This is the final part - finally 
. I'm really glad I managed to finish this story before I need to go back to work. With the birth of my daughter, I feared that I had to leave this piece unfininished and I didn't want to do that. I guess this will be my last long story. It has always been a pleasure writing for you, guys. 
Thanks to KenJ for his thorough beta.... I Knew The Truth
Part 20"Oh, you're finally waking up," Luthor said through the haze of her mind. Lois felt herself drift through the fog that clouded her view and muffled any sound. She blinked a few times until the room around her became clearer. It still consisted of grey concrete walls. As she managed to pry her eyes open, Lois looked into the smiling face of Lex Luthor.
"What a pity that you tried to expose me, Lois. I think the two of us would have made a great couple," he mused, sounding as if he was actually serious. "You certainly would have been more fun than that country hick Lana. After she had told me everything I had wanted to know about Clark, she stuck around, crying her eyes out over him. She kept rambling how she had been so much in love with him, but who could have guessed that he was a freak... It went on for days," Luthor spat with disgust. "At first, I thought that she might be useful to keep around. But she was also a threat to me, should she ever decide to go back to Clark. Besides, knowing that boy-scout and his need to do something about the injustice in the world, I figured that he was far more likely to reveal the truth about himself if Lana was killed." He grinned, putting a cigar to his mouth as if to celebrate his own ingenuity. "I must admit it was a pleasure to get rid of that dull and boring woman. You on the other hand ... it's actually a shame that it's got to end like this. With your looks and independent personality, it would have been an interesting challenge to make you a suitable wife. Now we're never going to find out, are we?"
A chill ran down Lois' spine as she listened to Luthor's threat. She could not help but wonder what would have happened if Clark had not warned her about Luthor. Would the billionaire really have pursued her? Would she have seen through the mask he wore for the public? She could only hope that her reporter's instincts would have kicked in.
But none of those things would ever happen now. Lois shook her head, trying to clear the last remaining cobwebs. Once again, she was gagged and tied to the chair. Luthor still wore that cold smile and looked at his watch.
"Clark should join us any moment," he announced smugly. "You left him a message, telling him to meet you here." As Lois eyes widened, Luthor answered her unspoken question. "I recorded your voice during our dates. My scientists managed to emulate the pattern, enabling me to create any message I want."
Lois swallowed, hoping that Clark would see through Luthor's scheme. She hated the fact that Clark had been right all along. It had been a mistake to get involved with Luthor, even if it had been just for an interview. The worst thing was that in the end it was all for nothing. Their plan had worked on some level - Luthor had taken the risk to kidnap her. But she probably wouldn't live to tell the tale. And once Luthor managed to expose Clark, her poor partner would lose his freedom. If only she had a way to warn Clark, if only...
"There we go," Luthor interrupted her train of thoughts. He pointed at one of the screens that showed footage of a surveillance camera. Lois recognized Clark immediately as he stood outside a door. He looked around as if he was searching for her. His gaze flickered towards the surveillance camera, then again to the door that stood slightly ajar. Tentatively, he tested it, opening it just a crack. He peeked inside and after a moment slipped into the building. The camera changed to another one on the inside. Clark pressed himself to the wall underneath the camera and vanished from the picture. Now and again there was a quick shot of him as he tiptoed down the hallway.
Luthor smiled and took a radio set from the counter. “ I think it's time we show Mr. Kent the way." He turned his attention on Lois. "What do you think? Will he give his secret away right now?"
Lois watched helplessly as two of Luthor's goons appeared on the screen, both of them holding up guns. Clark raised his hands as they approached him. One of the goons took Clark’s right arm and twisted it behind his back, manhandling him down the hallway towards another door. As Lois heard the steps, she knew that they were close to her position.
A moment later a handle was turned and the door swung open. Clark was ushered inside, still held in the firm grip of a burly guy. At Luthor's nod, the goon let go. Clark looked around and his gaze caught Lois’s. His eyes widened.
