Clark almost fell to the floor when he walked through his front door, the last of his energy spent on making sure he got home, and the relief he felt to be home. For most of last night and this morning, he never thought he’d see this place again. He had been sure he would die in that cage.
He’d made it without anyone recognizing him for either personality, and without collapsing. There had been one moment on the subway, when a woman with a large backpack, had turned around abruptly, hitting him in the chest with the backpack, right on the large burn running down from his neck. He’d almost keeled over in pain, and after taking some deep breaths, he’d moved to avoid the curious stare he’d received from another passenger.
He staggered into the kitchen, getting a clean glass from the rack, and thirstily guzzling water. He was sure he was probably hungry too, unfamiliar experiences until the last time he’d been exposed to Kryptonite in Smallville, but couldn’t face the idea of eating at the moment. He noticed the clean dishes sitting in the rack by the sink, and wondered how long Perry, Jack, and Jimmy had stayed. Glancing at the couches, he assumed they’d stayed the night, as there were blankets and pillows stacked up neatly. He needed to get changed before they came back, and he desperately needed sleep.
Once in the safety of his bathroom, the door closed and locked, he began the delicate task of removing his clothes. The shirt had stuck to his wounds, and was incredibly painful to remove. He gingerly tried to clean the burns a little with cool water before changing into a pair of sleep shorts. Exiting the bathroom cautiously, unable to tell if anyone had arrived, he bundled together the clothes he had borrowed, and the damaged Suit, and stuffed them into the secret compartment behind his closet. Checking no one had arrived, and double checking the locks on the front door, he crawled into bed and carefully pulled the sheets up. He had no burns on his back, and he hoped he could sleep without rolling over onto his shoulders, as he was sure that would wake him up in a hurry. He contemplated calling his parents, but as he doubted they would have heard of his brief disappearance, he didn’t want to worry them. It would take one or two words out of his mouth before his mother would know something was wrong, and then they would both insist on flying to Metropolis.
Remembering he had to call Henderson, he picked up the phone on the bedside table, and dialed the precinct, unsure how much to say on the phone, or what to say. He had some time to come up with something, as Henderson proved to be tough for the desk clerk to find, and when he eventually came to the phone, Clark briefly informed him that he was ok, and would come down to the precinct later. Henderson had pushed for more information. Clark refused to answer, leaving Henderson to guess that Luthor had something to do with it. Clark didn’t refute it, and ended the conversation.
He needed sleep, he knew he’d feel better with some rest. Last time it had only taken a day for his powers to return. Yes, his memory reminded him, it had, but that was a very brief exposure. Would his powers return after being so completely drained?
Despite the worrying thoughts, and the constant throbbing of his wounds, he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer, and drifted into an exhausted sleep.
****
While Lois was being questioned at the precinct, Perry made a few phone calls. Jimmy was without an apartment, though hopefully they could get the landlord to accept a late rent payment so Jimmy could get his belongings back, at least. Jack too, had nowhere to go. Perry knew people with real estate that owed him favours, and managed to get a furnished apartment for the three of them for a week, near downtown. He’d taken Jimmy and Jack there in his rental car, left them with some money, and instructions to get some lunch, promising to return with their belongings that were still at Clark’s.
He’d made it back to the precinct just as the interview with Lois finished, when Henderson pulled him aside. Henderson had only told him Clark had called, not giving any information away about where he had been, or how he was, but his grim tone informed Perry that while Clark was apparently ok, something had happened to him. Perry feared Luthor had something to do with it.
Perry had taken Lois home, trying to deflect her questions about Clark, and the investigation. It seemed the shock had worn off, and she was firing questions faster than he could attempt to answer them. He’d told her Clark was ok, not wanting to reveal his suspicions to her. She’d had a traumatic day, he wasn’t going to add any more detail about Lex’s criminal activities, or his possible role in Clark’s disappearance.
He saw Lois into her apartment, finding her mother waiting in the living room. She assured Perry she could take care of Lois from there, and he left, heading towards Clark’s apartment. He’d found, and kept, Clark’s spare key that morning, and let himself in, calling out to Clark so he wouldn’t startle him. When there was no response, he quietly walked into Clark’s bedroom, relieved to see him, even though he was sleeping.
He frowned as he spotted one large, angry, red mark, that looked suspiciously like a burn, starting on Clark’s neck, and traveling below the bedclothes, which were pulled up to his shoulders. Just as he’d done with his boys, years ago now, Perry reached out, and placed the back of his hand on Clark’s forehead, checking for a fever, hoping that whatever injury Clark had, wasn’t infected or serious. Not finding a fever, Perry retreated to the living room, intending on waiting for Clark to wake, so he could find out how he really was, and what had happened to him.
