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Murder Over Metropolis
By Carrie Rene
Rating: PG-13

Summary: What if Season One had ended differently and the wedding of Lex and Lois never took place? What if Lex believed Clark was a more significant threat than Superman? How far would Lex go to keep Clark and Lois apart?

Notes: This story is a year in the making: I started it last September. I believe by the end of this story; you, the reader will think what I do; that this could be the best story I have written. Thank you so much to the two people that helped this come together. Without them this wouldn’t be what it is today. They were patient with me and kept encouraging me that this could be a ‘super’ story filled with passion, mystery, friendship, and a murder. Thank you, KSaraSara and SuperBek!

It is finished, but I am still editing the last few chapters. My posting schedule for this will be one chapter every Tuesday. So far, there are twelve chapters, but I might adjust it by the end. And the banner was made by KSaraSara. Thank you and enjoy.

*****

Part One

Lois stood around in the crowd of politicians, entrepreneurs, and all the elite people of Metropolis, trying to surreptitiously scratch at the inside of her arm. She knew she looked elegant, appropriately alluring in the knee-length, hunter-green velvet dress Lex had picked out for her for this occasion, and the white lace of the bodice made her stand out amongst all the other women wearing darker shades of evening gowns. But the lace was a constant irritation, making her arm itch and reminding her that she’d have never left the store with this dress if she’d had the choice.

She looked over to see Lex a few feet away talking to the mayor, who was here, along with all of these other people she didn’t really know, to celebrate her engagement with Lex. Lois may have interviewed many of these people before, but she didn’t belong with them, and tonight was just reminding her of that. She’d much rather be spending her Saturday night watching movies and ordering pizza…like she had done with Clark.

A smile appeared, and her heartbeat quickened at the thought of her partner. He had always been someone she could connect with, someone she had things in common with. Like enjoying pizza and movies on a Saturday night. God, she missed him.

At that same moment, through the crowd, she noticed a tall man with dark hair and the same build as Clark, and her heart stuttered again as she started moving his direction. Could Clark have changed his mind and come to support her? As she got closer to the man she hoped was Clark, she could feel herself finally starting to relax a bit, finally starting to look forward to the rest of the evening, spent with someone she could connect with and had things in common with, not spent feeling so out of place.

She got a short glimpse of the man’s side profile and his glasses, reminding her how intelligent Clark was. She was less than a foot from the man when he stepped away just as she was reaching out to grab his arm.

“Ms. Lane,” came a sonorous woman’s voice from behind her, halting Lois’s movement. “Congratulations on being the woman to finally land the most eligible bachelor in North America!”

Lois smiled tightly and did her best to thank the woman graciously before she excused herself. Finally, she was able to catch up to Clark, and she reached out to grab his arm.

“Clark, I can’t believe you came,” Lois gushed with the biggest grin. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

The man turned around, and her heart sank — his eyes were blue, and his smile was all wrong. This man had dimples. Lois sighed, and her shoulders slumped a bit. She really was alone.

“Miss Lane, I am a huge fan. The article you wrote about the car theft ring was impeccable. Congratulations on your engagement,” the man stated, smiling at her with those non-Clark dimples and reaching out to shake her hand.

“Oh, thank you. I’m sorry for grabbing your arm. I thought you were someone else,” Lois replied, doing her best to keep up appearances as the happy bride-to-be. However, she had to suppress a frown as she realized the man’s hands were rough, not like Clark’s; Clark’s touch was more gentle and smooth.

“I’m Jackson Winchester. I play for the Metropolis Tigers,” he said, shaking her hand enthusiastically. “Mr. Luthor had a hand in getting me traded to the Tigers last year.”

“Yeah, Lex makes sure we get the best for Metropolis,” Lois responded with a fake smile. The football player had Clark’s build and profile, but even the sound of his voice was different. Jackson Winchester’s voice was more high-pitched and irritating. A couple more minutes with this football player was all she could stand.

A short time later, she was out on the balcony by herself. She needed air. Being stuffed into the ballroom with all of these privileged types was making her claustrophobic. She looked out to the Metropolis skyline, trying to remember why she was even here. Did she belong with these people? She’d hoped coming out here would make her feel better, but her jumbled thoughts only made her wish for simpler times, things that made sense. She missed Clark. Her best friend. The only partner she could ever stand to work with. The only man she’d ever truly trusted.

As she looked out over the city where she had lived her entire life, she realized this view from above was different. It wasn’t just the view, though; it was the people she was surrounded by. She could see so much from high above Metropolis, including where the Daily Planet had stood, the building now a pile of rubble. She wiped away tears from the reminder of that feeling she missed so much — that feeling of being part of something bigger, part of a family. Trying to forget about the Planet, her gaze turned a bit left, and she saw the fountain at Centennial Park. The park held so many memories. Memories of playing as a child, running around with Lucy. Memories of when the colors of the leaves changed in fall, walking through the park in awe. Memories of the last time she was at the park and the confession of love Clark had given her.

