Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic To Protect and Serve II - The Return of a Superman 4

Let's just skip the previously part...

CHAPTER FOUR

Clark sat at his desk, staring blankly at his computer screen. There was no way he was going to get any more work done today. He shut off his computer in disgust. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he shrugged. He might as well head for home now.

He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been earlier. Whatever possessed him to argue with Lois like that? While it was true that he'd been appalled by what Lois had told him about Henderson, still, he shouldn't have gone off on her like that. He knew how Lois felt about her partner. Of course her first instinct would be to defend and protect him. Her loyalty to her friends was one of the wonderful characteristics that Clark loved about Lois.

That wasn't to say the he could easily turn a blind eye to what she'd told him, but he could have been more tactful and sensitive to her feelings. He should have really talked to her. Found out exactly what she felt about Henderson's actions. She clearly couldn't condone them... could she?

Clark entered the cab he'd hailed and settled into the seat in the back. After giving the cabby his address, he let his mind snap back to his problem with Lois. She'd clearly been worried about Bill. And she'd mentioned that he and she were both probably in danger. But she hadn't really gone into exactly what Henderson had done.

Even though Lois had tried to underplay it somewhat, it was obvious that her partner's motivation had been a concern for her. He'd been worried about her relationship with Luthor. Clearly he, like Clark, didn't have too high an opinion of Lex Luthor. But to have put his career in jeopardy, he must've either been really sure of Luthor's true nature, or he cared much more about Lois than he let on. It was like the proverbial light bulb going on over his head. It was so obvious. Bill Henderson was in love with his partner, Lois Lane.

Clark took a deep breath. It was time to try and examine what he knew with a more rational frame of mind. Just what did he know about what Henderson had done? Lois hadn't gone into any details. It sounded like she didn't really know. Apparently Bill hadn't given her any details. He'd just told her that he'd gone too far to be able to 'come clean' with the department without serious consequences. Most likely in the form of prison time. Prison, to a cop like Henderson, was literally a death sentence.

Clark didn't know Bill Henderson very well. He only had a few meetings, and Lois' perspective, to go by, but what he had gleaned over the months was a picture of a solid career cop. A person who took his job seriously and was good at it. So to have done whatever it was that he'd done, he had to have felt the threat to Lois' well-being was very real. In an uncomfortable turnaround thought, Clark wondered if he too wouldn't have been willing to compromise himself for Lois' sake. He knew first hand what a slime that Luthor was. And he certainly, over the last few months, had come to care a great deal about Lois. Make those months, years of close association, and he could see where a man might be tempted to decide that expediency over ethics was a viable course of action. He couldn't agree with Henderson's choice, but he might be able to understand it.

Again, though, it came back to what had Lois' partner actually done? Tampered with evidence, surely. Whether he'd given St. John privileged information, or planted some things he'd received from Nigel where Clark and Lois could find it, he wasn't sure. Probably both. Obviously Henderson had conspired with St. John, and then protected him from any associated guilt when Luthor was exposed, but was there more?

On the surface it didn't seem like it was all that much, or so terribly damning. Certainly, several felony-level crimes had been committed, but it wasn't as if he'd killed anyone... had he?

Clark shook his head to clear the confusion. He just didn't have enough information, and he suspected Lois didn't either. She saw a friend in trouble and her first reaction was to help him. And that should have been Clark's first reaction too.

Lois was very important to him, he knew that. In their short time together she'd been able to reach places deep inside him that no woman had ever been able to before. It was as if she was meant to be a part of him. That she filled a hole in his being that he never knew existed. Yet when she came to him for help he lashed out without thinking. Even if he thought that the only reasonable way to help Bill would be for him to turn himself in, or even for Lois to do so, he should have come at it from a different angle.

It was clear that Lois was more concerned about her partner's well-being than in the laws that he might have broken. She wanted to help him, and that was the tack Clark should have taken. She'd mentioned that Henderson's motivation had been worry, and fear for her. So he should have seen that there was a component of guilt in Lois' desire to 'save' her partner from the mess that he'd gotten into.

Clark paid the cabby and stepped out into the beginnings of a gentle rain. No, it was clear to him now that he'd failed Lois, and he had to try and set things to right. He had to talk to her. Give her a chance to tell him what she was feeling and what she was thinking. Did she have any ideas as to what to do? He wouldn't be compromising any of his own ethical beliefs just by hearing her out. He owed her that much.

