**Note**No, that is not a type, I added another chapter to this story. This chapter ended up being a lot longer than anticipated, which means I could not finish the story without adding another chapter. So I decided to just add one more chapter. Don't worry, this chapter does explain many details on "Why". Thank you again to dear folc4evernaday for beta-reading this for me and helping me with details when I couldn't remember things.
Into The Fire
5/6
Betrayal.
He’d been so careful.
Planned everything out.
How could this have happened?
He had contingency plans for every obstacle he’d anticipated; however,his assistant visiting Lois Lane was not one of them.
Bruce slammed his laptop closed after viewing the footage again of Harley at Lois’ desk talking to the ace reporter.
“Look up Vicki Vale and her past with Stern Media. That is all I can tell you.”
Betrayal.
He never should have trusted that blonde Vixen.
“Things not going the way you planned,” a black-haired Amazonian beauty asked as she stood in the doorway of Bruce’s office.
Regaining control of his emotions, he straightened his tie and smoothed a warm smile on his face to greet his friend, “Diana, great to see you. What brings you to Metropolis?” He stepped away from his desk and approached her with a broad smile. If Diana was here to help him in his mission it would make things so much easier when dealing with his current plan to destroy Metropolis’ Stern Media and LexCorp--ensuring his revenge was complete. His dear friend had amazing abilities and at times was a wonder woman. They had been friends since they met five years ago when Diana helped bring down two devious delinquents known as the Riddler and Poison Ivy back in Gotham City.
“You know why I'm here, Bruce,” she stated as she crossed the room closer to him.
***
Clark never returned to the bullpen that afternoon. He’d left her in suspense all day to figure out who he’d met with about Bruce. Her mind had been racing with questions with no way to answer them until her MIA boyfriend decided to grace her with his presence. She had seen the coverage on the train derailment. Unfortunately, several were injured in the crash. She knew from the expression on his face he’d need someone to talk to when he was finally able to get away.
Inspector Henderson?
The Mayor?
The Governor?
The names continued to race through her mind as she finished putting the files down on the coffee table. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything but half a box of chocolate truffles. She grabbed the phone and began to dial. Clark would probably stop by to finish their conversation. She gave the host her order and grinned. Clark always loved the pasta from ‘Rosie’s.’ Hopefully he wouldn’t be too much longer and they could finish their conversation. She hated not knowing what he was going to say. She hated not knowing anything...
Who was this woman Harley?
What did she have to do with Bruce Wayne?
Why were all billionaires so dead set on being up to no-good?
She sighed, taking a seat on the couch as she waited for the food to arrive. It had been a long day. She and Clark definitely needed to talk--without the entire newsroom a few feet away to overhear their conversation and gossip through the Planet grapevine. His declaration earlier had been touching--seeing him open up to her like that made her love him even more than she already did. How was that even possible? Had they been at one of their apartments, she’d have taken that opportunity to show him just how much she’d appreciated him opening up to her like that.
“I love you, I trust you, and your wanting to interview Bruce Wayne shouldn’t have gotten the reaction it did. I’m sorry.”
They’d both over-reacted the other day about Bruce. She’d thought Clark was being jealous when he’d warned her about Bruce Wayne. Now, she wasn’t so sure. If what this Harley woman proved to be true, she owed Clark an apology.
She looked down at her wrinkled suit in disgust. “I need a shower.” She mumbled, heading to the bedroom to grab a change of clothes and a towel. She grabbed her things and carried them into the bathroom. She waited a few minutes for the water to warm up before stepping into the shower, immediately feeling her tense muscles relax under the hot water.
After her shower she stepped out, drying her hair with one towel and wrapping the other around herself and began to get dressed. Afterall, apologies and seduction went hand-in-hand, right? She grabbed the knee-length black dress off the hanger and slipped it on. She then began drying her hair with the hair dryer and applying a soft coat of makeup. After running the brush through her hair and reapplying her lipstick she examined herself in the full-length mirror. It was the same dress she’d worn on her and Clark’s official ‘first date’ so many months ago.
