfare. Lois should have been surprised that they’d accept such a lame excuse but then people also believed in Fengshui. Go figure.

At the Planet, they got to the business of actually writing the story and Lois had to confess, Clark was pretty good. She remembered he had been a decent writer from the days at the Torch until he joined the football team and became star quarterback instead of reporter. She was glad he picked it up again and it seemed the years away had improved the skill. Clark, had a sharp, punchy pro-style that drew in a reader and Lois supposed as writing partners went, Perry could have stuck with someone really bad.

The article written by Lane and Kent headlined the evening edition with a picture someone had managed to snap with their cell phone of yet another Superman rescue of Lois Lane.

By then time the papers hit the newsstand, Lois had taken herself home, needing a shower and some fresh clothes. Being rescued by a man of steel did not prevent her from being with soot, dirt and concrete dust and Lois needed time to think and some breathing room to forget about Clark and Superman for a little bit.

Of course, this was easier said than done when the television was still broadcasting images of Superman whenever possible. When she surfed the channels after a long bath, the television revealed nothing but Superman on the news. It seemed Clark’s evening had been more productive than hers. Robberies foiled, accidents prevented, fire put out and even a claim that he had helped some child’s cat out of a tree. Lois found herself watching, laughing at some of it because it was just so Clark. One cable channel was even carrying out a ‘Superman watch’.

Finally Lois decided that if she wanted to hear nothing of the subject of Superman, she’d have to move to Outer Mongolia.

~~~~~~

Lois could feel herself caving.

It was just too hard not too. Her anger was real and it still hurt to think about how he had just left her and there was quite a bit of hostility in her about that but it was becoming harder to deny that she didn’t still love him. Even when he wasn’t present, she could feel him. It was ludicrous of course, some fanciful idea left over from too many romance novels in her youth but Lois swore it was the truth. Every time she heard the wind or see curtains billowing on an open window, she always felt her heart flutter with hope that he had come back.

It was a hard thing to find destiny and lose it.

Now she realise it had never really been lost but had merely taken a pause.

Five years pining for him, unable to connect to any other man because everyone that came her way was held up to a standard they could never possibly live up to. Lois had become comfortable with her existence, with being alone but now Clark was back and nothing seemed real anymore. None of the truths she had told herself these past five years seemed to hold. Every time she looked at him, it was just another chip at the wall around her heart. She wondered why she was fighting it so hard.

The world saw him as a god but Lois had always loved the man.

She stared into the night, watching the stars, wondering where he was when she heard the whisper of curtains behind her and found herself smiling as she turned around.

“I knew it,” she said with a small smirk, “I knew you were watching.”

Clark stood behind her, in costume, greeting the smile with one of his own. “I was worried about you. After what happened today…”

“You are a jerk.” She said abruptly.

Clark met her gaze with a raised brow. ‘What?”

“You heard me,” she walked towards him and punched him lightly in the shoulder. “You are a jerk.”

Somewhat confused, he decided the best thing to do with Lois when she was like this was to just agree. “Okay, no contest there.”

“You are!” She exclaimed with exasperation. “Do you have any idea what you put me through the last five years? I mean I knew you were off somewhere training but you could have told me! I mean I should have some say in it? You were my Jonathan! You weren’t supposed to just run off on me!”

Okay, now he was confused. “I’m your Jonathan?” She had to be talking about his father of course but Clark was still puzzled by the context.

“Yes!” she threw her hands up in the air, rolling her eyes in frustration. “You were my Jonathan. Your mom told me once that I had to put with all the crappy relationships just so I could meet someone amazing, like she met your dad, her Jonathan. You were mine.”

“Oh,” Clark tried not to smile, wishing he had been using his super hearing to listen in on that conversation. Of course Lois and his mother had always been close. Martha had never come out and said it when he got back but he knew when his mother was upset at him and she had not been pleased at how he had left things with Lois. “I’m sorry, Lois. You’re right.”

“Don’t just say that because you’re know I’m right,” Lois snorted.

Fiery and irrational, Clark thought to himself. How he had missed that.

“Of course,” Clark nodded, playing pitched perfect the boyfriend who was utterly comfortable with his lover’s unpredictable manner.

