Missing Lois - TOC Story Notes: This story is mostly set in alt-dimension, although visits to the canon dimension do happen from time-to-time.
- Clark = Alt-Clark unless otherwise noted (such as when we are in the canon dimension, then 'Clark' is canon Clark)
- Lucy El = pregnant canon Lois avoiding the curse by hiding out with alt-Clark, aka Lois's secret identity
- Kal = what Lois-Lucy and alt-Clark call canon Clark
- Lola Luthor = alt-Lois, wife of Lex Luthor
- Sam Lane = alt-Lois's Dad, Lois's doctor & roommate
- James Olsen = owner of the
Daily Planet, Lois-Lucy's friend, who is working with Lois to find alt-Lois
- Martha and Jonathan Kent = canon Clark's parents
- Lex Luthor = no explanation necessary, same bad guy as always
- Junior = Lex Luthor, Jr., Lex's first born son, creator of the Neuroscanner
- Jaxon Xavier = Lex Luthor's son and spy at
The Planet, does website design and research for the paper
- Nigel St. John = Lex Luthor's right hand man
- Mrs. Cox = Lex Luthor's administrative and personal assistant
- Mayor White = aka Perry White, former Editor-in-Chief at the DP
- Dr. Bernard Klein = S.T.A.R. Labs scientist and Superman's 'doctor'
- The only people who know canon Lois's true identity are alt-Clark, Sam, Moonbeam (alt-Star) and now Dr. Klein. Alt-Clark told Mayson Drake that Lucy El is his sister-in-law and that he has a twin brother, but not about the other dimension. Mayson didn't believe him (thinking instead that Lucy was a con-artist).
***
What happened in Chapter 4: Part 7:After Thanksgiving dinner Clark confessed to his former editor that Lois was married to another man, whose child she was carrying. At this point Clark also made the connection between Lola – Jaxon’s stepmother -- and his Lois, realizing that his Lois was married to Lex Luthor. After Clark left the party to think about this information privately, James arrived and told the others (Sam, Lois, and Perry) that he had found Lex Luthor and their missing Lois living in Singapore. Not only was the missing Lois Lex’s wife, but she was also blind and still being tortured by the Neuroscanner.
***
Part 8Lois sat at her desk staring at her telephone, waiting until it was late enough to call. Singapore, being literally on the other side of the world, was just getting to work as they were heading home. The sun had set outside hours earlier; most of the newsroom staff, including Clark, had posted their stories and gone home for the night. Yet, Lois sat here still. This was the third night this week she had tried to get hold of Lex Luthor and she was hoping that the third time was a charm.
She stood up and started to walk around the newsroom. Spending all this time sitting down was giving her the worst backaches. It felt like this baby was getting bigger by the minute and no amount of heavy clothing was doing the job of covering her ever burgeoning tummy. Plus, all these extra layers were hot. She pulled off one of the bulky sweaters and took a deep breath. She put her hands against her back and arched, hoping to stretch that kink down her spine.
FLASH! Lois turned to find James standing by her desk with a camera. Great. Just when she looked her most pregnant. She waved at him and tried not to waddle as she returned to her desk.
“I brought you some dinner. When I called your apartment, Sam said you were staying late to try again. Hope you’re in the mood for Italian.”
“Love it. I’m starving,” she said with a smile. They went into the conference room and spread out their take-out containers.
“Cranberry juice for the lady,” he said handing her a bottle. “Have you told Clark, yet?”
“What can I say to him? ‘We found Lex Luthor, hiding in plain sight in Singapore, but the jerk won’t come to the phone’?” She swirled her pasta around her fork and took a large, dribbling bite. “You are a god-send, James. Thank you.”
He smiled and passed her a pile of napkins.
“I couldn’t possibly look any worse.” She shrugged with a chuckle, tucking a napkin into her top-most sweater.
“Well, you could remove about half those layers. Don’t tell me that you’re cold in the newsroom or you’ll make me feel like Ebenezer Scrooge,” he said.
“Personal body image issues,” she explained. “Oh, what the hell, since it’s just the two of us.” She glanced out to the newsroom to make sure they were alone and then removed layer upon layer until it was just her maternity pants and a thin turtleneck. She stretched up to the ceiling and sat back down. “Much better.” Digging into her pasta, she gazed over at James. His jaw had dropped to the floor.