She had also pointed out that he wasn't above a bit of law-bending when it served his own purpose. He knew that the degree of what he'd done and what Bill had done were miles apart, but it still made him look hypocritical. It was always easier to see in black and white when it was someone else.

Clark opened the door to his apartment and flipped the light switch as he entered. He stared at the phone over on the wall next to the kitchen. He would call Lois, apologize, and hope she would give him a chance to come over so they could talk. And this time he would really listen. He would listen, and volunteer his ideas merely as that. Suggestions which she could decide for herself whether they had merit or not.

He could argue for the most reasonable course of action, but in the end he would support whatever decision she'd make. It was what you did when you loved someone.

A small smile crooked the ends of Clark's mouth. Yes, he loved Lois. There was no more need to pretend. Their relationship might still be in the early stages but that didn't mean that he hadn't already fallen for the remarkable Lois Lane. Suddenly he felt a kinship with Henderson, and wondered if even Luthor had succumbed to amazing Ms. Lane during their time together.

Of course, it might be all well and good to finally admit that he loved Lois. He still had the problem of getting her to even talk to him again. With more than a bit of trepidation, Clark reached for the phone.

Before he could pick up the receiver and push the buttons to the now familiar number there was a knock on his door. Thinking... hoping that it might be Lois, Clark moved quickly back to his front door. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. But it wasn't an unpleasant surprise. Perhaps he'd have some of his answers from the source itself.

Clark stepped back and allowed Bill Henderson to enter.

The tall, slender detective looked about the small, neat apartment. "If I didn't know that Lane had the hots for you I'd think you were gay." He cocked a brow at Clark. "You're not, are you?"

Clark had to smile. He'd only met Bill Henderson a few times, but the man always came off fairly informal, but direct. "No, I definitely like women... or one particular woman."

"Good. I've talked to some friends over at the Planet and they tell me that you're a stand-up guy. Good reporter too. Probably one of the best investigative reporters in this town." He walked over and sat down on the couch.

Clark followed, bemused by Henderson's directness. "It's good to know that," the inspector continued. "Lane deserves the best."

Clark took the chair opposite the couch. "What's this about, Bill? Checking out the boyfriend?"

Henderson leaned back against the soft cushion and gave Clark a wry grin. "You know, if I had the time, I might just get to like you, Kent. Yeah, something like that. Lane is a special woman. I care about what happens to her."

"So, what do you want to know?"

"Do you love her?"

"Yes. Do you?"

Henderson raised his brow. "This isn't about me."

Clark leaned forward. "I think it is. Do you know how much your shutting her out is tearing Lois apart?"

Henderson's gaze grew wary. "She told you I was shutting her out?" Clark nodded. "I take back what I said. I don't think I'm going to like you after all. Just what has she told you about me?"

He wondered how much of what he knew he should reveal. Not that he knew all that much, but Lois had obviously confided in him information that Bill had given her in confidence.

"I know enough to understand that Lois feels her best friend is in some sort of trouble because of her. And it's tearing her apart to not be able to help him. That he doesn't trust her enough to let her help him."

"She tell you that?"

Clark waited a few moments before answering. "Yeah, but she didn't really have to. I could see it in her actions and words. She's beside herself with worry. She feels your problems are her fault, and she needs to help you. If not only because she loves you as her best friend, but for her own sense of guilt."

Henderson snorted. "She thinks too much. My problems are my problems. She's never liked it when I've had to keep her out of the loop on anything." He rolled his eyes. "You better learn now that Lois doesn't appreciate being on the outside of situations." The smile was one of amusement, but Clark could see the weariness in his eyes. Bill Henderson hadn't been sleeping much lately. "If you have any secrets you're thinking of keeping from her, you best forget that now."

Clark had to bite down on his lip. "I'll keep that in mind. But you still have answered my question. Do you love her?"

His chuckle was soft and ironic. "You don't have to worry about me horning in on your action, Kent, if that's what has you all hot and bothered." He sat up straighter and met Clark's eyes. "I'm sure she's mentioned that we dated a couple of times early on. Didn't work out. We're just partners, and friends."

"Sure. But I'm not worried about anything like that." Clark held Bill's gaze. "Let's quit dancing around here. Why are you here, Bill?"

Henderson stared at him for several minutes, as if sizing up the man sitting across from him. "Okay, cards on the table. You already have been told that I've gotten myself into a bit of trouble. It's something that's probably going to force me to go away, for a while at least. I don't want Lois getting herself wrapped up in it. It could be dangerous for her."