"Lois!” he breathed. "Are you okay?"
She couldn't do anything but grunt to express all the things she needed to say. But Luthor took the lead, anyway.
"So nice of you to join us, Clark," Luthor sneered. "I believe Lois had become a little worried that you would not come to save her."
"Let her go," Clark said quietly. "This is between me and you." His expression was stern, his jaw worked in barely concealed anger. Only now did Lois see a small trail of dried blood on the side of Clark’s forehead. A gauze pad was taped on a spot above his right brow.
"Nice try," Luthor commented, as he spotted the dressing. "Did you really think that some gauze and a smear of artificial blood are going to fool me a second time?"
"I don't know what you're talking about,” Clark replied calmly. "I was at the site of the bombing and got hit by flying debris." He lied without even batting an eyebrow. Lois knew that he couldn't have been hurt there. But what exactly did Clark have in mind?
"I'm not in the mood for playing games," Luthor snapped and turned towards the goon. "Rip it off," he ordered gruffly.
The goon complied, ripping the dressing off in one swift motion. Fresh blood oozed from the wound. Luthor stared at it, taken aback. Lois could practically see the wheels in his mind turning as he searched for an explanation. Unlike Luthor, Lois knew what must have happened. Clark had exposed himself to the substance that could take away his powers. So, he had anticipated a kind of test. Lois could only hope that he had taken other precautions before walking into this trap.
“This must be some trick," Luthor concluded. "Don’t play me for a fool," Luthor spat and produced a gun that he trained on Lois. "Unfortunately, I can't afford any witnesses," he continued. "You two came far too close to revealing my little secret. I can't have that." He flexed his index finger dangerously.
"Luthor, don't!" Clark yelled.
"You can save her. I know you can," Luthor replied, unfazed, a maniacal grin on his face.
Clark started for Luthor, taking the man who held him by surprise. He let go of Clark, who reached Luthor just as he pulled the trigger. He had lunged for Luthor and dragged him towards the floor. The gun went off, but the bullet hit the wall, far away from where Lois was sitting.
A fight ensued as Clark tried to wrestle the gun from Luthor's grip. But the billionaire was not willing to give up. He landed a few punches in Clark's face, giving him a split lip. In the meantime, the goon tried to help his boss, who actually had no intention of being dragged out of the fight. For a while the fight seemed almost even, as the three men rolled around in a heap of limbs. The gun fell from Luthor's hands and was shoved out of reach.
As if on some secret sign, the door flew open and other goons entered. One of them carried something that resembled a gun. Lois started to yell a warning, but belatedly realized that she was still gagged.
For a moment, the goons just watched the fight until once again Clark regained the upper hand, pushed the goon off and pinned Luthor to the floor. Then, the one with the gun fired. Lois' breath caught. Instead of a bullet wires flew from the muzzle. The tips embedded themselves in Clark's back and gave off an electric shock. Clark tensed and grunted before he lost consciousness and buried Luthor under his large frame.
The fight was over. Lois watched in shock as Luthor's goons dragged Clark’s unresponsive body aside and helped Luthor get up. Then, one of the goons turned to Clark again, checking on him. Now, it was unmistakable that Clark really was without his powers. If this didn't serve to dissuade Luthor that Clark was Superman, Lois didn't know what would. Clark was walking on dangerous ground and personally, she wouldn't mind if Henderson barreled in right about now.
Luthor ran a hand through his hair and straightened his tie, erratically.
"He's out cold," the goon said with a contented smile.
Luthor's eyes sent daggers at him, daring the goon to say another word. His smile faltered instantly and he stepped aside, leaving room for Luthor to check on Clark.
"It can't be!" He growled frantically. "I've seen you walk out of an explosion unscathed." Luthor took off Clark's glasses, his eyes darting back and forth, giving the smallest indication that his conviction was beginning to waver.