A hard knock at the door pulled her back to the present. She glanced at the time, “That’s probably dinner.”
As she reached the front door, hearing another light knock at the door she peeked through the peephole and grinned to herself, seeing the familiar dark-haired man standing on the other side.
She opened the door with a wide smile across her face. “Hi,” she whispered as she welcomed him inside.
”Hi,” she suppressed a giggle as she watched Clark’s eyes move up and down her body, seeming to try to find his voice. “You look ...incredible,” his eyes sparkled and his lips pursed as he stepped inside the apartment. “What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion,” she replied as she closed the door and locked it. “Can’t I put on a nice dress?”
He smiled, running his hands down her side, “Yes, but this dress?”
“I recall you saying I looked fantastic in it.” She grinned back at him.
“You do,” he whispered softly.
It was really hard to focus on her reasoning for selecting this particular dress when he was this close to her. Right now all she wanted to do was kiss him and never let go, but she couldn’t--not yet. He’d kept her in suspense all day. She knew what wearing this dress did to him, ensuring his undivided attention while she weaseled out of him who he’d gone to go see about Bruce Wayne.
“So, what’s the problem then?” She inquired innocently.
“No problem.” His eyes wandered down her body once more. He leaned into her. His lips were a few millimeters from hers. It would be so easy to forget everything and lose herself in his arms…
The soft knock behind the door they were leaning on pulled her back to the task at hand. He looked at her with a questioning gaze, “I, uh, ordered dinner from Rosie’s.” She explained, stepping out of his arms to answer the door.
“Dinner?” He echoed.
***
Bruce turned to his friend with a painful expression. Her look of sympathy tore him to the core. They were alike in many ways yet different in the fact he let his emotions for revenge get in the way to what he thought was right. “Lex Luthor is behind bars like you wanted. Now move on,” Diana stated sternly.
“He didn't move on when he came back to Wayne Industries and took even more of my stock away. He deserves more than to rot in prison.”
“It isn't your job to be judge and jury, remember? We are supposed to be the good guys,” Diana explained as she put her hand on his shoulder. “What about everything he took from the people of Metropolis? Everyone he hurt. And what about what he did to the Daily Planet and Lois Lane?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Diana.” Bruce sniffed, walking toward his floor-length windows that gave him a perfect view of the city he was preparing to take from Lex Luthor.
“Oh?” She mocked in a cool tone, “Then, explain it to me. You said this was done. You said you would let justice prevail. What happened?”
“He didn’t die!” Bruce snarled back angrily. “I said I’d let justice prevail when I thought he was six-feet under not when his deranged doctor decided to play Frankenstein on the sycophant and bring him back from the dead!”
“He’s in prison.” Diana reminded him.
“He still controls this city through LexCorp. Not anymore.” Bruce said calmly.
“And the Planet?” Diana asked, holding up a ‘Purchase Offer’ for the Daily Planet. “How is buying the Daily Planet going to extract revenge on Lex Luthor?”
“It’s not.”
“Then why are you…?”
Bruce did his best not to let his emotions betray him as he recalled his news anchor girlfriend in the hospital, unconscious from her ordeal trying to nab the story of the year by sneaking into a warzone and almost getting herself killed. She was receiving the best care that money could buy. He’d have spent every last red cent he had if it meant she’d wake up from her coma. She’d nearly died.
How had Stern Media repaid her?
Sending a pink slip via telegram to her hospital room.
“The Planet is about revenge--on Stern Media for firing Vicki.” He grew quiet, as he collected his thoughts as he stared at the Purchase Offer in Diana’s hands. The Amazonian knew how to get information, but so did he.
“You are not the only one that can do research, Bruce. Did you know Lois is a close friend of Superman’s?”