He pointed at her. “Lucy. You’re… You’re…”
Oh, crap. He wasn’t in on the whole baby secret. “Not one word to anyone,” she told him and threw another sweater back on.
He stood up and started pacing. “It all makes sense. That’s why White wanted Clark to… And you don’t drink… and sent back that salad with the blue cheese… why Clark is so overprotective of you… why you said Sam’s your doctor… and you’re leaving us in about two months… and I’m the biggest idiot in the entire world.”
She smiled. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like an idiot. I just didn’t want a lot of questions. Reporters are the world’s biggest gossips.”
“It’s Kal’s, right?”
Lois raised a brow at him and continued eating.
“Sorry, stupid question. When are you due?”
“Mid-February.”
“Boy or a girl?”
“Hope so.” She grinned. “Sit down. Eat your dinner. All this pacing is making me dizzy.”
James dropped into his seat and wiped his face with his hand. “Wow, this is big.”
“And only getting bigger.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He grinned. “Here, I thought you were cold and kept cranking up the thermostat.”
“Oh, please, turn it down. I’m drinking a gallon of water a day as it is.” Lois fanned herself with a pile of napkins.
James jumped back up and ran out of the conference room. Lois watched him go. He was back two minutes later.
“There, I lowered it back to seventy. Sorry.”
“Thank you. That was sweet.”
He stood back up and started pacing again.
“Is something wrong, James?” she asked.
“I feel like I should be doing something productive. Here you are…” He indicated her with his hand again. “Creating life. Wow!”
“Calm down.” She smiled; he was really in shock. “I’ve been doing it for a while now.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Sit down. Eat your dinner. Treat me normally.” She spun around another forkful of pasta.
“Right.” He sat down. She could still his feet tapping under the table. “Do you have a nursery yet?”
Lois shook her head. “I’ll be heading back home soon after the baby’s born. We’ll get that stuff then.”
He just stared at her. “Straight from the hospital?”
She swallowed. “We’re going to try for a home birth.” No super complications needed for the hospital workers to witness. No publicity. No one to know. No chance of unwanted visitors.
“Really?” He looked uncomfortable with that idea.
“Women have been doing this for thousands of years, James. How hard can it be?” She shrugged. “A little pain, lots of heavy breathing and discomfort and boom, a baby.”
He shook his head. “Wow! You’re in total denial.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You’ve been so busy focusing your attention on finding Lois, fixing Clark’s love life, capturing Lex Luthor, you’ve totally ignored the fact that you’re going to have someone you’re going to need to take care of full time in a short amount of time. Like two months.”
“There’s plenty of time to get that stuff later.” Lois waved off his concerns. “Eat!”
“Lucy.” He looked her straight in the eye. “It is later, now.”
Her fork stopped halfway to her mouth. “What do you mean, James?”
“What are you going to do if the baby comes early? Preemies happen all the time, nowadays. I was a preemie. Six weeks early is not unheard of. So, now is the time to prepare.”
Lois dropped her fork and started hyperventilating. “Early? But it can’t come early. Nine months. I know the exact date. That’s when it has to happen. Not early.”
“Head between your knees, Lucy. Head between your knees.”
“Are you nuts? I don’t even know what my knees look like anymore.”
They looked at one another and burst into laughter.
“Oh, Lucy. I’m going to miss you,” James said wiping away a tear of laughter. “You know how to keep life real.”
Lois wiped her mouth and glanced at the clock. “Finally. Today is the day. Keep your fingers crossed for me.” She stood up and walked out to her desk.
James pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. “White. Olsen, here. I just found out about Lucy… Yes, just now… It’s due in February and she is completely unprepared. We seriously need to throw this woman a shower… Yes, us. Who else is there?… Exactly. Superman…. Clark and Lucy have been pretty tight lipped about the whole thing… Lois? She’s trying again right now. I’ll keep you posted.” He hung up his phone and exited the conference room. He walked up to her and rubbed her shoulders. “Any luck?”
“I’m on hold.” She yawned. “Again.”
James sat down in the seat next to her. “Let me take some photos of you like this for Kal.”
