TOCChapter 5:Clark wondered if he’d fallen asleep in his hideout. Moments ago, he'd been in the basement of some tattered building and suddenly, he found himself right in heaven. Surely, he must be dreaming, else he wouldn’t be in Lois' arms, kissing her the way he did. It was beyond anything he’d ever expected. Every inch of her body was pressed against his, closer than he’d even dared to dream about. She felt so soft, so fragile and silky under his hands. He inhaled her scent deeply, feeling like he’d just been freed of blindfolds, earmuffs and a thick layer of fog clouding his senses.
She tasted so good, a faint hint of chocolate and coffee that was so incredibly Lois. He let his tongue flicker against hers playfully, then suckled at her lower lip, wishing that this kiss would never have to stop. Oh, if he’d never have to wake from this dream and find himself back in the cold and dark building. He backed off a little, lest Lois would feel pressured by the evidence of just how much he wanted her right now. It probably didn't matter, cause he was dreaming anyway, but still… He would have to wait, even in his dreams. There was no need to force the issue.
Her hands were pushing against his shoulders and a jolt of guilt rushed through him as it dawned on him that, unlike him, Lois couldn’t hold her breath for twenty minutes. With a wistful moan, he let his lips brush against hers one last time.
The next thing he felt was a sharp knock against his groin. Clark let out a gasp as pain first exploded in his crotch and shot up toward his lower abdomen. A second wave of pain followed suit, that felt as if someone was jabbing a white-hot knife into his intestines.
He let out a startled yelp and his knees suddenly turned to rubber. He folded in on himself, gasping for breath. His gut turned and a surge of nausea rolled over him. Clark curled into a tight ball, a groan escaping his throat. The shooting pains didn’t subside, though, getting worse at even the slightest shift of position. A sharp headache joined the cacophony of aches that assaulted his body.
Clark tried to breathe through the raging nausea that coursed through him with a vengeance.
“Lois,” he grunted, anguished.
His breath didn’t suffice for more. Confused, he looked around and spotted Lois standing next to the door, fumbling to rearrange her dress. Why was it so disheveled, anyway? Then she took a quick step toward her loveseat and snatched her coat. While she slipped it around her shoulders, she was staring daggers at him. Her gaze sent another stab of pain through his heart that almost rivaled the agony in his groin.
Gritting his teeth, he tried to prop himself up, but quickly thought better of it and curled back into his fetal position. He couldn’t understand what was going on. They’d just been kissing, hadn’t they? He’d done nothing to warrant such an attack! At least not that he remembered, but then thinking was rather hard at the moment. The headache spiked and he squeezed his eyes shut, unsettled by his own helplessness.
After a few moments of just taking deep breaths, he raised his eyes again to meet hers. “Why… why… did you..?”
“You know exactly why I did that!” Her eyes narrowed and her lips became a very tight line. "You forced yourself on me and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Do you really expect me to let myself be raped, you piece of scum?"
Clark inhaled sharply, startled by the venom in her words. “Raped?"
Another strong wave of nausea rose in his stomach and he wasn't sure if that was due to her accusation or the incredible pain radiating through his abdomen and groin. Nothing made sense. It was like he was tumbling into a dark void.
Someone had pulled the rug out from under him and now he was falling free with no hope to break his descent. "I would…never…"
Surely he hadn’t? He couldn’t! He’d been dreaming, hadn’t he? A low groan escaped him as he realized that if that were actually true, he wouldn’t be writhing on the floor. As if to remind him, another shockwave of agony rushed through him, making him want to cry out.
If he hadn't been dreaming and now clearly was back in his own body that could only mean that minutes ago Luthor had… Suddenly, he felt sick in a way that had nothing to do with Lois' kick.
Clark squeezed his eyes shut. “Oh, my god, I’m so sorry.”