"You must be able to control your invulnerability somehow," Luthor muttered. "I know who you are! And I'm going to prove it." As he got up and turned to Lois, there was something maniac about his gaze. "I'm going to force you to use your powers."
Luthor smiled viciously. "I guess we need to find another way to die for you, my dear Lois," he threatened. "Bring him to our pool," Luthor ordered. "And then get her."
Lois felt her throat tighten in fear. Her heart started to beat madly. She closed her eyes, willing Clark to wake up or Henderson to come and rescue them. Instead, all she could do was watch as the goons dragged Clark out of the room.
"Did you think he would save you?" Luthor taunted her. "Too bad, he is more concerned about his secret than your safety. But perhaps you can help convince him." He reached for the gag and pulled it down roughly. "I bet you can. After all, your life will depend on it."
"You're out of your mind," Lois shouted, scared. "Clark isn't Superman. Don't you see that?"
"Well, in that case I'll be rid of the two of you, won’t I," Luthor replied, turning his back on her.
"Help! Help! Superman!" Lois cried, hoping against hope that someone would hear her. Their whole plan had backfired and terribly so. If Henderson really was anywhere near them, why hadn't he already come? Maybe Clark had rushed to her rescue right after exposing himself to the stuff that could rob him off his powers. She had hoped that thanks to her influence, he wouldn't be so scared of Luthor as to make such rash decisions. Lois had to face the possibility that she was wrong about that.
The goons returned and untied her. But one of them always kept a gun trained on her while the other held her in a firm grip. Hard as she might try, she did not manage to struggle out of it. She could not help but follow as they manhandled her down the hallway towards another door. Their progress was slow, because Lois did put up a fight. But in the end, Lois was shoved inside the room where Clark already lay sprawled on the floor. It was narrow, about three times the size of a phone booth.
The door was slammed shut behind her. As Lois regained her footing, she turned to find that the door looked much like one she might find in a ship. It was made of sturdy steel with a bull's-eye in the upper half. Something about the door had her worried. But she did not have the time to dwell on that feeling.
"Clark!" she cried and ran towards him. He did not move. She knelt down beside him, patting his cheeks. "Wake up, come on, wake up." Lois managed to elicit a moan. "That's good, now open your eyes," she pleaded.
Clark complied, his lids started to flutter and with some obvious effort he pried them open.
"Lois?" he croaked and looked around. "Where are we?" he asked and slowly came to his feet.
"This is my very personal pool," Luthor used this particular moment to reply to Clark's question. Obviously, he had been listening. His voice crackled through a speaker. "In a minute, I will start flooding the room with water from Hobb's Bay. When the police find your bodies floating in the bay, there will be no doubt that you drowned there. Such a pity." Luthor chuckled. "The same thing happened to poor Mr. Burke. After all, I couldn't have you find him."
He fell silent. Instead, Lois heard water splash out of a pipe in the wall. "Now, Clark, you can choose to let her die or to show me what you're capable of."
The speaker crackled again and then fell silent. Water still splashed from the wall, a large pool quickly building underneath. Soon, the water had reached their feet and was covering the whole floor.
" He's not Superman, " Lois repeated, scared, her eyes darting to Clark.
He looked down at his feet, a worried expression on his face. The water was already pooling around their ankles and ever rising.
"I'm so sorry," Clark said quietly. He closed his eyes, his jaw worked and his brows furrowed in concentration. Every fiber of his being seemed tightly wound. Lois didn't need to ask what he was doing. It was obvious from the strained expression on his face that he was willing his powers to work. It tore at her heart to see his growing despair as his attempts remained futile. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, abashed.
"Don't be," Lois said, trying to drown out the voice of fear that kept complaining about Clark's lack of foresight. "This is Luthor's doing, not yours."
Clark just threw her a glance, not at all convinced. He started to push against the door until sweat was covering his forehead, but the door wouldn't give. He grunted in frustration.
