Lois & Clark Forums Forums Superman In Other Canon Superman In Other Canon Fanfic Hidden Threats (Smallville) (1/6?)

Many heartfelt thanks to KatherineKent for her awesome artwork!!!

~L&C~

The wait is over!! Here's part 1!! I will be posting slower than the other story, simply because I am not as far ahead. But I know you guys are eager to see what happens, so I thought it better to post slowly than not at all. I have 5 and half parts written at this point, and will post judiciously to keep me ahead of things. At the VERY least once a week, and if things get rolling, twice a week. Happy reading!!

Sequel to Hidden Consequences : Hidden Threats


Part 1

It had been years since Lois had been on base. She had forgotten how closely she was watched, how everything and everyone was under surveillance. There were always certain protocols to follow, and lots of ‘yes, sir’s or ‘no, ma’am’s. It was a confined, clear as black and white, kind of place.

No wonder the General loved it here.

Growing up, Lois had been taught that there was a right way and a wrong way, with no shades of gray. She had learned over the years that wasn’t always the case, but it always had to appear to the General as so.

She just hoped this was a clear black and white situation in his eyes. She couldn’t bear for him to shut her out or judge her one more time…

Lois needed her father’s help.

This time, the Blur couldn’t swoop in and save the day.

~L&C~

Lois stared at Clark for what seemed like minutes.

“What do you mean, he’s gone?” she asked quietly, barely able to breathe.

Clark sighed and hung his head, not meeting her eyes. “I don’t know… but there were tire tracks in the driveway—“

“He’s gotta be somewhere on the farm, Clark. Surely he just got out of his crib and—“ she said logically, feeling her grasp of the possibilities edging out of her with every word.

Clark held up the tiny giraffe, his eyes eloquent with sorrow. “I don’t know how he’d make it to the end of the driveway on his own, Lois… Someone definitely took him.”

Lois stood up, gripping the back of her chair for strength as she began to see her world crumble around her. “Who would take a baby? And why?”

Clark stepped in the room, glancing at Chloe who nodded and quietly left.

“Lois, we’re going to get him back,” he said softly. “I promise. We’ll figure out who did this and—“

Tears were streaming down Lois’ face. “How can you hear a fire alarm ten blocks away, but you are unaware that our own son is being kidnapped?” she said deliberately, cruelly. She didn’t know why she felt the need to twist the knife deeper into his own heart, but only she felt panicked, and terrified.

Her comment struck Clark right in the chest, hitting her target with painful aim. “I—I don’t know… I was so focused on this being our day. I—“

Lois turned from him, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don’t understand how this happened. “ She whipped around and pointed accusingly at the door. “There is a room full of heroes down there, and not one of them saw or heard anything?”

“Lois, please. We’ll figure this out,” Clark said, trying to sound calm and soothing.

“Go find him, Clark… “ she said heatedly. “Just—go. And don’t come back until you’ve found him,” her consonants clipped with anger, driven out of her by her panicked fear.

Clark nodded curtly, looking hurt, and terribly guilty.

There was a sudden whoosh out the door, and Lois was alone once more…

~L&C~

Lois approached her father’s office, full of trepidation. It had been almost a month since she had last seen him, since he had accused her of making a horrible mistake. But she needed his help.

Sarah Johnson, Sam Lane’s secretary, knew Lois. She gave Lois a surprised greeting.

“Is the General in?” Lois asked, standing up straighter to have the appearance of confidence.

“Yes, Miss Lane. But I didn’t know he was expecting you.”

“He’s not. But he is my father. I’m thinking that should get me some pull around here, right?” Lois said, making a move towards the general's office.

Sarah smiled and lifted her phone to announce Lois in the Sam Lane's office, but Lois lifted her hand. “Please, don’t tell him I’m here. Can I just walk in?”

Sarah seemed to war with herself over protocol, but then she saw something in Lois’ expression that eventually allowed her to wave Lois in the office with just a gesture.

Lois squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. She had to do this. For Joel.

~L&C~

The farmhouse was empty except for Chloe taking down the wedding decorations and putting everything back in order.

Lois lay on the sofa in sweatpants and a t-shirt, still in her bridal up-do and makeup. She stared down at her cellphone, waiting for a call from Clark. Since he left with the other heroes, she hadn’t heard anything from him.

“I told him not to come back until he finds Joel,” Lois murmured forlornly.

Chloe paused in putting away the dishes and stood in the living room. “I’m sure he’ll call or come back soon, Lois. He knows you didn’t really mean it.”

“But I did when I said it,” Lois said, glancing up at her cousin, tears in her eyes. “I know it wasn’t Clark’s fault, but I all but blamed him, Chloe. And all I want is for him to walk through that door right now… even if he hasn’t found Joel—and hold him, and let him hold me.”

