Well here it is again.
Cris
NOTHING BUT A LUTHOR ON THE WAY, Part 1
The early morning breeze made its way through the slightly open door of the balcony, causing the few papers that lay on the table to scatter onto the floor.
As he puffed on his cigar, he watched the cloudless sky over Metropolis, feeling happier than usual. Not only was he rich and powerful, but he also had a beautiful woman about to accept his marriage proposal. <<A new Mrs. Luthor...>> Up to a year back, he'd somewhat started to take his wealthiness and power for granted, but the arrival in Metropolis of the Kryptonian hero had instantly become both a threat and a challenge, increasing the minute Lois Lane had entered the picture. Now, however, all that seemed to be coming to an end. Lois would soon be his wife and he'd make sure that her bonds with her previous life were as good as dead. With the Planet gone, only Superman and Kent stood in his way, and he had the feeling that bringing the man of steel down was only a matter of time. And then no one would stop him. As for Kent, his friendship with Lois was frail already; irreversible damage was not far either, of that he'd make sure. Life was good.
Though his happiness was not yet complete, he felt strong. He would wait.
Life was good indeed.
***************************
Despite the clear morning sky and the warm temperature, to Clark, this day didn't have the faintest sign of light. He couldn't remember ever feeling this depressed. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, unwilling to move. <<Not that there's anywhere I have to go. I guess this is what a Superman does when there's no one to be saved...>> His thoughts drifting back to his tenacious partner, he made a mental remark, <<Actually, when there's no one who wants to be saved...>> He simply couldn't understand how Lois, award winning investigative reporter, was unable to see the real Luthor. <<How can he have fooled her? >> Somehow the idea of Lois being as shallow as to fall for expensive gifts and fancy dates didn't fit with the person he'd come to know, and he knew, or thought at least, that she wore no disguise around him, at least not any longer.
His life in Metropolis had never felt so empty and pointless. Losing Lois was bad enough on its own, but seeing his whole life fall apart in a matter of days was devastating. Not only had he lost his best friend, his partner, the woman that meant the world to him; he'd been separated from his friends at the Planet and he'd seen the place he worked at, doing a job he loved, burned to ashes. And the worst part of it was, not the emptiness he felt, but the fact that though he knew the course events that had taken place before the fire at the Daily Planet were more than a little suspicious, he couldn't bring himself to investigate. His instincts told him that there was something fishy about them, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. But instead of working on it, all he seemed able to do was whine and feel self-pity. <<Some kind of Superman I am, >> he thought. He wanted to talk to his parents, he knew they'd support him like they always had and they'd probably give him the strength he was lacking at the time, but he couldn't find the determination he needed.
There just wasn't anything that felt right about his life any more.
*******************
Trying to be objective, she admitted to herself that her new work place didn't really look that bad. It had the latest technology available and she'd been assigned a big office, unlike at the Planet, and also, there seemed to be a lot of qualified people around.
<<My job here could be nice... Maybe I'll even learn to enjoy it, >> she thought. But despite her efforts, despite how hard she was trying to picture herself in the new surroundings, there was a feeling she wasn't able to cast aside; the fact that she'd never thought of herself working at a place, which wasn't the Daily Planet. It'd become somewhat of a second home for her. Actually, if she thought about it, she spent more time there than in her real home. She was definitely going to miss all the friends and colleagues she'd left behind, Perry, Jimmy... maybe even Ralph. But above all, she was going to miss Clark. She knew she'd been really hard on him at first and she hadn't exactly agreed on their partnership, but she'd gotten used to working with him, to having him by her side. He'd become her best friend and she just couldn't overlook that. Maybe there was a way she could talk him into being her partner again, now in LNN. At least she could try.
She'd been sitting at her desk for a while now, holding the receiver, while her fingers had dialed, almost as if of their own volition, the all too familiar number. After it rung for the fourth time without an answer, she was about to hang up, when a cracked, toneless voice finally came from the other end. “Hello?”