“I'm not afraid of him,” Bruce stated as he turned away from her. He had read the articles and seen the interviews, but the two men had never worked together. This ‘Superman’ as he was called flew around in tights and a cape--referred to as god-like and fighting for justice all around the world. Unlike his own alias, that fought in the dark behind a cowl. No, Superman was of no concern to him. He knew his weaknesses and would use them to ensure he didn’t interfere with his plans.
“Don't underestimate Superman, Bruce. I don’t think Batman and his gadgets stand a chance against someone who can knock the Nightfall asteroid out of orbit and prevent this planet's destruction.,” Diana reminded him as she placed a hand on Bruce’s shoulder. He looked back at her but didn’t say anything, choosing to stare out the window, taking in the Metropolis skyline.
***
After dinner they retreated to the couch Clark looked over at Lois sighed then took her hands in his. He wasn't sure how she would react to the news.
“I told you that something seemed off about Bruce last night so I went to see someone that could shed some light on why he wants to buy LexCorp,” Clark explained as his fingers stroked up and down the back of her hand.
“Who was it?” Lois asked. He watched her brown eyes soften as his fingers stroked the back of her hand, calming her.
‘Just rip off the band-aid’ he told himself.
“I went to the Metropolis Men’s Penitentiary… to see Luthor and-”
Before he could finish his sentence she jumped away from him, standing to her feet as she shouted, “You what?” Her pained expression and wide eyes told him she was shouting more from fear than anger. “How could you? I can’t believe you would do that! What were you thinking?”
He took a deep breath, reaching for her, “I was thinking that I needed answers.” She allowed him to pull her into his embrace and he continued. “I know you’re scared. I’m sorry. I needed answers--answers only Luthor could provide.” Her expression softened and he placed a peck on her temple, “Do you want to know what I found out?”
She gave him a pained expression as tears fell down her cheeks, “How could you put your life at risk like that? What if he had kryptonite on him?” Her fears were well-founded he knew. He tightened his arms around her as she mumbled into his chest.“What if he tried to kill you? What would you have done?”
“How would he have gotten a hold of kryptonite in prison?” Clark reminded her as he shook his head.
“He has his resources. You of all people should know that.” She retorted angrily, pushing him away. “He had no money to his name when he got his hands on it the last time.”
“Rollie Vale is gone.” He reminded her, reaching for her once more. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“You can’t do that. You can’t take a risk like that and expect it to be okay….You took a huge gamble. You could have been hurt and I wouldn’t have known and…”
Her ramblings were silenced as he captured her lips with his. He could taste the salt from her tears as he held her against him. For the moment at least, she was focused on something other than the fears that continued to gnaw at the back of her mind.
***
Harley stood across the man with more makeup on his face than even she could wear. Yes, her boss, the man with the silliest of grins had arrived in Metropolis just hours ago. She was ecstatic that she could escape from the librarian look and get into the clothing she was more comfortable in - black and white striped stockings, red leather biker shorts, and a white t-shirt. Yes, the real Harley Quinn was back.
Now the two of them were together. Nothing could stop the unstoppable duo of Mr. J and Harley Quinn.
“Where is the insufferable Bruce Wayne,” Mr. J asked as he sat in the cherry wood chair with the high back.
“Penthouse, Mr. J. He is expected to be at the Daily Planet at nine in the morning where he’ll announce he bought the paper,” Harley explained as she handed copies of the paperwork to Mr. J.
“What about our side project?” Mr. J asked his protege.
She had worked on a few projects while in Metropolis while Mr. J worked on his part in Gotham City. Harley was glad to be on the right side of things now - no more pretending to be good. It was good to be evil and she knew it. Mr. J and her made a good team.
“Clark Kent went to the Penitentiary today to see Lex Luthor. Lex told Kent all about the Wayne and Luthor history,” Harley explained sitting down next to Mr. J.
She had spent the better half of two years undercover as Bruce Wayne’s personal assistant. She knew the in’s and out’s of Wayne Enterprises and once Mr. Wayne found out who she really was - all would come crashing down.