Lois stared at him. “You are a jerk.” She repeated.

“I’m a jerk,” he agreed. “But I still love you.”

“Yeah you say that,” she retorted, still on a ranting high. “You come back after five years, when I’ll all comfortable with becoming an old maid, got a pretty good rep in this town as a investigative journalist, one I got working alone mind you and the next thing I know, I have a partner, these feelings that confuse the hell out of me and everybody in town thinks I’m Superman’s girlfriend! Do you know how many times Warrior Angel’s girlfriend get tossed out of moving cars, kidnapped by Doctor Destructo or gets turned into a Weirdzilla version of herself to get to him? You might as well have painted a big fat target on my ass!”

Clark listened to her, watching her tirade. There were women who managed to look nothing but shrewish when raging like this but Lois had always managed to appear nothing less than magnificent. Without possessing super powers, she was a force of nature that always left him in awe. He often wished he had her passion, her ability to stand defiantly against things when the odds were impossible or the world wasn't ready to listen.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ll keep my eye on it.” He smirked.

“Oh you’re funny, like a man in that outfit has any reason to joke.” She snorted sarcastically as she turned her back on him.

Sensing a possible thaw, Clark hovered behind her, placing both hands on her waist, waiting to see if she would draw away. She didn’t.

“You’re still in trouble with me, you know.” Lois grumbled but still closed her eyes when she felt his breath on the back of her neck. Did she ever stand a real chance of resisting him? Lois liked to think so but the truth was plain even if she had trouble admitting it. She loved him. She had never stopped.

Clark didn't press, aware from the tone of her voice that she was coming to grips with how she still felt about him. She’d persist in her ambivalence of course, because she was Lois Lane and Lois Lane was incapable of giving up anything without a fight. However he could see she was accepting his return to her life and what that meant for the future. Understandably, she needed time. Clark was willing to afford her that courtesy.

He owed her after all.

“I know,” he said without argument and then added softly, his voice little more than a whisper in her ear. “Fly with me Lois. Just the two of us, no cameras and no world watching. You and me, like we used to.”

Lois blinked slowly and turned around, her arms sliding over his shoulders and around his neck, hazel eyes filling his like it was all the light in the world.

“I thought you’d never ask.” She answered just as softly.

No sooner than she had spoken, Lois heard wind blowing in her ears, almost like the world was letting out a soft, wistful sigh as they lifted off the balcony, leaving the tiled floor beneath them. Like smoke rising into the air, they ascended slowly, passing the private worlds of other peoples, revealed behind every window. Until he roof top was beneath them, shrinking into a column of sparkling steel against and iridescent sky. If she had thought the city was beautiful from her balcony, it could not compare to the canvas of diamond glitter that lay before her now.

Revelling at the sensation of just being with her, Clark took them away from the air above her apartment building, gliding languidly forward over her neighbourhood. It didn’t matter where they were going, only that she was him and for awhile at least, his sins were forgotten. He wasn’t foolish enough to think that her hurt had diminished and inwardly, Clark promised himself that he would spend a lifetime making it up to her. Whatever happened, he would never leave her again.

They flew across the urban glitter, reaching the ocean where the air became heavy with salt and gulls flew by them, squawking with momentarily puzzlement before continuing on journeys of their own. He watched her laugh, heard her intake of breath when she saw something beautiful that touched her, felt her draw closer to him when the air grew cold, surprising himself with the realisation that his training had allowed him to see galaxies and still nothing compared to being with her like.

They rarely spoke during these flights together, even back in Smallville. There was something terribly intimate about the moment, something that transcended speech. Everything they needed to say each other could be conveyed with a look or a smile. What need was there of speech when each time she flew with him, it was her life she was putting in his hands. There were no words written that could truly express her faith in him each time she willing stepped off the edge and trusted that he would not let her fall.

Lois had forgotten how wonderful it felt to fly with him.