********************************
That he was in low spirits was an understatement, but exactly how worrying the situation was became clear when it wasn't until the fourth ring that he realized it was the phone he could hear, which for a man with super-hearing was anything but encouraging. Picking the receiver up, he answered, “Hello?”
“Hi... Clark, it's me.” She was trying to sound casual but wasn't doing a good job at it, though she couldn't understand why talking to Clark felt so awkward.
“Hi, Lois.” Though an eager response wouldn't have been expected given the circumstances, the lack of emotion in his voice wasn't proper of him either, which his now ex-partner didn't fail to notice.
“Clark, are you all right? I mean, I know things are a little messy, but you really sound...” she wondered how to say it in order to not disturb him further but all she came up with was “... awful. Look, there's something I need to talk to you about and also I...” She hesitated long enough for her partner to speak again, this time in a much softer voice, closer to the Clark she knew.
“Lois, you what?”
Finally deciding that it was safe to express what she was feeling, she proceeded, “I miss you. Terribly. I think we could both need to talk, so... do you think we could meet for lunch?”
In an attempt to make the conversation less intense, he tried to tease her as he'd done so often ever since they'd met, but ended up sounding sarcastic rather than funny, “I don't know, let me check if I have any appointments for today. What time would that be? Oh, wait, I forgot, I'm unemployed.”
Taking his attempt at a joke as a yes, she said, “There's a little café real close to the LNN building. We could go there. I have a break at around one.”
“Sounds good to me. Shall I meet you there?”
“Actually, I was thinking that, maybe, you could pick me up at work so I could show you around...” Maybe if she could get him to see the place, he'd realize working there wasn't such a bad idea and having her partner back would be closer to being a reality.
“Look, I'm not sure that's such a good idea. It'd be better if we just met at the café.” Disappointing Lois as he was, he simply wasn't able to even consider working for Luthor, even if that meant being away from her. If she could only understand.
“ Ok, I'll see you there then.”
*******************************
As noon approached, Clark was still going over his conversation with Lois mentally. It hadn't been his intention to sound so careless, almost apathetic, for after all, Lois wasn't to blame. But the fact that she was dating Luthor, the one person responsible for his present situation, didn't make things easy. He planned to improve his behavior during lunch, though. Furthermore, he had started considering dropping by LNN so they could walk together from there. After all, the last thing he wanted was to be farther from Lois.
Deciding superspeed wasn't necessary, as it was still early, he went to the bathroom for a 'long', warm shower and a shave. Twenty minutes later he was walking out his front door, now convinced that stopping by at LNN was the right thing to do.
When he arrived at the station and asked where he could find Lois Lane, he was surprised to hear that she had an office of her own, which turned out to be bigger than Perry's at the Planet. Knocking softly on her door when he arrived, knowing she wasn't expecting him there, he allowed a shy grin to show on his face.
She was intently looking at her computer screen and, without raising her gaze, she simply said, “Come in.”
This time with a much more effective teasing tone than when they'd spoken on the phone, he replied, “Are you sure you want me in here?”
In another time, another place, she would have suppressed her happiness at seeing him there, not letting her true feelings show, but she was just too glad to see her best friend, and all previous shyness and uneasiness faded away when she recognized Clark's voice, at which she rose from her chair and quickly made her way towards him, before hugging him.
Though surprised at a response extremely affectionate coming from Lois, he had no trouble returning the hug. It felt so great to have her that close that he forgot, even if for mere seconds, how unhappy he'd been feeling.
When they finally pulled apart, Lois blushed slightly and, almost instinctively, lowered her head. Though she had been more than glad to see Clark, she hadn't planned to let it show, at least not in such an enthusiastic way. Regaining her composure, with her cheek color back to normal, she drove her gaze back to him. She was curious to know what had made Clark change his mind and come pick her up at work when he'd seemed so determined not to, but decided against asking, afraid she'd be pushing too far and making him uncomfortable. Instead, she decided to offer him a tour around her new work place.
