Well, it's been quite a while since the last part, but it's back now! If you need to refresh your memory, here's the
TOC . Reviewing, I discovered that the link to part 7 was posted incorrectly, so I added the correct link in my latest post. I also discovered that the TOC forum is now 10 pages long! 10 pages, in only a year! Go us! <g> Oh, yeah, and HoC is TOC #4, which is also kinda cool, imo.
Thanks to Kaylle for BRing this part.
Finally, for a slightly quicker refresher, this is where we left off in
Part 8 :
Clark, hearing Lois' groan and Lex's approaching footsteps, ducked back down the side hallway. He soon saw Lex adjust his hostage and push the button for the elevator.
Lex slapped Lois' bottom and said, "Las Vegas awaits, my dear. When you awake this time tomorrow you'll gladly be Mrs. Lex Luthor and all this drama will be behind us. There will be no more scenes. You'll be happy in your place - which will be wherever and whatever I decide it will be."
The elevator arrived and Lex entered its doors. The car descended.
Clark leaned back against the wall, shocked, appalled, and disoriented. It was worse than he had ever imagined. Lois was going to marry a man who had no respect for her except as a trophy, a bed partner, and a brood mare.
Walking back to the elevator Clark glanced over and saw that Lois' door was wide open. <Lex has no respect for her property either. > As he reached for her door he decided it was time to call on his most trusted friends. He entered her apartment and closed the door, noting the splinters thoughtfully and making sure he fastened all five locks. He sat down on the couch, reached for Lois' telephone, and dialed the most familiar telephone number he knew.
"Hello."
... and now, Part 9
"Hi, Mom?"
She seemed to pick up on something in his voice. "Clark, honey, what's wrong?"
"I don't know where to start, Mom..." He slumped down on Lois's couch, miserable enough that he didn't even notice how uncomfortable the thing was.
"Just tell me what happened," his mother said, soothingly.
So, he did. He told her about the past few days, or at least the highlights... Lois's request, flying away from her, taking the job at LNN, being trapped in the Kryptonite cage... She listened through it all, offering her support when it was needed, but mostly just letting him get it out. Even as he was talking, though, he knew that he didn't have time for the conversation. He needed to go rescue Lois. But he needed this. After everything he'd been through, he needed help. He needed to talk it out, but more, he needed someone with a clearer head to help him figure out what to do. Still overwhelmed from everything that had happened, Clark just kept talking, trying to sort through it all.
"How are you feeling now?" she asked, when he had finished his story.
"Feeling?" He didn't even know how to begin addressing that question.
"Do you think you could fly?"
Oh. That kind of feeling. "No. I was doing better for a while. My hearing started to come back. I was able to listen to Lois's conversation, even though I was outside the apartment. But then I started feeling worse again. When Lex took Lois, I couldn't even get the energy to run after him. I'm feeling pretty drained, Mom."
"Better, then weak again... Do you think he was carrying Kryptonite?"
"You're right, Mom! He probably was. I didn't really notice it, because I was still recovering from all that time in the cage, but that's got to be exactly what it was! So, a little more time, and I'll probably start feeling better again. That will still be too late, though. I won't be able to fly, and Lex has a private jet. I don't even know where in Vegas they're going."
"Well, just get to Vegas. Take the next flight out. Maybe something will come to you when you get there. Maybe, by then, your hearing will be back again."
"Yeah, maybe." He was feeling better already. Things were starting to become clear again. Talking had helped, and he'd also needed the time to recover from the latest dose of Kryptonite. Kryptonite! If Lex had it... "Mom, I need to get going. Thanks for everything."
"Anytime, sweetie."
He hung up, then flipped through the phone book. Quickly finding the number he needed, he placed his next call. "Metropolis General Hospital? This is Superman. I need a favor..."
******
Lex got Lois to the jet with little trouble. The plane was prepared for take-off, the flight plan had been filed, and the crew was ready and waiting. If any one of them thought it odd that the boss's fiance was unconscious, he knew better than to let it show.
The trip was shorter than it would have been by commercial airliner, Lex's personal craft being faster than most commercial models, but it still took more than four hours. Fortunately, Lex had planned for this. He had hoped he wouldn't have to resort to such measures, but, having decided to prepare for the eventuality, he had made sure to do so thoroughly. His bride-to-be was just waking up as they landed. She would still be groggy for some time, but that suited Lex. Later, after they had been married, he could work on getting her to understand the world and her place in it. She was a singularly amazing woman. Stunningly beautiful, very witty, keenly intelligent. Just a little too independent. He could fix that, though, in time.