When she was like this, the hard edged reporter disappeared and the woman she wished she could be all the time appeared, vulnerable and unafraid to need. He was the only man she ever felt safe with, long before she ever heard of Krypton. Even before she knew he was extraordinary, he had occupied a place in her heart she never did understand. Only with him, could be she herself and not be embarrassed or fearful that her emotions would be perceived as weak. Finding out about his abilities had made her not just respect him but admire him for what he tried to do. That idealism she too often mocked was the best thing about him and now, as Superman, the world was sharing in same sense of hope.

His birthright had made him an outsider. Her love for him had made him a man but destiny had made him a hero.

*************

When they finally returned to her balcony, it didn’t feel like hours but only minutes had passed. Setting her down, Clark gazed into Lois’ eyes and knew that she was as overwhelmed as he by how powerfully they affected each other. Even after all this time.

“I should go,” he said after a long pause.

Lois nodded, unable to think of what else to say.

“I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” Clark took a step back, thinking it would feel surreal to sit a few desks away from her in the newsroom of the Daily Planet after a night together like this.

“Bright and early,” she said regrouping. “I’ll try and get an appointment with Lionel.”

“Yeah,” Clark nodded and turned away, his cape swirling around him like a wave of red.

Lois watched him prepare to fly off when suddenly she called out. “Wait!”

Clark paused and started to turn around when she came to him, arms wrapping around his neck to pull him close. Her lips pressed against his and Clark felt his breath catch by how exquisitely she tasted just like he remembered. He reacted to her immediately for Clark had no power when it came to Lois. A rush of desire he could feel to his very soul overcame him and he was kissing her back, his tongue sliding into the invitation of her parting lips, duelling heatedly with her own. For a few minutes, their world had contracted into the singularity of the kiss, where neither thought nor time had any place. It lasted for as long as it would last, until they had drained each other of their need and finally pulled a part.

There could be so much more but upon mutual agreement unspoken, Clark realised this was enough for now.

“Good night,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.

“Good night,” Lois whispered back, “Smallville.”

*******************

He was innocent.

He woke up every day with that thought in his mind, refusing to let it go, no matter how many people stared at him like he was still insane to keep up the charade after five years inside. He kept it in his mind, like a mantra, with each letter he wrote to Lana that was returned, with each new appeal that reached its inevitable conclusion with denial. Lex knew he was innocent of killing Chloe Sullivan.

There were many things that he was guilty of, some too atrocious to name and had he been incarcerated for those, he would have accepted it because that was the risk one took when one played dangerous games. However, in the death of his wife’s best friend, he refused to accept it. At times Lex wondered if this was a bad dream, some nightmare scenario devised by a chemical concoction at Bellevue Sanatorium. Then he’d wake up to the stench of urine and the snores of the man in the bunk above him and know that all of it was real. He’d lay awake for most of the night, fighting the urge to weep in the dark for that was the refuge of prisoners unable to hide from themselves, unable to hide from the truth.

Sometimes, he’d stare at the picture of the little girl with the dark hair and his mother’s eyes and tried to vanquish the ache that gnawed at him, knowing that she had no idea who he was. All his life, he had wanted a family, not the dysfunctional, manipulative entity that Lionel Luthor had fostered but a real family, where a husband and wife loved each other and the children they created. He didn’t blame Lana for her actions, for taking his daughter away from him. Even though she had never answered, Lex kept his letters true to the affection in his heart, he still loved her and he still wanted to be apart of her life and that of their daughters.

The unfairness of it was more than he could stand at times.

“Luthor,” he heard his name being called as he looked at the slop on his tray that passed for breakfast. Looking up, the guard McKendrick glared at him impatiently, “you’ve got a visitor.”

*******************

Even though Clark Kent was yet to come down from the euphoria of the previous night, he felt compelled to come here alone without Lois. In retrospect, Lex’s words had made him realise how unfair he had been to the people in his life, even before he left for a five year exile. Lex’s grief at being parted from his daughter for his wrongful imprisonment had been the only thing that could douse the happiness Clark felt right now. Clark decided that in the same manner that Lois had always trusted him, it was high time he offered that same leap of faith to Lex Luthor.

Lex had tried to be his friend. Despite everything that came later, Clark knew that the attempt had been real. Lex had needed their friendship to anchor him and Clark had failed him in more ways than any Kryptonian would care to admit. Whatever dark path Lex had eventually found himself, Clark had done plenty to ensure Lex had found it. Perhaps not all of Lex’s choices were his doing but there could not be any denying the damage his lies had inflicted upon their friendship and ultimately on Lex Luthor’s soul.