“Clark, would you like me to show you around? Because I know my office is nice, but there's not much to it; and there are plenty of other things that I'm sure you'd rather see. If that's ok with you, that is.” She expectantly waited for an answer as he briefly hesitated.
“Sure.”
****************************
He knew he'd intended to reject her offer. He had no interest whatsoever in seeing more of what Luthor's wealth could buy, because it would only lead him back to thinking about the means he'd made use of to become the so called successful man he was and how his own life had become more involved with it throughout the last year, specially in the past few weeks. But when he'd seen Lois's response to his visit and then heard her begin to ramble on, threatening to switch on her famous babble mode, he hadn't felt able to deceive her. If he was honest, he had to admit that the place did seem to be equipped with the latest technologies and the workers around appeared to be enjoying themselves, though, as it often happened with anything related to Luthor, there was a big chance that it was all just a facade.
Once their tour was over, they'd returned to Lois's office so she could get her coat and her purse, and then walked over to the café, sharing small talk on the way. Once there, they'd remained quiet for a while, allowing an awkward, yet not uncomfortable, silence to take over, only speaking to the waitress when she'd stopped by to take their orders. Not long after, Clark was the first to break the silence.
“So, are you enjoying working at LNN?” He hadn't meant for his tone to bear the sarcasm it had, but hiding his disapproval kept on getting harder. He wasn't her owner nor did he have the right to make decisions for her, but he wished there was some way she could see how wrong the new paths she'd chosen were.
Ignoring his tone, she tried to make her reply sound casual, knowing full well that, if she responded in kind, they'd end up wound in one of those arguments that had come to be so frequent between them. She wasn't willing to go there; she needed to talk to Clark, and that wouldn't make it any easier.
“You know, Clark? If you try to see it from a positive perspective, it's an interesting job. Things are quite different compared to the way a newspaper works, but I guess it is nice, plus there are many things I can learn from it. Maybe y...” She was about to try talking him into being her partner there, but thought better of it. Instead she said, “If you don't stop me now, you know I'll go right into full babble mode...”
Her last remark would have never made him laugh aloud, but she had expected more from him than the attempt at a grin that she received. Worried, she asked, “Clark, are you ok? I know that things aren't going too well for you right now, but it's just that... well, you look so... not you.”
She was right; there wasn't any better way to say it. He was far from being his usual self, high-spirited, hopelessly optimistic. But he couldn't help it. “I don't know, Lois. It's just that when I first arrived in Metropolis, working for the Daily Planet was the only thing on my mind. It's the reason I came. What's more, almost everything that's precious to me is related in one way or another to the Planet. I guess, in a way, I still expect to get my job back. That has to be the reason why I don't seem to be able to look for a new job.”
“Clark, you have to face the fact that the Planet is gone. I miss it too and it'd be great if there was a way to have it back, but the truth is that no one was able to do anything to save it, not even Lex. He tried and came close, but after the fire, there just wasn't much of an option...”
He'd been controlling himself, trying not to bring Luthor's name up, and simply enjoying a nice meal with his best friend, but it hurt too much to remain quiet about it. Before he could stop it, the words were already leaving his mouth. “What makes you think that saving the Planet was ever Luthor's intention?” There, he'd said it, and taking it back would be no use.
“Look, Clark, I'm starting to get a little tired of the way you refer to Lex. Why is it you can't accept that you might have misjudged him? Look at all the good things he has done, even at the Planet, trying to keep it publishing despite the crisis, assuming the risk. Be objective!”
“Wait a second here. You're asking me to be objective? I'm not the one that Luthor's got fooled. The Planet's disappearance was simply too convenient and it didn't take him long to have you working on his side. You never even liked the idea of working in television, what made you change your mind? Or better: who?” He was a little taken aback by the extreme harshness in his voice and a little scared when he realized that he was losing control of his emotions. He'd been trying to get a hold of them but hadn't succeeded.