Lois looked down at her feet where the water had already reached their knees. They needed to get out of here and soon. Though she felt at the verge of a major panic attack, she knew that she needed to stay calm, for Clark's sake as much as her own.
"What about Henderson?" Lois asked, in as sensible a manner as she managed.
Clark shook his head. "He wouldn't talk to me. I met him at the site of the bombing. He said that he doesn't talk to the press. I didn't even get to show him the tape."
Lois studied Clark's face, which remained unreadable. She hoped that his answer meant help was on its way. It wasn't like Henderson to just send someone away. He might be grumpy, but he would listen. Besides, Clark hadn't had any tape to show Henderson. Lois was positive that Clark had lied to let her know what was really going on without giving Luthor a hint. Well, she was almost positive - after all there was still the option that she was wrong about Henderson and that Clark had forgotten... No, she wouldn't go there. Help was on its way.
"Then, we need to think of something, and quickly," Lois said, looking around for another way out. "Help, Superman!" she again yelled on the top of her voice.
Meanwhile, Clark had taken off his jacket, trying to block the water pipe. It was just another futile attempt to delay the inevitable. The water kept rising, already splashing around their hips. Lois closed her eyes, sending a quick prayer to heaven. If Henderson was really going to come, he should do it soon.
His jacket completely soaked with no success to show for, Clark, too, stopped to struggle and stilled. "It was a pleasure working with you," he said quietly, sincerely. "I don't think I ever met anyone quite like you." A myriad of unspoken words loomed in the dark pools of his eyes, but all he said was "Thank you."
Lois felt her voice catch in her throat. Fear was bubbling up again, but also these barely defined feelings she had for Clark. She didn't want to lose him now, didn't want to die or watch him go, if by some miracle, Henderson would turn up in time. The water had risen to their chests and was rapidly making it difficult for Lois to stand on her feet. Instinctively, she clung to Clark. He pulled her in an embrace and she buried her head in the crook of his neck, suddenly feeling so safe and secure that their dire situation was almost forgotten. He smelled good, of aftershave and soap. His warm skin was soothing against hers, brushing away any discomfort caused by cold water and wet clothing. And suddenly her lips were on his, warm and hungry and desperate. She wanted to get a taste of what one way or another was never going to be. And inexplicably, Clark returned the kiss. He even deepened it, as he opened his lips in a gentle welcome of her tongue that timidly slipped forward to explore the possibilities of a budding friendship, which should be so much more.
"Help is on its way," he whispered against her lips as he broke the kiss. "At least I hope it is." Lois heard the doubt in his voice, the fear that whatever he had told Henderson had not been enough or that he would be too late. And she wanted to kiss him again to make it all better.
"It was a pleasure working with you, too," Lois replied instead, feeling the sudden need to confess it all. "Clark, I think I'm in..."
"Lane, don't tell me you're in trouble, again," a voice crackled through the speaker, interrupting her. Lois spotted Inspector Henderson behind the bull's eye, smirking. "We're getting you out of there now."
The water began to fall instantly and only minutes later, Lois and Clark stood in front of the Inspector, dripping wet.
"You sure took your sweet time," Lois remarked sourly and gratefully took a blanket that a police officer handed her. She looked over to Clark, who was pulling his own blanket around his shoulders. He didn't return her glance, his attention firmly on Henderson. The moment of magic was nothing but a memory.
"Luthor put up quite a fight. It turned out; he didn't want to be arrested." Henderson replied wryly.
"Where is he now?" Clark asked, a slight tremor in his voice. He seemed tense, as if he was afraid of what Luthor would tell the police.
"Unfortunately, he preferred death over a long sentence in prison," Henderson said quietly. "We thought we had secured all exits, but there must be a secret elevator that leads from this bunker directly to Luthor's penthouse. He fled to his penthouse, obviously hoping he would be able to get away in his helicopter. When that didn't work, he jumped." Henderson shook his head. "Three jumpers in one day. That must be something of a record, even for Metropolis."