Lois smiled at him and pointed to the phone. Then covered up the mouthpiece and murmured, “Sounds good. We’ll discuss it later.”
James grinned and leaned back.
“Hello? Nigel? Nigel St. John?” She looked at James only to FLASH, she blinked her eyes, trying to remove the stars. She waved his camera away. “You don’t know me, but I’m sure my name is familiar. My name is Lucy, Lucy El. I’m Clark Kent’s personal research assistant. I would like to speak with…” She took a deep breath; reaching over she took James’s hand. “Lex Luthor about his son Junior shooting me in the shoulder this past summer.”
James squeezed her hand. She glanced over at him. His eyes were as big as saucers and he shook his head.
“Yes, I’ll hold.”
“Are you crazy?” he stage whispered. “You’re supposed to be making an interview appointment for Clark, not adding your name to an assignation list. He is going to kill you.”
She shook her head. “Luthor isn’t going to kill me. I’m just trying to get his attention.”
“Who cares about Luthor? Clark’s going to kill you,” he retorted.
“Who am I going to kill, Mr. Olsen?” Clark’s voice sailed down to them from where he floated into the newsroom from the upper windows.
Lois held up a finger to James and grabbed Superman’s blue suit, pulling him closer.
James indicated with his head towards Lucy.
“
Mrs. El. I’m sorry that you are under the misguided notion that my son, Lex, Jr., had anything to do with your unfortunate accident this past summer.”
It was Lex Luthor all right. Suddenly, the image of him calling to her from his town car appeared in her head, ‘It’s Kent. The man you love and thought you couldn’t have.’
Lois started to shiver uncontrollably. “Good morning, Lex.”
Superman held out his hand for the phone. She switched ears and took his hand in hers.
“
I didn’t know we were on a first name basis, Lucy.”
She was so cold, her teeth began to chatter. She stood up and leaned her head against Superman. “I know you so well, it’s like we’re meeting again after a long hiatus.”
“
You have me at a complete disadvantage.”
Superman wrapped his red cape around her. He was so warm, Lois finally started to melt.
“That would be a first, Lex, I am sure. My boss, Clark Kent was wondering when you would be available for him to fly to Singapore and meet with you.”
“
Clark Kent?” She could actually hear him smiling. “
The star reporter at the Daily Planet
? My wife is quite a fan of his work.”
“Well, then, Lex, we should really make it a dinner meeting, so he can meet her. He does love his fans. And Jaxon says Lola has such a beautiful singing voice.”
Superman covered up the mouthpiece on the phone. “What are you doing?”
Lois pulled the receiver away from him.
“
It sounds like quite an evening. Will you be joining us?”
Superman pressed his lips together and shook his head.
“Alas, no. I have a terrible fear of flying. I think it might stem from my vertigo.”
James gave her a thumbs up.
“
That’s too bad. Jaxon has told me all about you, too. Horrible about that civil war in Berkistan, good people disappear there all the time. It seems to bother you quite a bit.”
“Yes, they do and it does,” she agreed with a smile. Her husband was safe and sound in another dimension. “But let’s not talk about that. We should make this meeting before Christmas, don’t you think? So, we can all have a fresh start for the New Year.”
“
Shall I pass you to my executive assistant, Mrs. Cox, to firm up the details?”
Mrs. Cox. Lois sneered. “I’m afraid I might get lost in the transfer. Why don’t you just have her hand you the appointment book. I know she’s standing right there.”
Superman and James exchanged a glance.
“Stop taunting him,” Superman whispered. James nodded in agreement.
“
OK. How about the evening of December 19th?”
She glanced at Superman and he nodded.
“Oooh, sorry. He has an engagement that night. Can we make it the 20th? Clark loves to explore every country he visits.”
“Stop it,” Superman growled.
“
Lola and I have a Christmas party we’re throwing that night; Mr. Kent is more than welcome to join us. I’m sure I could make time for him during the weekend for that interview.”
“Sounds great.” She smiled. “Shall I have him contact the L.I., Ltd. headquarters that afternoon to pick up the details?”
“
No. No. I’ll have the details messengered over to the Daily Planet
today… or in your case, tomorrow.”
“I look forward to reading them. Thank you for your time, Mr. Luthor.”
“
It’s been informative, Ms. El.”