It was, of course, quite late when they got off the plane, even with the time change, but it wasn't dark by any means. They had, after all, landed in Las Vegas. Even the airport was brightly lit. He directed the limo to take them down the strip. As they cruised along the street, Lex kept an eye out for a suitable chapel. He wasn't too worried about decorum. The point was to legally bind Lois to him. Later, after she had learned to behave in a manner appropriate for the bride of Lex Luthor, they could have a proper public ceremony. So, as he considered the options, Lex was looking mostly for a place that offered three things: a speedy wedding, proper discretion, and an atmosphere that at least wasn't unbearably tacky.
He shuddered as they passed "The Chapel of Blue Suede Deliverance," which offered weddings preformed and witnessed by Elvis impersonators. Lex didn't know kind of person would be willing to be caught dead in such a place, much less get married, and he certainly had no wish to find out. Other possibilities were just as distasteful. The official-sounding "Las Vegas Wedding Bureau" offered free live Internet broadcasts of its ceremonies. That was the last thing he wanted. He didn't even want to know how they managed to produce a suitable wedding cake for only $35.
Further down the road, an ad for "The Las Vegas Ring Boy: The Only Professional Ring Bearer in Las Vegas (and Maybe Even the World!)" caught his eye. An enterprising young man, by all means, but Lex was not about to pay that much to have a kid he didn't know carry around a ring that valuable. He also wondered what sort of parents would let their son advertize with the slogan "Please Rent Me!"
Another sign advertized the "Treasure Island Wedding Chapel." Lex decided not to think too much about that one. He raised his eyebrows at a place offering golf-themed weddings, and was subsequently nearly blinded by another one which offered a "Retro/Glam" theme. The beach theme actually seemed almost normal by comparison, even if they were in the middle of a desert.
He was starting to consider using one of his own properties when he noticed something that looked like it would suit his needs. "Shotgun Pete's Wedding Chapel: Get Married Faster Than a Speeding Bullet!" It wasn't classy, by any means, but he wasn't worried about that. It was fast, the decor was tolerable, and the couples walking in and out looked suitably inebriated. He directed the driver to stop there, and led his semi-conscious bride to the door. She wouldn't be fully aware for some time yet, but she was awake enough to go through the ceremony. At a chapel like this, no one would think twice about it. They'd simply assume that she, like at least half the other customers, was extremely drunk. Not exactly how he'd envisioned his wedding, but it would do for now. He opened the door and, his hand firmly on her arm, carefully guided Lois inside.
******
Lois squinted at the bright light. She'd stopped moving. At least, she thought she'd stopped moving. It was hard to be sure. Everything was strange and out of focus. She couldn't quite get her bearings. What she could make out of her surroundings was entirely unfamiliar. The hand on her arm pulled her along. She went, feeling like she was floating.
Hmm, floating. Someone she knew could do that. Who was it? Bright colors. Glasses. That didn't quite go, did it? The arm had some kind of formal clothing. So maybe the glasses did go. Formal suit and floating? That definitely didn't go. Clark didn't -- oh, that was his name! Clark! That's the one who floated. Except that he didn't do that in regular clothes. What an odd dream this was.
Another arm pushed a paper in front of her. She tried to read it, but it just wasn't clear. Vaguely, she remembered that you weren't supposed to be able to read in your dreams, that that part of the brain wasn't involved. Something like that. Well, whatever. A voice from somewhere directed her to sign the paper. She didn't like signing things she couldn't read, but hey, it was a dream. What could happen? Besides, Clark wouldn't ask her to sign anything bad. She was upset with him about something, but she still knew she could trust him that much. She signed her name with what she hoped was a flourish, and then Clark floated her away in another direction.
Elvis walked by in front of her. She wondered what that meant. Maybe her dream was reminding her of Perry. She hadn't spoken to him in a long time. He was far away now, wasn't he? She missed Perry. There were more people. She didn't know any of them. Where were they? What were they doing? This was one confusing dream. Something large and feathery caught her attention. A giant bird? What was a bird doing here? She tried to reason it out. Maybe it was because they were floating? No, the bird looked like it was walking. Well, so did everyone else. She was floating, but she was inside, and people were walking. She shrugged. It didn't have to make sense.
