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From Part 8:Even if part of her didn’t want to go to bed yet, because it meant saying goodnight to Clark. Even if part of her was wondering, without any prompting on her part, what it would be like if... they shared that bed tonight. Not lovemaking - the part of her which was doing the wondering shied away from that. She wasn’t ready for that. Not for a long time. But just to be held by him - something Lex had never done. Oh, they’d shared a bed, and sometimes even for the whole night. But he’d slept on his side and she on hers.
Clark, though, she knew without even needing to confirm it, would hold her in his arms. All night.
But she squashed that little wondering part of her. Clark had made it clear that he was keeping his distance while she was still married, and he was right. And anyway, it was too soon.
She squeezed his hand. “Okay. Goodnight, Clark.”
He smiled. “Sleep well.” And kissed her, very lightly, on the cheek as she hesitated by his side on her way to the bedroom.
**********
Now read on...The next morning, things started to snowball. Perry White came by while they were having breakfast.
“You were right about the insurance!” he exclaimed as soon as he was inside the apartment. “A contact managed to get the paperwork for me. Luthor had the place insured for more than twice what we needed to rebuild!”
Lois paled. “And he said he couldn’t afford to throw good money after bad.”
Clark squeezed her hand. “You know he’s a liar - nothing should surprise you about him now.” Glancing up, he noticed that the former editor was looking at their joined hands; flushing slightly, he moved away from Lois. Perry met his gaze and winked. Clark stilled briefly; was Lois’s former boss and mentor saying that he approved?
And then the phone rang. He reached for it. “Kent.”
“Is Lane there?” He recognised the gruff voice immediately.
“She is, Inspector. Hold on.”
Lois took the phone. In view of Perry White’s presence, Clark tried not to look as if he was following the conversation, tuning out Henderson’s voice.
“Really? That’s excellent!” Lois exclaimed. Clark noticed that Perry turned to look at her, his expression intent.
After a brief further conversation, she hung up and turned to them. “Rachel Harris has turned over the blood-sample evidence to him. DNA tests prove that it’s my blood, and he has the lab report on what’s in it. But, better still, the Ontario police found the box of sedatives in the kitchen drawer - and one set of fingerprints on it match Lex’s. Course, as Henderson said, he could have handled them any time - but the police searched the garbage. And they found two broken ampoules, which also had Lex’s prints.”
“He left them in the garbage?” Perry demanded, sounding incredulous.
“Not in the house,” Lois explained. “Apparently, it was in the garage - the garbage collection is today. So the cops found it just in time.”
“So what’s happening now?” Clark asked, although he already knew, having heard what Henderson had said.
“They’re charging Lex with attempted murder right now. He needs me to come down to the precinct to make a statement.”
“Then let’s get down there.” Clark drained his coffee. “And, given what we have already, how about telling the inspector what we know so far about the bombing? Maybe he can help us get to Black - or there might be enough circumstantial evidence so far to cast doubt on your friend Jimmy’s conviction.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Lois looked optimistic. “Can we take this, Perry?” She picked up the documents he’d brought with him, proof of Luthor’s additional insurance policy.
“Sure. I think I’ll head on over to the prison, see if I can get in to see Jimmy. It’d be nice to think I could give the kid some hope.”
Lois stood and hugged her former boss. “Give him my love too, okay?”
*********
Henderson was waiting for them when they were ushered into the back room of the precinct half an hour later. “Lois.” He favoured her with a rare smile. “And you must be Kent.” Even more of a rarity, he extended his hand.
“Clark Kent. Good to meet you, Inspector. Lois’s told me a lot about you,” Clark said.
“All bad, I bet.” Henderson winked. “Come on - the interview room’s ready.” Leading the way, he added, “We charged him right after I spoke to you. He had his expensive lawyer with him, for all the good it did him. Course, he was itching to deny everything and threaten to sue the entire MPD, but Bender - that’s the shark’s - uh, sorry, the lawyer’s name - made him shut up. Told Luthor that if he wanted legal representation, the only way he’d get it was by doing what he was told.”
