After leaving LNN, Lois had gone home, frustrated and upset over what had just happened. She pushed past the few reporters that were hovering around, thankful there had been no representative from LNN, and had not left her apartment for the rest of the day. Without any new groceries she was back to eating dry cereal, not willing to order delivery and give a less scrupulous reporter a chance to get up to her apartment.
The following morning, over another bowl of dry cereal, she emptied the box of her belongings that she had been given at LNN. Her name plate from the Planet was still there, as was her rolodex and her scrapbook of articles she’d written over the years. A few items were missing, including one plant, but they weren’t important enough to warrant a trip to LNN to get them back.
She still wanted answers though. Digging through her rolodex she found the number of one of the legal department members from LNN, a younger guy, who had introduced himself the first time she’d stopped a story going to air that had unsubstantiated claims. There had been a few incidents like that over the previous months, so Dave had come by her office to talk about it, and Lois thought, to express some relief that someone else was checking sources. Perhaps he would know what had happened to get her fired.
About to pick up the phone and dial, a sharp knock interrupted her. She cautiously peered through the peephole, and opened her door with the safety chain on when she spotted Mr. Tracewski, the building super.
“Ms. Lane.”
“Morning, Mr. Tracewski.” Ever since a criminal disguised as him had tried to kill her, she’d been a bit wary around him.
“Ms. Lane!” Mrs. Tracewski called loudly, entering the corridor. “These men, they say they are to pack up your things.”
Lois peeked through the crack in the door and looked down the hallway, spotting two men in identical uniforms following Mrs. Tracewski.
“We heard about what happened, my dear. We are very sorry for your loss,” Mrs. Tracewski said sympathetically as she pushed past her husband to face Lois at the door. “May I come in?”
Lois closed the door, released the safety chain, and opened the door, letting Mrs. and Mr. Tracewski in, while the movers stayed in the corridor.
“My dear, we knew you were moving, but thought after what happened, you might stay?” Mrs. Tracewski asked. “This morning my husband woke up to these men trying to gain access to the building. They say they were hired to move your belongings. With all the reporters outside, my husband wanted to be sure who they were before letting them in, and they have paperwork.”
“Can I see the paperwork?” Lois asked the movers. The older of the two, handed her a clipboard with various sheets of paper. The first had her address, directions, and instructions for packing. The next page had the destination address, and where she had expected to see Lex’s penthouse address, there was an address within the industrial area of Metropolis. Confused, Lois flipped the page and saw an invoice. The movers had been paid for, and the move authorized by Mrs. Cox.
But not Lois. She could not remember a conversation where Lex informed her there would be movers coming, and she would not have permitted strangers packing up all of her belongings while she was away on her honeymoon! Could he have neglected to mention such a thing in the run up to their wedding? They’d both been busy with the planning… she felt herself sway on her feet.
“Are you alright, dear?” Mrs. Tracewski asked, gently patting Lois’s arm.
“Uh, yes, I think so,” Lois weakly said, as she reached for the couch for support. “I’m not ready to move just yet.”
“Ok, ma’am,” the older mover agreed. “Can I just get a signature from you, refusing the service?”
Lois signed the paper he handed her, and he gave her a copy, before leaving with his partner.
“Are you sure you’re ok, dear? You went very pale.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Tracewski. I’m fine now. I wasn’t expecting this.”
“The apartment is paid until the end of the month and there’s no one moving in. Give the landlord a call, I’m sure he’ll let you stay,” Mr. Tracewski informed her as he left the apartment.
“I will, thank you.”
“You know where I am if you need anything,” Mrs. Tracewski stated, before following her husband into the corridor. “If those reporters are still there tomorrow, we’ll get the police to deal with them,” she added before hurrying after her husband.
Lois closed the door, double checked all the locks, and sank onto her couch, her head falling into her hands, her thoughts jumbled, and spiraling out of control.
She had been making excuses for Lex, for his busy schedule, for organizing her life without telling her, for weeks now. He’d done it more and more frequently as the wedding approached, always apologizing for not letting her know, reminding her she needed to talk to Mrs. Cox to arrange anything, as he was too busy for the finer details. She’d always taken his words at face value, as Lex was a busy man, who was used to organizing large corporations and multiple projects. She had reasoned that Lex, who liked to be aware of everything, and always gave the impression he was in control of all aspects of his life and businesses, would on occasion forget something on his intense schedule.
Lex had organized most of the calendar in their relationship: theater dates, fundraiser dinners, flights to exotic and wonderful places for dinner. It had felt wonderful to be catered to, pampered, and desired. Now, something had shifted in those memories, and she felt sick to her stomach as threads of thought began to connect. When her honeymoon had ended, she would have returned to Metropolis with all of her belongings moved, her apartment emptied, and no job. It seemed far too coincidental. She moved to the phone and called Dave. She had to find out what had happened at LNN.
