Okay, I'm just starting this story, and will get back to it after I finish "Twins" (or maybe while I'm writing "Twins" if I get temporarily blocked on exactly what to do next, as happens sometimes). I'm basically looking for opinions on the premise and any ideas how I can improve it.
Nan
Disclaimer: The familiar characters and settings in this story are not mine. They belong to DC Comics, Warner Bros., December 3rd Productions and whoever else may have any legal right to claim them, nor am I profiting by their use. The story is extrapolated from the ending of the Lois and Clark script "House of Luthor" and all parts and ideas taken from that script are hereby credited to the writers of the show. Any new characters, settings, and any changes in the story belong to me.
Wedding Consequences
By Nan Smith
Lois glanced at the copy of the National Whisper that Clark had brought into the apartment. The front page, as might be expected, had a huge photograph of her face, framed in its wedding veil, and the headline: *Luthor's Widow Kidnapped by Aliens!*
"Can you believe this garbage?" she demanded.
"Well, the inside page has the feature on Elvis's return," Clark said. "He's running a deli in Minnesota. Seriously, Lois, you don't want to go out there right now. The papers are all hunting for you. Your apartment is a mob scene. The tenants can hardly get into the place without being buttonholed by half a dozen reporters looking for some kind of scandal on you. Perry was nearly mobbed when he went in to feed your fish, but he backed them off pretty fast. None of them want to take on Perry White." He grinned faintly. "Jimmy and Jack are being pestered day and night, and you know how many phone calls have come in here." He jerked his head at the phone. He had turned off the ringer and set the telephone answering machine to take the calls two days ago, and she hated to think how they must be hounding him when he set foot out of his apartment. She had peeked out the window the night before and seen at least five news vans stationed across the street. The mob of reporters on his doorstep hadn't thinned in the three days that she had been here. Clark had installed curtains to cover the glass of his front door and was keeping them pulled.
She shuddered. The thought of facing the press not as one of them but as the subject of their frenzied quest for scandal and interviews made her quail. She would have to do it eventually but right now the whole idea terrified her.
"Lois." Clark rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I can handle them. No one besides me knows where you are except Perry, Jimmy, Jack, and Inspector Henderson, and none of us are going to tell them a thing. You don't have to go out there until you're ready."
"I hate to be a burden," she fretted. "It's just that ..."
"Don't worry about it," he repeated. "Luthor's lawyers are taking care of the legal aspects of it and the investigation is proceeding very well without you. I let them know that I could get a message to you if they needed you, and they said they'd be in touch."
"I can't hide forever," she said, "but I'd like to wait until the furor dies down a little more."
"They aren't going to let you alone, you know," he said softly. "You're big news. According to the information Jimmy dug up, Luthor hadn't made a new will yet, but the laws of New Troy mandate that, as his widow, you inherit half of all his legitimate assets. It looks like you're heiress to several billion dollars. Perry has been fending off every con man in the country and out of it, hundreds of distant relatives that you never knew you had have popped out of the woodwork, and dozens of old friends that claim they were very close to you in kindergarten are calling daily. It was only to be expected, but thank god for Perry. He knows how to deal with them."
She clenched her hands in her lap to hide the trembling. "What am I going to do? I can't handle this yet, Clark. I just can't."
"Wait," he said. "After while something else will come up to take you out of the headlines."
She nodded. "If you're sure I'm not being a bother," she said.
"Lois, you're never a bother to me," he said quietly.
"I know. That's one of the reasons I feel guilty," she said. "Maybe I should have taken Perry up on his invitation. They won't pester him."
"They've staked out his place too," Clark said. "At least none of them have had the nerve to try anything else since the guy from the Dirt Digger tried to climb in his kitchen window. Alice nailed him with an iron skillet and he's going to be facing breaking and entering charges after he gets out of the hospital."
She couldn't help a soft laugh. "Good for Alice."
"Anyway, I don't think we could get you out of here without them seeing you right now," he added.
She nodded. "It wouldn't look very good if they found out I was here, would it?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Personally, I don't care what they think. They know we were partners and they suspect I know where you are but I haven't admitted anything to them. They've been following me, though."