Chloe sat down on the sofa beside Lois. “It will be all right, Lois. The whole team is on the case. We have the best resources in the world at our disposal. They will find him.”

“But will Clark come back if they don’t?”

“He will, Lois. Of course he will,” Chloe answered confidently.

“Do you think we were right not to call the police? I mean, I know our guys can handle a lot, but what if—“

“Lois, you can’t run yourself in circles. Something will turn up. I’m sure of it.”

~L&C~

The General was facing the window, chewing on a stogie. Lois had encouraged him to quit smoking, but he loved the taste of tobacco too much.

She cleared her throat, suddenly feeling it tight with tears. She needed her father right now, and she couldn’t help the trembling inside if he rejected her again, and chose not to help her.

“General—“ she said, trying to sound strong, except the word tripped out much softer than she intended.

She saw his back straighten and heard him sigh. “What are you doing here, Lois?” he asked, still facing the window.

“You know I wouldn’t be here unless I had no other choice. Someone’s kidnapped Joel.”

He turned around and set the stogie on his desk. He set his palms on the edge and stared down at his shoes as he thought a moment.

Lois wasn’t sure if he was about to lash out at her, so she very hesitantly made her way over to him. “Daddy, please—“

He stood up again and then walked over to a filing cabinet. He did some quick shifting through files, and then pulled one out. Sam walked over to his daughter and tossed the file onto his desk, spilling half of its contents.

“I had that Clark Kent of yours investigated, Lois.”

She looked up at him, trying to stem her anger to hear him out.

“I couldn’t find anything… except when I dug a little deeper, and looked at his circle of friends. You are mixed up with a vigilante, Lois. I’d start there,” he said with a curt nod to the folder.

“You had Clark investigated and you think he is responsible for the kidnapping of his own son?” she asked slowly, shocked.

“All I’m saying is I wouldn’t put so much faith in him.”

“Well, if I should investigate my own fiancé, then can you give me access to that folder?” she asked angrily, mad at herself for even thinking her father would be of help.

“You know I can’t do that, Lois,” he said, gathering the contents and putting the folder back in the cabinet.

Lois carefully noted where he put it; it might be useful in the future.

She pursed her lips, her arms akimbo as she seethed with hurt and anger. “So that’s it. That’s all the help you’ll give me in looking for my son? Accusing Clark?”

The General picked up his stogie and turned once more to the window, crossing his arms behind his back.

She was about to spin out of there on her heel, but the General glanced back towards her, over his shoulder.

“Lois, I do hope you find my grandson.”

She turned and left the office, breaking into a near run as she passed the secretary’s desk.

Lois had to get off base before anyone saw her tears.

~L&C~

Clark returned around 4 AM the morning after Joel’s disappearance. He and Bart had run around Smallville and the nearby area, scouring for a clue. When none turned up, they all had headed to Watchtower, to see if they could find any trace of Joel.

“It’s like he just—disappeared,” Clark said forlornly.

Oliver was trying to access street cameras. “We need Chloe here. I’m not that good at this.”

Clark sighed. “Lois needs her right now. We can do this, Oliver. Surely there’s a clue out there somewhere.”

But hours of scouring video footage didn’t turn up anything. Eventually AC suggested that they wait for a ransom notice of some kind.“If it is a kidnapping—I mean, what else would they want from a baby?”
he said logically.

They all agreed to call it quits for now, and to see if anything turned up in the morning.

Except Clark couldn’t give up. He was tired, but he was more heartsick. The look of utter fear and disappointment in Lois’ eyes was burned into his brain. He couldn’t return to her without any answers, without any clues.

Still, he needed to see her. He wanted desperately to hold her, for them both to shore each other up for the difficult days ahead.

Clark breezed back to the farm. The house was dark, and he hoped that meant Lois was asleep. He stepped inside, and found Chloe asleep on the couch. At least Lois hadn’t been all alone all night. Oliver was right that they could have used Chloe, but she was more needed here.

Quietly, Clark blurred upstairs, so as not to make any noise.

Lois was asleep in their bed. He saw Joel’s toy giraffe on her nightstand, and knew she had probably taken hours to get to sleep, worried about their son. Clark approached the bed quietly, though he didn’t want to disturb her. She needed her strength.

Ever so gently, he leaned down and gave her brow a kiss. “I’ll find him, Lois. I promise,” he whispered.
Then he blurred away into the night, to keep looking for any trace of their lost son.

Lois stirred with the sudden gust in the air and her eyes fluttered open. “Clark?” she called out, but heard no answering reply.

A pain twisted in her chest as she settled herself back under the covers.

He hadn’t come home.

It had only been a dream…

~L&C~

Lois needed to get to that file. She had to know what her father had discovered about Clark. She didn’t believe that the General was behind Joel’s kidnapping, but if anyone had read Clark’s file, they might be interested in taking his son.