****
He was cold when he woke, and he shivered under the covers, the remnants of a nightmare rapidly fading. Getting up, he dressed in a sweater and sweatpants, and leaving the bedroom he discovered he’d left the windows open in the main room last night, and it was now raining heavily. Thankfully nothing had got wet inside the apartment, and he closed the windows before starting the kettle to make a hot drink.
After his second nap yesterday, assuming Lois wouldn’t be returning, he’d had enough energy to walk the short distance to the local convenience store to pick up some basics. Now he had milk, eggs, and bread, and could make himself breakfast. He would have to plan a time to go stock up on everything, which was not as easy when you can’t fly home, and don’t feel the weight of the loaded grocery bags. Though he wouldn’t go today, not in this rain.
Feeling as glum as the weather, he made himself a jam sandwich, then sat on the couch, trying not to make crumbs as he ate, and sipping the scalding tea carefully. It was Sunday, two days after he had escaped, and no signs of any of his powers returning. His burns were drying and cracking, something he assumed was a normal part of the healing process. His minimal first aid hadn’t covered healing times, just the basics of CPR, wound dressings, things he needed to know if he was on the scene of an incident. It certainly hadn’t covered Kryptonians stripped of their powers, and their expected healing times. He should call and ask his mom, as she would know how best to treat the burns, and what the human healing timeframe would be like.
He sighed heavily. He had called them back last night, but had done so when he knew his parents would be out. He’d left a brief message saying he was sorry he’d miss them, and would call back, but was reluctant to have a conversation with either of them just yet. Primarily, he didn’t want to worry his parents needlessly. As soon as his parents discovered he was powerless, they’d fly out to help him. What if his powers returned quickly? It would be a waste of money for them, and he didn’t have an income to pay them back.
But what if, he thought darkly, his powers didn’t come back. He gulped back a moment of panic as the memory of the cage flashed through his mind.
Powers or not, he either needed to find a job in Metropolis, or give notice on his perfect apartment. He had savings, enough to keep him going for a few months, but he’d likely leave the city, and take his belongings to the farm to store until he could find somewhere new to settle. The Daily Planet had been the epitome of newspaper journalism in Metropolis, any other paper wouldn’t be the same. Plus. it would be strange to go into a new newsroom and find a few familiar faces, but no Perry, Cat, Jimmy, or Lois.
Lois. Working in any newsroom would never be the same without her, and he wondered what her plans would be now. Would she continue at LNN? Perhaps as Luthor’s wife she would inherit, though he doubted the will, or any change in the executive of Luthor’s various companies, would have changed prior to the wedding.
That thought burned more than his injuries. Lois had chosen Luthor, Lois was Luthor’s wife. Then why had she come over to see him, a nagging voice in his head asked. The night of her wedding, the night of Luthor’s death, she’d been in his apartment in the middle of the night, sitting on his couch, and after seeing his injuries, assumed, or knew, that Luthor had something to do with it.
The following day, she had arrived bearing food, full of questions, and news about her sister’s encounter at the airport. Lois hadn’t come out and said the words that Luthor was behind Lucy’s strange experience, and even to Clark it seemed like a bit of overkill on Luthor’s part. Why try to prevent his bride’s sister from attending their wedding? But Lois had called Luthor a murderer. Which murder was she referring to? She had wanted his help in figuring out why she had missed Luthor’s true character, and he had no idea how much, or what, to tell her.
Slowly, an idea began to dawn on him. What if the explosion at the Planet hadn’t been about the insurance money? Luthor had enough insurance on the building to rebuild, that had been discovered already, and his part in the explosion was assumed to be for the insurance payout. While helping the fire department as Superman on the day of the explosion, he had seen the damage to the printing floor, and several floors above. The newsroom floor was intact, with some smoke damage, and the boardroom and main offices above the newsroom, were largely unscathed.
Luthor had, with that one incendiary device, collected millions in insurance, acquired a prime piece of real estate in downtown Metropolis, and forced his fiancé out of a job she loved. Her new job as a producer at LNN, had taken Lois away from the role of investigator, seeker and reporter of the truth, something she excelled at, and into a secondary role, behind the scenes, at a company her husband-to-be, owned.
