Writing this story is much more fun than I'm allowed to have at the moment. I really have to be careful that it doesn't keep me from living my real life. 
. But finally I've reached the point, where I'm going to start solving the mess I created. Maybe you're gonna be grateful? 
Anyway, there is something I should mention. My days are pretty long. ( I mean those of the story, though real life is rather busy, too) So maybe you didn't see the notes of the passing days. I started with the prologue and the real story began two days earlier. Somewhere is the note "one day earlier". And now we will reach the day of the events of the prologue. This is what I mean by "the day". Just in case you're starting to wonder...
Without Nancy this would never have been the story it is. She's a great beta-reader. 
From Part 8: “Lois, what secret are you talking about?” Superman inquired.
“I can’t. Please leave me alone, Superman.” Lois cried. “Go!” She screamed the last word, sounding as helpless as Clark had sounded when she had seen him in his apartment.
“I know Clark quite well; I don’t think there is anything he has hidden from me. Tell me what is bothering you. I might be able to help.”
“I said go!” Lois screamed. Superman shot her an irritated glance and got up from the sofa.
When he had indeed left, she sank onto the couch and tears streamed down her face as she silently wept.
Part 9 “I don’t believe it. You dare tell me that you’ve failed again?” Lex Luthor fumed. “He’s an ordinary guy for Heaven’s Sake. What’s so complicated about killing him?”
“I sent two of the best people that were available,” Mrs. Cox replied.
“Two of the best? Are you kidding me? You should be able to get rid of him with the biggest fools you know. He isn’t even bullet proof. But now he is getting closer and closer to us. And I promise you, if he finds evidence for our criminal business, I’ll make sure they take your head first.” He paced through his office, shooting angry glances at Mrs. Cox. “I have a brilliant idea, and I really hope for your sake that this won’t be too difficult for you. There are rumors about a brilliant scientist; his name is Derek Camden. I think he can help us.”
Mrs. Cox nodded. “I’ll contact him and see if he can be useful.”
Lex Luthor sent her away with a harsh gesture and started pacing again. Clark Kent had just achieved the status of an enemy. Luthor started to really like this challenge. His new plan would be infallible, provided that Mrs. Cox was able to make Derek Camden help them. If the rumors were right, he had invented a weapon that didn’t leave any evidence. It should be able to kill and disable. With Kent it would suffice to disable him briefly. If everything worked the right way, he would turn Clark Kent into a loyal friend, which would be much better than killing him.
Thinking of Clark Kent made him realize that he hadn’t heard from Lois for quite some time. She had definitely had enough time to cope with her best friend’s marriage. He should tighten his grip on her and invite her for dinner this evening. Lex Luthor stopped pacing and smiled broadly. Kent wasn’t going to stop him. It would be just the opposite after he was through with him. And Superman would soon be his. As a test to the new found loyalty, maybe he would even ask Kent to be a little rude to the Man of Steel.
The mere thought was so exciting that Luthor considered asking his technician to program this scene for his virtual reality. But could the guy be fast enough before he would enjoy the reality? Luthor doubted it. But he would film the event and make it available for reliving his victory over and over again. He would need that, because after these two great enemies were at his mercy, it would be difficult to find someone able to follow in their foot-steps.
* * *
Chapter 4 I do not want to see myself
As someone that you saved
I’d rather be your adversary
Than to be your slave
(Don’t do me any favours) The Day This was getting rather odd. Clark thought it was ironic that Clark would have a secret that Superman didn't know about. It was amazing that Lois had started to be so loyal to Clark that she wouldn't give away his secrets. She had also told him that she loved Clark, and that should have put him on cloud nine. He wanted to get back to her as Clark immediately, but he doubted that this was a good idea. She had told Superman that she loved Clark, and she might expect the hero to keep this a secret. She had said that it was impossible for her and Clark to be together.
He had been taken by surprise when she had suddenly declared her love for Clark. Superman had shown up at Lois apartment to confess his love to her. He had wanted to admit that he had lied because he wanted to protect her. Superman had wanted to tell her that he couldn’t live without her and that he needed to apologize. Maybe he should have told her right then that Superman was Clark. But he hadn’t been able to do that. He was so startled by her sudden confession that telling her the truth hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Since Clark couldn’t easily claim that Superman had told him about Lois’ disastrous state of mind, he couldn’t show up at her place in the middle of the night. He desperately wanted to know what Lois assumed was his secret. One thing was perfectly clear: when she had told him that she had found out about his secret, she hadn’t meant that he was Superman. Paradoxically, he would be glad right now if she had guessed just that. This split-personality thing was getting very annoying. The whole situation would have been ridiculous if it hadn’t been so sad.
So lacking any better idea, Clark started to search his own desk and cupboards. He couldn’t do it at super-speed, because Perry was there. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to do it without waking up his editor, but he really needed to know what Lois had found.