"And it's not for you?"

Bill waved off Clark's concern as if it were irrelevant. "Doesn't matter. What I've gotten myself into is not something that anyone else can fix. I have to deal with it by myself. There's nothing to be gained by involving anyone else. My mess, my consequence." For the first time that evening, Henderson look worried. "But I do need to know that if I, for some reason, am not going to be able to be around for a while, that Lois has someone who can watch her back. Someone who can be there for her when she needs a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on." He took a deep breath. "Is that you, Kent?"

"I love her." It was a simple statement, but it was also the answer to any of Henderson's questions.

"Good. If things go the way I've got planned, this whole thing could be over by tomorrow. But there's always a chance that it could go sour. The best laid plans and all that..."

Clark shook his head. "I don't like the sound of that. Why do I think that you're only going to be adding to whatever trouble you've gotten yourself into? What are you planning to do, Bill?"

"Best you don't know, Kent. Just accept that it's something that I feel I have to do."

Clark couldn't shake the feeling that Henderson was heading for even more serious trouble. "Two wrongs won't make a right. You can't take back what you've done, but compounding a mistake by committing another mistake isn't going to help. Don't take this so far that you'll never be able to come back."

Henderson frowned at Clark. "What would you know about it? You, who live in such a nice, neat, black and white world. Don't lecture me, Kent. You don't have any idea what I've done or why, so don't pretend that you do."

Henderson stood, but Clark quickly rose himself and placed a hand on the man's arm. "Don't do this, Bill. Don't do this to Lois."

Henderson slowly pulled his arm out of Clark's grasp. "I thought you'd understand? I have to do this... for Lois."

Clark felt helpless. Short of tackling the man and hog-tying him, he didn't know what to do. The resolute look on Henderson's face told him that there was going to be no changing the taciturn inspector's mind. As he watched the man step through his door and move quickly out to the street, Clark could only hope that his apprehension over what Bill had planned would prove to be wrong. But he doubted it.

**********************

Lois turned the collar of her ragged jacket up against the cold breeze, and the rain that was starting to fall. Typical. Why was it that whenever she went on outside stakeouts it rained... or snowed. She was dressed in torn and dirty jeans, a sweat shirt several sizes too large that hadn't seen a washing machine in a long time, and a threadbare former Metropolis High School letter jacket with no snaps. It was her street person outfit.

She'd purposely not washed her hair that morning and it was now quite lank and greasy-looking. She'd also stuck an old baseball cap, with a torn bill, on her head, which caused many of the ends of her short hair to stick out at all angles.

All the extra dirt and grime she'd smeared on her face had been pretty much for nothing since the rain was washing it off. Well, after it turned it to mud first. She silently cursed her luck. She should have worn another shirt under the sweatshirt. The rain-dampened jacket soaked through to the shirt and was giving her a chill every time the ever strengthening wind struck her. Worse was the fact that if the weather got too bad, the gangs of punks she was trying to find probably wouldn't be out and about tonight.

Keeping in character, Lois huddled next to a large dumpster deep in an alley that, from her investigation of gang activity, seemed a likely prospect. She figured she'd hang around for about a half an hour to forty-five minutes then move on if nothing promising materialized. Of course, that meant that she had time to just sit and think. Alone and thinking while being physically miserable as well. A real good combination.

Trying to pull the small knit collar closer with one hand, Lois silently cursed the weather, then turned her curses to men in general, and certain men in particular. Why did she have such lousy luck with men? Why did they all have to be such disappointments? She was beginning to think that she didn't know how to find a decent man. That she was destined to be alone and friendless the rest of her life.

She angrily wiped the rain off her face, and shivered against the ever cooling breeze. Frowning she had to admit that she was being just a bit melodramatic. She certainly couldn't put Bill or Clark into the same category as a hormonal college psuedo-stud like Paul, or a first-rate slimy Lothario like Claude. Lex, on the other hand, was the epitome of bad judgment.

But Bill had more than proved his friendship over the years, and his recent actions had only just confirmed the way he felt about her. He'd basically thrown away his career for her. So why couldn't he see that she was just trying to be a friend back by helping him? Why did he have to go all macho-noble on her and take it all on himself? If he would just talk to her. Tell her exactly how deep he'd gotten involved, she was sure they could figure a way out of it. He'd risked everything for her benefit. Didn't he see that, under those circumstances, she'd want to help him? That she had to help him? What kind of friend would she be if she weren't willing to risk equally in helping him then he'd done for her?