Lois failed to stifle a smile. “Bet he loved that.”
“Said there were plenty of other lawyers in Metropolis. But I’m not sure that he’s too confident any will want to take him on right now.” Henderson allowed himself another rare smile - he really was Mr Happy this morning, Lois thought, amused. “How are the mighty fallen!”
He ushered them into the interview room, where a uniformed officer was already waiting. “Okay, Lois. Like I said, we need a statement from you. And we need to know that you’re going to be willing to give evidence if this goes to trial - and I intend to do whatever’s necessary to see that it does. You’ll be offered protection, of course.” Leaning against the wall, Henderson observed her keenly.
She nodded. It wouldn’t be easy, especially with the kind of sharks Lex would hire as lawyers, programmed to twist and turn her every word to make her out to be some sort of lunatic, at best, or a gold-digger at worst. Plus, even though he was safely in prison, she still had no idea who else was out there ready to carry out his wishes - perhaps to ensure that she could never testify.
But she had to do it. It was vital - and yet another part of proving to herself that she wasn’t afraid. That she was back in control of her own life.
“Of course I’ll testify. How can I expect anyone else to stick their necks out over this if I’m not prepared to?”
The inspector’s stance relaxed. “Good. You might be interested to know that we picked up Nigel St John this morning too, by the way.” There was a pause, during which Henderson examined his fingernails. “I wanted him in for questioning about Luthor’s private gallery - did I tell you that his prints turned up on a couple of the paintings too?”
He hadn’t. But, judging by his behaviour, Lois deduced that that was far from being the real reason Henderson had wanted St John off the streets. And she appreciated it very much. With her husband’s lead henchman under arrest, she felt a lot safer.
And more than ready to do her bit towards getting him put away for good...
*********
“...and so it looks like there’s a strong possibility Jimmy could be released in the next few days.” Lois, looking triumphant, finished relating the morning’s events to Perry White, who’d come over as soon as they’d called him.
“The case is going to be re-opened?”
Lois nodded. “Henderson never believed Jimmy did it either.” She grimaced, and Clark felt for her. The inspector, he’d thought, had been very tactful about the whole thing, simply commenting that he’d thought it unlikely someone like Jimmy Olsen would turn bomber, even if he had just lost the job he loved. “But it wasn’t his case,” Lois continued, “so there wasn’t a lot he could do.”
“And now?”
“He knows John Black. Thinks he can probably get the guy to talk if he’s offered a deal - and he thinks the DA’s likely to go for one.”
“Yeah, he’s up for re-election this year, isn’t he?” Perry sounded cynical.
“I can imagine prosecuting Lex Luthor - with everything that’s likely to come out during the trial - would get him some good publicity,” Clark commented.
“Too bad we don’t have a paper to report it in,” Perry muttered.
Lois flushed. Aching for her, Clark restrained himself and just squeezed her shoulder gently.
“Aw, honey, I didn’t mean anything about you!” Looking stricken, the editor leaned across the table and took Lois’s hand. “None of this was your fault.”
“No? An investigative reporter who couldn’t even see what was under her nose? Perry, I deserve to have all my Kerths taken away!”
“Lois, he had everyone fooled.”
“Yeah? Not you. Not Henderson. Not Bobby Bigmouth.”
“Bobby might have had some idea, Lois, but you know he wouldn’t talk before,” Clark pointed out. “Nor would anyone else who knew. And as for those who suspected... well, maybe they knew things that you didn’t. But look at who else was fooled by him! The entire business community, the New Troy establishment...”
“The President,” Perry put in. “Guess Luthor’ll be off the White House Christmas card list now.”
“I guess.” Lois smiled, though Clark knew that it was an effort for her. “And you’re right, Perry. If we still had the Planet, this would be the story of the decade.” She grimaced. “Look, maybe once I have access to my bank accounts again - ”
“No!” The editor’s growl was harsh. “Lois, if the Planet ever re-opens it’ll be because a wrong has been put right. Not because you’ve put every cent you have into it.”