If nothing else, Clark wanted to say he was sorry.

Once again in the interview room surrounded by bars, Clark waited for Lex Luthor to appear, wondering what he would say to the man that could possibly make up for all the lies and deceptions. Not to mention the five years he had spent in this place, separated from his family because Clark had decided to abandon all that he knew because of his guilt. How could Clark face Lana one day and tell her that she had abandoned Lex on a false belief? How could he look at the little girl and know that he was the reason she had no father?

Once again, he saw Lex appear before he actually arrived at the cell and Clark took a deep breath, bracing himself for Lex’s hostility. Even though he was invulnerable, Lex always had a way with words that was capable of drawing blood when the mood took him. Verbal sparring was something he was never good at because Clark didn’t know how to be cruel. Not unless infused with red kryptonite that is.

Lex looked through the bars at Clark and raised a brow.

“My God,” he exclaimed. “How long has it been?”

Clark rolled his eyes as the guard opened the cell door and delivered Lex to his visitor. The inmate stared at him with astonishment Clark didn’t understand before Lex lowered himself into the chair facing him.

“Very funny Lex,” Clark retorted once the guard had retreated and left them alone a bit. “Your sense of humour was always on the edge of good taste.”

“I’m surprised you remembered,” Lex continued to stare at him. “How long has it been?”

“How long has it been? ” Clark stared at him unamused. “I know the days are supposed to be long in prison Lex, but I’m sure it would take more than 24 hours before your memory started fading.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Lex looked at him as if he had grown a second head or came from Krypton. “It is Clark Kent, right?”

“Of course it’s Clark Kent,” Clark was starting to get annoyed. Like Lois, Lex seemed to find new levels of creativity when it came to annoying him. “We just talked yesterday.”

“I seriously doubt that,” Lex balked at the suggestion. “I haven’t seen you since Smallville.”

For a moment, Clark thought Lex was playing one of his games but the confusion and puzzlement in Lex’s eyes did not seemed manufactured. Lex had been a consummate actor when the need demanded and it had taken time for Clark to see through his façades but see through it he did and this time there was no sign of deception in the man’s eyes. A very uneasy feeling began to seep into Clark’s bones at that moment and almost fearing to ask, Clark spoke. “When Lex? When was the last time you saw me in Smallville?”

Still wearing that expression of disbelief, Lex replied, “After I bought you that truck for saving my life.”

Jesus Christ.

“Lex, that was almost 12 years ago,” Clark blurted out. “That’s the last time you remembered seeing me?”

Lex seemed to lapse into thought for a moment, appearing as if he were a man having a very odd day. “Wait,” he said after a few seconds of consideration. “I do remember…”

“You do?” Clark stared at him, perhaps Lex was joking after all. The man was the best liar he had ever met. Maybe he was being an ass and trying to get to Clark for in some juvenile fashion.

“Yeah you were at my wedding,” Lex answered. “I always thought it was funny that Lana wanted to invite her old boyfriend but if that’s what she wanted…”

“Lex, what does the Kawatche caves mean to you?” Clark demanded, becoming more desperate, realising that while he had been with Lois last night, he had left Lex unprotected, just as he had left Chloe defenceless and now, now it seemed as if the Construct had managed to destroy yet another one of his friends.

“Clark I don’t what this is about,” Lex started to stand up, “but its cease to be amusing.”

“What does it mean, Lex!” Clark almost shouted, bring the guard forward again.

“I don’t know!” Lex retorted just as sharply, “Weren’t they some caves in Smallville?”

Clark closed his eyes, feeling his jaw tighten and his stomach hollow with despair because Lex Luthor stared at him and didn’t see a friend or a rival.

He saw a stranger.