Lois remembered how Clark had admitted his feelings to her that day in the park. She loved Clark, sure; he was her best friend. She had told him long ago not to fall for her and that she didn’t have time for it. Now, after a year of spending time with him, she realized having him around made her relax more and not take life so seriously. Having him around just made things…better.

“Lois, I’m in love with you,” Clark’s voice from that day in the park echoed in her head. She remembered the look in his eyes as he’d stared directly at her and the warmth of his body as he’d sat so close to her…

She hadn’t known what to say or what to feel.

Even now, she didn’t know. Clark was her best friend and her partner. Sure, she was attracted to him — the pheromone spray Miranda used on Metropolis had pretty much made her admit those feelings. The kisses they had shared a few times had sparked something inside her. And he certainly was a handsome man who looked amazing shirtless; Mr. Hard Body, she had once called him. He had looked at her with such yearning that day, and she knew in her heart it hadn’t been the only time he’d done so.

Of course, it wasn’t just his looks; it was his good nature, his honesty, his kindness, and the fact he could stand toe to toe with her. She looked down at the ground, her hands shaking, and her heart quickened. It had been such a huge confession; no one had ever told her they loved her before and meant it. And she knew Clark wouldn’t lie to her. But she’d been so awful to him in the past... How could he possibly have feelings for her? And did she even deserve his love?

Clark Kent was one of the most honest men she had ever met. He was optimistic, truthful, and kind. And yet, when they’d first met, she had been cruel to him. There were many times in the past year when she’d gotten the scoop on him by lying. She’d been conniving, spiteful, and worse...and all to this wonderful man who’d only wanted to learn from her.

Then, that day in the park, he had looked at her with his deep chocolate eyes, and she had wanted to say “Yes,” but her head hadn’t let her.

Really, though, what was she supposed to have said? How was she supposed to have responded to him without ruining the best relationship she’d ever had? She hadn’t been able to bear the thought of it, couldn’t risk losing his friendship. So instead of taking the risk, being with the right man — a good man — she’d broken his heart.
Her loneliness now, at this party where she didn’t really belong, made her ache for Clark’s companionship even more. He always seemed to know exactly what to say to cheer her up and make her smile, as though he’d known her for years.

Now, she stood outside, alone at her own engagement party, an engagement to a man who didn’t really know her, who wouldn’t know what to say to cheer her up or make her smile. And she realized she didn’t really know Lex, either. There was so much she didn’t know about him.

***

Lex stood in center of the ballroom talking to the mayor of Metropolis. As he nodded his head in agreement with whatever the mayor was saying, his mind was elsewhere, on his bride-to-be. He looked around the crowd, trying to locate her; she always stood out, no matter where she was, with her petite frame and big personality. And although she was the picture of elegance, breathtaking in her beauty, she was also fiercely independent and stood her ground — one thing he was hoping to change once they were married.

He couldn’t see her until he caught a glimpse of her dark green dress out of the corner of his eye. She was outside on the balcony, looking out into the night.

“Excuse me, Mr. Mayor,” Lex said, patting the man on the shoulder and stepping toward the doors that led outside. As he got closer, he could tell Lois was talking to herself, and he immediately knew she was thinking about the other man in her life — the one who wasn’t here tonight.

Hiding a scowl, Lex switched directions and moved through the crowd, searching for his personal assistant. Many people believed that Nigel had been an agent of Her Majesty’s Secret Service years ago. However, what they didn’t know was that Nigel had turned corrupt and now was Lex’s main henchman. As a former British soldier gone rogue, Nigel was as ruthless as Lex and didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, which made him the perfect choice to help Lex finish his plans for Lois’s former partner at the Daily Planet. After all, Lex intended to do everything in his power to make sure that not even the frustratingly independent Lois Lane could say “No” to Lex Luthor, and that meant distancing her from everyone in her life to whom she had any emotional attachment…or maybe eliminating those threats altogether.

Lex spotted Nigel standing in the shadows near the entrance of the ballroom, and he casually made his way that direction.

“Nigel is everything set for tonight?” Lex asked, looking around the crowd. He stood tall, smiled, and waved at all the right people, never forgetting that many of these people he could bring down at any moment.

“Sir, your bag is packed with the essentials,” Nigel stated as he folded his arms. “Mr. Kent was last seen near City Hall, and the message has been delivered.”

“Good,” Lex said, nodding his head. The check for Kent was waiting for him inside Lex’s desk, along with the information for his parents’ bank account. If Kent didn’t take the offer, then Plan B was in place. “Thank you, Nigel. Now let me make sure my fiancée is enjoying the party.”