Through a mixture of anger and hurt, raising her voice more than she expected, she shouted back, “If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were jealous!”
“That's ridiculous. Is it so hard to accept the fact that someone cares about your well-being?”
“Yeah, right. That's exactly why you, my best friend, cannot share my happiness. Don't you think that I might just be happy with Lex?” As he didn't reply, she went on, a little calmer now, “That's one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you, though now I'm not so sure you're the right person. I... Lex asked me to marry him.”
*************************
Suddenly everything had become rather confusing. If he hadn't heard her wrong, Luthor had proposed to her, and by the sound of her voice, it seemed like she was actually considering saying yes. Though he knew she had a relationship with Luthor, he'd never thought things would move on this fast. Was she asking for his opinion? What was she expecting from him? A “Go head, marry him. And while you're at it, maybe you could give him a hand with his "businesses'?”
Seeing him hesitate, she spoke again, “I haven't said yes, yet. I wanted to know what you thought and... I needed to talk to someone else. I need to know...”
In a matter of seconds, their conversation had turned from a heated argument to a confession. And it wasn't just any confession; it was a big issue they were dealing with, as big as the effect it was having on him. He hadn't had the time to cool off, quite the opposite in fact. But now, to add to his anger, he was appalled. He was losing her; if she married Luthor there was little hope for any kind of relationship between them, even as friends. Still trying to take it all in, he realized something else; she needed to talk to someone else, and chances were that that someone wore his underwear on the outside and could fly.
“Clark, please, say something.”
“Something like what? Marry him? Or do you want me to say "don't marry him' so you can yell at me some more while defending him?”
His anger, though presumable, was affecting her deeply. She didn't think someone as kind and gentle as Clark could cause her so much hurt. And what was surfacing, despite her efforts against it, was the pain. Trying to control her emotions, she said, “Please, Clark. I really need you on my side for this.”
“I'm not sure that's something I can do, given the circumstances.”
“Clark, I really need your help here. I need to talk to Super...” Before she could finish her sentence, she heard him cutting her off.
That's all she needed him for? Getting in touch with himself? Awfully ironic it was, and just as hurtful. What he was willing to give as Clark is what she wanted from Superman. But that wasn't him. Bitterly, he said, “If Superman's the only thing holding you back, you should accept Luthor's proposal.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” As her words came out of her mouth, she felt someone approaching their table, a feeling that was followed by the sound of a familiar, yet unwelcome, voice she knew, even before seeing Clark's reaction.
“Hello, my dear. I stopped by your office, meaning to surprise you, and they told me you'd gone out for lunch. I thought I'd find you here.”
***********************
“Hi, Lex.” Before either of the three could speak further, Lois's beeper went off. She stood up to head for the payphones, excusing herself before she left, “It's from work. Hopefully, it'll only take me a minute.”
As she walked away, Lex arrogantly turned to Clark. “I'm sorry about the interruption, Mr. Kent. Do you mind if I have a seat?” Without waiting for his answer, he pulled a chair back and sat down. Sure as he was about the response he'd get from Clark, he said, “Lois has told me that she has not been able to convince you of partnering up with her again. It would really be an honor if you decided to change your mind and start working for LNN.” He knew perfectly well how provoking he was sounding; he intended to, anxious to see what comeback he'd get from the reporter.
Sarcastically, Clark replied, “I'm sure you would, Mr. Luthor, but I'm afraid I'll have to reject your offer. I am quite certain that the fire at the Daily Planet was more than it's been told to be and I'm more determined than ever to work it out. Call me hopeless, if you may, but I have the feeling that the Planet is not gone for good.”
The response was definitely more amusing than he'd thought it would be, but then he knew of the fragility of Clark's situation at the time. “Well, if that's your last word, then so be it. But I'm sure Lois will be very disappointed.”