Chapter Nine:

Investigations

Despite what had transpired between the night before, Lois was still determined to project an image of complete professionalism while working with Clark Kent the reporter. Her early career had been a struggle to gain credibility. Oddly enough, people who started working at the National Inquisitor didn't always find their way to the top of the food chain at Daily Planet. Lois had to overcome a great deal of prejudice when she first joined the Planet. Therefore she was not at all eager to dismantle all her hard work by allowing her colleagues to see that she was hooking up with the first rookie that Perry partnered her with.

Arriving at her desk the next morning, she noted the Clark wasn't at his desk and surmised he must be doing 'Superman' stuff. It was astonishing to her how quickly that word was becoming a part of every day vernacular. This morning on her way to work that was all she seemed to hear being discussed. Superman. Was he real? Where was the planet Krypton? How could someone who looked so human be so strong? Children were running around with red sheets and towels tied around their necks while vendors on street corners were selling Superman merchandise. The family crest for the House of El was being stamped on stickers, dolls, hats and t-shirts.

Lois doubted that Clark could have foreseen the S-shield was becoming as popular as the smiley face.

It was fascinating really. By the time she arrived at her desk, Lois was seriously considering writing a story about Superman's effect on the social consciousness. Although she had insight into the persona of Superman that would never see the light of print, Lois felt that she could write a Superman story that wasn’t at all sensationalist like the others seeing print right now. In any case, she and Clark had a more important story to work on right now; the freedom of Lex Luthor. While she felt guilty that an innocent man had been separated from his freedom for the last five years, Lois’ found her thoughts centred mostly on that apartment above the Talon where Lana Lang brought frosted pink doughnuts to her little girl

She owed it, not to Lex to uncover the truth but also Lana Lang and her daughter.

“Hey Lois,” Jimmy said coming to her desk, “Looks like Superman came to your rescue again. ” He pointed out furtively.

Lois rolled her eyes. Honestly, the guy was her best friend but he just had no talent for subterfuge. This was why Lois never took him undercover.

“Yes he did,” Lois retorted, unloading her handbag of her phone and a few other necessities she liked to keep on her desk for the day, including her lucky Troll Doll. “I’m thinking of taking out a restraining order,” she said distractedly.

“Lois!” Jimmy exclaimed. “Come on,” he said in a soft voice. “Give the guy a break, I mean he’s done everything but grovel that he’s sorry about what he did and you have to admit, saving your life is a pretty good reason to forgive him……Ow…ow….ow Lois that hurts!”

Lois kept his earlobe firmly pinched between her fingers, “Jimmy, don’t make me get surly on you.” She glared continuing maintain her grip. “You know that ‘you know who and I have some issues to resolve and while grovelling is definitely required, that is something that should not be discussed here.” She scolded before finally letting him go.

“Okay, okay,” Jimmy winced rubbing his ear. “You know you turn me on when you do that.”

Lois groaned in exasperation. “Why do I let my sister date you?” She gave him a look.

“Because I’m handsome and desperate?” Jimmy gave her a smirk of mischief.

“Oh that must be it,” she shook her head, a look that James Olsen knew to be a sign that Lois was washing her hands of him.

Suddenly, his attention shifted to the main doors to the newsroom and threw her a sly glance. “Let the grovelling commence,” he said quietly and was hit with by a crumpled post-it note for his trouble.

Lois shot Jimmy a glare before shifting her gaze to Clark when suddenly; the look of him made drove the playful banter she had been enjoying with Jimmy out of her mind. If the situation had been different, it might have irritated Lois just how quickly she was able to recognise the shadow across Clark’s face as he entered the newsroom. As it was, the only thing she could think of what was had put that haunted expression there to begin with. Rising to her feet, she gave Jimmy a look that told him to cover for her and stood up, facing Clark before her eyes touched the ceiling briefly enough for him to understand her meaning.

Clark said nothing, recognising the signal easily. He turned on his heels and went out the way he came. Fortunately, the hustle and bustle of the newsroom allowed this behaviour to go about unnoticed and people were more than accustomed to seeing Lois Lane hurrying out of the room without explanation, usually on the heels of a hot story.

A few minutes later, they were facing each other on the roof and the question that Lois had been bursting to ask all the way up the elevator, where they were surrounded by other people finally exploded from her

“What is it?” She asked as she saw Clark drift to the edge and stare across the city, like a man needing to catch his breath and recover from some terrible news. “What’s happened?” She demanded almost afraid to ask.

