Oh my god, it's been a long time and I'm really sorry. I actually woke up dreaming about the story, so here goes.
TOC LL could feel Kal-El's gaze on her as she read his list of trusted names, making her sick with remembered abuse. Lois was seated close enough to touch her and she felt a gentle pressure on her arm and raised her gaze briefly to see the sympathetic expression on her doppelganger's face.
“This is difficult,” Lois murmured, uncaring that all three Kryptonians could easily hear her if they were listening.
She nodded. “But necessary,” she exhaled wearily.
After a long while, LL looked up and forced herself to meet Kal-El's gaze.
“Lois and I agree with all but three names here,” she told him, trying to keep her voice steady.
She passed the note around so that it ended up back in his hands, relieved he hadn't come to retrieve it.
It was her turn to watch him as he read her changes. His gaze, when it returned to hers, was troubled.
“Those you list as not trustworthy were once trusted friends,” he said. “Could time and circumstances have turned good men to bad?”
LL stiffened, wondering if Kal-El was hinting that she was being disingenuous. The others picked up on her tension and also seemed to grow tense. Kal-El was the one who seemed oblivious.
“We have to trust Lois,” Clark told Kal-El. “Her denial is absolute.”
Spurred on by Clark's words, Kal-El finally took note LL's pallor. It wasn't hard to guess the cause.
“I trust you,” he told her, keeping his gaze steady and his voice calm. “I merely question my own ability to judge others.”
“I wonder if maybe you aren't the only one who was cloned,” Lane responded. “Could it have been done?”
“Yes,” he nodded, his expression still troubled as he shifted gaze to the one variant of Lois in this room who wasn't in the least bit nervous around him. “It would have been an extreme effort to clone more than one person in the way I was cloned, however it is possible. I am not sure if is probable, however. It seems a poor idea overall, if someone wanted to maintain control over the situation.”
“However, it is possible. We can't trust anyone,” LL shook her head. “Back to square one.”
“Then announce who you are, “ Lex said firmly. “Challenge your people to test the validity of your claim. Zara said she had expected you to grow up kind. The fact that it didn't happen should lend credibility to your claim... enough so that they would test you on a cellular level.”
Kal-El nodded.
“That is a good idea.”
“It could fail horribly,” Clark said. “You might get killed before you could prove anything. “
“Ching and Zara and the other Kryptonians that already are part of our resistance will have to act as bodyguards,” LL spoke as she wrinkled her brow in concentration. “How quickly can the test be done?”
“Clones can be identified as such. This test can be done in a matter of hours. And I agree. Ching and I will act as bodyguards. Even if Kal-El is murdered, we will demand that the test be done. By right of ascension, casting reasonable doubt on the clone's true identity will force the testing. Not all members of our high council are corrupt people. Some of them have remained silent because of the right of ascension. Kal-El's rule is absolute by our laws. If he engineers an invasion of another world, while our elders may disapprove, they cannot gainsay him. “
“This could work,” LL mused. “Well, it has to, doesn't it? That,or we'll all die. Our entire network will be exposed if this fails.”
“If we do nothing, the consequences are worse,” Lex said. “Eventually they will kill us all. Unfortunately, this is our decision to make. I say we do it.”
“We can put this to a small vote with our own high council,” LL said grimly. “One thing is for sure... you all have to go home. This won't work with extra Kal-El's around. Your presence destroys his credibility.”
“I wish I could argue this point,” Kent said into the ensuing heavy silence. “You are absolutely right.”
“You should leave as soon as possible,” Lex added. “The longer you stay, the more dangerous to our cause.”
“We can leave as soon as we ask Herb. He left us a device to contact him. And I agree. We should leave now.”
“I am grateful to you all,” LL said after another silence. “I was very unpleasant to the two of you , especially... I did you great harm by my silence, Lois, and .. other-Lois, I'm afraid I was very rude to you as well. Yet you all stayed ... you worked to free Kal-El, who ironically is our world's only hope. I know it isn't much... but I want you to know how much I value having met you, and appreciate everything you did. I mean this for you all," she pointedly looked to Clark and Kent.
“We just want you to be free,” Lane filled the ensuing silence. The others nodded.
“I understand why you hated us,” Clark said, meaning himself and Kent. “ I don't really know what to say. It seems underwhelming to say 'good luck'. I suppose … if you need us again and have the ability to contact us... we are here to help.”
“I know. But if we fail... we will all die. We will contact you somehow if we succeed. Will Herb agree to that?”
“I don't see why not.”
____
LL opened the door to her office and gave Clark a half smile.She was shocked at her own ease, as well as her ability to be friendly to this man.
“I was expecting you. You both are afraid I’m doing this under protest, aren’t you?”
“We drew straws,” he joked and she chuckled in wry appreciation of his humor.
After a long pause, he sobered and asked the question directly, looking at her resolutely, unlike his normal tendency of avoiding too long a gaze – with her, and even back in the older times – with his wife.
“Are you absolutely sure?”
She looked at him a long moment, feigning a lack of fear that she didn’t feel.
“What else can we do but move forward. It's dangerous having you both here. So you must leave. And its also time for you to return to your own lives. You will not have passed time in your universes, but you've still lived all this time and had these experiences. You need to go back and recover from everything. Lois must be emotionally overloaded by now.”
“As you are,” he said boldly, unafraid of confronting her feelings.
“As I am. Yes. And having you here – knowing that you and he would protect me … it's scary to imagine not having your protection. But. I have Zara. And I have Ching.”
“Ching sold her out,” Clark said worriedly.
“Yes. To protect me. Ching's only loyalty is to Zara, and Zara and I are like sisters now. Clark. I'm not giving you a choice. I am ordering you to leave. If you don’t do as I say, you are violating your promise to me. Is that what you want?”
Her words may once have had sting – back in the early days when she was so afraid of him and Kent. Yet now, he knew that she was making it easy. Forcing him to comply would make him feel better about leaving.
“Then we leave now,” he said. “Time is not on your side. They know he's missing. And of course... people are suffering. That has to end.”
“Yes,” she exhaled wearily. “They are. And -it does. It has to end. One way or the other.” Pain flashed through his eyes at what she was saying. She’d rather die than live like this anymore.
She surprised him by taking his hand and squeezing it.
“I bid you a good life, Clark. You and the others. I think... I'll stay here. I don't like exposing my feelings and I might actually be sad about you leaving. For personal reasons. You … have been a treasured friend, even as I was very cruel.”
“Not cruel. Not ever. Just afraid, and unwilling to trust someone in your enemy’s skin. Very understandable. I … will never forget you. If you need help. You summon us. Herb will know.”
She smiled, but knew she never would.