Despite knowing what Luthor's intentions were, Clark was unable to control himself and so responded forgetting all sense of composure, “Look, Luthor, I don't know what it is you're trying to do, but I'll figure it out sooner than you expect.”
Enjoying himself as he was, he decided to push him further, “A little cocky today, aren't we, Mr Kent? Do you think that's the way to treat someone who's offering you a rather fine job?”
Feeling his anger build up, he answered, “If it implies working for you, even the best job in the world is not good enough. As to my supposed cockiness, let me just say that you haven't the faintest clue of what I can do. And you can trust me on that one.”
“ I have the feeling that you're allowing jealousy to drive you, Kent.”
“Jealousy? You couldn't be more mistaken. I know you're far from being the great man Lois sees you as and I'll find the way to make her see that too. She deserves someone who really sees her for the amazing woman she is and not as a mere possession.” It was rarely that one could see Clark allowing his emotions to drive him, to speak for him, without thinking twice, but at the moment, he didn't care; he was too tired of Luthor's games, which was clearly reflected in his following remark, “Let me tell you one more thing, Luthor. If you ever hurt Lois or make her suffer, in any way, I'll personally make sure you're never again close enough as to even breathe the same air she's breathing.”
Luthor, clearly relishing in the effect he was having on Clark's behavior, was about to continue their little discussion when he saw Lois approaching, and chose to give her the best of his smiles, free now of the arrogance it'd been bearing during her absence.
A little more relaxed than when she had left, she apologized, “Sorry I took so long, but there was this lady on the phone and she just wouldn't hang up!”
“That's fine, dear. Clark and I have been enjoying each other's company.”
Standing up, Clark addressed both of them, “Unfortunately, you are going to have to finish the meal without my company. I'm sorry, but I'm late for an appointment.” And with that, he started walking away.
As she heard the end of his sentence, she said, “But Clark, we weren't finished...” But he was gone before she could speak further, which made her turn to Lex instead in search of an explanation, “Lex, what happened here?”
Looking at her with an expression which would make her feel his concern, but determined to take advantage of Kent's behavior, he said, “Nothing, dear. I guess Kent's having a rough time. Either that... or his priorities have changed.” Hesitating only long enough to let her doubts surface, he proceeded, “But you know you mean a lot to him, so that couldn't be. ”
********************+
He'd been a coward, he knew, but Lois's return had given him the opportunity to realize how Luthor was pushing him and leading him to a situation he didn't want to be in. And so he'd taken the easy way out, behaving like he would when a Superman emergency came up, and leaving without giving her the chance of holding him back.
How long it'd been since that incident, he couldn't tell. As he'd walked out of the café, he'd turned into the first narrow street he'd found. There, he'd changed into the suit and taken off. He'd been flying since then, trying to cool off and put his thoughts in order. The fact that Superman hadn't been needed had made it easier to concentrate on his own problems. As much as he tried, he couldn't remember what exactly it was that he'd told Luthor, though he was sure that he'd warned him about the consequences he'd have to face if he ever hurt Lois. <<Lois...>> She had to be really mad at him right now, but there was no way he could have avoided it without lying to her. He couldn't change how he felt. He couldn't hide the hurt he was feeling, even more after he'd found out the only thing that kept her from marrying Luthor was Superman.
Though she'd never finished her sentence, he knew it was her intention to ask him to let Superman know that there was something she needed to talk to him about. But, the way things between them were at the moment that was one talk he wasn't willing to face. If there was nothing he could say to help her make up her mind as Clark, then she'd have to find her answers without either of them.
*************************
As she climbed the steps up to her apartment, she couldn't stop thinking about the way Clark had behaved during lunch. She hadn't been able to focus on anything else afterwards; even on the ride home, while Lex had been trying to hold a conversation with her, her mind had kept on drifting elsewhere. Fortunately, there hadn't been that much going on at work that evening, which had made her lack of concentration go unnoticed.