“Its Lex,” Clark spoke after a moment, unable to dispel the sickening feeling in his stomach that had followed him all the way from the prison. “I went to see him this morning,” he revealed, still facing the urban sprawl surrounding the planet. “I don’t know I guess I wanted to tell him that he was right, that I should have trusted him. All he ever wanted was my friendship and trust but I could never give it to him. I wanted to say I was sorry, that our friendship did matter.”

These were painful things he was recounting to her. Despite all the anguish of the past five years and even after last night, what he had done could not be easily forgiven and such were the sins he would have to bear. She made up her mind last night that she loved him and she would try to understand what he done but she had no idea what to say to him here. She could not absolve him, only Lex could.

Still it wasn’t in her to give up without trying. Especially when it seemed like his torment had to do with more than just a confession to Lex about the mistakes of their mutual past.

“Smallville,” she used that familiar nickname as a first step to healing, “you did what you had to do…”

Clark blinked slowly and replied, “Lois he doesn’t remember anything.”

“What?” she exclaimed.

“He doesn’t remember anything,” Clark repeated himself slowly. “The Construct erased his memories. It got to him in prison last night and took everything he knew about me, Krypton, our friendship, everything for the last 12 years.”

“Are you sure?” She asked mostly out of horrified astonishment. Of course Clark was sure. He would not be so anguished otherwise. “What about Lana and his daughter, prison, Section 33.1….” she stammered a response.

“He remembers Section 33.1 as far as experimenting on meteor freaks but anything to do with Krypton and me is gone. As far as he knows, I’m Lana’s old boyfriend and I saved his life a couple of years ago. Other than that, he has no memory of who I really am.”

Lois didn’t know whether or not she ought to be horrified or grateful at hearing the extent of Lex’s mindwipe. Although she would not voice it to Clark, there was an advantage in having Clark’s Kryptonian heritage kept a secret from Lex Luthor. If they did prove he was innocent and Lex was freed, it was a powerful secret that Lex would be privy to. Lois wasn’t entirely sure she would want Lex to have that kind of power over Clark.

Clark would never think of such things because his grief came from something much kinder but Lois felt it was up to her to be the cynic for both of them.

“That damn Construct,” he hissed angrily, “It took Chloe from me and now its taken Lex too!” Clark could feel the rage build up in him until he wanted to smash something into a thousand pieces in sheer fury.

“Clark I’m so sorry,” Lois said placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “We’ll find it and we’ll stop it.” Her heart ached to see his sorrow. Five years had changed none of the effect of it upon her. She was accustomed to being strong for him and old habits were hard to break. Reaching for his cheek, Lois made him look at her and when Clark turned to meet her eyes, she saw the moisture in his.

“He was my friend Lois,” Clark whispered, “I was never there for him when it mattered, not then and not now. Lex asked me not to give up on him but I was so jealous by the possibility he could give Lana something I couldn’t that I let him drift. Now he’s lost forever.”

“No,” Lois said firmly, “he’s not. Okay, he doesn’t remember you but he’s not lost. He’s got a wife and child waiting for him. We have to focus and get him out of there. We both owe him that.”

That part was the truth at least.

Pulling him to her, Lois held him close, wondering what it was about this man needing her that made her feel so complete. It was so easy to forget that even if he could carry the world on his shoulder and possessed a heart just as big, Clark Kent hurt like anyone else, sometimes more because he cared so much. She always felt the need to protect him for that, to keep the world’s ugliness from tainting the hope he saw in other people, even when they themselves didn’t see it.

***************

A short time later, they were back in the newsroom. Clark had pulled himself together with Lois’ help and showed no signs of his earlier distress. If nothing else, Lois rather marvelled at how he was able to slip into character when required. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Clark had been wearing masks at one time or another during his life. Just because they weren’t the literal kind didn’t make them any less effective. Once Clark dealt with his anguish over Lex’s mind rape, he focussed himself on finding the Construct with an intensity that channelled his outrage somewhat.