***
Three weeks later, Lois and Clark were still basking in their success. Henderson had kept his word, granting them the exclusive on everything that was uncovered regarding Lex Luthor. As a result, they had been constantly busy, writing article after article about all the sinister dealings that Luthor was involved in. Clark’s box of evidence had been a great asset.
The extent of Luthor's crimes had been a surprise even to Clark. Luthor had led his organization from the bunker under Lex Tower. It had belonged to an older building that Luthor Corp had torn down. According to the building plan, the bunker had been demolished to make room for an underground parking lot. It was just another example of Luthor's ability to hide his tracks. Since the bunker was lined with lead to shelter from radiation, Clark had never seen it during his investigations.
It had taken two days until Clark had regained his powers after the exposure to the rock. People had expressed their shock about Luthor's tests. Lois had explained Superman's absence as a result of those tests; he did not want to endanger people around him because some lunatics insisted on finding out more about him. A flood of letters had hit the Planet, begging for Superman to return.
That more than anything had helped convince Clark to don the suit again.
A few days later Superman had even dared to give Lois an interview, much to Perry's delight. A couple of Superman exclusives had followed, making the Daily Planet by far the most successful newspaper in Metropolis and possibly the world. After only a few weeks of working together Lois and Clark had already been acknowledged as one of the best reporting teams the Daily Planet had ever had.
In Lois's book, things couldn't have been better. But even three weeks after Luthor's death, Clark was still living in a cheap hotel. At first, Lois had blamed it on the workload. But she had to admit that she was beginning to worry. She had taken it for granted that Clark was going to stay, now that Luthor was no longer a threat. Superman was the disguise that would allow him to lead the normal life she knew he had always wanted. There was no reason for him to leave, was there? So why wasn't he settling down?
It had occurred to her that he had never actually made a plan for what would happen after Luthor. He had come to Metropolis to bring the billionaire down. Now that he had succeeded, he didn't really have a reason to stay, either. She couldn't expect that one frantic kiss would compel him to stay.
Lois was already dreading the loss of the friend she had found in Clark. If she was completely honest with herself, she hoped that they were going to be more, one day. She thought that Clark considered her a friend as well. But was her friendship enough to draw him to Metropolis? Would he prefer the quiet rural life that allowed him to sleep?
Lois felt a lump in her throat as she was on her way to meeting Clark. About an hour ago, Clark had suddenly dashed off, probably to be Superman. A little later, she had found a note on her desk.
<Meet me at 344 Clinton Street> it had said.
Lois had no idea, if this was work related or not. Maybe Clark was going to show her one of those obscure places with the most delicious food, which were only visible to him.
She was afraid that they would share a meal over which he would eventually say goodbye.
Lois rounded the corner into Clinton Street. It was one of the uglier parts of the city. Soon she found the right number and started to climb up stairs.
Someone, probably Clark, had used chalk to draw arrows on the walls. She followed the route they were marking until she stood in front of a door. She knocked, but the door already swung open. Tentatively, Lois stepped inside and looked around. A short flight of stairs led into a larger room.
The place was in bad shape. A large, dirty window allowed for a bit of light. Cob webs covered the walls and most of the rubble that lay on the floor. It seemed to be a storage room, which had not been used for years. Dust was everywhere. A couple of cupboards hung on the far wall that once upon a time had probably belonged to a kitchen.
"What a dump," Lois muttered under her breath. "Clark?" Lois said louder, announcing her presence. He stepped around a wall that separated the room from another section. "Where are we?"
"My new apartment," Clark replied with a grin.
"You've got a knack for dumps, don't you?" Lois asked, a smile spreading across her lips. A rush of relief went through her. "So, you're going to stay?" she said excitedly, giving into her sudden need to hug him.
Clark returned her embrace, drawing her close until she could once again inhale the soft scent of soap and aftershave. His arms were so strong and yet so gentle, making her feel safe and secure like she never had with anyone else.
"Why would I ever leave you?"
The End