***
“I really wish you would have told me you were going to see Lex,” Lois whispered as Clark feathered her face with soft kisses. She was still fearful of what could have happened yet the feeling of Clark’s lips on her had the ability to make all her worries fade away
“I’m sorry,” Clark sighed against her neck. She curled up tightly against him on the couch.
“I don’t know what I would do if I lost you,” Lois confessed as she turned her head to face him. He was her best friend, her partner-the man she loved. It had taken her three years to admit even to herself those feelings. She’d denied them from the very start-afraid of getting hurt again. Fortunately for her, Clark had been a patient man-a very patient man.
“I love you, Clark.” she whispered, running her hands over the sides of his face.
He smiled back at her, running his hands through her hair, “I love you,” he whispered as his lips touched hers once again.
‘Fortunately there are no doors here tonight…’
‘Fortunately…’
That night seemed so long ago. Who she had been back then-who he had been seemed like different people. They had been through so much. He had pushed her away and she had pushed him away. They’d both made insanely bad choices in their relationship all leading up to now.
‘Lex Luthor’
To this day, the name sent chills down her spine. She’d come so close to making the biggest mistake of her life. She’d come so close to becoming Mrs. Luthor because she’d been too scared to admit the truth. Too scared to step up and ‘say the scary words’ as Dr. Friskin had put it.
‘Lex Luthor’
She felt a shiver run down her spine as the name raced through her mind once more. “You okay?” Clark murmured in her ear.
She nodded, silently willing her mind to behave and enjoy the feeling of Clark’s arms around her. “Kiss me.” she whispered, leaning into him so she was hovering over him. His lips found hers instantaneously, cupping her cheek as she leaned against him, pushing him back into the couch. “Kiss me.” She pleaded once more. He nodded, pulling her to him and her legs intertwined with his, stretched out on the couch.
She sighed against him, allowing her body to settle against him more comfortably as she allowed her hands to begin an exploration to uncharted territory. They’d never gone past anything but kissing.There was always something that got in the way.
Superman.
A story.
Jimmy.
Stupid fights.
It was always something. Tonight, seemed different. She reached beneath her thigh, readjusting herself against him when she’d felt him stiffen. “Whoa!”
“What is it?” Lois asked as she pulled away from Clark. She had hoped that Superman would not be needed tonight, but it looked like that was not going to happen.
“It’s not that,” Clark replied as he ran his hands through his hair. “Lois, I can’t remember a moment when I didn’t love you. I just… are we ready to take that next step?”
“Oh!” Lois blushed as she sat up, pulling away from Clark. She looked down at her lap recalling how he’d felt pressed beneath her. She hadn’t planned it. She just wanted to think of something else other than the fears and doubts that had been plaguing her mind for the past few months. Three years. She’d known him for three years now. It had taken less time for both of her previous relationships to cross that threshold. With Clark it seemed different though.
“Lois?” he tilted her head to look at him. She could melt in those chocolate brown eyes.
He’d felt so good in her arms. And the way her body felt when he kissed her...It was easy to forget. It was easy to lose control...but Clark hadn’t. And she couldn’t help but wonder ‘why?’
Knock. Knock.
“It’s Jimmy. I swear, he has the worst timing.” Clark wondered as he stood up from the couch.
“He does have impeccable timing, doesn’t he?” Lois mused as she stood up straightening her dress then opened the door.
“Lois, you won’t believe what I found on Bruce Wayne,” Jimmy said as he came inside the apartment with a box filled with papers. “CK, hey,” Jimmy looked around at the romantic candles, seeming to realize he’d interrupted their romantic evening, “You know, I can go over this in the morning. I had no idea….I’m just gonna…” He backed away toward the door and Lois couldn’t suppress a light chuckle. It was amusing to see her young friend so flabbergasted.
“No, you’re already here.” Clark cut in, motioned for Jimmy to come in. “Please, tell us what you’ve found on…” he shot Lois a look with a raised eyebrow, “Bruce Wayne.”