Someone else moved into her field of vision. A tall woman in black clothing. She had pointed ears on top of her head and a long black tail. Catwoman? Oh, of course. Cat. Whatever had happened to Cat, anyway? She'd never been an actual friend, but after that thing... something about an asteroid? ... well, after that, whatever it had been, they'd come to an understanding. And then Cat had left. Just stopped showing up one day. Lois tried to remember, but her head was too fuzzy.
The arm pulled at her again. A veil went over her eyes. Just what she needed. Now she could barely see at all. She floated along, trusting Clark to guide her. Soon, they stopped again. A new voice spoke up. She couldn't quite follow what it was saying. Words and phrases came through, but the overall meaning eluded her. Something about getting married. Is that what was happening?
The first voice whispered in her ear again. "Say 'I do,'" came the firm instruction.
"'I do'?" she asked. Was she really supposed to say that? Well, if it was a wedding, those were the right words. She wasn't sure she wanted to say them. Something was nagging at her. She didn't know what it was, really. Just a feeling that something was off. She tried to think of how to express that, but the second voice was already speaking. She heard the words "man and wife" and "kiss the hide." She didn't know what that was about, but she was pretty sure she didn't want to kiss an animal skin.
The veil lifted, and there was a face in front of her. It was too close for her to focus on, though, and soon it came even closer. She felt something pressing against her lips. Someone was kissing her. She had gotten married. She was still floating. She thought about it. She couldn't remember why she was angry at Clark. She decided that it didn't matter. If she was dreaming that they were married, it must be right. Married to Clark. It did sound right. It sounded very right. It was the first thing in this whole dream that seemed to make sense. Lois sighed, contented, as she and her new husband floated away.
******
Clark stood in front of the door to the "Alexander the Great" suite in the famous greek-themed Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. He'd taken the first flight he could find from Metropolis to Vegas. He'd spent an agonizing five hours in a cramped seat inside a giant slow-moving flying tube. Without his powers, and with Lois in danger, he'd had no other choice. As soon as they'd taxied up to the gate, he'd jumped out of his seat and made his way as quickly as possible off the plane. Then he'd tried to figure out where to go next. It had been a hunch to check the Luxor first, but his hearing, which had thankfully started to return once again, had confirmed the guess soon after he'd walked into the lobby.
He'd followed the sound of Luthor's voice to this room, and now he was going to save Lois. He braced himself, trying to prepare for whatever he'd find in the room. At least, he tried to brace himself. It wasn't quite working. So, he just told himself that Lois needed him and then knocked on the door. Lex yelled something about not wanting to be disturbed. Well, Clark hadn't really expected it to work anyway. He grabbed the knob and twisted, hard. He didn't have his full strength yet, but he only needed a small fraction of it to force a door. Especially since the occupants of this room had apparently neglected to bolt or chain it, instead trusting the standard lock, "do not disturb" sign, and hotel staff to see to their security.
Luthor whipped around at the sound of the breaking door knob. "You!" he spat as soon as he caught sight of the man who had dared invade his privacy. Then, his look of utter hatred melted into one of smug assurance. "You didn't think I would be unprepared for you, did you? I won't let you get between me and my wife, alien." As he spoke, he pulled a chunk of glowing green rock out of his pocket.
Clark staggered back. Not from the Kryptonite, as the gloating Luthor obviously thought. The lead apron he'd borrowed from the hospital's X-ray department was shielding him well enough, for the time being. Fortunately, the unusually loose shirt he was wearing hid it from view. No, the pain Clark was feeling was much deeper than mere Kryptonite poisoning, and it call came from a single word. Luthor had said "wife." Clark had arrived too late. Somehow, it had happened. Lois was married to Lex, and there was nothing he could do about it.
(Thanks to
http://www.vegasweddingguide.com/ for info on real Las Vegas chapels and services. "The Church of Blue Suede Deliverance" is, of course, from the show. I thought "Shotgun Pete's" was my own, but double-checking on the Internet reminded me that it's actually the Las Vegas chapel where Homer and Marge were married in a flashback scene from "The Simpsons." At least the slogan is mine. I think.)