How was he going to explain, how could he make any of this right? It wasn't helping that in his current position, he could barely look at Lois. He made another attempt at sitting up, but his lower body still wasn't up to it. He grunted in frustration. Good grief, he was supposed to be invulnerable, wasn't he? Clark squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ride the newest wave as best as he could.
When he looked at Lois again, she was tightening her coat around her frame and trembling with rage. “What the hell is wrong with you, Kent? I’d never expected you to stoop so low. You’ve always behaved like the perfect gentleman and now…” Her chest heaved with every breath she took. ”I never want to see you again. You’re going to leave the Planet, you’re…”
Clark felt like the world was crashing down around him.
“No, Lois,” he ground out between pained gasps. "Please, no."
He'd been longing to see her again, had been hoping to talk to her ever since he'd so briefly found himself back inside his own body. She had been talking to Henderson, and he'd naively waited for her to finish her call. But now, the chance to get her help was likely lost on him. Damn Luthor for putting him into this mess, however he might have accomplished it.
Lois eyed him with all the contempt she was capable of, her eyes flashing with pure hatred.
"Get out," she spat.
Clark couldn't believe this was happening, but then everything that had happened to him in the past twenty-four hours was hard to believe. All he knew was that he needed her help, and what was worse, he'd need her trust. Something that Luthor had carelessly destroyed for a moment of lust.
Once again, Clark propped himself up on his elbows, desperately trying to ignore the renewed agony shooting through his lower body.
He couldn't stifle the groan. "I'll do…whatever you're asking… but first - please hear... me out."
He studied her face, saw the same expression of disgust and anger. But she didn't shake her head. Instead she crossed her arms in front of her chest, indicating that she was listening, albeit reluctantly.
Clark knew that he couldn't ask for more than that. She'd give him this one chance. He'd better not blow it! But how was he going to explain any of this? Luthor had stolen his body! That sounded so outrageous that she'd think he'd lost his mind as well as his manners.
He swallowed hard. "I can’t even begin… to describe how… sorry I am… about what happened here." Another wave of agony rolled through him and took his breath away. He desperately wanted to curl back into a ball. But then he wouldn't be able to look at her.
Her gaze on him was so icy, it sent chills down his spine. He knew that she was losing what little patience she had with him.
Clark fought to keep his wits about him. "I’d never do anything like that to you. I don’t know how to explain it, but the guy who attacked you wasn’t me. He may be coming back any moment, though.”
The temperature in the room dropped below freezing.
“What are you talking about?” She curled her lips. “Do you think I’m so dumb that I don’t recognize who’s kissing me without my permission?”
Clark winced. “Of course you’re not dumb, Lois. You’re…. the smartest person I know. I…I don’t claim I fully understand what’s going on here."
He heaved a sigh and allowed himself to relax his position just for a moment, easing the tension on his abdominal muscles. It still hurt more than he'd ever thought it could.
He saw Lois tapping her foot and realized that he was running out of time, even more so since Luthor could come back any moment now. And then Clark would be back in a dark alley with no hope of contacting Lois.
He cleared his throat. "Remember the story about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? That’s sort of me at the moment. I don’t know how or why. And I don’t think we have the time to go into the details now.”
Lois snorted. “That’s the most outrageous excuse you could possibly come up with.”
Clark lowered his gaze. “I know how this must sound, Lois. But all of this is Luthor’s doing."
“Luthor’s dead, Clark,” Lois said coldly.
Slowly, the waves of pain abated. It still felt like he was being stabbed by a knife, but it was no longer burning white-hot. Unfortunately that also meant that if Luthor returned, he’d be even more dangerous than he already was.
He knew he couldn’t stall any longer, couldn’t hope to find her forgiveness or understanding now. There’d be time for that later if he was lucky. If he got her to listen to him just this once.
“You don’t believe me.” He took a deep breath and gave her his best pleading look. “After what just happened, I know you’ve got no reason to trust me. But please, if nothing else, believe me when I tell you that you need to get out of here. You can’t be here when he comes back. I don’t know how much time we still have. You need to incapacitate me, so he…I… can’t follow you.”