"Oh Clark ..." She shuddered. "This is all my fault. If Lex hadn't been so determined to make me his wife, he wouldn't have destroyed the Planet. You don't have a job, Perry, Jimmy ... all the others."
He shrugged. "I have some money saved up. I don't need to get a new job right away, although I did sell that piece I was working on last night to the Intelligencer this morning. I've free-lanced before, and I can do it again until I land something better."
"When you do," she said, "would you mind taking on a partner?"
He smiled sadly. "I'd like that."
"Clark, I can't live the life of Lex's widow. I can't even imagine living like that!" She jumped suddenly to her feet. "I'm a journalist, not a society woman. What on Earth was I *thinking*? It's almost as if it wasn't me doing all those things! Lois Lane sort of crawled into a hole and let this other person do all that stuff. What happened to my investigative instincts? It was like I put them all on hold where Lex was concerned."
"Luthor was very plausible," Clark said quietly, "and he was always on his best behavior where you were concerned. He was an expert at manipulating people."
"And he knew exactly which of my buttons to push," Lois said, bitterly. "Clark, I'm so desperately sorry I didn't listen to you. It could have saved us all of this."
He put his arms around her. "Lois, it's past. We'll deal with whatever happens and get it behind us, and then we'll move on."
She nodded against his shoulder, unwilling to move out of the haven of his arms. Somehow when he held her, as he had many times in the days since the wedding while she cried, or railed against the deceiver that Lex had been and the havoc that he had wrought on her life, it seemed that all the chaos swirling around her and all the complications still to come couldn't touch her. She should have realized how she felt about Clark a long time ago, but she had hidden behind the fiction that she regarded him as a brother. She didn't. There was no way she could ever regard him as a brother when she had been in love with him for -- how long? -- months, at least. It was obvious to her now. Why on Earth hadn't she seen it before?
Because she had been dazzled by Superman and swept off her feet by Lex. It had been a heady feeling that someone as wealthy and charming as Lex Luthor found her to his taste. He had dangled an incredible lifestyle in front of her, from four private jets to a luxurious penthouse at the top of Lex Tower. There had been dinner in Paris and lunch in Italy and cruises on his private yachts. And she had let it blur her judgement until it was too late. Or it would have been if not for Clark.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome," he said quietly. "Lois, you know you're welcome here as long as you want to stay."
"That wasn't why I was thanking you," she said. "I was thanking you for being you. For caring enough even after what I said to you to try to save me from myself."
"I didn't have a choice," he said. One of his hands came up to cradle the back of her head. "I couldn't stand the thought of what he would do to you if you were tied to him, Lois. He's done enough of it already."
"You mean to me."
"To you. And to the rest of us too. Even to Superman."
She nodded. "I need to apologize to him, too."
"To *Superman*? Why?"
"Because of what happened when I saw him that night. I think I insulted him terribly, Clark. He was angry when he came, and I didn't realize it. But now I think I understand why. He knew that I was saying that if he didn't want me I was going to marry Lex. It was a horrible position to put him in -- and then on top of it, I put him in the same category with Lex. I only wish he'd told me why he was so angry."
"How do you know he was angry?" Clark asked.
Lois looked down. "He was rude to me. He said that unless I put on a lead-lined robe, it wouldn't matter what I wore. I didn't understand why he would say such a thing, then -- but he knew about Lex, didn't he."
"He knew, but he didn't have any proof, either, Lois. I'm sorry."
"You have no reason to be sorry. You tried to tell me and I threw it in your face. I guess he didn't want to be in the same position."
Clark sighed. "It sounds to me like he should apologize to you. That was a pretty cruel thing to say."
"Clark, if I hadn't put him in that position, I'm sure he wouldn't have. That's why I know he was angry with me, and I think he was hurt, too. I need to apologize to him," she repeated. "I did a terrible thing to him as well as to you." She paused, blinking back the tears that were burning her eyes. "I just about said to your face that you weren't good enough, and then I practically tried to blackmail Superman into saying he loved me. I was so stupid, Clark. I didn't realize that the most extraordinary man that I could possibly wish for already loved me. I had to reach for the 'god in a cape'. He was right, too. I don't really know Superman, so how could I possibly be in love with him?"