Commandeering the conference room where Perry held his bullpen meetings for the entire staff, Lois, Clark and Jimmy sat around the large table, pooling their resources. Once Jimmy learnt what they had been working on, he insisted on being apart of it. Although he and Chloe had not been a couple for quite some time before her death, Jimmy still grieved for her. More so now that he was privy to the secret that she had been forced to keep from him at the cost of their relationship.

“Well I guess Lex is a dead end now,” Lois sighed, noticing Clark’s jaw tighten at the statement. “Sorry Smallville,” she cast him a look of apology.

“It’s okay Lois,” Clark replied, unable to deny that piece of truth. “You’re not wrong, we can’t rely on Lex for information. The Construct’s made sure he’s not talking.”

“What is it this thing is so determined to keep a secret, CK?” Jimmy spoke out loud once he had been filled in.

“I have no idea,” Clark shrugged. “I always thought it was about Zod. That’s all the Construct’s energies seemed to be focussed on. Getting Zod out of the Phantom Zone.”

Jimmy was still finding this all a bit surreal but then the reason Lois had invited him into this discussion was so they could get a fresh perspective. “We sure about that?”

Clark stared at him, “Its programming wouldn’t let it do anything else,” he insisted.

“I’m convinced that it’s still about Zod,” Lois retorted, throwing her weight behind Clark’s assertion. “Computers just don’t change programming. I mean sure this one is an upgrade up from your usual Windows PC but it’s still a machine.”

“I just can’t believe a machine would go to the trouble to kill Chloe to frame Lex,” Jimmy retorted, doodling the ‘S’ shield on a pad much to Clark’s chagrin. “I mean if it could impersonate anyone, why not someone closer to home, like Lionel or maybe even Lana. You think a machine would decide to go for speed, not conspiracies.”

Clark didn’t even want to go down that road. “It wouldn’t make sense to kill Lana... they were happily married with a baby.”

“Okay, Lionel then,” Jimmy moved on quickly. “Oldest story in the book, dad teaches boy to run company, boy grows up, kills dad for company. I mean they would have arrested him in a minute. If getting Lex out of the way was the point, why not take out Lionel? It took weeks for them to find Chloe.”

Clark didn’t like to think of it but Jimmy’s rather impersonal commentary did make him think. Clark had searched everywhere for Chloe when she disappeared but the Construct had ensured that she wasn’t found for some time. If it was simply to remove Lex, why take such trouble to dispose of the body? Why did it need time before Lex’s arrest? What had it been preparing for?

“Well it made sense,” Lois replied but like Clark, she too was thinking. “I mean Chloe was investigating Lex and Section 33.1.”

“Yeah but she’s been after Lex for years about that,” Jimmy pointed out. “I’m just kind of surprised that of all the potential targets the Construct came up with to frame Lex, he picked Chloe.” He finished off by reaching for his cup of coffee and downing it.

Lois stared at Jimmy, her mind moving faster than a locomotive as other thoughts began to fill her head. Chloe was pretty closed mouth about her stories after Lois went to work on the Inquisitor, which was fair enough because they always had a friendly rivalry going. After she died, Lois had inherited all of her notes and papers from the Planet since Uncle Gabe couldn’t bring himself to clear out her desk and left that task to Lois. She herself had barely been able to keep it together when she cleared out her cousin’s desk but she never actually looked at any of those notes or even Chloe’s beloved laptop. It was still sitting in a box in the closet.

“Lois…” Clark noted her faraway expression.

“Clark, we don’t know for sure that she was working on a Section 33.1 story,” Lois met his gaze. “I got the information that she was looking into it after[/] her death.”

“So we don’t know what Chloe was working on when she died?” Jimmy stared at the two of them.

“Not really,” Lois explained, “She disappeared and Clark started looking everywhere for her. We rang the police and I called and spoke to Perry for the first time. He’d told me she’d been assigned to some toxic dumping story in Smallville. Something about pollutants in the water coming from the Smallville dam. It wasn’t supposed to be a high risk assignment. Perry figured it was local fertilizer plant or something dumping chemicals.”

“I remember,” Clark nodded, also recalling the futility of searching everywhere for Chloe and finding nothing, never believing for one moment that it was already too late.

“So how did she go from toxic waste to Section 33.1?” Jimmy declared.