Lois only hesitated a moment before heading to Watchtower.

She hadn’t stepped foot there since before the wedding, and after—she hadn’t wanted to get in Clark’s way.

~L&C~

Lois barely slept the next few days. Chloe stayed by her side as much as possible, but who she really longed for – she couldn’t bear to call him, not after what she said to him.

She knew Clark was probably wracked with guilt, and yet, there was a part of her that thought it would only make him that much more determined to find their son. And the fact that she thought that, made her feel even more guilty – because it would keep Clark away.

She refused to eat, but at least she didn’t have to work, as she had been given a week off after the wedding to celebrate.

Except everywhere she looked, there was desolation.

Martha had tried to reason with her, and encouraged her to call Clark, but Lois was too wrapped up in her own guilt for sending him away. She simply felt nauseated every time she thought about it – or the fact that her son was out there, somewhere…

About a week after Joel’s disappearance, Lois had sat up late by herself, going over recent events and even digging into her old stories, to see if there was anyone who’d want to do her harm.

She was shocked by how long the list actually was… But how many had known about Joel?

Not many, and that reduced the list significantly.

Tess, perhaps?

Or her father…

She couldn’t believe that her father would do something so heinous as to kidnap his own grandson. But Tess? Lois wouldn’t put it past her. She knew that Tess had been very interested in what had happened to Lois in the future… Might she kidnap their son to learn more about Clark?

The more Lois chewed on that thought, the more she was convinced that Tess had something to do with it. Who else had the capacity to manage kidnapping a baby so stealthily and not even leave a trace?

Lois sighed, glancing at the clock. It was after two in the morning… she should get some sleep and confront Tess in the morning.

Lois heard a whoosh of wind on the porch, and instinctively called out, “Clark?” her heart racing, hoping he had returned.

She quickly raced to the porch, hoping he was there. Lois flipped the porch light on and called his name out again, “Clark! Are you out here?”

The air was perfectly still outside, and she knew she had heard a gust of wind slam the door in its frame. It had to be Clark.

A sad smile crept over her lips, as she recalled a time when she would long for these kinds of encounters with the Blur… but now, all she felt was pain and regret.

“Clark? If you’re out there, I’m sorry,” she said, sitting down on the porch steps. “Please, Clark… please come home…”

She waited on the steps for a few moments, practically holding her breath, hoping he’d step out of the shadows.

She was tempted to accuse him of cowardice, for not facing her, for not facing their mistakes together. But she didn’t want anger between them. She was too bereft for that…

Lois stood up to head back into the house, casting her gaze once more around her. “Clark… come home,” she whispered. “I need you.”

~L&C~

Lois burst into Tess’ office the next day.

“What have you done with my son?” she asked forcefully.

Tess glanced up from something she was reading and sat back in her chair. “What are you talking about, Lois?”

“I mean, I think you kidnapped my son! He’s been missing almost a week, Tess! You’re the only one I know with enough vindictiveness and resources to do it. So tell me, where is he?”

For once, Tess didn’t look smug. She looked worried. Tess crossed the room, and shut her office door, hoping no one had heard Lois’ accusatory tirade.

“Lois, have a seat,” she said calmly.

Without Tess to spar with her, Lois’ bluster diffused, and she took a seat.

Tess settled back into her chair. “Have you heard of the Vigilante Registration Act, Lois?” Tess asked, lacing her fingers, as she leaned forward.

“Yes. But what does that have to do with my son being missing? Tess, I really am not here to play games,” Lois started, feeling herself heat up again.

“No, I’d wager you aren’t,” Tess answered practically. “I can’t imagine what you must be going through… and Clark? Where’s he?”

Lois glanced away. “He’s—looking for Joel.”

“Lois, I’m going to level with you, because I know you want your son back. I—know some things, about Clark,” she started.

Lois’ glanced smacked into Tess’. “What do you mean, ‘know some things?’” Lois pressed cautiously.

“I think you know very well what I am talking about… and, I think that Clark is a likely target of the VRA, since he is a vigilante—sympathizer,” Tess answered carefully.

“If that is even remotely true, why would they go after his child?”

Tess was silent, debating how many cards to keep to her chest. “Lois, I think you can put two and two together. I’ve given you the bread crumbs. You figure it out.”

~L&C~

Lois had mulled over what Tess had said to her all day.

She had come to one conclusion which she wasn’t happy to admit. She would have to go see the General. He knew about the VRA. But what’s more, if it was the VRA, and they were targeting Clark’s son – they had to know that Clark wasn’t human. And that bit of knowledge, terrified Lois.

She wanted more than ever to find Clark, and to apologize – but mostly, to warn him about the dangers they were likely up against.