Clark couldn’t really see much difference, personally; he assumed that Lois’s bank accounts were mostly funded with Lex Luthor’s money, and he was pretty sure how Lois felt about that fact now. But it wasn’t his business, so he stayed out of it - but he had a funny feeling that Lois might well get her own way in the end anyway.
********
“You know, if you did decide to go for that disguise, this apartment is perfect for you.”
They were standing out on Clark’s balcony, looking over the city as darkness fell. The balcony wasn’t especially high; Clark’s building wasn’t a high-rise. But the absence of tall buildings on any side gave them a clear view of their surroundings.
“Why’s that?” he asked, turning to look at her, his smile flashing white in the dusk. God, every time she looked at him now, she noticed how attractive he was.
“This balcony. You could fly in and out of here without ever being seen. Nobody overlooks you.”
He glanced around, clearly testing the truth of her statement. “Yeah. You’re right.” Turning back to look at her again, he said, “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
Lois nodded. “You bet I am. Clark, what you can do is amazing. And what you said earlier - about it killing you not being able to help at times - well, this is how you can do it, and do it safely. No-one will know it’s y...”
She trailed off, realising suddenly that she didn’t have his attention any more. His head was cocked sideways and he was staring off into the middle distance somewhere, as if looking at something she couldn’t see... or listening to something she couldn’t hear. And, though she could barely make it out in the rapidly-disappearing light, she thought his expression was agonised. And torn.
The penny dropped. Placing her hand on his arm, she said, “Something’s happening?”
“Yeah.” His jaw was taut as he spoke. “Someone’s being attacked a half-mile away. A woman.”
And it was killing him having to stand by and listen, knowing every second of what was happening, aching to help but believing that he couldn’t jeopardise his safety and the safety of his parents by revealing what he could do.
“It’s dark,” she said softly. “No-one will see you fly. Go and help her.”
His hesitation lasted less than a second. With a jerk of his head which could almost have been called a nod, he leapt over the balcony rail and took flight. And then simply vanished from view. He must have been moving so fast that her eyes were unable to keep up with him, she reasoned.
She remained on the balcony, waiting for him, even though the night air was considerably cooler now. A wind was getting up, and it felt as if rain was in the air. That didn’t matter. What mattered was seeing Clark the instant he returned, finding out whether he’d been in time to help the woman... finding out how he felt about being able to help.
And then he was there, materialising just in front of the balcony before vaulting over to stand beside her. His hair was ruffled and he wasn’t wearing his glasses.
Before she could say a word, he hauled her into his arms, holding her tightly and burying his face in her hair. She wrapped her arms around him, glad that for once she could offer him comfort. It made her feel as if she were giving something back for all the care and love he’d lavished on her. As if, at last, there was a way she could show him how much she loved him, even though they’d agreed that they couldn’t act on their feelings for each other until she was free of Lex.
After a while, he raised his head and touched his lips to her forehead. “Thank you.”
“For what? I didn’t do anything!”
“You made me go. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d have stayed here, listening to what was going on and torturing myself for not being able to help.” He grimaced. “It took you to see that I
could help her - and that I need to do it.”
Releasing her, he began to pace up and down the balcony. “I have all these abilities, Lois. All these things I can do. I know that every day people die when I would’ve been able to save them... when I
could have saved them if I hadn’t been so scared of letting anyone find out what I can do. You made me see that I have a responsibility to do what I can.”
Breaking off his pacing, he turned to her; the moon peeked out from behind a cloud at that moment, allowing her to see the determined expression on his face. “I don’t know why I have these powers, Lois. I don’t know whether they’re because I’m some sort of genetic experiment, or whether I’m really from another planet, or whether it’s some sort of complete fluke of nature. But I
do have them, and I think I have a duty to use them wisely. So I’m going to do what you suggested.”
“You’ll get a disguise? Become Super Rescue Guy?”
He gave her a rueful smile. “I don’t know about that. But I’ll definitely work on some sort of disguise. I even bore in mind what you said just now - while I was still flying, I took my glasses off and messed up my hair, even though I didn’t do anything especially super-human.”
“What did you do?”