Clark's arms tightened. "I don't know what I expected when I ... told you what I did. How could my resources possibly compare to Luthor's? I -- just wanted you to know, that was all. And I was afraid for you, or I might not have said anything then. I knew you didn't love me."
"Oh, but I do!" The words burst out of her before she could stop them. "I think I've been in love with you for months. I just didn't realize it!"
The silence that followed her admission could only be described as charged. Clark went completely still, his arms still encircling her. When he did speak, his voice didn't sound like Clark's at all.
"You ... have?"
"I realized it when it was too late," she said, her words muffled in his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Clark. If I'd figured it out beforehand, we wouldn't be in this mess right now. I was looking for moonlight and roses and starbursts. I didn't realize that sometimes real love kind of sneaks up on you in the form of your best friend. I was never comfortable with Lex, you know -- even with all his practiced compliments and charm -- and Superman is my friend, but I've never really had the time to get to know him well enough to fall in love with him." She pulled a little away and looked up into his face. "I had a huge crush on him, of course. I guess in some ways I still do -- but that's all it is. And in that, I guess I'm the same as about fifty million other women in the world. I don't know why I should be any different."
"Don't kid yourself, Lois. You're one of a kind." His voice sounded choked.
"I guess I am to you," she acknowledged, "and you're the only one whose opinion matters." She smiled sadly at him. "It's funny to say that. Me, Lois Lane, the Daily Planet's star reporter. Star reporter, hah! If it hadn't been for me the Daily Planet would still be here!"
"It wasn't you, Lois!" The harshness of his voice startled her. "It was Luthor's fault, not yours. You didn't tell him to blow up the Planet. He did it on his own. It doesn't matter what his reason was."
Lois didn't answer. She didn't completely agree, but she had come to the realization two days before that blaming herself upset him. He might not blame her for what had happened, but she knew that it was going to be a long time before she let herself off the hook.
"I've been watching a lot of the news when you weren't here," she said, after a moment. "It was interesting -- when they weren't speculating over where I am. The evidence about Lex is coming out so fast ..."
"In a criminal organization like the one he ran, once it cracks open, it cracks wide open and a lot of people start talking like crazy to try to get themselves in a better bargaining position."
"I know that. I've cracked more than one, myself. It took you to crack this one, though. I was asleep at the switch."
He shook his head. "I didn't do it alone, Lois. I had Perry, Jimmy and Jack to help. Superman helped, too -- finding out things the rest of us couldn't. He didn't give up on you either."
"I'd like to thank him for that, too," she said. "Along with the apology. But Clark -- I haven't seen a mention of him anywhere in days. It's like he's vanished off the face of the Earth."
**********
In a way, Superman *had* vanished off the face of the Earth, Clark thought. At least his powers had. He hadn't seen a sign of them since he had been trapped in the Kryptonite cage for over a day. And, he acknowledged bleakly, it was possible that Superman had vanished forever. He hadn't given up hope yet, but every day that hope grew a little dimmer.
Still, some good things had come out of this mess, too.
When Lois had told him she loved him on the day of her wedding, he had attributed it to shock and reaction to the horrible events of earlier in the day, as well as the fact that he was her closest friend. The words had given him hope, however, that someday his love for her might be returned, and had stopped him from telling the lie that had been on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't crush her that way when she was so upset.
But that had been three days ago. She'd recovered somewhat from the horror, and seemed to be regaining some of her balance, however precarious. And now ... this. She actually meant it, he thought. She really meant that she loved him. It was much too soon to do anything about it, of course. She was a newly bereaved widow -- not just any widow, but the widow of Lex Luthor. The tabloids would have a field day with them. But maybe after the furor had died down somewhat and the attention was off them, it would be different.
"Clark?" Her voice brought him out of his thoughts. She was looking at him with slightly worried frown on her features.
"Sorry," he said quickly. "I was thinking about what you said. Lois ... do you remember what I told you that day?"
"You said you'd been in love with me for a long time," she said. "Why?" Her eyes widened. "Oh god, don't tell me you didn't ..."
He caught her hands. "I meant every word of it. Don't ever think I didn't. I was just thinking that the tabloids are going to go crazier than they already have if they find out."
She put her head against his shoulder. "It's going to be a nightmare."