“Clark, what in the Sam Hill are you doing?” Perry asked drowsily.
“I’m trying to find something, Chief, “Clark replied.
“You’re trying to find something at 3 o’clock in the morning? What can be that important?” Perry inquired curiously.
“Honestly, I don’t exactly know, Perry.” Clark shrugged and continued his search.
“Good thing that you’re a great reporter, Clark. Otherwise I would have had to straightjacket you.” Perry smiled.
“Lois said something about having found out my ‘secret’. I’d like to know what that secret is supposed to be,” Clark explained.
Perry nodded. “I can’t convince you to find out what that is at another time of day?”
“You can take my bed, Chief. I just need to know now.” Clark said.
He made a mess out of his living room looking in every possible place, but there was nothing that would have explained Lois behavior towards him. Perry had vanished somewhere, trying to not stand in the way. After Clark had searched his place the second time and still hadn’t found any hint, he began to clean up. When Clark was finished it was six o’clock in the morning.
Suddenly someone was knocking at his door, and Clark went to open it. He recognized the slender shape behind the door. He was surprised. It was Lois. Was he dreaming again? Clark wasn't sure, but he hoped that this was reality. Though they had argued, he longed to talk to her.
“Lois...”
She interrupted, “Clark, I need to talk to you.” She sounded rather desperate, and before he realized what was happening, she clung to him in a tight embrace. “I can’t stand to lose you. Can’t we…can’t we cheat on her? She would never know, Clark. I understand…if you don’t feel able to do that, Clark, but she is evil. Don’t you see that? She doesn’t deserve you. I would make you happy. I don’t care that we can never get married. But please, Clark…”
Suddenly Lois kissed him with passion, holding him as if he was the tree trunk that was going to save her from drowning. She pressed her body against his, trying to have contact with every inch of him. Helplessly he put his arms around her, unable to move. Somehow he was shocked by the sudden real life contact. He had dreamt of this a thousand times. But the real experience was almost more than he could take. He had never felt so weak and so strong all at once. His brain was clouded, and he couldn’t think straight.
He noticed that her hair didn’t smell like roses but like peach today. But the taste of her kiss was indeed dark chocolate. It was a sweet tantalization, since he was well aware that he was just getting a brief foretaste of what *could* be. The real Lois would surface soon enough and push him away again. But as long as it lasted, Clark was going to enjoy it. It didn’t matter what price he was going to pay for this short moment of sheer ecstasy.
Her warm body felt incredible, better than in any fantasy he had had about this woman. Her tongue was even softer and silkier than in his dreams. When Lois broke the kiss, Clark roughly fell off of cloud nine.
“So what do you say, Clark? Please tell me that you at least like me a little bit and that you won't refuse my offer. I know that cheating is a sin in your eyes, but, Clark, she was cheating, too. It’s only fair for you to have an affair. You deserve to be loved, Clark. Please tell me you love me.” She was babbling again, but this time her words sank in.
“Lois, I love you, but what are you talking about? Cheating? How…” he said.
“Oh, I should have known. Of course you would never…Oh, Clark forgive me, please forgive me.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Clark lifted her face up, covering her wet cheek with his palm as he wiped away her tears with his thumb.
“Please stop crying, honey.” He mumbled. “Talk to me, Lois. I still don’t understand what you are trying to tell me.” He pulled her in an embrace, and she sighed as she rested her head against his chest.
“I’m talking about you and me, Clark. And S..Sarah.” She sobbed heart-wrenchingly.
“Sarah?” he asked. He was confused and stroked her back, trying to soothe and comfort her.
“Oh, why have you never told me about her? But, Clark, we will find a way, no matter how long it takes. Even if you can't stand the idea of cheating on her, we will find a way.”
“Lois, who is Sarah?” Clark asked and held her at arms length so he could see her face.
“Oh, come on, Clark, I already know about her; there is no reason to hide her from me any longer,” Lois said a bit annoyed.
“Lois, maybe you know what you are talking about, but I don’t. So please tell me who Sarah is supposed to be?”
“Your wife,” Lois stated grimly.
“My... my... what?”
“You can stop lying. I’ve seen your marriage certificate. Oh, Clark I can’t believe that you are still denying it.” Clark had already expected the old Lois to return, and bang, here she was: furious - just the way he knew and loved her. The sudden change was none-the-less scary.
“You honestly think that I’m married?” Clark sank down on the steps of his apartment. His voice was hoarse and barely audible. That was the last thing he had expected to hear.
“Clark, I’ve seen the evidence. I had the marriage certificate in my hands, and I’ve talked to your wife,” the old Lois said impatiently.
Clark couldn’t believe what he heard. He wanted to reply, but a voice in the back of his mind grumbled, *Yeah, Kent. She’s going to believe you. After all, you’re already such a great liar. She’ll definitely believe what you say.*
What on earth had caused Lois to think that he was married? He couldn’t really sort this out. He had obviously been silent for far too long because she was speaking again.