He winced. This was easier said than done. How did one incapacitate Superman? Aside from giving him a kick into his groin, apparently. Clark’s gaze darted around until he found her stereo system and a pair of headphones sitting on it. A crazy idea formed in his mind.
Once again, Clark tried to get up and was startled by the pain that caused. He gritted his teeth. “Boy, I never thought this could hurt so much.”
Lois’ lips became a tight line. “You deserve it.”
“Guess I do.” Clark bit his lip and started to loosen his tie with one hand, holding his aching midsection with the other. “Secure my hands behind my back and put those headphones over my ears, then turn the volume on max.”
Lois blinked in confusion. “And what is that going to accomplish?”
Clark looked at her with as much of a sheepish smile as he could muster. “With that vicious kick to my groin? Believe me, it’ll keep him occupied long enough that you can get away.”
She rolled her eyes and snorted. “Why should I trust you after what just happened? And who is that ‘he’ you keep talking about, anyway? If it really wasn’t you, that is, which I have a hard time believing!”
Clark hung his head. He hadn’t expected her to react any differently. But there was no choice but to try anyway.
“Because I hope that you know me better than this, Lois,” Clark whispered. “You should know I’d never do anything to harm you. I’d rather die than see you hurt. Believe it or not, it was Luthor who attacked you.” He heaved a long sigh. “Please, Lois, I know I’m asking a lot after what just happened. There are things I’ve kept a secret for too long, apparently. If you can do nothing else for me, then please get out of here for your own safety. It’s dangerous to be around me.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Oh, do tell.”
He let out a breath, realizing that he was fighting a losing battle. She wouldn’t help him and he couldn’t exactly blame her. But why did she have to be so darn stubborn when it came to her own safety? Already, he was starting to feel lightheaded. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold onto this body, if Luthor really started fighting back.
“We need to hurry, Lois,” Clark said with all the authority he was capable of. He put his tie on the ground and pushed it in her direction. “I can already feel myself slipping away. I’m not going to be here much longer.”
He could see his words were confusing her. But something about her expression changed, when Clark reluctantly removed his other hand from his groin and put both of his hands on his back, holding them out for her to tie them together.
She unfolded her arms, her gaze on him still stern, but at least a fraction softer than it had been before.
“You’ll have some explaining to do,” she said grimly as she started to firmly wrap his tie around his wrists.
“I’ll do all the explaining you want,” Clark vowed. “Now the headphones. Choose something noisy. Any chance you’ve got some heavy metal? The louder the better.”
She furrowed her brows. “This is getting decidedly weird.”
“The truth’s going to be even weirder, believe me.” He squeezed his eyes shut as she put the blaring headphones over his ears.
Combined with the pain in his crotch, he felt the first tear in his barrier. Lois’ breathing turned almost as loud as the music, her heartbeat thundered in his ears with the beats of the music. He swallowed hard, fighting to retain his control.
He looked at her with a wistful smile. “Now get out of here. Or on second thought, another kick like that would be good.”
She stared at him. “Are you being serious?”
Clark felt his control slip even further. A TV was playing downstairs, mixing into the sounds of Lois and the music. Other neighbors were having a fight. He panted with the effort it took to stay focused on Lois.
“Get out of here. Get as far away from me as you possibly can.” A low moan escaped his throat as he let his head sink against the floor, overwhelmed by the sounds invading his mind. “I love you.”
The noises of the city became more intense, blurring into one another. But Clark wasn’t yet ready to give into the assault on his ears.
He raised his eyes in one last attempt to get her attention. “Lois, if you have any faith in me left, then
please come find me where I sent you on that wild goose chase for a Godzilla doll I had dressed up as Superman. I’m in desperate need of your help.”
Then the noises of the city swallowed him completely and he didn’t put up any resistance. Something else pushed him out of his body.