“Wait,” Lois remembered something important then, something from the day before. “Remember what Lex said yesterday?”

Clark looked at Lois for a moment, recounting what Lex had told them before reaching the same deduction. “Yeah, Lex said there was some kind of mishap at the Section 33.1 facility at the Smallville dam. Some structural failure caused by Dark Thursday.”

“Oh that can’t be a coincidence,” Jimmy looked at them both. “Maybe Chloe stumbled right into what the Construct was doing and was killed because of it.”

“Yeah to cover it up,” Lois followed the train of thought, “he impersonated Lex, told her to come to the mansion and killed her there while Lex was on the road.”

“I can’t see Lois going to the mansion if Lex asked her,” Clark countered, “she knows better.”

“Well if this thing can be anyone,” Jimmy suggested, “why not Lana?”

“Oh damn,” Lois realised how easy it was for Chloe to have been duped. “Yeah she’d go for Lana and she wouldn’t tell you.”

“But we were dating then,” Clark insisted, hating to think that Chloe could have been led to her death out of some misguided attempt to spare his feelings about Lana Lang. He had gotten over Lana well and truly by then.

“Right,” Lois rolled her eyes. “And you were just so easy to talk to on the subject of Lex Luthor and Lana Lang.” She reminded.

”You were kind of obsessed back then CK.” Jimmy added.

“Okay, okay,” Clark grumbled, agreeing to disagree for the sake of the discussion. “Point taken.”

“Clark, you need to get to that dam,” Lois said firmly. “You need to run your super peepers over the place and see if the Construct is hiding something there. Maybe that’s its hideout or something.”

“I’m not going anyway without you,” Clark retorted and before she could protest, added. “The Construct mind wiped Lex last night Lois. I’m not taking any chances, if we go to Smallville. It will be together.”

“Well you two go poking around the Smallville dam and you’re going to bring the T1000 to you for sure.”

“Maybe that’s not a bad idea,” Clark replied tautly. The Construct had caused enough grief in his life that Clark wanted a shot at stopping it permanently. Even if it meant using himself and Lois as bait to draw it out. Better if it showed its face then allow it to move about covertly, attacking his friends and stealing years of their memories.

“Smallville, I want you to kick the crap out of it as well but we need to play it smart,” Lois spoke, reaching for his hand across the table and squeezing it in a show of support. “We need to find some evidence to prove Lex didn’t kill Chloe. If we go charging in there, drawing the Construct out before we have a chance to investigate, Lex will pay the price.”

Jimmy had an idea, “well maybe you two should stay right away from it for now. Chances are it’s watching you two right? I mean it dropped a truck on you in broad daylight, it will figure out you’re heading to Smallville. Let me go.” He suggested.

“No way!”

“Forget it!”

Both Lois and Clark echoed their protest in unison.

“Oh you two don’t sound married,” Jimmy snorted sarcastically, drawing a look from both. “Look I’ll go up there and check it out, bring my trusty camera along and take a couple of pictures like it’s for some nature retrospective. The T1000 isn’t going to give a damn, no pun intended, if I go and take a few snapshots. If will know something is up if you two go there.”

Lois met Clark’s gaze, “he might have a point.”

He did have a point, Clark frowned hating to admit it. The Construct was probably expecting Clark’s presence at some point and it probably had ways of detecting a Kryptonian life sign if there was something at the dam worth concealing.

“Alright,” Clark finally conceded defeat, not liking this idea but accepting for the moment that this was the best course of action. “But you check in every half hour. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll be on my way and you know just how fast I can get there.”

“Scouts honour,” Jimmy smirked with a hand over his chest. “Every half an hour.”

“While he’s doing that,” Lois stood up from her chair, “you and I have to something to do as well.”

“What?” Clark didn’t like the idea of leaving Jimmy to do this alone but if Lois had another lead, then they had to follow it. Somehow, they had to weave through this tapestry of murder and subterfuge the Construct had spent five years creating.

“We’re going to my apartment,” Lois sighed not at all liking what came next. “Only one person can tell us what she was working on when she died and that’s Chloe.”

TO BE CONTINUED

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