Clark gulped back the last of his rapidly cooling tea, barely noticing the tepid temperature as he thought furiously. Had everyone read Luthor’s intentions wrong? He was manipulative, detail oriented, and always portrayed the impression he was in control of every situation. Lois was not a woman to be controlled, but had Luthor found a way? Lois didn’t have a large circle of friends, but a small group, mostly consisting of colleagues. Luthor had ripped her away from her work, and with it, her friends, and from what Lois had said yesterday, Luthor had succeeded in blocking some of her family from being with her too.
Frustrated, Clark wandered into the kitchen with the empty mug, and after setting it down in the sink, began to pace in the small kitchen. Had jealousy and heartache clouded his deducing skills? He felt waves of guilt crash over him, remembering the missed phone calls and messages from Lois, that he’d ignored. In the weeks since he’d declared his love, the same amount of time since she had declared her love to Superman, he’d been investigating Luthor, waiting for something concrete to pin him to a crime. Instead, he’d played right into Luthor’s plans, pushing Lois further away, and into her fiancé’s waiting arms.
He picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number, needing to tell her that she had been manipulated, that none of what had happened was her fault. As Henderson had said it to him, he felt the need to repeat those words to Lois. Greeted with a busy signal, he tried a few more times before placing the receiver back in the cradle, disheartened. He returned to the couch, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders as he sat down, watching the rain trickle down the window panes leading the balcony. He had enough food in the house for the day, and had no where to be. He’d wait and see if Lois would stop by. Clark shrugged the blanket off as he remembered the spare key was no longer in its usual place. He grabbed the key, still on the table where Lois had left it, opened his apartment door, and slipped the key under the mat, closing and locking the door behind him when he was done. Now if she stopped by and he was asleep, or didn’t hear her, hopefully she’d check for the key.
****
She watched from the kitchen window as Jonathan tried to find something to fix on the tractor. He’d been like this since they got home from grocery shopping yesterday, puttering around, trying to fix anything, that likely didn’t need fixing. She knew there was a portion of fence that needed replacing on the far end of their property, but Jonathan wasn’t leaving the yard in case Clark called.
She looked at the table of sewing scraps, laughing at herself doing the same thing. These scraps of fabric had been sitting around for years in boxes, and she’d decided it was best to deal with them right now, especially as she would be in the kitchen, close to the phone.
Clark was ok, they’d talked to him, even if it was so brief. He’d been with Lois, and she wasn’t sure what to make of that. He had called back, the one time she’d left the kitchen for a brisk walk in the cooler evening air. Usually they would be at a friends house, but had cancelled their evening out in the event he’d called. She knew something wasn’t right though, she knew her son well enough. Whatever it was, Clark hadn’t been able to tell them if Lois was at his apartment with him, and later, hadn’t wanted to leave anything detailed in a message.
What worried both her and Jonathan, was Clark’s absence. It would take him no time at all to stop by, give them a hug, update them on whatever he could, before flying back to Metropolis. For now, they had to trust their son, and wait for him to contact them.
They had watched the news last night, with updates of Mr. Luthor’s known, and suspected crimes. There had been a press release by the police which hadn’t revealed any new information. There had been no reports of Superman, no rescues, nothing. It appeared he wasn’t involved in Mr. Luthor’s attempted arrest, and hadn’t been there to catch him when he jumped. Martha wondered if that was what was wrong with Clark. Perhaps Superman had been needed elsewhere and he was blaming himself for Mr. Luthor’s death.
There had been a brief mention of Lois, including a video clip of journalists all shouting questions at her as she exited a building, Martha assumed, to where she lived. Martha had only met Lois a few times, but felt as though she knew her fairly well through Clark’s constant talking about her, and the Lois that the cameras had captured, was not the self assured woman she’d come to know. Lois had looked ambushed by the journalists, one in particular seemed to startle her more than the others.
With a sigh, Martha returned to the kitchen table full of material. She would have to clear this all up so they had space to eat lunch, and then she and Jonathan would try calling Clark again.
****
“Hello?” Ellen Lane’s greeting was shouted down the phone as Lois heard lots of noise in the background.
“Mom?”
“Lois?” Ellen’s voice became muffled as she covered the receiver and Lois could hear instructions being shouted to whomever was in the background.
“Mom, is everything ok?”
A heavy sigh was her answer.
“Who’s over there?” Lois was trying to remember if her mother had mentioned any redecorating happening.
“Lois, dear. I can’t chat long. I have a flight to catch.”
“Flight?”
“Yes. I need to get away. Are you aware there are reporters at my front door? They won’t leave. The doorman has tried to call the police, and the police aren’t doing anything about it. I can’t leave without being harassed.”
Lois’s stomach sank. She had hoped the press would leave her family and friends alone, especially as she and her mother were not close. Perhaps being seen at the wedding, and being heard complaining loudly, had increased the press’s awareness of her existence.