As Lois hung up the phone Superman pulled her into a hug. “You are amazing, Lucy. How in the world did you ever find him?”
Lois took a deep breath, breathing in his aura. “I didn’t. James here did.”
Superman turned to him. “Mr. Olsen?” He held out his hand. “Thank you.”
James glanced at Lois, who nodded her head. “No, Clark, thank you.” He shook his hand. “You are a good example to look up to.”
“James here is being modest. He copied your investigative skills while in Japan last week. He has been telling everyone what a great reporter you are for months now, Clark, including Lex Luthor himself.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that kind of support.”
Lois glared at James, who looked a bit uncomfortable.
Her boss’s boss cleared his throat. “Why don’t you call me, James, Clark?”
Superman grinned. “Thank you, sir… eh, James. I will.” He picked Lois up and cradled her in his arms. “You are the craziest woman in the world. I’m going to have to hire a body guard for you. Goading criminal masterminds like that. You should have told me you were calling him.”
“Merry Christmas, Clark.” She smiled. He really shouldn’t hold her like this. “Now, set me down.”
He set her down and took a step away and she was suddenly cold again, but it was easier to breathe.
“I’m sending you to Martha’s that weekend.”
“No! Clark, you need me. If you send me to Martha’s, you’ll be on your own. Anyway, how will you get me there?”
“I have my secrets, too, Lucy,” Superman said with a raised brow.
“Who’s Martha?” James piped in. They had forgotten about him.
“Lucy’s mother-in-law,” Superman explained. “She’ll be safe there.”
“But what if you need me? You won’t be able to contact me there.” Lois batted her eyelashes.
“Superman works alone, Lucy. You know that.”
“No, he doesn’t. Without James’s help we wouldn’t know where Lex was.” Lois grabbed James’s elbow. “And you can’t say that my help has been insignificant, can you?”
“Of course I’d still be in limbo if you, both of you, hadn’t helped, but Lucy, surely you understand that I need to go on this trip with a clear head, no distractions.” Superman cleared his throat. “This is Lex Luthor we’re talking about here.”
“I’m a distraction?” she asked, innocently.
Superman glanced at her with a look that she instantly recognized as, ‘you’re kidding me, right?’ “When I’m worried about your safety, that’s a distraction,” he said out loud. “And with you throwing it in Luthor’s face that you know more about him than he does about you, you practically invited him to come after you.”
Lois glanced at James and he nodded in agreement. She pressed her lips together and, letting go of James’s arm, sat down. “I can take care of myself.”
“You don’t only have you to think about anymore, Lucy,” James reminded her.
Superman looked at him and then back at Lois. “You told him?” He shook his head. “Have you completely forgotten how to keep a secret?”
“He’s trustworthy, Clark.” Lois set a reassuring hand on Superman’s arm.
“That may be, but I’m beginning to wonder if you are.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She glared at him. “It’s my life we’re talking about here.”
“I’m trying to protect Kal’s child as well as you. If any of his enemies were to find out, you both would be in grave danger. Why do you think I offered my protection in the first place?”
“I won’t tell anyone, Clark. I promise,” James said. “You can trust me. I can even look after her while you’re gone.”
“I appreciate the offer, Mr. Olsen… James, really I do. But Lucy here has a habit of getting into super big trouble that she needs super protection to get out of. At least, if she’s at Martha’s I’ll know she won’t get into trouble.”
“Sam isn’t going to want me flying,” she reminded him.
“Sam might make an exception in this case.” He smiled at her. “James, can you drive Lucy home? I should go back on patrol.”
James nodded.
“We’re going to talk about this again before you leave, Superman,” she said as he floated into the air. “This isn’t my last word on the subject.”
Superman grinned. “I never expected it to be.” And he flew off.
“Wow. He’s got you pegged,” James said, heading back into the conference room.
“Hardy har-har,” Lois replied unamused.
James put on his coat and cleared up the dinner things as Lois put on her many layers, again. She still felt chilled from her conversation with Lex.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” James inquired quietly in the elevator down to the lobby.
Lois looked at him curiously.
“Is there some reason Clark thinks an old woman would be better protection for you than me?”
She laughed. “Martha may be a tough woman, James, but I don’t think that’s what he meant. Her place is remote, hidden, nearly impossible to find. It’s me out and about in Metropolis that scares him.”