A frown pulled at her face. She had been surprised to hear just how much Bill Henderson seemed to care for her. She'd supposed that he considered her his best friend, like she did him. But for him it seemed like more. It was almost as if he loved her. Well, was that so unbelievable? She loved him too. He was her best friend. Clark was the only other person in her life, besides her sister, that she'd ever had such deep feelings for. And with Clark it was different. She shook her head. She wasn't going to think about Clark right now. She would get to him later.

Did Bill think of her as more than just a good friend? Even a best friend? No, that was ridiculous. They'd tried dating, and both of them realized that they just weren't romantically suited for each other. Bill knew that. He was actually the first one to say it out loud. Lois had been afraid to voice her reservations for fear that it would ruin their friendship. It was their friendship that she treasured the most. Love was an overrated emotion. Her parents had been in love, and now they didn't speak to each other. Love was something that Lois felt she could live without if she had to. She wasn't sure how she would be able to live without her friend. But now it looked like she was going to have to learn since it seemed as if Bill had abandoned her.

That left Clark. If ever there was a man who would be able to convince Lois that being in love was something to be desired, it would have been Clark. Not even during the best of times with Lex had Lois felt the stirrings deep inside that Clark seemed to bring forth. The last few months had been wonderful for Lois. Her life had seemed nearly complete. She had a job she loved, with her best friend as her partner, and she was seeing a wonderful man who just might've been the one to convince her to take the plunge relationship-wise. But that was yesterday. Today her life was crap.

Today her partner and best friend was on the run, leaving her to face the possibility of powerful criminals wanting her dead. So who did she turn to? The only other man in her life. The man who was supposed to teach her how to love again. Only she found out that his personal ethics were more important to him than she was. Damn his Superman morality.

You come into this world alone, and you go out of it alone. For Lois, it looked like she'd be spending most of the in between time alone also.

She started to uncurl herself from her protected refuge, thinking that it might be time to move along to someplace else, when she suddenly heard a noise deep in alley, behind the building itself. She rose quietly and moved closer to the sounds. Perhaps the gangs were operating tonight in spite of the weather.

She crept silently up to the corner of the building and crouched down behind some discarded boxes. She could hear voices now, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. It was only two people, of that she was sure. Both were male, and one of the voices sounded agonizingly familiar. If only she could get closer!

Taking a deep breath, Lois inched her way along the wall until she was right at the edge of the building. The argument, for clearly that was what it was, was happening not that far away from her present spot. The rainfall, and the noise the wind made as it whistled through the brick and mortar canyons, made it hard to hear. She couldn't make out any individual words, but the tone of the conversation was less than congenial.

Taking another breath, Lois steeled herself to take a peek around the corner. She was counting on the fact that the two men would be concentrating on each other too much to notice her peering around the crumbling brick. With one last intake of air, she thrust her head around the corner.

What she saw and heard caused the blood to freeze in her veins.

*******************

Henderson slouched against the weathered bricks of the dark, crumbling building. He looked up as droplets of rain began to fall. Typical, he thought. He turned his collar up and pressed himself tighter to the abandoned structure. Why did meetings always have to take place in dark, deserted alleys? Why couldn't they meet at a nice cheery restaurant with a four star rating?

Of course, he had to admit that tonight a dark deserted alleyway fit his purpose just fine. He didn't think that he'd be able to gun down a man in cold blood in a restaurant full of people. Even someone as deserving as St. John.

His hand slipped into his pocket once again to feel the cold comfort of the steel revolver there. He hadn't bothered with a silencer. Despite what the movies and television might depict, it wasn't that easy to get one. Not for a cop. It wasn't like he could just check one out of the police armory. The paperwork needed alone was a deterrent. That and the desire to leave no discernible trail that would lead back to him.

Also, he couldn't go out and purchase one from a gun dealer. Again, paperwork and background checks would leave too much of a trail back to him. So he was left with just his service revolver. While it was true that ballistics could be traced back to his gun, he'd just have to find a way to 'lose' it, so it wouldn't be available for comparisons. Just an ordinary .38 with no silencer, but then he wasn't really worried about the noise of a gunshot here. It wasn't like gunfire was all that uncommon in this part of town. Even if someone heard anything, he'd be long gone before any authorities could answer the call.