Last night he’d tried to stay awake, assuming Clark was chasing down a lead on the Boss, and would return later. He was furious at himself for not going to the police that evening, perhaps it would have saved Clark some of the trauma he’d been through. Instead he’d nodded off on the couch like a useless old man, and waking that morning to find Clark hadn’t returned, fearing the Boss had caught up to him.
He wandered into the kitchen and started some coffee, anticipating he would be waiting for Clark to wake for several hours. While the coffee brewed, he called the borrowed apartment, and left a message for Jimmy and Jack to let them know he’d be back a bit later. He then called Alice, knowing she would be worried, and hoping to take his mind off the horrible thoughts of what had happened to Clark.
****
As the sun went down, Perry helped himself to last nights leftovers, which there had been plenty, as Jack and Jimmy had refused to eat any, when Lois arrived. She’d pushed past him as soon as he had opened the door.
“Where is he?” She demanded.
“Ssssh.” Perry didn’t want Lois to wake Clark. “Keep your voice down," he whispered gently. "He’s been sleeping all afternoon.”
“Why? What happened? There’s something you aren’t telling me?” Despite her voice being lower in volume, Lois still sounded a little on the shrill side, indicating how upset she was.
“Look, Lois, we don’t know the full story yet. He’s been asleep the whole time I’ve been here. Why don’t you head home, and I’ll call you the minute he wakes?” If his suspicions were right about Luthor’s part in Clarks disappearance, Perry didn’t want Lois anywhere near Clark when he woke up. He didn’t think Clark would be too forthcoming on what had happened with Lois there, especially as their friendship had been rocky since she had accepted Luthor’s proposal.
Lois hesitated for a moment before darting past him, swiftly walking to the bedroom, Perry quickly following. He heard her gasp in shock before he was able to get to her, and gently tried to pull her away. The sheets covering Clark had shifted slightly, revealing several nasty burns on his arms, shoulders and down his chest. As she cried, he led her into the living room.
“What happened to him?” She sobbed.
A sharp knock prevented him from answering and he almost growled in frustration. Pulling the door open sharply, about to send whomever it was away, he was silenced as he saw Henderson and another officer waiting.
“Perry!” Henderson exclaimed.
“Bill,” Perry responded, tilting his head in Lois’s direction, so Henderson could see she was there. “She just showed up, she’s had a bit of a shock,” Perry spoke quietly, hoping Lois couldn’t hear him.
“I’m just here to see Kent. Is he awake?”
“Let me check.” Perry hoped that Clark was still sleeping, then he wouldn’t have to deal with all the extra guests in his apartment. Leaving Henderson with Lois, he stuck his head around the wall separating Clark’s bedroom from the main apartment, and met Clark’s sleepy, puzzled, eyes.
“Perry?”
“Hi, son.” He noticed that Clark immediately pulled the sheet up to cover his wounds, after hastily putting is glasses on. “Henderson is here, wants a few words. You up for it?
“Uh, yeah,” Clark said, as he tried to sit.
“Don’t get up,” Perry cautioned him. If Clark didn’t know there was a nearly hysterical Lois in the other room, there was no reason for him to find out. “I’ll bring Henderson in here.”
Stepping back into the living room, he saw Henderson waiting, but no sign of Lois or the other officer.
“We’ll get her home,” was all the information Perry received before Henderson walked into Clark’s bedroom. Henderson returned shortly and announced that Clark would be getting up.
Seeing as Clark was awake, Perry dished out some of the rice, minus the sauce, and set it in the microwave. Poor boy could probably use something simple in his stomach after all he had likely been through.
It was several minutes before Clark entered the room, and sat at the kitchen table. “Here, son, eat something,” Perry said as he passed the plate, and a glass of water, to Clark. He returned shortly with a hot mug of tea.
“Now, I can stay here if you want me to, for the night. That couch of yours is pretty comfy, I had to put my foot down last night to stop Jimmy from stealing it from me.” Perry chuckled at the memory, trying to lighten the mood a little. At least Clark cracked a small smile.
“I think I’ll be ok, I just want to sleep some more.”
“Ok, but I’ll leave my number. You need anything, call, you hear?” Perry held up a piece of paper he had written his number down on and Clark nodded in response. “I’ve still got the key from yesterday, so I’ll let myself out and put it back in its hiding spot. Call when you wake up.” Perry waited for another nod, then bid Henderson and Clark a good night, before picking up his jacket, the bags belonging to Jimmy and Jack, wondering if Lois was ok.
****
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