"No." He shook his head. "I can face down any tabloid reporter without a qualm as long as I have you. But it will be easier on both of us if they don't find out until this whole brouhaha dies down."
She nodded against his chest. "You believe me, don't you, Clark?"
He stroked her hair. "Yes. I'm still a little flabbergasted, but I believe you."
She gave a small choke of laughter. "Do you know, I think that's the first time I've actually heard that word used in conversation?"
"Oh, I know a lot of words that you big city types rarely hear," he said and he could hear the smile in his own voice. "You know, I wonder if you and I might not benefit from a couple of weeks away from the city and the press. It's been a pretty stressful week. Maybe by the time we get back, something will have come up to take their attention off of us."
"It would be nice," she said a little wistfully, "but where would we go that they couldn't find us, and how would we get out without being followed?"
"I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad wouldn't mind if we came to visit," he said. "As for getting out of here without being followed, give me a little time to think about it. I think that with Perry's help, we can manage something."
**********
The small dinner party that Clark Kent had prepared for his three friends -- the editor of the Planet, Jimmy Olsen and Jack Brown, the people who had helped him to bring about the fall of the House of Luthor, as the Metropolis Star so cleverly phrased it -- went off without a hitch two nights later. Unfortunately, the light over Clark Kent's door was out, and when the guests left, the tallest figure carried a flashlight to guide their feet down the flight of steps to Perry White's car.
Several of the journalists who had camped out around Clark Kent's apartment made a move to approach, but the presence of two burly members of Metropolis's police force, supplied by Inspector Henderson, in response to a request from his old friend, Perry White, kept the eager news hawks at bay.
One of the two silhouettes accompanying the heavier figure of the Planet's editor opened the driver's door for him and then got into the rear seat. The other and taller one climbed into the passenger seat. The car pulled away from the curb and the newsmen settled down for another long night of watching Kent's apartment. The men and women were persistent. Kent undoubtedly knew where his former partner was hiding out. Sooner or later, he would lead them to her.
Inside the apartment, Jimmy Olsen and Jack watched as the taillights of their boss's car, carrying Clark Kent and Lois Lane, vanished down the street. Jimmy twitched the curtain into place and grinned at his fellow conspirator. "Looks like they bought it," he said.
"Yep," Jack said, smugly. "Told you it'd work. So, we've got a couple of hours to kill. What do you want to do?"
"Well, CK's got a bunch of videos here," Jimmy said. "Let's see. 'An Affair to Remember' ..." They looked at each other and shook their heads in unison. "Definitely not," Jimmy said. He quickly surveyed the remaining tapes. "How about 'Lethal Weapon IV?'"
"That one's not bad," Jack agreed. "Put it on. Clark's got a lot of junk food in there. I'll get the chips and soda."
**********
"I got it all set up for you," Perry said. "Plane rental, and the pilot is a friend who owes me a couple of favors. He'll fly you into Wichita and ask no questions."
"We owe you a lot for this, Perry," Clark said.
"You don't owe me anything, son," Perry said. "By the time you get back we'll have the Planet up and running again, and I'll expect the team of Lane and Kent to be ready to get back in the saddle."
"I can't believe Mr. Stern reconsidered," Lois said in a low voice.
"He didn't want Luthor to win any more'n I did," Perry said. "He's got a bunch of ideas for modernizin' the place that I'm not so sure of, but maybe it'll work out okay. In the meantime, honey, you relax and try to forget about this whole mess. The lawyers and the press can deal with me and your lawyer in the meantime. Don't worry about it. If we really need to get hold of you, I have your number."
"A day or two of my mom's home cooking will have Lois feeling like her old self," Clark said, and if Perry noticed the slight hint of strain in his voice, he didn't remark on it. "With luck, maybe something else will happen in the meantime to distract them."
"It probably will," Perry said. "There's another scandal in the city government brewing. I think I'll assign that new hire, Ralph What'sisname to it. He seems to have a nose for scandal. Maybe he'll be able to dig up some dirt that will take the attention off the whole mess."
"I hope so," Lois said. "If you see Superman in the meantime, tell him I said thank you for helping Clark."
"I will," Perry said. He turned onto the Bayshore Parkway, headed for the Metro Private Airport.
**********
tbc soon