“Clark, I can understand that this is difficult for you, but I see no point in denying it,” Lois said sympathetically.
She sat down next to him, laying one arm around his shoulders. Why was she being so nice to him? Oh, how Clark had longed to be so close to her. He felt like he needed someone to soothe him. He wished that Lois was telling him that her being Luthor’s fiancée was just a bad nightmare that he had finally woken up. But now he was confused because she was trying to comfort him because of a situation he wasn’t even in.
Had he really assumed that things couldn’t get worse? Who had told her that lie about him being married? The answer was obvious, but Clark couldn’t really understand why Luthor would do this. Did he really consider him as a potential rival? After all, she had rejected him; he wasn’t really dangerous anymore, was he?
“Clark, please talk to me. Tell me to go away, tell me to back off with my stupid ideas of having a life with you despite the existence of Sarah, but please don’t remain silent. If you’re thinking that I’m the most despicable woman you’ve ever met, please say it. I can’t stand that I don’t know what’s going on in your head!” Lois cried suddenly and shook him, not hard, but enough to make him talk.
“Lois, it was Luthor who told you that I was married, wasn’t it?” Clark said softly.
“Yeah, Clark. He told me about what happened between you, Sarah and him,” Lois replied.
“I’ve told you so often that you cannot trust him, Lois, “Clark said, hoping to solve the misunderstanding.
“Clark, he told me the truth. He admitted that he made a mistake. He’s sorry, Clark. I think you should forgive him. Are you so blinded by love that you can’t see your wife’s true character?” Lois interrupted him.
“Lois, I am not married, and I never was married. You can’t have met my wife because I have none. I seriously hoped that you would take that place in my life some time in the future.” Clark bit his lip. He knew that he had said too much. He had certainly scared her away by now.
“Clark, why do you still trying to hide it? I know that she is in prison. You think that she’s innocent; that much I understood when we had that fight.”
“I was talking about Jack, Lois. For Heaven’s sake, you’re really forgetting about everything because of Luthor. There are people that need help getting out of his evil grip. And you are one of them. When will you realize that he is evil? I’m almost sure that he had the bomb placed at the Planet. Where is that great investigative reporter I was introduced to a year ago? I’m not the one who’s blind in this, Lois. You are.” Clark was desperate.
He wanted to make her see the truth; he wanted to maul the veil of deceit that Luthor had built up. But what if he let her see too much? What if Lois realized that Clark had also weaved a web of deceit. She would be furious and turn away from him without listening further. Clark was pretty sure of that. He was dancing on the edge of a volcano.
“So you are honestly telling me that Sarah Elaine Warner is not married to you? Even though I found the marriage certificate in your desk?” Lois inquired.
“Luthor must have placed it there, Lois.” Clark attempted to explain.
“Come on, Clark. You cannot be in earnest. Assuming that's true, and he invented this marriage, why would he do that? And how would he make a marriage certificate appear in Smallville and in your flat? And how did the woman in prison know things about you, when she wasn’t your wife? Please Clark, you are an investigative reporter as well. I only followed the evidence, and there is more evidence for his story than there is for yours. I thought better of you, Clark. I really did. But you are jealous and you are just behaving ridiculously.” She got up and ascended the stairs hurriedly.
“You trust that b****** more than me?” he howled after her.
“I trust evidence, Clark,” she replied coldly and was gone.
Clark couldn't help but wonder if maybe Lois had super-powers, too. She had vanished quicker than he had ever assumed possible. He was stuck on the stairs as if someone was holding him down. Now he knew what Lois’ problem had been the whole time. This time Luthor had bested him. He was never going to get out of this trap. Luthor hadn’t even needed kryptonite. Why didn’t Lois believe him?
Clark shook his head. He knew the answer. Lois was a woman that needed evidence. Even though it was false, Luthor had evidence for his story. And Clark didn't really have much evidence against Luthor. Jack had said it. This was not a battle of strength; this was a battle of the mind. Clark had failed, because he wasn’t playing unfairly. Lex Luthor didn’t care if he lied or not. Honesty and morality weren’t part of his vocabulary. Clark buried his face in his hands and moaned.
He fervently longed to smash something. His blood was thundering in his ears, and his nerves were tense; Clark was at the verge of exploding. He had never felt such a need to do something and at the same time still feel so incredibly helpless. Being helpless wasn’t a common feeling for him. But right now his mind was empty, and his body was filled with a hot rush of rage. He needed all the strength he had to control himself. He didn’t want to freak out because that would do more harm than good. But Perry was likely to be somewhere around so Clark would have to control himself. Better safe than sorry.
tbc...
My beta-reader kept wondering what mysterious weapon I was talking about. I will clarify that soon. For now, I hope it will rise a little suspense 
. I can give a little hint, though. Derek Camden is a character from the series. I wouldn't invent such a name. 