Leaving Nigel to take care of things, Lex found Lois again and moved smoothly across the ballroom toward her. He could tell throughout the night that her smile never reached her eyes. She tried her best to be cordial to everyone, but none of her friends from the Daily Planet had arrived. Her sister also hadn’t made it, and her mother wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow. Now he had to go show her how he was the one who would be there for her when no one else was.

***

After a few minutes outside in the cool night air, her shoulders slumped as she went back into the ballroom. People stopped to congratulate her, asking to see her ring. They asked what her plans were for after the wedding and if she had thought about joining any committees or hosting fundraisers. Although she remained cordial to everyone, her face held no emotion, and she had to hide her distaste. The last thing Lois Lane would be was a trophy wife.

The evening continued, and she moved around the ballroom, finding herself more and more isolated. No one she spoke with asked about how she was doing or what she wanted. Many of them just boasted about how they knew Lex and what Lex had done for them.

And although she was surrounded by many prominent people, not one of her friends from the Daily Planet was there. Lois touched the emerald necklace she was wearing, an engagement present from Lex. One of many. He probably thought he was spoiling her, but really, he was overwhelming her. A diamond-encrusted heart surrounded by twenty-three pear-cut emeralds? This wasn’t her...was it? The necklace and dress went perfectly with her ivory skin tone and white satin heels. But this wasn’t really her. Or was this what Lex wanted her to become?

She had found one saving grace at this party: the chocolate fountain standing in the middle of the room. It was one of the only things at the party she had enjoyed. The chocolate was more her style than the hors-d’oeuvres that were being served by waitstaff circulating around the room. She stopped in front of it in all its glory and then stood there, patiently, waiting for someone to comment how she was now in heaven — a chocolate fountain just for her. However, when no one did, she turned away from it, unable to relish the enjoyment of chocolate without her friends. No one was there to remind her about her love of chocolate. Did Lex even know that chocolate gave her such joy?

Lois sat at one of the tables on the side of the ballroom. Her feet had started to hurt in the uncomfortable heels she wore. People only came up to her to congratulate her; no one bothered to have a real conversation with her. Lex had found her for a few minutes and tried to get her to mingle more. He had taken her around to introduce her to John Collington III, only the fourth-richest man in Metropolis, as Lex was sure to point out. She tried to seem interested in the conversations, but most were about stocks, bonds, or their newest acquisitions. After ten minutes of mingling and not feeling welcome, she had gone to sit down again. It was only seven twenty, and all she wanted to do was disappear from this crowd of people she didn’t know.

She also found herself feeling just a little suspicious. So many of these people had said what Lex had done for them. But Lois wondered what was in it for Lex. Was he just using these people to get what he wanted? Was Lex manipulating them? Was he doing the same thing to her? She had no one here tonight whom she knew personally. Was that by Lex’s doing? Was he chasing away all her friends and co-workers from the Planet? Was everything Clark said right?

Since Lois had accepted Lex’s marriage proposal, her relationship with Clark had been nonexistent. But that wasn’t what she wanted; she didn’t want to lose her friendship with Clark or anyone because Lex was possessive. A shiver ran through her. Was this all Lex’s doing? It couldn’t be, could it? She couldn’t be that blind to Lex’s charms. She had been suspicious of other wealthy billionaires who had seemed too perfect to be true. And of course, why would Clark keep blaming Lex for all the evil things in Metropolis if a fraction of them were not true? Where did Clark get his evidence from? Lois wondered if this had been Lex’s plan from the start — keeping her away from everyone and everything she loved.

***

Fifteen minutes after the engagement party ended, Lex guided Lois into a black stretch limousine waiting in front of LexCorp, kissed her lightly on the lips, and then closed the door and watched the limousine drive away. He’d told her he would call her in the morning, that he had business calls to make tonight. But the truth was, he had other plans. As the limousine turned the corner, Lex walked back to the building, ready to put his plans into motion and resolve the situation with Kent. He didn’t want to leave anything to chance. No, if Lex was to marry Lois, then she had to be done with Clark Kent. Lex had to make sure Kent was not a factor anymore.

Lex Luthor wasn’t a mystery. He was just intelligent, rich, and powerful. However, as he stood in the elevator, waiting for it to rise to the penthouse, he reflected on the fact that these things — wealth, money, power — could only get him so far. No, it was his cunning deception that made him so dangerous. And the fact that he wouldn’t accept anyone saying “No” to him, especially when it came to the female persuasion.
That was why he had to make sure things went as planned tonight.