She opened her purse to fish for her key and in a matter of seconds she was inside her apartment, heading to her bedroom. She changed into something more comfortable then walked over to the couch, trying to recall how her day had moved on after lunch. She remembered that Lex had tried to talk her into having dinner with him that night, but she'd rejected the offer saying she needed to rest. Instead, she'd suggested they'd meet for lunch the following day. She knew Lex was expecting an answer, yet she wasn't sure she was ready to give him one. There was still that someone she needed to talk to... As his image came to her mind, she felt ridiculous for the thousandth time. She believed her feelings for Superman to be true, yet, for some reason, and even though she was determined to speak with him as soon as she had the chance, it didn't seem like the smartest choice. <<But that's exactly what defines you, Mad Dog Lane, isn't it? Always diving in without checking the water level first... If I wasn't sure that I'd regret it if I didn't at least try! >>
As she continued trying to justify her future actions, her thoughts were somehow directed back to Clark, and again, the same questions started coming up. It was beyond her understanding why Clark could not support her in this. If it was what made her happy, and he was really her best friend, why couldn't he share her happiness? She had accused him of behaving as if he was jealous, but she didn't believe that, did she? Even if he was, Clark wouldn't allow those kinds of feelings to motivate him. There had to be something more, but what? The more she thought about it, the more her frustration grew. Somewhere along the way, the hurt and anger she was feeling built up to the point of tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. It was probably about time she let those out too, because with her proud attitude she hadn't allowed herself to truly express what all the recent events in her life were making her feel.
Clark's last remark still echoed in her mind. What had he meant with it? He sounded so bitter as he said those words that, for a moment, Lois had felt she didn't know the person staring back at her. If he was trying to hurt her, as much as she hated to admit it, he'd done a good job. <<Good old me all over again. I might learn one day. Right, just might... This is the reason why I don't let people break through my defenses. Sometimes I wonder what made me think Clark was different...>> As she was having those thoughts, she knew she wasn't being fair and that there had to be an explanation, tough her tears didn't seem to agree and started flowing even harder than before.
She pulled her knees up to her chest and, when she lowered her head, she felt the tears wetting her clothes, but she couldn't have cared less at that moment. By the time she brought her head back up, her sweater was more than a little damp. Her gaze still blurry, she stared at her window and, to her surprise, saw a familiar red and blue figure flying closely... Or had she? When she saw the figure a second time, she left her doubts behind, walked over to the window and called out his name, opening the window at the same time.
“Superman!”
********************
He hadn't meant for her to see him. And, if he thought about it, he couldn't remember deciding to fly over to her place, but somehow he'd found himself hovering outside her window. He had to admit, though, that despite the way he was feeling and their earlier argument, he couldn't stop caring about her. He could only guess that, at some point, he'd felt the urge to see her, to find out if she was fine, and that that urge had lead him to where he was now.
After observing her for a few minutes, he'd seen the first of her tears. It had made him feel miserable. He was afraid Luthor would hurt her and, in trying to avoid it, he'd been the one to cause her pain. He wondered what the use of superpowers was at times, if they didn't keep him from making the same mistakes as any other human being. At first, his guiltiness hadn't allowed him to fly away. Up until she'd caught him, finally about to leave, his thoughts had been drifting back to that morning. However, this time, he'd been contemplating things from a different perspective. Whether he liked it or not, he'd realized that, if she talked to him as Superman, his reaction was the key to her relationship with Luthor. A rejection would probably push her into the arms of his enemy, yet the thought of Lois wanting the man in the suit but not the regular guy was unbearable.
For the last few minutes, his thoughts had been racing at such a speed, that following them was more than hard. But in his confusion, he was sure of one thing; Luthor didn't deserve Lois. He was sure he was going to hurt her, and he had the chance to prevent that from happening, but did he like that option? <<Am I being selfish here? There does seem to be just one way to keep her away from Luthor...>>
Tbc...