“So I’m flying out to a spa in Arizona that was recommended by a dear friend. She goes every other month, and it sounds like something I need.”
“Oh,” was all Lois could manage. “When will you be back?”
“At least two weeks, more if this doesn’t blow over by then.”
Lois wanted to laugh aloud. What had she expected? Her mother had always been the same woman, with a few exceptions, the afternoon of her wedding being one of those few. Even then, Ellen Lane wasn’t a woman Lois could confide in, have a conversation with, not about something heartfelt, personal, and emotional.
“Ok, have a great flight.”
“What did you call for?”
“Um, I had a question about burns,” Lois fumbled.
“Well?”
“What can you do for them?”
“As long as it’s not a serious burn, put some aloe on it.” There was a voice calling in the background. “I’ve got to go, Lois. Was there anything else?”
Lois sighed. “No. Have a good holiday.”
Without a goodbye, the phone call ended as Ellen hung up, and Lois sank into the couch feeling alone. Lucy was back at work as her trip for the wedding should have ended yesterday, and she had heard nothing from her father, other than a sum of money deposited in her bank account, she assumed as a wedding present.
She rested her head in her hands. Marriage. She would have been married by now, and it wouldn’t have been the happily ever after kind of marriage. She would have been far away, on a beach, presumably, as Lex had never told her where he planned on taking her. In the meantime, her job was no more, her office cleared out, and her apartment would have been packed up and emptied. Her sister would have been stranded halfway across the country, and Lois wouldn’t have known until she returned from her honeymoon. She would have come home to a completely different life, the Lois Lane she knew would not exist, instead a new Lois Luthor would have had to find her place in Lex’s world.
She felt sick at the thought. Thankfully, she’d said no. She couldn’t marry Lex, but what would have happened if the police hadn’t entered? She’d watched in bewilderment as Lex had lost his ever present charm and cool headedness, yelling orders and threatening Henderson. It was a side of him she hadn’t seen before, and it had scared her. She’d almost married that man, the man Clark had warned her about over and over. Had Lex lived, had the police not acquired evidence on his criminal activities, what would have happened to her after she left him at the altar?
She shuddered at the dark thoughts that musing evoked. Lex wouldn’t have let her go, she was sure of it, and if he had found out where her thoughts had been as she walked down the aisle towards him, even Superman wouldn’t have been able to keep Clark safe.
So what had happened to Clark? She had little to no information on where he had been, other than he had been missing for twenty-four hours, and had returned to his apartment, injured and exhausted. She knew, mostly based on reactions from Perry and Clark himself, that Lex had something to do with his disappearance and injuries, but how and why had eluded her. How had Clark escaped? Had Superman helped? Maybe she could find out what had happened to Clark through him.
She laughed aloud at that thought. After their last encounter, she doubted Superman would talk to her again, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to see him either. His cruel comments still irked her, weeks later, and she had avoided analyzing that conversation, focusing on her upcoming wedding, and new job, instead.
She stood, wiping away the few tears that had escaped. She’d made a mess of her life, and now had no job, her latest relationship disaster was fodder for the press, and she’d pushed her best friend aside in favour of a man who likely hadn’t loved her.
A memory surfaced, from months ago. She’d had a bad cold, and Perry, not wanting the entire newsroom coughing and sneezing, had insisted she spend the next few days at home, recovering. Several hours later, she was feeling frustrated and ill, Clark had arrived at her apartment, bearing soup, and research for the story they were working on, along with notes from an interview he had managed to snag. Despite how awful she had felt, they’d spent a pleasant afternoon, barely doing any work, but hanging out, Clark keeping her mind off how sick she felt.
In the year she’d known Clark, he’d been sick once, on that trip to Smallville. He’d claimed allergies but they didn’t seem to affect him in Metropolis, and otherwise he was a healthy guy. He wasn’t ill right now, but hurt, the memory of his burns stretching down his neck and chest, and the multiple marks on his arms and shoulders, making Lois wince.
What had Lex done to him? Clark had acted strangely towards her, not unfriendly, but scared or wary. Was he afraid of her and could she overcome this barrier?
She’d asked him not to shut her out, and while he had let her into his apartment, he hadn’t opened up to her, and had brushed his mother off. Lois was worried he was shutting everyone out. Whatever had happened to him, he needed a friend, someone to take care of him, just like he always took care of everyone else. She likely wasn’t at the top of his list of confidants currently, but she knew him better than anyone else in the city. She quickly changed out of her warm pajamas, and gathered her purse and keys, then pushed her way through the remaining reporters gathered at the entrance of her apartment without a word.
****
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