He pulled his hand out of his pocket. He had to appear totally in control, give St. John no reason to suspect him of anything untoward. Henderson looked around, his eyes adjusting to the ever increasing darkness. The shadows were deep, but the ambient light of the huge metropolis allowed for a city that was never completely black. Colors washed out to shades of gray, but he could easily identify what each piece of left behind debris that littered the alley was.

He felt the presence before he saw it. He was surprised that the shape coming out of the shadows came from behind him, deeper into the alley. How had St. John gotten by him? Had the man been there all this time?

Within a few more steps he could see that it wasn't Nigel St. John. In fact it looked remarkably like...

"Superman?"

The cape swirled in the increasing breeze. "Hey. Henderson isn't it? How's it hanging?"

Bill stared in utter confusion at the Man of Steel. "What are *you* doing here? Where have you been? Everyone thinks you're dead."

The tall man smirked. "The reports of my death... you know the saying." Henderson noticed an intense look in the superhero's eyes as his gaze swept him from head to toe. "I don't think your gun will do you much good here."

Bill shrugged, hiding the feeling of unease that was stealing over him. "I'm a cop. I never go out unarmed."

Superman's brow rose. "Even when meeting a friend?"

Henderson tried to step back, but ran up against the hard brick of the building. "St. John is no friend, and what do you know about that? What is it you want, Superman? Why are you here?"

The idol of millions reached out, grabbed Henderson by the lapels of his coat, and raised him off his feet as if he were no more than a child's doll. "I come with a message. No deals, no changes in the plan. Lane dies... or you do." He was hoisted him a bit farther upward. "So, what do you say... cop."

"Who are you?" Henderson squirmed in the steely grip. "Superman would never work for a man like St. John." His voice rose in a combination of anger and terror.

The Metropolis Marvel tossed Henderson into a nearby garbage can. The noise went unnoticed. Striding over, he stuck one finger under Bill's chin and lifted the one hundred and eighty pound policeman off his feet. "Oh, I'm Superman all right." An invulnerable fist smashed into the brick wall next to his face. "I'm just not *your* Superman." Allowing Henderson to fall to the dirty pavement at his feet, the superhero stepped back and favored the beaten man with a look of scorn. "So, what's it going to be, cop. Do as you're told and kill Lane? Or should I just save us all some time right here?"

Henderson couldn't help but cringe away from the intimidating presence of the larger man. "I don't get it. Why do you want Lane dead?"

The spandex clad hero laughed. "I couldn't care less. The boss wants her dead, so dead she has to be."

"But I told St. John that I had a solution to the problem that didn't require Lane's death," he pleaded. "There's no reason to invite the extra heat that killing a police officer would bring. He has to listen to me."

"No he doesn't." Superman reached down, and grabbing him by the face with one hand, lifted Henderson back to his feet. "No more stalling. It's time to answer the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Lane... or you?"

Henderson could feel his heart racing. What was he going to do? He was no match for Superman. How St. John managed to get the Man of Steel under his control he had no idea. One thing was for certain. This Superman, whether the real article under some sort of mind control, or some incredible doppleganger, he had all the power of the original. Henderson was left with no choice.

He held his hands up in front of him, and was subsequently dropped to the pavement below. "Okay, okay, I'll do it. I'll get rid of Lane for him."

Superman stared at the nervous cop for a few moments and chuckled. "Wrong answer."

"What?" Henderson was even more confused, and more afraid.

"Let me rephrase that." The superhero turned away, as if pondering his next words. Turning back Henderson could see the evil grin on the man's face. "The words were correct, but I found the sincerity lacking."

Henderson backed up until he was up against the hard brick of the building wall again. "Look, I don't know what you want me to say. I said I'd kill her. What more do you want?"

Superman shrugged. "Honesty?" He laughed again. "Poor Inspector Henderson. You just don't get it, do you. I've got the super hearing too, you know. I can hear your heart pounding away like a jackhammer. It's better than a lie detector." He shrugged again. "So, you see, it doesn't matter if you tell me you'll eliminate Lane if you don't mean it."

Henderson began to reach into his coat pocket, then let his hand fall limply to his side. It was over. His bluff had been called, and there was no way his gun was going to do him any good here. "What are you going to do?"

The sneer on the face of the hero was mockingly cruel. "I suppose I could easily kill you right here and leave your corpse for the rats to feast on, but where's the fun of that." Superman reached out and, grabbing a fistful of Henderson's shirt, lifted him off his feet. "Ever met an active volcano up close and personal?"

The bogus superhero's laughter echoed hollowly off the surrounding brick walls as the two men disappeared into the air.