James breathed a sigh of relief with a slight chuckle. He took another glance at her and said, “I thought you told me and Perry that Lex Luthor knew who you were. Didn’t you tell us that he ruined your wedding with Kal?”
Lois didn’t say anything as she chewed on this question. She didn’t open her mouth again until they were in his car. “James, I know you have gone out on a limb for me, more than a couple of times. Can you just trust me when I tell you that he might not know Lucy El, but he knows me like the back of his hand?”
“Is he one of Kal’s enemies that Clark was talking about?”
She nodded and then looked away.
“I can see why Clark was so angry at you for taunting Lex.”
“He wouldn’t have come to the phone, unless I had something on him personally. That’s how he works, so that’s how he expects others to treat him. If I hadn’t stood up to him, acted like he didn’t scare me, he wouldn’t have taken me seriously.” She rubbed her arms with her hands. “I can’t say it didn’t terrify me to hear his voice, especially when I never thought I’d hear it again.”
“You have nerves of steel,” he said, starting the car.
“Really, it felt more like Jello.” She pointed in front of them. “Home, James.”
He laughed and drove her home.
***
Lois called Dr. Klein at S.T.A.R. Labs the next afternoon as Clark went out to cover a press conference at the Science Museum. She was surprised to find him at his desk.
“
Lucy?” He swallowed, nervously. “
Everything all right with…” He coughed. “
Clark?”
“Clark’s fine, Dr. Klein.”
“
And you?” he asked hesitantly.
“I’m well, too. I’m calling in regards to the information I gave you when we met that one time.”
Lois heard the phone drop out of his hand. “
Information?” His voice cracked. “
What information would that be?”
“About the Neuroscanner.”
“
Oh, that information.” Dr. Klein sighed in relief.
“I was wondering if you’ve made any progress with the hair sample I gave you in tracking the genetic fingerprint back to the Neuroscanner.” Lois finally had remembered that when her Clark gave a DNA sample to match it against that boy with super powers, they hadn’t used blood, but a sample of hair.
“
Well, no. I haven’t made much progress with that. Is there some urgency that I don’t know about?”
“If possible, we need a working prototype by at latest the morning of the eighteenth.”
He gulped. “
That soon?”
“Without it, he won’t be able to go through with his rescue mission.” With the Neuroscanner still operational, this dimension’s Lois would end up being an unwitting mole in Superman’s camp and with anyone else with whom she came in contact. Junior and Lex would still be able to see through her eyes and hear through her ears. This dimension’s Lois would also be at Lex’s and Junior’s mercy as they would be able to subject her to migraine pain whenever they pleased. Neither condition would be desirable to Clark or Lois… either of them.
“
Do you have proof that it is operational?”
“Eyewitness account.”
“
Wow! OK. I’ll see what I can do, Ms. El. But I make no guarantees.”
“Do your best, Dr. Klein. Her life is in your hands.”
He lowered his voice. “
Do you still believe that she’s his true love?”
“There’s always that possibility, Dr. Klein.”
He gulped. “
I’ll get right on it, Lucy.”
“Thank you, Dr. Klein,” Lois said, hanging up. She looked down at her to-do list and checked off N.S. Next on her list: cross reference L.I., Ltd. and Lex Luthor with Singapore, and see if she could find an address.
Someone walked up behind her. Lois could hear him breathing down her neck. Glancing up, she saw it was Jaxon and she scooted her chair away. He was definitely too close for comfort.
“Thanks. Thanks a lot, Lucy. Because of you my father has revoked my funding for my Virtual Reality computer.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Jaxon,” she said with sympathetic sarcasm. “Now, you won’t be able to kidnap any more people. How terrible for you. Are they going to revoke your license to be a bad guy as well?” She smiled.
Jaxon glared at her and stomped off.
Lois glanced down at her list and checked off Jaxon’s name. She knew after she had dropped his name on Lex the day before, it was only a matter of time before he heard from his dear old dad. She looked at him pouting at his desk and added a question mark next to her check mark. Clark wasn’t going to appreciate her rebuff to Jaxon, but the little twerp seemed harmless without his super computer.
*** End of Part 8 *** CommentsChapter 4: Part 9