“Landed in an alley just around the corner from where she was being attacked. Then ran out and grabbed the guy - he was holding a knife to her throat and threatening to cut her if she didn’t stop screaming. Anyway, I made him drop the knife. And then a police cruiser pulled up - someone must’ve called them - and the cops took over.”
“That’s good. But would the cops have been in time to prevent him hurting her?” Lois pointed out.
“No. She’d have been badly injured, if not dead, and he’d have got away.” She heard him sigh. “And all for a purse which probably only had less than a hundred bucks and some credit cards in it.”
Lois stepped over to where Clark stood and reached for his hand, squeezing it. “You saved her. She’s safe tonight because of what you did. And don’t you forget it.” She shook his arm lightly, reinforcing her words. “Why don’t we go inside and start thinking about a costume, superhero-guy?”
**********
Still holding Lois’s hand, Clark let her lead him back inside, a sense of excitement bubbling inside him. She was right. It was such a great idea. He wondered why it had never occurred to him before to try some sort of disguise - it wasn’t as if he’d never watched Zorro on Saturday mornings as a kid. Or read comic-books about superheroes such as Spiderman.
And Spiderman even worked in journalism, just as he did himself. No-one ever suspected that the quiet, eager, underconfident Peter Parker could possibly be the guy under the tight-fitting Spandex costume. Of course, Parker’s entire head was covered, which had to help - and he and Lois had been talking in terms of leaving his whole face unobscured. But still. It could work; he was sure of it.
It had felt so good being able to rescue that woman. As he’d told Lois, he’d felt weighed down with guilt for so long over knowing that he could help people, save lives, avert disasters, but that instead most of the time he stood by and did nothing. That weight of guilt had lifted off him the instant he’d pulled the mugger away from his victim.
He’d used a small amount of super-human ability in what he’d done - obviously, speed in getting to her so quickly once he’d landed, and strength to pull the mugger away and make him drop the knife. He’d also held the man pinioned once he’d heard the police siren, a grip which he knew had been just a little stronger than a normal man could manage - but nothing to arouse anyone’s suspicions.
Wearing a disguise, though, there was so much more he could do. He could fly into situations without having to worry if anyone noticed someone doing the impossible. He could use strength, vision powers, speed and many other abilities to intervene.
“A costume,” he said once they were back in the living-area of the apartment. “Something eye-catching, right?”
“Yeah.” Lois stepped away from him and studied him, making him feel a little self-conscious. “We want people to notice the costume, not your face.” She grinned. “So striking. And vivid colours, I think. Nothing dark or forbidding - that would scare people off.” She paused, her brow furrowed in thought “You know how clowns wear bright colours? Because that appeals to kids and looks friendly?”
She was right. And, he thought, Spiderman’s costume had been blue and red. Maybe they were good colours to go for. He said so. “I’m thinking maybe red and blue.”
Still studying him, she nodded. “Blue looks good on you.”
Glancing down at himself, he noticed that he was wearing a pale blue cotton shirt. “Oh.” Blushing faintly, he felt good at the same time that Lois noticed what he wore - and liked it. “When we get time, will you come to my folks’ place with me? Like I said, my mom’s great at making stuff. And I’d really like your input into this thing.”
“I’d love to.” And she looked at him as if she meant it. As if, he thought, and felt a glow inside at the realisation, she was proud to know him and be a part of this new side to him.
“Thanks.”
I love you, he really wanted to say, but the time wasn’t right for that, he thought. As if by mutual agreement, neither of them had mentioned their feelings for each other since Luthor had kidnapped her at the farm.
And, of course, the nagging doubt he’d had about whether her feelings for him were as real as his for her... He was more confident of that now than he’d been before, after the way she’d sacrificed herself to protect him. But still. He had to be confident that she was sure.
“We need to decide on a name for you, too,” she was saying. Clark forced his attention back to the conversation.
“Well, one thing’s for sure: it’s not going to be Super Rescue Guy!” he insisted.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Lois winked at him. “You’re definitely pretty super.”
Something about the way she was looking at him told him that she wasn’t just talking about his abilities. And he felt warm inside again.
*********
...tbc