She let out a low sigh, as she took a seat next to Clark on the sofa as Jimmy took his seat in the chair next to them. She’d asked Jimmy to run a thorough background check on Bruce Wayne and his company after her strange encounter with Harley this afternoon. From the look Clark gave her, he wasn’t pleased that she was still investigating the billionaire. Why she still wasn’t sure of but she planned to address that once Jimmy left.
“Okay, so on the outside Bruce Wayne comes up clean as a whistle. No parking tickets. No arrests. Seems like the perfect guy, right?” Jimmy dove in as he flipped through the file in his hand.
“But?” Lois prompted, knowing there was more coming from the look on Jimmy’s face.
“But when you dig a little deeper there are things that pop out.” Jimmy began, pulling out articles from social magazines catching the billionaire being taken into custody after a party in Gotham City three months ago. “No arrest record but according to this he was taken into custody. He was processed. There are mug shots.”
“Where was this?” Clark asked, looking at the photocopy of the article as he lowered his glasses. A gesture she’d come to discover that meant he was examining the article with his enhanced vision.
Jimmy handed Lois another photocopy that held an amateur photo of Bruce Wayne getting in Franklin Stern’s face. “Gotham Gala. Like I said, no arrest record or charges brought against Bruce Wayne. There was however a really cute hostess from the party that was able to give me some info …”
Lois gave him a questioning glance. Did he go all the way to Gotham and back in one night?
“She moved to Metropolis a few months ago. She works down at the Lexor now. Manages the building actually. Had a lot of interesting things to say about Mr. Bruce Wayne.” Jimmy explained with a grin.
“Why would Bruce Wayne be getting into a fight with Franklin Stern--knowing there are cameras watching him?” Lois wondered aloud. “The entire time I …” She stopped, catching Clark’s look then rephrased, “He seemed very controlled. Almost as if he had everything planned out to the minute detail.”
“He probably did.” Clark added bitterly, reaching for her hand.
“Yeah, everyone I talked to said Bruce Wayne is a control freak. Always has been. He doesn’t do anything without having at least ten contingency plans.” Jimmy nodded, pulling out another page from his file.
Clark took the papers from him and Lois peered over his shoulder to read it. It was a copy of a medical file. “Do I want to know how you got this?” He asked, looking up at Jimmy.
“Probably not.” Jimmy grinned back.
Lois felt her blood run cold when she saw the name at the top. Clark turned to look at her, “Vicki Vale? Didn’t you two used to work together?”
“Years ago.” Lois nodded. “She was on the paper with me in college and we did some freelance stuff together. Kinda lost touch after awhile.” She read over the file in dismay. “I had no idea…”
“Looks like she had an accident a few months ago while on assignment in the Middle East.” Jimmy explained solemnly. “She’s been in a coma ever since they airlifted her to Wayne Medical. It looks like he’s been paying the medical bills.”
“So what does Franklin Stern and Vicki Vale have to do with what he’s doing here in Metropolis?” Clark wondered aloud.
“Well, according to the newscaster I spoke to there was some downsizing at Stern Media last month and Vicki Vale was one of the ones to be let go.” Jimmy continued softly.
“What???” Lois asked aghast, “You can’t be serious!”
“It’s not right, but it happened.” Jimmy handed her a copy of Vicki Vale’s termination record.
“Well, that explains the fight at the Gotham Gala.” Clark mused. “I guess Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale were somewhat of an item.” He flipped through the pictures in the folder Jimmy had laid on the coffee table. “Okay, so we know he’s got a vendetta against Franklin Stern.”
“No, we’re missing something.” Lois shook her head, “He wouldn’t pick up shop and move to a new city over a feud with Franklin Stern. There has to be something we’re missing. What about LexCorp? Why is he buying it up like a kid in a candy shop? He said this was about ‘Revenge.’”
“Revenge against who?” Clark asked.
“I don’t know,” Lois said with a look of determination, “but we’re going to find out.”