It took him ten minutes to make his calls once he arrived back in his penthouse. Then, he moved out onto the terrace, marveling, as he always did, at how his penthouse towered above Metropolis and how everyone in the city had to look up to see him. Now, as he stood out on the terrace, his mind flashed back to the night he had met the astounding Lois Lane. In three days, he would marry Lois; she would be his to have and to hold. He loved her, he really did, but he had to admit, one of the things he was looking forward to most was to use her influence with the press to make sure the narrative of his story would always be covered, to make sure some of his illegal doings were not investigated.

And while Clark Kent wasn’t a threat to him romantically, he was certainly a thorn in Lex’s side that needed to be dealt with. However, he could tell Lois still had doubts about marrying him, especially because of all the ideas that annoying Kent was putting in her head about him. He needed to drive a final wedge between Lois and her former partner so she stopped moping over that inconsequential hack. Lex would just have to fix that situation by the end of tonight.

Lex walked over to his desk and used the intercom to call in Mrs. Cox. He wanted to know if his guest had arrived yet. Kent hadn’t shown up for the engagement party, just as Lex had hoped. Now, Lex wanted to make sure Kent stayed as far away from the wedding as possible too, and he knew exactly how to do that.

***

Lois stood at her windowsill, looking out into the night sky. It had been an hour since Lex’s driver had dropped her off. Now she was in a pair of gray sweatpants and a Superman T-shirt Jimmy had bought her for Christmas. Sure, she even missed the flying superhero, but not as much as she missed her partner.

She had a fiancé, a new job, and soon a new life, but she had never felt more alone. She craved her co-workers, her friends, her boss…her best friend.

Chocolate. Maybe chocolate would make her feel better. At least, it usually did. However, although the engagement party had had some of her favorite things — chocolate and champagne — and Lois should have had the time of her life, at the time, all she had been able to think about was Clark and her other co-workers whom she missed so much.

It really hurt her feelings that no one had shown up, not even her best friend. Had she hurt him that badly that he never wanted to see her again? She choked back the sob that threatened. She didn’t want to be sad anymore.

Where had Clark been, anyway? Had he had something better, more important to do? What could have been more important than her engagement party? Sure, Clark had a biased hatred for Lex, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be there for her. How hard was it to set his hate for Lex aside for one night? It wasn’t fair.

Her sadness began to dissipate as anger boiled over. Clark had kept saying he would be there for her — yet he wasn’t. What made him so righteous to tell her marrying Lex was wrong? Clark couldn’t even tell her why he thought Lex was so evil. He had never given her proof of Lex’s supposed evil doings. They were investigative reporters; they needed proof to print a story. Yet Clark hadn’t ever shown her a single shred of proof that Lex had arranged for the bombing of the Planet or that he had set up Jack to take the blame.

Lois turned around and walked over to the phone hanging on the wall in the kitchen. She dialed Clark’s number, and as it rang and rang, her anger continued to grow. How could he be so stubborn? She thought he cared about her. All she wanted to do was give him a piece of her mind. She tried to fight the tears that she knew were coming. He hadn’t bothered to show up at her engagement party, and now he apparently couldn’t be bothered to answer his phone! Where was he?

She slammed the phone down and turned around quickly. Lois’s nose flared as she grabbed her keys and stormed out of her apartment. If Clark couldn’t answer his phone, she would go to his apartment and tell him exactly how she felt. She was tired of suppressing her feelings. Lois had had enough of it at the party. No — the real Lois Lane would be making an appearance now.

***

At the same time, Lex was at his desk on the other side of town when the door to his office burst open.

“What are you doing here?” Lex asked as he stood up from his desk, his eyes cold. “You’re early.”

“There has been a change of plans,” the tall guest announced as they reached inside their jacket and pulled out a gun. “Dr. Kelly won’t be coming, and she won’t be giving you the drug.”

Before Lex could reach for his own gun, two shots fired, and Lex looked down in horror as blood appeared from underneath his white button-down shirt.

“I didn’t think you had it in you,” Lex wheezed. He used his hand to put pressure on the bullet wound over his right shoulder.

Blood seeped through Lex’s fingers as the tall figure turned away and whispered, “Goodbye, Lex.”

Lex collapsed back into his chair; he took the pressure off his shoulder wound and reached for the phone. The items on his desk became a blur as he started to lose consciousness. Seconds seemed to last for minutes, and Lex’s mind raced through the events of the last few days as he struggled to breathe. He cursed at himself. He should have known not to trust anyone.

As his body slumped over, dark red blood spread out over the documents he’d been studying, and his head hit the desk before he was even able to take the phone off the hook.

The pain became unbearable, and his thoughts quickly turned to Lois and how instead of planning their wedding, she would be planning a funeral.

His final thought before he blacked out was whether the rest of his plot had been set in motion. Then, at least, he’d have succeeded in this one thing. Although, the real question would still remain: who had killed Lex Luthor?